Hitman 2

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 produces a striking performance profile in Hitman 2, where the GPU's raw power dominates but the CPU's four cores set a distinct floor. Benchmark data shows this combination delivers playable frame rates across all tested resolutions, though the gap between settings tiers widens dramatically at 4K. At 1920x1080, the combo reaches 302.8 FPS on Low settings, while the Ultra preset still holds 134.6 FPS, indicating the RTX 5080 is rarely the limiting factor. Moving to 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 88.3 FPS, and even the most demanding 3840x2160 High setting clears the 60 FPS threshold at 61.6 FPS. The data shows a clear pattern: the i3-12100F provides enough single-thread performance to feed the RTX 5080 at lower resolutions, but the 4K Ultra preset drops to 44.3 FPS, suggesting a bottleneck that no amount of GPU headroom can overcome.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Hitman 2 reveals a consistent scaling pattern across all three resolutions, with the RTX 5080's massive compute resources showing clear dominance at lower settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset produces an average of 302.8 FPS, which is more than double the High preset's 182.7 FPS. The Medium preset sits between at 240.4 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 134.6 FPS. These numbers indicate that the CPU can sustain very high frame rates, but the gap between Low and Ultra (168.2 FPS) suggests that the i3-12100F's four cores begin to struggle with the increased draw calls and physics calculations at higher settings. The 1080p results show a linear progression: Low at 302.8, Medium at 240.4, High at 182.7, and Ultra at 134.6, with each step representing roughly a 20-25% reduction in frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the same settings hierarchy holds, but the absolute numbers drop significantly. The Low preset averages 206 FPS, the Medium preset averages 152.3 FPS, the High preset averages 119.4 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 88.3 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 117.7 FPS, which is proportionally similar to the 1080p gap. This consistency suggests that the RTX 5080's 16 GB of GDDR7 memory and 960.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient to handle the increased pixel count without introducing a memory bottleneck. The 1440p Ultra result of 88.3 FPS is particularly notable because it stays well above the playable threshold while still delivering the full visual quality package.

The 3840x2160 results show where the combo starts to hit its limits. The Low preset averages 109.3 FPS, the Medium preset averages 81 FPS, and the High preset averages 61.6 FPS. The Ultra preset, however, falls to 44.3 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The drop from High to Ultra at 4K is 17.3 FPS, a smaller absolute gap than at lower resolutions, but it pushes the combo into unplayable territory. The data suggests that the RTX 5080's 10752 shading units and 112 ROPs are capable of handling 4K Ultra, but the i3-12100F's 4 cores and 8 threads cannot keep up with the CPU-side workload at that resolution and quality level. The 4K Low result of 109.3 FPS shows the GPU has plenty of headroom, but the CPU becomes the limiting factor as settings increase.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, with an average of 61.6 FPS. This is a borderline result — it clears the threshold by only 1.6 FPS, so users should expect occasional dips below 60 during heavy scenes. The Medium preset at 81 FPS provides a more comfortable margin, but High is technically the best playable setting. The Ultra preset at 44.3 FPS is not playable, and the Low preset at 109.3 FPS is playable but sacrifices significant visual quality. For 4K gaming, High is the recommended ceiling based on the data.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 88.3 FPS, which is the highest quality setting that maintains playability. All four presets — Low at 206 FPS, Medium at 152.3 FPS, High at 119.4 FPS, and Ultra at 88.3 FPS — clear the 60 FPS threshold with room to spare. The 88.3 FPS Ultra result means users can enable every visual feature without worrying about frame rate drops. The gap between High and Ultra at 1440p is 31.1 FPS, which is substantial, but the Ultra result remains strong enough to justify the performance cost.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 134.6 FPS, making it the clear choice for maximum visual fidelity. The High preset at 182.7 FPS and Medium at 240.4 FPS are also playable, but Ultra delivers the full experience at a frame rate that exceeds most high-refresh-rate monitors. The Low preset at 302.8 FPS is overkill for most displays, but it demonstrates the combo's ability to push extremely high frame rates when needed. For 1080p users, Ultra is the recommended setting, and the 134.6 FPS average leaves enough headroom for any in-game action sequences.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Hitman 2 at 4K with all settings maxed?

A: No. The Ultra preset at 3840x2160 averages 44.3 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The High preset at 4K averages 61.6 FPS, but Ultra is not playable at this resolution.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain 60 FPS on Ultra?

