Hitman 2

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D paired with the Intel Arc B570 presents a distinct profile in Hitman 2, a stealth title from 2018. The data shows a configuration where the GPU is the primary constraint at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s strong single-thread performance provides a solid foundation at 1080p. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS to explain the scaling behavior, component roles, and optimal settings for this specific combination.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep decline in performance as resolution increases, clearly indicating the Intel Arc B570 is the limiting factor in this pairing. At 1080p with High settings, the combo delivers an average of 70 FPS. Moving to 1440p High drops this to 45 FPS, a 36% reduction, and at 4K High the average falls to 24 FPS, which is a 66% drop from the 1080p figure. This pattern is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario where the pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth of the Arc B570 become the bottlenecks.

The scaling is even more pronounced at the Ultra preset. The system manages 52 FPS at 1080p Ultra, but this falls to 33 FPS at 1440p (a 37% decrease) and plummets to just 18 FPS at 4K Ultra (a 65% decrease from 1080p). These steep reductions, particularly the near-identical percentage drops between resolution steps, confirm that the graphics card's rendering capabilities are saturated as resolution scales. The CPU’s performance headroom is not the issue here; the data suggests that even at 1080p, the GPU is working hard to maintain those frame rates.

The Low preset offers the clearest view of the CPU's potential. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 123 FPS, which is 76% higher than the High preset at the same resolution. However, this advantage shrinks rapidly at higher resolutions: 1440p Low yields 79 FPS (a 36% drop from 1080p), and 4K Low yields 42 FPS (a 66% drop). This indicates that even with reduced graphical load, the GPU’s raw throughput at 4K is insufficient to keep pace with the CPU's ability to feed frames. The game is fundamentally limited by the Arc B570's performance envelope beyond 1080p.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570’s role in this configuration is defined by its memory subsystem and clock speeds. With 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, the GPU provides a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. The base and boost clocks are both rated at 2500 MHz. These specifications directly influence the measured results; the high bandwidth is a boon at 1080p, but the 160-bit bus width becomes a limiting factor as the demand for texture data increases at 1440p and 4K.

The GPU’s performance percentile sits at 65, placing it in the mid-range tier. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Arc A750, which shows a negligible 0.1% performance delta, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile. This context is crucial: the Arc B570 is not a high-end part, and its 4K results in Hitman 2 reflect that. The 18 FPS at 4K Ultra is a clear sign that the card is out of its depth at that resolution and preset combination.

The data suggests that the GPU’s 10 GB frame buffer is sufficient for the game’s textures at all tested resolutions, as there are no anomalies in the scaling pattern that would indicate memory capacity issues. Instead, the bottleneck is the raw compute and memory throughput. The 11.52 TFLOPS FP32 performance is adequate for 1080p gaming but struggles to maintain playable framerates at 4K, especially with the more demanding High and Ultra presets. The GPU is the definitive performance ceiling for this combo.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand context of all tested combinations, this pairing of the Ryzen 7 9850X3D and Arc B570 ranks 2399th out of 3001 combos in Hitman 2. This places it in the bottom 20% of all tested systems, which is a direct consequence of the GPU's mid-range standing. The CPU is a top-tier part with a percentile rank of 92 against all CPUs, but its performance is heavily throttled by the Arc B570.

This ranking highlights a significant mismatch in this particular setup. The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i9-14900, have a negligible performance delta, indicating the processor is performing as expected. However, the GPU’s nearest rival, the Intel Arc A750, shows only a -0.1% delta, meaning the graphics card is also performing as expected. The low combo rank is therefore not a sign of any defect, but rather a reflection of pairing a high-end CPU with a mid-range GPU. The result is a system that is balanced for 1080p but falls behind in higher-resolution comparisons.

The percentile data for the individual components confirms this analysis. The CPU’s 92nd percentile score is excellent, but the GPU’s 65th percentile drags the overall system performance down. For a game like Hitman 2, which is not heavily CPU-threaded at higher resolutions, the GPU often dictates the final ranking. The 2399th place result is a quantitative measure of this GPU-bound reality.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 93, with a minimum of 79 and a maximum of 106.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck in this configuration?

