Hitman 2

Intel Core i3-12100F paired with Intel Arc B390 delivers a playable but constrained experience in Hitman 2, with performance firmly anchored by the integrated GPU at every resolution. The data shows a combo ranking in the 11th percentile of tested configurations, placing it near the bottom of the database for this title. While the quad-core CPU provides sufficient processing headroom for the game's stealth simulation, the Arc B390's system-shared memory and low benchmark percentile create a hard ceiling on frame rates, making 1080p the only viable resolution for smooth gameplay.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, with a 58 W TDP. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 12 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory through a dual-channel bus, and it connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes from the CPU.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role is largely supportive rather than performance-limiting. The processor's benchmark scores show a balanced profile: it achieves a single-thread score of 893 in 3DMark and 1674 in Cinebench R23, while multi-threaded results reach 4023 in 3DMark max threads and 11860 in Cinebench R23 multi-core. This places the i3-12100F at the 68th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13494. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core 3 N355 (deltaPct 0), Intel Core i5-9500 (deltaPct 0.3), Intel Core 5 120UL (deltaPct -0.7), and Intel Core i7-1250U (deltaPct 1.1), all of which perform within 1.1% of this chip.

The measured frame rates across all settings and resolutions show that the CPU is not the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 80 FPS, which is the highest score in the entire dataset. The fact that frame rates scale downward primarily with resolution and settings increases—rather than with CPU-intensive scenes—indicates that the processor has ample headroom. Hitman 2's stealth gameplay involves crowd simulations and AI routines, but the i3-12100F's 8 threads and strong single-core performance handle these tasks well. The CPU's 68th percentile ranking confirms it is a mid-pack performer, and in this specific title, it never appears to constrain the integrated GPU.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured data reveals a clear trade-off between visual fidelity and frame rate across the four presets. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 80 FPS on average, which is smooth for stealth gameplay. The Medium preset drops to 60 FPS, still playable, but falls to 51 FPS at minimum, which introduces slight stutter during dense crowd scenes. High settings yield 46 FPS, and Ultra drops to 34 FPS, both of which are below the ideal threshold for a game that benefits from fluid camera movement.

For the best experience, the 1080p Low preset is the only configuration that consistently stays above 60 FPS, and it does so with a 14 FPS margin over the next-best option. Medium at 1080p is acceptable if visual quality is prioritized, but the 60 FPS average with a 51 FPS minimum creates noticeable dips during action sequences. The data suggests that the Arc B390's system-shared memory and 1536 shading units cannot sustain high preset loads without significant frame loss.

At 1440p, the situation worsens considerably. Low settings produce 51 FPS, which is marginally playable, but Medium drops to 39 FPS, High to 29 FPS, and Ultra to 21 FPS. None of these meet the 60 FPS target, and the minimum frame rates are not reported for most presets, indicating instability. At 4K, even Low settings only manage 27 FPS, making the resolution impractical for this combo. The verdict is clear: stick to 1080p Low for a responsive experience, or 1080p Medium if the player accepts occasional frame dips to 51 FPS. Higher presets and resolutions are not recommended based on the measured rows.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The frame rate scaling across resolutions reveals a steep decline that points directly to the GPU as the limiting component. Starting at 1080p Low with 80 FPS, moving to 1440p Low yields 51 FPS—a 36.3% drop. Further scaling to 4K Low produces 27 FPS, which is a 66.3% reduction from 1080p and a 47.1% drop from 1440p. This pattern is consistent across all settings: High falls from 46 FPS at 1080p to 29 FPS at 1440p (37.0% drop) and then to 16 FPS at 4K (65.2% drop from 1080p). Medium goes from 60 FPS at 1080p to 39 FPS at 1440p (35.0% drop) and 21 FPS at 4K (65.0% drop). Ultra drops from 34 FPS at 1080p to 21 FPS at 1440p (38.2% drop) and 11 FPS at 4K (67.6% drop).

