Hitman 2

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT delivers a playable but uneven experience in Hitman 2, ranking in the 63rd percentile of all tested combinations (rank 1137 out of 1795). The data shows a system that excels at 1080p and 1440p with adjusted settings, but struggles significantly at 4K, particularly on higher presets where frame rates fall below playable thresholds. The 16 GB VRAM buffer of the RX 7600 XT is largely irrelevant at the resolutions where this combo is actually viable, as the bottleneck shifts heavily toward the GPU's compute capabilities and the CPU's 4-core/8-thread configuration at lower settings.

FAQ

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

A: The data indicates 1920x1080 is the optimal resolution, with average FPS ranging from 66 (Ultra) to 152.1 (Low). At 2560x1440, the range drops to 37.5 (Ultra) to 96.2 (Low), while 3840x2160 falls to 18.4 (Ultra) to 53.9 (Low), making 4K viable only on Low settings.

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

A: The Core i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13516, placing it 0.1% behind the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX (13534) and 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i7-1250U (13462). It also edges out the Intel Core i3-10105 by 0.6% and the Intel Core i7-7700K by 1.8%.

Q: Is the RX 7600 XT's 16 GB VRAM beneficial for Hitman 2?

A: The 16 GB GDDR6 memory with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth does not translate into high frame rates at 4K Ultra, where the combo averages only 18.4 FPS. The memory capacity is not the limiting factor; the GPU's overall throughput (22.57 TFLOPS FP32) and the game's engine constraints are more significant.

Q: What settings preset provides the smoothest experience at 1080p?

A: The Low preset at 1920x1080 yields the highest average FPS at 152.1, followed by Medium at 111.9 and High at 88.8. Ultra is the only preset that drops below 60 FPS at this resolution, averaging 66.

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

A: The combo ranks 1137 out of 1795 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle tier. This ranking reflects that while the CPU performs adequately (72nd percentile among all CPUs), the GPU's percentile (63rd) drags the overall standing down in this specific game.

Q: What is the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K on High settings?

A: Moving from 1920x1080 High (88.8 FPS) to 3840x2160 High (27.1 FPS) represents a 69.5% reduction in average frame rate. This steep drop indicates the GPU becomes the primary limiter at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT, built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with a Navi 33 chip, provides the graphical muscle for this combo. Its 2048 shading units and 64 ROPs deliver a pixel rate of 176.3 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 352.6 GTexel/s. The GPU's boost clock of 2755 MHz and game clock of 2470 MHz are the key drivers for frame generation in Hitman 2, but the data shows that these clocks cannot sustain high frame rates at 4K with demanding presets.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become stark. The Ultra preset averages only 18.4 FPS, which is unplayable, while High (27.1 FPS) and Medium (39.4 FPS) also fall below the 60 FPS target. Only the Low preset at 4K achieves a passable 53.9 FPS. This pattern demonstrates that the RX 7600 XT's 16 GB VRAM and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are not sufficient for Hitman 2's high-resolution rendering demands, likely due to the game's engine efficiency rather than memory capacity.

The GPU's benchmark percentile (63rd among all GPUs) and its average score of 20146 place it in the mid-range, with nearest rivals including the Radeon RX 7600 (0.6% higher) and the RTX 2060 SUPER (1.9% lower). In practical terms, the RX 7600 XT behaves like a 1080p-to-1440p card for this title, where it delivers 66-152.1 FPS at 1080p and 37.5-96.2 FPS at 1440p across presets. The 4K results suggest that even the 16 GB memory buffer cannot overcome the GPU's raw compute limits at that resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor from the Alder Lake-S architecture, clocked at a 3.30 GHz base and 4.30 GHz boost. Its 12 MB shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support (DDR4/DDR5) provide the foundation for feeding the GPU. The CPU's benchmark scores show strong single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core: 1681) but modest multi-thread capabilities (Cinebench R23 multi-core: 11912), which is typical for a quad-core design.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role becomes evident when analyzing FPS across resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 152.1 FPS, suggesting the CPU can keep up with the GPU's output at lower graphical loads. However, the 3DMark scores reveal a diminishing return with thread count: 4-thread score (2859) is close to the 8-thread score (4026), indicating the CPU's scaling plateaus quickly. This means in CPU-bound scenarios, the i3-12100F may not fully utilize its 8 threads effectively.

The CPU's percentile (72nd among all CPUs) and average benchmark score (13516) place it slightly above the Intel Core i7-7700K (13280, 1.8% lower) and marginally behind the Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX (13534, 0.1% higher). For Hitman 2, the 4-core design appears sufficient at 1080p, where the GPU is the limiting factor at higher presets, but at 4K Low (53.9 FPS), the CPU's limitations may start to surface as the GPU's workload decreases.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1137 out of 1795 tested combinations places it in the 63rd percentile, which is a middle-of-the-pack result. This ranking is influenced by the GPU's 63rd percentile standing and the CPU's 72nd percentile, suggesting the GPU is the weaker link in this pairing for Hitman 2 specifically. The data shows that this combo outperforms the bottom third of tested systems but lags behind the top tier, which likely features higher-end GPUs capable of maintaining 60+ FPS at 4K.

