Hitman 2

Hitman 2, a stealth title from 2018, presents an interesting test for modern hardware. The measured data for the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the Intel Arc B580 shows a clear narrative about where the performance bottlenecks lie. The combination, ranked 2262 out of 3001 tested combos, demonstrates that while the CPU is a strong performer in general benchmarks, the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings. The benchmark results paint a picture of a system that excels at 1080p and can manage 1440p with adjustments, but struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 4K Ultra.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance cliff as resolution increases. At 1080p High, the combo delivers 79 FPS average. Moving to 1440p High, the average drops to 51 FPS, a 35% reduction. The jump to 4K High brings the average down to 27 FPS, which is another 47% drop from the 1440p figure. This pattern strongly suggests that the Intel Arc B580 is the limiting component, as the GPU's workload scales directly with pixel count.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K is particularly telling. At Low settings, the system produces 140 FPS at 1080p, 89 FPS at 1440p, and 48 FPS at 4K. The ratio from 1080p to 4K is roughly 2.9x fewer frames, which aligns closely with the 4x pixel count increase of 4K over 1080p. This near-linear scaling indicates that the GPU is being saturated at every resolution, with no meaningful CPU bottleneck even at 1080p Low where the frame rate peaks at 140 FPS.

The data suggests that the Arc B580's 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth, is sufficient for the game's needs at 1080p and 1440p. However, at 4K, the sheer pixel throughput requirement overwhelms the GPU's compute capabilities. The 27 FPS at 4K High and 20 FPS at 4K Ultra are simply not playable for a stealth game that requires precise timing and awareness.

Interestingly, the difference between Medium and High settings at each resolution is relatively small. At 1440p, Medium produces 67 FPS while High produces 51 FPS, a 16 FPS gap. At 4K, the gap narrows to 9 FPS (36 vs 27). This suggests that the High preset includes effects that are disproportionately expensive at higher resolutions, likely related to shadow quality or post-processing that scales with pixel count.

The Ultra preset is the most demanding, and the data shows a dramatic falloff. At 1080p Ultra, the system manages 58 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a game that benefits from high frame rates. At 1440p Ultra, the average drops to 37 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it collapses to 20 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra at 4K is 7 FPS, which is a 26% reduction, indicating that the Ultra preset's additional features are extremely costly at this resolution.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580, based on the Xe2-HPG architecture and manufactured on a 5 nm process, is the clear bottleneck in this configuration. Its benchmark scores place it in the 68th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23021. The nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (0.2% faster), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (0.6% slower), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (0.7% faster). This places the Arc B580 in a performance tier that is competitive with older high-end cards but not sufficient for 4K gaming at high settings.

The GPU's clock speeds are fixed at 2670 MHz for both base and boost, which is a relatively high frequency for a mid-range card. The 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units provide the raw compute throughput of 13.67 TFLOPS FP32. The 12 GB VRAM is generous for a card in this class, and the 456.0 GB/s memory bandwidth is respectable, but the data shows that these resources are insufficient for Hitman 2's 4K Ultra demands.

The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (20 FPS) is critically low. Even at 4K Low (48 FPS), the experience would be suboptimal for a stealth game where smooth camera movement is important. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3068 and the Geekbench Vulkan score of 109672 indicate that the GPU has solid raw performance, but Hitman 2's engine apparently scales poorly with the Arc B580's architecture at high resolutions.

The GPU's memory configuration deserves attention. The 192-bit bus width and 2375 MHz memory clock (19 Gbps effective) deliver 456.0 GB/s. This bandwidth is likely sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the texture streaming and buffer requirements may exceed what the memory subsystem can efficiently deliver. The 20 RT cores and support for DirectX 12 Ultimate suggest the card is future-proofed, but for this 2018 game, that capability is not the limiting factor.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Arc B580 capable of running Hitman 2 at 4K?

A: The data shows 4K performance is poor. The average FPS ranges from 48 at Low settings to 20 at Ultra. Only the Low preset at 4K approaches playability, and even then, 48 FPS is below the 60 FPS target most players prefer for a stealth action game.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: Based on the measured data, 1080p is the only resolution where all settings presets produce playable frame rates. At 1080p Ultra, the system averages 58 FPS, while 1440p Ultra drops to 37 FPS. The 1080p Medium preset yields 105 FPS, which is the sweet spot for smooth performance.

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

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 has an average benchmark score of 46062, placing it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. It is 0.1% faster than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375, 0.1% slower than the Intel Core i9-13900HX, and 0.2% faster than both the AMD EPYC 4364P and AMD EPYC 7303. This indicates the CPU is not the bottleneck in Hitman 2.

Q: Why does the FPS drop so significantly from 1440p to 4K?

A: The pixel count increases by 2.25x when moving from 1440p to 4K. However, the measured FPS drop is more severe, suggesting the GPU's render output units and memory bandwidth are overwhelmed. For example, at High settings, FPS drops from 51 to 27, a 47% reduction, which is disproportionate to the pixel increase.

Q: What is the difference between Medium and High settings?

A: The data shows that Medium settings provide significantly higher frame rates than High. At 1080p, Medium averages 105 FPS while High averages 79 FPS, a 33% difference. At 1440p, the gap is 67 vs 51 FPS, and at 4K, it is 36 vs 27 FPS. The High preset likely adds expensive effects like enhanced shadows and ambient occlusion.

