Hitman 2

# How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 125th out of 1,795 tested combos in Hitman 2. This placement puts the combination in the top 7% of all systems evaluated, a strong showing for a CPU that sits at the 72nd percentile among all processors. The ranking reflects a system that can handle this stealth title with authority, though the gap between the 4-core CPU and the high-end GPU creates an interesting dynamic across resolutions.

Benchmark results indicate that this combo’s standing is driven primarily by the GPU’s raw capability. The RTX 4080 SUPER occupies the 88th percentile among all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 53,610 places it just ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (53,489, a 0.2% delta) and the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (53,414, a 0.4% delta). The CPU, meanwhile, trails its nearest rival in average score—the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX scores 13,534 versus the i3-12100F’s 13,516, a negligible 0.1% difference—but that parity in synthetic benchmarks does not translate to equal gaming performance when paired with a flagship GPU.

# GPU Role

The RTX 4080 SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing. Its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus delivers 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth, more than enough for Hitman 2’s varied environments. The GPU’s base clock of 2295 MHz boosts to 2550 MHz, and with 10,240 shading units, 320 texture mapping units, and 112 raster output units, it processes geometry and lighting efficiently across all settings.

The measured frame rates demonstrate the GPU’s headroom. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 299.4 FPS, and even at 4K High it maintains 59.4 FPS. The GPU’s 52.22 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 285.6 GPixel/s pixel rate suggest that the card is rarely the limiting factor until resolution climbs. At 4K Ultra, however, the frame rate drops to 44.8 FPS, indicating that the card’s compute resources are being fully utilized by the game’s highest preset. The 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores are present, though Hitman 2’s release in 2018 predates widespread ray tracing adoption, so their impact on this title is limited.

# Resolution Scaling

Frame rates scale predictably as resolution increases, but the relationship reveals where the bottleneck shifts. At 1080p High, the combo produces 169.9 FPS. Moving to 1440p High drops this to 111.3 FPS, a 34.5% reduction. At 4K High, the frame rate falls to 59.4 FPS, another 46.6% reduction from 1440p. This pattern indicates a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, with the RTX 4080 SUPER working progressively harder to fill more pixels.

The Low preset tells a different story. At 1080p Low, the system hits 299.4 FPS, but at 1440p Low it achieves 195.6 FPS (a 34.7% drop), and at 4K Low it reaches 100.6 FPS (a 48.6% drop from 1440p). The consistency of these percentage drops across presets suggests the GPU is scaling as expected, but the absolute numbers hint at CPU involvement at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the i3-12100F’s 4 cores and 8 threads may be nearing their limit, as the frame rate approaches what a single-threaded engine can feed. The CPU’s boost clock of 4.30 GHz and L3 cache of 12 MB shared are adequate, but the 3DMark single-thread score of 893 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1,681 put a ceiling on how fast the game logic can run.

# FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Hitman 2?

A: The highest measured average is 299.4 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average drops to 44.8 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 SUPER compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER’s average benchmark score of 53,610 is 0.2% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT’s 53,489 and 0.4% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M’s 53,414. It leads the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (52,086) by 2.9%.

Q: Is the i3-12100F a limiting factor at any resolution?

A: The data suggests CPU limitation is most likely at 1080p Low, where the 299.4 FPS result may be constrained by the CPU’s 4 cores and 8 threads. At 4K, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck, as shown by the 44.8 FPS at Ultra settings.

Q: What is the combo’s rank relative to all tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 125th out of 1,795 tested combinations, placing it in the top 7% of all systems in the database for Hitman 2.

Q: How much does the Ultra preset cost in performance compared to High?

A: At 4K, Ultra (44.8 FPS) is 24.6% slower than High (59.4 FPS). At 1440p, the drop is 26.1% (82.3 FPS vs. 111.3 FPS), and at 1080p, the drop is 28.0% (122.4 FPS vs. 169.9 FPS).

Q: Does the GPU’s memory bandwidth support high-resolution play?

A: Yes, the 736.3 GB/s bandwidth from 16 GB of GDDR6X on a 256-bit bus provides ample data throughput, as evidenced by playable frame rates at 4K High (59.4 FPS) and 4K Medium (75.7 FPS).

# Settings Recommendations

The measured data points to Medium or High presets as the optimal balance for this combo, depending on the target resolution. At 4K, High settings deliver 59.4 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold commonly desired for smooth gameplay. Medium at 4K reaches 75.7 FPS, providing more headroom for demanding scenes. Ultra at 4K drops to 44.8 FPS, which is noticeably less fluid and only recommended for players who prioritize visual fidelity over responsiveness.

At 1440p, High (111.3 FPS) and Medium (146.1 FPS) both offer excellent performance, while Ultra (82.3 FPS) remains comfortably playable. The 1080p results show diminishing returns: High (169.9 FPS) and Medium (227.4 FPS) are both far beyond what most displays can show, so the choice between them comes down to visual quality rather than frame rate necessity. Low settings at any resolution produce frame rates above 100 FPS, but they sacrifice the graphical detail that Hitman 2’s stealth gameplay benefits from—seeing guards through crowds or noticing environmental clues is easier at higher presets.

For the best experience, the data suggests using High at 4K or Ultra at 1440p. The former maximizes resolution while staying near 60 FPS, while the latter leverages the GPU’s power for maximum visual fidelity with ample frame rate headroom.

# CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor from the Alder Lake-S architecture, manufactured on Intel’s 10 nm process. Its base clock of 3.30 GHz boosts to 4.30 GHz, and it carries 12 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU’s benchmark scores show a strong single-threaded showing for its class: Cinebench R23 single-core reaches 1,681, while Geekbench single-core hits 2,224. Multi-threaded performance is more modest, with Cinebench R23 multi-core at 11,912 and PassMark multi-thread at 14,015.

In Hitman 2, the CPU’s role becomes apparent when comparing frame rates across resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the system produces 299.4 FPS, but at 1440p Low it drops to 195.6 FPS, a 34.7% reduction. This drop is consistent with GPU scaling, yet the absolute 1080p Low figure is high enough that the CPU’s 4 cores may be approaching their limit in feeding the GPU. The CPU’s 3DMark 4-thread score of 2,859 and 8-thread score of 4,026 suggest that the game’s threading model, which typically uses a handful of threads, can be adequately served, but the lack of additional cores means there is no headroom for background tasks or future updates.

The CPU’s 72nd percentile ranking among all processors places it in the mid-range, and its nearest rivals in average score include the Intel Core i7-7700K (13,280, a 1.8% delta) and the Intel Core i3-10105 (13,430, a 0.6% delta). These comparisons show that the i3-12100F is competitive with older higher-tier chips, but it does not have the multi-core muscle of higher-end 12th Gen parts. In a game like Hitman 2, which is not heavily multi-threaded, this limitation is less pronounced, but the data indicates that the RTX 4080 SUPER is underutilized at lower resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the CPU’s influence wanes, and the GPU’s compute limit becomes the primary constraint.