Hitman 2

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 delivers a performance profile in Hitman 2 that is heavily dictated by resolution, with the data showing a clear transition from a CPU-bound scenario at 1080p to a GPU-bound one at 4K. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are exceptionally high across all settings, peaking at 257.1 FPS on Low, which indicates the CPU is the primary driver of performance at this resolution. Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain very playable, with the High preset delivering 92.6 FPS, but the scaling suggests the GPU is starting to take on a more significant role. At 3840x2160, the performance drops considerably, with the Ultra preset producing only 36.2 FPS, confirming that the RTX 5070 is the limiting component at this resolution. The overall combo rank in this game is 382 out of 1795 tested combinations, placing it in the top 21 percent of all configurations tested.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a predictable but pronounced scaling pattern across the three tested resolutions. At the Low settings preset, the performance drop from 1080p to 1440p is 37.2 percent, going from 257.1 FPS to 161.5 FPS, and then a further 47.4 percent drop from 1440p to 4K, landing at 85 FPS. This steep decline at 4K indicates that even on the lowest settings, the GPU is struggling to maintain the frame rates seen at lower resolutions, highlighting the pixel throughput demands of the RTX 5070.

For the High preset, the scaling is less steep but still significant. The transition from 1080p (144 FPS) to 1440p (92.6 FPS) represents a 35.7 percent reduction, while moving from 1440p to 4K (51.7 FPS) results in a 44.2 percent drop. These numbers suggest that the game’s rendering load at High settings is well-balanced between the CPU and GPU at 1440p, but at 4K, the GPU’s raw processing power becomes the sole bottleneck, as evidenced by the sub-60 FPS average.

The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling, with a 32.8 percent drop from 1080p (105.6 FPS) to 1440p (71 FPS), followed by a 49 percent drop from 1440p to 4K (36.2 FPS). The fact that the 4K Ultra result is below 40 FPS strongly indicates that the RTX 5070’s compute capabilities are not sufficient for the highest visual fidelity at this resolution. The data suggests that for a smooth 60 FPS experience at 4K, users would need to select Medium or Low settings, as the High preset falls short of that target.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal experience for this combo depends heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the best choice, delivering 105.6 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay and offers the highest visual quality without compromising performance. The High preset at 144 FPS is also viable, but the data shows that the CPU has enough headroom to handle the extra load of Ultra settings, making it the recommended choice for 1080p displays.

At 2560x1440, the High preset emerges as the best balance, providing 92.6 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS target and offers a significant visual upgrade over Medium (122.7 FPS) or Low (161.5 FPS). While Ultra at 71 FPS is technically playable, the 30.4 percent performance penalty compared to High is substantial, and the visual difference may not justify the drop in frame rate for most users. For those with high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors, the Medium preset is a strong alternative, as it maintains a high frame rate while still providing decent visual quality.

At 3840x2160, the recommendations change drastically. The Ultra preset at 36.2 FPS is not suitable for a smooth experience, and even High at 51.7 FPS falls short of the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset at 67.9 FPS is the only setting that achieves a playable frame rate above 60, making it the recommended choice for 4K gaming with this combo. The Low preset at 85 FPS also works, but it requires a significant visual downgrade. The data clearly shows that the RTX 5070 is not capable of delivering high or ultra settings at 4K in this title.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 features 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s. In Hitman 2, the measured frame rates indicate that this bandwidth is sufficient for the game’s demands at lower resolutions, but the 4K results suggest that the GPU’s raw compute throughput is the limiting factor. The GPU has a base clock of 2325 MHz and a boost clock of 2512 MHz, with an FP32 performance of 30.87 TFLOPS. These specifications align with the benchmark results, showing that the card is capable of high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p but struggles to maintain playable performance at 4K on higher presets.

