Hitman 2

Hitman 2 presents an extreme challenge for the Intel Core i5-13400F and Intel Arc B390 combination, with benchmark results indicating that this pairing is fundamentally limited by the graphics processor. The measured frame rates across all resolutions and settings are exceptionally low, placing this combo in the bottom tier of all tested configurations. The data shows a system that struggles to maintain playable performance even at 1080p, making it suitable only for the lightest gaming loads or as a clear example of severe GPU-bound bottlenecks.

Resolution Scaling

The performance degradation from 1080p to 4K is stark, revealing a graphics solution that is overwhelmed at higher pixel counts. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces an average of 46 FPS, but this drops to 29 FPS at 1440p and plummets to just 16 FPS at 4K. This represents a 65% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K, a scaling curve that is far steeper than what would be expected from a balanced system.

The pattern holds across all quality presets. With Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 80 FPS at 1080p to 51 FPS at 1440p, before collapsing to 27 FPS at 4K. Medium settings show a similar trajectory: 60 FPS at 1080p, 39 FPS at 1440p, and 21 FPS at 4K. Even at the lowest resolution tested, the system cannot maintain a consistent 60 FPS on Medium settings, with minimum frame rates dipping to 51 FPS.

The resolution scaling behavior points directly to the GPU as the limiting component. The frame rate drops are roughly proportional to the increase in pixel count, which is the classic signature of a graphics-bound scenario. At 4K, the Arc B390 is simply unable to process the geometry and shading workloads required by Hitman 2, with all presets resulting in averages below 30 FPS. The 4K Ultra preset is particularly telling, producing just 11 FPS average, which is effectively unplayable.

What makes this scaling interesting is that the CPU does not appear to be a bottleneck at any resolution. The i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor with a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, and its benchmark scores place it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs. When the frame rate collapses from 80 FPS at 1080p Low to 27 FPS at 4K Low, it is clear that the processor has headroom left unused, as the GPU cannot deliver frames fast enough to saturate the CPU's capabilities.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F brings substantial processing power to this pairing, but the benchmark results indicate that its capabilities are largely wasted in Hitman 2 due to the GPU constraint. With 10 cores and 16 threads, a base clock of 2.50 GHz, and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, this processor is designed for multi-threaded workloads. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 22604 and single-core score of 3191 demonstrate strong performance in both threaded and lightly-threaded scenarios.

The 3DMark results further illustrate the CPU's capacity. In the 16-thread test, the i5-13400F scores 7314, while the max-thread test yields 7307, showing excellent scaling across all available threads. The single-thread score of 960 and 2-thread score of 1880 indicate that even lightly-threaded tasks are handled competently. Hitman 2, being a stealth game with complex AI and simulation systems, can benefit from strong single-thread performance, but the measured FPS suggests the game is not CPU-limited in this configuration.

Comparing to its nearest rivals, the i5-13400F's average benchmark score of 25292 places it essentially level with the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS (25284, 0% delta) and just 0.3% behind the Intel Core 5 120 (25362) and AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (25365). The AMD Ryzen 7 6800H trails by 0.4% with a score of 25201. This clustering indicates that the i5-13400F is a mid-pack performer among its peers, with no significant advantage or disadvantage in raw processing power.

The CPU's role in this specific game is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic, but the data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the GPU has the least work, the system only achieves 80 FPS. This is likely near the upper bound of what the Arc B390 can physically render, meaning the CPU is never the limiting factor. The processor's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and Raptor Lake architecture provide ample bandwidth for game data, but this advantage cannot manifest in higher FPS when the GPU is the constraining element.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured performance, settings recommendations for this combo must prioritize playability over visual fidelity. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers the only consistently playable experience, with an average of 80 FPS. This is the sole configuration across all resolutions and settings that exceeds the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset at 1080p drops to 60 FPS average, but with a minimum of 51 FPS, it may experience occasional stutters in demanding scenes.

For users willing to accept lower frame rates, 1080p High produces 46 FPS average, which is playable for a stealth game that does not require twitch reflexes. However, the Ultra preset at 1080p falls to 34 FPS, which begins to feel sluggish. At 1440p, the situation worsens significantly. The Low preset averages 51 FPS, which is borderline playable, but Medium drops to 39 FPS and High to 29 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p is not recommended, averaging just 21 FPS.

At 4K, no settings are recommended for actual gameplay. The best result is 27 FPS at Low settings, which is below the threshold for comfortable play. The Medium preset at 4K averages 21 FPS with a minimum of 17 FPS, and High drops to 16 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is effectively a slideshow at 11 FPS average.

