Hitman 2

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates across resolutions reveal a system that remains highly playable even at 4K, but the scaling pattern exposes where the bottleneck shifts. At 1080p with High settings, this combo produces 191.7 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops that to 124.1 FPS, a 35% reduction. The jump to 4K further reduces performance to 66.9 FPS, which is another 46% drop from the 1440p figure. This steep decline from 1440p to 4K indicates that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is being pushed hard at higher pixel counts, while the Intel Core i5-12600KF has ample headroom at lower resolutions.

The pattern is even more pronounced at Ultra settings. At 1080p Ultra, the combo reaches 139.7 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, that falls to 90.6 FPS. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 49.9 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Ultra is a 35% reduction, and from 1440p to 4K it is another 45% reduction. This consistent ~35% and ~45% scaling pattern across both High and Ultra presets suggests that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at resolutions above 1080p.

At Low settings, the scaling tells a different story. The 1080p Low result of 337.1 FPS drops to 214.2 FPS at 1440p, a 36% reduction. The 4K Low result of 117.9 FPS represents another 45% drop from 1440p. Even at Low settings, the RTX 4090 remains the dominant constraint, though the absolute frame rates are so high that CPU limitations would likely appear only in extreme scenarios.

The data shows that this combination delivers a smooth experience at 1440p across all settings, with even the demanding Ultra preset producing 90.6 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 49.9 FPS is the only setting where the frame rate dips below 60 FPS, indicating that 4K gaming with maximum quality settings requires compromises.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 brings substantial hardware to this title. Its 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus provides 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for Hitman 2's level of detail and texture streaming. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2235 MHz and boosts to 2520 MHz, with memory running at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). These clocks, combined with 16384 shading units and 176 ROPs, produce a pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 1,290.2 GTexel/s.

Benchmark results place this GPU in the 91st percentile among all tested GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 66473. Its nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA Tesla T4 (deltaPct -0.4), NVIDIA Tesla P40 (deltaPct 0.5), AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 (deltaPct -0.9), and NVIDIA Quadro P6000 (deltaPct -1.3). These deltas are all within 1.3% of the RTX 4090's average score, though those rivals are not gaming-focused cards and their scores reflect different workload characteristics.

In Hitman 2 specifically, the GPU's performance scales predictably with resolution. The 4K Ultra result of 49.9 FPS versus the 1080p Ultra result of 139.7 FPS shows a 2.8x workload increase when pixel count quadruples, which is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario. The GPU's FP32 compute of 82.58 TFLOPS and 128 RT cores provide ample headroom for the game's rendering requirements, even if this title does not heavily utilize ray tracing.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 30th out of 1795 tested combos in Hitman 2. This top 1.7% placement indicates that very few other CPU-GPU pairings in the database achieve higher frame rates in this game. The ranking is particularly notable given that the CPU itself only sits in the 84th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU sits in the 91st percentile among all GPUs.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 27827 places it within 0.4% of several rivals. The Intel Core i9-10900K scores 27829 (deltaPct 0), the Intel Core i5-12600K scores 27851 (deltaPct -0.1), the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H scores 27872 (deltaPct -0.2), and the Intel Core i7-13700H scores 27716 (deltaPct 0.4). These near-identical scores suggest that the CPU is not the differentiator in this combo's high ranking; the RTX 4090's dominance drives the top 30 placement.

The gap between this combo's rank and the GPU's percentile ranking suggests that other combos with equally powerful GPUs but stronger CPUs might rank higher. However, the 30th position out of 1795 still represents an elite performance tier, placing this pairing ahead of the vast majority of tested configurations.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimal settings. At 1080p, every preset exceeds 130 FPS, with Low producing 337.1 FPS, Medium 250.7 FPS, High 191.7 FPS, and Ultra 139.7 FPS. The 1080p Ultra result is still far above the 60 FPS threshold, so there is no reason to sacrifice visual quality at this resolution.

At 1440p, the story is similar. Ultra produces 90.6 FPS, which is comfortably above 60 FPS, while High produces 124.1 FPS. The 1440p Ultra setting offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, with the 90.6 FPS result leaving enough headroom for dips in demanding scenes. The Medium preset at 163.1 FPS and Low at 214.2 FPS are available for players seeking higher refresh rates.

