Hitman 2

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT delivers a performance profile in Hitman 2 that is heavily dictated by resolution and graphical preset. The data reveals a component pairing that excels at 1080p but struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 4K, with the GPU becoming the clear limiting factor as pixel count rises. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS, settings impacts, and the specific roles each component plays in shaping the experience.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for this combo shows a steep and predictable decline as resolution increases, but the rate of that decline tells a compelling story about system balance. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 150 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 96 FPS, a 36% reduction. The jump to 4K Low results in 51 FPS, which is a further 47% drop from 1440p. This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is being pushed progressively harder, with the CPU's performance headroom becoming less relevant at higher resolutions.

The trend is even more pronounced at High settings. The 1080p High average of 85 FPS falls to 55 FPS at 1440p High (a 35% drop), and then to just 29 FPS at 4K High (a 47% drop from 1440p). This consistent ~35% loss from 1080p to 1440p, followed by another ~47% loss from 1440p to 4K, strongly suggests the RX 6650 XT's rendering pipeline is saturated. The GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus width, which provides 280.3 GB/s of bandwidth, are likely the primary constraints at 4K, as the pixel fill rate demand quadruples from 1080p to 4K.

At Ultra settings, the picture is even more stark. The 1080p Ultra average is 63 FPS, which is already below the 85 FPS High result. At 1440p Ultra, the average plummets to 40 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it reaches a barely interactive 21 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra at 4K is notable: 29 FPS versus 21 FPS, a 28% performance loss for the higher preset. This indicates that Ultra settings introduce effects that are disproportionately expensive at high resolutions, likely taxing the GPU's shading units (2048) and texture mapping units (128) to their limits.

The data implies that the limiting component at 1080p is not the GPU in most settings, as the CPU with its 6 cores and 12 threads can feed frames quickly. However, the scaling curve from 1440p to 4K is textbook GPU-bound behavior. The RX 6650 XT, with its boost clock of 2635 MHz and 10.79 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, simply cannot maintain high frame rates when outputting over 8 million pixels. The 4K results are consistently below 60 FPS across all settings, and even the best 4K result (51 FPS at Low) is barely within the range of acceptable playability for a stealth game.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Hitman 2 with this hardware?*

A: Based on the measured data, 1080p is the only resolution where the combo consistently exceeds 60 FPS across all settings. The 1080p Medium average is 113 FPS, and even Ultra maintains 63 FPS. At 1440p, only Low (96 FPS) and Medium (72 FPS) break the 60 FPS threshold, while 4K never reaches 60 FPS in any measured setting.

Q: How much performance is lost when upgrading from 1080p to 1440p?

A: The data shows a consistent loss of approximately 35% across settings. Specifically, High drops from 85 FPS to 55 FPS, Low goes from 150 FPS to 96 FPS, Medium falls from 113 FPS to 72 FPS, and Ultra decreases from 63 FPS to 40 FPS.

Q: Is the RX 6650 XT capable of running the game at 4K?

A: Technically yes, but the results are marginal. The best 4K result is 51 FPS at Low settings. Medium drops to 38 FPS, High to 29 FPS, and Ultra to 21 FPS. None of these averages meet the 60 FPS standard, suggesting the 8 GB VRAM and overall GPU throughput are insufficient for a smooth 4K experience.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: The difference is substantial. Low averages 150 FPS, while Ultra averages 63 FPS. That represents a 58% reduction in performance when moving to the highest preset. Medium sits at 113 FPS, and High at 85 FPS, showing a clear trade-off between visual fidelity and frame rate.

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance affect the game?

A: The Core i5-12400 has a single-thread benchmark score of 3456 in PassMark and 2257 in Cinebench R23. These scores indicate strong per-core performance, which is critical for Hitman 2's game logic and AI. The data shows that the CPU is not a bottleneck at 1080p, where the GPU is the limiting factor, but its 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient to feed the GPU at lower resolutions.

Q: Does the game scale better with resolution or settings changes?

A: The data shows that resolution scaling has a larger impact. For example, going from 1080p High (85 FPS) to 1440p High (55 FPS) loses 30 FPS, while going from 1080p High (85 FPS) to 1080p Ultra (63 FPS) loses only 22 FPS. Resolution changes demand more from the GPU's pixel processing, while settings changes affect shader complexity.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimal settings at each resolution, prioritizing a smooth experience. At 1080p, the Medium preset offers the best balance, with an average of 113 FPS and a minimum of 96 FPS, ensuring no significant frame drops. High is also viable at 85 FPS, but Ultra, while playable at 63 FPS, sacrifices a significant amount of performance for marginal visual gains.

For 1440p, the Medium preset is the recommended choice. It achieves an average of 72 FPS with a minimum of 61 FPS, keeping the experience above the 60 FPS threshold. The Low preset (96 FPS) offers higher frame rates but likely reduces visual quality too much for a game that relies on environmental detail for stealth. High at 1440p (55 FPS) is playable but may feel less smooth, and Ultra (40 FPS) is not recommended for action-heavy sequences.

At 4K, the data suggests that players must make significant compromises. The Low preset, with an average of 51 FPS, is the only setting that approaches a playable frame rate. Medium (38 FPS) and High (29 FPS) are below the threshold for fluid gameplay, and Ultra (21 FPS) is effectively a slideshow. For players who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity, 4K Low is the only viable option. However, the data implies that dropping to 1440p Medium is a superior choice for a better overall experience, as it provides both higher frames and better image quality than 4K Low.

