Hitman 2

# Hitman 2 with Intel Core i5-9400 + Intel Arc B580

Hitman 2's measured performance with this Intel Core i5-9400 and Intel Arc B580 pairing reveals a system that is highly resolution-dependent, shifting from a smooth 1080p experience to a marginal 4K showing. The data shows a combo ranking in the 2810th position out of 3711 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle tier for this game. This is a pairing where the GPU’s capabilities are stretched thin at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s six cores handle the game's logic without becoming the primary bottleneck in most scenarios. Benchmark results indicate that users targeting 1080p will find this setup serviceable, but those expecting 4K performance will need to make significant compromises.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and reveals a system where the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 79 FPS at 1920x1080 to 51 FPS at 2560x1440, a 35% reduction, and then plummets to 27 FPS at 3840x2160, a further 47% drop from 1440p. This pattern is consistent across all settings presets. For Low settings, the scaling is even more dramatic: 140 FPS at 1080p drops to 89 FPS at 1440p, then to 48 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset shows the most severe scaling, with 58 FPS at 1080p falling to 37 FPS at 1440p and finally to 20 FPS at 4K.

This steep decline indicates that the Intel Arc B580's rendering throughput is the dominant constraint as pixel count increases. The 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth, but the raw compute power of 13.67 TFLOPS is insufficient to maintain playable frame rates at 4K with this game's engine. The data suggests that 1440p is the practical ceiling for this combo, and even then, only at Medium or High settings. At 4K, the system falls below 30 FPS for every preset except Low, which barely reaches 48 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is roughly linear with pixel count, but the drop from 1440p to 4K is disproportionately large, suggesting that the GPU's memory bandwidth or fill rate becomes a hard wall at that resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 brings six cores and six threads to this pairing, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. This is a Coffee Lake architecture part on a 14 nm process, and its benchmark scores place it at the 47th percentile among all CPUs. In Cinebench R23, it scores 6629 multi-core and 935 single-core, which is modest by modern standards but sufficient for a game like Hitman 2 that relies more on GPU throughput than CPU multi-threading. The CPU's 9 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 42.7 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for feeding the GPU at 1080p and 1440p.

The data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 140 FPS, which is high enough that the CPU could start to become a factor in frame pacing, but the lack of a minimum FPS reading for that preset makes it difficult to assess stutter potential. At 1080p Medium, the minimum FPS is 89, which is well above playable thresholds. The CPU's single-core performance, as measured by Geekbench at 1389, is not exceptional, but Hitman 2's AI and physics systems are not particularly demanding on a single thread. The CPU's percentile ranking of 47 is average, and its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, has an average benchmark score of 2259, which is only 0.2% higher. This suggests that the i5-9400 is not holding back the GPU in most scenarios, as the GPU's percentile ranking of 68 is significantly higher than the CPU's.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is the star of this pairing, and its specifications tell a story of a mid-range GPU with ambitions beyond its compute capacity. Based on the Xe2-HPG architecture on a 5 nm TSMC process, the B580 has 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. Its base and boost clocks are both 2670 MHz, and it features 20 ray tracing cores. The GPU's memory configuration is substantial: 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, yielding 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The pixel rate is 213.6 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 427.2 GTexel/s, which are respectable figures for this class.

In Hitman 2, the GPU's performance is characterized by a steep drop-off as settings increase. At 1080p, the average FPS ranges from 140 at Low to 105 at Medium, 79 at High, and 58 at Ultra. The gap between Medium and High is 26 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 21 FPS. This suggests that the Ultra preset introduces effects that heavily tax the GPU's fill rate or shader throughput. The GPU's Passmark G3D score of 15748 places it at the 68th percentile among all GPUs, and its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP, scores 23061 on average, a delta of -0.2%. The B580's average benchmark score is 23021, which is remarkably close to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080's 22895 (0.6% delta) and the RTX 3080's 23172 (-0.7% delta). This indicates that in synthetic benchmarks, the B580 punches well above its weight, but in Hitman 2's real-world workload, the scaling from 1440p to 4K shows its limitations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers playable frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 140 FPS, which is excellent for competitive play or high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium settings yield 105 FPS average with a minimum of 89 FPS and a maximum of 121 FPS, making it the sweet spot for smooth gameplay. High settings drop to 79 FPS average, which is still smooth but shows a 25% reduction from Medium. Ultra settings bring the average down to 58 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. The minimum FPS readings are only provided for Medium settings, indicating that the data collection was less granular for other presets, but the averages suggest consistent performance without major dips.

