Hitman 2

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti delivers a commanding performance profile in Hitman 2, but the data reveals a clear bottleneck shift as resolution increases. At 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-bound, evidenced by a massive frame rate spread across settings. At 4K Ultra, the GPU takes over, and the experience becomes less about processor headroom and more about raw graphics throughput. This analysis interprets the measured FPS data to explain where this combination excels, where it strains, and what settings provide the optimal experience.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable but steep performance drop as resolution scales from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 165.2 FPS at 1080p to 103.9 FPS at 1440p, a 37% reduction, and then to 53.9 FPS at 4K, a further 48% drop. This pattern indicates that while the RTX 5070 Ti is immensely powerful, 4K resolution still presents a significant challenge, effectively halving the performance seen at 1440p.

The scaling behavior differs markedly between settings presets. At Low settings, the system achieves 292 FPS at 1080p, but this falls to 182.9 FPS at 1440p and 100.4 FPS at 4K. The relative drop from 1080p to 4K is 65.6%, which is substantial. However, at Ultra settings, the drop is less severe proportionally; the system goes from 123.8 FPS at 1080p to 78.4 FPS at 1440p and finally to 42 FPS at 4K, a 66% reduction overall. This suggests that at Ultra, the GPU is the primary limiting factor at all resolutions, whereas at Low settings, the CPU becomes more of a constraint at 1080p.

The data strongly suggests that the RTX 5070 Ti is the limiting component at 4K. The frame rate at 4K Ultra (42 FPS) is less than half of the 4K Low (100.4 FPS), indicating that the GPU's shading, texture, and rasterization work is the dominant cost. Conversely, at 1080p, the gap between Low (292 FPS) and Ultra (123.8 FPS) is massive, but the absolute numbers are so high that the CPU's single-thread performance is likely capping the upper ceiling. The 12-core i7-12700KF, with its 5.00 GHz boost clock, appears sufficient to feed the GPU at 1080p, but the GPU's workload is the decisive factor as pixel count increases.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is the workhorse of this configuration, and its 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus provides a substantial 896.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory subsystem is crucial for Hitman 2's detailed environments, ensuring that texture streaming and high-resolution assets do not cause stuttering. The GPU's 8960 shading units and 96 ROPs are directly responsible for the frame rates seen, with the boost clock of 2452 MHz driving the pixel and texture rates of 235.4 GPixel/s and 686.6 GTexel/s, respectively.

The benchmark scores for the GPU reinforce its position in the market. It sits in the 87th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 52086. The nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, scores an almost identical 52085, representing a 0% deltaPct. This places the RTX 5070 Ti in a performance dead heat with the previous generation's flagship, confirming its high-end status. The data shows that the GPU is not the bottleneck at lower resolutions; it is only at 4K Ultra that the 42 FPS average indicates the card is being pushed to its absolute limits.

In the context of Hitman 2, the GPU's role is pivotal for enabling the higher presets. The jump from High (53.9 FPS at 4K) to Ultra (42 FPS at 4K) costs 11.9 FPS, a 22% penalty for the extra visual fidelity. This trade-off is typical of a GPU-bound scenario. The card's strong DirectX 12 performance, as indicated by a Passmark DX12 score of 127, suggests it is well-suited to the game's modern rendering pipeline, though the older title may not fully utilize all of the Blackwell architecture's features.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 103.9, which indicates a smooth, highly playable experience for a stealth action title.

Q: How does the RTX 5070 Ti compare to the RTX 4080 in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 5070 Ti has an average benchmark score of 52086, while the RTX 4080 scores 52085, resulting in a deltaPct of 0%. They are effectively tied in average performance.

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

A: The data shows a 42 FPS average at 4K Ultra, compared to 100.4 FPS at 4K Low. This large gap indicates the GPU is the primary limiting factor at this resolution and preset.

Q: What is the maximum average FPS achievable in this test set?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 292 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: What is the performance ranking of this specific CPU+GPU combo in the database?

A: The combo ranks 159th out of 1795 tested combinations, placing it in the top 8.9% of all systems tested.

Q: What is the lowest average frame rate recorded, and at what settings?

A: The lowest average is 42 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates exceptional headroom. With Low settings, the average FPS is 292. Moving to Medium drops this to 219.4 FPS, while High still yields a very high 165.2 FPS. Ultra is the most demanding, producing an average of 123.8 FPS. All 1080p results are far above the 60 FPS threshold, indicating this CPU-GPU pair is overkill for this resolution in Hitman 2.

