Hitman 2

The Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination delivers exceptional performance in Hitman 2, ranking in the top 7% of all tested configurations. The data shows a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet capable of extreme frame rates at 1080p that highlight the CPU's strong single-threaded foundation. This pairing offers a versatile experience, though the optimal settings vary significantly depending on the target resolution and refresh rate.

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

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. Its 25 MB of shared L3 cache and support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory make it a robust foundation for modern gaming. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU achieves a single-thread score of 1850.5 in Cinebench R23 and a multicore score of 19784 in the same test, while Geekbench shows 2308 single-core and 15790 multi-core results. These figures place the processor in the 84th percentile of all CPUs, indicating strong overall capability.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role becomes most apparent at 1080p Low settings, where the system reaches 302 FPS average. This high frame rate suggests that the processor can feed the GPU efficiently when graphical load is minimal. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1043 and the 3DMark 16-thread score of 9276 indicate that the CPU has both the per-core strength and the multi-threaded headroom to handle the game's AI, physics, and scene management. The Passmark single-thread score of 4013 further reinforces this, showing that the processor's architecture is well-suited for the sort of single-threaded tasks that Hitman 2's engine relies upon.

When compared to its nearest rivals, the i7-12700K sits within a very tight performance band. The Intel Core i5-13600T scores 35305 on average, a -0.1% delta relative to this CPU, while the Intel Core i7-12700KF scores 35365, a -0.2% delta. The Intel Core i7-13700T and Intel Core 5 213PE are similarly close, at -0.3% and -0.4% deltas respectively. This demonstrates that the i7-12700K is not a performance outlier in either direction; rather, it is a consistently capable processor that provides a stable platform for the RTX 4080. The benchmark results indicate that at lower resolutions where the CPU is more relevant, this processor's 20 threads and high boost clock prevent it from becoming a bottleneck, allowing the GPU to operate at its full potential.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is a formidable graphics card built on the Ada Lovelace architecture, featuring 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. Its boost clock reaches 2505 MHz, and the card houses 9728 shading units along with 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores. The GPU's FP32 performance is rated at 48.74 TFLOPS, and its pixel rate is 280.6 GPixel/s. These specifications place the card in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54247.

In Hitman 2, the RTX 4080's dominance is clear when examining the frame rate scaling across settings. At 1080p Ultra, the system averages 126 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, that number drops to 43 FPS. This significant reduction of 83 FPS indicates that the GPU is being taxed heavily by the higher resolution's pixel count, despite its ample 16 GB VRAM buffer. The card's memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s is substantial, yet the demands of 4K rendering in this game still push the hardware to its limits. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6567 and the Passmark G3D score of 34457 provide context for the card's raw compute ability, which translates to high frame rates at lower resolutions.

Comparing the RTX 4080 to its nearest rivals shows a tight competitive field. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54209, a +0.1% delta, while the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828, a -1.1% delta. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB and AMD Radeon 8060S score 55698 and 55757, representing -2.6% and -2.7% deltas respectively. These figures indicate that the RTX 4080 is not the absolute fastest in its class, but it is within a few percentage points of the top performers. In Hitman 2, this translates to a card that can easily handle 1080p and 1440p with high frame rates, but at 4K Ultra, it falls just short of the 60 FPS target, averaging only 43 FPS. The GPU's role is clearly the limiting factor at 4K, whereas at lower resolutions, its power is more than sufficient to maintain fluid gameplay.

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

The measured frame rates reveal a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, which strongly indicates where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 302 FPS; at 1440p Low, it drops to 193 FPS; and at 4K Low, it falls to 103 FPS. This represents a 66% reduction in FPS from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 47% reduction from 1440p to 4K. Such a steep decline is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the rendering load grows exponentially with pixel count.

Looking at the High settings, the same trend holds. The 1080p High average is 172 FPS, which drops to 110 FPS at 1440p and then to 58 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 4K results in a 66% performance loss, which is consistent with the Low settings pattern. This consistency across settings suggests that the GPU is the primary constraint, as the CPU's workload does not change significantly with resolution. The 4K Medium setting shows an average of 77 FPS with a minimum of 66 FPS and a maximum of 89 FPS, while 4K Ultra averages only 43 FPS, indicating that even the powerful RTX 4080 struggles to maintain playable frame rates at the highest quality preset.

