Hitman 2

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X paired with the Intel Arc B370 delivers a playable experience in Hitman 2 only at 1080p, with the data showing that even the most demanding settings produce an average of 30 FPS. This combination is heavily bottlenecked by the GPU, which ranks in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, making it suitable primarily for lower resolutions and settings. The benchmark results indicate that users should target 1080p with Medium or Low settings for a fluid experience, as higher resolutions and presets yield frame rates that fall below acceptable playability thresholds.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data clearly dictates that the optimal experience for this hardware combination is found at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings, which produces an average of 73 FPS. This is the only configuration in the entire dataset that exceeds the 60 FPS threshold, providing a smooth and responsive experience for a stealth game where precise timing and quick reactions are essential. The jump from Low to Medium at this resolution results in a significant drop to 54 FPS, which is still playable but introduces noticeable stuttering during crowded scenes or when multiple NPCs are on screen.

For users who prioritize visual fidelity over raw frame rate, the Medium preset at 1080p offers a reasonable compromise, with an average of 54 FPS and a minimum of 46 FPS that keeps the experience largely consistent. The data shows that High settings at this resolution drop to 41 FPS, which is borderline for a game that requires careful observation and quick camera movements. The Ultra preset at 1080p is the least recommended option, producing an average of just 30 FPS, which is below the smoothness threshold for action sequences and makes the game feel sluggish.

At 2560x1440, the results are less favorable, with even the Low preset averaging only 46 FPS. The Medium preset at this resolution averages 35 FPS with a minimum of 30 FPS, which is technically playable but not recommended for a game that rewards precision. The High and Ultra presets at 1440p produce averages of 26 FPS and 19 FPS respectively, both of which are too low for a satisfactory experience. The data suggests that 1440p should be avoided entirely for this combination, as the GPU's performance limitations become too pronounced at this resolution.

The 3840x2160 results are uniformly poor, with even the Low preset averaging only 25 FPS. The Ultra preset at this resolution averages just 10 FPS, making it entirely unplayable for any practical purpose. The conclusion from the measured data is unambiguous: the best experience is achieved at 1080p with Low settings, with Medium serving as a viable alternative for those willing to trade some frame rate for improved visuals.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and Intel Arc B370 ranks 3428 out of 3711 tested combos for Hitman 2, placing it in the bottom 8% of all configurations in the database. This ranking reflects the severe GPU bottleneck, as the Ryzen 9 5900X is a high-end desktop processor that ranks in the 87th percentile of all CPUs, while the Arc B370 ranks in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. The disparity between these two components is stark, with the CPU's capabilities far exceeding what the GPU can utilize in this game.

The data shows that the CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the Intel Core Ultra 7 366H, which scores 41263 on average against the Ryzen 9 5900X's 41376, a difference of just 0.3%. Similarly, the Intel Core Ultra 7 356H scores 41215, which is 0.4% behind, and the AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 440 scores 41208, also 0.4% behind. The Intel Core i7-14650HX scores 41576, which is actually 0.5% ahead of the Ryzen 9 5900X. These close margins indicate that the CPU is competitive with modern mobile and desktop parts, but this performance advantage is completely negated by the GPU's limitations in Hitman 2.

The GPU's nearest rivals paint a different picture. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1186 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad test, which is 0.2% ahead of the Arc B370's 1184 score. The ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190, 0.5% ahead, and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192, 0.7% ahead. The AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1168, which is 1.4% behind the Arc B370. These rivals are all legacy or low-power mobile parts, confirming that the Arc B370 is positioned at the very bottom of the GPU performance hierarchy. The combination's rank of 3428 out of 3711 is therefore entirely expected, as the GPU's performance class dictates the overall outcome regardless of the CPU's strength.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is a low-power integrated graphics solution based on the Panther Lake chip, built on a 3 nm process using the Xe3-LPG architecture. It features 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster operation units, along with 10 ray tracing cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz, with a pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s. Its FP32 performance is rated at 6.144 TFLOPS, with FP16 performance of 12.29 TFLOPS at a 2:1 ratio.

The GPU's memory configuration is entirely system-shared, meaning it has no dedicated VRAM and instead relies on the host system's memory. The memory type, bus width, and bandwidth are all listed as "System Shared" or "System Dependent," which means performance is heavily influenced by the system's memory configuration. This is a critical limitation for Hitman 2, which requires substantial memory bandwidth for texture streaming and scene rendering. The benchmark results show that this shared memory arrangement leads to severe performance degradation at higher resolutions, where memory pressure increases significantly.

The GPU's TDP is just 25 W, with no power connectors required, confirming its integrated nature. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, which means it is technically capable of running modern game APIs. However, the measured FPS data shows that this capability does not translate into playable performance beyond 1080p Low settings. The GPU's percentile ranking of 5th overall places it among the weakest GPUs in the database, which is consistent with its performance in Hitman 2 where it struggles to maintain even 30 FPS at 1080p Ultra.

