Hitman 2

Hitman 2 is a stealth game from 2018 that remains a popular benchmark title because it scales across a wide range of hardware. For this analysis, the Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 produces a clear picture of a system where the GPU is the primary constraint at higher resolutions, while the CPU provides ample headroom at 1080p. The measured data shows a combo that ranks 1022 out of 1795 tested combinations, placing it in the upper-middle tier of all tested systems. This is not a top-tier enthusiast setup, but the benchmark results indicate it is a well-balanced pairing capable of delivering smooth gameplay at mainstream resolutions, with the understanding that 4K Ultra is beyond its comfortable reach.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and tells the story of a GPU-bound system. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 97.1 FPS at 1920x1080 to 65 FPS at 2560x1440, and then plummets to 32.5 FPS at 3840x2160. That is a 66.5% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K, which is a classic sign that the RTX 4060 is the limiting component as pixel count increases. The data shows that the GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 272.0 GB/s bandwidth is simply not sufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K with demanding settings.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets. At Low settings, the average FPS at 1080p is 170.4, dropping to 110 at 1440p and 61.7 at 4K. This represents a 63.8% drop from 1080p to 4K, which is slightly less severe than at High settings, indicating that the GPU is still the bottleneck but the reduced load allows the CPU to contribute more. At Ultra settings, the 1080p score of 70.6 FPS falls to 46.9 at 1440p and 26.9 at 4K, a 61.9% drop. The fact that the percentage drop is relatively consistent across presets suggests that the RTX 4060's compute capability, with its 15.11 TFLOPS FP32 performance, is being saturated in a predictable manner as resolution scales.

The key takeaway is that this combo is not designed for 4K gaming. The 32.5 FPS average at 4K High is playable but not smooth, and the 26.9 FPS at 4K Ultra is a slideshow. The sweet spot for this system is clearly 1440p, where it can deliver 65 FPS at High and 82.3 FPS at Medium, or 1080p where it excels with 97.1 FPS at High and 127.4 FPS at Medium. The resolution scaling data strongly suggests that users with a 4K monitor should either lower settings significantly or consider this combo only for less demanding titles.

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. It features 25 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 28979 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 4091 in single-core, with a Passmark multithread score of 34092. Its average benchmark score of 35355 places it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, making it a strong performer that sits just 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14400 and 0.2% behind the Intel Core i7-13800H.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with enough data to keep it busy. At 1080p Low, the average FPS of 170.4 suggests that the CPU is capable of pushing well over 170 frames per second, which is far beyond what most displays can show. The 3DMark scores support this: a single-thread score of 1043 and a 2-thread score of 2065 indicate strong single-core performance, which is critical for game logic and physics. The 20 threads provide ample multi-threading headroom, as evidenced by the 3dmark_max_threads score of 9983 and the Passmark data compression score of 441960.

However, the CPU is not the limiting factor in this combo. As resolution increases, the FPS drops are almost entirely attributable to the GPU. At 1080p Ultra, the system still manages 70.6 FPS, which is a solid result, but the drop to 46.9 FPS at 1440p Ultra shows that the GPU is struggling to keep up with the increased pixel workload. The CPU's 3.60 GHz base clock and 5.00 GHz boost clock, combined with its 10 nm process node, provide enough processing power to avoid becoming a bottleneck at any tested resolution. The data indicates that the i7-12700KF is a capable partner for the RTX 4060, ensuring that the system's performance ceiling is set by the GPU, not the CPU.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 1022 out of 1795 tested combinations in Hitman 2. This places it in the 57th percentile of all tested combos, meaning it outperforms roughly 57% of the systems tested. This is a respectable position, but it is not a top-tier result. The ranking reflects the balance between the CPU's strong 89th percentile performance and the GPU's more modest 66th percentile standing among all GPUs.

The GPU's nearest rivals provide context for its performance. The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 23181, which is 0.6% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6600M and 0.7% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti. It sits 0.7% ahead of the Intel Arc B580 and 0.8% ahead of the AMD Radeon 760M. This tight grouping of scores, all within 1.5% of each other, indicates that the RTX 4060 is a mid-range GPU that trades blows with its immediate competitors. In Hitman 2 specifically, the combo's rank is influenced by both the CPU's ability to maintain high frame rates and the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions.

