Hitman 2

# How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D paired with the Intel Arc B390 lands at rank 2662 out of 3001 tested combos in Hitman 2. That places this configuration in the bottom 11.3% of all tested systems, a striking result given the CPU's strong general-purpose benchmarks. The combo's percentile ranking reflects a fundamental imbalance: the processor is capable of far more than the graphics solution can deliver in this stealth title.

The Ryzen 5 5500X3D itself sits at the 85th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37,018. Its nearest rivals in synthetic testing include the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (0.2% higher score), the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (0.2% lower), the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 (0.2% higher), and the Intel Core i9-12900T (0.3% lower). These are all closely matched processors, with deltas under one percent, indicating the CPU is a mid-to-upper tier part by compute standards.

In stark contrast, the Intel Arc B390's GPU benchmark score of 1,482 places it at just the 9th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 testing are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1.3% higher score), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1.5% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (2.5% higher), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (2.7% higher). These are all entry-level or legacy discrete GPUs from over a decade ago, which contextualizes the Arc B390's position as an integrated graphics solution rather than a performance part.

The data suggests this combo ranks poorly not because either component is defective, but because the GPU is dramatically underpowered relative to the CPU. The 5500X3D can feed frames at a rate the Arc B390 simply cannot render. In Hitman 2's dense, NPC-filled environments, this bottleneck becomes the defining characteristic of the entire system's performance profile.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is built on Intel's Xe3-LPG architecture, using the Panther Lake chip fabricated on a 3 nm process. Its clock speeds are listed at a 300 MHz base and 2,500 MHz boost, with a 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate and 120.0 GTexel/s texture rate. The GPU delivers 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 15.36 TFLOPS of FP16 compute at a 2:1 ratio. It has 1,536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, 24 ROPs, and 12 ray tracing cores.

The memory configuration is unusual: the Arc B390 uses System Shared memory, meaning it has no dedicated VRAM of its own. Memory type, bus width, and bandwidth are all listed as "System Shared" or "System Dependent," which means the GPU draws from the same DDR4 pool as the CPU. This creates a significant performance constraint in a game like Hitman 2, which benefits from dedicated video memory for texture streaming and level geometry.

The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1,482 puts it at the 9th percentile, and its nearest rivals are all NVIDIA parts from the GT 600 and 800 series era. The Arc B390's TDP is 80 W, and it is classified as an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no power connectors and a slot width of "IGP." It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so API compatibility is not the limiting factor here.

In Hitman 2 specifically, the measured FPS data shows the GPU struggling even at 1080p Low settings. The combination of shared memory bandwidth and the modest 24 ROPs likely explains why frame rates collapse as resolution increases. At 4K Ultra, the combo manages only 11 FPS average, which is barely interactive. The ray tracing cores are present, but Hitman 2 does not heavily utilize ray tracing, so they contribute little to this game's results.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance cliff as resolution scales from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 80 FPS average. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 51 FPS, a 36.3% reduction. At 4K Low, the average falls to 27 FPS, which is 66.3% below the 1080p Low figure. This scaling pattern is far worse than what a purely GPU-bound system would typically show, suggesting the shared memory architecture and limited ROP count are compounding the resolution penalty.

For Medium settings, the pattern continues: 60 FPS at 1080p, 39 FPS at 1440p, and 21 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 35%, and from 1080p to 4K is 65%. High settings show 46 FPS at 1080p, 29 FPS at 1440p, and 16 FPS at 4K, representing 37% and 65.2% reductions respectively. Ultra settings are the most punishing: 34 FPS at 1080p, 21 FPS at 1440p, and 11 FPS at 4K, with 38.2% and 67.6% drops.

The consistency of these percentage drops across all settings presets indicates the GPU is the sole limiting factor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the scaling from 1080p to 4K would show a flatter curve at lower resolutions, with the gap widening only as the GPU becomes saturated. Instead, the near-uniform ~35% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and ~65% reduction from 1080p to 4K across every settings tier points to a GPU that is fully saturated even at the lowest resolution and settings combination tested.

The 4K results are particularly revealing. At 4K Ultra, the combo produces 11 FPS average, which is below the minimum playable threshold for any action game. Even at 4K Low, the 27 FPS average would be borderline for a stealth title where precision timing matters. The data implies that 4K is not a viable resolution for this combo in Hitman 2, regardless of settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results. Low settings produce an average of 80 FPS, which is the only configuration in the entire dataset to exceed 60 FPS. Medium settings yield 60 FPS average, with a minimum of 51 FPS and maximum of 69 FPS, indicating some frame-time variance but generally smooth performance. High settings drop to 46 FPS average, while Ultra falls to 34 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 46 FPS, representing a 57.5% performance swing based solely on settings.

At 2560x1440, the performance picture weakens considerably. Low settings average 51 FPS, which is playable but no longer smooth for a stealth game requiring quick reactions. Medium settings average 39 FPS, with a minimum of 33 FPS and maximum of 44 FPS. High settings drop to 29 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 21 FPS. The 1440p results suggest that only Low settings are viable for consistent 50+ FPS gameplay, and even then, the margin above 60 FPS is nonexistent.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles across the board. Low settings average 27 FPS, Medium averages 21 FPS with a minimum of 17 and maximum of 24, High averages 16 FPS, and Ultra averages 11 FPS. None of these results approach playable frame rates for Hitman 2's stealth mechanics, where observing guard patterns and timing movements require smooth, responsive visuals. The 4K Medium data point is the only one with min/max values, showing a tight 17-24 FPS range, which suggests the GPU is consistently hitting its performance ceiling rather than experiencing intermittent stutters.

