Hitman 2

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the Intel Arc B580 presents a mixed picture for Hitman 2, with performance heavily dependent on resolution and graphics settings. The data shows this combo is capable of smooth gameplay at 1080p and 1440p with the right presets, but it struggles significantly at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination delivers its strongest results. With Low settings, the average frame rate hits 140 FPS, providing a highly responsive experience well above the 60 FPS playability threshold. Moving to Medium settings, the average drops to 105 FPS, with recorded minimum and maximum values of 89 FPS and 121 FPS respectively, indicating consistent frame pacing. High settings still produce a solid 79 FPS average, keeping the game comfortably playable. However, Ultra settings push the system to its limits at this resolution, with the average falling to 58 FPS, just below the 60 FPS target.

At 2560x1440, performance scales down noticeably. Low settings still deliver an excellent 89 FPS average. Medium settings maintain playability at 67 FPS, with a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 77 FPS, showing some dips below the threshold but generally holding up. High settings drop to 51 FPS average, which falls short of the 60 FPS standard. Ultra settings at 1440p are not viable for smooth play, with the average down to 37 FPS.

The 3840x2160 results are largely below the playability threshold across all settings. Low settings produce a 48 FPS average, which is the best result at this resolution but still not sufficient for 60 FPS gameplay. Medium settings average 36 FPS, with a minimum of 30 FPS and a maximum of 41 FPS. High settings drop further to 27 FPS, and Ultra settings bottom out at 20 FPS. No settings combination at 4K clears the 60 FPS bar, making this resolution unsuitable for this hardware pairing.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Hitman 2 at 1080p with High settings?

A: Yes. Benchmark results show an average of 79 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best playable settings preset at 1440p?

A: The best playable setting at 2560x1440 is Medium, which delivers an average of 67 FPS. Low settings also work at 89 FPS, but Medium offers higher visual fidelity while still staying above 60 FPS.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with this hardware?

A: No. Every settings preset at 3840x2160 fails to reach 60 FPS. The highest average is 48 FPS on Low settings, with Medium at 36 FPS, High at 27 FPS, and Ultra at 20 FPS.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at 1080p?

A: The Ultra preset at 1920x1080 averages 58 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset averages 79 FPS, making High the highest quality setting that remains playable at that resolution.

Q: Are there frame drops below 60 FPS at Medium settings in 1440p?

A: Yes, the minimum recorded FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings is 57 FPS. The average remains at 67 FPS, but brief dips below 60 FPS can occur.

Q: What settings provide the smoothest experience at 1080p?

A: Low settings at 1920x1080 provide the highest average frame rate at 140 FPS. Medium settings also offer a very smooth experience at 105 FPS average with an 89 FPS minimum.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions reveals how the workload shifts between the Intel Core i5-9400 and the Intel Arc B580. At 1920x1080, the CPU has a more prominent role, as the GPU can render frames quickly enough to expose potential processor bottlenecks. The difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p is substantial, with the average dropping from 140 FPS to 58 FPS. This wide gap indicates that the GPU is the primary limiter when graphical demands increase, even at this lower resolution.

When moving to 2560x1440, the GPU's workload grows, and the frame rates scale down accordingly. The Low preset average falls from 140 FPS at 1080p to 89 FPS at 1440p, a 36% reduction. Medium settings drop from 105 FPS to 67 FPS, and High settings from 79 FPS to 51 FPS. These reductions show the Arc B580 becoming more saturated as pixel count rises. The CPU, with its 6 cores and 6 threads, maintains enough headroom to feed the GPU adequately at this resolution, as evidenced by the playable Medium preset.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is overwhelmingly the dominant factor. The performance collapse, with even Low settings only reaching 48 FPS, points to the Arc B580 being unable to handle the 4K pixel throughput for this game. The CPU's role diminishes further, as the GPU is clearly the bottleneck across all presets. The scaling from 1440p Low (89 FPS) to 4K Low (48 FPS) represents a 46% drop, which is more severe than the step from 1080p to 1440p, reinforcing that the GPU is the limiting component at higher resolutions.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals in the database are all within a narrow performance band. The Intel Core i7-1068NG7 scores 0.2% lower than the i5-9400, making it functionally equivalent for this game. The Intel Core i7-10710U is 0.3% faster, and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 is 0.4% faster, all representing negligible differences that would not alter frame rates in Hitman 2. The Intel Core i3-10305 is 0.4% slower, again a marginal gap. Any of these processors would produce nearly identical results when paired with the Arc B580, suggesting that the GPU is the more significant variable in this pairing.

On the GPU side, the Arc B580's nearest rivals show similarly tight clustering. The AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP has an average score 0.2% lower, meaning it would deliver nearly the same frame rates in Hitman 2. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 is 0.6% faster, which could translate to a few extra frames per second at each preset. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is 0.7% slower in the database's average score, an unexpected result that suggests the Arc B580 holds its own against a more powerful card in this particular benchmark metric. The NVIDIA P106-100 is 1% slower, still a close match. For practical purposes, swapping the Arc B580 for any of these GPUs would yield very similar performance characteristics in this game, with the RTX 2080 offering the most likely chance of slightly higher FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-9400 and Intel Arc B580 combination ranks 2810 out of 3711 tested combos in the database for Hitman 2. This places it in the lower portion of the rankings, at roughly the 76th percentile of tested configurations. This ranking is consistent with the measured FPS data: the combo is not a top-tier performer, and it struggles at 4K, but it offers decent playability at 1080p and 1440p. The rank reflects that many other hardware pairings deliver higher average frame rates, particularly at higher resolutions. However, the ranking also shows that a significant number of tested combos perform worse, meaning this setup is far from the weakest option available. The combination's position is driven more by the GPU's limitations at 4K than by the CPU, which holds its own in the mid-range segment.

The Verdict

This PC can run Hitman 2, but the experience depends entirely on your target resolution. At 1920x1080, the system is clearly capable, with playable settings including High, Low, and Medium. The best playable setting at this resolution is High, which achieves an average of 79 FPS, comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. Low and Medium also work, at 140 FPS and 105 FPS respectively, but High offers the best balance of visual quality and smoothness.

At 2560x1440, the verdict is more conditional. The playable settings are Low and Medium, with Medium being the best option at an average of 67 FPS. This allows for a good visual experience, though the minimum frame rate of 57 FPS means occasional dips below 60 FPS are possible. High and Ultra settings at 1440p are not playable, with averages of 51 FPS and 37 FPS respectively.

At 3840x2160, the system fails to deliver a playable experience. No settings preset achieves an average of 60 FPS, with the best result being 48 FPS on Low settings. The verdict is unequivocal: do not attempt 4K gaming with this hardware for Hitman 2. For the best experience, stick to 1080p with High settings, or 1440p with Medium settings, to stay above the playability threshold and enjoy smooth gameplay.