Hitman 2

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the Intel Arc B570 presents a fascinating case study in system bottlenecking within Hitman 2. While the processor is a high-end 16-core Raptor Lake part capable of massive multi-threaded workloads, the graphics card is a mid-range Battlemage offering, and the benchmark data clearly shows which component dictates the experience in this stealth title. The measured FPS across resolutions and settings tells a clear story of GPU limitation, where the processor's potential is left largely untapped as graphical load increases.

Resolution Scaling

The data reveals a textbook case of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 123 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 79 FPS, a reduction of 44 FPS or roughly 35%. Scaling further to 4K Low yields 42 FPS, which is another 37 FPS drop from the 1440p figure, representing a 47% decline. This steep downward curve indicates that the Arc B570 is the primary performance limiter, as the CPU has ample headroom at these lower graphical loads.

The pattern continues across all settings presets. At Medium settings, the frame rate falls from 93 FPS at 1080p to 59 FPS at 1440p, and then to 32 FPS at 4K. The High preset shows a similar trajectory: 70 FPS at 1080p, 45 FPS at 1440p, and 24 FPS at 4K. The most demanding Ultra preset yields 52 FPS at 1080p, drops to 33 FPS at 1440p, and bottoms out at 18 FPS at 4K. This consistent pattern across all settings confirms that the GPU’s rendering throughput, not the CPU’s calculation speed, is the limiting factor.

The performance delta between 1080p and 4K is substantial across the board. At Low settings, the 4K result is 34% of the 1080p result (42 vs 123 FPS). At High settings, it’s 34% as well (24 vs 70 FPS). This consistency suggests that the Arc B570’s compute units and memory bandwidth are being saturated regardless of the specific settings load. The CPU’s 24 threads and 30 MB of L3 cache are more than sufficient to feed the GPU at all resolutions; the data shows the GPU is the sole determinant of the final frame rate.

The scaling behavior also highlights the GPU’s architectural limits. The Arc B570 features 2304 shading units and a 160-bit memory bus with 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. As resolution increases, the demand on pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth grows exponentially, and the measured FPS reflects this. The GPU’s pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s are simply not enough to maintain high frame rates at 4K, where the frame buffer requirements are four times that of 1080p.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend entirely on the target resolution and the user’s performance preference. For 1080p, the Medium preset stands out as the best balance. It delivers an average of 93 FPS, with a minimum of 79 and maximum of 106, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Upgrading to High yields 70 FPS, which is still playable, but the 23 FPS sacrifice for the visual uplift may not be worth it for all users. The Ultra preset’s 52 FPS average is borderline, and the Low preset’s 123 FPS is excessive for most, indicating that the GPU is not the limiting factor at this resolution with lower settings.

At 1440p, the Medium preset is again the clear winner. It produces an average of 59 FPS, with a minimum of 50 and maximum of 68. This is right at the cusp of playability, and the frame times are consistent enough to avoid major stutter. The High preset’s 45 FPS average is below the ideal threshold, making Medium the recommended choice. The Low preset at 79 FPS is smooth but visually compromised, while Ultra at 33 FPS is not a viable option for a playable experience.

The 4K resolution presents a challenge. No preset achieves a playable 60 FPS average. The Low preset’s 42 FPS is the best result, but it requires significant graphical sacrifices. Medium drops to 32 FPS, High to 24 FPS, and Ultra to an unplayable 18 FPS. For 4K, the data suggests that the user must either accept Low settings for a semi-playable experience or consider lowering the resolution to 1440p for a better overall experience. The performance gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 24 FPS, which is significant, but neither is ideal.

The data indicates that the Arc B570 is most comfortable at 1080p, where it can deliver high frame rates on Medium and High presets. At 1440p, Medium is the sweet spot, offering near-60 FPS performance. For those prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity, the Low preset at 1440p provides a smooth 79 FPS. The Ultra preset is only recommended for 1080p, where it achieves 52 FPS, or for users who prioritize image quality over frame rate and can tolerate sub-60 FPS performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combo for smooth gameplay?

A: The data shows that 1080p with Medium settings provides the best experience, with an average of 93 FPS and a minimum of 79 FPS. At 1440p, Medium is also the best option, averaging 59 FPS, but it is closer to the playability limit.

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

A: The measured results show that 4K is not viable for smooth gameplay. The highest average FPS at 4K is 42 with Low settings, which is below the standard 60 FPS target. The Ultra preset at 4K averages only 18 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 1440p?

A: At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 93 at 1080p to 59 at 1440p, a 34 FPS decrease. At High settings, it drops from 70 to 45 FPS. The scaling is consistent across presets, indicating a GPU bottleneck.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-13700K or the Intel Arc B570 the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data strongly indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The consistent FPS drops with increasing resolution, regardless of settings, point to the Arc B570’s rendering capabilities being saturated. The CPU has significant headroom, as evidenced by its high benchmark scores.