At 4K, the choice becomes more consequential. Ultra drops to 49.9 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target. High produces 66.9 FPS, Medium 87 FPS, and Low 117.9 FPS. For 4K gaming, the High preset at 66.9 FPS is the recommended starting point, as it maintains playability while preserving visual quality. Players wanting a smoother experience can step down to Medium at 87 FPS, while those who prioritize frame rate above all else can use Low at 117.9 FPS.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra in Hitman 2?

A: No. The measured 4K Ultra average is 49.9 FPS, which falls short of 60 FPS. The 4K High preset achieves 66.9 FPS and clears the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming?

A: The Ultra preset at 1440p produces 90.6 FPS, which provides the highest visual quality while remaining well above 60 FPS. For higher refresh rates, High at 124.1 FPS or Medium at 163.1 FPS are viable options.

Q: How does the RTX 4090 compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 66473. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla T4 at 66733 (deltaPct -0.4), NVIDIA Tesla P40 at 66127 (deltaPct 0.5), AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 at 67097 (deltaPct -0.9), and NVIDIA Quadro P6000 at 67320 (deltaPct -1.3).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p High?

A: At 1080p High, the combo produces 191.7 FPS. The CPU's average benchmark score of 27827 is nearly identical to its closest rivals, while the GPU's 91st percentile ranking suggests the RTX 4090 is the primary contributor to this high result. The CPU is unlikely to bottleneck at this setting.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking in Hitman 2?

A: This combination ranks 30th out of 1795 tested combos, placing it in the top 1.7% of all configurations tested for this game.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p Low?

A: The measured 1080p Low average is 337.1 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded across all tested resolutions and settings for this combo.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF provides 10 cores and 16 threads, running at a base clock of 3.70 GHz and boosting to 4.90 GHz. This Alder Lake-S architecture uses a 10 nm process from Intel and fits into the LGA 1700 socket. The CPU's cache configuration includes 80 KB L1 per core, 1.25 MB L2 per core, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration.

Benchmark results show a single-thread score of 3925 in PassMark and a multi-thread score of 27575. In Cinebench R23, the CPU scores 3309 single-core and 23444 multi-core. The 3DMark results range from 1016 in single-thread to 7956 in 16-thread tests. These scores place the CPU in the 84th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27827.

The CPU's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-10900K with an identical average score of 27829 (deltaPct 0), the Intel Core i5-12600K at 27851 (deltaPct -0.1), the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H at 27872 (deltaPct -0.2), and the Intel Core i7-13700H at 27716 (deltaPct 0.4). These delta values indicate that the i5-12600KF is functionally equivalent in performance to its closest competitors, with differences under half a percent.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role is to feed the RTX 4090 with enough data to maintain high frame rates. At 1080p Low, the 337.1 FPS result suggests the CPU can handle even the most extreme frame rate scenarios. The 16 threads provide sufficient parallel processing for the game's simulation and AI workloads, while the high single-thread performance of 3925 in PassMark ensures responsive gameplay in scenes that rely on single-threaded logic.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured frame rate data for this combo in Hitman 2 is as follows:

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 337.1 FPS
• Medium: 250.7 FPS
• High: 191.7 FPS
• Ultra: 139.7 FPS

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 214.2 FPS
• Medium: 163.1 FPS
• High: 124.1 FPS
• Ultra: 90.6 FPS

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 117.9 FPS
• Medium: 87 FPS
• High: 66.9 FPS
• Ultra: 49.9 FPS

The data shows a consistent pattern: at each resolution, stepping down one preset tier yields approximately 30-45% higher frame rates. From Low to Medium at 1080p, the increase is from 337.1 to 250.7 FPS, a 34% reduction in performance for the higher quality tier. From Medium to High, the drop is from 250.7 to 191.7 FPS, another 24% reduction. From High to Ultra, the drop is from 191.7 to 139.7 FPS, a 27% reduction. Similar proportional drops appear at 1440p and 4K.

The minimum and maximum frame rates are not provided in the dataset, so the averages represent the full picture of measured performance. The 4K Ultra result of 49.9 FPS is the only measurement below 60 FPS across the entire dataset, making it the single point where this combo fails to maintain a smooth experience at maximum settings. All other 11 measurements exceed 60 FPS, and nine of the 12 measurements exceed 90 FPS, indicating that this pairing is overwhelmingly capable in Hitman 2.