Hitman 2

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 delivers a strong, versatile Hitman 2 experience, ranking in the 71st percentile of all tested combos (position 522 out of 1795). This combination is clearly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, but the CPU's robust multi-threaded performance ensures that even at 1080p, the system never feels bottlenecked, consistently producing high frame rates across all settings presets.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s overall rank of 522 out of 1795 tested configurations places it firmly in the upper tier of systems for Hitman 2. This position is supported by the individual component benchmarks: the CPU holds an 84th percentile ranking against all processors, while the GPU sits at an 81st percentile against all graphics cards. The data suggests a well-balanced pairing where neither component dramatically drags down the other's potential. However, the measured FPS scaling indicates that the RTX 4070 is the primary driver of performance, especially as resolution increases.

The CPU’s average benchmark score of 27827 places it in a dead heat with the Intel Core i9-10900K, which scores 27829 (a 0% delta). It also edges out the Intel Core i5-12600K by a mere 0.1% (27851) and the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H by 0.2% (27872). This shows the i5-12600KF is a top-tier performer in its class, with a negligible performance gap to its closest rivals. On the GPU side, the RTX 4070’s average score of 37283 is slightly behind the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, which scores 37507 (-0.6% delta), and the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A, which scores 38008 (-1.9% delta). The data confirms that this is a high-caliber setup, but the GPU's standing among its nearest rivals is less dominant than the CPU's, hinting that the graphics card is the limiting factor in demanding scenarios.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1440p is the sweet spot. At 2560x1440 with High settings, the combo achieves 87.3 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, while 4K with High settings drops to 46.4 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action.

Q: How much of a performance hit does the Ultra preset take compared to High?

A: The drop is significant. At 1080p, Ultra averages 99.5 FPS compared to High's 131.5 FPS, a reduction of 32 FPS. The gap widens at higher resolutions: at 1440p, Ultra is 64 FPS versus High's 87.3 FPS, and at 4K, Ultra yields only 33.1 FPS compared to High's 46.4 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game?

A: Benchmark results indicate the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The frame rate drops by roughly 65% from 1080p Low to 4K Low (from 237.1 FPS to 80 FPS), demonstrating that the graphics card's workload scales heavily with resolution, while the CPU's role remains consistent.

Q: Can this system handle high refresh rate gaming at 1080p?

A: Yes. At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the combo produces 174.4 FPS, and with High settings, it reaches 131.5 FPS, making it well-suited for 144Hz monitors. Even the demanding Ultra preset at 1080p stays close to the 100 FPS mark with 99.5 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance compare to its single-threaded performance?

A: The CPU shows strong scaling across threads. It scores 1016 in 3dmark_single_thread, 3806 in 3dmark_4_threads, and 7956 in 3dmark_16_threads. Its Cinebench R23 scores are 3309 for single-core and 23444 for multi-core, indicating a robust architecture that can handle both lightly-threaded and heavily-threaded workloads.

Q: What is the 4K performance ceiling for this combo?

A: At 3840x2160, the system is only viable on lower presets. It achieves 80 FPS on Low and 59.3 FPS on Medium, but drops to 46.4 FPS on High and 33.1 FPS on Ultra, making 4K gaming a trade-off between visual fidelity and playability.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings, the average frame rate drops from 131.5 FPS to 87.3 FPS, a 33.6% decrease. The scaling is even more pronounced when moving from 1440p to 4K, where the High preset falls from 87.3 FPS to 46.4 FPS, a 46.8% reduction. This steep decline indicates that the RTX 4070's rendering capabilities are being saturated as pixel count increases.

The same pattern holds across all presets. For instance, at Low settings, performance drops from 237.1 FPS at 1080p to 152.1 FPS at 1440p (a 36% reduction) and then to 80 FPS at 4K (a 47% reduction from 1440p). This consistent scaling behavior suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor; if it were, we would expect to see a plateau in performance at lower resolutions where the CPU can't keep up. Instead, the frame rates continue to climb as resolution decreases, confirming that the GPU is the dominant constraint.