The data suggests that the optimal experience for this combo is 1080p Low, which provides the only consistently smooth frame rates. For users who prioritize visual quality over frame rate, 1080p Medium offers a compromise at 60 FPS average, but the risk of drops below 60 FPS may be unacceptable. The 1440p Low preset could be viable for users with adaptive sync displays, as the 51 FPS average is within the variable refresh rate range of many monitors. Beyond these options, the hardware simply does not have the capacity to deliver an enjoyable experience.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-13400F with Intel Arc B390 ranks 2662 out of 3001 tested combos in Hitman 2, placing it in the bottom 11% of all configurations. This ranking is driven almost entirely by the GPU's severe performance limitations, as the CPU is clearly capable of much higher frame rates in other contexts. The combo's position reflects the reality that the Arc B390, despite its modern Xe3-LPG architecture and 3 nm process node, is not designed for demanding 3D gaming workloads.

The GPU's standalone benchmark scores reinforce this assessment. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the Arc B390 scores just 1482, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all legacy or entry-level parts: the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463, 1.3% faster), NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% faster), NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5% faster), and NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (1443, 2.7% faster). This places the Arc B390 in the company of GPUs from over a decade ago, explaining why it struggles so badly with a game from 2018.

The combo ranking of 2662 out of 3001 means that 339 tested configurations perform worse than this pairing. While that places it above the absolute bottom, the practical difference is minimal, as most of those lower-ranked combos likely use similarly outdated or entry-level hardware. The i5-13400F is a capable processor that boosts the combo slightly, but it cannot compensate for the GPU's fundamental inability to render Hitman 2 at acceptable frame rates.

For context, the CPU's own ranking is far more favorable. The i5-13400F sits in the 77th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 25292. This disparity between CPU and GPU performance creates a severely imbalanced system, where the processor is never utilized to its full potential in gaming scenarios. The combo ranking reflects this imbalance, punishing the pairing for the GPU's shortcomings.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the dominant factor in this combo's poor gaming performance, and its specifications reveal why. This is an integrated graphics solution (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process. It features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operation units, along with 12 ray tracing cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 300 MHz and boosts to 2500 MHz, with a TDP of just 80 W.

The memory configuration is particularly limiting. The Arc B390 uses System Shared memory, meaning it relies on the system's main RAM rather than dedicated VRAM. The memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," which in practice means it is constrained by the CPU's memory bus. This shared memory architecture is a significant bottleneck for gaming, as the GPU must compete with the CPU for memory bandwidth, and the latency is higher than dedicated VRAM.

The GPU's compute capabilities are modest. It delivers 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 15.36 TFLOPS of FP16 (2:1 ratio). The pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s. These figures are low by modern discrete GPU standards, and they translate directly to the poor frame rates measured in Hitman 2. The GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so it has the API support for modern games, but it lacks the raw throughput to execute them effectively.

The GPU's nearest rivals in benchmark scores are all from NVIDIA's entry-level or legacy lineup, with the GT 520MX being the closest at 1463. This context is crucial for understanding the Arc B390's position. It is not competing with modern mainstream GPUs; it is competing with parts that are over a decade old. The 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482 is indicative of a GPU that is designed for basic display output and light 2D workloads, not for 3D gaming at any meaningful quality level.

In Hitman 2 specifically, the GPU's limitations are exposed across all resolutions. Even at the lowest settings and resolution, the GPU cannot maintain a locked 60 FPS, and at higher resolutions, it falls well below playable thresholds. The 4K Ultra preset's 11 FPS average is a clear indication that this GPU is not intended for high-resolution gaming. The Arc B390's role in this combo is to provide basic graphical output, and the benchmark data confirms that it is unsuitable for a demanding stealth title like Hitman 2.

FAQ

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

A: The only configuration that delivers consistently smooth frame rates is 1080p with Low settings, averaging 80 FPS. For users prioritizing visual quality, 1080p Medium averages 60 FPS but with minimums of 51 FPS, while 1440p Low averages 51 FPS and may be acceptable with adaptive sync displays.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-13400F perform relative to its closest rivals?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score of 25292 is virtually tied with the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS (25284, 0% difference), trails the Intel Core 5 120 (25362) and AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (25365) by 0.3%, and leads the AMD Ryzen 7 6800H (25201) by 0.4%.

Q: Why does the combo rank so low at 2662 out of 3001 in Hitman 2?

A: The ranking is driven by the Intel Arc B390's severe limitations. The GPU scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, with nearest rivals being legacy parts like the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and GT 710.

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

A: The GPU is overwhelmingly the limiting factor. The i5-13400F ranks in the 77th percentile of CPUs with strong multicore and single-core scores, but frame rates collapse at higher resolutions, which is the signature of a GPU bottleneck.

Q: What is the frame rate at 4K with this hardware?

A: The 4K results are uniformly poor: 27 FPS average on Low, 21 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 17 FPS), 16 FPS on High, and 11 FPS on Ultra. None of these are playable for a stealth game requiring precise control.

Q: Does the Arc B390 have enough memory for Hitman 2?

A: The GPU uses System Shared memory with "System Dependent" bandwidth, which is a fundamental limitation. The shared memory architecture and lack of dedicated VRAM contribute to the poor performance, though the GPU's low compute throughput (7.680 TFLOPS FP32) is the primary constraint.