Hitman 2

Hitman 2 with an Intel Core i9-14900K and Intel Arc B580 presents a classic case of a high-end CPU paired with a mid-range GPU. The data reveals that the experience is heavily dictated by the graphics card, with the processor providing ample headroom to avoid becoming the primary constraint. The benchmark results show a system that is capable of excellent 1080p performance but struggles significantly at higher resolutions, a pattern that clearly defines where the bottleneck lies.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep and predictable decline as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers robust performance across all settings, starting at 140 FPS on Low, dropping to 105 FPS on Medium, 79 FPS on High, and 58 FPS on Ultra. This indicates that at 1080p, the system is well-balanced, with the i9-14900K able to feed the Arc B580 enough data to achieve high frame rates. The scaling from Low to Ultra at this resolution is a 58.6% performance drop, which is substantial but leaves the experience playable even on the most demanding preset.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates begin to show the strain on the GPU. The average FPS at Low settings is 89, which is a 36.4% reduction from the 1080p Low result. The Medium preset yields 67 FPS, High produces 51 FPS, and Ultra falls to 37 FPS. The performance delta between 1080p and 1440p is significant, suggesting that the Arc B580's rendering capabilities are starting to become the limiting factor. While the CPU is still able to maintain high frame times, the GPU is increasingly occupied with pixel processing, leading to a noticeable drop in output.

The jump to 3840x2160 is where the combo loses its playability. The average FPS at 4K High is a mere 27 FPS, and 4K Ultra drops to just 20 FPS. Even at 4K Low, the system only manages 48 FPS, and the Medium preset shows an average of 36 FPS with a minimum of 30 FPS and a maximum of 41 FPS. This represents a 65.7% performance drop from 1080p Low to 4K Low, and a 65.8% drop from 1080p High to 4K High. The data clearly indicates that at 4K, the GPU is completely overburdened, and the i9-14900K's processing power is irrelevant to the final frame rate; the system is firmly GPU-limited. The scaling pattern across all settings shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck at any resolution, as the frame rate differences are almost entirely attributable to the GPU's workload.

How This Combo Ranks

In the context of the entire benchmark database, this specific CPU-GPU pairing ranks at 2810 out of 3711 tested combos for Hitman 2. This places it in the 24th percentile of all combinations, meaning that roughly three-quarters of the tested systems deliver higher average frame rates in this game. This ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's performance ceiling, as the CPU is far more capable than the 68th percentile ranking of the Arc B580 in the global GPU list suggests. The data indicates that the i9-14900K is being held back by the Arc B580, preventing the combo from achieving a higher standing.

The combo's rank is particularly telling when considering the CPU's potential. The i9-14900K sits in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, evidence of its immense processing power. However, the pairing's actual in-game rank is much lower due to the GPU's limitations. This discrepancy highlights a fundamental imbalance. The benchmark results suggest that pairing this CPU with a more powerful GPU would yield a drastically higher rank, as the processor has abundant headroom. The data shows that the combo's performance is not representative of the CPU's capabilities, but rather of the GPU's mid-range positioning, which is around the 68th percentile for all GPUs.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is the decisive component in this system's Hitman 2 performance. Its specifications, including 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, provide a memory bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s. This is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming but is clearly insufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K, as evidenced by the sub-30 FPS averages at that resolution. The GPU's boost clock is listed at 2670 MHz, and its FP32 performance is rated at 13.67 TFLOPS, figures that align with its mid-range market positioning.

The GPU's benchmark scores corroborate its in-game performance. Its Passmark G3D score is 15748, and it achieves a Geekbench Vulkan score of 109672. These scores place it in the 68th percentile of all GPUs, with its nearest rivals including the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, which has an average score of 23172 and a deltaPct of -0.7% relative to the B580's average score of 23021. This suggests the B580 is statistically in the same performance tier as a previous-generation high-end card, but the 4K results in Hitman 2 show that its 12 GB VRAM and memory bandwidth are not enough for this specific title's demands. The data shows a clear trend where the GPU's performance degrades sharply with resolution, confirming that it is the primary bottleneck, especially at 4K where it delivers a 20 FPS average on Ultra settings.

