Hitman 2

# Hitman 2 with Intel Core i7-12700KF + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti

The data presents a striking picture: this combination of Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti delivers playable framerates across all tested settings, but the scaling patterns reveal a system that behaves differently depending on resolution. At 1080p, the system produces triple-digit averages even at Ultra settings, while at 4K the same settings dip below 60 FPS—a spread that invites closer examination of where the bottleneck shifts. The measured FPS rows show a game that responds strongly to both resolution and preset changes, with the gap between Low and Ultra widening dramatically as pixel count increases.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings. At Low settings, the average falls from 274.3 FPS at 1080p to 175.8 at 1440p, then to 95.2 at 4K—a cumulative reduction of roughly 65% from the baseline. Medium settings show a similar trajectory: 205.5 at 1080p, 132.9 at 1440p, and 72.8 at 4K. High settings follow the pattern with 156.4, 100.8, and 55.6 respectively. Ultra settings, the most demanding preset, start at 114.2 at 1080p, drop to 72.7 at 1440p, and collapse to 42.3 at 4K.

The scaling ratio between 1080p and 4K is remarkably consistent across presets, hovering around 2.5x to 2.7x. This uniformity suggests the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions—the RTX 4070 Ti's workload scales predictably with pixel count. At 1080p, however, the picture changes: the jump from Low to Ultra only costs about 58% of the Low framerate (274.3 to 114.2), implying that at lower resolutions, the CPU's ability to feed frames becomes increasingly relevant. The i7-12700KF's 12 cores and 20 threads provide ample headroom, but the data indicates that even this processor constrains the GPU at 1080p Low, where the framerate exceeds what the GPU alone might sustain.

The 4K Ultra result of 42.3 FPS is the only sub-60 average in the entire dataset, suggesting that this game at maximum settings with this hardware is a borderline case for 4K gaming. The 55.6 FPS at 4K High is closer to playable, but still below the 60 FPS threshold that many consider the baseline for smooth action.

GPU Role

The RTX 4070 Ti brings 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock runs at 1313 MHz, with 21 Gbps effective speed. These specifications support the framerates observed: at 4K Ultra, the GPU's 40.09 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 626.4 GTexel/s texture rate are taxed heavily, producing the 42.3 FPS result. The 80 ROPs and 208.8 GPixel/s pixel rate are adequate for 4K, but the data shows that Ultra settings push the card to its limits.

The GPU's 85th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 44900, places it in the upper tier of graphics cards. Its nearest rivals include the RTX 5090 Mobile (0.6% ahead), Intel Arc A730M (1.5% ahead), and AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT (1.6% behind). These deltas are small, indicating that the RTX 4070 Ti sits in a competitive performance band where minor architectural differences matter more than raw capability differences.

Clock speeds of 2310 MHz base and 2610 MHz boost are moderate for the Ada Lovelace architecture, but the 5 nm TSMC process allows for efficient power delivery within the 285 W TDP. The 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die achieve a density of 121.8M per mm², which explains why the card can sustain high clocks under load without thermal throttling. The 12 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for Hitman 2 at 4K Ultra, as evidenced by the playable (if not ideal) 42.3 FPS result—the card is not running out of memory, but rather compute-bound.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination ranks 255th out of 1795 tested combos, placing it in the top 14.2% of all CPU-GPU pairings benchmarked. That percentile is notable given the individual components' rankings: the CPU sits at the 89th percentile among all CPUs (average benchmark score 35355), while the GPU is at the 85th percentile (average score 44900). The combo's overall position aligns with these individual standings, suggesting a balanced pairing where neither component dramatically drags the other down.

The CPU's nearest rivals in benchmark scores are the Intel Core i5-14400 (0.1% ahead), Intel Core i9-12900HX (0.2% behind), and Intel Core i5-13600T (0.3% behind). These tiny deltas mean that swapping to a slightly newer or older Intel chip would yield negligible performance changes in this game. Similarly, the GPU's nearest rivals include the RTX 5090 Mobile (0.6% ahead) and Intel Arc A730M (1.5% ahead), indicating that the RTX 4070 Ti's position is secure against most alternatives.

