Hitman 2

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Comet Lake generation, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. In synthetic benchmarks, its multi-threaded performance is solid, scoring 10,283 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 4,318 in Cinebench R20 multi-core. Its single-thread scores are more modest, with a Cinebench R23 single-core result of 1,451. The processor's average benchmark score of 14,185 places it at the 68th percentile of all CPUs. In the context of Hitman 2, which is a stealth game with complex AI and physics simulations, the CPU's 12 threads and 12 MB of shared L3 cache provide adequate headroom to feed the GPU. The data shows that at 1080p with Ultra settings, the combo achieves 126 FPS, indicating that the CPU is not a limiting factor at this resolution, as the frame rate scales significantly when moving to lower settings, reaching 224 FPS at Low settings. The i5-10400F's nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon 6756E, which scores 14,163 (0.2% higher), and the AMD EPYC 7552, which scores 14,115 (0.5% lower), showing that this CPU sits in a competitive performance tier, though it is not a high-end part by modern standards. For a game like Hitman 2, the 6-core configuration is sufficient, as the game does not appear to be heavily threaded based on the scaling observed between the 4-thread score of 2,560 and the 16-thread score of 4,748 in 3DMark, suggesting diminishing returns beyond a few cores.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-10400F provides 6 physical cores and 12 threads, operating at a base frequency of 2.90 GHz and a maximum boost of 4.30 GHz. This configuration is a balanced middle-ground for gaming, offering enough parallelism for modern game engines while maintaining respectable single-thread performance, as evidenced by its Geekbench single-core score of 1,420. In Hitman 2, the CPU's impact is most visible when the resolution is low enough that the GPU is not the bottleneck. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 224 FPS, which is a 76% increase over the 126 FPS seen at Ultra settings. This substantial jump indicates that at lower graphics presets, the CPU is capable of driving very high frame rates, but the GPU still holds the combo back from even higher numbers. The CPU's average benchmark score of 14,185 places it at the 68th percentile, meaning it outperforms a majority of processors but is not a top-tier part; its nearest rival, the Intel Xeon 6756E, scores nearly identically at 14,163. In practical terms, the i5-10400F's 12 threads handle Hitman 2's AI routines and game logic without issue, as the minimum FPS at 1080p Medium is 172 FPS, which is well above playable thresholds. The processor's 65 W TDP and 14 nm process node are not directly relevant to in-game performance, but the benchmark data confirms that the CPU is not the constraining factor in this pairing for most settings, except perhaps at very high frame rates where the GPU's work is minimal.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the dominant component in this pairing, featuring 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. The GPU's boost clock is 2505 MHz, and it contains 9,728 shading units, 304 TMUs, and 112 ROPs. This hardware is designed for high-resolution gaming, and the benchmark results in Hitman 2 reflect that. At 4K (3840x2160) with High settings, the combo averages 58 FPS, which is a demanding workload that the RTX 4080 handles adequately but not flawlessly. The GPU's average benchmark score of 54,247 places it at the 86th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, scores 54,209 (0.1% lower), indicating that this card is just a hair below the top of the stack. In Hitman 2, the GPU's VRAM capacity of 16 GB is more than sufficient, as the game does not appear to exceed this limit even at 4K Ultra, which yields 43 FPS. The GPU's role becomes clearer when examining the scaling from 1080p to 4K: at 1080p High, the combo hits 172 FPS, but at 4K High, it drops to 58 FPS, a 66% reduction. This steep decline is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where the RTX 4080's raw compute power (48.74 TFLOPS FP32) is being taxed by the increasing pixel count. The GPU's memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s is a key asset at 4K, as the game's textures and geometry require rapid data access, and the benchmark results show that the card maintains playable frame rates at 4K Medium (77 FPS) and 4K High (58 FPS), but struggles at 4K Ultra (43 FPS). The RTX 4080's 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores are not directly utilized in Hitman 2's standard rendering path, but they contribute to the card's overall performance envelope, which is evident in its Passmark G3D score of 34,457.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data across resolutions reveals a clear pattern of GPU dominance in this configuration. At 1080p, the combo delivers 224 FPS on Low, 202 FPS on Medium, 172 FPS on High, and 126 FPS on Ultra. Moving to 1440p, these numbers drop to 193 FPS, 145 FPS, 110 FPS, and 81 FPS respectively. At 4K, the frame rates fall further to 103 FPS on Low, 77 FPS on Medium, 58 FPS on High, and 43 FPS on Ultra. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is consistent across settings: for Low, it is a 54% reduction (from 224 to 103 FPS); for Medium, a 62% reduction (202 to 77 FPS); for High, a 66% reduction (172 to 58 FPS); and for Ultra, a 66% reduction (126 to 43 FPS). This uniform scaling pattern is a hallmark of a GPU-limited scenario, where the CPU's performance headroom is not the bottleneck at any resolution. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see a smaller performance delta between 1080p and 4K, as the CPU's workload is largely independent of resolution. Instead, the data shows that the RTX 4080's fill rate and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints, especially at 4K where the pixel count quadruples compared to 1080p. The fact that the combo can still achieve 103 FPS at 4K Low indicates that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU even at high frame rates, but the GPU's compute units are saturated when rendering complex scenes at higher settings. This analysis is corroborated by the CPU's 68th percentile ranking, which suggests it is a mid-range part, while the GPU's 86th percentile ranking indicates it is a high-end component, and in this game, the GPU is clearly the driving force behind frame rate fluctuations.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-10400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 427th out of 3,711 tested combos in Hitman 2, placing it in the top 11.5% of all configurations. This ranking is noteworthy because it demonstrates that a mid-range CPU paired with a high-end GPU can achieve strong results in this game, though not top-tier. The combo's position is influenced by the CPU's 68th percentile performance, which is lower than the GPU's 86th percentile, creating a slight imbalance where the CPU may not fully unlock the GPU's potential in CPU-bound scenarios. However, the measured FPS data suggests that in Hitman 2, this imbalance is minimal, as the game is clearly GPU-bound at higher resolutions. The ranking of 427 out of 3,711 means that 3,284 other combinations outperform this one, likely featuring more powerful CPUs such as the Intel Xeon 6756E or AMD EPYC 7552, which are the i5-10400F's nearest rivals with similar average scores. This suggests that while the i5-10400F is competent, it is not the ideal partner for an RTX 4080 in a game that could benefit from faster single-thread performance. The combo's ranking is also influenced by the fact that the RTX 4080, while powerful, is not the absolute fastest GPU, as its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, scores slightly higher. In summary, this pairing offers a strong 1440p experience and a playable 4K experience, but it is not a top-100 combo due to the CPU's limitations, which are masked at lower resolutions but become more apparent at ultra-high frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p with High settings for this combo?

