Hitman 2

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread desktop processor built on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its 18 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4/DDR5 memory support position it as a mainstream part, and its 65 W TDP reflects a power-conscious design. In synthetic benchmarks, the chip posts a single-thread score of 909 in 3DMark and 2332 in Cinebench R23, while multi-threaded results reach 5912 in 3DMark max threads and 16518 in Cinebench R23 multicore. These figures place the CPU at the 77th percentile among all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 19221.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role is most visible at lower resolutions where frame rates climb well past the GPU's comfort zone. At 1080p Low, the combo delivers 252.9 FPS, a figure that far exceeds what the GPU alone could sustain at higher settings. The 1080p Medium result of 191.9 FPS and 1080p High result of 145.4 FPS show a steady decline as graphical load increases, but the CPU's 12 threads and 4.40 GHz boost clock keep the scene from becoming CPU-bound even at these elevated frame rates. The processor's 3DMark 16-thread score of 5895 and 8-thread score of 4779 indicate that Hitman 2's workload, which typically scales across several cores, is handled with ample headroom. The chip's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-8700K, which scores 19210 with a deltaPct of 0.1, and the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS at 19364 with a deltaPct of -0.7, confirming the i5-12400F sits in a tightly contested performance band.

What matters for Hitman 2 is that the CPU's single-core strength, evidenced by a Passmark single-thread score of 3481 and Geekbench single-core score of 2221, prevents frame pacing issues when the action accelerates. The game's stealth mechanics and crowd simulations are not exceptionally thread-hungry, so the 6-core/12-thread configuration provides a balanced foundation. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 35.4, a figure that is almost entirely dictated by the GPU, not the CPU. At 1080p Low, the CPU's 3DMark 2-thread score of 1699 suggests that even lightly threaded scenarios are well-served. Overall, this processor is never the bottleneck in this pairing; its job is to stay out of the way, and it does so across all measured settings.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process, featuring 6144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output units. It carries 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s. The GPU's base clock is 2325 MHz with a boost of 2512 MHz, and memory runs at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). The RTX 5070 posts a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5077 and a Passmark G3D score of 29137, placing it at the 83rd percentile among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 41687. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 (41610, deltaPct 0.2) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 (41441, deltaPct 0.6), which shows the RTX 5070 is slightly ahead of a previous-generation flagship in aggregate synthetic performance.

In Hitman 2, the GPU's role is dominant at higher resolutions and settings. At 4K Ultra, the combo manages only 35.4 FPS, a clear sign that the RTX 5070's 12 GB frame buffer and 672.0 GB/s bandwidth are strained by the game's most demanding configuration. The 4K High result of 49.4 FPS and 4K Medium result of 66.4 FPS illustrate a steep scaling curve, where each step down in settings yields a meaningful jump in performance. The GPU's passmark DirectX 11 score of 277 and DirectX 12 score of 108 indicate that the card's architectural efficiency varies by API, but Hitman 2's engine benefits from the high texture rates and pixel throughput. The 201.0 GPixel/s pixel rate and 482.3 GTexel/s texture rate provide the raw fill capabilities needed for the game's detailed environments, yet the 4K Ultra result shows that even these figures are insufficient for a locked 60 FPS experience at maximum quality.

The RTX 5070's 30.87 TFLOPS FP32 performance is substantial, but Hitman 2's rendering pipeline appears to be more sensitive to memory bandwidth and ROP throughput than raw compute. The 80 ROPs paired with 192-bit memory bus are a limiting factor at 4K Ultra, where the 35.4 FPS result is well below playable thresholds for most users. At 1440p, the GPU shows more composure: 1440p High delivers 90.5 FPS and 1440p Medium reaches 126.1 FPS, while 1440p Low hits 162.9 FPS. These results confirm that the RTX 5070 is a capable 1440p performer in this title, with the 12 GB VRAM proving sufficient for High settings at that resolution.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a clear scaling pattern across resolutions for this combo. Starting at 1080p Low, the average FPS is 252.9, which drops to 191.9 at 1080p Medium and 145.4 at 1080p High, before settling at 108.4 for 1080p Ultra. Moving to 1440p, the same settings yield 162.9 FPS (Low), 126.1 FPS (Medium), 90.5 FPS (High), and 66.4 FPS (Ultra). At 4K, the figures fall to 87 FPS (Low), 66.4 FPS (Medium), 49.4 FPS (High), and 35.4 FPS (Ultra).

The percentage drops reveal which component is the primary limiter. From 1080p Low to 1440p Low, the FPS falls from 252.9 to 162.9, a reduction of roughly 35.6%. From 1440p Low to 4K Low, it drops from 162.9 to 87, a further 46.6% decline. These are steep reductions that indicate the GPU is heavily constrained at higher resolutions, even at Low settings where the CPU has minimal work. Conversely, the gap between 1080p Ultra and 1080p Low is 144.5 FPS, which is a massive range that shows the GPU's sensitivity to settings at a fixed resolution. The fact that 4K Medium (66.4 FPS) exactly matches 1440p Ultra (66.4 FPS) is a notable coincidence, suggesting that the total pixel count and quality settings interact in a way that produces identical load on the GPU.

