Hitman 2

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 paired with the Intel Arc B580 presents a specific performance profile in Hitman 2, a stealth title from 2018. The measured data shows a configuration that scales predictably with resolution, with the CPU providing a strong foundation while the GPU becomes the primary constraint at higher settings and resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is significant and reveals the workload distribution between components. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 141.1 FPS at 1920x1080 to 46.8 FPS at 3840x2160, a reduction of roughly 67%. This steep decline indicates that even at the lowest graphical preset, the GPU is being pushed hard as pixel count quadruples.

At High settings, the scaling is similar in magnitude but starts from a lower base: 81.7 FPS at 1080p drops to 49.1 FPS at 1440p, then to 25.4 FPS at 4K. The 4K result is barely playable, suggesting that this combo is not suited for ultra-high-resolution gaming in Hitman 2 with demanding presets. The gap between 1080p and 1440p at High settings is 32.6 FPS, while the gap between 1440p and 4K is 23.7 FPS, showing a slightly steeper relative penalty as resolution increases.

Medium settings show a similar pattern: 102.9 FPS at 1080p, 64.6 FPS at 1440p, and 35.2 FPS at 4K. The 1080p-to-1440p drop is 38.3 FPS, while the 1440p-to-4K drop is 29.4 FPS. This consistent scaling suggests that the limiting component is the GPU, as the CPU has ample headroom to feed frames at lower resolutions. The data indicates that 1080p is the sweet spot for this pairing, with 1440p acceptable for Low and Medium settings, while 4K should be avoided except for Low settings where it reaches 46.8 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination ranks 1413 out of 1795 tested combos in Hitman 2, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database. This percentile position reflects the GPU's mid-range standing rather than the CPU's strength. The Ryzen 7 7700 alone sits at the 91st percentile versus all CPUs, while the Arc B580 is at the 66th percentile versus all GPUs. The combo rank being much lower than either component’s individual percentile underscores how the GPU bottlenecks the overall gaming performance in this title.

In the broader context, the GPU’s average benchmark score of 23021 places it near the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, which scores 23181, a delta of -0.7%. This means the Arc B580 is effectively a peer of the RTX 4060 in synthetic tests. However, the combo rank in Hitman 2 suggests that real-world gaming performance can deviate from synthetic averages, as the specific demands of this game may not align perfectly with the GPU’s strengths.

The CPU’s nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7940H with a score of 40431 (delta 0.1%), the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 at 40262 (delta 0.5%), and the Intel Core i9-13905H at 40712 (delta -0.6%). These tiny margins indicate that the Ryzen 7 7700 is firmly in a performance tier where small differences in CPU throughput do not meaningfully affect gaming FPS, reinforcing the notion that the GPU is the decisive factor in this pairing.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, codenamed Raphael. It has a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, with a 65W TDP. This is a modern desktop CPU with substantial multithreading capability, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 29302 and single-core score of 4136. The 3DMark scores show strong scaling from 2 threads (2043) to 16 threads (8484), indicating that the CPU can leverage its full core count when needed.

In Hitman 2, a game from 2018, the CPU is likely not the bottleneck except at very high frame rates. At 1080p Low settings, the average FPS reaches 141.1, which approaches the range where even strong CPUs can struggle to feed a GPU. However, the data suggests that the Ryzen 7 7700 with its high single-thread performance (Passmark single-thread score of 4063) can handle this workload, as the FPS scales down smoothly as resolution increases, indicating the GPU becomes the constraint.

The CPU’s 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 1 MB L2 per core provide ample cache for game data, and its DDR5 memory support with 83.2 GB/s bandwidth ensures fast data transfer. The 24 PCIe Gen 5 lanes offer high bandwidth for the GPU, though the Arc B580 itself uses PCIe 4.0 x8. In this game, the CPU’s role is to maintain high frame rates at lower resolutions, and the data shows it succeeds, with 141.1 FPS at 1080p Low being a respectable result.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers four resolutions and four settings levels, providing a full matrix of performance. At 1920x1080, the results are: Low 141.1 FPS, Medium 102.9 FPS, High 81.7 FPS, and Ultra 57.3 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a drop of 83.8 FPS, with the largest single-step drop being 21.2 FPS from Medium to High. This indicates that High settings impose a significant load increase over Medium, while Ultra adds a further 24.4 FPS penalty over High.

