Hitman 2

The Intel Core i5-12600KF and AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT pairing in Hitman 2 presents a clear study in performance scaling. The data reveals a system that is entirely capable of high refresh rates at 1080p, remains very playable at 1440p, but demonstrates significant strain when pushed to 4K with maximum settings.

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

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a 10-core, 16-thread processor built on the Alder Lake architecture for the Intel Socket 1700 platform. Its base clock is 3.70 GHz with a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. This hybrid configuration, with its 20 MB of shared L3 cache, provides substantial headroom for a stealth game like Hitman 2, which typically relies on strong single-thread performance for AI and game logic, with a secondary ability to utilize multiple cores for rendering the various systems.

Benchmark results show the CPU's capability. In Cinebench R23, the single-core score is 3302, with a multi-core score of 23391. The Geekbench scores are 2157 single-core and 12137 multi-core. The 3DMark results mirror this: a single-thread score of 1016 and a max-threads score of 7952. This strong single-core performance is the dominant factor in game performance, ensuring the game's main simulation loop rarely hits a bottleneck. The multi-core scores, however, are also robust, Cinebench R20 shows 9824 multi-core and 1386 single-core.

This CPU's standing in the broader market is solid, with a percentile of 79 across all CPUs. The nearest rivals show it as a very close match to the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, with the i5-12600KF averaging a score of 27799 compared to the Ryzen 7 5800X3D's 27896, a delta of -0.3%. A similar performance is seen against the Intel Core i9-10900K. The delta between 4 and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U is just -0.3%. This means in CPU-bound scenarios, the i5-12600KF is effectively trading blows with these other high-end processors, and its 10 cores are more than enough to feed the GPU in this particular title. The data indicates that at the lower 1080p resolution, the CPU is frequently the limiting component, which is why the frame rates are so high.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate

The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT is the graphical workhorse for this test. It is part of the Radeon RX 6000 series, built on the 7 nm process and the RDNA 2.0 architecture. The GPU is equipped with 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 432.0 GB/s. its base clock of 2150 MHz and a boost clock of 2600 MHz are high, allowing for significant performance. The 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs are all the hardware needed to rasterize the game's detailed environments.

The GPU's role in the tests is clear. At 1080p, the GPU is the primary component, but it's not fully saturated when the settings are lowered. The 12 GB VRAM is not a bottleneck at any resolution in this game, as the 4K results still show the GPU is able to render frames, though at a lower cost. The GPU's average benchmark score of 26011 places it in the 71st percentile. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon R9 M395X with a score of 25891 and a delta of 0.5%, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile with an average score of 25740, delta of 1.1%. This indicates the RX 6750 XT is just at the cusp of the tier of performance, with its nearest peers being a mobile GPU and older desktop cards.

The bottleneck analysis is interesting. At 4K Ultra, the system produces 28 FPS, indicating the GPU is the primary limiting factor. When dropping to 1080p Low, the frame rates skyrocket to 182 FPS, showing that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to reach high refresh rates. The GPU's performance is the core constraint when pushing pixels. The 12 GB VRAM is a strong feature for this game, allowing for high-resolution textures without a memory capacity problem.

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

The measured data provides a clear matrix of performance across three resolutions and four settings tiers. The goal is to find the best experience, which means balancing visual quality with a smooth frame rate.

At 1080p, the High preset delivers 103 FPS average. This is a very strong result. However, the Medium preset gives 136 FPS. Both are excellent for a high refresh rate monitor. The Ultra preset drops to 76 FPS, which is still playable but is a 26% reduction from High. The Low setting at 182 FPS is the most responsive, but the visual compromise is usually not worth the extra frames.

At 1440p, the High preset yields 66 FPS, which is a good target for a 60Hz monitor. The Medium preset gives 87 FPS, which is even better for a smooth experience. Ultra drops to 49 FPS, which may be a bit too low for a good experience, but it's still above 30. The Low preset at 116 FPS gives the highest frames for a competitive style, but the medium preset's 87 is a better balance.

At 4K, the situation changes. High settings produce 35 FPS, which is just above the minimum for playability. Medium produces 47 FPS with a min frame of 40 and a max of 53, which is the best 4K setting for a stable experience. Ultra is not viable at 26 FPS. Low is 62 FPS, which is good, but the visual compromise is severe.

The best experience is the Medium preset at 1440p, offering 87 FPS with a min of 74 and a max of 100. This provides a smooth, responsive frame rate while retaining enough that the game looks good. If the player has a 144Hz monitor, the 1080p Medium at 136 FPS is the optimal choice, as the frame rate is high and the visual quality is good. For a 4K display, the Medium preset is the only viable option to get a playable frame rate above 40.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the average frame rate for the Intel Core i5-12600KF and AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT at 1080p with High settings?

