Hitman 2

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 delivers a commanding performance profile in Hitman 2, placing the combo in the top 1% of all tested configurations. The data indicates that this system is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s strong single-thread performance becomes a limiting factor only at 1080p with lower graphical presets. The optimal experience balances visual fidelity with frame rate, favoring the High preset across all resolutions for a smooth and immersive stealth sandbox.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and fluid gameplay, the High preset is the clear recommendation across all three tested resolutions. At 3840x2160, the High preset delivers an average of 64.3 FPS, which is the only 4K setting that maintains a playable frame rate above the 60 FPS threshold. While the Ultra preset pushes the visual envelope, its 47.8 FPS average at 4K compromises the smoothness essential for a stealth game where precise timing and reaction are critical.

Stepping down to 2560x1440, the High preset shines with an average of 127 FPS, providing a substantial margin over the 60 FPS baseline and allowing for high refresh rate displays. The Medium preset at 1440p reaches 164.6 FPS, but the jump from Medium to High is worth the minor performance cost for the improved shadow and texture quality in Hitman 2’s detailed environments. At 1920x1080, the High preset achieves 197.1 FPS, which is more than sufficient for even the fastest competitive displays, while the Ultra preset still manages a very respectable 145 FPS.

The Low preset is not recommended for this configuration. While it produces staggering frame rates—349.8 FPS at 1080p and 117.4 FPS at 4K—it does so by stripping away the atmospheric lighting and character detail that define the game’s visual identity. The data shows that the High preset offers the most sensible compromise, delivering over double the frame rate of Ultra at 4K while retaining the graphical features that matter for the experience.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications dictate the performance envelope. The GPU features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a massive 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is far beyond the requirements of Hitman 2, ensuring that texture streaming and asset loading at 4K Ultra settings never become a bottleneck in the measured data.

The GPU’s clock speeds are equally impressive, with a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz. The raw compute power, rated at 104.8 TFLOPS for FP32 operations, is the primary driver behind the high frame rates observed at 1440p and 1080p. The benchmark results show that the RTX 5090 scales effectively with resolution, but the performance drop from 1440p High (127 FPS) to 4K High (64.3 FPS) suggests that the GPU is being pushed to its limits at the highest pixel counts.

The GPU’s position in the broader market is notable. It holds the 94th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84306. Its nearest rivals in the benchmark database—the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile—show delta percentages of 0.1% and 0.2% respectively, indicating that the standard RTX 5090 is statistically tied with the D variant and slightly ahead of the Mobile version in synthetic tests. This places the GPU at the very top of the performance stack.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Core i7-12700K and RTX 5090 achieves a rank of 15 out of 1795 tested combos in Hitman 2. This top-tier placement, within the top 0.8% of all configurations, confirms that this pairing is exceptionally well-suited for the game. The rank reflects the synergy between the CPU’s high single-thread performance and the GPU’s massive rasterization throughput.

This ranking is particularly impressive given that the CPU itself is not the absolute fastest in the database. The Core i7-12700K holds the 89th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35684. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, which scores a near-identical 35802 (-0.3%), and the Intel Core i7-13700T, which scores 35468 (+0.6%). The fact that this combo still ranks 15th overall suggests that Hitman 2 is more sensitive to GPU performance than CPU performance at the settings tested, allowing the RTX 5090 to carry the workload.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates reveal a consistent scaling pattern across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system produces exceptional results: the Low preset averages 349.8 FPS, Medium averages 262.3 FPS, High averages 197.1 FPS, and Ultra averages 145 FPS. Even the most demanding Ultra preset at 1080p produces frame rates well above what any monitor can display, indicating a CPU-limited scenario at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains very high. The Low preset averages 223.4 FPS, Medium averages 164.6 FPS, High averages 127 FPS, and Ultra averages 93.3 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra at 1440p is 33.7 FPS, demonstrating the significant cost of the highest-quality shadows and reflections.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to feel the pressure. The Low preset averages 117.4 FPS, Medium averages 86.8 FPS, High averages 64.3 FPS, and Ultra drops to 47.8 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only measured configuration that falls below the 60 FPS target, highlighting the extreme demands of 4K rendering on this game engine.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear shift in the bottleneck. At 1080p High, the system produces 197.1 FPS, but this drops to 127 FPS at 1440p and 64.3 FPS at 4K. This represents a 67.4% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K. The scaling is not linear, with the largest drop occurring between 1440p and 4K, where performance nearly halves.

This pattern indicates that at 1080p and 1440p, the system is partially limited by the CPU’s ability to feed the GPU with draw calls. The Core i7-12700K’s 12 cores and 20 threads, with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, are strong, but they cannot sustain the RTX 5090’s full potential at lower resolutions. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1043 and the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4128 confirm that the CPU is capable, but the GPU is so fast that it outstrips the CPU’s per-core throughput in this game.

At 4K, the GPU becomes the primary constraint. The 64.3 FPS at High settings versus the 117.4 FPS at Low settings shows a 45% swing based purely on graphical load, confirming that the RTX 5090 is working at its maximum capacity at this resolution.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset for a 4K display with this setup?

A: The High preset is the optimal choice for 4K, delivering an average of 64.3 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 47.8 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay, while Medium and Low sacrifice too much visual fidelity for marginal gains.

Q: Can this system run Hitman 2 at 1080p on a 240Hz monitor?

A: Yes, the data shows that the High preset averages 197.1 FPS at 1080p, which is below 240 FPS. However, the Medium preset averages 262.3 FPS, which exceeds the 240Hz threshold, and the Low preset reaches 349.8 FPS for maximum refresh rates.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: This combo ranks 15th out of 1795 tested combinations in Hitman 2, placing it in the top 1% of all configurations. This high rank is driven primarily by the GPU, which holds the 94th percentile among all GPUs.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, as evidenced by the large FPS difference between Low (117.4 FPS) and High (64.3 FPS) presets. At 1080p, the CPU becomes more of a constraint, with the Ultra preset only reaching 145 FPS despite the GPU’s immense power.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 compare to its closest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5090’s average benchmark score of 84306 is essentially tied with the RTX 5090 D, which scores 84241 (0.1% delta). It also edges out the RTX 5050 Mobile, which scores 84171 (0.2% delta), and the AMD Radeon PRO W6600, which scores 83209 (1.3% delta).

Q: What is the frame rate difference between the High and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 127 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 93.3 FPS. The difference is 33.7 FPS, representing a 26.5% performance cost for the highest-quality settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K provides the processing foundation for this combo, and its architecture is well-suited for Hitman 2’s simulation-heavy gameplay. The CPU features 12 cores and 20 threads, based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The hybrid design, combining performance and efficiency cores, allows for strong multi-threaded throughput when needed, while the high boost clock ensures snappy single-thread performance.

The CPU’s benchmark results confirm its capability. It achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 29241 and a single-core score of 4128, the latter being crucial for games like Hitman 2 that rely heavily on a primary game thread. The Geekbench single-core score of 2561 further validates this strength. The CPU holds the 89th percentile among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 35684, placing it in the upper echelon of desktop CPUs.

In Hitman 2, the CPU’s role becomes apparent at lower resolutions. At 1080p with the Low preset, the system produces 349.8 FPS, which is likely near the practical limit of the CPU’s ability to process game logic and issue draw calls. The fact that the Ultra preset at 1080p still reaches 145 FPS shows that the CPU can sustain high frame rates even under heavier graphical loads, but the GPU is the component that scales the experience across resolutions. The CPU’s 25 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support provide ample bandwidth for the game’s data, ensuring no stuttering or frame hitches in the measured results.