This scaling behavior points to the GPU as the dominant bottleneck at 4K and the CPU as increasingly irrelevant as resolution rises. At 1080p Low, the 252.9 FPS result is likely near the CPU's practical limit for this game, but the CPU's 3DMark scores suggest it could push even higher with a faster GPU. The data shows that the i5-12400F's 4.40 GHz boost clock and 12 threads are sufficient to feed the RTX 5070 at 1080p, but at 4K, the GPU's 12 GB VRAM and bandwidth constraints take over. The 4K Ultra result of 35.4 FPS is only 32.7% of the 1080p Low result, illustrating how severely resolution scaling penalizes this GPU in a game that relies on heavy texture and geometry loads. For users targeting 4K, the data suggests that Medium settings (66.4 FPS) are the realistic ceiling for smooth play, while High and Ultra require significant compromises.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the database of tested combinations, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 achieves a rank of 403 out of 1795 total combos in Hitman 2. That places it in the top 22.4% of all systems tested, which is a strong showing given the CPU's mainstream positioning. The rank reflects the combination's measured FPS across all resolutions and settings, and it indicates that this setup outperforms the majority of alternatives while trailing the top-tier configurations that pair higher-end CPUs with faster GPUs.

The combo's rank is influenced by the CPU's 77th percentile standing and the GPU's 83rd percentile standing. When two components in the 75th-85th percentile range are paired, the result is a system that is well above average but not elite. The data shows that the RTX 5070's nearest rivals—such as the GeForce RTX 3090 with a deltaPct of 0.6—would produce similar frame rates in this game, meaning the combo's rank is more dependent on the GPU than the CPU. The i5-12400F's nearest rivals, including the Core i7-8700K (deltaPct 0.1), are so close in synthetic performance that swapping the CPU would likely change the combo's rank by only a few positions.

The rank of 403 suggests that this combo is well-suited for 1440p gaming, where the measured FPS values (90.5 High, 126.1 Medium) are comfortably above 60 FPS. At 4K, the combo falls to the lower quartile of tested systems due to the GPU's limitations, but this is a function of the RTX 5070's class rather than a mismatch between components. The combo's position in the database reflects the balance struck between a capable 6-core CPU and a high-end Blackwell GPU, with neither component dragging the other down significantly. For context, the 1795 total combos include many with older or weaker GPUs, so a rank of 403 places this system in the upper echelon of what is typically tested for a game like Hitman 2, which is not as demanding as modern AAA titles but still stresses the GPU at high settings.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured FPS data provides a clear guide for optimal settings in Hitman 2 with this hardware. At 1080p, all presets are playable, with Low at 252.9 FPS, Medium at 191.9 FPS, High at 145.4 FPS, and Ultra at 108.4 FPS. The jump from Medium to High costs 46.5 FPS, while the jump from High to Ultra costs 37 FPS, making High the sweet spot for 1080p—it offers a 34% improvement over Ultra while remaining well above 144 Hz for high-refresh displays. For competitive play, Low and Medium provide headroom for maximum frame rates, but the visual fidelity loss is significant.

At 1440p, the choices become more nuanced. Low delivers 162.9 FPS, Medium 126.1 FPS, High 90.5 FPS, and Ultra 66.4 FPS. The data shows that High is the best balance for most users, as it stays above 90 FPS while maintaining quality. Medium is a viable alternative for those who prioritize frame rates above 120 FPS, and Ultra is only suitable for users with 60 Hz displays who want maximum visual detail—the 66.4 FPS result is just above the 60 FPS threshold but leaves no margin for drops. The recommendation is to start with High and adjust down to Medium if frame times become inconsistent, as the 35.6 FPS gap between these presets is substantial.

At 4K, the measured results are more constrained. Low yields 87 FPS, Medium 66.4 FPS, High 49.4 FPS, and Ultra 35.4 FPS. For a smooth experience, Medium is the only preset that reliably exceeds 60 FPS, and it does so narrowly. Low provides a comfortable buffer at 87 FPS but sacrifices visual quality. High and Ultra are not recommended for 4K play, as the 49.4 FPS and 35.4 FPS results fall below the acceptable threshold for a stealth game where precise timing matters. The data suggests that 4K Medium is the best experience per the measured rows—it offers a 34.1% improvement over High while remaining within the playable range. For users with adaptive sync displays, High might be tolerable, but the 49.4 FPS average implies occasional dips below 40 FPS in crowded scenes. Ultimately, the best experience across all resolutions is 1440p High, which delivers 90.5 FPS with strong visual quality and a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, making it the recommended default for this combo.