Hitman 2

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates across the three resolutions reveal a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling in Hitman 2. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 228.2 FPS, which drops to 143.8 FPS at 1440p and further to 76.3 FPS at 4K. This progression shows a substantial performance cost as pixel count rises, with the 4K figure representing roughly one-third of the 1080p result. The scaling between 1080p and 1440p is particularly steep, indicating that the workload transitions from being partially CPU-limited at lower resolutions to firmly GPU-limited as resolution increases.

At Ultra settings, the pattern intensifies. The 1080p result of 98.1 FPS falls to 59.3 FPS at 1440p and then to 31.7 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is less than a third of the 1080p Ultra figure, demonstrating that the highest quality preset places an enormous burden on the graphics card. This steep drop-off suggests that at 4K Ultra, the RTX 3080 is operating at its absolute limits, with the frame rate approaching the threshold where gameplay smoothness becomes questionable.

The Medium preset shows similar behavior: 172.8 FPS at 1080p, 108.2 FPS at 1440p, and 60.6 FPS at 4K. Interestingly, the 4K Medium result is nearly identical to the 1440p Ultra result (60.6 vs. 59.3 FPS), suggesting that the rendering cost of increasing resolution from 1440p to 4K is roughly equivalent to the cost of jumping from Medium to Ultra quality settings. This relationship between resolution and quality settings provides useful context for players deciding where to allocate their performance budget.

The High preset delivers 128.6 FPS at 1080p, 80.7 FPS at 1440p, and 42.1 FPS at 4K. Across all four settings presets, the 1080p to 1440p transition costs roughly 40-45% of the frame rate, while the 1440p to 4K transition costs another 45-50%. This consistent scaling pattern reinforces that Hitman 2's rendering pipeline is heavily pixel-bound, with the CPU having ample headroom to feed the GPU at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific combination of an Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 ranks 575th out of 1,795 tested combos for Hitman 2. This places the pairing in the top third of all configurations tested in this title. The rank reflects the combined capabilities of both components, though the game's resolution scaling behavior suggests the GPU is the primary determinant of the final score.

The CPU component of this pairing, the Core i7-12700KF, sits in the 89th percentile among all CPUs tested across the database. Its average benchmark score of 35,355 places it in close competition with several recent processors. The nearest rival is the Intel Core i7-13800H with a score of 35,416, which is 0.2% ahead. The Intel Core i5-14400 trails by just 0.1% with a score of 35,336, while the Intel Core i9-12900HX scores 35,289 (0.2% behind) and the Intel Core i5-13600T scores 35,256 (0.3% behind). These margins are essentially negligible, indicating that the 12700KF's processing power is well within the expected range for its class.

On the GPU side, the RTX 3080 ranks in the 80th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35,787. Its closest competitor is the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE, which scores 36,101 (0.9% ahead), while the AMD Radeon Pro Duo scores 35,860 (0.2% ahead). The AMD Radeon 880M trails by 0.4% with 35,646, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile is 1% behind at 35,435. These tight margins suggest the RTX 3080 remains competitive in raw compute terms, even against newer hardware.

GPU Role

The RTX 3080 brings 10 GB of GDDR6X memory across a 320-bit bus, yielding 760.3 GB/s of bandwidth. In Hitman 2, the 4K Ultra result of 31.7 FPS suggests that memory capacity and bandwidth are sufficient, as the frame rate drop from 4K High (42.1 FPS) to 4K Ultra is proportionally similar to the drop seen at lower resolutions. The GPU's 68 RT cores and 272 tensor cores provide additional compute resources, though Hitman 2 does not heavily leverage ray tracing or DLSS in these measurements.

