Hitman 2

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti delivers a broad spread of frame rates in Hitman 2, ranging from a demanding 39.6 FPS at 4K Ultra to a fluid 276.8 FPS at 1080p Low. This combination ranks 224th out of 1,795 tested combos for this game, placing it in the top 12.5% of all configurations measured. The data reveals a system where the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s strong single-thread performance keeps frame rates high at lower settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and consistent pattern: as resolution increases, frame rates drop substantially across every settings preset. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 158.4 FPS at 1920x1080 to 103.5 FPS at 2560x1440, then to 53.8 FPS at 3840x2160. That represents a 34.7% drop from 1080p to 1440p, followed by a 48.0% drop from 1440p to 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at High settings is a 66.0% reduction in average FPS.

The pattern intensifies at Ultra settings, where the frame rate plummets from 114 FPS at 1080p to 72.9 FPS at 1440p, and then to 39.6 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is 45.7%, while the cumulative drop from 1080p to 4K reaches 65.3%. This steep decline at Ultra suggests that the render load at higher resolutions and maximum quality settings is overwhelming the GPU’s capabilities.

At Low settings, the scaling is less severe but still notable. The average FPS goes from 276.8 at 1080p to 178.1 at 1440p (a 35.7% drop), and then to 95.1 at 4K (a 46.6% drop from 1440p). The total reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low is 65.6%. Interestingly, the proportional drop from 1080p to 4K is remarkably consistent across all presets, hovering around 65-66%.

This consistency is revealing. When the frame rate at 1080p Low is 276.8 FPS, the system is likely CPU-limited at that resolution. The fact that 4K Low still delivers 95.1 FPS — a 65.6% reduction — indicates that even at Low settings, the 4K pixel count creates a significant GPU workload. The RTX 4070 Ti’s 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are being taxed heavily at 4K, regardless of quality preset.

The data implies that at 1080p, the Intel Core i7-12700K with its 12 cores and 20 threads can feed frames faster than the GPU can render them at High and Ultra settings. The 158.4 FPS at 1080p High versus 276.8 FPS at 1080p Low shows a 75.0% performance difference purely from settings changes, which indicates the GPU is the limiting factor even at 1080p. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the gap between Low and High would be much smaller.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to run Hitman 2 with this combo for a 60 FPS target?

A: For a stable 60 FPS experience, 4K High delivers 53.8 FPS, which falls short. The better option is 4K Medium at 74 FPS, or 1440p Ultra at 72.9 FPS. Both exceed the 60 FPS target while maintaining higher quality than 1080p.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 Ti perform against its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4070 Ti has an average benchmark score of 44,900, placing it in the 85th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile, scores 45,152, which is 0.6% higher. The AMD Radeon Pro 580 scores 44,195, which is 1.6% lower than the RTX 4070 Ti.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game at 1080p?

A: Benchmark results indicate the GPU is the primary constraint even at 1080p. The frame rate varies from 114 FPS at Ultra to 276.8 FPS at Low, a 142.8% difference. Since the CPU’s performance remains constant across settings, this large gap proves the GPU determines the outcome.

Q: What frame rate can players expect at 1440p Medium settings?

A: The measured average at 2560x1440 Medium is 135.6 FPS. This is well above the 103.5 FPS at 1440p High and the 72.9 FPS at 1440p Ultra, making Medium a strong choice for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Q: How does the i7-12700K compare to its closest CPU rivals?

A: The i7-12700K has an average benchmark score of 35,684 and sits in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 scores 35,802, which is 0.3% higher. The Intel Core i7-13700T scores 35,468, which is 0.6% lower. The i5-14500HX scores 35,940, which is 0.7% higher.

Q: What is the impact of dropping from 4K Ultra to 4K High?

A: The frame rate improves from 39.6 FPS at Ultra to 53.8 FPS at High, a 35.9% increase. While this is significant, it still doesn’t reach 60 FPS. Dropping further to 4K Medium yields 74 FPS, a 86.9% improvement over Ultra.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC. It contains 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, which translates to a transistor density of 121.8M per mm². The GPU operates at a base clock of 2310 MHz and boosts to 2610 MHz, with memory running at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). The 12 GB of GDDR6X memory is arranged on a 192-bit bus, providing 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth.

In Hitman 2, the GPU’s role is evident from the measured frame rates. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 39.6, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. This suggests that the game’s Ultra preset at 4K creates a workload that the RTX 4070 Ti cannot fully handle. The 60 RT cores and 240 tensor cores are present, but the game likely relies more on traditional rasterization, as evidenced by the PassMark DirectX 11 score of 288 and DirectX 12 score of 116.

The GPU’s 7680 shading units and 240 texture mapping units are capable of 626.4 GTexel/s and 208.8 GPixel/s. These specifications support the frame rates seen at 1440p, where even Ultra settings achieve 72.9 FPS. The pixel rate of 208.8 GPixel/s is likely a limiting factor at 4K, where the 3840x2160 resolution requires rendering over 8.3 million pixels per frame. At 4K High, the 53.8 FPS result indicates the GPU is working near its practical limit for this title.