A: Both 2560x1440 and 1920x1080 support Ultra settings at or above 60 FPS. The 1440p Ultra preset averages 88.3 FPS, while the 1080p Ultra preset averages 134.6 FPS. At 4K, Ultra is not playable.

Q: How does the RTX 5080's performance compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5080 has an average benchmark score of 56083, which is 0.6% higher than the AMD Radeon 8060S (55757) and 0.7% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (55698). It is 2.3% faster than the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (54828) but 2.2% slower than the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE (57367).

Q: Is the Intel Core i3-12100F a bottleneck for the RTX 5080 in Hitman 2?

A: The data suggests the CPU limits performance at high settings and resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the combo drops to 44.3 FPS despite the GPU having ample headroom (as shown by the 4K Low result of 109.3 FPS). The i3-12100F's 4 cores and 8 threads struggle with the CPU workload at Ultra settings.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The Medium preset at 1920x1080 averages 240.4 FPS, which is well above any high-refresh-rate display's needs. Even the High preset at 1080p averages 182.7 FPS, making this combo extremely capable at lower resolutions.

Q: How does the i3-12100F's multi-threaded performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13494, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core 3 N355 (13492, 0% delta) and 0.3% higher than the Intel Core i5-9500 (13452). It is 1.1% faster than the Intel Core i7-1250U (13351) but 0.7% slower than the Intel Core 5 120UL (13594).

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the Intel Core i3-12100F's average benchmark score of 13494 places it in a tight cluster of four-core and efficient mobile processors. The Intel Core 3 N355 scores 13492, a 0% delta, meaning it would deliver nearly identical CPU-bound performance in Hitman 2. The Intel Core i5-9500 scores 13452, just 0.3% lower, so it would behave almost exactly the same in this game. The Intel Core 5 120UL scores 13594, which is 0.7% higher, providing a marginal improvement in CPU-bound scenarios. The Intel Core i7-1250U scores 13351, 1.1% lower, so it would be slightly slower in CPU-heavy moments. None of these alternatives would meaningfully change the combo's overall performance profile, as they all fall within a 1.1% range of each other.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080's average benchmark score of 56083 is closely matched by several AMD options. The AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55757, just 0.6% lower, so it would produce nearly identical frame rates in Hitman 2. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698, 0.7% lower, again providing very similar performance. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828, 2.3% lower, which would result in a small but noticeable frame rate reduction. The AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE scores 57367, 2.2% higher, making it the only rival that would outperform the RTX 5080 in this game. When paired with the i3-12100F, any of these GPUs would produce results within a few percentage points of the measured FPS data, with the RX 9070 GRE offering the best chance of pushing the 4K Ultra preset above 60 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 ranks 198th out of 3711 tested combos in Hitman 2, placing it in the 94.7th percentile of all configurations. This is a strong ranking, driven primarily by the GPU's exceptional performance. The RTX 5080 alone sits in the 87th percentile among all GPUs, while the i3-12100F ranks in the 68th percentile among all CPUs. The combo's rank of 198 out of 3711 suggests that the GPU's dominance outweighs the CPU's modest standing, as the measured FPS data shows the GPU is rarely the limiting factor except at 4K Ultra. The combo outperforms many configurations with more powerful CPUs but weaker GPUs, which confirms that Hitman 2 is heavily GPU-bound at most settings. However, the 198th rank also indicates that there are 197 tested combos with better overall performance, likely featuring both stronger CPUs and similarly powerful GPUs.

The Verdict

This PC can run Hitman 2 at all three tested resolutions, but the quality ceiling varies significantly. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 134.6 FPS, comfortably clearing the 60 FPS threshold with more than double the required frame rate. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 88.3 FPS, again well above the playable threshold. At 3840x2160, the High preset averages 61.6 FPS, which clears the threshold but leaves little margin for error; the Ultra preset at 44.3 FPS is not playable. The verdict by resolution is clear: 1080p and 1440p users can max out every setting and enjoy smooth gameplay, while 4K users must drop to High settings to maintain 60 FPS. The data indicates that the i3-12100F is the limiting factor at 4K Ultra, as the RTX 5080's raw power is sufficient for lower settings at that resolution. For most players, the 1440p Ultra experience at 88.3 FPS represents the best balance of visual quality and performance. The 4K High result at 61.6 FPS is playable but requires some tolerance for potential frame rate dips in crowded scenes. Overall, this combo is highly capable for Hitman 2, with the only major caveat being the inability to run 4K Ultra at a playable frame rate.