Hitman 2

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT delivers a solid 1080p and 1440p experience in Hitman 2, though the combo slips into unplayable territory at 4K with higher presets. The data places this pairing at rank 787 out of 1795 tested combos, putting it in the upper-middle tier of the database. The CPU holds a percentile ranking of 89 against all processors, while the GPU sits at percentile 73 against all graphics cards, indicating a balanced pairing where the graphics card is the primary constraint in most scenarios. The measured frames per second show a clear pattern: the combo excels at lower resolutions and settings, but the demanding Ultra preset at 4K drops to just 29.9 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Core i7-12700K and RX 7700 XT achieves a rank of 787 out of 1795 tested combos in Hitman 2. This placement places it in the 56th percentile of all possible pairings, suggesting a competent but not exceptional performance level. The CPU itself is a strong contributor, with an average benchmark score of 35684 and a percentile ranking of 89, meaning it outperforms the vast majority of processors in the database. Its nearest rivals in CPU benchmarks include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, which scores 35802 (a delta of -0.3%), and the Intel Core i5-14500HX at 35940 (a delta of -0.7%). These margins are negligible, indicating the i7-12700K is firmly in the high-end tier for processing power.

On the graphics side, the RX 7700 XT has an average benchmark score of 30097 and a percentile of 73. Its closest competitor is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 with a score of 30109 (delta of 0%), making them essentially identical in raw compute. The AMD Radeon RX 570 scores 30158 (-0.2%), while the NVIDIA Tesla M60 scores 29969 (0.4%), showing the RX 7700 XT sits in a tightly contested performance band. However, the game-specific data reveals that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher settings. For example, at 1080p Ultra the combo produces 83 FPS, but at 4K Ultra it falls to 29.9 FPS, a drop of 64%. This suggests that while the CPU has headroom, the GPU cannot sustain high frame rates at 4K, which is expected given its mid-range positioning despite its strong benchmark scores.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows indicate that the Low preset offers the most fluid experience, but the Medium preset provides the best balance of visual quality and performance. At 1080p, Low achieves 198.8 FPS, while Medium reaches 147 FPS, and High hits 109.4 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium costs roughly 26% of the frame rate but likely provides a significant visual uplift. At 1440p, the pattern continues: Low yields 124.8 FPS, Medium drops to 95.4 FPS, and High falls to 72.4 FPS. The data suggests that Medium is the sweet spot for this combo, as it keeps frame rates above 90 FPS at 1080p and near 60 FPS at 1440p, which is suitable for a stealth game that benefits from smooth camera movement.

The Ultra preset is not recommended for this pairing. At 1080p, Ultra produces 83 FPS, which is playable but a 43% reduction from Medium. At 1440p, Ultra falls to 52.2 FPS, and at 4K it drops to a stuttery 29.9 FPS. The High preset is a viable alternative to Medium if visual fidelity is prioritized, but it still results in a 25% frame rate penalty at 1080p and a 24% penalty at 1440p. For players with 144Hz monitors, the Low preset at 1080p is the only option that fully saturates the refresh rate, but Medium is the practical ceiling for a consistent experience across resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data reveals a steep decline as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, indicating that the RX 7700 XT is the primary bottleneck. At Medium settings, the frame rate drops from 147 FPS at 1080p to 95.4 FPS at 1440p (a 35% reduction), and then to 52.7 FPS at 4K (a further 45% reduction from 1440p). This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the additional pixel count at higher resolutions overwhelms the graphics card’s processing capacity. The CPU, with its high benchmark scores and 20 threads, is unlikely to be the limiting factor at these resolutions.

The scaling becomes even more dramatic at Ultra settings. The combo delivers 83 FPS at 1080p, 52.2 FPS at 1440p, and 29.9 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 37%, and from 1440p to 4K is 43%, showing that the GPU’s workload scales almost linearly with pixel count. At Low settings, the pattern is similar but less severe: 198.8 FPS at 1080p, 124.8 FPS at 1440p, and 68.6 FPS at 4K. This indicates that even at the lowest settings, the GPU is still the limiting component, as the frame rate drops by 65% from 1080p to 4K. The conclusion is clear: this combo is optimized for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K reserved for Low settings only.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo shows strong performance across all presets. The Low setting produces 198.8 FPS, which is the highest recorded for this pairing. Medium follows at 147 FPS, a 26% reduction from Low. High delivers 109.4 FPS, which is a 26% reduction from Medium. Ultra trails at 83 FPS, a 24% reduction from High. The gap between Low and Ultra is 58%, highlighting the significant cost of maxed-out settings.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain playable for most presets. Low achieves 124.8 FPS, which is a 37% drop from the 1080p Low result. Medium produces 95.4 FPS, a 35% drop from 1080p Medium. High reaches 72.4 FPS, a 34% drop from 1080p High. Ultra falls to 52.2 FPS, a 37% drop from 1080p Ultra. This resolution is the practical limit for High settings, as Ultra dips below 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain playable frame rates except at Low settings. Low produces 68.6 FPS, which is a 45% drop from 1440p Low. Medium falls to 52.7 FPS, a 45% drop from 1440p Medium. High drops to 39.5 FPS, a 45% drop from 1440p High. Ultra is the worst performer at 29.9 FPS, a 43% drop from 1440p Ultra. The data shows that 4K is only viable with the Low preset, and even then it is barely above 60 FPS.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Hitman 2?*

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the optimal resolution, with all presets except Ultra exceeding 100 FPS. At 2560x1440, the combo remains viable for Medium and High settings, but 3840x2160 is only playable at Low settings.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700K has an average benchmark score of 35684. It is 0.3% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (35802) and 0.7% behind the Intel Core i5-14500HX (35940). It is 0.6% ahead of the Intel Core i7-13700T (35468) and 0.8% ahead of the Intel Core i7-13800H (35416).

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT has an average benchmark score of 30097. It is virtually tied with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 (30109, delta 0%). It is 0.2% behind the AMD Radeon RX 570 (30158) and 0.4% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla M60 (29969).

Q: Is the Ultra preset playable at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440 with Ultra settings, the combo produces 52.2 FPS. This is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, making it borderline but not ideal for a stealth action game.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 198.8 FPS, while Ultra achieves 83 FPS. This represents a 58% reduction in frame rate when moving from the lowest to the highest settings.

Q: Does the combo bottleneck at 4K?

A: Yes, the data indicates a GPU bottleneck at 3840x2160. The frame rate drops from 68.6 FPS at Low settings to 29.9 FPS at Ultra, showing that the RX 7700 XT cannot sustain high frame rates at this resolution regardless of settings.