A: The combo averages 110 FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings, which is a smooth experience for most players.

Q: Is this combination better suited for 1080p or 4K gaming in Hitman 2?

A: Based on the data, the combo excels at 1080p, where it averages 172 FPS on High and 126 FPS on Ultra, while at 4K, it drops to 58 FPS on High and 43 FPS on Ultra, making 1080p the more comfortable resolution for high refresh rates.

Q: How does the RTX 4080's performance compare to its closest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER?

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54,247, while the RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54,209, which is 0.1% lower, indicating that the two cards are nearly identical in performance.

Q: What is the CPU's multi-threaded performance in Cinebench R23?

A: The Intel Core i5-10400F scores 10,283 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, which is a solid result for a 6-core processor.

Q: Can this combo achieve 60 FPS at 4K with Medium settings?

A: Yes, at 4K with Medium settings, the combo averages 77 FPS with a minimum of 66 FPS, so it comfortably exceeds the 60 FPS target.

Q: What is the GPU's memory bandwidth, and how does it affect 4K performance?

A: The RTX 4080 has a memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s, which is a key factor in maintaining playable frame rates at 4K, as the data shows 58 FPS on High and 77 FPS on Medium at that resolution.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy of presets for this combo. For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the Medium preset is the recommended starting point. At 1080p, Medium yields 202 FPS with a minimum of 172 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. At 1440p, Medium delivers 145 FPS with a minimum of 123 FPS, offering a smooth experience on standard 144 Hz panels. At 4K, Medium averages 77 FPS with a minimum of 66 FPS, which is playable and above the 60 FPS threshold for most users. The High preset is also viable: it provides 172 FPS at 1080p, 110 FPS at 1440p, and 58 FPS at 4K, but the minimum FPS data is not available, so Medium is safer for consistent frame pacing. The Ultra preset, while visually impressive, drops to 126 FPS at 1080p, 81 FPS at 1440p, and 43 FPS at 4K, which is below the ideal 60 FPS at 4K and may introduce stutter on high-refresh displays. The Low preset offers the highest frame rates—224 FPS at 1080p, 193 FPS at 1440p, and 103 FPS at 4K—but sacrifices significant visual fidelity. Given the GPU's 16 GB VRAM and high bandwidth, there is no memory-related reason to avoid higher settings, so the choice comes down to resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p users, Medium or High are both excellent, with Medium providing a larger safety margin for minimum FPS (172 FPS vs. no data for High). For 1440p, Medium is the sweet spot, offering 145 FPS average and 123 FPS minimum. For 4K, Medium is the only preset that guarantees a minimum above 60 FPS, with a 66 FPS floor. Therefore, the data supports Medium as the most universally reliable setting, with High as a viable alternative for those who prioritize visual fidelity over minimum frame rate stability.