Hitman 2

# Hitman 2 with Intel Core i3-12100F + AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT

This pairing combines a 4-core/8-thread Alder Lake processor with AMD's flagship RDNA 3.0 GPU, creating a striking imbalance that Hitman 2's benchmark data exposes clearly. The RX 7900 XT, with its 20 GB of GDDR6 memory and 800.0 GB/s bandwidth, is clearly capable of massive frame rates, yet the i3-12100F's modest core count and 12 MB of shared L3 cache appear to constrain performance in certain scenarios. The measured results across three resolutions and four quality presets reveal a system that behaves differently depending on where the bottleneck sits — sometimes GPU-bound, sometimes CPU-bound, and occasionally caught in between.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in Hitman 2?

A: The highest average FPS is 255, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This drops to 163 at 2560x1440 Low and 87 at 3840x2160 Low, showing a steep scaling curve as resolution increases.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at 1920x1080?

A: At 1920x1080, Ultra averages 106 FPS while High averages 145 FPS, a difference of 39 FPS. Medium sits between them at 191 FPS, which is actually higher than High — an unusual pattern suggesting the preset scaling is not linear.

Q: Is the RX 7900 XT's 20 GB VRAM ever a limiting factor in these measurements?

A: The data shows no evidence of VRAM limitations. The GPU has 20 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 320-bit bus with 800.0 GB/s bandwidth, and all measured FPS values remain positive with no min FPS reported as zero or critically low. The bottleneck appears elsewhere.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combinations for this game?

A: This combo ranks 756th out of 3711 tested combinations, placing it in the top 20.4% of all systems evaluated in Hitman 2.

Q: How does the i3-12100F's multi-threaded performance compare to its nearest rival?

A: The i3-12100F's average benchmark score is 13494, essentially tied with the Intel Core 3 N355 at 13492 (0% delta). It is 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core i5-9500 at 13452 and 1.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-1250U at 13351.

Q: What is the lowest FPS recorded at 3840x2160 across all settings?

A: The lowest average FPS is 36, recorded at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. The next lowest is 49 at 4K High, showing a significant drop from the 65 FPS at Medium.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data reveals that the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience, particularly at higher resolutions. At 3840x2160, Medium delivers 65 average FPS with a min of 55 and max of 75 — the only 4K preset with min/max values reported, suggesting stable frame pacing. High at 4K drops to 49 FPS, while Ultra falls to 36 FPS, both likely below the threshold for smooth stealth gameplay where precise timing matters.

At 2560x1440, Medium again shines with 122 average FPS (min 104, max 141), while High reaches 92 FPS and Ultra drops to 68 FPS. The 1440p Medium result provides a comfortable margin above 100 FPS, which is desirable for a game that involves quick camera movements and environmental awareness. Low at 1440p hits 163 FPS, but the visual compromise in a stealth game — where spotting distant NPCs is critical — likely outweighs the extra frames.

For 1920x1080, Medium delivers 191 FPS (min 162, max 220), which is more than sufficient for any display. High reaches 145 FPS, and Low peaks at 255 FPS. The recommendation across all resolutions is Medium: it provides the best balance of visual fidelity and frame rate, with the data showing consistent min FPS values above 55 even at 4K. High settings are playable but offer diminishing returns, while Ultra appears to be a visual showcase mode rather than a competitive setting.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS progression from 1080p to 4K reveals a mix of GPU and CPU limitations. At Low settings, the drop from 255 FPS (1080p) to 163 FPS (1440p) to 87 FPS (4K) represents a 36% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 47% reduction from 1440p to 4K. This scaling suggests the GPU is becoming the primary limiter at higher resolutions, as the RX 7900 XT's fill rate and bandwidth are taxed more heavily with each pixel increase.

However, the pattern changes at higher quality presets. At Ultra, the FPS goes from 106 (1080p) to 68 (1440p) to 36 (4K) — a 36% drop from 1080p to 1440p, but a 47% drop from 1440p to 4K. The consistency of these percentage drops across presets hints that the CPU, with its 4 cores and 8 threads, may be constraining frame rates even at 1080p. The i3-12100F's single-thread score of 893 in 3DMark and 1674 in Cinebench R23 suggests it can push high frame rates, but the 4-core limit becomes apparent when frame rates exceed 100 FPS.

The 4K Ultra result of 36 FPS is particularly telling. A GPU as powerful as the RX 7900 XT — with 5376 shading units and 51.48 TFLOPS FP32 performance — should theoretically handle 4K Ultra in a 2018 game like Hitman 2 with ease. The fact that it does not suggests the CPU is holding back the GPU at this setting, or that the game's engine has a hard ceiling on draw calls that the i3-12100F's limited core count cannot overcome.

How This Combo Ranks

Ranking 756th out of 3711 tested combinations places this system in the upper quintile of all tested hardware pairings for Hitman 2. This rank reflects the GPU's substantial contribution — the RX 7900 XT sits at the 55th percentile among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 13745, while the i3-12100F is at the 68th percentile among CPUs with an average score of 13494. The combination of a top-tier GPU with a mid-range CPU produces results that are better than either component would suggest individually.