The data implies that for a locked 60 FPS experience, 1440p is the maximum resolution for High settings, while 4K is only feasible on Medium or Low presets. The gap between Low and Ultra at any given resolution is substantial, with Ultra typically delivering less than half the frame rate of Low (e.g., 99.5 FPS vs 237.1 FPS at 1080p), highlighting the heavy cost of the highest visual quality settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional performance across all presets. Low settings produce an average of 237.1 FPS, Medium yields 174.4 FPS, and High achieves 131.5 FPS. The Ultra preset, while demanding, still manages a very playable 99.5 FPS. This resolution is clearly where the system shines, providing ample headroom for high refresh rate displays.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the expected impact of increased resolution. Low settings average 152.1 FPS, Medium hits 111.4 FPS, and High produces 87.3 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 64 FPS, which is still playable but begins to show the strain on the GPU. This resolution offers a good balance between visual quality and frame rate for most users.

At 3840x2160, the system's limits become apparent. Low settings are the only preset to maintain a high frame rate, averaging 80 FPS. Medium settings drop to 59.3 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS target for smooth play. High settings average 46.4 FPS, and Ultra falls to 33.1 FPS, making these presets less suitable for fast-paced action. The data shows a clear hierarchy: the system is excellent at 1080p, very good at 1440p, and only acceptable at 4K on lower settings.

Settings Recommendations

For the best combination of visual fidelity and performance, the High preset at 2560x1440 is the recommended configuration, delivering 87.3 FPS. This provides a significant visual upgrade over Medium (111.4 FPS) while remaining well above the 60 FPS playability threshold. For users with 1080p displays, the Ultra preset is viable at 99.5 FPS, allowing for maximum visual quality without sacrificing smoothness.

At 4K, users must make a compromise. The Medium preset at 59.3 FPS is the highest quality option that stays near the 60 FPS target, but it requires a slight sacrifice in smoothness. The Low preset at 80 FPS is the only 4K option that provides a comfortable frame rate margin. The Ultra preset should be avoided at 4K, as the 33.1 FPS average is likely to feel sluggish in a game that rewards precise movement.

Overall, the data suggests that the High preset is the performance/quality sweet spot for this hardware. It consistently offers a 30-40% frame rate improvement over Ultra across all resolutions, while the visual difference is often less pronounced than the performance cost. For competitive play or high refresh rate monitors, the Medium preset at 1440p (111.4 FPS) or Low at 1080p (237.1 FPS) are excellent choices.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. Its benchmark scores are impressive: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23444 and a single-core score of 3309. This strong multi-threaded performance is crucial for modern games like Hitman 2, which can utilize multiple cores for AI, physics, and world simulation.

The CPU's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory help ensure that data is fed to the GPU efficiently. Its percentile ranking of 84 against all CPUs indicates that it is a high-end part, and its near-identical average benchmark score to the Intel Core i9-10900K (27827 vs 27829) confirms its top-tier status. However, the measured FPS data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this system. The frame rates scale almost linearly with resolution and settings, which is a classic sign of GPU limitation.

The data suggests that the CPU has ample headroom to support even higher frame rates than those measured. At 1080p Low, the system hits 237.1 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's maximum output for this game, but it still manages to feed the GPU effectively. The 3dmark results, such as 7956 in 16-threads and 1016 in single-thread, show a well-rounded performer that won't hold back the RTX 4070 in most scenarios. This makes the i5-12600KF a suitable partner for the GPU in this title.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is the defining component for Hitman 2's performance. It features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. Its boost clock of 2475 MHz and 5888 shading units deliver the raw compute power that determines frame rates, especially at higher resolutions. The GPU's percentile ranking of 81 against all graphics cards confirms it is a high-end part, but its average benchmark score of 37283 is actually slightly lower than its nearest rivals, including the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56.

This performance profile is reflected in the measured FPS. The GPU is clearly the limiting factor, as evidenced by the dramatic frame rate drops when resolution increases. The 4K Ultra preset's 33.1 FPS result is a direct consequence of the GPU being overwhelmed by the pixel count and shader complexity. The 12 GB VRAM is sufficient for Hitman 2 at all tested settings, but the GPU's compute throughput is what constrains performance at 4K.

The GPU's 200 W TDP and PCIe 4.0 x16 interface are standard for its class. Its DirectX 12 Ultimate support ensures compatibility with modern rendering techniques. The data shows that while the RTX 4070 is a capable card, it is not a dominant force at 4K in this title. Users seeking higher 4K performance would need a more powerful GPU, but for 1080p and 1440p gaming, the RTX 4070 provides excellent performance, making it the primary driver of the experience in Hitman 2.