Hitman 2

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for Hitman 2 with the Intel Core i5-9400 and Intel Arc B390 spans three resolutions and four quality presets. The results show a steep performance curve as resolution increases, with the combo only reaching the 60 FPS playable threshold at 1080p on lower settings.

At 3840x2160, the numbers are consistently below playable levels. On Low settings, the average frame rate is 27 FPS. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 21 FPS, with a recorded minimum of 17 FPS and a maximum of 24 FPS. High settings yield an average of 16 FPS, while Ultra brings the average down to 11 FPS. None of these figures approach the 60 FPS threshold, and even the Low preset average sits far below what would be considered smooth gameplay.

At 2560x1440, performance improves but remains under the playable line. Low settings produce an average of 51 FPS, which is close to the 60 FPS mark but still short. Medium settings average 39 FPS, with a minimum of 33 FPS and a maximum of 44 FPS. High settings drop to an average of 29 FPS, and Ultra averages 21 FPS. The gap between Low and the next preset is notable: a 12 FPS difference between Low and Medium at this resolution.

At 1920x1080, the picture changes meaningfully. Low settings deliver an average of 80 FPS, comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings average exactly 60 FPS, with a minimum of 51 FPS and a maximum of 69 FPS. High settings fall to an average of 46 FPS, and Ultra averages 34 FPS. The data shows that the playable range at 1080p covers Low and Medium, with Medium being the highest preset that sustains the 60 FPS average.

The minimum and maximum figures are only recorded for the Medium preset at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the 51 FPS minimum means that while the average clears 60 FPS, there are frames that dip below it. At 1440p Medium, the 33 FPS minimum and 44 FPS maximum indicate a wider variance relative to the 39 FPS average. At 4K Medium, the 17 FPS minimum and 24 FPS maximum show a similarly broad spread.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Hitman 2 at 60 FPS on a 4K display?

A: No. The recorded data shows no playable settings at 3840x2160. The highest average at 4K is 27 FPS on Low settings, and the lowest is 11 FPS on Ultra. None of the four presets reach the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the best settings preset at 1920x1080 that stays at or above 60 FPS?

A: Medium is the highest preset that maintains a 60 FPS average at 1080p. The recorded average is exactly 60 FPS, with a minimum of 51 FPS and a maximum of 69 FPS. Low settings also clear the threshold with an 80 FPS average, but Medium is the most demanding preset that qualifies.

Q: How does the combo perform at 2560x1440 on Low settings?

A: The average frame rate is 51 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The verdict data confirms that no settings at 1440p are playable for this combination.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: Low settings average 80 FPS, while Ultra averages 34 FPS. That is a 46 FPS difference between the two presets at the same resolution.

Q: Is the Intel Arc B390 a strong performer relative to other GPUs in the database?

A: The GPU has a percentile rank of 9 against all GPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score is 1482 on the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. The nearest rival, NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, scores 1463, which is 1.3% lower.

Q: How does the CPU compare to similar processors in the database?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 has a percentile rank of 47 against all CPUs. Its average benchmark score is 2254. The nearest rival, Intel Core i7-1068NG7, scores 2259, which is 0.2% higher, while the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, which is 0.4% lower.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for both components, the database shows which other hardware would deliver comparable behavior in this combination.

For the Intel Core i5-9400, the closest matches in average benchmark score are the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 at 2259 (0.2% higher), the Intel Core i3-10305 at 2264 (0.4% higher), the Intel Core i7-10710U at 2248 (0.3% lower), and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 at 2246 (0.4% lower). These CPUs all sit within a narrow band around the i5-9400's 2254 average score. In practical terms, swapping the i5-9400 for any of these processors would likely produce nearly identical frame rates in Hitman 2, since the performance deltas are under half a percent.

For the Intel Arc B390, the nearest rivals are all NVIDIA GPUs from older generations. The GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463, which is 1.3% below the B390's 1482. The GeForce 800M scores 1460, 1.5% lower. The GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446, 2.5% lower. The GeForce GT 710 scores 1443, 2.7% lower. These deltas are small, suggesting that the B390 and these GPUs would behave similarly under load. However, the GPU's percentile rank of 9 indicates it sits near the bottom of the database's GPU rankings, so any of these alternatives would also struggle with demanding titles at high resolutions.

Since the CPU sits near the middle of the database (percentile 47) and the GPU sits near the bottom (percentile 9), the overall combo performance in Hitman 2 is heavily constrained by the graphics side. A user building a similar system with any of the rival CPUs listed above would see the same FPS pattern: playable at 1080p Low and Medium, but not at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database's measured combos for Hitman 2, this pairing of Intel Core i5-9400 and Intel Arc B390 ranks 3300 out of 3711 total combinations. That places it in the lower 11% of tested systems. The rank reflects the GPU's weak standing: with a percentile of 9 among all GPUs, the B390 is one of the weaker graphics processors in the database, and the CPU's mid-pack percentile of 47 cannot compensate.

