Hitman 2

Hitman 2’s measured performance with the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and Intel Arc B580 shows a pairing that is clearly capable at 1080p and 1440p, but one that loses significant ground at 4K. The data indicates a system where the GPU becomes the primary constraint as resolution climbs, while the CPU provides ample headroom for high frame rates at lower resolutions. This analysis will break down the measured FPS across settings and resolutions, contextualize the ranking of this combo, and explain the roles of both the processor and graphics card based solely on the provided facts.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 5000 series, built on the Zen 3 architecture (codenamed Vermeer) and manufactured on TSMC’s 7 nm process. It operates at a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz, with a TDP of 105 W. Its cache layout includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and a substantial 96 MB of shared L3 cache, which is a defining feature of the X3D line. The processor supports DDR4 memory with dual-channel configuration and a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s, and it is installed on the AMD Socket AM4 platform with PCIe Gen 4 (20 lanes from the CPU). It does not include integrated graphics.

In the context of Hitman 2’s measured results, the CPU’s multithreaded and single-threaded capabilities are essential for maintaining high average FPS. The processor’s PassMark multithread score is 20363, and its single-thread score is 2941. These scores place it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, indicating strong overall performance. Its average benchmark score is 37018, which is nearly identical to its nearest rivals: the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F scores 36945 (a delta of 0.2%), the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 scores 37093 (a delta of -0.2%), the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 scores 36938 (a delta of 0.2%), and the Intel Core i9-12900T scores 37112 (a delta of -0.3%). This tight clustering suggests that the 5500X3D’s performance is squarely in the mainstream-to-upper-midrange tier, neither a standout nor a laggard among its peers.

Looking at the game’s measured FPS, at 1080p Low the combo reaches 140 FPS, which is a strong indicator that the CPU is not a bottleneck at that setting. At 1080p Medium, the average drops to 105 FPS, and at 1080p High it is 79 FPS. These figures show a scaling pattern where the GPU is likely the limiting factor, as the CPU’s 12 threads and high L3 cache provide enough headroom to feed the Arc B580. The 96 MB L3 cache is particularly relevant for a stealth game like Hitman 2, where AI routines, pathfinding, and world-state simulations can benefit from reduced memory latency. The data supports a conclusion that the CPU’s role is to enable consistent frame delivery, but it is not the component that caps performance in the measured scenarios.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 140 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate displays. However, the Medium preset still provides 105 FPS, a 25% reduction from Low but with presumably better visual fidelity. The High preset at 1080p yields 79 FPS, which is playable but drops below the 80 FPS threshold that many users prefer for smooth motion. Ultra at 1080p falls to 58 FPS, which is acceptable for slower-paced stealth gameplay but not ideal for fast action sequences. Given the data, the Medium preset at 1080p offers the best balance, as it maintains over 100 FPS while likely improving visuals over Low.

At 1440p, the Medium preset achieves 67 FPS, with a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 77 FPS. This is a solid result for a 2560x1440 resolution, and it suggests that Medium is the sweet spot for this combo at that resolution. The High preset at 1440p drops to 51 FPS, which is still playable but shows a significant step down. Low at 1440p reaches 89 FPS, but that preset likely sacrifices too much visual quality for the gain. Ultra at 1440p is only 37 FPS, which is below the generally accepted playable threshold of 40 FPS for many gamers. The recommendation for 1440p is clearly Medium, as it is the only preset that combines a playable frame rate with moderate visual demands.

At 4K (3840x2160), the situation changes dramatically. The Medium preset delivers 36 FPS on average, with a minimum of 30 FPS and a maximum of 41 FPS. This is marginal for a stealth game, as the frame rate can dip to 30 FPS during demanding scenes. The High preset at 4K is 27 FPS, and Low is 48 FPS. Interestingly, Low at 4K provides the only preset above 40 FPS, making it the only truly playable option at that resolution. Ultra at 4K is 20 FPS, which is not recommended. The data indicates that for 4K, users should select Low settings to achieve a playable experience, while Medium can be tolerated if the user accepts occasional drops to 30 FPS.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS across resolutions reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling. At Medium settings, the average FPS goes from 105 at 1080p, to 67 at 1440p, and finally to 36 at 4K. This represents a 36% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 66% drop from 1080p to 4K. Similarly, at High settings, the average FPS goes from 79 at 1080p, to 51 at 1440p, and 27 at 4K — a 35% and 66% drop respectively. The scaling is roughly proportional to the increase in pixel count, which is a classic sign that the GPU is the limiting component.

When the resolution increases, the number of pixels that the Intel Arc B580 must render quadruples from 1080p to 4K. The fact that FPS does not drop by exactly 75% (which would be expected if the GPU were perfectly scaling) indicates that there is some CPU involvement, particularly at lower resolutions where the CPU has more relative influence. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 140 FPS, which is high enough that the CPU’s frame delivery becomes more relevant. However, the steep decline to 48 FPS at 4K Low (a 66% drop) shows that the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints as resolution climbs.

