Hitman 2

Hitman 2 remains a demanding stealth title, and the pairing of the Intel Core i5-12600KF with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 produces a specific performance profile across resolutions and quality presets. The measured data places this combination at rank 2895 out of 3711 tested combos, meaning it sits in the lower-middle portion of the database’s performance hierarchy. That ranking reflects a system that is capable of smooth play at standard settings, but one that will struggle when pushed toward maximum fidelity or higher pixel counts. The combination’s position is not surprising given the GPU’s overall standing, which falls at the 63rd percentile among all tested graphics cards, while the CPU sits at the 79th percentile among processors. This gap between the two components’ relative strengths suggests that the Radeon RX 6600 is the primary constraint in most Hitman 2 scenarios, a conclusion reinforced by the FPS scaling observed across the measured rows.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 2895 out of 3711 tested combinations places it firmly in the lower half of the database, but that ranking needs context. The CPU in this pairing is a strong performer; its average benchmark score of 27799 puts it within 0.3% of the Intel Core i9-10900K and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, both of which are more expensive or higher-tier parts. The processor’s percentile of 79 means it outperforms roughly four out of five CPUs in the database, and its multi-threaded scores are substantial. For instance, Cinebench R23 multicore reaches 23391 points, while Geekbench multicore hits 12137. These numbers indicate that the i5-12600KF is not the bottleneck in this system.

The GPU tells a different story. The Radeon RX 6600’s average benchmark score of 19036 places it at the 63rd percentile, and its nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 and the GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile, with delta percentages of 0.0% and -0.1% respectively. That means the RX 6600 is essentially on par with those cards in synthetic tests, but those are not desktop gaming parts with similar feature sets. More telling is the measured FPS data: at 4K Ultra, the combo averages just 19 FPS, which is unplayable by any standard. Even at 1440p Ultra, the average drops to 35 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth action in a stealth game where quick reactions matter. The ranking reflects this reality — the combo is not competitive at high settings on high-resolution displays, but it can hold its own at lower presets.

When compared to other combos in the same rank region, the data shows that the limiting factor is overwhelmingly the GPU. The CPU’s benchmark scores are comparable to parts that typically pair with much faster graphics cards, so the 2895 rank is a direct consequence of the RX 6600’s mid-range positioning. In short, this is a balanced combo for 1080p gaming, but it falls behind quickly as resolution and settings increase, which is exactly what the rank communicates.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide clear guidance on which preset to choose for the best experience. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 132 FPS, which is far beyond what any display needs for smooth gameplay. Medium at the same resolution averages 99 FPS with a minimum of 84 and a maximum of 114, which is still excellent and offers a better visual experience than Low. High at 1080p drops to 75 FPS, which remains playable but begins to show the GPU’s strain. Ultra at 1080p averages 55 FPS, which is borderline for a stealth game that benefits from consistent frame pacing.

The data suggests that Medium at 1080p is the sweet spot for this combo. The 99 FPS average provides headroom above 60 FPS, and the minimum of 84 FPS ensures that even in busy scenes, the frame rate stays comfortably above the playability threshold. Moving to High at 1080p still yields 75 FPS, but the drop from Medium to High represents a 24% reduction in average FPS, which is a significant cost for visual gains that may not be noticeable during fast-paced gameplay. Ultra at 1080p is not recommended, as the 55 FPS average is only 56% of the Medium preset’s performance, and the visual difference between High and Ultra in Hitman 2 is often subtle.

At 2560x1440, the situation changes. Medium averages 64 FPS with a minimum of 54, which is playable but not ideal for a game that rewards precision. Low at 1440p averages 85 FPS, which is smooth, but the visual compromise is steep. High at 1440p averages 48 FPS, which dips below the 60 FPS target, and Ultra at 1440p averages 35 FPS, which is too low for comfortable play. For 1440p, the recommendation is to stick with Medium, accepting the 64 FPS average, or drop to Low if frame rate is a higher priority than visual fidelity.

At 3840x2160, the data is unambiguous. Medium averages 34 FPS, Low averages 45 FPS, High averages 26 FPS, and Ultra averages 19 FPS. None of these are playable for a game that requires tracking moving targets and reacting to environmental cues. The only reasonable choice at 4K is Low, and even that is marginal. The best experience for this combo is clearly at 1080p with the Medium preset, where the measured minimum of 84 FPS ensures a stable, responsive session. For users with 1440p monitors, Medium is the only preset that keeps the average above 60 FPS, albeit barely.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data across resolutions reveals how the system scales and where the bottleneck lies. Moving from 1080p Medium to 1440p Medium, the average FPS drops from 99 to 64, a 35% reduction. From 1440p Medium to 4K Medium, the average drops from 64 to 34, another 47% reduction. This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound system: as pixel count increases, the graphics card must work proportionally harder, and the RX 6600’s 8 GB of VRAM and 128-bit memory bus become limiting factors.

The CPU’s role in this scaling is minimal because the i5-12600KF has ample headroom. Its 10 cores and 16 threads, with a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, are more than sufficient for Hitman 2’s AI and physics calculations. The data confirms this: at 1080p Low, the combo averages 132 FPS, which is likely near the CPU’s limit for this game, but at higher settings, the GPU takes over as the constraint. The sharp drop from 1080p High (75 FPS) to 1440p High (48 FPS) is a 36% decrease, which aligns with the pixel count increase from 2.07 million to 3.69 million pixels (a 78% increase). The fact that FPS does not drop proportionally suggests that the GPU is not fully saturated at 1080p High, but it becomes saturated at 1440p and beyond.

