Hitman 2

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 580 presents a stark contrast in capability, with the CPU ranking in the 89th percentile against all processors while the GPU sits in the 53rd percentile. Benchmark results for Hitman 2 show a system that is decisively limited by its graphics card, a conclusion reinforced by the measured frame rates across resolutions and settings.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and clearly illustrates where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 76.6 FPS, which drops to 48.3 FPS at 1440p and then plummets to 23.9 FPS at 4K. This steep decline—a loss of over half the frame rate when moving from 1080p to 4K—is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. The Radeon RX 580 is being overwhelmed by the pixel count, not the CPU's ability to feed it data.

Moving up the quality presets reinforces this trend. At 1080p High, the average is 43.9 FPS, while at 1440p High it falls to 27 FPS, and at 4K High it bottoms out at 12.8 FPS. The pattern is consistent: each resolution increase exacts a heavy toll. The data shows that the RX 580's rendering capabilities are the primary constraint. The Core i7-12700KF, with its high single-thread performance and 20 threads, is likely sitting idle waiting for the GPU to finish its work, especially at lower resolutions where the CPU has less time to prepare frames.

The scaling between settings at a fixed resolution also points to the GPU as the limiting factor. At 1080p, the jump from Low to Medium costs 16.2 FPS (76.6 to 60.4), and the jump from Medium to High costs another 16.5 FPS (60.4 to 43.9). These are substantial drops, indicating that the GPU is the component doing the heavy lifting for each visual enhancement. The CPU's performance headroom is not being tested here; the GPU is saturated. For a practical takeaway, this combo is not suited for 4K gaming in Hitman 2, as even the Low preset fails to reach 24 FPS. The playable zone is clearly at 1080p, and even 1440p is a stretch for anything above the Low preset.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Hitman 2, this specific pairing of the Core i7-12700KF and Radeon RX 580 ranks 1673 out of 1795 combos. This places it in the bottom 7% of all tested systems, which is a poor showing for a CPU that is otherwise a top-tier performer. The ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's 53rd percentile standing, which is dragging the entire system down.

The CPU's nearest rivals provide context for its theoretical performance. The Intel Core i5-14400 scores 35336, which is a 0.1% delta from the i7-12700KF's average benchmark score of 35355. Similarly, the Intel Core i9-12900HX scores 35289, a 0.2% delta. These negligible differences mean that, from a CPU perspective, swapping between these processors would have virtually no impact on the game's frame rate in this configuration. The bottleneck is so severe that the CPU's relative power is irrelevant to the final FPS number.

This ranking is not a reflection of the CPU's capability but of the system's overall balance. A high-end CPU like the i7-12700KF is wasted when paired with a GPU that performs in the same league as the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570, which has a 0% delta, or the GTX 950, which is 0.1% faster. In Hitman 2, this combo's rank is a clear signal that the GPU is the weak link, and the data suggests that any performance upgrade should target the graphics card first.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is a 14 nm Polaris 20 chip with 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its clock speeds are 1257 MHz base and 1340 MHz boost. These specifications, while respectable for its generation, are simply not enough for the demands of Hitman 2 at higher resolutions and settings. The GPU's 32 ROPs and 144 TMUs are responsible for the pixel and texture processing, and the data shows they are being maxed out.

The 8 GB VRAM is adequate for 1080p and even 1440p in this game, but it is not the primary bottleneck. The core compute performance, measured at 6.175 TFLOPS, is the determining factor. The benchmark results show that the GPU's performance is 0% faster than the GTX 570 and only 0.1% faster than the GTX 950, placing it in a performance tier that is fundamentally ill-suited for modern gaming at high settings. The 12.8 FPS at 4K High and 19.9 FPS at 1440p Ultra are clear indicators that the GPU is out of its depth.