When compared to the GPU's nearest rivals, the RX 7600 XT's average score (20146) is nearly identical to the RX 460 (20088, 0.3% lower) and RTX 2060 SUPER (19774, 1.9% lower), yet the RX 7600 (20258) is 0.6% higher. This clustering suggests that the RX 7600 XT's performance in this game is not dramatically better than older or lower-tier cards, reinforcing its mid-range status. The CPU's rivals show a tighter grouping, with the i3-12100F sitting within 2% of its nearest competitors.

The rank indicates that for Hitman 2, this combo is suitable for 1080p gaming with high refresh rates (up to 152 FPS on Low) but cannot achieve smooth 4K gameplay above Low settings. At 1440p, the Medium preset (74.6 FPS) offers the best balance, while High (58.1 FPS) is borderline. The combo's overall standing reflects a system that prioritizes 1080p performance over 4K capability, which aligns with the GPU's 16 GB VRAM being more of a future-proofing feature than a current-game advantage.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and frame rate preference. For 1080p gaming, the Medium preset (111.9 FPS) provides a smooth experience well above 60 FPS, while High (88.8 FPS) offers better visual quality at still-playable frame rates. Ultra at 1080p (66 FPS) is playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset (74.6 FPS) is the recommended choice, as it maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. The Low preset (96.2 FPS) is viable for competitive play, while High (58.1 FPS) dips below the 60 FPS threshold and may produce noticeable stutter. Ultra (37.5 FPS) is not recommended for active gameplay.

For 3840x2160, only the Low preset (53.9 FPS) approaches playability, but it still falls short of 60 FPS. The Medium preset (39.4 FPS) and High (27.1 FPS) are too slow for smooth action, and Ultra (18.4 FPS) is effectively a slideshow. Users targeting 4K should consider lowering the resolution or accepting significant compromises in visual fidelity.

The data suggests that the Medium preset across all resolutions offers the most balanced experience, with FPS dropping from 111.9 (1080p) to 74.6 (1440p) to 39.4 (4K). This pattern indicates that Medium is the sweet spot for this hardware combination, providing acceptable quality without overwhelming the GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the full range of presets yields the following average FPS: Low (152.1), Medium (111.9), High (88.8), and Ultra (66). These numbers show a clear scaling pattern, with the Ultra preset being 56.6% slower than Low. The 1080p results demonstrate that this combo is well-suited for high-refresh-rate monitors at lower settings, with Low and Medium both exceeding 100 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the measured FPS drops to: Low (96.2), Medium (74.6), High (58.1), and Ultra (37.5). The relative performance between presets remains consistent, but the absolute values decrease by roughly 36-43% compared to 1080p. The High preset at 1440p (58.1 FPS) is just below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that users may need to drop to Medium for a smoother experience.

At 3840x2160, the results are: Low (53.9), Medium (39.4), High (27.1), and Ultra (18.4). The 4K performance is significantly weaker, with even the Low preset failing to hit 60 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K (35.5 FPS difference) is proportionally similar to lower resolutions, but the absolute values are too low for comfortable gaming. The data shows that the Ultra preset at 4K is 87.9% slower than Low at 1080p, highlighting the GPU's scaling limitations.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all presets. On Low settings, the average FPS falls from 152.1 (1080p) to 96.2 (1440p) to 53.9 (4K), representing a 64.6% reduction from 1080p to 4K. On High settings, the drop is from 88.8 to 58.1 to 27.1, a 69.5% reduction. The Ultra preset shows the most severe scaling, falling from 66 to 37.5 to 18.4, a 72.1% reduction.

This scaling pattern reveals that the GPU is the primary limiting component at higher resolutions. The pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K, and the FPS roughly halves, which is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario. The RX 7600 XT's 176.3 GPixel/s pixel rate cannot keep up with 4K's 8.3 million pixels per frame, especially on higher presets that add more shading and texture work.

The CPU's role in scaling becomes apparent when comparing Low and Ultra at each resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low (152.1 FPS) and Ultra (66 FPS) is 86.1 FPS, indicating the GPU is heavily loaded. At 4K, the difference narrows to 35.5 FPS (53.9 vs 18.4), suggesting that the CPU may be partially limiting at 4K Low, where the GPU's workload is lower. However, the overall trend clearly shows that the GPU is the dominant bottleneck, and the 16 GB VRAM does not mitigate this at 4K. The data indicates that this combo is best used at 1080p or 1440p, where the GPU can deliver playable frame rates without being overwhelmed by pixel throughput demands.