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

A: At 1080p, the Low preset averages 123 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 52 FPS. This is a 71 FPS difference, showing that the Ultra preset is significantly more demanding on the GPU.

Q: Is the Ultra preset ever playable with this hardware?

A: The Ultra preset is only remotely playable at 1080p, where it achieves an average of 52 FPS. At 1440p, it drops to 33 FPS, and at 4K, it falls to 18 FPS, making it unplayable at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-13700K + Intel Arc B570 combination ranks 2399th out of 3001 tested combos in Hitman 2. This places it in the lower half of all systems tested, which is a direct reflection of the GPU’s mid-range positioning. The combo’s percentile ranking is not explicitly given for the game, but the rank of 2399 out of 3001 indicates that the majority of other tested configurations deliver higher frame rates in this specific title.

This ranking is somewhat surprising given the CPU’s strength. The i7-13700K has a percentile of 89 vs all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 46881 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (46971, delta -0.2%) and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (47022, delta -0.3%). The CPU is clearly a top-tier performer in synthetic benchmarks, but in Hitman 2, its power is wasted due to the GPU bottleneck.

The GPU’s own ranking provides context. The Arc B570 has a percentile of 65 vs all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 20556 is within 1% of its nearest rivals, including the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534, delta 0.1%) and the Intel Arc A750 (20582, delta -0.1%). This places it in the mid-range tier of graphics cards, which aligns with its in-game performance. The combo’s rank of 2399 suggests that systems with higher-end GPUs, even with weaker CPUs, would likely outperform this configuration in Hitman 2.

The low combo rank is a clear indicator that the system is unbalanced for this title. The CPU is overqualified for the task, while the GPU is the limiting factor. Users looking to improve their Hitman 2 experience should focus on upgrading the graphics card, as the current i7-13700K has ample headroom to support a more powerful GPU. The data shows that the CPU is not a bottleneck, so any gains in FPS would come from a GPU upgrade.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is the primary determinant of performance in this system. Its specifications paint a picture of a capable mid-range card that struggles under heavy load. The GPU is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture with a 5 nm process and features 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. It has 18 ray tracing cores and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. The 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus provides 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

These specifications directly correlate with the measured FPS. The card’s FP32 performance of 11.52 TFLOPS and texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s are adequate for 1080p gaming but are quickly overwhelmed at higher resolutions. The pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s means that at 4K, the GPU is tasked with rendering over 8 million pixels per frame, and the data shows it can only manage 42 FPS on Low settings, where the pixel workload is lower.

The GPU’s memory configuration is also a factor. The 10 GB of VRAM is sufficient for most scenarios in Hitman 2, but the 380.0 GB/s bandwidth is a potential bottleneck at high resolutions and settings. The game’s assets, when loaded at 4K Ultra, likely require more memory throughput than the card can provide, contributing to the 18 FPS average at those settings. The 160-bit bus width is narrower than many competing cards, which limits the peak bandwidth.

The GPU’s performance relative to its peers is consistent. Its average benchmark score of 20556 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534, delta 0.1%) and the Intel Arc A750 (20582, delta -0.1%). This means the B570 is performing exactly as expected for its class. The in-game results reflect this, as the card delivers playable frame rates at 1080p but falls short at higher resolutions, confirming its mid-range status.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact measured average FPS for each resolution and settings preset.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

|---|---|---|---|---|

| 3840x2160 | High | 24 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 42 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 32 | 27 | 36 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 18 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | High | 45 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 79 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 59 | 50 | 68 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 33 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | High | 70 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 123 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 93 | 79 | 106 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 52 | - | - |

The data shows a clear performance hierarchy. At 1080p, the system ranges from 123 FPS on Low to 52 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset’s frame time data (79-106 FPS) indicates good stability. At 1440p, the range is 79 FPS on Low to 33 FPS on Ultra, with Medium averaging 59 FPS and having a minimum of 50 FPS. At 4K, the performance drops significantly, with a range of 42 FPS on Low to 18 FPS on Ultra.

The Medium preset is the only one with full min/max data across all resolutions. At 1080p, the frame rate is consistently high, with a 27 FPS spread between min and max. At 1440p, the spread is 18 FPS, and at 4K, it’s 9 FPS. This decreasing spread at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is becoming more consistently saturated, with less headroom for frame time variation. The lack of min/max data for other presets prevents further analysis, but the averages provide a clear picture of the system’s capabilities. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 24 FPS, showing that even the most significant settings change cannot make the game playable at that resolution.