The near-uniform percentage drops across all presets indicate that resolution scaling is the dominant factor, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. The Arc B390's system-shared memory means that as resolution increases, the memory bandwidth demand grows, and the integrated GPU cannot keep pace. The CPU's performance remains constant regardless of resolution, so the fact that frame rates halve or nearly halve at each step up confirms the GPU is saturated. At 4K, the pixel throughput requirement overwhelms the 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate and 120.0 GTexel/s texture rate, resulting in single-digit to low-20s frame rates. The data shows no scenario where the CPU would be the bottleneck, as even the lowest GPU-bound frame rate at 4K Ultra (11 FPS) is far below what the i3-12100F could deliver if it were the constraint.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This Intel Core i3-12100F + Intel Arc B390 combination ranks 2662 out of 3001 tested combos in Hitman 2. This places it in the 11.3rd percentile overall, meaning roughly 89% of tested configurations outperform it. The rank reflects the severe GPU limitation, as the CPU alone sits at the 68th percentile among all processors. The gap between the CPU's relative standing and the combo's overall rank highlights how much the Arc B390 drags down performance.

The GPU's benchmark data confirms this disparity. The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it at the 9th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (deltaPct 1.3), NVIDIA GeForce 800M (deltaPct 1.5), NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (deltaPct 2.5), and NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (deltaPct 2.7). These are all legacy or entry-level discrete GPUs, and the Arc B390 performs within 2.7% of them. This positions the integrated GPU at the very bottom of the performance spectrum, which is consistent with the combo's low rank in Hitman 2.

The combination of a 68th-percentile CPU with a 9th-percentile GPU results in a system where the GPU is the sole limiting factor. The combo rank of 2662 out of 3001 suggests that while many weaker CPUs could pair with better GPUs to outperform this setup, the i3-12100F itself is not the issue. If the GPU were replaced with a more capable part, the rank would improve dramatically, as the CPU has demonstrated it can handle the game's processing demands based on its benchmark scores.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated GPU based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel's 3 nm process. It features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operation units, along with 12 ray tracing cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, with a TDP of 80 W. Crucially, its memory configuration is system-shared, meaning it uses the CPU's main memory rather than dedicated VRAM, with bandwidth described as system-dependent.

The GPU's compute capabilities include a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s, a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s, and 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. These specifications place it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. The system-shared memory is the primary weakness; Hitman 2 requires substantial memory bandwidth for texture streaming and scene complexity, and sharing bandwidth with the CPU creates contention. This is evident in the frame rate data: at 1080p Low, the GPU manages 80 FPS, but the lack of dedicated VRAM means that as settings increase, the GPU must repeatedly access system memory, causing the steep drops to 60 FPS at Medium and 46 FPS at High.

The integrated nature of the GPU also limits its thermal and power headroom. With an 80 W TDP and no dedicated power connectors, the GPU shares power with the CPU, which can lead to throttling under sustained load. The boost clock of 2500 MHz is competitive on paper, but the system-shared memory and IGP bus interface create a bottleneck that prevents the GPU from achieving its theoretical throughput. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the clear limiting factor, as even at 1080p Low—the least demanding configuration—the frame rate is only 80 FPS, which is below what a dedicated entry-level GPU could deliver.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results. Low settings produce an average of 80 FPS. Medium settings yield 60 FPS on average, with a minimum of 51 FPS and a maximum of 69 FPS. High settings drop to 46 FPS. Ultra settings fall to 34 FPS. Across all presets, 1080p is the only resolution where any setting reaches or exceeds 60 FPS, and that is limited to Low and Medium presets.

At 2560x1440, performance drops significantly. Low settings average 51 FPS. Medium settings average 39 FPS, with a minimum of 33 FPS and a maximum of 44 FPS. High settings average 29 FPS. Ultra settings average 21 FPS. None of these configurations achieve 60 FPS, and the Medium preset's minimum of 33 FPS indicates visible stuttering during gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is overwhelmed. Low settings average 27 FPS. Medium settings average 21 FPS, with a minimum of 17 FPS and a maximum of 24 FPS. High settings average 16 FPS. Ultra settings average 11 FPS. These frame rates are below playable thresholds, and the 17 FPS minimum at Medium confirms severe frame pacing issues. The data shows a consistent pattern: each resolution step roughly halves the frame rate, and each settings step from Low to Ultra reduces performance by approximately 30-40% at any given resolution. The only configuration that provides a consistently smooth experience is 1080p Low at 80 FPS, with 1080p Medium at 60 FPS being a marginal alternative for players who prioritize visual quality over frame rate stability.