Hitman 2

Hitman 2 is a stealth game released on 2018-11-12, and the measured data for the Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the Intel Arc B390 paints a challenging picture for high-fidelity play. The dataset indicates this combination ranks 2662nd out of 3001 tested combos in this title, placing it in the bottom percentile of systems. The Arc B390, an integrated GPU based on the Xe3-LPG architecture with a 3 nm process node, is clearly the limiting factor in this pairing, as the i7-14700K is a high-end 20-core processor. Benchmark results show that while the CPU provides substantial headroom, the GPU's performance caps the experience at playable levels only at lower resolutions and settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance cliff as resolution increases, indicating that the Intel Arc B390 is the dominant bottleneck. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system averages 80 FPS, which is fully playable. Moving up to 2560x1440 at Low settings drops the average to 51 FPS, a 36% reduction. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls to 27 FPS, which is another 47% reduction from the 1440p figure. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU that is severely constrained by fill rate and memory bandwidth, which in this case is "System Shared" and "System Dependent," rather than a CPU limitation.

The trend continues across all settings tiers. For High settings, the average FPS goes from 46 at 1080p, to 29 at 1440p, and finally to 16 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings represents a 65% loss in performance. Similarly, at Medium settings, the average FPS is 60 at 1080p, 39 at 1440p, and 21 at 4K. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, yielding 34 FPS at 1080p, 21 FPS at 1440p, and 11 FPS at 4K. These numbers confirm that the GPU's pixel throughput, rated at 60.00 GPixel/s, is simply insufficient for higher resolutions. The 3.40 GHz base and 5.60 GHz boost clocks of the i7-14700K are irrelevant here; the data shows the frame rate is tied almost entirely to the resolution and settings load on the GPU.

The min FPS values available for Medium settings reinforce this. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 51 FPS, but at 1440p Medium it drops to 33 FPS, and at 4K Medium it bottoms out at 17 FPS. This shows that not only does the average performance degrade, but the frame pacing becomes more erratic as the GPU struggles, leading to stutter and inconsistency at higher resolutions. The conclusion from the resolution scaling data is unambiguous: this combo is only viable for 1080p gaming, and even then, only with lower settings presets.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Hitman 2 with this CPU/GPU combo?

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 is the only resolution that provides consistently playable frame rates. The average FPS at 1080p ranges from 34 on Ultra to 80 on Low, while 1440p ranges from 21 to 51, and 4K ranges from 11 to 27.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700K or the Intel Arc B390 the bottleneck in this game?

A: The Intel Arc B390 is the clear bottleneck. The i7-14700K has 20 cores and 28 threads, and its benchmark scores (e.g., 33440.5 in Cinebench R23 multicore) are in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1482, placing it in the 9th percentile, and its nearest rivals are legacy NVIDIA GPUs like the GeForce GT 710.

Q: What is the combo's ranking compared to other tested systems?

A: This combo ranks 2662nd out of 3001 tested combos in Hitman 2. This places it in the bottom 12% of all systems tested for this game, indicating it is a low-performance pairing for this specific title.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, scores 1463, which is 1.3% slower. The GeForce 800M is 1.5% slower, and the GeForce GT 625 OEM is 2.5% slower. This shows the Arc B390 is only marginally faster than these older entry-level GPUs.

Q: Can this system handle Ultra settings in Hitman 2?

A: Technically yes, but not at a playable frame rate. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 34. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 21 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 11 FPS. These results indicate that Ultra settings are only suitable for screenshot purposes, not for actual gameplay.

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

A: At 1080p, the average FPS on Low is 80, while on Ultra it is 34. This represents a 57% performance drop when moving from the lowest to the highest quality preset, showing a massive cost to visual fidelity with this GPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K is a 20-core, 28-thread processor from the Core 14th Gen series, based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, with a 33 MB shared L3 cache. Its synthetic benchmark scores are strong, including 33440.5 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 2160 in single-core, placing it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. The nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, has an average score that is 0.2% higher, while the AMD EPYC 9115 is 0.1% lower, showing the i7-14700K is competitive with top-tier desktop processors.

However, in Hitman 2, the CPU's role is purely to feed the GPU. The data shows that the frame rate is determined by the resolution and settings, not by the CPU's capabilities. At 1080p Low, the system hits 80 FPS, which is likely near the point where the CPU could become a factor, but the GPU is still rendering at a rate that the CPU can easily handle. The i7-14700K's 28 threads and high boost clock provide a massive amount of headroom, meaning that even in complex stealth scenarios with many AI actors, the CPU is unlikely to be the source of frame drops. The bottleneck is entirely on the GPU side, as evidenced by the drastic FPS drops when increasing resolution, which is a pure GPU workload.

The CPU's memory support for DDR4 and DDR5 and dual-channel bus is relevant only in that it feeds the GPU's "System Shared" memory. Since the Arc B390 has no dedicated VRAM and relies on system memory, the CPU's memory controller and platform bandwidth could indirectly impact performance, but the measured data does not isolate this effect. The core takeaway is that the i7-14700K is overkill for this GPU in this game, and its potential is left largely untapped. The CPU's performance percentile of 94 versus the GPU's percentile of 9 highlights the massive imbalance in this pairing.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame field places this specific pairing at rank 2662 out of 3001 tested combos. This is a low ranking, placing the system in the bottom 11.3% of all combinations tested in Hitman 2. This ranking is driven almost entirely by the Intel Arc B390, which has an avgBenchmarkScore of 1482 and a percentileVsAllGpus of 9. This means the GPU performs better than only 9% of all GPUs in the database, a very low standing.