The minimum FPS values for Medium settings are also instructive. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 96 FPS, which is well above the average of many other setups. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 61 FPS, barely above 60, indicating potential drops in intense scenes. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 33 FPS, confirming that 4K is not a stable experience for this combo.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo exhibits strong performance across the board. The Low preset delivers an average of 150 FPS, which is the highest measured result for any resolution and settings combination. Medium achieves 113 FPS (minimum 96 FPS, maximum 130 FPS), providing a robust frame rate with headroom. High drops to 85 FPS, and Ultra sits at 63 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 87 FPS, showing that the GPU has significant performance to spare at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down consistently. Low averages 96 FPS, which is still a very playable number. Medium averages 72 FPS (minimum 61 FPS, maximum 83 FPS), which is the sweet spot for 60+ FPS gaming. High averages 55 FPS, dipping below the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra averages 40 FPS, which is noticeably less smooth. The data shows that 1440p requires a step down in settings to maintain high frame rates.

At 3840x2160, the results are marginal. Low averages 51 FPS, which is the only setting that approaches playability. Medium averages 38 FPS (minimum 33 FPS, maximum 44 FPS), showing significant frame variance. High averages 29 FPS, and Ultra averages 21 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 30 FPS, indicating that the GPU is heavily constrained at this resolution. The 4K Medium minimum of 33 FPS is particularly telling, as it shows that even the "average" setting can experience severe drops.

The data reveals a clear pattern: the RX 6650 XT is capable of delivering high frame rates at 1080p, but its performance degrades rapidly with increased resolution. The 8 GB VRAM capacity and 280.3 GB/s bandwidth are likely exhausted at 4K, leading to the observed frame rates.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT is the dominant component in this pairing for Hitman 2, particularly at higher resolutions. The GPU's specifications, including 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, are directly reflected in the benchmark results. The memory bandwidth of 280.3 GB/s is a critical factor; at 4K, the game needs to access textures and frame buffers more frequently, and this bandwidth appears insufficient to maintain high frame rates.

The GPU's clock speeds are also relevant. The base clock of 2055 MHz and boost clock of 2635 MHz are high, but the 4K results suggest that raw clock speed cannot compensate for the memory bandwidth limitations. The shading units (2048) and texture mapping units (128) are tasked with processing the increased pixel count at 4K, and the data shows they are overwhelmed.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 19765. Its nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA Tesla K40m (avg score 19885, a 0.6% difference) and the AMD FirePro W7000 (avg score 19905, a 0.7% difference). These comparisons show that the RX 6650 XT is a mid-range performer, which aligns with its in-game results. The 4K performance is consistent with a GPU that is not designed for high-resolution gaming, despite its 10.79 TFLOPS of FP32 compute.

The GPU's role is clear: it is the bottleneck at 1440p and 4K. The measured FPS drop from 1080p to 4K (e.g., 85 FPS to 29 FPS at High) is far greater than what would be expected if the CPU were the limiting factor. The GPU's 65th percentile ranking, while respectable, indicates that it is not top-tier hardware, and the 4K results confirm this.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 plays a supporting role in Hitman 2, providing enough processing power to avoid being a bottleneck at lower resolutions. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are utilized by the game's engine, and its strong single-thread performance is crucial for the AI and game logic. The CPU has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, which are adequate for maintaining high frame rates.

The CPU's benchmark scores are solid, placing it in the 72nd percentile of all CPUs. It achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15989 and a single-core score of 2257. These numbers indicate that the i5-12400 can handle the game's demands without stalling the GPU. The PassMark single-thread score of 3456 is particularly important, as Hitman 2 is known to be sensitive to single-thread performance.

At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 150 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's limit for frame generation. However, the GPU is still the primary driver of performance, as evidenced by the fact that increasing resolution to 1440p (which does not change CPU load) results in a 54 FPS drop at Low settings. The CPU's role becomes more prominent at 1080p, where it must keep up with the GPU's high frame output.

The CPU's nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 7643 (avg score 18697, a 0.1% difference) and the Intel Core i3-14100F (avg score 18519, a 0.9% difference). These comparisons show that the i5-12400 is a competent mid-range processor. Its 18 MB of shared L3 cache is beneficial for game data, and its support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory provides flexibility. However, the data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this game; the GPU is.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12400 + AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT combination ranks 2428 out of 3711 tested combos in Hitman 2. This places it in the 65th percentile of all tested systems, which is a mid-pack ranking. The rank is a holistic measure that considers all the measured FPS data, and it reflects the combo's strong 1080p performance but weak 4K results.

The combo's ranking is likely pulled down by the 4K results, where the GPU is severely underpowered. The 1080p results, which show averages above 60 FPS for all settings, are competitive with many higher-end GPUs. However, the 4K results at 21-51 FPS are below average for the database, which includes many combos with more powerful GPUs.

The rank of 2428 out of 3711 indicates that this combo is better than about 65% of all tested systems, but it is not a top performer. The data suggests that the combo is well-suited for 1080p gaming, where it can deliver high frame rates, but it is not designed for 4K. The GPU's 65th percentile ranking and the CPU's 72nd percentile ranking suggest that the combo is balanced, but the game's demands at 4K exceed the GPU's capabilities.

The ranking is a useful metric for comparing this combo to others in the database. It shows that while the i5-12400 and RX 6650 XT are solid mid-range components, they are not exceptional. The combo's performance in Hitman 2 is average, and users seeking higher frame rates at 4K would need to consider more powerful hardware. The data clearly indicates that this combo is best utilized at 1080p or 1440p with medium settings, where it can provide a smooth and enjoyable stealth experience.