A: At 1440p and 4K, the GPU is the clear bottleneck. The frame rates drop sharply with resolution increases, while the CPU's high single-thread score suggests it has ample headroom.

Q: How does the Arc B570 compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20556, which is 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile and 0.1% lower than the Intel Arc A750.

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

A: The average frame rate at 1440p Low is 79 FPS, while at 1440p Ultra it is 33 FPS. This represents a 46 FPS difference, or a 58% reduction in average FPS.

Q: Does the game support a stable frame rate at 4K with any preset?

A: No. The highest average FPS at 4K is 42 on Low settings. All other presets (Medium, High, Ultra) produce averages below 32 FPS, which is not a smooth experience.

Q: What is the CPU's multi-threaded performance score?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D scores 22,807 points in the Cinebench R23 multi-core test.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo is at 1080p with Medium or High settings. The Medium preset provides an average of 93 FPS with a minimum of 79 FPS, ensuring a fluid and responsive experience. The High preset, at 70 FPS average, is also very playable and offers improved visual fidelity. Both are far more preferable to the Ultra preset, which drops to 52 FPS and may introduce noticeable stutter in a stealth game that requires precise timing.

At 1440p, the data suggests that the Low preset is the only viable option for smooth gameplay, yielding 79 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p produces a 59 FPS average with a 50 FPS minimum, which is borderline. While playable, the frame time consistency at Medium 1440p is less reliable than at 1080p. The High and Ultra presets at this resolution are not recommended due to their lower averages of 45 and 33 FPS respectively.

For 4K, none of the presets deliver a consistently playable experience. The Low preset's 42 FPS average is the only one in the 40s; all others are 32 FPS or lower. Given the data, the best experience is achieved by prioritizing resolution over settings. The recommendation is to play at 1080p with Medium settings for the best balance of visual quality and performance, or at 1080p High if a higher fidelity is preferred. This ensures the frame rate remains above the 60 FPS mark, which is critical for a game where quick camera movements and precise aiming are common.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D is a high-end desktop processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, based on the Zen 5 architecture. It has a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. Its benchmark scores are exceptional, with a 92nd percentile rank among all CPUs. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2228 points indicates powerful single-thread performance, which is critical for game logic and frame pacing in Hitman 2.

The CPU's role in this combo is to provide a stable, high-throughput foundation that does not impede the GPU. The data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck at any resolution. The frame rate scaling is entirely consistent with GPU limitations; the FPS drops proportionally with pixel count, not with any CPU-related metric. The CPU’s large 96 MB shared L3 cache is a defining feature of the X3D series and likely contributes to the strong 1080p Low result of 123 FPS, as it reduces memory latency for game data.

However, the CPU's potential is largely untapped in this configuration. Its nearest rivals, like the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M and the Intel Core i9-14900, have average scores within 0.5% of the 9850X3D, confirming it is performing at its expected level. The low combo rank is not due to a CPU deficiency but a GPU ceiling. The processor is capable of far higher frame rates, as evidenced by the 1080p Low result, but the Arc B570 cannot maintain that performance at higher graphical loads.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact measured average FPS for each resolution and settings preset combination.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: 42 FPS
• Medium: 32 FPS (min 27, max 36)
• High: 24 FPS
• Ultra: 18 FPS

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: 79 FPS
• Medium: 59 FPS (min 50, max 68)
• High: 45 FPS
• Ultra: 33 FPS

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: 123 FPS
• Medium: 93 FPS (min 79, max 106)
• High: 70 FPS
• Ultra: 52 FPS

The data shows a consistent pattern: the gap between Low and Ultra presets widens as resolution decreases. At 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra is 24 FPS. At 1440p, the difference is 46 FPS. At 1080p, the difference is 71 FPS. This indicates that at lower resolutions, the GPU has enough headroom to render more complex effects, but at 4K, the GPU is so saturated that even the lowest settings cannot overcome the raw pixel count bottleneck. The Medium preset at all resolutions provides the most stable minimum frame rates, suggesting a balanced load on the GPU. The High preset is a viable middle ground for 1080p, but the step to Ultra offers a significant performance penalty for what is likely a marginal visual gain in this older title.