In contrast, the CPU is in the top 6% of all CPUs (94th percentile). The combination of a top-tier CPU and a bottom-tier GPU results in a system that is heavily unbalanced for gaming. The ranking reflects this imbalance, as the overall performance is dragged down by the GPU's limitations. The nearest GPU rivals for the Arc B390 are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1.3% slower), GeForce 800M (1.5% slower), and GeForce GT 625 OEM (2.5% slower), all of which are from an older generation of low-end hardware. This comparison underscores that the Arc B390 is competing with legacy entry-level parts, not modern gaming GPUs.

For context, this ranking means that the vast majority of other tested combos, even those with older mid-range GPUs, likely outperform this system in Hitman 2. The only way to improve the rank would be to pair the i7-14700K with a significantly more powerful discrete GPU. The data suggests that without a dedicated graphics card, this combo will remain at the bottom of the rankings for this game. The rank of 2662 is a clear quantitative verdict on the system's gaming capability.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the average FPS is 80 on Low, 60 on Medium, 46 on High, and 34 on Ultra. The Medium preset has min/max values of 51/69 FPS, showing some variance but staying within a playable range. This is the only resolution where any preset achieves an average above 60 FPS, indicating that 1080p is the target resolution for this combo.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS drops to 51 on Low, 39 on Medium, 29 on High, and 21 on Ultra. The Medium preset has min/max values of 33/44 FPS. None of these averages are ideal for fast-paced action, though Low settings at 51 FPS could be considered borderline acceptable for a stealth game, which typically requires less twitch reaction than a shooter. The data shows a clear step down from 1080p, with a 36% reduction in FPS on Low settings.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS is 27 on Low, 21 on Medium, 16 on High, and 11 on Ultra. The Medium preset has min/max values of 17/24 FPS. These numbers are all below the threshold for smooth gameplay and indicate that 4K is not a viable option for this system. The progression from Low to Ultra at each resolution shows a consistent performance penalty: at 1080p, the drop from Low to Ultra is 46 FPS (80 to 34); at 1440p, it is 30 FPS (51 to 21); and at 4K, it is 16 FPS (27 to 11). This pattern confirms that the GPU's limited resources are the primary constraint.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the recommended settings for this combo are 1920x1080 with the Low preset. This yields an average FPS of 80, which provides a smooth and responsive experience. The Medium preset at 1080p also offers a good option, with an average of 60 FPS and min/max of 51/69, which is still playable and provides better visual quality than Low. For players who prioritize a stable frame rate over visuals, Low is the safest choice, as it offers the most headroom for demanding scenes.

The High preset at 1080p, with an average of 46 FPS, is a compromise that may be acceptable for a slower-paced stealth game, but it risks dropping below 40 FPS in busy areas. The Ultra preset at 1080p, with an average of 34 FPS, is not recommended for gameplay, as the low frame rate will likely impair the player's ability to react to guards and targets. At 1440p, the only viable option is Low, which averages 51 FPS, but this is a marginal experience. The Medium preset at 1440p (39 FPS) should be avoided, and all 4K presets are unplayable.

The data indicates that the best experience balances visual fidelity and performance at 1080p Medium, which delivers a locked 60 FPS average. However, if the player encounters stuttering, dropping to Low will provide a significant performance buffer. The min FPS of 51 on Medium suggests that even at 1080p, there can be dips, so Low settings are the only way to guarantee a consistently high frame rate. There is no scenario where High or Ultra settings provide an acceptable gaming experience with this combo.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated GPU (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process node. It has 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. Its memory is "System Shared," meaning it has no dedicated VRAM and relies on system memory, with bandwidth that is "System Dependent." Its theoretical performance is rated at 7.680 TFLOPS FP32 and 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate.

In Hitman 2, the GPU's role is to render the game's environments, which include large crowds, complex lighting, and detailed textures. The measured data shows that the Arc B390 struggles with this task. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile, and its nearest rivals are all legacy NVIDIA GPUs with scores around 1463, indicating it performs at the level of a decade-old entry-level graphics solution. The lack of dedicated VRAM is likely a major contributor to the poor performance, as the GPU must share the system memory bus with the CPU.

The GPU's 24 ROPs are insufficient for high-resolution rendering, which explains the dramatic FPS drops at 1440p and 4K. Even at 1080p, the GPU can only manage 80 FPS on Low settings, which is a low ceiling for a modern game. The Ultra preset at 4K, with an average of 11 FPS, highlights the GPU's complete inability to handle high pixel counts. The boost clock of 2500 MHz is high for an integrated part, but it cannot compensate for the limited execution resources and memory bandwidth. The data shows that the GPU is the sole determinant of frame rate in this combination, and its performance is the reason for the combo's low ranking of 2662nd.