Q: Is this combo ranked well among tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 2262 out of 3001 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom quarter of all systems. This rank reflects the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions, despite the CPU's strong performance in general benchmarks.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the system delivers its best performance. The Low preset produces an average of 140 FPS, which is the highest measured value across all resolutions and settings. Medium settings reduce this to 105 FPS, with minimum and maximum values of 89 and 121 FPS respectively. High settings average 79 FPS, and Ultra drops to 58 FPS. All of these are playable, though the 58 FPS at Ultra might feel less smooth than the higher presets.

Moving to 1440p, the performance degrades predictably. Low settings average 89 FPS, which is still playable. Medium averages 67 FPS, with a range of 57 to 77 FPS. High averages 51 FPS, which is borderline for a game that benefits from smooth motion. Ultra drops to 37 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable play in a stealth title where quick reactions matter.

At 4K, the results are poor across all settings. Low averages 48 FPS, which is technically playable but not smooth. Medium averages 36 FPS, with a range of 30 to 41 FPS. High drops to 27 FPS, and Ultra falls to 20 FPS. None of these are recommended for a game that requires precise aiming and stealth mechanics. The minimum FPS of 30 at 4K Medium indicates that even the average is not representative of the worst-case stutters.

The pattern across all resolutions is consistent: the gap between Low and Medium is large, the gap between Medium and High is moderate, and the gap between High and Ultra is relatively small. This suggests that the Low preset removes many computationally expensive effects, while the Ultra preset adds diminishing returns for the performance cost.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process. Its base clock is 3.40 GHz with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The 24 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support contribute to its strong benchmark performance. The CPU's average benchmark score of 46062 places it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, suggesting it has ample headroom for gaming workloads.

In Hitman 2, the CPU does not appear to be a limiting factor. The evidence is that even at 1080p Low, where the GPU is least stressed, the system achieves 140 FPS. If the CPU were a bottleneck, we would expect to see the frame rate cap at a lower value. The CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-13900HX, scores nearly identical (within 0.1%), indicating that the Core Ultra 5 235 is in a performance tier that exceeds the demands of this game.

The CPU's single-core performance is particularly relevant for gaming. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2085 and Passmark single-thread score of 4516 indicate strong single-threaded capability, which is what most games rely on for game logic and physics. The 14 cores provide ample multi-threading for background tasks and any engine features that use multiple threads.

The CPU's 65W TDP and 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die show an efficient design. The 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth is adequate for the game's needs, especially since the GPU has its own 456.0 GB/s bandwidth. The fact that the combo rank (2262 of 3001) is significantly below the CPU's percentile ranking (89th) confirms that the GPU is what holds this system back in Hitman 2.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal experience for this combo is at 1080p with Medium or High settings. The Medium preset delivers 105 FPS average, which provides a smooth experience with minimal visual compromise. High settings at 79 FPS are also excellent, offering better visual fidelity while maintaining a frame rate well above the 60 FPS threshold.

For players who prioritize visual quality over frame rate, 1080p Ultra at 58 FPS is acceptable, though the system is close to the edge of what might be considered smooth. The 1440p Medium preset at 67 FPS is another viable option, offering higher resolution with a good balance of performance. However, the 1440p High preset at 51 FPS is not recommended, as the frame rate dips below what is ideal for a stealth game.

The 4K resolution should be avoided with this combo. Even the Low preset at 48 FPS is marginal, and the Medium preset at 36 FPS with minimums of 30 FPS will likely produce noticeable stuttering. The Ultra 4K preset at 20 FPS is unplayable. The data suggests that the Arc B580's 12 GB VRAM and 456.0 GB/s bandwidth are not enough to handle the high-resolution textures and effects that Hitman 2 employs.

The best experience per the measured rows is clearly 1080p Medium or High. The Medium preset offers 105 FPS, which is ideal for a game that requires precise timing for stealth takedowns and avoiding detection. High settings provide a more immersive visual experience at 79 FPS, which is still excellent. Players with high refresh rate monitors can take advantage of the Low preset at 140 FPS, though the visual compromise may not be worth it for a game that is not competitive.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and Intel Arc B580 combination ranks 2262 out of 3001 tested combos in Hitman 2. This places it in the 75th percentile of all tested systems, meaning roughly three-quarters of all tested combinations perform better. This is a surprising result given the CPU's strong benchmark performance, but it is consistent with the GPU's 68th percentile ranking.

The GPU's nearest rivals provide context for its performance. The AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP scores 0.2% higher in average benchmarks, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 scores 0.6% lower. The RTX 3080 scores 0.7% higher. This places the Arc B580 in a performance tier that is competitive with the RTX 2080, a card that launched in 2018. However, Hitman 2's engine may not be optimized for the Arc B580's architecture, as evidenced by the low 4K performance.

The combo rank suggests that this system is not well-suited for Hitman 2 at high resolutions. The CPU's 89th percentile ranking is wasted on a game that is primarily GPU-bound. The data implies that pairing this CPU with a more powerful GPU would yield significantly better results, as the CPU has ample headroom to support higher frame rates.

The rank of 2262 out of 3001 is in the bottom quarter, which is a clear indication that this combo is not ideal for Hitman 2. The measured FPS at 1080p High (79 FPS) and 1440p Medium (67 FPS) are respectable, but the inability to handle 4K or even 1440p Ultra limits the system's overall appeal. For players who primarily play at 1080p, this combo is adequate, but for those who want higher resolutions, it falls short. The data suggests that the Arc B580 is the primary constraint, and upgrading to a GPU with higher compute throughput and memory bandwidth would be the most effective way to improve performance in this game.