Hitman 2

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Hitman 2 with the Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti reveals a steep performance curve as resolution increases. At 1080p High settings, the combo delivers 116 FPS average. Moving to 1440p High drops that to 74 FPS, a 36% reduction. Pushing to 4K High further reduces the average to 39 FPS, which is 66% lower than the 1080p result. This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, where the RTX 3070 Ti's rendering workload grows faster than the CPU's ability to feed frames.

The gap between settings widens dramatically at 4K. At 2160p, the difference between Low (70 FPS) and Ultra (29 FPS) is 41 FPS. At 1440p, that same Low-to-Ultra spread is 76 FPS (131 vs 55). At 1080p, the spread is 119 FPS (204 vs 85). This indicates that as resolution drops, the CPU has more headroom to push higher frame rates, making the GPU the primary limiter at 4K while the CPU becomes more relevant at 1080p.

The 4K Medium result (52 FPS average) with a minimum of 44 FPS and maximum of 60 FPS shows that even mid-tier settings at 4K struggle to maintain a locked 60 FPS experience. The 1440p Medium result (98 FPS average, 83-113 FPS range) is much more comfortable for high-refresh monitors. At 1080p Medium (153 FPS average, 130-176 FPS range), the combo clearly exceeds 144Hz capabilities, and even 1080p Ultra at 85 FPS average is playable on standard 60Hz displays.

This resolution scaling data suggests that for a smooth 4K experience, the user must accept Low settings (70 FPS) or compromise with Medium (52 FPS). The steep drop from 1440p to 4K at every setting level points to the GPU being the primary bottleneck at 4K, while the CPU's 12 cores and 20 threads provide sufficient headroom at lower resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is built on the Ampere architecture with a GA104 chip manufactured on Samsung's 8 nm process. It features 8 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 608.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock is 1575 MHz with a boost clock of 1770 MHz, and memory runs at 1188 MHz (19 Gbps effective). With 6144 shading units, 192 TMUs, 96 ROPs, 48 RT cores, and 192 tensor cores, the card delivers 21.75 TFLOPS of FP32 performance.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is a critical factor in Hitman 2's 4K results. At 4K Ultra, the game demands more memory bandwidth and capacity than the card can comfortably provide, resulting in a 29 FPS average. The 608.3 GB/s bandwidth is substantial, but at 4K Ultra the game's texture streaming and shadow rendering push the memory subsystem to its limits. The 4K Medium result (52 FPS) with a tight 44-60 FPS range suggests the VRAM is sufficient at that setting level.

In benchmark comparisons, the RTX 3070 Ti sits in the 75th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile, scores 0.1% higher, while the AMD Radeon RX 6800 is 0.5% lower, and the RTX 2080 Ti is 0.5% higher. These close margins indicate that the card's performance is well-established in its class, but Hitman 2's 4K Ultra demands more than this GPU can deliver.

The card's 290 W TDP and dual-slot design require a 600 W suggested PSU. The 12-pin power connector and PCIe 4.0 x16 interface are standard for this generation. The card's end-of-life production status means it's no longer in active manufacturing, but its benchmark results remain valid for analysis.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Hitman 2 at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. At 4K Low, the average FPS is 70. At 4K Medium, it drops to 52 FPS with a minimum of 44 and maximum of 60. At 4K High, the average is 39 FPS, and at 4K Ultra it falls to 29 FPS. For a consistent 60 FPS experience at 4K, Low settings are required.

Q: What is the best resolution for a high-refresh-rate monitor with this setup?

A: The 1080p results show strong performance across all settings. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 204 FPS average. At Medium, it's 153 FPS (130-176 range). At High, it's 116 FPS. Even at 1080p Ultra, the 85 FPS average is above 60 FPS. For 144Hz displays, 1080p Medium or High would be the sweet spot.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 Ti compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 29945, placing it in the 75th percentile. The RTX 5070 Mobile is 0.1% higher, the RX 6800 is 0.5% lower, the RTX 2080 Ti is 0.5% higher, and the RX 6700 is 1.6% lower. These are all within a tight performance band.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in Hitman 2?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary limiter at 4K. At 4K Ultra, the combo only manages 29 FPS, while at 1080p Low it reaches 204 FPS. The CPU's 12 cores and 20 threads provide ample headroom at lower resolutions. The resolution scaling from 1080p to 4K at High settings shows a 66% FPS reduction, confirming GPU-bound behavior at higher resolutions.

Q: What settings should I use for a balance of quality and performance at 1440p?

A: At 1440p Medium, the combo delivers 98 FPS average with a 83-113 FPS range. At 1440p High, it's 74 FPS average. At 1440p Low, 131 FPS average. For a 144Hz monitor, Medium settings are recommended; for 60Hz displays, High or even Ultra (55 FPS average) would work.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations for Hitman 2?

