Hitman 2

# Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates for Hitman 2 with this configuration show a steep and consistent decline as resolution increases, which is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo produces 46 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same preset drops that to 29 FPS, a 37% reduction. Pushing to 3840x2160 at High yields just 16 FPS, which is a 65% drop from the 1080p result. These are not linear scaling losses; they are severe, indicating that the rendering pipeline is saturated well before the CPU can become a limiting factor.

The pattern across all quality presets reinforces this interpretation. At Low settings, the 1080p result is 80 FPS, which drops to 51 FPS at 1440p and 27 FPS at 4K. The percentage losses are 36% and 66% respectively, nearly identical to the High preset's scaling. This consistency suggests that the bottleneck is not tied to specific graphical features like shadows or reflections, but rather to the raw pixel throughput and fill-rate capacity of the graphics processor. When a system is CPU-limited, lowering resolution typically yields proportionally larger gains; here, the gains are modest, confirming that the graphics hardware is the primary constraint.

The Medium preset shows the same trend with more granular data. At 1080p Medium, the average is 60 FPS with a minimum of 51 and maximum of 69. At 1440p Medium, the average falls to 39 FPS with a range of 33 to 44. At 4K Medium, the average is 21 FPS with a range of 17 to 24. The minimum frame rates scale almost exactly with the averages, meaning there is no hidden CPU stutter or frame-time spike that a more powerful processor would fix. The entire frame delivery pipeline is throttled by the graphics solution.

Ultra settings are nearly unplayable at any resolution above 1080p. The 1080p Ultra result is 34 FPS, dropping to 21 FPS at 1440p and 11 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra figure represents a 68% loss from 1080p Ultra, which is the steepest relative decline in the dataset. This is a strong indicator that the graphics processor is running out of compute resources, not memory bandwidth or latency, because the Ultra preset typically increases shader complexity and geometric detail, both of which directly stress the shading units and texture units.

What this resolution scaling tells a builder is straightforward: this combo is fundamentally a 1080p-oriented setup for Hitman 2. The 1440p results hover around the edge of playability only at Low and Medium presets, and 4K is not a realistic target for any preset. The data shows a system that delivers playable frame rates at 1080p Low through High, with Medium being the sweet spot for balanced performance. The limiting component is unambiguously the graphics processor; the CPU has ample headroom even at the lowest resolution and highest preset, as evidenced by the fact that frame rates do not improve disproportionately when resolution drops.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank for this specific pairing in Hitman 2 is 2662 out of 3001 tested combinations. That places it in the bottom 11.3% of all tested systems, a position that reflects the severe graphics bottleneck identified in the resolution scaling analysis. This is not a ranking that a builder would choose for competitive play or high-refresh-rate monitors; it is a configuration that sits near the tail of the distribution for this particular title.

To put this in context, the graphics processor alone sits at the 9th percentile among all GPUs in the database, while the CPU sits at the 91st percentile among all CPUs. The enormous gap between these two percentile positions explains the poor combo ranking. The CPU is performing at a level that would typically pair with a much stronger graphics solution, but the GPU is dragging the entire system down. In a benchmark database context, this is a classic mismatch scenario where the weakest link defines the overall experience.

The nearest rivals for the GPU in terms of average benchmark score are all older NVIDIA parts: the GeForce GT 520MX is 1.3% ahead, the GeForce 800M is 1.5% ahead, the GeForce GT 625 OEM is 2.5% ahead, and the GeForce GT 710 is 2.7% ahead. These are entry-level or legacy parts, and the Arc B390 is essentially competing in that performance tier despite being a much newer architecture. This explains why the combo ranks so low; the GPU is delivering performance comparable to decade-old hardware in synthetic benchmarks, and that translates directly to poor frame rates in a 2018 title like Hitman 2.

The CPU's nearest rivals tell a different story. The Intel Xeon 6505P is 0.2% behind, the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 is 0.3% ahead, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is 0.6% ahead, and the AMD EPYC 7313P is 0.8% ahead. These are all high-end server or desktop parts, and the i7-14700F is performing right in line with them. The deltaPct values are all under 1%, meaning the CPU is not the differentiator in this combo's low ranking. If this CPU were paired with a stronger GPU, the combo rank would likely be in the top half of the distribution; the data shows the GPU is the sole reason for the 2662nd position.

