Hitman 2

The Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the Intel Arc B580 delivers a workable but resolution-sensitive experience in Hitman 2. At 1080p, this combo is comfortably playable across all presets, but performance degrades sharply as resolution climbs, with 4K proving unplayable at every tested setting. Benchmark results indicate a system that is clearly capable for mainstream 1080p and acceptable 1440p gaming, but it lacks the headroom for high-resolution, high-detail play.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers strong frame rates: Low settings average 137.9 FPS, Medium averages 103 FPS, High averages 80.1 FPS, and Ultra averages 60.9 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a predictable performance cost, with the Ultra preset costing roughly 56% of the Low preset’s average frame rate. All 1080p presets clear the 60 FPS playable threshold, making this resolution the clear sweet spot for the hardware.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance drops noticeably. Low settings average 86.3 FPS, Medium averages 64.5 FPS, High averages 50 FPS, and Ultra falls to 35.6 FPS. The data shows that only Low and Medium presets maintain fluid gameplay above 60 FPS at this resolution. High and Ultra presets dip below the playable threshold, with Ultra being particularly demanding — it delivers less than half the frame rate of the Low preset.

At 3840x2160, the results are disappointing. Low settings average 45.4 FPS, Medium averages 33.6 FPS, High averages 25.4 FPS, and Ultra averages 22 FPS. None of these settings reach 60 FPS, and even the lowest preset fails to maintain playable performance. The 4K data reveals a hard ceiling for this combination, with even the most forgiving settings producing a sub-60 FPS experience.

The verdictByResolution data confirms this pattern: at 3840x2160 there are no playable settings, at 2560x1440 only Low and Medium are playable, and at 1920x1080 all four presets are playable. The best settings by resolution are Medium at 1440p (64.5 FPS) and Ultra at 1080p (60.9 FPS).

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions indicates that the Intel Arc B580 is the primary bottleneck in this pairing. The CPU — a 20-core, 28-thread Raptor Lake part with a 5.60 GHz boost clock and a 94th percentile ranking among all CPUs — is far more powerful than the GPU’s needs. The GPU, by contrast, sits at the 68th percentile of all GPUs, with benchmarks that place it near the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 and RTX 3080 in average score.

The resolution scaling tells the story: going from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 20-30% of the average FPS depending on preset, and going from 1440p to 4K costs another 30-40%. This dramatic drop-off across resolutions is typical of GPU-bound scenarios, where the render load outpaces the graphics card’s fill rate and bandwidth. The Arc B580’s 456.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 13.67 TFLOPS FP32 compute are sufficient for 1080p and light 1440p work, but they are not enough to sustain high frame rates at 4K.

At 1080p, the CPU likely has more influence on the upper-end frame rates. The i7-14700K’s strong single-core performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2160, Geekbench single-core of 2569) helps push the Low preset to 137.9 FPS and Ultra to 60.9 FPS without the GPU stalling. However, even at this resolution, the GPU is the limiting factor for Ultra settings, as the frame rate drops to just above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 1440p and 4K, the GPU’s role becomes dominant. The data shows that lowering settings from Ultra to Low at 1440p yields a 50.7 FPS improvement (from 35.6 to 86.3), while at 4K the same settings change yields only a 23.4 FPS improvement (from 22 to 45.4). This suggests that at 4K, even the lowest settings overwhelm the GPU, and the CPU’s headroom cannot compensate for the render load.

How This Combo Ranks

Among all tested CPU-GPU combinations in Hitman 2, the i7-14700K + Arc B580 combo ranks 2851 out of 3711 combos. This places it in roughly the bottom 23% of tested systems, which is a poor showing given the hardware’s specifications. The low ranking is primarily due to the GPU’s performance ceiling — the Arc B580’s average benchmark score of 23021 is only 0.6% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 and 0.7% behind the RTX 3080 in the nearest rivals list, but those comparisons are across general workloads, not this specific game.