A: The average FPS is 103.

Q: What is the best settings preset to use at 1440p to get a frame rate above 60?

A: The Medium preset achieves 87 FPS, and the High preset achieves 66 FPS, both are above 60.

Q: Does the Radeon RX 6750 XT have enough VRAM to handle 4K textures in Hitman 2?

A: Yes, the 12 GB of GDDR6 memory is more than sufficient for the game, with the bottleneck being the GPU's processing power, not the memory capacity.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-core performance compare to its single-core performance in the context of this game?

A: The CPU has a strong single-core score of 3302 in Cinebench R23, which is crucial for the game's logic, but the multi-core score of 23391 indicates it can handle other background tasks without impacting the game. In this game, a single-core is the primary driver.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 1080p Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS is 116, with an average of 136.

Q: What is the performance delta between the i5-12600K and the Intel Core i9-10900K?

A: The i5-12600KF has an average score of 27799, while the Core i9-10900K has 27872, a delta of -0.3%. The i5 is basically equivalent.

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

The data shows a predictable but steep drop in frame rate as resolution increases. At 1080p High, the average is 103 FPS. Moving to 1440p High, it drops to 66 FPS. When we reach 4K High, the average falls to 35 FPS. This is a decrease of 66% from 1080p to 4K. The pattern is the same across all settings.

This is the classic behavior of a GPU-bound workload. The CPU is capable of delivering a high frame rate, but the GPU's pixel-pushing power is finite. The impact of the resolution is a huge. The 1080p Low to 1440p Low shows a drop from 182 to 116 FPS, a 36% reduction. The 4K Low is 62 FPS, a 66% reduction from 1080p. The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic drop: 1080p Ultra is 76 FPS, 1440p Ultra is 49 FPS, and 4K Ultra is 26 FPS.

The data strongly suggests that the limiting component at 4K is the GPU. The CPU has more than enough power to feed the GPU with data. The 4K Ultra setting is too demanding for the RX 6750 XT. The game does not scale well to 4K with this GPU. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 36-39% across settings, which is a typical reduction, but the 4K drop is more severe. This is a clear indicator that the GPU is the bottleneck, and the RX 6750 XT is a very strong 1080p/1440p card, but not a 4K card.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data, broken down by resolution and settings, shows a consistent hierarchy.

At 1920x1080:

• Low: 182 FPS average (minimum and maximum not recorded).
• Medium: 136 FPS average, with a minimum of 116 FPS and a maximum of 157 FPS.
• High: 103 FPS average.
• Ultra: 76 FPS average.

At 2560x1440:

• Low: 116 FPS average.
• Medium: 87 FPS average, with a minimum of 74 FPS and a maximum of 100 FPS.
• High: 66 FPS average.
• Ultra: 49 FPS average.

At 3840x2160:

• Low: 62 FPS average.
• Medium: 47 FPS average, with a minimum of 40 FPS and a maximum of 53 FPS.
• High: 35 FPS average.
• Ultra: 26 FPS average.

The range of data is a clear pattern. The 1080p Low to 1080p Ultra is a 58% reduction (182 to 76 FPS). The 1440p Low to Ultra is a 58% reduction (116 to 49 FPS). The 4K Low to Ultra is a 58% reduction (62 to 26 FPS). This consistent drop across resolutions indicates that the settings scale is well-behaved. The Medium settings are the only data with min/max FPS, which shows the frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the FPS ranges from 116 to 157, which is a 41 FPS variance. At 4K Medium, the variance is 13 FPS, which is a much tighter and more stable experience, though the average is lower.

How This Combo Ranks — the comboRankInGame against other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12600KF and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT has a rank of 1722 out of 3711 tested combos in Hitman 2. This places it in the upper half of the pack, at the 46.4 percentile. This is a decent ranking, but it doesn't put it at the absolute top tier.

This rank is a combination of the CPU's strong performance and the GPU's capable mid-range strength. The CPU is a high-tier component, but the GPU is the limiting factor for the overall ranking. The number of combos is large, so a rank of 1722 is a solidly mid-pack performance. The GPU's 71st percentile and the CPU's 79th percentile are both above average, but the GPU is the weaker link, which pulls the rank down slightly. The 4K performance is the weak point, and the rank reflects the GPU's struggle at high resolutions. The combination is strong for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but it is not a top-tier 4K system. The data shows that the CPU and GPU are well-matched for the game's requirements, with the GPU becoming the limiting factor as resolution is increased. The rank of 1722 out of 3711 is a reasonable result for a system that is not competing at the highest level.