Hitman 2

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Hitman 2 with this Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti combination reveals a classic scaling pattern, but with some interesting wrinkles depending on the quality preset. At 1080p, the combo delivers 132 FPS on High, which drops to 86.1 FPS at 1440p (a 34.8% reduction) and further to 48.3 FPS at 4K (a 63.4% reduction from the 1080p baseline). This steep decline indicates that the game becomes increasingly GPU-bound as resolution climbs, which is expected given the RTX 3080 Ti's role as the primary rendering engine.

However, the scaling story changes dramatically when you look at the Low preset. At 1080p Low, the system produces 233.6 FPS, which falls to 149 FPS at 1440p and 80.7 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 36.2% and 65.5% respectively, which actually shows more severe scaling at the lower quality setting. This is counterintuitive at first glance, but it makes sense: at Low settings with such a powerful GPU, the CPU becomes the limiting factor at lower resolutions. The i5-11400F's six cores and twelve threads, with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, are working hard to feed frames at 233.6 FPS, and the scaling penalty is more pronounced because the GPU isn't the bottleneck.

The Ultra preset tells yet another story. At 1080p Ultra, the combo manages 99.8 FPS, which drops to 63.4 FPS at 1440p (36.5% reduction) and 31.6 FPS at 4K (68.3% reduction). The 4K Ultra figure of 31.6 FPS is the lowest measured result in the entire dataset, and it suggests that Hitman 2's Ultra settings are exceptionally demanding on this hardware combination. The gap between High and Ultra at 4K (48.3 vs 31.6 FPS) is a 34.6% performance hit, which is substantial for what is presumably a visual quality improvement.

What does this tell us about the limiting component? At 1080p, particularly with Low settings, the CPU is likely the constraint — the 233.6 FPS figure is high, but the scaling to 1440p (149 FPS) and 4K (80.7 FPS) shows that the GPU takes over as resolution increases. The i5-11400F's benchmark scores, including a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14372 and a single-core score of 2029, are solid but not exceptional for feeding a GPU like the RTX 3080 Ti at extremely high frame rates. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck across all settings, with even the Low preset (80.7 FPS) falling well short of the 1080p figures.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Hitman 2?

A: Based on the measured data, 1440p offers the best balance. At High settings, the combo delivers 86.1 FPS at 1440p versus 132 FPS at 1080p and 48.3 FPS at 4K. The 1440p High figure is comfortably above 60 FPS, while 4K High falls below it.

Q: Can this system handle 4K Ultra in Hitman 2?

A: No. The measured 4K Ultra average is 31.6 FPS, which is below playable thresholds for most users. Even 4K Medium at 64 FPS is playable, but 4K Ultra is not viable with this configuration.

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

A: The i5-11400F has an average benchmark score of 17181, which places it at the 75th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, scores 17189 (0% delta), while the Intel Core i7-1260P scores 17212 (-0.2% delta). The differences are negligible in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: Is the RTX 3080 Ti a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the GPU produces 233.6 FPS, but at 1080p Ultra it drops to 99.8 FPS. The massive spread between presets suggests the GPU is capable but heavily taxed by Ultra settings. The CPU is likely limiting at Low settings given the high frame rates.

Q: What is the measured FPS at 1440p Medium?

A: The 1440p Medium preset produces 116.1 FPS on average. This is a strong result, offering nearly double the frame rate of 4K Medium (64 FPS) while maintaining higher visual quality than Low.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested systems?

A: This combo ranks 468th out of 1795 tested combinations for Hitman 2, placing it in the 74th percentile. This is a solid mid-to-upper tier ranking, though not top-tier.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 468 out of 1795 tested combos places this system in the upper-mid range for Hitman 2 performance. This ranking is notable because the RTX 3080 Ti is a high-end GPU that sits at the 83rd percentile of all GPUs, while the i5-11400F is at the 75th percentile for CPUs. The combination of these two components produces a system that is competitive but not exceptional in this specific game.

Looking at the GPU's nearest rivals, the RTX 3080 Ti's average benchmark score is 41224, which is only 0.5% below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 (score 41441) and 1.1% below the RTX 5070 (score 41687). This suggests the GPU is performing near its expected level. The CPU's nearest rivals, including the Ryzen 7 5700U and Core i7-1260P, are within 0.2% of the i5-11400F's average score, so the CPU is also performing to spec.

However, the rank of 468 suggests that other combos with similar or better CPU-GPU pairings achieve higher FPS in Hitman 2. The gap between this combo's measured 1080p High result (132 FPS) and what a top-tier combo might achieve could be attributed to the CPU's six-core configuration. With 12 threads and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, the i5-11400F is capable, but Hitman 2 may benefit from higher core counts or faster single-thread performance. The CPU's PassMark single-thread score of 2981 is respectable, but not class-leading.