The measured FPS data aligns with this ranking. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 80 FPS, which is respectable for a stealth game but not exceptional. At 1080p Ultra, it drops to 34 FPS, which is below the threshold most builders consider acceptable for smooth gameplay. The combo rank reflects these numbers directly; a system that cannot maintain 60 FPS at 1080p Medium across all scenes is going to sit low in a database that includes modern high-end configurations.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the defining component in this configuration, and its specifications explain the measured results. The GPU uses the Xe3-LPG architecture on a 3 nm process, with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. It has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operation units. The pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance rated at 7.680 TFLOPS. These are not competitive numbers for a discrete gaming GPU; they are more in line with an integrated graphics solution, which is exactly what the slot width "IGP" confirms.

The memory configuration is critical to understanding the performance. The Arc B390 uses "System Shared" memory, meaning it has no dedicated VRAM and instead borrows from system memory. The memory type is also listed as "System Shared" with a bus width of "System Shared" and bandwidth described as "System Dependent." This is a fundamental limitation for a game like Hitman 2, which benefits from dedicated video memory for texture streaming and geometry buffers. The lack of dedicated VRAM means the GPU must compete with the CPU for memory bandwidth, and in a stealth game with complex environments, this creates a significant performance penalty.

The GPU's benchmark results are sparse, with only a single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482. That score places it at the 9th percentile among all GPUs, confirming its position near the bottom of the performance hierarchy. The nearest rival scores are all within 2.7% of the Arc B390, and all are older NVIDIA parts that would not be considered gaming-capable by modern standards. The GeForce GT 710, which is 2.7% behind, is a card that was never intended for gaming beyond basic desktop use. The fact that the Arc B390 is only slightly ahead of such parts in synthetic testing is a clear warning sign.

In Hitman 2 specifically, the GPU's role is to handle the rendering pipeline, and the measured FPS shows it struggling. At 1080p Low, the 80 FPS result suggests the GPU can handle the game when graphical features are minimized. But at 1080p High, the drop to 46 FPS shows that even moderate settings overwhelm the GPU's shading units and TMUs. The 24 ROPs are a particular bottleneck for a game that uses heavy post-processing and anti-aliasing, as these operations rely on rasterization throughput. The 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate is simply not sufficient for high-resolution rendering with advanced effects enabled.

The boost clock of 2500 MHz is high, but it cannot compensate for the low core count and narrow memory interface. The FP32 throughput of 7.680 TFLOPS is respectable for integrated graphics but insufficient for a game that was designed for discrete GPUs of its era. The RT cores (12) and DirectX 12 Ultimate support are present, but Hitman 2 does not use ray tracing, so these features are irrelevant to the measured results. The GPU's role in this combo is to be the limiting factor, and the data confirms it is the primary reason for the low frame rates.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Hitman 2 at 1080p with a smooth framerate?

A: Yes, at 1080p Low the measured average is 80 FPS, and at 1080p Medium it is 60 FPS with a minimum of 51 FPS. These are playable results. However, at 1080p High the average drops to 46 FPS, and at Ultra it falls to 34 FPS.

Q: Is 1440p viable for this game with this hardware?

A: The data shows 1440p is only playable at Low settings, with an average of 51 FPS. At Medium the average is 39 FPS, at High it is 29 FPS, and at Ultra it is 21 FPS. The minimum frame rates at Medium are 33 FPS, which may feel stuttery in action sequences.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: The data indicates 1080p is the only resolution that consistently delivers acceptable frame rates. At Medium settings, the 1080p result of 60 FPS average with a 51 FPS minimum is the best balance of visual quality and performance. 4K is not viable; the best 4K result is 27 FPS at Low settings.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700F scores 53620 on average, which is 0.2% behind the Intel Xeon 6505P, 0.3% ahead of the Intel Xeon Phi 7290, 0.6% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X, and 0.8% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7313P. All deltas are under 1%.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Arc B390 scores 1482 on average, which is 1.3% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% behind the GeForce 800M, 2.5% behind the GeForce GT 625 OEM, and 2.7% behind the GeForce GT 710. These are all legacy entry-level parts.

Q: Does the GPU have dedicated video memory?