A: The combo ranks 1341 out of 3711 tested combinations, placing it in the top 36% of all systems tested. This is a solid mid-to-high ranking, reflecting the GPU's 75th percentile status and the CPU's 84th percentile status.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 204 FPS average
• Medium: 153 FPS average (130 minimum, 176 maximum)
• High: 116 FPS average
• Ultra: 85 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 131 FPS average
• Medium: 98 FPS average (83 minimum, 113 maximum)
• High: 74 FPS average
• Ultra: 55 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 70 FPS average
• Medium: 52 FPS average (44 minimum, 60 maximum)
• High: 39 FPS average
• Ultra: 29 FPS average

The 1080p Medium result (153 FPS) is the highest recorded with a full minimum/maximum range, indicating stable frame pacing. The 4K Medium result shows a 44 FPS minimum, which could cause noticeable stutters on some displays. The 4K Ultra result at 29 FPS is below the threshold for smooth gameplay, making it unsuitable for competitive or action-heavy segments.

The transition from 1080p to 1440p at High settings (116 to 74 FPS) is a 36% drop, while the transition from 1440p to 4K at High (74 to 39 FPS) is a 47% drop. This demonstrates that the GPU's performance degrades more steeply at higher resolutions, consistent with its 8 GB VRAM and 256-bit memory bus limitations.

How This Combo Ranks

In Hitman 2, the Intel Core i7-12700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti combo ranks 1341 out of 3711 tested combinations. This places it in the 64th percentile of all combos tested, meaning 36% of tested systems perform better. The ranking reflects the GPU's position in the 75th percentile of all GPUs and the CPU's 84th percentile ranking.

The CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks show tight competition. The Intel Core i5-13600T scores 0.1% lower, the Core i7-12700KF is 0.2% lower, the Core i7-13700T is 0.3% lower, and the Intel Core 5 213PE is 0.4% lower. This indicates the i7-12700K is well-matched against its immediate competitors, and the combo's ranking is more influenced by GPU performance than CPU differences.

The GPU's nearest rivals also show close scores. The RTX 5070 Mobile is 0.1% higher, the RX 6800 is 0.5% lower, the RTX 2080 Ti is 0.5% higher, and the RX 6700 is 1.6% lower. These small deltas mean that swapping to any of these GPUs would produce similar Hitman 2 results, with the RX 6700 potentially showing a slightly more noticeable difference.

Given the combo's rank of 1341 out of 3711, it sits in the upper-middle tier of systems tested for Hitman 2. This is consistent with the measured FPS data showing playable performance at 1080p and 1440p, but marginal at 4K. The ranking suggests that for 4K gaming, users should consider higher-tier GPUs, while for 1080p or 1440p high-refresh gaming, this combo is well-positioned.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12th-generation Alder Lake processor with 12 cores and 20 threads. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The CPU uses Intel's 10 nm process and supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration. It features 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core, and 25 MB of shared L3 cache.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 19784 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 1850.5 in single-core. Its Passmark multithread score is 34404, and single-thread is 4013. The CPU's 3DMark scores range from 1043 (single-thread) to 9979 (max threads). These results place the CPU in the 84th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35287.

The CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are all within 0.4% of its average score. The Core i5-13600T matches at 35305 (0.1% lower), the Core i7-12700KF is at 35365 (0.2% lower), the Core i7-13700T is at 35403 (0.3% lower), and the Intel Core 5 213PE is at 35428 (0.4% lower). This indicates the i7-12700K's performance is well-balanced against its immediate successors and variants.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role is evident in the lower-resolution results. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 204 FPS, which is likely CPU-limited given the GPU's capabilities. The 1080p Medium result (153 FPS) and High result (116 FPS) both show the CPU's ability to maintain high frame rates. The CPU's 12 cores and 20 threads handle Hitman 2's AI, physics, and game logic without becoming a bottleneck at these settings.

At 4K, the CPU's influence diminishes. The performance drop from 1080p High (116 FPS) to 4K High (39 FPS) is almost entirely attributable to GPU limitations. The CPU's 5.00 GHz boost clock ensures it can feed the GPU with draw calls efficiently, but at 4K the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth become the limiting factors. The CPU's integrated UHD Graphics 770 is present but not used in this configuration, as the discrete GPU handles all rendering.

The CPU's memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5 allows flexibility in system building, though the measured FPS data does not distinguish between memory types. The dual-channel memory bus and PCIe Gen 4 support (20 lanes from CPU) provide adequate bandwidth for the RTX 3070 Ti's PCIe 4.0 x16 interface. The CPU's 25 MB of shared L3 cache helps with game asset streaming, contributing to the stable frame times seen at 1080p and 1440p Medium settings.