Hitman 2

Hitman 2, a stealth title from 2018, presents a demanding scenario for the Intel Core i5-12400 and Intel Arc B390 combination. The benchmark data reveals a system that is heavily constrained by its graphics processor, with performance dropping precipitously as resolution increases. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across settings and resolutions, examines the roles of each component, and contextualizes the combo's standing within the broader database.

Resolution Scaling

The measured data shows a stark and consistent decline in frame rates as resolution scales from 1080p to 4K, clearly identifying the GPU as the primary bottleneck. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 80 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same settings, the average drops to 51 FPS, a substantial 36.3% decrease. At 4K Low, the average falls further to 27 FPS, which is only 33.8% of the 1080p Low result. This pattern is consistent across all settings presets, indicating that the rendering load is overwhelming the Intel Arc B390.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly punishing. For instance, at High settings, the average FPS drops from 29 at 1440p to 16 at 4K, a reduction of 44.8%. Similarly, at Medium settings, the average falls from 39 FPS at 1440p to 21 FPS at 4K. This non-linear degradation suggests that the GPU's memory bandwidth and fillrate are exhausted at 4K, as the number of pixels quadruples from 1080p. The data points to a component with a very low performance ceiling; the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places the GPU in the 9th percentile of all tested GPUs, confirming its limited capacity for high-resolution rendering.

The fact that the most significant FPS drop occurs between 1440p and 4K, rather than between 1080p and 1440p, indicates that the GPU's computational resources are sufficient for 1080p and playable at 1440p on lower presets, but they are completely saturated at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 11 FPS is a clear demonstration of this. This is not a case of a CPU bottleneck; the Core i5-12400's strong 3DMark scores and high percentile ranking would not cause such a dramatic resolution-based performance collapse. The limiting component is unequivocally the Intel Arc B390.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve a playable frame rate?

A: Based on the measured data, 1080p is the only resolution where the combo delivers consistently playable frame rates. The average FPS at 1080p ranges from 34 on Ultra to 80 on Low. At 1440p, only the Low preset achieves an average above 50 FPS (51 FPS), while other presets fall to 39 FPS or lower. At 4K, all measured presets average between 11 and 27 FPS, which is not suitable for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 1482, which is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463) and 1.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1460). It also outperforms the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM by 2.5% and the GeForce GT 710 by 2.7%. This places it in a performance tier with very old, entry-level discrete GPUs, despite being a modern integrated processor.

Q: What is the difference in performance between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the difference is substantial. The Low preset yields an average of 80 FPS, while the Ultra preset yields an average of 34 FPS. This represents a 46 FPS drop (or 57.5% reduction) when moving from Low to Ultra. The High preset sits in between at 46 FPS, and Medium at 60 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more responsible for the frame rate limits in Hitman 2?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. This is evident from the resolution scaling; as the resolution increases, the frame rate drops dramatically, which is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU, a Core i5-12400, has a high average benchmark score of 18683 and ranks in the 72nd percentile of all CPUs, indicating it has ample processing power for this game.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank compared to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 3300th out of 3711 tested combos for Hitman 2. This places it in the bottom 11% of all systems in the database, which is consistent with the GPU's low 9th percentile ranking and the measured low frame rates at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the maximum FPS recorded for any setting and resolution?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 80, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. The highest individual frame rate measurement listed is a max of 69 FPS, which occurs at 1080p with Medium settings.

Settings Recommendations

Given the hardware constraints, the settings recommendation is straightforward: prioritize resolution and preset to maintain a stable experience. The data shows that the most balanced experience is at 1080p with Medium settings. This preset delivers an average of 60 FPS, with a minimum of 51 FPS and a maximum of 69 FPS. This is a significant step up from the High preset, which averages 46 FPS, and offers a smoother experience than the Ultra preset's 34 FPS.

For users who prioritize frame rate above all else, the 1080p Low preset provides the highest average at 80 FPS. This could be suitable for competitive play or for users with high refresh rate monitors, though it will come at the cost of visual fidelity. The 1440p Low preset is the only viable option at that resolution, producing an average of 51 FPS, but it requires a noticeable drop in visual quality compared to 1080p Medium.

