Hitman 2

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 ranks 1744th out of 1795 tested combos in Hitman 2, placing it in the bottom 3% of all configurations. This is a decisively low-tier result, confirming that this pairing is positioned for 1080p gaming at best, and even then only with significant graphical compromises. The ranking reflects a fundamental mismatch: the GTX 1650's 4 GB VRAM and modest compute throughput struggle with Hitman 2's dense environments, while the i3-12100F's four cores provide adequate but not exceptional CPU headroom. Benchmark results indicate this combo delivers playable framerates only at the lowest settings at 1080p, with any attempt to raise quality or resolution pushing performance into unplayable territory.

GPU Role

The GTX 1650 is the primary bottleneck in this configuration. Its 4 GB GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 128.1 GB/s of bandwidth, which is severely constrained for Hitman 2's texture-heavy scenes. The GPU's base clock of 1485 MHz and boost clock of 1665 MHz are modest, and the 896 shading units operating at these clocks yield just 2.984 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. In practice, this means the GPU saturates quickly: at 1080p Ultra, the average framerate collapses to 27.1 FPS, while even 1440p Low struggles to maintain 46.3 FPS. The GPU's 43rd percentile ranking among all GPUs underscores its position as an entry-level part, and the data shows that Hitman 2's lighting and shadow calculations overwhelm its capabilities at higher presets. The 75 W TDP and lack of external power connectors further confirm this is designed for low-power systems, not high-refresh gaming.

Resolution Scaling

The framerate degradation from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and reveals the GPU's limits at every settings tier. At Low settings, average FPS drops from 66.7 at 1080p to 46.3 at 1440p (a 30.6% reduction) and then to 24.1 at 4K (a 63.9% reduction from 1080p). This scaling pattern indicates the GPU is the limiting factor—as pixel count increases, the GTX 1650's fill rate and bandwidth are overwhelmed. At High settings, the drop is even steeper: 38.2 FPS at 1080p falls to 24.9 at 1440p and 14.8 at 4K. The Ultra preset shows the most severe scaling, going from 27.1 FPS at 1080p to just 11.2 FPS at 4K, a 58.7% loss. These numbers demonstrate that resolution scaling is not linear—the GPU's memory bandwidth and ROP throughput become increasingly saturated as resolution rises, with 4K being essentially unplayable at any preset above Low.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data points to a single viable configuration for smooth gameplay: 1080p with Low settings, which yields 66.7 FPS average. This is the only preset across all resolutions that clears the 60 FPS threshold, making it the recommended choice for responsive stealth gameplay. The Medium preset at 1080p delivers 52.3 FPS, which is playable but noticeably less smooth, and the High preset drops to 38.2 FPS, which may cause judder during fast camera movements. At 1440p, even Low settings only manage 46.3 FPS, so users should stick to 1080p. The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution—the best Ultra result is 27.1 FPS at 1080p, which falls below acceptable playability for a game requiring precise timing. For users prioritizing visual fidelity over framerate, Medium at 1080p provides the best balance, but the data clearly favors Low for competitive or smooth play.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1080p Resolution:

• Low: 66.7 FPS — the only preset to exceed 60 FPS
• Medium: 52.3 FPS — playable but with noticeable frame pacing issues
• High: 38.2 FPS — dips below smooth gameplay thresholds
• Ultra: 27.1 FPS — stuttery and not recommended

1440p Resolution:

• Low: 46.3 FPS — borderline playable for slower-paced sections
• Medium: 31.4 FPS — significant drops during crowded scenes
• High: 24.9 FPS — approaching slideshow territory
• Ultra: 20.8 FPS — effectively unplayable

4K Resolution:

• Low: 24.1 FPS — barely interactive
• Medium: 15.8 FPS — severe stuttering
• High: 14.8 FPS — not viable
• Ultra: 11.2 FPS — cinematic only, not gameplay

The data shows a clear pattern: each settings tier costs roughly 15-20 FPS at 1080p, while resolution increases from 1080p to 4K cost 60-70% of performance at equivalent settings.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Hitman 2 at 60 FPS?

A: Only at 1080p with Low settings, which achieves 66.7 FPS. Every other configuration falls below 60 FPS, with Medium at 1080p hitting 52.3 FPS.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with this setup?

A: No. The best 4K result is 24.1 FPS at Low settings, which is far below playable thresholds. Even Medium at 4K only reaches 15.8 FPS.

Q: Which settings preset should I use for the best experience?

A: 1080p Low is the only preset that clears 60 FPS. If visual quality is more important, 1080p Medium at 52.3 FPS is the highest quality option that remains semi-playable.

Q: How does the GTX 1650 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GTX 1650's average benchmark score of 8713 places it within 0.5% of the AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 (8761, deltaPct -0.5%) and 0.4% slower than the AMD Radeon 550X (8749). It edges out the NVIDIA Quadro P2200 (8671) by 0.5%.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor?

A: The GPU is clearly the bottleneck. The i3-12100F scores in the 72nd percentile among all CPUs, while the GTX 1650 sits in the 43rd percentile. The FPS drops with resolution scaling confirm GPU saturation.

Q: What is the CPU's performance profile?

A: The i3-12100F has 4 cores and 8 threads with a 3.30 GHz base clock and 4.30 GHz boost. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11912 and single-core score of 1681 indicate solid performance for a budget part.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F provides adequate compute for Hitman 2 but is not the primary constraint. With 4 cores and 8 threads based on Alder Lake architecture, this CPU achieves a 72nd percentile ranking among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 13516. Its nearest rival is the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX, which scores 13534 (deltaPct -0.1%), showing the i3 holds its own despite far fewer cores. The 3.30 GHz base and 4.30 GHz boost clocks deliver strong single-thread performance—evidenced by the 1681 Cinebench R23 single-core score—which is crucial for Hitman 2's AI and physics calculations. The 12 MB shared L3 cache and 10 nm process node contribute to efficient operation. However, the CPU's 58 W TDP and 4-core design mean it can't compensate for the GPU's limitations; at 4K Ultra, the combo drops to 11.2 FPS, clearly showing the GPU is overwhelmed regardless of CPU headroom. The data indicates the i3-12100F has sufficient throughput to feed the GTX 1650 at 1080p, but the pairing's overall ranking of 1744 out of 1795 reflects the GPU's inability to translate that CPU capability into high framerates.