Hitman 2

# FAQ

Q: What is the combo rank of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 in Hitman 2?

A: This combination ranks 255th out of 3,711 tested combos in Hitman 2, placing it in the top 7% of all tested system configurations for this game.

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

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 scores 36,938 in average benchmark score, putting it essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (36,945, 0% delta). It trails the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D by just 0.2%, the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 by 0.4%, and the Intel Core i9-12900T by 0.5%.

Q: What is the best 4K setting for playable frame rates?

A: At 3840x2160, the High preset delivers 58 FPS average, while Medium delivers 77 FPS with a minimum of 66 FPS. Low reaches 103 FPS, but Ultra drops to 43 FPS, making Medium the strongest balance of visual quality and smooth gameplay at 4K.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its closest competitors?

A: The RTX 4080 scores 54,247 on average benchmarks, placing it within 0.1% of the RTX 4080 SUPER (54,209). It outperforms the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X by 1.1%, the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB by 2.6%, and the AMD Radeon 8060S by 2.7%.

Q: What frame rates can be expected at 1440p on High settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the combo achieves 110 FPS average. For higher refresh rate displays, the Low preset reaches 193 FPS, while Medium delivers 145 FPS with a 123 FPS minimum and 167 FPS maximum.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset reaches 302 FPS average, suggesting the GPU is handling the load efficiently. The CPU's 10 cores and 10 threads with a 4.90 GHz boost clock provide sufficient headroom, as evidenced by the scaling from 126 FPS at Ultra to 302 FPS at Low.

# CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 brings a 10-core, 10-thread configuration based on the Arrow Lake-S architecture, built on TSMC's 3nm process node. This processor operates with a 3.30 GHz base clock and boosts up to 4.90 GHz, which proves critical for Hitman 2's stealth gameplay where AI calculations and crowd simulations demand responsive single-thread performance.

In synthetic testing, the CPU's single-core performance is robust, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3,655 and a Passmark single-thread score of 4,412. These figures indicate strong per-core capability, which matters for Hitman 2's engine that relies heavily on main-thread logic for NPC behavior and level streaming. The multi-core results are equally respectable, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25,891 and a Passmark multithread score of 30,459.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 85th among all tested processors places it in the upper tier of desktop CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, matches its average benchmark score exactly at 0% delta, while the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D trails by just 0.2%. This tight grouping suggests that, for Hitman 2's computational demands, the Ultra 5 225 performs on par with established mid-range competition.

The 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache provide adequate data locality for the game's asset streaming. The dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth ensures the CPU can feed the GPU without creating a memory subsystem bottleneck, particularly at higher resolutions where data throughput demands increase.

In the context of Hitman 2 specifically, the CPU's 10 threads handle the game's background simulation tasks, including NPC schedules and security patrols, while leaving sufficient headroom for the primary rendering thread. The 4.90 GHz boost clock delivers the responsiveness required for the game's stealth mechanics, where frame timing consistency matters as much as raw throughput.

# GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD103 chip, manufactured on TSMC's 5nm process. It operates at a 2,205 MHz base clock and 2,505 MHz boost clock, providing the raw compute power necessary for Hitman 2's detailed sandbox environments. The GPU's 48.74 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 761.5 GTexel/s texture rate handle the game's dense crowds and complex lighting scenarios effectively.

Memory capacity plays a critical role at higher resolutions. The 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus delivers 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth, which proves sufficient for 4K textures and the game's large level geometry. The 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores support DirectX 12 Ultimate features, though Hitman 2's implementation primarily leverages traditional rasterization.

The GPU's benchmark results show a Passmark G3D score of 34,457 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 263,779, indicating strong DirectX 12 and Vulkan performance. Its 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs places it in the high-end tier, with the RTX 4080 SUPER as its closest competitor at just 0.1% difference in average score.