The data strongly suggests that the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D is not the bottleneck in this pairing for Hitman 2. The CPU’s 12 threads and high L3 cache are sufficient to drive frame rates well above 100 FPS at 1080p Medium, and the FPS only becomes problematic at 4K where the GPU’s 12 GB of memory and 456.0 GB/s bandwidth are challenged by the higher pixel count. The conclusion is that any user seeking higher 4K performance would need a more powerful GPU, as the CPU has demonstrated it can handle the game’s logic without issue.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and Intel Arc B580 ranks 2262 out of 3001 tested combos in Hitman 2. This places it in the bottom 25% of all tested configurations, which may seem surprising given the individual component performance. However, this ranking is based on the average FPS across all measured settings and resolutions, and the Arc B580’s relatively lower standing in the GPU percentile (68th percentile) drags the combo down compared to pairings with higher-end graphics cards.

To contextualize, the CPU’s percentile versus all CPUs is 85, which is above average, but the GPU’s percentile versus all GPUs is 68, which is below the CPU’s standing. This mismatch means that while the processor is capable, the graphics card is the limiting factor in the overall combo ranking. The rank of 2262 out of 3001 suggests that most other tested combos achieve higher average FPS in Hitman 2, likely because they pair stronger GPUs with similar or better CPUs. The data is measured, and it shows that this specific pairing is not optimized for top-tier performance in this game, despite being capable at 1080p and 1440p.

The nearest rivals for the GPU provide further insight. The Intel Arc B580’s average benchmark score is 23021, which is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (23061, delta of -0.2%), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (22895, delta of 0.6%), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (23172, delta of -0.7%), and the NVIDIA P106-100 (23249, delta of -1%). This clustering shows that the Arc B580 performs at a level comparable to older high-end GPUs like the RTX 2080 and RTX 3080 in synthetic benchmarks, but its real-world Hitman 2 results are still limited by its 68th percentile standing. The combo’s low rank is thus a reflection of the GPU’s mid-range positioning, not a failure of the CPU.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Arc B580 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture (codename Battlemage, Arc 5 generation) and uses TSMC’s 5 nm process. It has a base and boost clock of 2670 MHz, with memory clocked at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). The GPU features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s. It has 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 80 raster operation units, along with 20 ray tracing cores. The pixel rate is 213.6 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 427.2 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance at 13.67 TFLOPS and FP16 at 27.34 TFLOPS (2:1). The card has a TDP of 190 W and requires a 450 W power supply, with a dual-slot design and a single 8-pin power connector. It supports PCIe 4.0 x8 and has display outputs including 1x HDMI 2.1a and 3x DisplayPort 2.1.

In Hitman 2, the GPU’s role is central to the measured FPS. The 12 GB of VRAM is sufficient for the game’s textures, even at 4K, but the bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s becomes a bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the GPU is able to deliver 140 FPS on Low and 105 FPS on Medium, which suggests that the memory bandwidth is not limiting at these resolutions. However, at 4K, the average FPS on Medium drops to 36, and on High to 27, indicating that the GPU’s compute and memory subsystems are struggling to keep up with the increased pixel load.

The GPU’s PassMark G3D score is 15748, and its compute score is 7729, which are consistent with its 68th percentile ranking. The nearest rival data shows that the Arc B580 is within 1% of several older and newer GPUs in average benchmark score, but in Hitman 2, its performance is what it is. The measured FPS at 4K Low (48 FPS) is the only playable option at that resolution, which means that users of this GPU should expect to compromise on visual quality to maintain a playable frame rate. The GPU’s 20 ray tracing cores are present, but the data does not include any ray tracing-specific metrics, so their impact on Hitman 2 cannot be assessed from the provided facts.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average FPS is 140, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D or the Intel Arc B580 the limiting factor at 4K?

A: The data shows that at 4K, the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU provides enough performance to reach 140 FPS at 1080p Low, but the GPU’s FPS drops to 48 at 4K Low, indicating a GPU-bound scenario.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming with this combo?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 delivers 67 FPS average, with a minimum of 57 FPS, making it the best balance of performance and visual quality among the measured rows.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D has an average score of 37018, which is within 0.3% of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (36945), AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (37093), Intel Core Ultra 5 225 (36938), and Intel Core i9-12900T (37112).

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested combinations in Hitman 2?

A: The combo ranks 2262 out of 3001 tested combos, placing it in the lower quarter of all configurations.

Q: Does the Intel Arc B580 have enough VRAM for Hitman 2 at 4K?

A: The GPU has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory, which is sufficient for the game’s textures, but the measured FPS at 4K is low (36 FPS on Medium, 27 FPS on High), indicating that memory bandwidth or compute power, not capacity, is the limiting factor.