Hitman 2

The pairing of the Intel Core i3-12100F with the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX presents a striking contrast in hardware tiers, and the measured frame rates in Hitman 2 reveal a fascinating dynamic between a high-end GPU and a more modest CPU. The data shows that this combination is capable of delivering very high frame rates, but the scaling across resolutions indicates where the balance of performance lies. The RX 7900 XTX, with its 24 GB of memory and 960.0 GB/s bandwidth, is clearly a heavyweight component, while the i3-12100F, with its 4 cores and 8 threads, is a more budget-oriented processor. This analysis explores how these parts interact in Hitman 2 specifically, drawing only from the measured FPS data and the provided hardware specifications.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for this combo shows a clear and expected trend: as resolution increases, average frame rates drop. At 1080p with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 156 FPS. Moving to 1440p, that average falls to 100 FPS, and at 4K, it drops further to 53 FPS. This pattern is consistent across all settings presets, but the magnitude of the drop is telling. The transition from 1080p to 1440p represents a 36% decrease in average FPS on High settings, while the transition from 1440p to 4K represents a 47% decrease. This non-linear scaling suggests that the system is becoming increasingly bound by the GPU at higher resolutions, which is a typical outcome given the massive pixel count increase at 4K.

The data implies that at 1080p, the CPU is likely playing a significant role in limiting performance, as the RX 7900 XTX is capable of generating extremely high frame rates. The fact that the combo can reach 276 FPS on Low settings at 1080p indicates the GPU has ample headroom, but the 4-core i3-12100F may struggle to feed it in more demanding scenes. However, as the resolution climbs, the GPU's workload becomes more intensive, and its performance characteristics become the primary bottleneck. At 4K, the GPU's raw power is being fully utilized, and the CPU's limitations are less of a factor. The difference between 1080p Ultra (115 FPS) and 4K Ultra (39 FPS) is a 66% reduction, showing just how much stress the higher resolution places on the rendering pipeline.

This scaling behavior suggests that for users targeting high refresh rate monitors at 1080p, the CPU might be a limiting factor, preventing the system from reaching its full potential. Conversely, for 4K gaming, the RX 7900 XTX is the definitive limiting component, and the i3-12100F’s role is diminished. The measured data does not include 1440p Ultra or 4K High minimum FPS values, but the available averages still paint a clear picture of a system that is well-balanced for high-resolution gaming but potentially CPU-limited at lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the most balanced experience appears to be at the Medium preset, particularly at 1440p. At this resolution and setting, the combo delivers an average of 132 FPS, with a minimum of 112 FPS and a maximum of 152 FPS. This suggests a smooth and responsive experience that should be well above the threshold for most displays. The jump from Medium to High at 1440p results in a 32 FPS average drop to 100 FPS, which is a significant cost for what is likely a modest visual improvement. The jump from High to Ultra is even more punishing, with a 26 FPS drop to 74 FPS average.

At 1080p, the High setting at 156 FPS average is an excellent choice, offering a very high frame rate that will satisfy most users. However, the Medium preset at 207 FPS average is even more compelling if maximum smoothness is the priority, as the visual difference between Medium and High is often less noticeable than the frame rate difference. The Ultra preset at 1080p still provides a very playable 115 FPS average, but it is a 26% reduction from High, suggesting it should only be used if visual fidelity is paramount and the frame rate drop is acceptable.

For 4K gaming, the choices are more constrained. The High preset at 53 FPS average is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. The Medium preset at 71 FPS average is a better balance, offering a more comfortable frame rate for a 60Hz display. The Ultra preset at 39 FPS average is likely too demanding for a smooth experience, and the Low preset at 94 FPS average, while smooth, comes with significant visual compromises. The data suggests that for a 4K experience, the Medium preset is the most sensible choice, as it provides the best balance of visual quality and performance without dipping below the 60 FPS mark.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s overall performance in Hitman 2 places it at rank 559 out of 3711 tested combinations. This puts it in the top 15% of all tested combos, which is a strong showing given the CPU’s relatively low tier. This ranking confirms the RX 7900 XTX’s ability to carry the system in this game, particularly at higher resolutions where the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The CPU’s own benchmark percentile is 68, meaning it performs better than 68% of all CPUs in general benchmarks, but its nearest rivals include the Intel Core 3 N355 and Intel Core i5-9500, which are not high-end parts.

The high combo rank is somewhat surprising given the CPU’s modest specifications. It suggests that Hitman 2 is not an extremely CPU-intensive game, or that the game’s engine scales well with the GPU. The RX 7900 XTX itself has a percentile of 64, which is lower than its raw performance would suggest, but its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB and the NVIDIA TITAN Xp, indicating that the benchmark database’s scoring is not solely based on raw rasterization power. The combo’s rank of 559 out of 3711 indicates that it outperforms a vast majority of systems tested, which is a clear sign that the GPU is doing most of the heavy lifting.