At 4K, the scaling becomes more severe. From 1440p Low (85 FPS) to 4K Low (45 FPS), the average drops by 47%, and from 1440p Ultra (35 FPS) to 4K Ultra (19 FPS), the drop is 46%. This consistent ~46-47% reduction from 1440p to 4K indicates that the GPU is the sole limiting factor, as the CPU’s performance does not change with resolution. The measured data shows no scenario where the CPU appears to bottleneck the GPU, which means that users looking to improve 4K performance would need to replace the graphics card, not the processor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The full set of measured FPS values provides a detailed picture of this combo’s capabilities. At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 132 FPS, which is the highest score in the entire dataset. Medium averages 99 FPS with a minimum of 84 and a maximum of 114, showing a tight frame pacing that is ideal for gameplay. High averages 75 FPS, and Ultra averages 55 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 58% reduction in average FPS (132 to 55), which is a steep penalty for higher settings.

At 2560x1440, Low averages 85 FPS, which is still smooth for most displays. Medium averages 64 FPS with a minimum of 54 and a maximum of 73, meaning that the lowest frame rate can dip below 60 FPS in demanding scenes. High averages 48 FPS, and Ultra averages 35 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 59% (85 to 35), similar to the 1080p scaling. This consistency suggests that the GPU’s performance scales linearly with setting changes, regardless of resolution, which is expected for a mid-range card.

At 3840x2160, the numbers become marginal. Low averages 45 FPS, which is the only preset that approaches playability. Medium averages 34 FPS with a minimum of 29 and a maximum of 39, indicating that even the peak frame rate is below 40 FPS. High averages 26 FPS, and Ultra averages 19 FPS. The step from 1080p Ultra (55 FPS) to 4K Ultra (19 FPS) represents a 65% reduction, highlighting the GPU’s inability to handle 4K resolution with this game’s highest settings.

The minimum FPS data is only available for Medium presets across all resolutions: 84 at 1080p, 54 at 1440p, and 29 at 4K. These minimums are within 15-23% of the average FPS, which indicates that Hitman 2’s frame times are relatively stable on this hardware, with no severe stutters or drops. This stability is a positive sign for the Medium preset, as it means the gameplay experience will be consistent rather than erratic.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is the defining component in this combo, and its specifications explain the measured results. The GPU is based on the Navi 23 chip with RDNA 2.0 architecture, built on a 7 nm process at TSMC. It has 1792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units, along with 28 ray tracing cores. The memory subsystem consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s. The boost clock is rated at 2491 MHz, with a game clock of 2044 MHz and a base clock of 1626 MHz.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is a key limitation at higher resolutions. In Hitman 2, which features large, detailed environments, 4K textures can exceed 8 GB of VRAM usage, causing the GPU to rely on slower system memory or reduce texture quality. This explains why the 4K results are so poor: the GPU is not only compute-bound but also memory-bound. The 128-bit bus width further limits memory throughput, so even when VRAM is sufficient, the bandwidth may not be enough to feed the shading units at high resolutions. The measured 4K Medium average of 34 FPS, with a minimum of 29, reflects these constraints.

The GPU’s benchmark scores place it at the 63rd percentile, with an average score of 19036. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 (deltaPct 0.0%) and the GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile (deltaPct -0.1%), which are not direct gaming competitors. The RX 6600’s Passmark G3D score is 15096, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1492, both of which are mid-range results. In Hitman 2, the GPU’s performance is consistent with these synthetic scores: it can handle 1080p at high settings but falls off rapidly at 1440p and 4K. The GPU’s TDP of 132 W and dual-slot design are typical for this class, and its PCIe 4.0 x8 interface is not a bottleneck for this game.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a strong partner for the RX 6600, but its capabilities are largely untapped in this game. The CPU features 10 cores (with 16 threads) based on the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel’s 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, with 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core. The processor supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory over a dual-channel bus, and it is unlocked for overclocking. Its benchmark scores are impressive: Cinebench R23 multicore reaches 23391, single-core reaches 3302, and Geekbench multicore hits 12137.

In Hitman 2, the CPU’s role is to handle game logic, AI, and physics, which it does with ease. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (132 FPS) suggests that the CPU can push well beyond 130 FPS in this game, but the GPU cannot match that pace at higher settings. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 27799 places it within 0.3% of the Intel Core i9-10900K and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, both of which are considered high-end gaming processors. This means that the i5-12600KF is not holding back the RX 6600 in any resolution or setting.

The CPU’s 79th percentile ranking among all CPUs further confirms its strength. Its single-thread performance, as measured by Passmark (3925) and Cinebench R23 single-core (3302), is critical for Hitman 2, which relies on a primary game thread for many calculations. The boost clock of 4.90 GHz provides the high frequency needed for that thread, and the data shows no CPU-related frame drops in any measured row. The 10-core/16-thread configuration also ensures that background tasks or multiple game threads do not cause contention, which is why the minimum FPS values on Medium presets are stable across resolutions. In summary, the CPU is a non-issue for this combo; any performance limitations in Hitman 2 are entirely attributable to the GPU.