At 2560x1440, the results remain impressive. Low settings produce an average of 182.9 FPS. Medium settings deliver 139.5 FPS, and High settings maintain a strong 103.9 FPS. Ultra settings are the only point where the frame rate dips below 100 FPS, landing at 78.4 FPS. This resolution is the sweet spot for high-refresh-rate monitors, as even the Ultra preset provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's workload becomes evident. Low settings still manage a playable 100.4 FPS. Medium settings drop to 72.7 FPS, which is adequate for a smooth experience. High settings fall to 53.9 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target for many users but still playable. Ultra settings bottom out at 42 FPS, which is a significant compromise for visual fidelity. The data clearly shows that 4K gaming on this combo is viable, but only with settings adjustments.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the High preset at 2560x1440 is the clear recommendation. The 103.9 FPS average provides a fluid experience that takes full advantage of the hardware's capabilities without the substantial performance penalty of Ultra. The jump from High to Ultra at this resolution costs 25.5 FPS (a 24.5% decrease), which is a steep price for the marginal visual improvements in Hitman 2's detailed but static scenes.

For users with 1080p displays, the Ultra preset is the optimal choice. The 123.8 FPS average is more than sufficient for high refresh rates, and the GPU has ample headroom to handle the extra graphical load. There is no reason to compromise on settings at this resolution, as even the most demanding preset remains well above 120 FPS. Choosing High at 1080p would yield 165.2 FPS, but the visual difference between High and Ultra is more noticeable on a smaller screen, making Ultra the better pick.

At 4K, the recommendation shifts to the Medium preset. The 72.7 FPS average is a solid playable frame rate, offering a 35% improvement over High's 53.9 FPS. While High offers better shadows and textures, the drop below 60 FPS makes it less desirable for consistent gameplay. Medium provides a good compromise, ensuring the game remains responsive while still looking significantly better than Low. The Low preset at 4K (100.4 FPS) is unnecessarily fast and sacrifices too much visual detail.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti ranks 159th out of 1795 tested combos in Hitman 2. This places the system in the top 8.9% of all configurations in the database, a strong indicator of its high-end performance. The rank reflects the synergy between the 12-core processor with a 5.00 GHz boost clock and the GPU's 16 GB of VRAM.

The CPU's own benchmark percentile is 89, with an average benchmark score of 35355. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-14400, scores a nearly identical 35336, a deltaPct of 0.1%, showing that the i7-12700KF is a top-tier processor in terms of overall compute. The GPU's percentile is 87, and its average benchmark score of 52086 is exactly matched by the RTX 4080. This pairing of two parts that are each in the high 80s percentile results in a combo that is well-positioned to handle demanding titles.

This ranking of 159 suggests that while there are 158 faster combos, they likely consist of higher-end parts like the RTX 5090 or newer Core i9 processors. The performance gap to those top systems is present, but for the vast majority of the 1795 combos tested, this i7-12700KF + RTX 5070 Ti setup is significantly faster. The data confirms that this is a high-tier gaming configuration, particularly well-suited for titles like Hitman 2 that benefit from strong single-core performance and a powerful GPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF serves as a robust foundation for the RTX 5070 Ti. Its 12 cores and 20 threads provide ample parallel processing power, but for Hitman 2, the single-thread performance is more critical. The CPU's boost clock of 5.00 GHz and its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4091 indicate that it can handle the game's primary game logic and physics calculations with ease. The data shows that at 1080p, the CPU is able to push frame rates to 292 FPS on Low settings, which reflects its high clock speeds.

However, the CPU's role is not to be the star of the show in this game. The measured FPS data shows that as resolution increases, the CPU's influence wanes. At 4K, the difference between Low (100.4 FPS) and Ultra (42 FPS) is a massive 58.4 FPS gap, which is almost entirely attributable to the GPU's workload. The CPU is not the limiting factor at 4K, as even the lowest settings cannot reach the frame rates seen at 1080p, proving the GPU is the bottleneck.

The CPU's benchmark scores, such as a Passmark multithread score of 34092 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2526, confirm its position in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-13800H, has a deltaPct of -0.2%, showing the desktop i7-12700KF is slightly faster than a mobile i7. For Hitman 2, this processing power ensures that the game's AI routines and crowd simulations do not cause frame drops, allowing the GPU to render frames as fast as it can. The 25 MB of shared L3 cache also helps with game data locality, reducing latency.