The 4K resolution is not viable for this combo. All presets at 4K, from Low (27 FPS) to Ultra (11 FPS), fall below the threshold for acceptable playability. The High preset at 1440p (29 FPS) and the Ultra preset at 1440p (21 FPS) are also too demanding for a consistent experience. The data suggests that the ideal configuration is 1080p with Medium settings, which offers a 60 FPS average and a minimum above 50 FPS, ensuring a mostly fluid gameplay experience without sacrificing all visual features.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the system's capabilities across different configurations.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: The best-performing setting, with an average of 80 FPS.
• Medium: A solid middle ground, with an average of 60 FPS, a minimum of 51 FPS, and a maximum of 69 FPS.
• High: A step down, with an average of 46 FPS.
• Ultra: The most demanding 1080p preset, with an average of 34 FPS.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: The only preset to achieve a playable average, at 51 FPS.
• Medium: Averages 39 FPS, with a minimum of 33 and a maximum of 44 FPS.
• High: Averages 29 FPS, indicating a significant performance hit.
• Ultra: Drops to an average of 21 FPS, which is not fluid.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: Averages 27 FPS, which is below the playable threshold.
• Medium: Averages 21 FPS, with a minimum of 17 and a maximum of 24 FPS.
• High: Averages 16 FPS, showing severe performance degradation.
• Ultra: The lowest recorded average at 11 FPS, making the game essentially unplayable at this setting.

The data shows a clear pattern: the average FPS scales inversely with both resolution and graphical preset. The minimum and maximum FPS values for the Medium preset at each resolution show that the frame pacing is relatively stable, but the overall averages are too low for high-resolution gaming.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the decisive factor in this system's performance. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, a remarkably low position that aligns with its nearest rivals being the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and GeForce 800M. This is a clear indicator of its limited rendering power. The GPU is an integrated processor (IGP) with a TDP of 80 W, and it relies on System Shared memory, meaning its memory size, type, and bus width are all "System Shared" and its bandwidth is "System Dependent".

Despite having a high boost clock of 2500 MHz and a base clock of 300 MHz, the GPU's fundamental architecture—with 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs—is not sufficient for demanding modern games like Hitman 2 at high resolutions. Its pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s and its texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, but these are clearly overwhelmed by the game's rendering demands. The measured FPS in Hitman 2 reflects this directly: the GPU can only manage 80 FPS at 1080p Low, and its performance collapses to 11 FPS at 4K Ultra. The GPU's role is the primary bottleneck, capping performance at all settings and resolutions.

CPU Role

In contrast to the GPU, the Intel Core i5-12400 is a high-performing processor that is not the limiting factor in this game. It has a 6-core, 12-thread configuration based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its synthetic benchmark scores are strong: it achieves a multi-core score of 15989 in Cinebench R23 and 6715 in Cinebench R20, with a single-core score of 2257 in R23. Its average benchmark score of 18683 places it in the 72nd percentile of all CPUs, and it is closely matched with rivals like the AMD EPYC 7643 (deltaPct -0.1%) and Intel Core i7-1355U (deltaPct -0.3%).

The CPU's 18 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory provide ample bandwidth for gaming. The data indicates that the CPU can easily feed frames to the GPU; the bottleneck is on the graphics side, as evidenced by the significant FPS drops with increasing resolution. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see less variation in FPS between different resolutions at the same settings. Instead, the FPS scales inversely with resolution, which is a definitive sign that the GPU is the constraint. The CPU's role here is to provide a stable platform, which it does, but its potential is left untapped due to the GPU's low performance.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database for Hitman 2, this combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 and Intel Arc B390 ranks 3300th out of 3711 tested combos. This places it in the bottom 11% of all systems, a poor showing that reflects the GPU's severe limitations. The combo's rank is heavily influenced by the GPU's low standing, as the CPU's own percentile rank of 72% is comparatively high. This is a classic case of an unbalanced system, where a capable mid-range processor is paired with a very weak graphics solution.

The rank is consistent with the measured FPS data. A combo that ranks in the bottom 11% would be expected to struggle with modern games at higher resolutions, which is exactly what the data shows. The fact that the GPU's nearest rivals are from the NVIDIA GT 500M and 800M series, which are over a decade old, underscores the performance chasm. While the CPU is a solid performer, its contribution to the overall gaming experience is negated by the GPU. The combo's rank of 3300 out of 3711 is a quantitative summary of its overall gaming capability, and in this case, it signals that the system is only suitable for e-sports titles or older games at 1080p with reduced settings.