The GPU operates with a base clock of 1440 MHz and a boost clock of 1710 MHz. The memory runs at 1188 MHz with 19 Gbps effective speed. These clock figures, combined with 8,704 shading units, deliver 29.77 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The texture rate of 465.1 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 164.2 GPixel/s indicate the card's ability to handle the detailed environments and effects that Hitman 2 presents.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution quantifies the GPU's workload range. At 1080p, the spread from 228.2 FPS to 98.1 FPS (a 130.1 FPS difference) shows the full cost of enabling all visual features. At 4K, the spread narrows to 44.6 FPS (76.3 down to 31.7 FPS), which reflects that at higher resolutions, the base pixel workload dominates and quality settings add proportionally less overhead. This behavior is typical of a GPU that is being pushed toward its limits.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the combo delivers 228.2 FPS on Low, 172.8 FPS on Medium, 128.6 FPS on High, and 98.1 FPS on Ultra. The Low to Medium step costs 55.4 FPS, Medium to High costs 44.2 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 30.5 FPS. Each quality tier imposes a smaller absolute penalty than the previous one, suggesting diminishing returns on visual fidelity as settings increase.

At 1440p, results are 143.8 FPS on Low, 108.2 FPS on Medium, 80.7 FPS on High, and 59.3 FPS on Ultra. The step costs are 35.6 FPS, 27.5 FPS, and 21.4 FPS respectively. The 1440p Ultra result of 59.3 FPS is just above the 60 FPS threshold, making it a borderline playable configuration depending on refresh rate and sensitivity to frame pacing.

At 4K, the results are 76.3 FPS on Low, 60.6 FPS on Medium, 42.1 FPS on High, and 31.7 FPS on Ultra. The step costs are 15.7 FPS, 18.5 FPS, and 10.4 FPS. The 4K Medium result of 60.6 FPS is the only 4K preset that achieves a solid 60 FPS target, while 4K Low exceeds this with 76.3 FPS. The 4K High and Ultra results fall well below the 60 FPS mark, indicating that these presets are best reserved for players who prioritize visual quality over smoothness.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting 60 FPS as the minimum acceptable frame rate, the data points to specific presets at each resolution. At 1080p, all four presets exceed 60 FPS, with Ultra delivering 98.1 FPS. This leaves headroom for higher refresh rate displays, and the Ultra preset is fully playable. At 1440p, the Ultra preset at 59.3 FPS falls just short of the 60 FPS mark, making High (80.7 FPS) the recommended choice for a guaranteed smooth experience. The Medium preset at 108.2 FPS offers a comfortable margin for high-refresh displays.

At 4K, the options narrow considerably. The Medium preset at 60.6 FPS is the only one that clears the 60 FPS bar, making it the default recommendation for 4K displays. The Low preset at 76.3 FPS provides additional headroom for those who prefer frame rate over fidelity, while High (42.1 FPS) and Ultra (31.7 FPS) are best suited to players who prioritize image quality and can tolerate sub-60 FPS performance. For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the 1440p High preset (80.7 FPS) offers the most favorable trade-off across all resolution and settings combinations measured.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for a 60 FPS target?

A: The 4K Medium preset achieves 60.6 FPS, while the 1440p High preset delivers 80.7 FPS. For a guaranteed 60 FPS with higher quality, 1440p High is the recommended choice.

Q: How does the RTX 3080 perform at 4K in Hitman 2?

A: At 4K, the card delivers 76.3 FPS on Low, 60.6 FPS on Medium, 42.1 FPS on High, and 31.7 FPS on Ultra. Only Low and Medium presets exceed 60 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The resolution scaling data indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck. Frame rates drop consistently as resolution increases, with the 1080p Low result of 228.2 FPS showing the CPU can push well beyond typical display refresh rates.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p and 1440p at Ultra settings?

A: The 1080p Ultra result is 98.1 FPS, while 1440p Ultra is 59.3 FPS. This represents a drop of 38.8 FPS, or roughly 40% of the 1080p performance.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combination ranks 575th out of 1,795 tested combos in Hitman 2, placing it in the top third of all configurations.

Q: What is the closest rival CPU to the i7-12700KF in benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Core i7-13800H has an average score of 35,416, which is 0.2% higher than the 35,355 of the i7-12700KF. The Intel Core i5-14400 trails by just 0.1% with 35,336.