The GPU’s pixel rate is 201.0 GPixel/s and its texture rate is 482.3 GTexel/s; these figures explain why the performance degrades so significantly at 4K, as the number of pixels and textures to process quadruples compared to 1080p. The 12 GB VRAM is likely not a limiting factor in this game, as the measured results show a consistent scaling pattern that points to compute limitations rather than memory capacity issues. The GPU’s benchmark scores, such as a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5077 and a Passmark G3D score of 29137, corroborate its mid-to-high-range positioning, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090, has an average score of 41441 with a deltaPct of 0.6 percent, indicating that the RTX 5070 performs comparably in synthetic benchmarks.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers an average of 105.6 FPS on Ultra, 144 FPS on High, 192.3 FPS on Medium, and 257.1 FPS on Low. These figures demonstrate that the i7-12700K and RTX 5070 combo can easily handle the game at high refresh rates on any setting, with the Low preset exceeding 240 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 151.5 FPS, which is a substantial range that showcases the GPU’s ability to scale with graphical demands at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the average frame rates are 71 FPS on Ultra, 92.6 FPS on High, 122.7 FPS on Medium, and 161.5 FPS on Low. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across all presets, averaging around a 35 percent reduction, which indicates a balanced load between the CPU and GPU. The High preset remains above 90 FPS, making it a solid choice for a 144Hz monitor, while the Ultra preset at 71 FPS is still viable for a 60Hz display.

At 3840x2160, the average frame rates drop significantly to 36.2 FPS on Ultra, 51.7 FPS on High, 67.9 FPS on Medium, and 85 FPS on Low. The Ultra preset is below 40 FPS, which is not ideal, while the High preset hovers around 50 FPS. Only the Medium and Low presets achieve playable frame rates above 60 FPS, making them the only viable options for 4K gaming. The scaling from 1080p to 4K is steepest at the Ultra preset, with a 65.7 percent reduction in frame rate, highlighting the GPU’s limitations at high resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the Intel Core i7-12700K and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 ranks 382nd out of 1795 tested combinations in Hitman 2. This places it in the top 21.3 percent of all tested configurations, indicating that it is a strong performer for this game. The ranking suggests that while the combo is capable of delivering high frame rates at lower resolutions, it is not among the elite configurations that can handle 4K Ultra settings. The CPU’s percentile rank of 89th among all CPUs and the GPU’s percentile rank of 83rd among all GPUs both contribute to this solid overall position.

In comparison to other tested combos, the i7-12700K’s nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, which has an average score of 35802 and a deltaPct of -0.3 percent, meaning the i7-12700K is slightly ahead. The Intel Core i7-13700T has a deltaPct of 0.6 percent, indicating it is slightly behind, while the Intel Core i5-14500HX and i7-13800H have deltaPcts of -0.7 and 0.8 percent, respectively. For the GPU, the RTX 5070’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 with a deltaPct of 0.2 percent, and the NVIDIA Tesla M40 with a deltaPct of -0.5 percent. These comparisons show that the combo’s ranking is driven by a balanced pairing of a top-tier CPU and a solid upper-mid-range GPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K features 12 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. It has a 25 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory. In Hitman 2, the CPU’s performance is most evident at 1080p, where the frame rates are exceptionally high, indicating that the processor is not a bottleneck at this resolution. The CPU’s benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 29241 and a single-core score of 4128, support its strong gaming performance.

The CPU’s role becomes less significant as the resolution increases, as the GPU takes over as the limiting factor. At 4K, the frame rates are primarily dictated by the GPU’s compute capabilities, and the CPU’s high single-thread and multi-thread performance ensures that it does not hold back the RTX 5070. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 35684 places it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, has a deltaPct of -0.3 percent, showing that the i7-12700K is competitive. The data indicates that this CPU is more than capable of feeding the RTX 5070 at all resolutions, but its influence on the final frame rate diminishes at higher resolutions where the GPU workload dominates.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming with this combo?

A: The High preset is the best choice, delivering 92.6 FPS at 2560x1440, which is well above the 60 FPS target and offers a good balance of visual quality and performance.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K Ultra settings in Hitman 2?

A: No, the 4K Ultra preset produces an average of only 36.2 FPS, which is not smooth. To achieve a playable frame rate at 4K, users should select the Medium preset, which yields 67.9 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 5070 compare to the RTX 3090 in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5070 has a Passmark G3D score of 29137, while the RTX 3090 has an average score of 41441, with a deltaPct of 0.6 percent, indicating the RTX 5070 is slightly behind in this benchmark.

Q: What is the maximum FPS achievable at 1080p?

A: The maximum average FPS is 257.1, achieved with the Low settings preset at 1920x1080.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck at 4K?

A: The GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K, as evidenced by the significant frame rate drops at this resolution, while the CPU’s performance is sufficient to keep up with the GPU’s workload.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 382nd out of 1795 tested combinations, placing it in the top 21.3 percent of all configurations tested in Hitman 2.