A: No, the Intel Arc B390 uses "System Shared" memory for size, type, and bus width. The bandwidth is described as "System Dependent," meaning it relies on the system's main memory rather than dedicated VRAM.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear guide for settings selection. At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers 60 FPS average with a 51 FPS minimum and 69 FPS maximum. This is the only preset at any resolution that achieves a 60 FPS average, making it the best choice for a smooth experience. The High preset at 1080p drops to 46 FPS, which is a 23% reduction from Medium, and the visual uplift from Medium to High in a stealth game like Hitman 2 is unlikely to justify that frame rate loss. The Low preset at 1080p delivers 80 FPS, but the visual quality degradation is significant, and the 20 FPS gain over Medium is not worth the loss of environmental detail that helps with stealth gameplay.

For 1440p, the Low preset is the only option that maintains a playable average, at 51 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p drops to 39 FPS with a 33 FPS minimum, which may cause noticeable hitches during crowded scenes or when multiple NPCs are on screen. The High preset at 1440p is 29 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable play. The Ultra preset at any resolution above 1080p is effectively unplayable, with 4K Ultra at 11 FPS and 1440p Ultra at 21 FPS. The 1080p Ultra result of 34 FPS is also below the 60 FPS target, and the Ultra preset's additional effects do not compensate for the frame rate hit.

The data suggests that 1080p Medium is the optimal configuration for this combo. The 60 FPS average is exactly the target most builders aim for, and the 51 FPS minimum ensures that frame drops will be rare and brief. If a player prioritizes frame rate over visual fidelity, 1080p Low at 80 FPS is the alternative, but the Medium preset provides a better balance for a game where observing environmental details is part of the core gameplay loop. For 1440p, the Low preset is the only recommendation, and even then, the 51 FPS average is borderline; players who want smoother performance should drop to 1080p Medium.

The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution. At 1080p Ultra, the 34 FPS average is below the playable threshold, and at higher resolutions it becomes a slideshow. The Medium preset's minimum frame rate of 51 FPS at 1080p is higher than the Ultra preset's average at 1080p, which tells a builder that the Ultra preset's additional graphical features are not worth the performance cost on this hardware. The data is unambiguous: Medium at 1080p is the best experience this combo can deliver.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture on a 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 33 MB of shared L3 cache. This is a high-end desktop CPU that sits at the 91st percentile among all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 53620. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X and the AMD EPYC 7313P, both of which are within 0.8% of its score.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, AI, physics, and draw call submission. The game is not particularly demanding on multi-core processors, and the 20 cores and 28 threads of the i7-14700F are far more than the game requires. The high boost clock of 5.40 GHz is beneficial for the single-threaded performance that many game engines rely on, and the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4958 confirms strong per-core performance. The PassMark single-thread score of 4257 and Geekbench single-core score of 2429 further support this.

The measured FPS data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this configuration. If the CPU were limiting performance, we would expect to see frame rates that stay constant across resolutions, because the CPU workload does not change significantly with resolution. Instead, the data shows frame rates dropping sharply as resolution increases, which is the signature of a GPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 80 FPS, which suggests the CPU can handle the game's logic at that frame rate. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would see similar frame rates at 1440p and 4K Low, but instead we see 51 FPS and 27 FPS respectively.

The CPU's strong multi-threaded performance, as shown by the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35122 and PassMark multi-thread score of 41317, is irrelevant for Hitman 2 because the game does not scale well across many cores. The 28 threads are more than sufficient, and the game likely uses only a handful of cores. The CPU's memory support for DDR4 and DDR5, with dual-channel architecture, is also not a limiting factor because the game's memory footprint is modest. The CPU supports PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes, which provides ample bandwidth for any GPU, but the Arc B390's system-shared memory architecture means it relies on system memory bandwidth rather than PCIe bandwidth.

The CPU's percentile rank of 91 among all CPUs, compared to the GPU's 9th percentile, creates a massive imbalance. In a properly balanced system, the CPU and GPU would be in similar percentile ranges. Here, the CPU is performing at a level that could support a high-end GPU at 1440p or 4K, but the GPU is holding the entire system back. A builder looking at this data should understand that the i7-14700F is not the problem; it has the headroom to run Hitman 2 at much higher frame rates if paired with a more capable graphics solution. The CPU's role in this combo is to provide more than enough processing power, and the measured results are entirely constrained by the GPU.