In Hitman 2, the combo’s rank suggests that many less powerful-looking CPUs paired with stronger GPUs outperform this configuration. The CPU itself is not the issue — the i7-14700K’s average benchmark score of 69355 is within 0.2% of the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X and 0.1% of the AMD EPYC 9115, showing it is a top-tier processor. The bottleneck is the GPU, which cannot leverage the CPU’s full potential in this title at higher resolutions.

The percentile data reinforces this: the CPU is in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 68th percentile. This imbalance means the combo’s overall ranking is dragged down by the GPU’s relative weakness, particularly in a game like Hitman 2 that appears to scale well with graphics hardware across presets.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Hitman 2 at 4K with any settings?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the measured FPS ranges from 22 FPS on Ultra to 45.4 FPS on Low, and none of the settings reach the 60 FPS playable threshold. The verdictByResolution data lists no playable settings at 4K.

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

A: Medium settings at 2560x1440 provide an average of 64.5 FPS, which is the highest preset that stays at or above 60 FPS. Low settings average 86.3 FPS, but Medium offers better visual quality while still clearing the threshold.

Q: Is the Ultra preset playable at 1080p?

A: Yes. At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the combo averages 60.9 FPS, just barely above the 60 FPS playable threshold. This is the most demanding preset at 1080p that still maintains fluid gameplay.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Arc B580’s average benchmark score of 23021 is 0.6% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080’s 22895, and 0.7% lower than the RTX 3080’s 23172. It also trails the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP by 0.2% in average score.

Q: What frame rate does the Low preset achieve at 1080p?

A: The Low preset at 1920x1080 averages 137.9 FPS, which is the highest measured frame rate across all resolutions and settings in the data. This indicates the combo can handle high-refresh-rate gaming at low settings.

Q: Does the CPU hold back the GPU in this game?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not the limiting factor. The i7-14700K ranks in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU ranks in the 68th percentile. The frame rate drops sharply with resolution increases, which points to GPU-bound performance.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the most demanding option that stays at or above 60 FPS, averaging 60.9 FPS. Lower presets provide more headroom: High averages 80.1 FPS, Medium averages 103 FPS, and Low averages 137.9 FPS, so players targeting higher refresh rates can drop to Medium or Low for a significant FPS boost.

At 2560x1440, Medium is the best playable preset, averaging 64.5 FPS. Low is also playable at 86.3 FPS, but High and Ultra fall short at 50 FPS and 35.6 FPS respectively. For a balance of visual quality and smoothness, Medium is the recommended choice.

At 3840x2160, no preset is playable, as even Low averages only 45.4 FPS. The best approach at 4K would be to reduce the resolution or rely on upscaling techniques, though the data does not include any such measurements.

The Verdict

This PC can run Hitman 2, but only under specific conditions. At 1920x1080, the combo is fully playable across all presets — Low, Medium, High, and Ultra all clear the 60 FPS threshold, with Ultra averaging 60.9 FPS and High averaging 80.1 FPS. At 2560x1440, the system is playable on Low (86.3 FPS) and Medium (64.5 FPS), but High and Ultra drop below 60 FPS. At 3840x2160, the combo fails to reach playable frame rates on any setting, with the best result being Low at 45.4 FPS.

The verdictByResolution data is clear: 1080p is the sweet spot for this pairing, 1440p is viable with lowered settings, and 4K is out of reach. The Intel Arc B580 is a mid-range GPU that pairs awkwardly with the high-end i7-14700K — the CPU has far more headroom than the GPU can use in this title. For a 1080p gaming rig that prioritizes high frame rates, this combo performs well. For 1440p, it requires settings compromises. For 4K, it is not a viable option without significant graphical sacrifices. The rank of 2851 out of 3711 combos reflects this reality — the system is functional but not competitive at higher resolutions. If your target is 1080p high-refresh or 1440p medium, this setup delivers. If 4K gaming is the goal, the GPU would need to be upgraded.