Hitman 2

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the Intel Arc B580 presents a mixed picture for Hitman 2, a 2018 stealth title. Benchmark data shows that this combination delivers a smooth experience at 1080p and 1440p with adjusted settings, but it is not capable of maintaining playable frame rates at 4K. The CPU is a high-end desktop part with a 89th percentile ranking among all tested CPUs, while the GPU sits at the 68th percentile, indicating a significant imbalance that favors the processor. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across resolutions and presets, examines the roles of each component, and provides clear guidance on the best settings for this specific hardware pairing.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest resolution at which this PC can maintain an average of 60 FPS or higher in Hitman 2?

A: The highest resolution with playable settings is 2560x1440, where the Medium preset achieves an average of 66.8 FPS. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 76.4 FPS, and the Low preset reaches 142 FPS.

Q: Is the Intel Arc B580 the limiting factor at 4K resolution?

A: The data indicates a clear GPU bottleneck at 3840x2160. Even at the Low preset, the average FPS is only 44.8, and the Ultra preset drops to 18.4 FPS. No settings preset at this resolution reaches the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: How does the Intel Core i7-13700K compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i7-13700K's average benchmark score is 46881. It is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, which scores 46971 (a delta of -0.2%), and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375, which scores 47022 (a delta of -0.3%). It is also within 0.5% of the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX and Intel Xeon w3-2535.

Q: What are the most demanding settings that remain playable at 1080p and 1440p?

A: At 1920x1080, the High preset is the most demanding playable option, yielding 76.4 FPS. At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the best playable option, yielding 66.8 FPS. The Ultra preset falls below 60 FPS at both resolutions.

Q: Does the Ultra preset ever achieve a playable frame rate with this hardware?

A: No. The Ultra preset fails to reach the 60 FPS threshold at all tested resolutions. The highest average FPS for Ultra is 58.5 at 1920x1080, which is just below the playable threshold.

Q: How does this specific combo rank among all tested hardware combinations for Hitman 2?

A: This CPU and GPU pairing is ranked 2842 out of 3711 total tested combinations, placing it in the lower portion of the database for this game.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data across resolutions and presets reveals a significant performance bottleneck in the graphics card. When examining the scaling from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 and then to 3840x2160, the frame rate drops are substantial, which is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario. For instance, at High settings, the average FPS falls from 76.4 at 1080p to 50.2 at 1440p, and then to 29.5 at 4K. This consistent decline with increasing pixel count indicates that the Intel Arc B580 is the primary constraint, as the workload becomes more demanding on the rendering hardware.

The CPU's role appears more prominent at lower resolutions and lower graphical presets, where the GPU has less work to do. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS reaches 142, which is high enough that the processor's single-thread performance and core count can become more relevant. The i7-13700K, with its 16 cores and 24 threads, is well-equipped to handle the game's logic and AI. However, as the resolution and preset level increase, the GPU quickly becomes the limiting factor, capping performance well below what the CPU is capable of supporting.

This pattern is most evident when comparing the FPS scaling between presets at a fixed resolution. At 2560x1440, moving from Low to Medium reduces the average FPS from 89.3 to 66.8, and then to 50.2 at High. The steep drop from Medium to High, and the even more severe drop to Ultra at 37.6 FPS, underscores that the Arc B580's compute and memory bandwidth are insufficient for the heavier shader and texture workloads. The data suggests that for this game, the GPU is the decisive component for achieving high frame rates, and the CPU's strength is largely untapped at higher settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination performs well across most presets. The Low preset yields an average of 142 FPS, providing a very high refresh rate experience. Medium follows at 104.7 FPS, and High is still comfortably above the playable threshold at 76.4 FPS. The Ultra preset, however, drops to 58.5 FPS, just missing the 60 FPS target needed for smooth gameplay.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance takes a noticeable hit. The Low preset remains playable at 89.3 FPS, and the Medium preset maintains a solid 66.8 FPS. The High preset falls to 50.2 FPS, which is below the playable threshold, and the Ultra preset drops further to 37.6 FPS. This resolution requires users to compromise on visual quality to maintain a smooth frame rate.

At 3840x2160, the hardware is overwhelmed. The Low preset achieves only 44.8 FPS, followed by Medium at 35.2 FPS, High at 29.5 FPS, and Ultra at 18.4 FPS. None of these settings provide a playable experience, as all fall significantly short of the 60 FPS target. The data shows a clear and consistent degradation in performance as both resolution and preset level increase, with the gap between the CPU's capability and the GPU's rendering power becoming more apparent at higher loads.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the Intel Core i7-13700K, the nearest rivals in average benchmark score are the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375, both of which score within 0.3% of the Intel part. The AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX and Intel Xeon w3-2535 are also extremely close, with a delta of only 0.5%. In practical terms, any of these CPUs would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Hitman 2 when paired with the same GPU, as the performance difference is negligible.

On the GPU side, the Intel Arc B580's average score of 23021 places it very close to the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP, which scores 23061 (a delta of -0.2%). The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 and RTX 3080 are also within 1% of the Arc B580's score, with deltas of 0.6% and -0.7% respectively. This is notable, as it suggests that the Arc B580 performs similarly to these older or higher-tier NVIDIA cards in this specific benchmark. For Hitman 2, users could expect similar performance from any of these GPUs, meaning that the observed FPS numbers would likely be replicated with these alternatives.

The Verdict

This PC can run Hitman 2, but the experience depends heavily on the chosen resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the system is fully capable, with the High preset delivering 76.4 FPS and the Low preset reaching 142 FPS. The Ultra preset is the only option that fails to reach 60 FPS, coming in at 58.5 FPS. At 2560x1440, the system remains playable but requires lower settings; the Medium preset achieves 66.8 FPS, while High and Ultra fall below the threshold. At 3840x2160, the hardware is not sufficient for a playable experience, as even the Low preset only manages 44.8 FPS.

The verdict by resolution is clear: 1080p and 1440p are viable, but 4K is not. For users prioritizing high frame rates at 1080p, the High preset offers a good balance. For 1440p, the Medium preset is the best option for staying above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset should be avoided at all resolutions, as it consistently fails to meet the playable threshold. Overall, this combination is best suited for 1080p gaming with high settings or 1440p gaming with medium settings.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for Hitman 2, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i7-13700K and Intel Arc B580 ranks 2842 out of 3711 total combinations. This places it in the lower 23% of all tested systems, which may seem surprising given the individual component rankings. The discrepancy arises because the GPU is the limiting factor for this game, and while the CPU is powerful, it cannot compensate for the Arc B580's performance ceiling at higher resolutions. The rank reflects the overall playability across all tested settings, where the inability to run 4K and the need to reduce settings at 1440p pull the score down.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the best settings that maintain an average FPS at or above 60 are the High preset, which delivers 76.4 FPS. This provides the highest visual quality while still offering a comfortable margin above the playable threshold. The Low and Medium presets also work, but they do not offer the same level of graphical detail.

For 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the optimal choice, achieving an average of 66.8 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that clears the 60 FPS mark, as the High preset drops to 50.2 FPS. Users should select Medium for the best balance of visual fidelity and performance at this resolution.

For 3840x2160, no preset achieves the 60 FPS target. The Low preset comes closest with 44.8 FPS, but this is still well below playable levels. The data indicates that this resolution should be avoided with this hardware configuration, as even the lowest settings do not provide a smooth experience.