The rank of 255 means that 1540 other combinations outperform this pairing in aggregate, but many of those likely use more expensive or newer hardware. Within the context of Hitman 2 specifically, the measured FPS data shows that the combo excels at 1080p and 1440p, with only 4K Ultra falling short of ideal performance. This suggests that the rank is more a reflection of the hardware's overall capability across many games rather than its specific aptitude for this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest framerates. Low settings produce 274.3 FPS, Medium 205.5, High 156.4, and Ultra 114.2. The spread from Low to Ultra is 160.1 FPS, a 58% reduction that shows how much impact settings have at this resolution. All four presets exceed 100 FPS, making 1080p gaming exceptionally smooth regardless of quality choice.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 175.8 (Low), 132.9 (Medium), 100.8 (High), and 72.7 (Ultra). The Ultra setting drops below 100 FPS here, but remains above 60 FPS, maintaining playability. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 103.1 FPS, reflecting the increased GPU load at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the results are 95.2 (Low), 72.8 (Medium), 55.6 (High), and 42.3 (Ultra). This is the only resolution where High and Ultra fall below 60 FPS. The Low setting still manages nearly 100 FPS, showing that the GPU can handle 4K when settings are minimized. The progression from Low to Ultra costs 52.9 FPS, a 56% reduction that mirrors the 1080p pattern.

The data shows diminishing returns when moving from Medium to High versus Low to Medium. At 1440p, the step from Low to Medium costs 42.9 FPS, while Medium to High costs 32.1 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 28.1 FPS. This suggests that Hitman 2's quality presets scale less aggressively at higher settings, making Medium or High the sweet spots for visual fidelity versus performance.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, but only at Low or Medium settings. The measured averages are 95.2 FPS at Low and 72.8 FPS at Medium, while High (55.6) and Ultra (42.3) fall below 60 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for maximum performance?

A: 1080p Low delivers the highest average at 274.3 FPS, but even 1080p Ultra maintains 114.2 FPS, making 1080p the clear choice for high-refresh-rate monitors.

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

A: The i7-12700KF scores 35355 on average, which is 0.1% behind the Core i5-14400, 0.2% ahead of the Core i7-13800H, and 0.2% behind the Core i9-12900HX. These differences are negligible in practice.

Q: Is the RTX 4070 Ti the bottleneck at 1080p or 4K?

A: At 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, as framerates scale directly with resolution. At 1080p Low, the 274.3 FPS result suggests the CPU may be limiting, since the GPU's raw power could theoretically push higher.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all graphics cards?

A: The RTX 4070 Ti sits in the 85th percentile, with an average benchmark score of 44900. Its closest rival is the RTX 5090 Mobile, which is 0.6% ahead.

Q: How many total combinations does this setup rank against?

A: This combo ranks 255th out of 1795 tested combinations, placing it in the top 14.2% of all CPU-GPU pairings.

Settings Recommendations

For 1440p gaming, Medium settings at 132.9 FPS offer the best balance of visual quality and performance. The step to High costs 32.1 FPS (down to 100.8), which is noticeable but still smooth, while Ultra at 72.7 FPS remains playable but sacrifices the headroom needed for demanding scenes. At 4K, Medium at 72.8 FPS is the recommended preset, as it stays above 60 FPS while providing acceptable visual fidelity. High at 55.6 FPS dips below the threshold, and Ultra at 42.3 FPS is only suitable for slower-paced stealth gameplay where frame drops are less critical.

At 1080p, High settings at 156.4 FPS are ideal for competitive play, while Ultra at 114.2 FPS offers near-maximum quality without sacrificing smoothness. Low settings are unnecessary at this resolution, as even Ultra exceeds 100 FPS. The data suggests that players with 144Hz monitors should target 1440p Medium or 1080p Ultra, while those with 60Hz displays can comfortably use 4K Medium or 1440p High.

The 160.1 FPS spread between Low and Ultra at 1080p indicates that settings have a significant impact on performance, but the system's capability means that even the most demanding preset remains playable. The 42.3 FPS at 4K Ultra is the only result that would be considered marginal, and only for fast-paced action sequences.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF provides 12 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This Alder Lake-S architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process, features a 25 MB shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 cache per core. The CPU's 89th percentile ranking and average benchmark score of 35355 place it well above average, with multi-threaded workloads showing particular strength: Cinebench R23 multicore scores 28979, while single-core reaches 4091.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role varies by resolution. At 1080p Low, the 274.3 FPS result suggests the processor is keeping pace with the GPU's output, but the game's engine likely benefits from the high boost clock and 20 threads. The 3DMark scores illustrate the scaling: 1043 single-thread, 2065 with 2 threads, 4011 with 4 threads, 7211 with 8 threads, and 9282 with 16 threads. This near-linear scaling indicates that the CPU can handle heavily threaded workloads, which matters in Hitman 2's simulation of AI and physics.

The CPU's nearest rivals in benchmark scores are all Intel parts, with deltas under 0.3%, meaning that any of these processors would perform nearly identically in this game. The 125 W TDP suggests that power delivery is not a constraint, and the unlocked multiplier allows for overclocking, though the data does not include overclocked results. The 3.60 GHz base clock is modest but the 5.00 GHz boost compensates, particularly in single-threaded scenarios that Hitman 2's engine likely relies on for enemy AI and game logic.