The data suggests that the i7-12700K is not the limiting factor at any resolution. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect frame rates to remain relatively flat across resolutions, but instead, we see a consistent drop that aligns with GPU workload. The 1080p Low result of 302 FPS demonstrates that the CPU can push the GPU to very high frame rates, but as resolution increases, the GPU's rendering capacity becomes the ceiling. This analysis is crucial for understanding the balance of this combo: it is a well-matched pair for 1440p gaming, but at 4K, the GPU holds back the system from achieving 60 FPS on Ultra settings.

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

For 1080p displays, the data shows that even the Ultra preset, which averages 126 FPS, delivers an exceptionally smooth experience. The Medium preset at 1080p provides 227 FPS average with a minimum of 193 FPS and a maximum of 261 FPS, making it an excellent choice for high-refresh-rate monitors. However, the Low preset at 1080p reaches 302 FPS, which is ideal for competitive play or for users with 240Hz or 360Hz displays. The High preset at 1080p offers 172 FPS, a strong middle ground that balances visual fidelity with performance. Given the high frame rates at this resolution, users can comfortably select Ultra for the best visuals, as 126 FPS is still well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

At 1440p, the recommendation shifts. The Ultra preset averages 81 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The High preset at 1440p provides 110 FPS, which is a better balance for 144Hz displays, offering a significant improvement over Ultra while still maintaining good visual quality. The Medium preset at 1440p averages 145 FPS with a minimum of 123 FPS, making it the best choice for users with 144Hz or 165Hz monitors who want to ensure frame rates stay consistently high. The Low preset at 1440p reaches 193 FPS, but the visual compromise may not be worth it for most players. The data suggests that High is the sweet spot at 1440p, providing 110 FPS average while keeping the experience visually rich.

For 4K resolution, the situation is more constrained. The Ultra preset averages only 43 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target and may result in noticeable stuttering. The High preset at 4K averages 58 FPS, which is close to but still slightly under 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K provides 77 FPS average with a minimum of 66 FPS, making it the best option for a smooth 4K experience. The Low preset at 4K reaches 103 FPS, but the visual downgrade is substantial. Based on the measured rows, the Medium preset at 4K is the recommended choice, as it delivers frame rates above 60 FPS while maintaining a reasonable level of graphical detail. Users prioritizing visual fidelity over frame rate may choose High, but they should accept the 58 FPS average as a compromise.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 255th out of 3711 tested combos in Hitman 2. This places the pairing in the top 6.9% of all configurations, indicating that it is a high-performing setup relative to the broader database. The rank reflects the system's ability to deliver high frame rates across resolutions, but the 4K Ultra result of 43 FPS likely prevents it from ranking even higher, as many competing combos may achieve better 4K performance with similar or more powerful GPUs.

The combo's rank of 255 out of 3711 suggests that while the i7-12700K and RTX 4080 are both strong components individually, their combined performance in this game is solid but not top-tier. The CPU's 84th percentile ranking and the GPU's 86th percentile ranking are both high, but the game's engine and its demands on the GPU at 4K mean that the system does not reach the absolute pinnacle of performance. The ranking also implies that there are 254 other combos that perform better in Hitman 2, likely featuring newer or more powerful GPUs that can handle 4K Ultra at higher frame rates. Nevertheless, a rank of 255 out of 3711 is a strong result, placing this system well above the vast majority of tested hardware configurations for this game.

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

At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates its peak performance capabilities. The Low preset delivers an average of 302 FPS, showcasing the CPU's ability to drive the GPU to its limits. The Medium preset averages 227 FPS, with a minimum of 193 FPS and a maximum of 261 FPS, providing a wide performance envelope. The High preset averages 172 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 126 FPS. These numbers indicate that even at the highest settings, the system can maintain frame rates well above the 100 FPS threshold, making 1080p gaming exceptionally fluid across all presets.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down but remains impressive. The Low preset averages 193 FPS, a significant drop from 1080p but still very high. The Medium preset averages 145 FPS, with a minimum of 123 FPS and a maximum of 167 FPS, showing strong stability. The High preset averages 110 FPS, which is excellent for 1440p gaming. The Ultra preset averages 81 FPS, which is playable but not as smooth as the lower presets. This data shows that 1440p is a sweet spot for this combo, with High and Medium settings providing a balance of visual quality and performance.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become evident. The Low preset averages 103 FPS, which is still high but represents a substantial drop from lower resolutions. The Medium preset averages 77 FPS, with a minimum of 66 FPS and a maximum of 89 FPS, making it the only 4K preset that consistently stays above 60 FPS. The High preset averages 58 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS target. The Ultra preset averages 43 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The 4K results indicate that users should opt for Medium settings to achieve a stable frame rate, as the higher presets compromise too much performance for the visual gains.