Hitman 2

The data for Hitman 2 with the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 reveals a pairing that scales predictably with resolution, but the bottleneck shifts decisively as pixel count rises. At 1080p, the combination delivers exceptional headroom, but at 4K, the experience becomes far more demanding, highlighting the GPU as the primary constraint.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, demonstrating that the RTX 4080 is the limiting component at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 172 FPS at 1920x1080 to 110 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 62 FPS, and then to 58 FPS at 3840x2160, a further drop of 52 FPS. This translates to a 66% performance loss from 1080p to 4K, showing that the GPU is under significant load at the highest pixel count.

The pattern is similar at other presets. With Medium settings, the average frame rate drops from 227 FPS at 1080p to 145 FPS at 1440p, and then to 77 FPS at 4K. Low settings show the most dramatic scaling: 302 FPS at 1080p falls to 193 FPS at 1440p and then to 103 FPS at 4K, a 66% reduction from the lowest to highest resolution. The Ultra preset shows the same trend, with 126 FPS at 1080p dropping to 81 FPS at 1440p and 43 FPS at 4K.

These numbers indicate that the RTX 4080 is the clear bottleneck at 4K, as the frame rate at every settings level is cut roughly in half compared to 1080p. At 1080p, the data suggests the CPU may be limiting performance, as the frame rates are extremely high and the GPU has ample headroom. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is larger than the gap between 1440p and 4K in percentage terms at some settings, suggesting diminishing returns on GPU load as resolution increases. At 4K, the GPU is working at its limit, and the CPU's role diminishes.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its benchmark results show strong single-threaded performance, with a 3dmark_single_thread score of 910 and a cinebench_r23_singlecore score of 2257. This is crucial for Hitman 2, a stealth game that typically relies on a few heavily-threaded tasks for game logic and AI.

In this pairing, the CPU's performance is adequate to feed the RTX 4080 at 1080p, as evidenced by the high average frame rates of 302 FPS on Low and 172 FPS on High. However, the data shows that at 1440p and 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, and the CPU's role diminishes. The multi-threaded performance of the i5-12400, with a cinebench_r23_multicore score of 15989 and a passmark_multithread score of 18747, is robust but not exceptional, placing it in the 72nd percentile vs all CPUs.

The CPU's 18 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache are adequate for the game's data demands. The benchmark results indicate that the CPU is not a bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the frame rate scaling is consistent with GPU-bound behavior. At 4K with Ultra settings, the average frame rate of 43 FPS is heavily constrained by the GPU, not the processor. The i5-12400's performance in 3dmark_16_threads (5873) and 3dmark_max_threads (5890) suggests it can handle multi-threaded workloads, but Hitman 2's engine appears to favor the GPU at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data shows that the High preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions. At 4K, High produces an average of 58 FPS, which is playable, while Ultra drops to 43 FPS, a 26% reduction for presumably marginal visual gains. At 1440p, High delivers 110 FPS, which is smooth, and at 1080p it reaches 172 FPS, providing ample headroom for high-refresh-rate displays.

The Medium preset is a viable alternative for higher frame rates. At 4K, Medium averages 77 FPS, which is a significant improvement over High, but the minimum FPS of 66 suggests occasional dips. At 1440p, Medium hits 145 FPS, and at 1080p it reaches 227 FPS. The Low preset is not recommended for this hardware combination, as it produces extremely high frame rates (103 FPS at 4K, 193 FPS at 1440p, 302 FPS at 1080p) that exceed the refresh rate of most displays, and the visual sacrifices are likely unnecessary.

The Ultra preset is only viable at 1080p, where it averages 126 FPS. At 1440p, Ultra drops to 81 FPS, which is playable, but at 4K it falls to 43 FPS, which is below the threshold for a smooth experience. For the best experience at 4K, High or Medium is preferable, with the choice depending on whether visual fidelity or frame rate consistency is prioritized. At 1440p, High provides a strong balance, while at 1080p, High offers excellent performance without needing to drop to Medium.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 255 out of 3711 tested combos in Hitman 2, placing it in the top 6.9% of all configurations. This is a strong showing, but the rank suggests that other combos with more powerful CPUs or GPUs achieve higher average frame rates in this specific game.

The CPU's performance is average compared to its peers, with the i5-12400 having an average benchmark score of 18683 and a percentile rank of 72 vs all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 7643 (deltaPct of -0.1), Intel Core i7-1355U (deltaPct of -0.3), AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 (deltaPct of -0.7), and Intel Core i3-14100F (deltaPct of 0.9). These scores indicate that the CPU is competitive with similar processors, but it is not a top-tier performer.

The GPU, however, is a high-end part. The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54247 and a percentile rank of 86 vs all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER (deltaPct of 0.1), AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (deltaPct of -1.1), AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (deltaPct of -2.6), and AMD Radeon 8060S (deltaPct of -2.7). The GPU's performance is within 0.1% of the RTX 4080 SUPER, showing that it is a top-tier card. The combo's rank of 255 suggests that while the GPU is powerful, the CPU may be holding back performance in certain scenarios, particularly at lower resolutions where the CPU is more critical.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is a high-end graphics card with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. Its base clock is 2205 MHz and boost clock is 2505 MHz, with a memory clock of 1400 MHz (22.4 Gbps effective). The GPU has 9728 shading units, 304 TMUs, and 112 ROPs, with 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores. Its FP32 performance is 48.74 TFLOPS, and it has a pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 761.5 GTexel/s.

In Hitman 2, the GPU's role is dominant at resolutions above 1080p. The data shows that the frame rate drops significantly as resolution increases, which is a clear sign of GPU-bound performance. At 4K with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 43 FPS, which is low, indicating that the GPU is working at its limit. The GPU's benchmark scores, such as a passmark_g3d score of 34457 and a 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 6567, are strong, but the game's engine is demanding at high resolutions.

The GPU's memory capacity of 16 GB is not a limiting factor in this game, as the measured frame rates do not show evidence of memory-related stuttering. The GPU's performance is significantly ahead of its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, by 0.1%, and it outperforms the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X by 1.1%. However, the GPU's role is to render the scene, and at 4K, the data shows that it is the primary constraint, with the CPU having a lesser impact.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination delivers its highest frame rates. With Low settings, the average FPS is 302, which is exceptionally high. Medium settings produce 227 FPS, with a minimum of 193 and maximum of 261. High settings yield 172 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 126 FPS. These numbers indicate that the GPU is not fully utilized at this resolution, and the CPU is likely the limiting factor.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show a noticeable drop from 1080p. Low settings average 193 FPS, Medium settings average 145 FPS with a minimum of 123 and maximum of 167, High settings average 110 FPS, and Ultra settings average 81 FPS. The data shows a clear progression, with each settings tier reducing the frame rate by roughly 20-30%.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates are significantly lower, showcasing the GPU's workload. Low settings average 103 FPS, Medium settings average 77 FPS with a minimum of 66 and maximum of 89, High settings average 58 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 43 FPS. These numbers show that 4K is a demanding resolution for this game, and even a high-end GPU like the RTX 4080 cannot maintain high frame rates on the Ultra preset. The Medium preset at 4K offers the best balance, with an average of 77 FPS and a minimum of 66, which is playable. The High preset at 4K is borderline, with an average of 58 FPS, while Ultra is not recommended for a smooth experience.