Hitman 2

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 1962nd out of 3711 tested combinations for Hitman 2, placing it in the upper-middle portion of the database. This position reflects a system that is neither a top-tier enthusiast setup nor a low-end entry point, but rather a balanced mid-range configuration. The combo’s percentile standing for the CPU is 68th among all tested processors, while the GPU sits at the 61st percentile among all tested graphics cards, indicating that the processor slightly outpaces the graphics card in relative performance within this pairing.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 1962 out of 3711 tested combos in Hitman 2 means it sits just past the midpoint of the database, which is a meaningful indicator for a game released in 2018. This position suggests the pairing is firmly within the range of systems that can deliver playable frame rates, but it is not close to the top of the charts where high-refresh-rate 4K gaming would be expected. The CPU’s 68th percentile ranking and the GPU’s 61st percentile ranking both point to hardware that is above average, yet the combined result is tempered by the game’s demands at higher resolutions. For context, the CPU’s average benchmark score of 13494 is nearly identical to the Intel Core 3 N355’s 13492, a 0% difference, and just 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core i5-9500’s 13452. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 17639 is similarly close to the AMD Radeon HD 7790’s 17666, a -0.2% difference, and 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon 780M’s 17588. These near-identical scores mean the overall combo rank is driven more by how the specific pair interacts with Hitman 2’s engine than by raw component strength.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which delivers an average of 70 FPS. This is the highest quality setting available, and the system clears the 60 FPS threshold with a 10 FPS margin, making 1080p Ultra the clear choice for visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness. Moving to 2560x1440, the best playable setting is High, with an average of 63.7 FPS. This is a narrow margin above the 60 FPS target, so players who prefer a buffer might consider Medium at 83.8 FPS, but High is technically the most demanding preset that remains playable. At 3840x2160, no settings reach the 60 FPS threshold, so there is no best playable preset; the highest average is 57.2 FPS on Low, which falls just short of playable. The data shows a clear progression: 1080p can handle maximum settings, 1440p requires a step down to High, and 4K is not viable for smooth gameplay at any preset.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets reveals that the GPU is the primary limiting factor as resolution increases, while the CPU provides sufficient headroom at lower resolutions. At 1920x1080, the jump from Low to Ultra increases the average FPS from 174.8 down to 70, a drop of 104.8 FPS, which is a 60% reduction in performance. This steep decline indicates that the GPU is heavily loaded by the higher preset’s graphical demands, while the CPU maintains a consistent frame delivery. At 2560x1440, the same preset range goes from 109.3 FPS on Low to 46.8 FPS on Ultra, showing a 62.5 FPS drop, or roughly 57% less performance. The pattern continues at 3840x2160, where Low produces 57.2 FPS and Ultra drops to 25.7 FPS, a 31.5 FPS reduction. The consistent proportional drop across resolutions suggests the GPU is the bottleneck at higher presets, as the CPU’s workload does not scale with pixel count. However, the CPU’s role becomes more apparent when comparing the same preset across resolutions: at High settings, 1080p yields 99.8 FPS, 1440p yields 63.7 FPS, and 4K yields 32.4 FPS. This 67.4 FPS difference between 1080p and 4K at High settings is almost entirely attributable to the GPU’s rendering load, confirming that the RTX 4060 is the deciding factor for resolution scaling. The i3-12100F’s four cores and eight threads, with a single-thread benchmark score of 893 in 3dmark, are sufficient to feed the GPU at 1080p, but the GPU’s 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus become the constraint at 4K.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the Intel Core i3-12100F’s average benchmark score of 13494 is matched almost exactly by the Intel Core 3 N355 at 13492, a 0% delta, meaning these two processors would produce nearly identical frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios. The Intel Core i5-9500 is 0.3% slower, and the Intel Core 5 120UL is 0.7% faster, while the Intel Core i7-1250U is 1.1% slower. For Hitman 2, these differences are negligible, so swapping the i3-12100F for any of these CPUs would not noticeably change the measured FPS at 1080p where the GPU is more influential. On the GPU side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060’s average benchmark score of 17639 is within 0.7% of three AMD alternatives: the Radeon HD 7790 is 0.2% faster, the Radeon 780M is 0.3% slower, and the Radeon Pro 560 is 0.5% slower. The Radeon Pro 460 is 0.7% slower. In practice, these GPUs would deliver nearly identical average frame rates in Hitman 2, meaning a system with any of these graphics cards paired with the same CPU would fall within a few FPS of the measured results. The practical takeaway is that the combo’s performance is representative of a cluster of similar hardware, and users with these specific rival components should expect comparable gameplay experiences.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS across presets are as follows: Low delivers 174.8 FPS, Medium delivers 131.7 FPS, High delivers 99.8 FPS, and Ultra delivers 70 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 104.8 FPS, with the largest single drop occurring from Low to Medium at 43.1 FPS, followed by 31.9 FPS from Medium to High, and 29.8 FPS from High to Ultra. At 2560x1440, the averages are 109.3 FPS on Low, 83.8 FPS on Medium, 63.7 FPS on High, and 46.8 FPS on Ultra. The difference from Low to Ultra is 62.5 FPS, with the step from High to Ultra being the largest at 16.9 FPS. At 3840x2160, the averages are 57.2 FPS on Low, 44.5 FPS on Medium, 32.4 FPS on High, and 25.7 FPS on Ultra. Here, the drop from Low to Medium is 12.7 FPS, from Medium to High is 12.1 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 6.7 FPS. Notably, the minimum and maximum FPS values are not recorded in the data, so the analysis relies solely on averages, which smooths out any frame time spikes. The trend across all resolutions is that the RTX 4060’s performance scales predictably with preset levels, but the absolute numbers at 4K show a steep falloff that makes even Low settings marginal.

The Verdict

This PC can run Hitman 2 at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, achieving an average of 70 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS playable threshold by a comfortable margin. At 2560x1440, the system is playable on High settings with 63.7 FPS, but Ultra drops to 46.8 FPS, which is below the threshold. The verdict data confirms that 1440p High is the best playable setting, while 1440p Ultra is not recommended. At 3840x2160, the system cannot maintain 60 FPS on any preset, with the highest average being 57.2 FPS on Low, just 2.8 FPS short of the playable threshold. Therefore, the honest assessment is that this combo is a 1080p Ultra machine and a 1440p High machine, but it is not suitable for 4K gaming in Hitman 2. Players targeting 4K would need to accept sub-60 FPS performance or lower the resolution, as the data shows no playable settings exist at that resolution.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest setting that maintains 60 FPS at 1920x1080?

A: Ultra settings achieve an average of 70 FPS, which is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS.

Q: Can this combo run Hitman 2 at 2560x1440 with maximum settings?

A: No, Ultra at 1440p produces an average of 46.8 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. The best playable setting is High at 63.7 FPS.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with this system?

A: No, at 3840x2160 the highest average FPS is 57.2 FPS on Low settings, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. No preset at 4K is listed as playable.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in terms of benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Core i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13494, which is essentially identical to the Intel Core 3 N355’s 13492, a 0% difference, and 0.3% faster than the Intel Core i5-9500.

Q: What GPU alternative would perform similarly to the RTX 4060 in this game?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 7790 has an average benchmark score of 17666, which is 0.2% faster than the RTX 4060’s 17639, making it the closest performance match among the listed rivals.

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

A: At 1920x1080, Low averages 174.8 FPS while Ultra averages 70 FPS, a difference of 104.8 FPS, representing a 60% reduction in performance from the lowest to highest preset.