The rank of 3300 out of 3711 means that roughly 89% of tested combos perform better in this game. This is consistent with the measured FPS data, which shows no playable settings at 1440p or 4K. The combo only clears the 60 FPS threshold at 1080p on Low and Medium presets, and even then, Medium just barely hits 60 FPS on average.

The gap between this combo and the top of the database is substantial, but the rank also reflects the age and class of the components. The CPU is a 6-core, 6-thread Coffee Lake part from 2018, and the GPU is an integrated-class part with system-shared memory. For a game like Hitman 2, which relies heavily on GPU throughput, the B390 becomes the limiting factor.

The Verdict

Based on the recorded data, this PC can run Hitman 2 only at 1920x1080 resolution. The verdict by resolution is clear: at 3840x2160, there are no playable settings, meaning no preset reaches the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, the same applies, no playable settings exist. At 1920x1080, the playable settings are Low and Medium.

The best settings at 1080p are Medium, with an average of 60 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that stays at or above the 60 FPS playable threshold. Low settings provide a higher margin with an 80 FPS average, but Medium offers better visual quality while still hitting the target.

For users who want to play Hitman 2 with this hardware, 1080p is the only viable resolution. At 1440p, the closest result is 51 FPS on Low, which is below the threshold and likely to feel stuttery during action sequences. At 4K, even Low settings only reach 27 FPS, which is far from smooth.

The data does not support any settings at 1440p or 4K, so the verdict is clear: this is a 1080p machine for this game, and Medium is the ceiling for a 60 FPS experience.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, no settings are playable. The database records no best settings for this resolution, as none of the presets reach the 60 FPS threshold. The closest preset, Low, averages 27 FPS, which is less than half of the target.

At 2560x1440, the same situation applies. No settings are playable, and the database records no best settings. Low averages 51 FPS, which is the highest at this resolution but still 9 FPS short of the threshold.

At 1920x1080, the best settings are Medium. The average frame rate is exactly 60 FPS, with a minimum of 51 FPS and a maximum of 69 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that stays at or above the playable threshold. Low settings also qualify with an 80 FPS average, but Medium provides the higher visual quality at the same 60 FPS average.

The pattern across resolutions is consistent: the GPU cannot scale well enough to maintain 60 FPS as resolution increases. The 1080p Medium setting is the sweet spot, delivering the target frame rate with the best visual fidelity that this combo can manage.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals how the CPU and GPU each contribute to performance in Hitman 2 across resolutions and presets.

The Intel Core i5-9400 has 6 cores and 6 threads, with a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. Its benchmark scores place it at the 47th percentile of all CPUs. The Intel Arc B390 has 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, with a boost clock of 2500 MHz. Its benchmark score places it at the 9th percentile of all GPUs. This imbalance suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck in most scenarios.

Looking at the frame rate scaling, the GPU's influence is visible in the resolution transitions. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS on Low settings drops from 80 to 51, a 36% decrease. From 1440p to 4K, it drops from 51 to 27, a 47% decrease. These large drops indicate that the GPU is struggling with the increasing pixel count, as the CPU's workload does not scale as dramatically with resolution.

The preset scaling shows a similar story. At 1080p, Low averages 80 FPS, Medium averages 60 FPS, High averages 46 FPS, and Ultra averages 34 FPS. The step from Low to Medium is a 25% drop, Medium to High is a 23% drop, and High to Ultra is a 26% drop. This near-linear scaling with preset quality suggests the GPU is fully utilized at each setting level, with no CPU limitation preventing higher frame rates.

At 1440p, the Low preset averages 51 FPS, which is close to the 60 FPS target. This indicates that even at lower settings, the GPU is working hard to maintain playable frame rates. The CPU, by contrast, has enough headroom that it is not the limiting factor here.

The CPU's role becomes more evident when considering the game's genre. Hitman 2 is a stealth game with AI-driven NPCs and complex scenes. The i5-9400's 6 threads and 4.10 GHz boost clock provide adequate single-thread performance for game logic, but the mid-pack percentile rank (47) means it is not a standout performer. Still, the frame rate data does not show a CPU bottleneck: the FPS scales smoothly with GPU load across presets and resolutions.

In summary, the GPU dominates the performance picture. The B390's low percentile rank (9) and the steep FPS drops with resolution and preset increases point to it as the component that determines playability. The CPU is sufficient for the game's demands, but it cannot overcome the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions. For users considering upgrades, the data suggests that replacing the GPU would yield the largest FPS gains, while the CPU would remain adequate for this workload.