FAQ

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

A: The benchmark data indicates that 1920x1080 is the optimal resolution. The combo achieves 140 FPS on Low, 105 FPS on Medium, and 79 FPS on High at this resolution, providing smooth and responsive gameplay. Performance drops significantly at 2560x1440 and becomes largely unplayable at 3840x2160, where even the Low preset only manages 48 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B580 compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 3080?

A: According to the average benchmark scores, the Arc B580 has an average score of 23021, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 has an average score of 23172. The deltaPct is -0.7%, indicating that the B580's average score is 0.7% lower than the RTX 3080's, placing them in a very similar performance tier based on synthetic benchmarks.

Q: Is the Intel Core i9-14900K the bottleneck in this system for Hitman 2?

A: No, the data does not support this. The i9-14900K is in the 95th percentile of all CPUs. The frame rate scaling patterns across resolutions show a consistent drop that aligns with GPU workload, not CPU limitations. The combo's rank of 2810 out of 3711 is significantly lower than what the CPU alone would suggest, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor.

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

A: The data suggests it cannot handle 4K well. At 3840x2160, the average frame rates are 27 FPS on High and 20 FPS on Ultra, which are below playable thresholds. Even the Low preset only reaches 48 FPS, which is not a consistent 60 FPS experience.

Q: What is the performance difference between High and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers an average of 51 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 37 FPS. This is a 27.5% performance decrease for the move from High to Ultra, which may not justify the visual gains for many users seeking a higher frame rate.

Q: What is the launch MSRP for the GPU in this combo?

A: The launch MSRP for the Intel Arc B580 is 249 USD.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a powerhouse that provides more than enough computational headroom for Hitman 2. With 24 cores and 32 threads, a base clock of 3.20 GHz, and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz, its processing capabilities are immense. Its benchmark scores are equally impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39399.5 and a single-core score of 2262.5, placing it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs. This raw power ensures that the game engine's logic, AI, and physics calculations are never a limiting factor.

Despite its strength, the CPU's role in the measured FPS is secondary. The performance data shows that the frame rates are dictated by the GPU. For example, at 1080p, the FPS scales directly with the graphics settings, which primarily affect GPU load. The CPU's high single-thread performance is crucial for maintaining high frame rates, but the GPU cannot deliver frames fast enough at higher resolutions to allow the CPU to become the bottleneck. The nearest rivals to the i9-14900K, such as the Intel Core i9-14900KF and the AMD EPYC 7413, have average scores that are within 1.2% of each other, showing that the CPU is not a differentiating factor in this pairing. The data leads to the conclusion that the i9-14900K is overqualified for this specific game and GPU combination, as its performance potential is far beyond what the Arc B580 can utilize in Hitman 2.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo is found at 1920x1080 using the High preset. This setting provides an average of 79 FPS, which is a smooth and responsive frame rate for a stealth game. It offers a substantial visual upgrade over the Medium preset, which runs at 105 FPS, while maintaining a frame rate that is well above the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset at 1080p is also playable at 58 FPS, but the 21 FPS drop from High to Ultra may not be worth the marginal visual improvements.

For users with a 1440p monitor, the Medium preset is the highest recommended setting, delivering an average of 67 FPS. The High preset at this resolution drops to 51 FPS, which is still playable but may feel less fluid during fast-paced action. The Low preset at 1440p, which averages 89 FPS, is an option for those prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity. At 4K, the data shows that no preset provides a consistently playable experience. The Low preset's 48 FPS is the only option that approaches playability, but the Medium, High, and Ultra presets all fall below 40 FPS. Therefore, the recommendation is to stick to 1080p High for the best balance of visual quality and performance, or 1440p Medium if a higher resolution is preferred.