Hitman 2

The data for Hitman 2 on the Intel Core i7-12700K and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT shows a clear narrative of GPU-bound performance at higher resolutions, with the CPU's headroom becoming more apparent only at 1080p. The measured FPS rows reveal a predictable scaling pattern, but the magnitude of the drops and the absolute frame rates at each preset provide specific insights into where the bottleneck lies. This combination ranks 1020 out of 1795 tested combos, placing it in the upper-middle tier of systems for this title.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 is steep and consistent across all settings, but the rate of decline is more aggressive at the higher quality presets. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 174.1 at 1080p to 57.6 at 4K, a drop of 66.9% percent. In contrast, the Ultra preset sees a decline from 70.3 to 25.8 over the same resolution span, a 63.3% reduction. High settings show a similar trend, moving from 99 to 31.9 FPS.

This pattern indicates that the RX 6700 XT is the limiting component when moving to 2160p, regardless of the preset. The absolute frame rates at 4K are telling: even at Low settings, the system only manages 57.6 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold many consider smooth. At Ultra, the 25.8 FPS average is borderline unplayable for a stealth title that requires precise timing. The GPU's rendering workload scales nearly linearly with pixel count, and the data shows that the 12 GB frame buffer and 384.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K with this game's engine.

The scaling between 1440p and 4K is particularly punishing. At High settings, the drop from 60.8 to 31.9 FPS represents a 47.5% performance loss, which is close to the theoretical 56% pixel increase from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160. This near-proportional scaling confirms that the system is not encountering any memory or bandwidth bottlenecks that would cause non-linear degradation; it is simply the raw shading and rasterization workload overwhelming the GPU. The RX 6700 XT's pixel rate of 165.2 GPixel/s and texture rate of 413.0 GTexel/s are the specifications driving this behavior.

GPU Role

The Radeon RX 6700 XT's specifications directly explain the measured results. With a base clock of 2321 MHz and a boost clock of 2581 MHz, the GPU has substantial compute headroom, but it is the memory configuration that shapes the 4K experience. The 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth. At 4K Ultra, the game appears to be saturating this bandwidth, given the 25.8 FPS result, which is the lowest of any measured configuration. The memory clock is listed at 2000 MHz with 16 Gbps effective speed, and this data suggests that the memory subsystem is not the primary constraint at lower resolutions.

The GPU's role shifts with resolution. At 1080p, the CPU's 20 threads and high single-thread performance (3dmark_single_thread score of 1043) are sufficient to feed the GPU, allowing the RX 6700 XT to reach 174.1 FPS on Low settings. However, the 12 GB VRAM capacity becomes relevant when moving to 4K, as the game's asset streaming at High and Ultra presets likely requires more than 8 GB, but the measured performance does not show a catastrophic stutter or drop that would indicate VRAM overflow. The 64 ROPs and 160 TMUs are the units doing the heavy lifting, and their workload at 4K is what drives the frame rates down to 31.9 (High) and 25.8 (Ultra).

The benchmark data shows that the RX 6700 XT is a mid-range performer in this context. Its percentile vs all GPUs is 77, and its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6800, is only 0.7% faster in average benchmark score. This close margin is reflected in the game's results, where the GPU's 13.21 TFLOPS FP32 compute is enough for 1440p gaming but falls short of 4K Ultra. The 230 W TDP and dual-slot design are consistent with this level of performance, but the focus here is on the measured frame rates, which clearly show the GPU as the bottleneck at 2160p.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achievable with this combo at 1080p?

A: The maximum measured average is 174.1 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This indicates the CPU and GPU combination has significant headroom at the lowest quality preset.

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 1440p with High settings?

A: Yes, the measured average at 2560x1440 High is 60.8 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold. However, the margin is slim, and any demanding scene could push it below.

Q: How does the 4K Ultra performance compare to 1080p Low?

A: The 4K Ultra average is 25.8 FPS, which is 14.8% of the 1080p Low result of 174.1 FPS. This represents a massive 85.2% performance reduction, showing the GPU is overwhelmed at the highest settings and resolution.

