Hitman 2

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X paired with the Intel Arc B390 produces a severely GPU-limited experience in Hitman 2, with the measured frame rates placing this combo in the 11th percentile of all tested configurations. The data reveals a system where the processor's considerable headroom is effectively wasted by an integrated graphics solution that struggles to maintain playable frame rates at any resolution above 1080p with medium settings.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K shows a textbook case of GPU-bound scaling, with each resolution step exacting a heavy toll on performance. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 80 FPS at 1920x1080 to 51 FPS at 2560x1440, a 36% reduction, and then falls further to 27 FPS at 3840x2160, representing a 66% drop from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline indicates that the Intel Arc B390's rendering pipeline is saturated well before the resolution increases place additional strain on the pixel throughput.

The Medium settings row tells a similar story, with averages of 60 FPS at 1080p, 39 FPS at 1440p, and 21 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is 21 FPS, while the gap between 1440p and 4K is 18 FPS, showing a consistent degradation pattern. The High preset shows 46 FPS at 1080p, 29 FPS at 1440p, and 16 FPS at 4K, with each step cutting performance by roughly 37-45%. The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, yields 34 FPS at 1080p, 21 FPS at 1440p, and only 11 FPS at 4K.

The scaling behavior points firmly to the GPU as the limiting component. The Ryzen 5 9600X, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is capable of far higher frame rates in this title, but the Arc B390's 24 ROPs and 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 compute cannot keep pace with the increasing pixel counts. The fact that even at 1080p Low the combo only manages 80 FPS, rather than a number closer to the CPU's potential, reinforces this conclusion. The frame time variance also grows with resolution, as seen in the Medium preset's min-max spread of 51-69 FPS at 1080p widening to 17-24 FPS at 4K.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel's 3 nm process. Its performance profile in Hitman 2 is characterized by severe bandwidth and compute limitations, as evidenced by the benchmark results. The GPU's single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, with nearest rivals including the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX at 1463 (1.3% faster) and the GeForce GT 710 at 1443 (2.7% faster). These comparisons are telling — the Arc B390 is competing with integrated and entry-level discrete GPUs from over a decade ago.

The GPU's memory configuration is entirely system-dependent, using shared system memory with bandwidth described as "System Dependent." This means the Arc B390 must contend with the CPU for memory access, and the Ryzen 5 9600X's dual-channel DDR5 at 89.6 GB/s becomes a shared resource. In Hitman 2, which benefits from dedicated video memory, this shared arrangement likely contributes to the steep performance penalties at higher resolutions where memory pressure increases.

The clock speeds of 300 MHz base and 2500 MHz boost show a wide dynamic range, but the boost clock is rarely sustainable under sustained load given the 80 W TDP envelope. The GPU's 1536 shading units and 48 TMUs are modest by modern standards, and the 24 ROPs become a bottleneck at higher resolutions. The pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s are theoretical maximums that the measured frame rates suggest are rarely approached in real-world Hitman 2 gameplay.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which settings preset delivers the best experience for this hardware combination. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset achieves an average of 60 FPS with a minimum of 51 FPS and maximum of 69 FPS, which represents the only measured configuration that maintains a consistent 60 FPS floor. The Low preset at 1080p reaches 80 FPS average, but the visual quality trade-off may not be worth the extra 20 FPS when Medium already hits the 60 FPS target.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset at 51 FPS average is the only playable option, as Medium drops to 39 FPS and High falls to 29 FPS. The 1440p Low setting provides a playable experience but with noticeable visual compromises. At 3840x2160, none of the settings achieve playable frame rates — the best case is Low at 27 FPS, which falls below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution, as it produces 34 FPS at 1080p, 21 FPS at 1440p, and 11 FPS at 4K. The performance cost of Ultra over High is substantial: at 1080p, Ultra delivers 12 FPS less than High, and at 1440p, the gap is 8 FPS. The visual fidelity gains from Ultra settings in Hitman 2 do not justify the frame rate penalties on this hardware.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset produces an average of 11 FPS, making it effectively unplayable. High settings yield 16 FPS average, Medium produces 21 FPS with a minimum of 17 and maximum of 24, and Low achieves 27 FPS. None of these results approach playable territory, and the resolution should be avoided entirely with this combo.