At 2560x1440, the numbers are: Low 91.7 FPS, Medium 64.6 FPS, High 49.1 FPS, and Ultra 36.5 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra drop is 55.2 FPS, with the step from Medium to High (15.5 FPS) being the largest single reduction. This resolution shows that 1440p is viable for Low and Medium settings, but High and Ultra dip below the 60 FPS threshold, making them less desirable for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the results are: Low 46.8 FPS, Medium 35.2 FPS, High 25.4 FPS, and Ultra 20.8 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra drop is 26.0 FPS, with the step from Low to Medium (11.6 FPS) being the largest. None of the 4K results reach 60 FPS, and even Low settings struggle to maintain a playable frame rate. The data clearly shows that 4K is not a practical resolution for this combo in Hitman 2, regardless of settings.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is based on the Xe2-HPG architecture, codenamed Battlemage, and is built on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It has 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, with a base and boost clock of 2670 MHz. The GPU features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its FP32 performance is 13.67 TFLOPS, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4, and OpenGL 4.6.

In Hitman 2, the GPU’s role is decisive. At 1080p Low, the 141.1 FPS result shows the GPU can handle light loads easily, but as settings increase to Ultra, the frame rate drops to 57.3 FPS, indicating a 59% performance reduction from Low to Ultra. This is a substantial penalty that suggests the GPU’s shading units and memory bandwidth are being heavily taxed by the game’s higher-quality effects.

The GPU’s 12 GB VRAM is ample for this game, which likely does not exceed that capacity even at 4K Ultra. The memory bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s is sufficient for the game’s needs, as evidenced by the smooth scaling across resolutions. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 23021 places it in the 66th percentile, with its nearest rival being the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (23181, delta -0.7%). This proximity suggests that in synthetic tests, the Arc B580 is nearly identical to the RTX 4060, but in Hitman 2, the measured FPS indicates this holds true in practice.

The GPU’s Passmark G3D score of 15748 and 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 3068 provide additional context. The Geekbench Vulkan score of 109672 indicates strong API support, which is relevant for Hitman 2’s rendering path. Overall, the Arc B580 provides mid-range performance that is adequate for 1080p gaming at high settings and 1440p at lower settings, but it is not a 4K-capable card for this title.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this setup in Hitman 2?

A: The data shows 1080p Medium at 102.9 FPS or 1080p High at 81.7 FPS are the most balanced options, offering solid frame rates without excessive GPU load. 1440p Low at 91.7 FPS is also viable for higher resolution.

Q: Can this combo run Hitman 2 at 4K smoothly?

A: No. The best 4K result is 46.8 FPS at Low settings, which is below the 60 FPS standard. All other 4K settings produce lower frame rates, with Ultra at 20.8 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B580 compare to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 in this game?

A: The Arc B580’s average benchmark score (23021) is 0.7% lower than the RTX 4060 (23181). In Hitman 2, the measured FPS suggests the two GPUs perform similarly, though exact in-game comparison data is not provided.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this pairing?

A: The GPU is the primary bottleneck. The CPU ranks at the 91st percentile, while the GPU is at the 66th percentile. The steep FPS drops with increasing resolution and settings confirm the GPU limits performance.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low achieves 91.7 FPS and Ultra achieves 36.5 FPS, a difference of 55.2 FPS. This represents a 60% reduction in performance when moving from the lowest to highest settings.

Q: Does the Ryzen 7 7700’s multithreading capability matter for Hitman 2?

A: The CPU’s 16 threads and strong multicore scores (Cinebench R23 multicore 29302) are more than sufficient for a 2018 game. The single-thread score of 4136 is more relevant, as Hitman 2 typically relies on fewer cores. The FPS data suggests the CPU is not a constraint at any resolution tested.