Hitman 2

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the Intel Arc B390 produces a severely GPU-limited experience in Hitman 2, with performance collapsing as resolution increases. The data shows a dramatic drop from a playable 80 FPS average at 1080p Low to an unplayable 16 FPS average at 4K High, indicating the integrated graphics solution is the definitive bottleneck regardless of the capable 14-core processor driving it.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates reveal a stark resolution curve that leaves no ambiguity about which component is constraining performance. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 80 FPS average, which drops to 51 FPS at 2560x1440 and further to 27 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 66% performance loss from 1080p to 4K, a scaling pattern typical of a GPU that is completely overwhelmed by pixel count.

The situation worsens at higher quality presets. Moving from 1080p High (46 FPS) to 1440p High (29 FPS) to 4K High (16 FPS) shows a 65% reduction across the same resolution span. The 4K Ultra preset produces just 11 FPS average, which is effectively a slideshow. These numbers indicate that the Arc B390's 24 ROPs and 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 compute are simply insufficient for Hitman 2's rendering demands at higher resolutions.

The scaling pattern is remarkably linear, suggesting no memory bandwidth cliff or cache thrashing — just a steady exhaustion of GPU throughput. The 1080p Medium preset (60 FPS) drops to 39 FPS at 1440p and 21 FPS at 4K, maintaining a consistent ratio. This consistency points to a pure fill-rate and shading limitation rather than a driver or API bottleneck. The Intel Core i5-14600KF, with its 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 20 threads, is never the limiting factor; even at 1080p Low where the CPU would be most stressed, the 80 FPS ceiling is far below what this processor's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32544 suggests it could feed.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of 60 FPS at 1080p in Hitman 2?

A: Yes, but only at Medium settings. The measured data shows 60 FPS average at 1920x1080 Medium, with a minimum of 51 FPS and maximum of 69 FPS. The Low preset achieves 80 FPS average, while High drops to 46 FPS and Ultra falls to 34 FPS.

Q: How does the Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places it just 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% ahead of the GeForce 800M, 2.5% ahead of the GT 625 OEM, and 2.7% ahead of the GT 710. This puts it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, indicating entry-level integrated performance.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the combo reaches playable frame rates across multiple presets. At 2560x1440, only the Low preset (51 FPS) exceeds 30 FPS, while High and Medium fall to 29 FPS and 39 FPS respectively. At 4K, even Low produces just 27 FPS.

Q: Does the Core i5-14600KF hold back the Arc B390?

A: No. The processor's benchmark scores — including 32544 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 17085 in Geekbench multi-core — place it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. The frame rate collapse from 1080p to 4K is entirely attributable to the GPU's 24 ROPs and integrated memory architecture.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 3300 out of 3711 tested combinations in Hitman 2, placing it in the bottom 11% of all pairings. This ranking reflects the Arc B390's severe performance limitations rather than any deficiency in the i5-14600KF.

Q: Is there any preset where the combo maintains 30 FPS at 1440p?

A: The Low preset at 2560x1440 achieves 51 FPS average, which is above 30 FPS. However, Medium drops to 39 FPS, High falls to 29 FPS, and Ultra produces just 21 FPS. For consistent 30+ FPS at 1440p, Low is the only viable option.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390's specifications paint a clear picture of why Hitman 2 performance is so constrained. With a base clock of 300 MHz and boost clock of 2500 MHz, the GPU has a theoretical peak of 7.680 TFLOPS FP32 and 15.36 TFLOPS FP16. However, the memory configuration is the critical weakness: the B390 relies on System Shared memory with system-dependent bandwidth, meaning it competes with the CPU for the same DDR4/DDR5 pool rather than having dedicated VRAM.

The shading resources are modest — 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and just 24 ROPs. The pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s sound respectable on paper, but they are insufficient for Hitman 2's crowd rendering, dynamic lighting, and reflective surfaces at higher resolutions. The 12 ray tracing cores are present but do not assist in this game's rasterization workload.

