Hitman 2

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

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 7000 series, built on the Zen 4 architecture (codenamed Raphael) using TSMC's 5 nm process. It operates at a base clock of 3.80 GHz and boosts to 5.10 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. Its cache layout includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. The processor supports DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, offering 83.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth, and connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 24 lanes.

In synthetic testing, the Ryzen 5 7600 achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22992 and a single-core score of 3246. Its Passmark multi-thread score is 27058, with a single-thread score of 3910. These results place the CPU in the 83rd percentile of all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 26617. The nearest rivals in aggregate performance are the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D (avg score 26574, delta +0.2%), Intel Core i9-12900HK (26672, delta -0.2%), AMD EPYC 8024P (26555, delta +0.2%), and Intel Core i9-11900K (26546, delta +0.3%). Essentially, the 7600 sits within a tight 0.5% band of these four competitors, meaning its computational throughput is statistically indistinguishable from them in general workloads.

For Hitman 2, a stealth title from 2018, the CPU's role is significant but not dominant at lower resolutions. The game's engine benefits from strong single-thread performance, where the 7600's 5.10 GHz boost clock and Zen 4 architecture deliver. The 3dmark single-thread score of 999 and the 2-thread score of 1938 indicate that lightly-threaded tasks are handled with high efficiency. Multi-threaded scaling is also robust, as the 8-thread score of 5508 and max-thread score of 6503 demonstrate, though Hitman 2's engine typically doesn't stress all 12 threads equally. The CPU's 32 MB L3 cache helps with level streaming and NPC AI, which are common in the sandbox-style missions of the game.

At 1080p with Low settings, the combo reaches 136.8 FPS, which suggests the CPU is not the primary limiter even in this best-case scenario for the GPU. The data indicates that the Ryzen 5 7600 provides ample headroom for the Intel Arc B580 to express its capabilities, particularly as resolution increases and the GPU becomes the bottleneck.

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

The Intel Arc B580 is based on the Xe2-HPG architecture (generation Battlemage, Arc 5 series) with the BMG-G21 chip, manufactured on TSMC's 5 nm process with 19,600 million transistors on a 272 mm² die. It features 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units, along with 20 ray tracing cores. The GPU runs at a boost clock of 2670 MHz, with memory clocked at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). It has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The card's FP32 performance is 13.67 TFLOPS, with a pixel rate of 213.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 427.2 GTexel/s. Its TDP is 190 W, requiring a 450 W suggested PSU, and it connects via PCIe 4.0 x8.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Arc B580 scores 15748 in Passmark G3D and 7729 in GPU compute. Its 3dmark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 3068, with Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan scores of 92821 and 109672, respectively. The GPU sits in the 66th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23021. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 760M (22999, delta +0.1%), NVIDIA P106-100 (22950, delta +0.3%), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (23181, delta -0.7%), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile (22729, delta +1.3%). The B580 is effectively neck-and-neck with the RTX 4060 in aggregate performance, being only 0.7% behind.

For Hitman 2, the GPU's 12 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for the game's textures at any setting, as the title's highest memory demands are modest by modern standards. The 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth ensures that texture streaming and lighting calculations proceed without stutter. The 2670 MHz boost clock provides a solid baseline for the rendering pipeline. At 4K Ultra, the combo delivers only 20.1 FPS, indicating that the Arc B580's compute throughput is the limiting factor at this extreme setting. The drop from 1080p Ultra (56.2 FPS) to 4K Ultra (20.1 FPS) represents a 64.2% reduction, which aligns with the GPU being the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 7600 compare to the Intel Core i9-12900HK in overall CPU performance?

A: The Ryzen 5 7600 has an average benchmark score of 26617, while the Core i9-12900HK scores 26672. The delta is -0.2%, meaning the 7600 is essentially 0.2% slower, which is a negligible difference in real-world gaming.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p for this combo?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 136.8 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 56.2 FPS. This is a drop of 80.6 FPS, or roughly 58.9% lower performance when moving from Low to Ultra.

Q: Does the Intel Arc B580 outperform the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060?

A: In aggregate benchmarks, the Arc B580 scores 23021, while the RTX 4060 scores 23181. The delta is -0.7%, meaning the Arc B580 is 0.7% slower, making them effectively equivalent in overall GPU performance.

Q: What is the best resolution for maintaining 60+ FPS on High settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the combo averages 48.8 FPS, which is below 60. At 1920x1080 with High settings, it averages 76.3 FPS. Therefore, 1080p is the highest resolution that maintains 60+ FPS on High settings.

Q: How much faster is the CPU at single-threaded tasks compared to multi-threaded?

A: The 3dmark single-thread score is 999, while the max-thread score is 6503. This represents a 6.5x scaling from 1 to 16 threads, indicating strong multi-threading efficiency, though single-thread performance remains competitive for gaming.

Q: Is the Arc B580's 12 GB VRAM sufficient for Hitman 2 at 4K?

