Hitman 2

The benchmark data for Hitman 2, paired with the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, reveals a configuration where the graphics card is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the processor demonstrates sufficient headroom at 1080p. The measured results show a clear and predictable scaling pattern across the three tested resolutions, with the RTX 4060’s performance characteristics defining the experience. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to understand the system's behavior and provide actionable settings guidance.

Resolution Scaling

The progression from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 shows a dramatic and consistent performance drop, indicating that the GPU is the limiting component in this configuration for Hitman 2. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 99.8 FPS at 1080p to 63.7 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of approximately 36%, and then further down to 32.4 FPS at 4K, representing a 68% decrease from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline is characteristic of a system where the rendering load scales directly with pixel count, and the RTX 4060’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus width begin to constrain performance as the resolution increases.

The scaling pattern is even more pronounced at Ultra settings, where the average FPS drops from 70 at 1080p to 46.8 at 1440p, and then plummets to 25.7 at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 25.7 FPS is below the threshold for smooth gameplay, highlighting the GPU’s inability to handle the combined load of high pixel count and maximum graphical fidelity. Conversely, the jump from Low to Medium settings at each resolution shows a smaller relative impact, suggesting that the game’s lighting and shadow effects, which are often tied to CPU performance in Hitman 2, are not the primary constraint here. The data points strongly to the RTX 4060 being the limiting factor, as the i3-12100F’s four cores and eight threads are sufficient to feed the GPU at the lower resolutions, but the GPU’s compute and memory bandwidth are exhausted at higher pixel counts.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 provides the most balanced experience, with average FPS ranging from 70 at Ultra to 174.8 at Low settings. At 2560x1440, performance is still playable on High (63.7 FPS), but 3840x2160 is only viable on Low settings (57.2 FPS), as Medium and High presets dip below 45 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 99.8 FPS at 1920x1080 to 32.4 FPS at 3840x2160, a reduction of 67.5%. At Ultra settings, the decline is from 70 FPS to 25.7 FPS, a 63.3% loss. This indicates a severe scaling penalty that makes 4K impractical for most presets.

Q: Is the Intel Core i3-12100F a bottleneck for the RTX 4060 in this game?

A: The benchmark results suggest the CPU is not the primary limiter. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 174.8 FPS, which is a high frame rate that indicates the CPU can keep up with the GPU’s output at lower resolutions. The performance drop at higher resolutions is more consistent with a GPU-bound scenario.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the average FPS increases from 46.8 on Ultra to 109.3 on Low, a substantial 62.5 FPS difference. The Medium preset (83.8 FPS) offers a significant improvement over Ultra, while the High preset (63.7 FPS) sits in a middle ground.

Q: How does the RTX 4060’s performance rank against its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 23181, placing it at the 66th percentile of all GPUs. Its closest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6600M, scores 23321, which is 0.6% higher. The Intel Arc B580 is a close competitor with a score of 23021, just 0.7% lower.

Q: Is 4K gaming feasible with this configuration?

A: At 3840x2160, only the Low preset (57.2 FPS) achieves a playable average frame rate. The Medium preset (44.5 FPS) and High preset (32.4 FPS) are not smooth, and the Ultra preset (25.7 FPS) is unplayable. Therefore, 4K is only feasible with significant graphical compromises.

Settings Recommendations

For a smooth and visually appealing experience, the data suggests that 1920x1080 with High settings is the optimal balance. The measured 99.8 FPS average at this configuration provides a high refresh rate experience without sacrificing the visual quality that defines Hitman 2’s detailed environments. Pushing to Ultra at this resolution yields 70 FPS, which is still playable, but the 30 FPS gain from dropping to High is substantial and likely not worth the minor visual improvement.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset (83.8 FPS) is the recommended choice, as it delivers a smooth frame rate while retaining a reasonable level of graphical detail. The High preset (63.7 FPS) is also viable for those who prioritize visuals over a higher refresh rate, but the Ultra preset (46.8 FPS) introduces noticeable stutter and is not recommended for action-oriented gameplay. For 3840x2160, the Low preset (57.2 FPS) is the only acceptable option, but it sacrifices most of the visual fidelity that makes the game immersive. Users with 4K displays should consider lowering the resolution or accepting significant graphical compromises, as the RTX 4060’s 8 GB memory capacity and bandwidth are insufficient for higher presets at this resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured average FPS values is as follows. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 174.8 FPS, Medium provides 131.7 FPS, High reaches 99.8 FPS, and Ultra drops to 70 FPS. At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 109.3 FPS, Medium delivers 83.8 FPS, High produces 63.7 FPS, and Ultra falls to 46.8 FPS. At 3840x2160, the Low preset manages 57.2 FPS, Medium reaches 44.5 FPS, High yields 32.4 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 25.7 FPS.

These numbers show a consistent pattern across all resolutions: the gap between Low and Medium is relatively small (approx. 43 FPS at 1080p, 25.5 FPS at 1440p, and 12.7 FPS at 4K), while the jump from High to Ultra is also modest (approx. 29.8 FPS at 1080p, 16.9 FPS at 1440p, and 6.7 FPS at 4K). The largest performance delta occurs between Medium and High settings, where the increase in graphical fidelity demands a significant FPS penalty (approx. 31.9 FPS at 1080p, 20.1 FPS at 1440p, and 12.1 FPS at 4K). This suggests that the Medium and High presets represent distinct tiers of rendering complexity, with the latter introducing effects that heavily tax the GPU.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is the defining component in this configuration’s gaming performance. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, paired with a 128-bit bus and 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth, is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming in Hitman 2, but becomes a limiting factor at 4K. The GPU’s 3072 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs, running at a boost clock of 2460 MHz, deliver a measured 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. This compute power is what drives the high frame rates at lower resolutions, but the memory subsystem’s bandwidth is unable to keep pace with the increased data demands of 4K rendering.

The GPU’s benchmark scores reflect its mid-range positioning. Its Passmark G3D score of 19545 places it at the 66th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6600M, scores 23321, a 0.6% difference. In the context of Hitman 2, the RTX 4060’s performance is further contextualized by its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2302, which indicates its DirectX 12 capability. The GPU’s 96 tensor cores and 24 RT cores are present, but Hitman 2 does not heavily utilize ray tracing, so their impact on the measured FPS is minimal. The card’s 115 W TDP and PCIe 4.0 x8 interface are adequate for this workload, and the data shows that the GPU is the primary driver of the performance scaling observed in the resolution breakdown, confirming that the RTX 4060 is the component that users should consider upgrading to achieve better 4K performance.