This ranking implies that while the i3-12100F might be a weak link in some scenarios, it is not holding the system back significantly in Hitman 2. The data suggests that this is a viable pairing for this specific title, and the high rank is a direct result of the GPU’s immense capabilities. The fact that the combo sits in the 85th percentile of all tested combinations is a notable achievement, and it underscores the idea that a strong GPU can compensate for a weaker CPU in many games.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured data shows an average of 100 FPS for this combo at 2560x1440 resolution with High settings.

Q: Is this combo capable of 4K gaming at 60 FPS?

A: The data indicates that at 4K with Medium settings, the average FPS is 71, which is above 60. However, at High settings, the average drops to 53 FPS, which is below 60.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-9500?

A: The Intel Core i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13494, while the Intel Core i5-9500 has an average score of 13452, making the i3-12100F 0.3% faster in this metric.

Q: What is the GPU's boost clock speed?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX has a boost clock of 2498 MHz.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested systems in this game?

A: The combo is ranked 559 out of 3711 tested combinations in Hitman 2.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications clearly show why it is capable of producing such high frame rates. With 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, it offers a memory bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s, which is more than sufficient for the textures and geometry in Hitman 2. The GPU is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture and features 6144 shading units, 384 TMUs, and 192 ROPs. Its game clock is 2365 MHz, and it can boost up to 2498 MHz, which helps drive its high pixel rate of 479.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 959.2 GTexel/s.

The data shows that the GPU’s performance is the primary driver of the frame rates at higher resolutions. At 4K, the average FPS drops significantly compared to 1440p, which is a direct result of the GPU having to render more pixels. The GPU’s FP32 performance of 61.39 TFLOPS is a strong indicator of its raw compute power, but in a game like Hitman 2, the memory bandwidth and ROP throughput are often just as important. The fact that the GPU has a launch MSRP of 999 USD, which is a high-end price point, confirms its position as a flagship product. Its benchmark scores, such as a Passmark G3D score of 31238, further validate its performance, though its nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB, which is a much older and less powerful card, suggesting the benchmark scoring has some quirks.

The GPU’s role in this combo is clear: it is the workhorse that provides the overwhelming majority of the rendering power. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (276 FPS) shows that the GPU is not the limiting factor at that resolution and setting, but as the settings and resolution increase, its workload becomes the bottleneck. The 24 GB of VRAM is a significant asset, as it ensures that the game will not run out of memory even at 4K with high-resolution textures, which is a common issue with lower-VRAM cards.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. It has 12 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory. Its benchmark scores are modest, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11860 and a single-core score of 1674. Its Passmark multithread score is 14015, and its percentile vs all CPUs is 68, indicating it is a mid-range performer in general applications.

In Hitman 2, the CPU’s role is less clear-cut than the GPU’s. The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU may be a limiting factor, as the frame rates are extremely high, and the 4-core design might struggle to keep up with the game’s simulation and AI tasks. The difference between 1080p High (156 FPS) and 1440p High (100 FPS) is a 36% drop, which is larger than the 36% increase in pixel count (from 2.07 million to 3.69 million), indicating that the CPU is not the only factor at play. However, the fact that the combo can achieve 276 FPS at 1080p Low shows that the CPU can handle the game’s logic when the GPU is not stressed.

The CPU’s boost clock of 4.30 GHz is respectable, and its single-thread performance, as evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 1932, is adequate for gaming. However, its multi-threaded performance is limited by its 4 cores, which could be a bottleneck in scenes with many NPCs or complex physics. The data does not include CPU-specific frame times, so it is difficult to definitively say how much the CPU is limiting performance, but the overall combo rank of 559 suggests that it is not a severe bottleneck in this game. The i3-12100F’s launch MSRP of $97 indicates its budget positioning, and it is clear that it is not in the same performance class as the GPU, but it performs adequately enough to not ruin the experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is a detailed breakdown of the average FPS values for each resolution and settings preset, as measured in the data.

At 1920x1080:

• Low: 276 FPS average
• Medium: 207 FPS average (min 176, max 238)
• High: 156 FPS average
• Ultra: 115 FPS average

At 2560x1440:

• Low: 176 FPS average
• Medium: 132 FPS average (min 112, max 152)
• High: 100 FPS average
• Ultra: 74 FPS average

At 3840x2160:

• Low: 94 FPS average
• Medium: 71 FPS average (min 60, max 81)
• High: 53 FPS average
• Ultra: 39 FPS average

The data reveals that the Medium preset is the only one that provides minimum FPS values, and it does so at all three resolutions. The minimum FPS of 60 at 4K Medium and 112 at 1440p Medium suggests a more stable performance profile than the other presets, which lack recorded minimums. The progression of FPS from Low to Ultra is consistent across all resolutions, with Low being the fastest and Ultra being the slowest. The gap between Low and Ultra is substantial: at 1080p, it is a 161 FPS difference; at 1440p, it is a 102 FPS difference; and at 4K, it is a 55 FPS difference. This demonstrates that the visual quality settings have a significant impact on performance, and the GPU’s headroom is best utilized at lower settings and resolutions.