At 2560x1440, the picture changes. Low settings still deliver a solid 89 FPS average, but Medium settings fall to 67 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 77 FPS. High settings are playable at 51 FPS average, but this is borderline for a stealth game where smooth camera movement matters. Ultra settings drop to 37 FPS average, which is below the 40 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for a comfortable experience. The step from Medium to High at 1440p is a 16 FPS drop, while High to Ultra is a 14 FPS drop, showing that each settings tier has a meaningful impact on performance.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles. Low settings produce 48 FPS average, which is technically playable but not smooth. Medium settings drop to 36 FPS average with a minimum of 30 FPS and a maximum of 41 FPS, making it a marginal experience with occasional stutter. High settings fall to 27 FPS average, which is below playable thresholds. Ultra settings bottom out at 20 FPS average, which is a slideshow. The data clearly shows that 4K is not a viable resolution for this combo, even at Low settings, where the 48 FPS average is the only preset that approaches playability.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 2810 out of 3711 tested combinations places this pairing in the 76th percentile from the bottom, meaning it outperforms roughly 24% of tested setups in Hitman 2. This is a low ranking, but it is important to contextualize it. The CPU's percentile rank of 47 is average, while the GPU's percentile rank of 68 is above averageches. The combination of an average CPU and an above-average GPU should theoretically yield better results, but the game's performance at 4K drags down the overall ranking. At 1080p, this combo would likely rank higher, as the FPS numbers are competitive with mid-range systems. However, the ranking is based on all measured resolutions and settings, and the 4K performance is poor enough to significantly lower the score.

The GPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are all older or higher-tier parts: the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080. The B580's average benchmark score of 23021 is within 1% of all three, which is remarkable given that the RTX 3080 is a significantly more expensive card. However, in Hitman 2, the B580's performance at 4K is worse than what those rivals would likely achieve, suggesting that the game's engine may not be optimized for Intel's Xe2 architecture. The CPU's nearest rivals, including the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500, are all within 0.4% of its average score, indicating that the i5-9400 is a solid but unremarkable performer that will not significantly boost or hinder the GPU.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, at 1080p Low settings the system achieves 140 FPS average, and at Medium settings it delivers 105 FPS average with a minimum of 89 FPS. At High settings, the average drops to 79 FPS, which is still above 60 FPS. Only at Ultra settings does it fall below 60 FPS, with a 58 FPS average.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gameplay?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings deliver 89 FPS average, Medium delivers 67 FPS average, and High delivers 51 FPS average. For a smooth experience, Medium is the highest preset that maintains an average above 60 FPS, while High is playable but not ideal.

Q: Can this system handle 4K in Hitman 2?

A: The data shows that 4K performance is poor. At 3840x2160, Low settings produce 48 FPS average, Medium produces 36 FPS average, High produces 27 FPS average, and Ultra produces 20 FPS average. Only Low settings approach playability, and even then, the experience is not smooth.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B580 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: In synthetic benchmarks, the B580 has an average score of 23021, which is 0.2% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP, 0.6% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, and 0.7% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080. This places it in the 68th percentile among all GPUs.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-9400 a bottleneck for the Arc B580?

A: The CPU's percentile rank is 47, while the GPU's is 68, suggesting the CPU is weaker relative to the GPU. However, at 1080p and 1440p, the measured FPS is high enough that the CPU is not the primary constraint. The GPU's inability to maintain playable 4K frame rates indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking in this game?

A: This pairing ranks 2810th out of 3711 tested combos in Hitman 2hol2. This places it in the lower 24% of tested systems, largely due to its poor 4K performance, despite decent 1080p and 1440p results.