The rank of 756 out of 3711 means that roughly 80% of tested combos perform worse in this game. This is notable because the CPU is not a high-end part — it has only 4 cores, 8 threads, and a 58 W TDP. The fact that this combo still lands in the top 20% indicates that Hitman 2 is not heavily CPU-bound at moderate settings, or that the i3-12100F's strong single-thread performance (1674 in Cinebench R23 single-core) compensates for its limited core count.

However, the gap between this combo and higher-ranked systems likely comes from the CPU's inability to feed the GPU at lower resolutions. The 1080p Low result of 255 FPS suggests the CPU can handle high frame rates, but the 4K Ultra result of 36 FPS indicates that the combination struggles when both components are stressed simultaneously.

GPU Role

The RX 7900 XT is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications explain why. With 20 GB of GDDR6 memory, a 320-bit bus, and 800.0 GB/s bandwidth, the GPU has ample resources for Hitman 2's textures and geometry. The boost clock of 2394 MHz and game clock of 2025 MHz provide substantial compute throughput, evidenced by the 51.48 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 459.6 GPixel/s pixel rate.

The GPU's benchmark scores align with its measured game performance. A PassMark G3D score of 29009 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5623 indicate strong DirectX 12 performance, which is relevant since Hitman 2 supports modern APIs. The Geekbench Vulkan score of 71068 further confirms the GPU's capability in cross-platform rendering.

The measured FPS data shows the GPU performing admirably at 1440p Medium (122 FPS) and 1080p Medium (191 FPS), but the 4K Ultra result of 36 FPS is puzzling given the GPU's raw power. The 20 GB VRAM is never close to being exhausted — Hitman 2 from 2018 likely uses far less than that even at 4K. The bottleneck must be elsewhere, likely in the CPU's ability to issue draw calls or process game logic at high resolution with maxed-out settings.

The GPU's role becomes clearer when comparing Low to Ultra at each resolution. At 1080p, Low (255 FPS) is 2.4x faster than Ultra (106 FPS). At 1440p, Low (163 FPS) is 2.4x faster than Ultra (68 FPS). At 4K, Low (87 FPS) is 2.4x faster than Ultra (36 FPS). This consistent 2.4x ratio suggests the GPU's workload scales predictably with settings, and the CPU is not the primary limiter in the Low-to-Ultra comparison — the GPU's fill rate and shader workload are the key factors.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the full range of settings produces: Low 255 FPS, Medium 191 FPS (min 162, max 220), High 145 FPS, and Ultra 106 FPS. The Medium preset's min FPS of 162 is higher than High's average of 145, indicating that High introduces frame-time inconsistency despite lower average performance.

At 2560x1440, the results scale down smoothly: Low 163 FPS, Medium 122 FPS (min 104, max 141), High 92 FPS, and Ultra 68 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at each setting is approximately 36% for Low, 36% for Medium, 37% for High, and 36% for Ultra — remarkably consistent, suggesting resolution scaling is uniform across presets.

At 3840x2160, the numbers become more constrained: Low 87 FPS, Medium 65 FPS (min 55, max 75), High 49 FPS, and Ultra 36 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K shows a narrow 20 FPS range between min and max, indicating stable performance, while the gap between Low and Medium (22 FPS) is smaller than the gap between Medium and High (16 FPS) or High and Ultra (13 FPS).

The data shows that Ultra at 4K (36 FPS) is barely playable, while 4K High (49 FPS) and Medium (65 FPS) offer increasingly better experiences. At 1080p, every setting is playable, but the jump from Medium (191 FPS) to High (145 FPS) is a 24% reduction, suggesting High's additional effects cost significant performance without proportional visual gains.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its 12 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache are modest by modern standards, but its single-thread performance is strong: a 3DMark single-thread score of 893, Cinebench R23 single-core of 1674, and Geekbench single-core of 1932. These scores indicate the CPU can handle Hitman 2's game logic efficiently when only a few threads are active.

However, the CPU's multi-threaded performance tells a different story. With only 4 physical cores, the i3-12100F scores 11860 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 4051 in 3DMark 16-thread tests. The 3DMark 8-thread score of 4026 is nearly identical to the 16-thread score of 4051, confirming that the CPU saturates its 8 threads quickly and cannot benefit from additional parallel workloads. This is evident in Hitman 2's 4K Ultra result of 36 FPS — a scenario where the GPU could theoretically render more frames, but the CPU cannot feed it data fast enough.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 68th among all CPUs places it above average, but its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-9500 (0.3% behind) and Intel Core i7-1250U (1.1% ahead). These are all mid-range parts, confirming that the i3-12100F is not a top-tier CPU. In Hitman 2, the CPU's role appears to be most critical at lower resolutions and higher settings, where the frame rate exceeds 100 FPS and the CPU must process more game logic per second.

The passmark multi-thread score of 14015 and physics score of 985 suggest the CPU can handle Hitman 2's AI and physics calculations, but the game's stealth mechanics — which involve tracking many NPCs and their awareness states — may rely more on single-thread performance. The i3-12100F's strong single-thread scores likely explain why the combo performs as well as it does, but the 4-core limit becomes the ceiling when frame rates are high or settings are maxed.