Results: Hitman: Absolution
Next up is IO Interactive’s Hitman: Absolution, a DirectX 11 title based on the Glacier 2 graphics engine. We’re using the built-in benchmark routine for a worst-case look at how the massive crowd technology can punish our crop of processors. Keep in mind, in-game frame rates will generally be much higher, since most of the levels are far more confined than the densely-packed Chinatown map area.
The dual-core processors yielded such low results that I had to run through every one of the graphics quality presets, finding only a 5-6 FPS difference in average performance between Lowest and Ultra. In short, the built-in benchmark brutally punishes our dual-core processors, making them appear obsolete (never mind the fact that each is far above the game’s minimum requirement). I doubt that any of our contenders would have a hard time playing through this title at reduced settings, but Hitman is certainly best enjoyed with a quad-threaded processor.