Hitman 2

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 places 35th out of 1,795 tested combinations in Hitman 2, placing it in the top 2% of all configurations. This is a formidable ranking, but the data reveals an interesting nuance: the combo sits behind a significant number of other pairings despite the RTX 4090 being the fastest consumer GPU in the pack. The gap between this combo and the very top performers suggests that Hitman 2’s engine, originally designed for an earlier hardware era, may not fully leverage the extreme bandwidth and raw compute of the RTX 4090. Instead, the ranking reflects a balance where the i7-12700K’s 12 cores and 20 threads provide ample headroom, but the game’s optimization ceiling becomes the limiting factor at lower resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

At rank 35 of 1,795, this configuration sits in the 98th percentile of all tested combos, a position that signals excellent overall performance. However, the data shows that the RTX 4090’s dominance is not absolute in this title. The combo’s average FPS across all settings and resolutions is heavily influenced by the 1080p results, where the CPU becomes the primary bottleneck. The i7-12700K’s 3DMark single-thread score of 1,043 and multi-thread score of 9,979 indicate strong per-core performance, yet Hitman 2’s reliance on a few threads means the GPU often waits for the CPU at lower resolutions. Compared to the nearest CPU rivals, the i7-12700K is virtually tied with the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (0.3% slower) and the Intel Core i7-13700T (0.6% faster), which suggests that swapping to a slightly different CPU would yield negligible changes in this game’s frame rates. The ranking reflects the GPU’s raw power, but it also highlights that for a game from 2018, the CPU’s single-thread performance matters more than its 20-thread capability.

GPU Role

The RTX 4090’s 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth are overkill for Hitman 2, yet they explain why the GPU never becomes a constraint at 1080p. The card’s boost clock of 2,520 MHz, combined with 16,384 shading units, delivers a peak FP32 throughput of 82.58 TFLOPS. In practice, this translates to 337.3 FPS at 1080p Low, a figure that far exceeds any display’s refresh rate. The GPU’s role shifts dramatically with resolution; at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 48.1, indicating that the card’s pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s is being fully taxed. The RTX 4090’s 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores are largely irrelevant for Hitman 2, which does not use ray tracing in the measured settings. The data shows that the GPU’s memory bandwidth becomes the key factor at 4K, where the 384-bit bus and 21 Gbps effective memory clock allow the card to maintain playable frame rates even at the highest preset. Interestingly, the GPU’s nearest rivals in benchmark scores (Tesla T4, P40) are data-center cards not suited for gaming, which underscores how the RTX 4090’s gaming performance is unique in this dataset.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS reveals a steep decline as resolution increases, which is classic behavior for a GPU-bound scenario at higher pixel counts. From 1080p High to 4K High, the average FPS drops from 192.5 to 67.9, a 64.7% reduction. This scaling is consistent with the GPU’s workload doubling at 4K, but the absolute numbers suggest the RTX 4090 is still delivering excellent performance. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 337.3 FPS, which is 2.9 times the 4K Low result of 116.3 FPS. This disparity indicates that at 1080p, the CPU is the limiting factor, as the GPU is capable of far higher frame rates. The 1440p results—121.3 FPS on High and 88.9 FPS on Ultra—show a more balanced workload, where the GPU’s power is more fully utilized. The data implies that for this combo, the sweet spot for competitive play is 1080p, while 4K is reserved for visually demanding, slower-paced gameplay. The sharp drop from Medium to Ultra at 4K (88.3 to 48.1 FPS) suggests that the Ultra preset introduces effects that disproportionately tax the GPU, possibly related to shadow quality or draw distance.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Hitman 2 with this combo?

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1440p offers the best balance, with 121.3 FPS on High and 162.6 FPS on Medium, providing smooth gameplay without the CPU bottleneck seen at 1080p.

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

A: The i7-12700K is 0.3% slower than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 and 0.6% faster than the Intel Core i7-13700T, indicating that these CPUs are effectively interchangeable for this game.

Q: Does the RTX 4090’s 24 GB VRAM matter for Hitman 2?