The 74th percentile ranking means this combo outperforms roughly three-quarters of all tested systems. For a game like Hitman 2, which is known for its complex AI and simulation systems, this is a respectable position. The data indicates that the combo is well-balanced for 1440p gaming, but falls short of the very top tier at 4K Ultra, where the 31.6 FPS result drags down the overall ranking.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive picture of performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the system delivers 233.6 FPS on Low, 179.9 FPS on Medium, 132 FPS on High, and 99.8 FPS on Ultra. The spread between Low and Ultra is 133.8 FPS, which is a 57.3% reduction from Low to Ultra. This indicates that Ultra settings impose a heavy load on the GPU even at 1080p.

Moving to 2560x1440, the results are 149 FPS on Low, 116.1 FPS on Medium, 86.1 FPS on High, and 63.4 FPS on Ultra. The transition from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 36-38% of performance across all presets, which is consistent with the increased pixel count. The 1440p Ultra result of 63.4 FPS is just above the 60 FPS threshold, making it playable but not ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly: 80.7 FPS on Low, 64 FPS on Medium, 48.3 FPS on High, and 31.6 FPS on Ultra. The 4K Low result is the only 4K preset that exceeds 60 FPS, while 4K High and Ultra fall below 50 FPS. The 4K Ultra figure of 31.6 FPS is particularly low, and the step from High to Ultra at 4K costs 34.6% of performance (48.3 to 31.6 FPS).

The data also reveals diminishing returns at higher settings. At 1080p, Medium to High costs 47.9 FPS (179.9 to 132), while High to Ultra costs 32.2 FPS (132 to 99.8). At 4K, Medium to High costs 15.7 FPS (64 to 48.3), and High to Ultra costs 16.7 FPS (48.3 to 31.6). The relative cost of Ultra becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions, which is typical for GPU-bound scenarios.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a six-core, twelve-thread processor from the Rocket Lake architecture, built on Intel's 14 nm process. Its base clock is 2.60 GHz with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, and it features 12 MB of shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14372 and a single-core score of 2029, along with a Geekbench multicore score of 7579 and single-core score of 1979. These numbers place it at the 75th percentile of all CPUs.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role varies significantly by resolution and settings. At 1080p Low, the system produces 233.6 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's maximum frame delivery capability. The CPU's single-thread performance, as evidenced by the PassMark single-thread score of 2981, is sufficient to feed the GPU at these high frame rates. However, the six-core configuration may limit performance in scenes with complex AI calculations, which Hitman 2 is known for.

At higher resolutions, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck, and the CPU's influence diminishes. The 4K Low result of 80.7 FPS is over three times lower than the 1080p Low figure, indicating that the GPU is struggling to render at 4K regardless of CPU capability. This is consistent with the RTX 3080 Ti's specifications: 34.10 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 912.4 GB/s of memory bandwidth are substantial, but 4K rendering at high settings is still demanding.

The CPU's memory support for DDR4 with dual-channel configuration and a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s may also play a role. Hitman 2's engine likely benefits from lower latency memory, and the i5-11400F's memory controller is adequate but not exceptional. The CPU's PCIe Gen 4 support with 20 lanes allows the RTX 3080 Ti to operate at full bandwidth, which is important for texture streaming in large game worlds.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the i5-11400F's average benchmark score of 17181 is virtually identical to the Ryzen 7 5700U (17189) and the Core i7-1260P (17212). This suggests that the CPU is performing as expected for its class, and any performance differences in Hitman 2 are likely due to GPU configuration or game-specific optimizations rather than CPU capability.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on your target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p displays, the High preset at 132 FPS is the best choice for most users. It offers a significant visual improvement over Medium (179.9 FPS) while maintaining frame rates well above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 99.8 FPS is also viable if you prioritize visual quality, but the 32.2 FPS drop from High to Ultra may not justify the visual gains.

For 1440p, the Medium preset at 116.1 FPS is the most balanced option, providing smooth gameplay with good visual fidelity. The High preset at 86.1 FPS is also acceptable, especially for users with 60 Hz monitors, but Medium offers a 34.8% performance boost over High with only modest visual sacrifices. The Ultra preset at 63.4 FPS is playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes, so it's not recommended for competitive play.

At 4K, the Low preset at 80.7 FPS is the only option that provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 64 FPS is playable, but any scene with heavy effects or multiple NPCs may cause dips below 60 FPS. The High preset at 48.3 FPS is not recommended for most users, and the Ultra preset at 31.6 FPS is effectively unplayable for smooth action.

The data suggests that the sweet spot for this combo is 1440p Medium or High, depending on your preference for visual quality versus frame rate. At 1080p, High is the clear winner, offering near-120 FPS performance with strong visuals. For 4K, only Low or Medium are viable, and users should be prepared for frame rates in the 64-80 FPS range. The Ultra preset should be avoided at all resolutions above 1080p, as the performance cost is steep and the visual benefits are marginal.