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

A: At 1080p Medium, the 130.5 FPS average is high enough that the system is likely balanced, but the GPU still has headroom. The CPU's 3dmark_max_threads score of 9979 suggests it can handle more load, meaning the GPU is still the primary constraint.

Q: What is the largest FPS gap between presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the gap between Low (109.9 FPS) and Ultra (48.6 FPS) is 61.3 FPS. This 55.8% reduction shows how much visual quality costs in performance at this resolution.

Q: Does the 12 GB VRAM help at 4K?

A: The data shows 4K performance is still low (31.9 FPS at High), indicating that VRAM capacity alone does not solve the bandwidth and compute limitations. The 384.0 GB/s bandwidth is the more likely constraint at that resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured results provides a full matrix of performance across three resolutions and four settings. At 1920x1080, the scores are 174.1 (Low), 130.5 (Medium), 99.0 (High), and 70.3 (Ultra). The progression shows a 59.6% reduction from Low to Ultra, which is a typical cost for the highest quality shadows, reflections, and textures in this game.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 109.9 (Low), 81.6 (Medium), 60.8 (High), and 48.6 (Ultra). The 1440p results show a 55.8% reduction from Low to Ultra. Notably, the 1440p High result of 60.8 FPS is the only configuration in the entire dataset that sits comfortably within the 60 FPS target for a smooth experience, while 1440p Medium at 81.6 FPS offers additional headroom for frame pacing.

At 3840x2160, the numbers drop sharply: 57.6 (Low), 47.6 (Medium), 31.9 (High), and 25.8 (Ultra). The 4K Low result is the only one above 50 FPS, and it is still below the 60 FPS ideal. The difference between 4K Medium (47.6) and 4K High (31.9) is significant at 15.7 FPS, suggesting that the High preset introduces effects that are disproportionately expensive at this resolution. The Ultra preset at 25.8 FPS is the worst measured result and is not recommended for gameplay.

The data also shows that the gap between Medium and High widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference is 31.5 FPS (130.5 vs 99.0). At 1440p, it is 20.8 FPS (81.6 vs 60.8). At 4K, it is 15.7 FPS (47.6 vs 31.9). This narrowing absolute gap confirms that the GPU's compute resources are being exhausted at higher resolutions, leaving less headroom for the settings to differentiate.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting 1080p, the High preset at 99 FPS is the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. The Ultra preset at 70.3 FPS is still playable and offers the full experience, but the 29 FPS penalty over High may not justify the marginal visual gains in a stealth game where clarity matters more than reflections. Low at 174.1 FPS is only useful for competitive play, which is not the primary use case for Hitman 2.

At 1440p, the Medium preset at 81.6 FPS is the recommended choice for a responsive experience with good visuals. The High preset at 60.8 FPS is acceptable for those who prioritize image quality, but it leaves no headroom for drops in crowded scenes. Ultra at 48.6 FPS should be avoided, as the frame rate is too low for precise aiming and stealth maneuvers. The data suggests that 1440p Medium provides the best compromise between the 81.6 FPS average and the quality settings.

For 4K, the results are not favorable. The Low preset at 57.6 FPS is the only option that approaches playability, but it strips away many of the visual features that define the game's atmosphere. The Medium preset at 47.6 FPS is playable but noticeably less smooth, and High at 31.9 FPS or Ultra at 25.8 FPS are effectively slideshows for this genre. Given the data, 4K is not a viable resolution for this combo unless the user is willing to accept the Low preset and its significant visual compromises.

The overall recommendation is to run 1440p Medium for the best experience, as it delivers 81.6 FPS while maintaining enough detail to track targets and read the environment. If 1080p is preferred, High at 99 FPS is the optimal setting, offering a substantial frame rate buffer above the 60 FPS threshold. The 4K results are included for completeness, but the measured numbers clearly indicate that this resolution is beyond the capabilities of the RX 6700 XT in this title.