The RTX 4070 Ti’s 85th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 44,900, confirms it is a high-end part. Its nearest rival, the RTX 5090 Mobile, is only 0.6% faster in average score, which puts the desktop card in strong standing. The 12 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for this game, as Hitman 2’s requirements are likely well below that threshold, but the memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s becomes more critical at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti ranks 224th out of 1,795 tested combos in Hitman 2. This places it in the top 12.5% of all configurations, which is a strong showing. The CPU’s 89th percentile ranking and the GPU’s 85th percentile ranking both contribute to this position.

A notable observation is that the combo’s rank in-game (224th) is worse than either component’s individual percentile ranking would suggest. The CPU sits in the 89th percentile, and the GPU in the 85th, which might imply a higher overall rank. The discrepancy suggests that Hitman 2 is particularly demanding on the GPU at higher settings, and the CPU’s strength at lower resolutions doesn’t fully translate to a better combo ranking.

The CPU’s synthetic benchmarks show strong single-thread performance, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 1,043 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4,128. The multi-thread scores are also substantial, with Cinebench R23 multi-core reaching 29,241. In contrast, the GPU’s PassMark G3D score of 31,624 indicates solid performance, but the game’s specific demands at 4K Ultra push the system to its limits.

The rank of 224th suggests that many other combos deliver better performance in this game. The data implies that the RTX 4070 Ti, while powerful, is not the optimal choice for 4K Ultra in Hitman 2. Players with this combo would likely benefit from selecting Medium or High settings at 4K, or Ultra at 1440p, to get the best balance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, all settings deliver playable frame rates, from 114 FPS at Ultra to 276.8 FPS at Low. The High preset at 158.4 FPS offers a strong balance for 1080p, providing good visual quality while maintaining frame rates well above 144 Hz refresh rates.

At 1440p, the Medium preset at 135.6 FPS is the standout choice. It delivers more than double the frame rate of Ultra (72.9 FPS) while still offering enhanced visuals over Low (178.1 FPS). The High preset at 103.5 FPS is also viable for 100 Hz monitors, but Medium provides a larger margin for demanding scenes.

For 4K, the situation is more constrained. The Ultra preset at 39.6 FPS is not recommended for smooth gameplay. The High preset at 53.8 FPS is close to the 60 FPS target but will likely dip below in intense sequences. The Medium preset at 74 FPS is the best option for 4K, offering a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while maintaining reasonable visual fidelity. The Low preset at 95.1 FPS is also viable for players who prioritize frame rate over quality.

The data suggests that Medium settings provide the best experience across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the 207.5 FPS result is more than enough for any monitor. At 1440p Medium, 135.6 FPS is excellent. At 4K Medium, 74 FPS is the only preset that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS. This consistency makes Medium the recommended preset for this combo.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are as follows: Low settings achieve 276.8 FPS, Medium settings reach 207.5 FPS, High settings deliver 158.4 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 114 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a steady decline, with Ultra being 58.8% slower than Low.

At 2560x1440, the results are: Low at 178.1 FPS, Medium at 135.6 FPS, High at 103.5 FPS, and Ultra at 72.9 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 59.1%, which is slightly larger than at 1080p, indicating the GPU is under more stress at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the measured values are: Low at 95.1 FPS, Medium at 74 FPS, High at 53.8 FPS, and Ultra at 39.6 FPS. The Ultra setting at 4K is the only configuration that falls below 40 FPS, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay.

Comparing across resolutions at the same settings reveals the scaling factor. At Low, the FPS drops from 276.8 at 1080p to 178.1 at 1440p (a 35.7% reduction) and then to 95.1 at 4K (a 46.6% reduction). At High, the values go from 158.4 to 103.5 (34.7% reduction) and then to 53.8 (48.0% reduction). At Ultra, the drop is from 114 to 72.9 (36.1% reduction) and then to 39.6 (45.7% reduction). The 4K to 1440p drop is consistently larger than the 1440p to 1080p drop across all settings, confirming that 4K represents a step change in GPU workload.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12-core, 20-thread processor from the Alder Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel’s 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, with a TDP of 125 W. The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration and uses the Intel Socket 1700 interface.

In Hitman 2, the CPU’s role is most apparent at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 276.8 FPS, which is likely near the CPU’s maximum frame delivery rate for this game. The single-thread performance, as measured by a 3DMark single-thread score of 1,043 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2,561, is crucial for maintaining high frame rates in a stealth game where AI and game logic are typically single-threaded.

The multi-thread capabilities are also strong, with a 3DMark max-threads score of 9,979 and a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 29,241. However, the measured FPS data suggests that Hitman 2 does not scale perfectly with additional cores. The CPU’s 12 cores and 20 threads are likely not fully utilized, as the game’s frame rate at 1080p Low is more indicative of single-thread performance.

The CPU’s 89th percentile ranking, with an average benchmark score of 35,684, places it among the top processors. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, scores 35,802, which is 0.3% higher. The Intel Core i7-13700T scores 35,468 (0.6% lower), and the i5-14500HX scores 35,940 (0.7% higher). These small deltas indicate that the i7-12700K is competitive with its peers.

At higher resolutions, the CPU’s influence diminishes. The frame rate differences between 1440p and 4K are primarily driven by the GPU, as evidenced by the consistent percentage drops across settings. The CPU’s performance is sufficient to feed the GPU at all tested resolutions, but the GPU becomes the limiting factor at 4K, particularly at Ultra settings where the frame rate falls to 39.6 FPS.