Hitman 2

# Hitman 2 with Intel Core i7-12700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER

This combination of Intel's 12-core Alder Lake processor and NVIDIA's Turing-based graphics card places in the 62nd percentile of all tested system configurations for Hitman 2, ranking 1112 out of 1795 combos. The data reveals a system that delivers playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p across most settings, but struggles to maintain smooth performance at 4K, particularly with higher quality presets. The measured results show a clear pattern where the GPU becomes the dominant constraint as resolution increases, while the CPU's 12-core/20-thread configuration provides ample headroom for the stealth title's simulation and AI workloads.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i7-12700K brings 12 cores and 20 threads to this pairing, running at a base clock of 3.60 GHz and boosting up to 5.00 GHz. This Alder Lake-S architecture chip, built on Intel's 10 nm process, features a 25 MB shared L3 cache alongside per-core L1 and L2 allocations of 80 KB and 1.25 MB respectively. The processor's synthetic benchmark results suggest substantial compute capability: it scores 29241 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 4128 in single-core, while Geekbench results show 13892 multicore and 2561 single-core scores. In Passmark's multithread test, the chip achieves 34404, with data compression and encryption workloads hitting 446595 and 23408 respectively.

For Hitman 2, a stealth game that simulates NPC routines and crowd behaviors, the CPU's thread count and single-thread speed both matter. The 3DMark results illustrate this balance: 16-thread performance reaches 9276, while single-thread scores 1043. The 2-thread and 4-thread scores of 2065 and 4011 indicate that the processor scales well with moderate thread utilization, which aligns with how Hitman 2 typically disperses AI and physics tasks across available cores. The CPU sits at the 89th percentile among all processors, placing it 0.3% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 and 0.6% ahead of the Intel Core i7-13700T. This narrow margin against direct rivals suggests that processor choice alone is unlikely to differentiate Hitman 2 experiences at common gaming resolutions.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER employs the TU104 chip with 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory runs on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The core clock operates at 1605 MHz with a boost frequency of 1770 MHz, while memory clocks at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). This configuration produces a pixel rate of 113.3 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 283.2 GTexel/s, with FP32 compute reaching 9.062 TFLOPS.

In Hitman 2, the GPU's rendering workload scales dramatically with resolution and settings. The Passmark G3D score of 18169 places this card at the 65th percentile among all GPUs, with the RTX A400 just 0.5% ahead and the GTX TITAN Z 0.9% behind. The 8 GB VRAM capacity proves sufficient across all tested configurations, as no VRAM-related performance cliffs appear in the measured data. However, the card's raw throughput limits 4K performance: at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate drops to 23 FPS, while High settings at the same resolution reach only 32.4 FPS. The GPU's Turing architecture, while supporting DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, shows its age when pushing Hitman 2's detailed environments at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific pairing of the Core i7-12700K and RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 1112 out of 1795 tested combinations in Hitman 2, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the overall distribution. This ranking reflects the GPU's position as the likely bottleneck in most scenarios, given that the CPU outperforms 89% of all processors while the GPU only beats 65% of its peers. The discrepancy between these percentiles suggests that many higher-ranked combinations likely pair the powerful CPU with more capable graphics hardware.

The combo's ranking implies that while the CPU delivers top-tier compute performance, the RTX 2070 SUPER holds back the overall gaming experience in Hitman 2's more demanding scenarios. At 1080p, the system achieves high frame rates that would satisfy most players, but the ranking indicates that a significant portion of other tested combos achieve better overall performance. The delta between the CPU's strong percentile and the GPU's more modest one points to the graphics card as the limiting factor in this pairing, particularly when settings and resolution increase.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1080p, the system delivers its strongest performance across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 159.9 FPS, Medium reaches 117.5 FPS, High hits 93.3 FPS, and Ultra maintains 67.3 FPS. These numbers show a smooth progression where each settings tier costs roughly 20-40% performance, with the gap from Low to Ultra representing a 58% reduction in frame rate.

Moving to 1440p, the averages drop to 101.5 FPS at Low, 79.6 FPS at Medium, 57.5 FPS at High, and 40.4 FPS at Ultra. The spacing between settings narrows slightly compared to 1080p, suggesting that resolution scaling begins to flatten the performance hierarchy. At 4K, the results become more constrained: Low settings achieve 53.7 FPS, Medium reaches 39.2 FPS, High drops to 32.4 FPS, and Ultra falls to 23 FPS. These 4K figures indicate that only Low settings provide a consistently smooth experience at the highest resolution, with Medium barely crossing the 30 FPS threshold.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The performance degradation from 1080p to 4K reveals a GPU-bound system. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 159.9 FPS at 1080p to 101.5 FPS at 1440p (a 37% reduction) and further to 53.7 FPS at 4K (a 66% reduction from 1080p). This scaling pattern closely tracks the pixel count increase, indicating that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints. A CPU-bound scenario would show much smaller frame rate differences as resolution increases, since the processor's workload remains relatively constant regardless of output resolution.

At Ultra settings, the drop is even more pronounced: 67.3 FPS at 1080p to 40.4 FPS at 1440p (40% reduction) and 23 FPS at 4K (66% reduction). The consistent 66% performance loss between 1080p and 4K across both Low and Ultra settings strongly implies that the RTX 2070 SUPER's rendering capabilities, rather than CPU or memory limitations, dictate performance. The CPU's strong benchmark scores and the fact that even the lowest settings show significant 4K degradation confirm this interpretation.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

For 1080p displays, Ultra settings at 67.3 FPS offer a compelling balance, providing the highest visual quality while maintaining smooth gameplay. Players prioritizing frame rate could choose High at 93.3 FPS for a substantial performance margin with modest visual trade-offs. At 1440p, High settings at 57.5 FPS represent the best compromise, delivering near-60 FPS performance without dropping to Medium's 79.6 FPS or suffering Ultra's 40.4 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p falls below the 60 FPS threshold, making it less desirable for action-heavy sequences.

At 4K, the options are more limited. Low settings at 53.7 FPS provide the only consistently playable experience, while Medium at 39.2 FPS remains acceptable for slower-paced stealth gameplay. High and Ultra at 32.4 FPS and 23 FPS respectively are likely too choppy for most players. The data suggests that 4K owners should either accept Low settings or reduce resolution to 1440p for a better experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1080p gaming with this combo?

A: Ultra settings deliver 67.3 FPS at 1920x1080, which is the highest quality preset that still maintains smooth gameplay. High settings offer 93.3 FPS if you prefer additional frame rate headroom.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Hitman 2?

A: At 3840x2160, only Low settings (53.7 FPS) provide consistently smooth performance. Medium settings reach 39.2 FPS, while High and Ultra drop to 32.4 FPS and 23 FPS respectively, making them marginal for most players.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The GPU scores 18169 in Passmark G3D, placing it 0.5% behind the NVIDIA RTX A400 and 0.9% ahead of the GTX TITAN Z. It also trails the RTX 4060 Mobile by 2.3% and leads the AMD Radeon RX 5700 by 2.5%.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this combination?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU ranks in the 89th percentile among all processors, while the GPU ranks in the 65th percentile. The consistent 66% frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K across settings confirms GPU-bound performance.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1440p with High settings?

A: The system averages 57.5 FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings, which is close to but slightly below the 60 FPS target. Medium settings reach 79.6 FPS if you want a safety margin.

Q: How does the Core i7-12700K perform relative to similar CPUs?

A: The processor scores 35684 on average benchmarks, placing it 0.3% below the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 and 0.6% above the Intel Core i7-13700T. It also outperforms the Core i5-14500HX by 0.7% and trails the Core i7-13800H by 0.8%.