The GPU's memory clock of 2000 MHz, or 8 Gbps effective, is not a saving grace. The bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s is fine for the card's class, but it cannot compensate for the lack of raw shader power. The data from the measured FPS rows shows a direct correlation between GPU load and frame rate. When settings are increased, the GPU's shading units and TMUs are tasked with more work, and the frame rate drops accordingly. This is a textbook case of a GPU being the limiting factor in a system.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear guide for the best experience with this hardware. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers an average of 76.6 FPS, which is the only setting that approaches a high refresh rate experience. The Medium preset at 60.4 FPS is the best balance for a smooth 60 FPS target, providing a significant visual upgrade over Low for a 16.2 FPS cost. High at 43.9 FPS is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action, and Ultra at 32.3 FPS should be avoided if consistency is a priority.

At 1440p, the situation is more constrained. The Low preset achieves 48.3 FPS, which is acceptable, but the Medium preset drops to 40 FPS. The High preset at 27 FPS and Ultra at 19.9 FPS are not recommended for a playable experience. The sweet spot for this resolution is Low, with Medium being a compromise for those who prefer visual fidelity over a higher frame rate.

4K is not a viable option for this combo. The best result is 23.9 FPS on Low, with High and Ultra both stuck at 12.8 FPS. These numbers are too low for a playable experience. The recommendation is to stick to 1080p. Given the data, the Medium preset at 1080p is the optimal choice, as it is the highest quality setting that maintains an average above 60 FPS. For users with a 144 Hz monitor, the Low preset at 1080p is the only way to take advantage of it.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Hitman 2 at 4K?

A: No. The measured data shows that even at the Low preset, the average frame rate is only 23.9 FPS. At High and Ultra settings, it drops to 12.8 FPS, which is not a playable experience.

Q: What is the best resolution and settings for a 60 FPS target?

A: The 1080p Medium preset achieves an average of 60.4 FPS, making it the highest quality setting that meets the 60 FPS target. At 1440p, the Low preset is the only one that comes close, with 48.3 FPS.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-12700KF holding back the Radeon RX 580?

A: No. The data indicates the opposite. The GPU is the bottleneck. The CPU's performance is effectively irrelevant to the frame rate in this game, as evidenced by its high percentile ranking versus the GPU's low one.

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

A: It ranks 1673 out of 1795 combos for Hitman 2, placing it in the bottom 7% of all tested configurations. This poor ranking is directly attributed to the GPU's performance.

Q: What is the GPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals?

A: The Radeon RX 580 has a 0% performance delta compared to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 and is 0.1% faster than the GTX 950. This places it in a performance tier that is fundamentally limited for this game.

Q: Is the 8 GB of VRAM sufficient for this game?

A: Yes, the 8 GB VRAM is not the primary limiting factor. The GPU's core compute performance is what causes the low frame rates at high settings and resolutions. The data shows the frame rate drops are consistent with a lack of shader processing power, not memory capacity.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF 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 benchmark scores are exceptional, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 28979 and a single-core score of 4091. It ranks in the 89th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35355. This places it in the top tier of processors, just 0.1% ahead of the Core i5-14400 and 0.2% ahead of the Core i9-12900HX.

However, in Hitman 2, this CPU's power is almost entirely untapped. The measured FPS data shows that the system's performance is dictated by the GPU. At 1080p Low, the CPU could theoretically push hundreds of frames, but the RX 580 caps it at 76.6 FPS. The CPU's 25 MB of shared L3 cache and 20 threads are more than sufficient for the game's logic and AI, which are not demanding enough to stress the i7-12700KF.

The CPU's role in this combo is to be a non-factor. Its high single-thread performance (1043 in 3DMark single-thread) ensures that it will not cause frame drops in CPU-bound scenarios, but the GPU's 53rd percentile performance is the ceiling. For Hitman 2, the data shows that the CPU is not the limiting component; it is a high-performance part that is being held back by a low-performance GPU. Any upgrade path for this system should focus exclusively on the graphics card to improve performance in this title.