A: The data shows 4K Ultra averages 20.1 FPS, which is not playable, but the VRAM size itself is not the limiting factor. The GPU's compute throughput is the bottleneck, as 12 GB exceeds the game's requirements even at high resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. With Low settings, the average FPS is 136.8. Medium settings produce 102.5 FPS, while High settings yield 76.3 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 56.2 FPS. This progression shows a clear scaling pattern: each step from Low to Ultra reduces performance by roughly 25-30%, with the largest absolute drop occurring between Medium and High (26.2 FPS) and between High and Ultra (20.1 FPS).

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates decrease substantially. Low settings average 88.6 FPS, which remains smooth for most displays. Medium settings drop to 69.1 FPS, and High settings fall to 48.8 FPS. Ultra at 1440p averages 39.2 FPS, which is marginally playable but not ideal for a stealth game requiring precision. The transition from 1080p to 1440p at each setting shows a reduction of approximately 35% (e.g., High from 76.3 to 48.8 FPS, a 36.0% drop).

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. Low settings average 44.7 FPS, which is playable but not smooth. Medium settings drop to 37.2 FPS, High to 27.9 FPS, and Ultra to 20.1 FPS. The gap between 1440p and 4K is significant: for instance, Low settings fall from 88.6 to 44.7 FPS, a 49.5% reduction. At 4K, even the Low preset cannot maintain 60 FPS, indicating that the Arc B580 lacks the raw horsepower for 4K gaming in this title.

The data shows that the combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can handle High settings at 76.3 FPS and even Ultra at 56.2 FPS. At 1440p, Medium settings at 69.1 FPS provide a balanced experience, while 4K is only viable for Low settings at 44.7 FPS, and even then, the experience is suboptimal.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 7600 and Intel Arc B580 ranks 1417 out of 1795 tested combos in Hitman 2. This places it in the bottom 21% of all combinations tested for this game. The rank reflects the GPU's limitations rather than the CPU's capabilities, as the Ryzen 5 7600 is a high-performing processor in the 83rd percentile. The combo's position suggests that while the CPU is well-suited for the game, the Arc B580 holds back overall performance, particularly at higher resolutions and settings.

The ranking is consistent with the measured FPS data: the combo struggles to exceed 60 FPS at 1440p High settings (48.8 FPS) and cannot approach 60 FPS at 4K on any setting. The 1795 total combos tested include many with more powerful GPUs, which explains the relatively low rank. However, the combo is not the worst performer, as 378 other combinations rank lower. The data indicates that for Hitman 2, this pairing is adequate for 1080p gaming but falls short of expectations for higher resolutions, which is reflected in its percentile position.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p displays, the High preset at 76.3 FPS provides the best balance of visual fidelity and smoothness. The Ultra preset at 56.2 FPS is playable but slightly below the 60 FPS threshold, so High is recommended for a consistent experience. If frame rate is paramount, Medium at 102.5 FPS offers a significant boost with only a moderate visual compromise.

For 1440p, the Medium preset at 69.1 FPS is the recommended choice, as it maintains fluid gameplay while delivering acceptable detail. High settings at 48.8 FPS are borderline, and Ultra at 39.2 FPS is not recommended for a game that requires precise timing and stealth mechanics. Low settings at 88.6 FPS are an option for competitive play, but the visual downgrade may reduce situational awareness.

At 4K, the data shows that no setting achieves 60 FPS. Low settings at 44.7 FPS are the most playable option, though the visual quality is significantly reduced. Medium at 37.2 FPS and High at 27.9 FPS are too choppy for a smooth experience. Ultra at 20.1 FPS is essentially unplayable. Therefore, 4K gaming with this combo is only viable at Low settings, and even then, users should expect a suboptimal experience.

Across all resolutions, the data suggests that the Medium preset provides the best compromise between visual quality and performance, as it consistently delivers higher frame rates than High or Ultra while maintaining acceptable detail for Hitman 2's environments.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals important insights about the limiting component. At Low settings, the average FPS decreases from 136.8 at 1080p to 88.6 at 1440p (a 35.2% drop) and then to 44.7 at 4K (a 49.5% drop from 1440p). This scaling pattern is characteristic of GPU-bound performance, where the rendering load increases disproportionately with pixel count.

At High settings, the drop is even more pronounced: from 76.3 at 1080p to 48.8 at 1440p (a 36.0% drop) and then to 27.9 at 4K (a 42.8% drop from 1440p). The consistent ~35% reduction from 1080p to 1440p across all settings confirms that the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as the CPU's workload does not scale with resolution. The Ryzen 5 7600's strong single-thread performance ensures that it is not limiting at any resolution, as evidenced by the 136.8 FPS at 1080p Low, which is well above the refresh rates of most monitors.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K shows a larger percentage drop (approximately 43-50%) compared to the 1080p to 1440p transition (35-36%). This is because 4K has 2.25x the pixels of 1440p, while 1440p has only 1.78x the pixels of 1080p. The Arc B580's 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth are insufficient to maintain frame rates at 4K, particularly at higher settings. The data indicates that for this combo, 1080p is the sweet spot, 1440p is viable with Medium settings, and 4K is only marginal with Low settings. The limiting component is unequivocally the GPU, as the CPU's performance metrics suggest it could handle significantly higher frame rates if paired with a more powerful graphics card.