The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, with nearest rivals being the GT 520MX (1463, 1.3% slower), GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% slower), GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5% slower), and GT 710 (1443, 2.7% slower). These are all legacy entry-level parts from over a decade ago, confirming the B390's integrated nature. The 80 W TDP and IGP slot width indicate this is not a discrete solution, and the system-shared memory means there is no dedicated VRAM pool to alleviate bandwidth pressure at higher resolutions.

The performance data aligns perfectly with this hardware profile. At 1080p, the GPU can just manage 46 FPS on High and 60 FPS on Medium, but doubling the pixel count to 1440p cuts those numbers to 29 FPS and 39 FPS respectively. Quadrupling to 4K reduces them to 16 FPS and 21 FPS. The 11 FPS at 4K Ultra demonstrates that the B390's compute and ROP resources are exhausted when rendering nearly 8.3 million pixels per frame.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data supports a clear hierarchy of playable configurations. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers 60 FPS average with a minimum of 51 FPS, which is the sweet spot for smooth gameplay. The Low preset pushes to 80 FPS but sacrifices visual quality, while High drops to 46 FPS — still playable but below the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset at 34 FPS is best avoided unless visual fidelity takes absolute priority over responsiveness.

For users willing to drop to 2560x1440, the Low preset at 51 FPS is the only option that clears the 30 FPS playability bar comfortably. Medium at 39 FPS is borderline, and High at 29 FPS falls below standard playability thresholds. The 4K resolution is not viable for any preset, with even Low producing only 27 FPS average.

The optimal experience balances frame rate and visual quality. At 1080p, Medium provides the best combination: 60 FPS average with a 51 FPS minimum ensures consistent smoothness, while the visual uplift over Low is substantial. If competitive or fast-paced play is the priority, Low at 80 FPS offers headroom for input latency reduction. The High preset at 46 FPS represents a middle ground for those who prefer sharper textures, but the 14 FPS penalty versus Medium is steep. Given that the minimum FPS at Medium is 51, the frame pacing should remain stable enough to avoid noticeable hitches.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of Intel Core i5-14600KF and Intel Arc B390 ranks 3300 out of 3711 tested combos in Hitman 2, placing it in the bottom 11% of all pairings. This rank is overwhelmingly driven by the GPU's performance percentile of 9, while the CPU sits in the 90th percentile. The massive disconnect between processor capability and graphics output creates an extremely unbalanced system.

The CPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (0.3% faster), AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (0.4% faster), and Intel Core Ultra 5 245 (0.8% faster), with the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 trailing by 0.8%. These margins are negligible, confirming that the i5-14600KF is competitive with top-tier processors. The GPU's rivals, however, are the GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710 — all products from a much older era.

This rank of 3300 out of 3711 means that roughly 89% of tested combinations outperform this pairing in Hitman 2. The data suggests that if the i5-14600KF were paired with a discrete graphics card instead of the integrated B390, the rank would improve dramatically. The CPU's 14 cores and 20 threads provide ample headroom for Hitman 2's AI and simulation systems, but the GPU cannot render frames fast enough to utilize that headroom.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo produces the following averages: Low 80 FPS, Medium 60 FPS (minimum 51, maximum 69), High 46 FPS, and Ultra 34 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 46 FPS, showing that settings have a massive impact at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low 51 FPS, Medium 39 FPS (minimum 33, maximum 44), High 29 FPS, and Ultra 21 FPS. The spread narrows to 30 FPS, indicating that resolution is beginning to dominate over quality settings.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low 27 FPS, Medium 21 FPS (minimum 17, maximum 24), High 16 FPS, and Ultra 11 FPS. The spread is just 16 FPS, showing that at 4K the GPU is so saturated that quality preset choices matter less than at lower resolutions.

The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum values across all resolutions, providing insight into frame pacing. At 1080p Medium, the 51-69 FPS range suggests some scene-dependent variability but no catastrophic drops. At 1440p Medium, the 33-44 FPS range tightens, and at 4K Medium, the 17-24 FPS range confirms severe underperformance. The absence of min/max data for other presets limits deeper analysis, but the averages alone tell a consistent story: this combo is only viable at 1080p, and even then only on Medium or Low settings for a smooth experience.