The 1080p Medium result deserves special attention: 60 FPS average with a 51 FPS minimum. This is the only measured configuration that maintains a minimum above 50 FPS, making it the most consistent option for gameplay. The 1080p Low result of 80 FPS average is higher but lacks min/max data, so its consistency cannot be verified from the dataset.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 5000 series, built on the Zen 3 architecture with the Vermeer codename. It uses a 7 nm process from TSMC with a 74 mm² die size. The CPU has a 3.00 GHz base clock and 4.00 GHz boost clock, with a 105 W TDP. It supports DDR4 memory in dual-channel configuration with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth and includes ECC memory support. The processor fits into AMD Socket AM4 and provides PCIe Gen 4 with 20 lanes.

The cache hierarchy is notable: 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and 96 MB of shared L3 cache. This large L3 cache is a significant asset for gaming, as it reduces the need to fetch data from system memory, which is particularly important given the GPU's reliance on shared system memory. The CPU's synthetic benchmarks are robust, with a Passmark multithread score of 20,363, single-thread score of 2,941, and an average benchmark score of 37,018.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role appears to be largely underutilized. The game's measured FPS data shows a GPU-bound system at all resolutions and settings. The CPU's 96 MB L3 cache should help with the game's large, detailed levels, but the Arc B390's performance ceiling prevents the CPU from ever becoming the limiting factor. The Passmark physics score of 2,282 and floating point math score of 34,511 suggest the CPU can handle the game's AI and simulation workloads with headroom to spare.

The CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic testing all perform within 0.3% of its average score, which confirms it sits in a well-populated performance tier. The Ryzen 5 5600F, Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450, Core Ultra 5 225, and Core i9-12900T are all effectively equivalent in compute performance. This means the CPU choice is not the deciding factor for this combo's gaming performance — the GPU is.

The data implies that pairing this CPU with a more capable graphics solution would dramatically improve Hitman 2 frame rates. However, based on the measured results, the 5500X3D's processing power is largely wasted in this configuration, as the Arc B390 cannot translate the CPU's compute headroom into additional frames.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo achieves in Hitman 2?

A: The highest average FPS is 80, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. The next best is 60 FPS at 1080p Medium, which also has a minimum of 51 FPS.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this combo?

A: No. The best 4K result is 27 FPS average at Low settings, with Medium at 21 FPS, High at 16 FPS, and Ultra at 11 FPS. None of these approach playable frame rates for a stealth action game.

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

A: The Intel Arc B390 scores 1,482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M, 2.5% higher than the GT 625 OEM, and 2.7% higher than the GT 710. It ranks at the 9th percentile among all GPUs.

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

A: The Ryzen 5 5500X3D has an average benchmark score of 37,018. The Ryzen 5 5600F scores 0.2% higher, the Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 scores 0.2% lower, the Core Ultra 5 225 scores 0.2% higher, and the Core i9-12900T scores 0.3% lower. All are within 0.3% of each other.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank among tested systems for Hitman 2?

A: The combo ranks 2662 out of 3001 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 11.3% of all configurations tested for this game.

Q: Which resolution and settings combination provides the most consistent frame rate?

A: The 1920x1080 Medium preset provides 60 FPS average with a minimum of 51 FPS and maximum of 69 FPS. This is the only measured configuration with a minimum above 50 FPS, indicating the most consistent performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the only settings preset that delivers a consistently playable experience is 1920x1080 with Medium settings, which averages 60 FPS with a 51 FPS minimum. This configuration maintains frame rates above the 50 FPS threshold throughout the tested range, making it the safest choice for smooth stealth gameplay.

The 1080p Low preset achieves 80 FPS average, which is the highest measured frame rate in the dataset. However, without minimum FPS data, it is impossible to confirm whether this setting experiences frame-time spikes that could compromise the experience. The 20 FPS gap between Low and Medium at 1080p suggests Low is the more performant option if visual fidelity is less important than raw speed.

At 1440p, only Low settings (51 FPS average) approach playability, but the lack of minimum FPS data introduces uncertainty. Medium at 1440p drops to 39 FPS average with a 33 FPS minimum, which is below the smooth threshold for a game requiring precise timing. For players who prioritize resolution over settings, 1440p Low is the only viable option, but 1080p Medium offers a better balance of visual quality and performance consistency.

The 4K resolution should be avoided entirely, as even Low settings produce only 27 FPS average. The data indicates that this combo's optimal experience is firmly at 1080p, with Medium settings providing the best combination of visual fidelity and frame rate stability. Players seeking higher frame rates can drop to Low for an 80 FPS average, while those wanting better visuals should accept the 60 FPS cap at Medium.

Given the GPU's 9th percentile ranking and its performance parity with decade-old NVIDIA parts, the measured results align with expectations. The Ryzen 5 5500X3D's compute capabilities are significantly underutilized in this configuration, but within the constraints of the Arc B390, 1080p Medium represents the sweet spot for Hitman 2.