The 2560x1440 results show more variation. Low settings achieve 51 FPS average, which is the only preset to exceed 30 FPS at this resolution. Medium produces 39 FPS with a range of 33-44 FPS, High drops to 29 FPS, and Ultra falls to 21 FPS. The 1440p Low configuration offers the best balance for users who must play at this resolution, though the 51 FPS average is still below the 60 FPS target.

At 1920x1080, the full range of options becomes available. Low settings deliver 80 FPS average, which is the highest measured result across all configurations. Medium achieves 60 FPS with a minimum of 51 and maximum of 69, providing a stable experience. High settings reach 46 FPS, and Ultra produces 34 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p is the sweet spot, offering both a 60 FPS average and a minimum above 50 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this hardware?

A: The 1920x1080 Medium preset is the only measured configuration that maintains a 60 FPS average, with a minimum of 51 FPS and maximum of 69 FPS. This provides the best balance of visual quality and performance.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Hitman 2?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the best measured result is 27 FPS average on Low settings, with Ultra producing only 11 FPS. All 4K configurations fall well below playable frame rates.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482 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. These are all entry-level or legacy parts.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 9600X's performance compare to similar CPUs?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score of 29713 is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE, 0.5% higher than the Ryzen 7 7840H, 0.6% higher than the Ryzen 7 5800XT, and 0.8% higher than the Ryzen 7 8845HS.

Q: What frame rates can be expected at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings achieve 51 FPS average, Medium produces 39 FPS, High drops to 29 FPS, and Ultra yields 21 FPS. Only the Low preset remains playable at this resolution.

Q: Is the Ultra preset ever viable with this combo?

A: No. The Ultra preset produces 34 FPS at 1080p, 21 FPS at 1440p, and 11 FPS at 4K. Even at the lowest resolution, Ultra fails to reach playable frame rates.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, built on TSMC's 4 nm process with a transistor count of 8,315 million. Its clock speeds range from a 3.90 GHz base to a 5.40 GHz boost, and it carries 32 MB of shared L3 cache plus 1 MB of L2 cache per core. The CPU's benchmark results show strong single-threaded performance with a 3DMark single-thread score of 1253 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2183.5, while multi-threaded results include a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 17528.5 and a Geekbench multicore score of 14438.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 81 against all CPUs indicates that it outperforms the majority of processors in the database. In Hitman 2, which is a title that can scale with CPU performance, the 9600X's capabilities are largely untapped due to the GPU bottleneck. The measured frame rates at 1080p Low (80 FPS) are likely far below what the CPU could sustain if paired with a more powerful GPU.

The nearest CPU rivals, all within 0.8% of the 9600X's average score, include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE, Ryzen 7 7840H, Ryzen 7 5800XT, and Ryzen 7 8845HS. These comparisons show that the 9600X sits in a competitive performance tier, but this positioning is irrelevant in the context of this GPU pairing. The CPU's 65 W TDP and dual-channel DDR5 memory support at 89.6 GB/s provide a solid foundation that the Arc B390 cannot fully utilize.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X + Intel Arc B390 combination ranks 2662 out of 3001 tested combos in Hitman 2, placing it in the bottom 11% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the fundamental imbalance between the high-performing CPU and the severely limited integrated GPU. The combo's position is driven almost entirely by the GPU's 9th percentile performance ranking, while the CPU's 81st percentile ranking contributes little to the final outcome.

The data shows that this pairing is one of the least effective combinations for Hitman 2, with the GPU bottleneck preventing the CPU from demonstrating its capabilities. The measured frame rates are consistent with what would be expected from a GPU that scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad, with nearest rivals being legacy NVIDIA parts. The combo's rank of 2662 suggests that the vast majority of tested configurations deliver better performance in this title, even those with weaker CPUs paired with stronger GPUs.

For users considering this combination, the benchmark results indicate that Hitman 2 is not a viable title at higher settings or resolutions. The only playable configuration is 1080p Medium at 60 FPS, which represents the ceiling for this hardware. The CPU's potential remains untapped, and the overall experience is defined by the GPU's limitations rather than the processor's capabilities.