The CPU's rivals tell a similar story of tight competition. The i7-12700KF's average score of 35355 is virtually identical to the Intel Core i5-14400 (35336, 0.1% ahead) and the Intel Core i9-12900HX (35289, 0.2% ahead). It trails the Intel Core i7-13800H by 0.2%. This means that swapping the CPU for any of these near-identical performers would have a negligible impact on the combo's ranking in Hitman 2. The ranking is therefore more heavily influenced by the GPU's performance ceiling, which caps the system at roughly 170 FPS at 1080p Low and 70 FPS at 1080p Ultra.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combo's performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system delivers 170.4 FPS on Low, 127.4 FPS on Medium, 97.1 FPS on High, and 70.6 FPS on Ultra. These numbers show that 1080p is where the system truly shines, with even Ultra settings maintaining a playable frame rate above 70 FPS. The jump from High to Ultra costs 26.5 FPS, which is significant but still leaves the system in a comfortable range for competitive play.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS drops to 110 on Low, 82.3 on Medium, 65 on High, and 46.9 on Ultra. The 1440p results are still playable for most users, especially on Medium and High settings. The 65 FPS at High is close to the 60 FPS target that many gamers consider the minimum for smooth gameplay, and the 82.3 FPS at Medium provides a comfortable margin. Ultra at 46.9 FPS is borderline, but it is playable for those who prioritize visual fidelity over smoothness.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles. The average FPS is 61.7 on Low, 46.7 on Medium, 32.5 on High, and 26.9 on Ultra. Only Low settings approach a playable 60 FPS, and even that is marginal. The 4K results clearly show that this combo is not intended for 4K gaming, as the GPU's 8 GB memory and 128-bit bus are insufficient for the demands of 4K rendering. The data indicates that users should avoid 4K unless they are willing to play on Low settings or accept sub-30 FPS on Ultra.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the best experience for this combo depends on the user's display resolution and preference for frame rate versus visual quality. At 1080p, the High preset at 97.1 FPS is the sweet spot, offering a balance of visual fidelity and smoothness that exceeds the 60 FPS threshold with a comfortable 37 FPS margin. For users who want maximum frame rates, the Low preset at 170.4 FPS is ideal, but it sacrifices most visual effects. The Medium preset at 127.4 FPS is a strong middle ground, providing better visuals than Low while still maintaining a high frame rate.

At 1440p, the Medium preset at 82.3 FPS is the recommended choice, as it delivers smooth gameplay with good visual quality. The High preset at 65 FPS is also viable, but it is closer to the 60 FPS threshold and may be less stable in demanding scenes. The Ultra preset at 46.9 FPS is not recommended, as it falls below the 50 FPS mark and will likely feel sluggish. For users with 4K displays, the Low preset at 61.7 FPS is the only recommended option, as all other settings produce average frame rates below 50 FPS. The Medium preset at 46.7 FPS is borderline, but it may not be smooth enough for action-heavy sequences.

The data suggests that the combo's performance envelope is best utilized at 1080p Medium or High, or 1440p Medium. These settings provide frame rates well above 60 FPS, ensuring a responsive and visually pleasing experience. Pushing to Ultra at any resolution is possible, but it comes with a significant frame rate penalty that may not be worth the visual gains for most users.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Hitman 2?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 on Medium settings provides 82.3 FPS, which is a good balance of visual quality and performance. At 1920x1080, the system can reach 127.4 FPS on Medium, but 1080p may not fully utilize the GPU's potential. 4K is not recommended, as even Low settings only achieve 61.7 FPS.

Q: Can this system run 4K Ultra in Hitman 2?

A: No. The measured data shows that 3840x2160 on Ultra settings produces an average of only 26.9 FPS, which is unplayable. Even High settings at 4K only reach 32.5 FPS. The RTX 4060's 8 GB memory and 128-bit bus are insufficient for 4K gaming.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700KF has an average benchmark score of 35355, which is 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14400 and 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i9-12900HX. It is 0.2% behind the Intel Core i7-13800H. These differences are negligible, meaning performance in Hitman 2 would be nearly identical with any of these CPUs.

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

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 23181, which is 0.6% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6600M and 0.7% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti. It is 0.7% ahead of the Intel Arc B580 and 0.8% ahead of the AMD Radeon 760M. These are very close scores, indicating the RTX 4060 is a mid-range performer.

Q: What is the maximum FPS the system can achieve?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 170.4 at 1920x1080 on Low settings. This is well above the refresh rate of most standard monitors, suggesting the CPU is capable of delivering very high frame rates when the GPU load is low.

Q: Is the system CPU-bound or GPU-bound?

A: The data indicates the system is GPU-bound at most settings. The FPS drops significantly as resolution increases, while the CPU's strong scores (89th percentile) suggest it is not the limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the CPU can push 170 FPS, but the GPU cannot maintain that at higher resolutions.