Hitman 2

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 delivers a measured performance profile in Hitman 2 that places it in the upper echelon of tested configurations. The combo ranks 595th out of 1795 combinations, placing it in the 67th percentile of all tested hardware pairings for this title. This is a solid position, though not a top-tier result, indicating that while the hardware is capable, there are diminishing returns at the highest settings and resolutions. The ranking reflects a system that excels at high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p play but struggles to maintain fluid frame rates at 4K with maximum graphical fidelity.

How This Combo Ranks

The 595th rank out of 1795 combos signals that this pairing is competitive but not exceptional for Hitman 2. The data shows the majority of tested systems fall below this configuration, yet a significant number of higher-end combinations outperform it. This position is consistent with a component pairing where the GPU, despite modern architecture, is not the absolute fastest available, and the CPU, while strong, does not lead its segment. The combo's ranking is a direct consequence of the measured FPS at various settings; it demonstrates that the hardware can deliver smooth gameplay in most scenarios but hits a performance ceiling when the game's Ultra presets are combined with 4K resolution. The percentile placement suggests that for a user targeting 1440p High or 1080p Ultra, this combo sits comfortably in the upper quartile of performance, delivering an experience that is better than the majority of systems tested.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, providing substantial single-thread performance that is crucial for Hitman 2's simulation and AI logic. The CPU's benchmark results underscore its capability: it achieves a single-thread score of 1043 in 3DMark, which is a key indicator for this game's engine, which relies heavily on a few primary threads. In multi-threaded workloads, the processor scores 9979 in 3DMark's max-thread test and 29241 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, showing headroom for background tasks and streaming. The CPU's percentile ranking of 89 versus all CPUs places it well above average, and its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 and Intel Core i7-13700T, have average scores within 0.3% and 0.6% respectively, indicating that the 12700K is in a tightly contested performance band. In Hitman 2, this CPU power ensures that the processor is rarely the bottleneck at lower resolutions, allowing the GPU to reach high frame rates, but at 4K, the CPU's role diminishes as the GPU load intensifies.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is a modern GPU based on the RDNA 4.0 architecture, featuring the Navi 48 chip manufactured on a 4 nm process by TSMC. It comes with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, offering a bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s, which is ample for Hitman 2's textures even at 4K. The GPU's boost clock is rated at 2520 MHz, with a game clock of 2070 MHz, and it delivers a substantial 36.13 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. In synthetic benchmarks, the RX 9070 scores 25381 in Passmark's G3D test and 6290 in 3DMark's Steel Nomad DX12 test, demonstrating strong raw graphics compute. Its percentile ranking of 79 versus all GPUs shows it is a high-end part, though its nearest rivals in the database, such as the NVIDIA A2 and Quadro GV100, have similar average scores, with deltas of -0.2% and 0.3% respectively, indicating a close grouping. For Hitman 2, the GPU's role is dominant; the measured FPS data shows that at 1080p and 1440p, the RX 9070 provides high frame rates across all settings, but at 4K, its performance drops significantly, revealing that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at that resolution, especially with Ultra settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo's performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional frame rates: it averages 222.9 FPS on Low, 165.5 FPS on Medium, 128.2 FPS on High, and 94.4 FPS on Ultra. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the combo is well-suited for high-refresh-rate monitors, with all settings providing fluid gameplay. Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong, though the scaling is evident: the average FPS drops to 143.8 on Low, 104.4 on Medium, 84.1 on High, and 62.1 on Ultra. The 1440p results show that the combo can handle competitive gaming and high-quality visuals, with the Ultra preset still maintaining a playable 62.1 FPS average. At 3840x2160, however, the performance takes a significant hit. The average FPS falls to 76 on Low, 58.4 on Medium, 44.3 on High, and 30.5 on Ultra. These 4K numbers reveal that the RX 9070, while powerful, is not sufficient to deliver a consistently smooth experience at maximum settings; the 30.5 FPS average on Ultra is below the threshold for fluid gameplay, and even High settings at 44.3 FPS may feel stuttery to sensitive users.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K illustrates the GPU-bound nature of Hitman 2 at higher resolutions. From 1080p Low to 4K Low, the average FPS drops from 222.9 to 76, a reduction of 146.9 FPS, which represents a 65.9% decrease. Similarly, on Medium settings, the drop is from 165.5 FPS to 58.4 FPS, a 64.7% decrease. On High settings, the average FPS goes from 128.2 to 44.3, a 65.4% decrease, and on Ultra, it falls from 94.4 to 30.5, a 67.7% decrease. This consistent pattern, where the percentage drop is nearly identical across all settings, indicates that the performance scaling is primarily limited by the GPU's pixel throughput and memory bandwidth. The RX 9070's 644.6 GB/s bandwidth and 322.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are insufficient to maintain the high frame rates seen at 1080p when the pixel count quadruples at 4K. The data suggests that at 1080p and 1440p, the CPU and GPU work in balance, but at 4K, the GPU becomes the sole bottleneck, as the CPU's performance headroom is not fully utilized. The result is that users seeking 4K gameplay must compromise on settings, with High settings at 44.3 FPS being the practical limit for a playable experience, while Ultra at 30.5 FPS is only suitable for slower-paced, less demanding scenes. The combo's ranking of 595th out of 1795 systems is thus a reflection of this 4K limitation, as many higher-ranked combinations likely feature more powerful GPUs that can better handle the 4K Ultra workload.