The GPU's benchmark score in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 is 1184, which is nearly identical to the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570's score of 1186. This places the Arc B370 in the company of GPUs from over a decade ago, underscoring its position at the entry-level of the performance spectrum. In Hitman 2, this translates to the GPU being the sole determinant of the frame rates, as the CPU is more than capable of feeding it data. The measured results show a clear pattern: the GPU's performance scales poorly with resolution, with the average FPS dropping from 73 at 1080p Low to just 14 at 4K High.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the data shows a clear progression of performance across settings. With Low settings, the average FPS is 73, which is the highest score in the entire dataset. Medium settings produce an average of 54 FPS, with a minimum of 46 FPS and a maximum of 63 FPS, indicating a stable frame time distribution. High settings average 41 FPS, while Ultra settings average 30 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra represents a 59% reduction in frame rate, highlighting the GPU's inability to handle the increased graphical load.

At 2560x1440, the performance degrades significantly across all settings. Low settings average 46 FPS, which is a 37% reduction compared to the same settings at 1080p. Medium settings average 35 FPS, with a minimum of 30 FPS and a maximum of 40 FPS. High settings average 26 FPS, and Ultra settings average 19 FPS. The data indicates that even the lowest settings at 1440p cannot maintain a consistent 60 FPS, making this resolution unsuitable for the combination.

At 3840x2160, the performance is uniformly poor. Low settings average 25 FPS, Medium settings average 19 FPS with a minimum of 16 FPS and a maximum of 21 FPS, High settings average 14 FPS, and Ultra settings average 10 FPS. None of these configurations reach the 30 FPS threshold that is often considered the minimum for playability. The data suggests that 4K resolution is completely out of reach for this GPU in Hitman 2, regardless of the preset chosen.

The scaling pattern across resolutions is consistent and predictable. At Low settings, increasing resolution from 1080p to 1440p reduces FPS by 37%, and from 1440p to 4K reduces it by another 46%. At Ultra settings, the same resolution increases result in FPS reductions of 37% and 47% respectively. This linear scaling behavior indicates that the GPU is memory-bandwidth limited rather than compute limited, as the system-shared memory configuration struggles to keep up with the demands of higher resolutions.

FAQ

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

A: The measured data shows that 1920x1080 with Low settings produces the highest average FPS at 73, making it the only configuration that exceeds 60 FPS. Medium settings at the same resolution average 54 FPS, which is a viable alternative for better visuals.

Q: Can this combination handle 1440p in Hitman 2?

A: The benchmark results indicate that even Low settings at 2560x1440 only average 46 FPS, which is below the smoothness threshold. Medium settings average 35 FPS, and Ultra settings average 19 FPS, making 1440p a poor choice for this combination.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B370 scores 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. Its nearest rivals include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 at 1186, which is 0.2% ahead, and the ATI Radeon HD 5770 at 1190, which is 0.5% ahead. The AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1168, which is 1.4% behind.

Q: What is the CPU's performance ranking compared to other processors?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X ranks in the 87th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-14650HX, scores 41576, which is 0.5% ahead of the Ryzen 9 5900X's 41376. The Intel Core Ultra 7 366H scores 41263, which is 0.3% behind.

Q: Is the Ultra preset playable at 1080p?

A: The data shows that Ultra settings at 1920x1080 average 30 FPS, which is at the minimum threshold for playability. However, the frame rate is low enough to cause noticeable stuttering during action sequences, making it a less desirable option compared to Medium or Low settings.

Q: What does the combo's rank of 3428 out of 3711 indicate?

A: This rank places the combination in the bottom 8% of all tested combos for Hitman 2. The low rank is primarily due to the GPU's 5th percentile ranking, which severely limits the overall performance despite the CPU's high 87th percentile ranking.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer. It operates with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz, with a TDP of 105 W. The CPU features a total of 64 MB of L3 cache, along with 64 KB of L1 cache and 512 KB of L2 cache per core. It supports DDR4 memory with a dual-channel bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s, and is built on TSMC's 7 nm process with 8,300 million transistors across a die size of 2x 74 mm².

In synthetic benchmarks, the Ryzen 9 5900X demonstrates strong performance. It scores 16262 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1527 in single-core, along with 14118 in Geekbench multi-core and 2083 in single-core. Its Passmark multi-thread score is 39002, with a single-thread score of 3469. The CPU's average benchmark score is 41376, placing it in the 87th percentile of all CPUs. This performance is within 0.5% of its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-14650HX, which scores 41576.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, AI calculations, and scene management. Given the Ryzen 9 5900X's high core count and strong single-thread performance, it is more than capable of delivering the required processing power. The measured FPS data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this combination, as the frame rates are consistently low across all settings and resolutions. The 3DMark scores indicate that the CPU can handle up to 16 threads effectively, with a score of 9075 in the 16-thread test and 10075 in the max-thread test, ensuring that even heavily threaded workloads are managed efficiently.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s is adequate for most gaming scenarios, but the GPU's system-shared memory configuration means that both components compete for the same memory bandwidth. This is evident in the performance scaling across resolutions, where the frame rate drops more steeply than would be expected from GPU compute limitations alone. The CPU's high benchmark scores, including a Passmark data compression score of 499968 and a data encryption score of 31106, further confirm that it is not the limiting factor in this combination.

The release date of the Ryzen 9 5900X is November 2020, with a launch MSRP of $549. It uses the AMD Socket AM4 and supports PCIe Gen 4, ensuring compatibility with modern motherboards. The CPU's production status is listed as active, indicating it remains available for purchase. In the context of Hitman 2, the data clearly shows that the CPU's performance is wasted in this pairing, as the GPU's limitations cap the achievable frame rates at levels far below what the CPU could support with a more capable graphics solution.