A: No, Hitman 2 from 2018 does not require anywhere near 24 GB of VRAM, even at 4K Ultra, so the memory capacity is irrelevant for this title, though the bandwidth still helps at 4K.

Q: Why is the FPS at 1080p Low so much higher than 4K Low?

A: At 1080p, the CPU becomes the bottleneck, limiting the frame rate to 337.3 FPS, while at 4K, the GPU’s pixel throughput is the constraint, resulting in 116.3 FPS.

Q: Is the Ultra preset playable at 4K?

A: Yes, but just barely, with an average of 48.1 FPS. This is above the 30 FPS console standard, but far below the 60 FPS target for smooth play.

Q: What does the combo’s rank of 35 out of 1,795 indicate?

A: It places this combo in the top 2% of all tested configurations, but the data shows that many combos with slower GPUs but faster single-thread CPUs may match it at 1080p.

CPU Role

The i7-12700K’s 12 cores and 20 threads are more than sufficient for Hitman 2, which is a stealth title that rarely uses more than a few threads. The CPU’s boost clock of 5.00 GHz and single-thread 3DMark score of 1,043 are the key metrics for this game, as the engine’s main loop runs on one or two threads. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the CPU limits the combo to 337.3 FPS, which proves its strong single-core performance but also a sign that the game cannot go higher. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 29,241 indicates that the CPU has massive headroom for other tasks, but this does not translate to higher FPS in Hitman 2. The CPU’s L3 cache of 25 MB is shared, which helps with data locality in the game’s open levels, but the 80 KB L1 and 1.25 MB L2 per core are more critical for the frequent NPC AI calculations. The i7-12700K’s integrated UHD Graphics 770 is irrelevant here, as the RTX 4090 handles all rendering. The data suggests that upgrading to a CPU with higher single-thread scores (e.g., a 13th-gen part) would yield minimal gains, as the ranking shows the i7-12700K is within 0.8% of its nearest rivals.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and frame rate, the Medium preset at 1440p is the standout choice, delivering 162.6 FPS, which is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate of many monitors. At 1080p, the High preset at 192.5 FPS offers a smooth experience, but the jump to Ultra (140.8 FPS) is still playable and provides better shadows and textures. At 4K, the High preset at 67.9 FPS is the only viable option for a near-60 FPS experience, as Ultra drops to 48.1 FPS and Medium is only slightly better at 88.3 FPS. The data shows that the Low preset, while achieving 116.3 FPS at 4K, is visually unappealing for a stealth game where environmental detail matters. The Ultra preset at 1440p (88.9 FPS) is a hidden gem for those with high-refresh 1440p displays, offering 60+ FPS with all features enabled. For players prioritizing competitive frame rates, 1080p Low at 337.3 FPS is the maximum possible, but the Medium preset at 248.3 FPS is a more reasonable choice that retains some visual fidelity.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 337.3 FPS on Low, 248.3 FPS on Medium, 192.5 FPS on High, and 140.8 FPS on Ultra. These numbers show that the CPU is the bottleneck at this resolution, as the GPU is not saturated until Ultra. Moving to 2560x1440, the FPS drops to 214.3 on Low, 162.6 on Medium, 121.3 on High, and 88.9 on Ultra. The 1440p results demonstrate a more balanced load, with the GPU taking over as the primary limiter. At 3840x2160, the FPS is 116.3 on Low, 88.3 on Medium, 67.9 on High, and 48.1 on Ultra. The 4K Ultra result is the only instance where the combo falls below 60 FPS, indicating that the RTX 4090 is being pushed to its limits. The scaling from 1080p Low to 4K Low is a 65.5% reduction (337.3 to 116.3 FPS), while the 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra drop is 65.8% (140.8 to 48.1 FPS). This consistency suggests that the GPU’s workload scales linearly with pixel count, and the CPU’s influence diminishes as resolution increases. The data shows no min or max FPS values, so the average figures represent the typical experience, but the lack of variance data means frame pacing is unknown.