Hitman 2

The pairing of the Intel Core i5-12400 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 in Hitman 2 produces a dataset that reveals a significant bottleneck dynamic. The measured frames per second (FPS) across resolutions and settings show a system capable of very high refresh rates at 1080p, but one that becomes increasingly GPU-bound as resolution climbs. The data suggests a configuration where the CPU’s six performance cores are sufficient for high framerates, yet the GPU’s raw power is often left waiting for instructions at lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy for the four tested presets. At 1920x1080, the jump from Low to Ultra costs a substantial amount of performance, but the returns in visual fidelity are typical for the genre. The Low preset delivers an average of 305.4 FPS, which is far beyond the refresh rate of most monitors. The Ultra preset, with an average of 135.4 FPS, still comfortably exceeds 120Hz displays, making it the optimal choice for high-refresh 1080p gaming. The data shows that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU enough data to maintain playable framerates even at the highest settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 88.8 FPS, which is still smooth for a stealth title. The High preset at 115.8 FPS is a strong middle ground, offering a significant visual upgrade over Medium while staying well above 100 FPS. For users with 1440p monitors that support high refresh rates, the High preset appears to be the best balance, as the 26.9 FPS difference between High and Ultra is noticeable but not as critical as the 29.4 FPS drop from Medium to Low.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes drastically. The Ultra preset drops to an average of 46.5 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target for many displays. The High preset, at 60.2 FPS, is the minimum viable option for a consistent 60Hz experience. The Medium preset, at 84.8 FPS, provides a significant improvement over High while still being visually acceptable. The data indicates that for 4K gaming, the High preset is the recommended starting point, with Medium as a viable alternative for those who prioritize framerate over maximum detail.

How This Combo Ranks

The benchmark database places this specific CPU-GPU combination at rank 90 out of 1795 tested combos for Hitman 2. This percentile placement, roughly in the top 5% of all configurations, underscores the high-end nature of the pairing. The rank reflects not just the individual component strengths, but how well they work together in this specific game’s engine. The data shows a configuration that is far more capable than the vast majority of systems tested, indicating that users with this setup are near the top of the performance curve.

The ranking is particularly notable when considering the CPU’s position in the broader market. The Intel Core i5-12400 has a percentile rank of 77 against all CPUs, while the RTX 5080 sits at the 89th percentile against all GPUs. The combo’s in-game rank of 90 suggests that Hitman 2’s engine is able to leverage both components effectively, though not perfectly. The gap between the combo rank and the individual component percentiles hints at a slight imbalance, likely stemming from the six-core CPU limiting the GPU’s potential in certain scenarios.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is the dominant component in this pairing, featuring 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s. The memory clock is rated at 1875 MHz, with an effective speed of 30 Gbps. The GPU’s base clock is 2295 MHz, boosting to 2617 MHz, and it houses 10752 shading units. This hardware configuration is clearly designed for high-resolution gaming, as evidenced by the FPS numbers at 4K.

The data shows the GPU’s role shifting across resolutions. At 1080p, the RTX 5080 is often underutilized, as the average FPS at Low (305.4) suggests the CPU is the limiting factor. At 4K, the GPU becomes fully engaged, with the Ultra preset yielding 46.5 FPS, which reflects the graphical load. The 16 GB VRAM capacity is not explicitly stressed in the data, but the performance drop from High to Ultra at 4K indicates that the additional memory and shader work are substantial. The GPU’s strong benchmark scores, such as a Passmark G3D score of 36565, confirm its capability, yet the in-game results show that raw compute power is not always the sole determinant of performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS for the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 135.4 FPS.

Q: How does the performance at 4K Ultra compare to 4K Low?

A: At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset achieves an average of 46.5 FPS, while the Low preset reaches 107.5 FPS. This represents a 61 FPS difference, indicating that the Ultra settings impose a significant graphical load on the GPU.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the data shows a balanced load. The High preset averages 115.8 FPS, while the Low preset hits 202.7 FPS. The scaling from Low to High suggests that both components are contributing, but the GPU is becoming more limiting as resolution increases.

Q: What is the rank of this specific combo in the database?

A: The combo is ranked 90 out of 1795 tested configurations for Hitman 2, placing it in the top 5% of all systems tested.

Q: Does the RTX 5080’s memory bandwidth affect 4K performance?

A: The RTX 5080 has a memory bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s. The 4K Ultra result of 46.5 FPS, compared to 84.8 FPS at Medium, suggests that the bandwidth and memory subsystem are heavily utilized at higher settings, though the exact impact is not isolated in the data.

Q: What is the single-threaded performance of the CPU?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400 has a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2249, which helps explain its ability to maintain high framerates at 1080p, as Hitman 2’s engine is often sensitive to single-thread performance.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a predictable pattern of decreasing performance as resolution increases, but the rate of decline is not uniform. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS across all settings drops by roughly 38% to 42%. For example, the High preset goes from 183.5 FPS at 1080p to 115.8 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 67.7 FPS. This suggests that the GPU is beginning to feel the load, but the CPU is still able to keep up with the increased pixel count.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is more dramatic. The High preset drops from 115.8 FPS to 60.2 FPS, a 48% reduction. The Ultra preset falls from 88.8 FPS to 46.5 FPS, a 47.6% decline. This steep drop indicates that the RTX 5080 is the primary limiting factor at 4K, as the pixel throughput requirements overwhelm the GPU’s capabilities. The data implies that the CPU has ample headroom at 4K, as the framerate is dictated almost entirely by the GPU’s rendering speed.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. It features 18 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory. Its benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15935 and a single-core score of 2249, indicate solid mainstream performance. The CPU’s percentile rank of 77 places it above average, but not at the top tier.

In Hitman 2, the CPU’s role is most apparent at 1080p. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1920x1080 is 170 FPS (305.4 vs 135.4), which is a massive gap. This suggests that at Low settings, the CPU is the bottleneck, as the GPU is not being fully utilized. The 12 threads are likely handling the game’s AI and physics, while the GPU waits for draw calls. At higher resolutions, the CPU’s load diminishes relative to the GPU, as evidenced by the smaller absolute FPS differences between settings at 4K. The data shows that the i5-12400 is sufficient for this game, but it does limit the RTX 5080’s potential at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the system’s performance. At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 305.4 FPS, which is the highest recorded. The Medium preset averages 238.6 FPS, the High preset averages 183.5 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 135.4 FPS. These numbers show a clear linear progression, with each step up in settings costing roughly 50-70 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 202.7 FPS, Medium averages 154.7 FPS, High averages 115.8 FPS, and Ultra averages 88.8 FPS. The scaling here is steeper, with a 113.9 FPS difference between Low and Ultra. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 107.5 FPS, Medium averages 84.8 FPS, High averages 60.2 FPS, and Ultra averages 46.5 FPS. The data shows that at 4K, the Ultra preset is the only one that dips below 60 FPS, making it the only setting that may require compromises for a smooth experience on a standard 60Hz monitor.