At 4K resolution, the GPU's capabilities become the primary determinant of frame rates. The measured data shows 58 FPS at High settings and 77 FPS at Medium, demonstrating that the GPU can handle 4K gaming when settings are managed appropriately. The Ultra preset at 43 FPS suggests the game's most demanding visual effects, likely including advanced shadow and reflection techniques, push the GPU beyond smooth gameplay thresholds.

The 22.4 Gbps effective memory speed and 280.6 GPixel/s pixel rate provide ample bandwidth for the game's rendering pipeline. At 1440p and 1080p, the GPU's headroom becomes evident, with frame rates scaling dramatically as resolution decreases, confirming that the RTX 4080 is not the limiting factor at lower resolutions.

# How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 paired with the RTX 4080 achieves a combo rank of 255 out of 3,711 tested configurations in Hitman 2, which places this system in the top 6.9% of all tested combos. This rank reflects the synergy between a strong mid-range CPU and a high-end GPU, where the CPU provides adequate feeding for the GPU without creating a significant bottleneck.

The CPU's 85th percentile ranking and the GPU's 86th percentile ranking individually suggest both components perform above average in their respective categories. When combined, their collective performance places them in a similar percentile range, indicating balanced pairing. The 0% delta to the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and the sub-1% deltas to other rivals confirm that the CPU is not holding back the GPU's potential.

In practical terms, this rank means the combo outperforms 3,456 other tested configurations in Hitman 2. The high rank is particularly notable given that the CPU is not a flagship model, demonstrating that Hitman 2's engine scales well with GPU-centric configurations. The game's optimization allows the RTX 4080 to stretch its legs even with a 10-thread processor driving it.

The measured FPS data supports this ranking: at 1080p, the combo delivers 302 FPS at Low settings, which is well beyond the 144Hz refresh rate most gamers target. Even at 4K, the Medium preset's 77 FPS average represents a playable experience, confirming that this configuration sits comfortably in the upper echelon of gaming systems for this title.

# Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 3840x2160, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, delivering 77 FPS average with a 66 FPS minimum and 89 FPS maximum. This provides a smooth experience on standard 60Hz displays while maintaining visual fidelity. The High preset at 58 FPS is borderline for 60Hz displays, while Ultra at 43 FPS falls below playable thresholds for most users.

For 2560x1440 gaming, the High preset at 110 FPS is the best balance, offering excellent visual quality while comfortably exceeding 60 FPS and approaching 120Hz capabilities. The Medium preset at 145 FPS is ideal for 144Hz displays, providing a 123 FPS minimum that keeps gameplay smooth during intense scenes. Users with 240Hz monitors can consider the Low preset at 193 FPS, though the visual compromise may not justify the frame rate increase.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset at 126 FPS delivers full visual quality while remaining playable on 60Hz and 120Hz displays. For 144Hz and above, the High preset at 172 FPS is recommended, providing a 46 FPS increase over Ultra with minimal visual difference in most scenes. The Medium preset at 227 FPS targets competitive play, while Low at 302 FPS maximizes frame rates for the highest refresh rate displays.

The data indicates that the Medium preset offers the most consistent experience across all resolutions, with minimum FPS values of 66, 123, and 193 at 4K, 1440p, and 1080p respectively. This consistency suggests the preset is well-optimized for the hardware combination, avoiding the frame rate drops that can occur with more demanding settings.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the combo produces a clear hierarchy across settings. The Low preset achieves 103 FPS average, providing the highest frame rate at 4K but with reduced visual detail. Medium delivers 77 FPS average with a 66 FPS minimum and 89 FPS maximum, showing tight frame pacing. High drops to 58 FPS average, while Ultra falls to 43 FPS, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance scales impressively. Low reaches 193 FPS average, nearly doubling the 4K Low result. Medium achieves 145 FPS average with a 123 FPS minimum and 167 FPS maximum, representing a 68 FPS improvement over 4K Medium. High delivers 110 FPS average, and Ultra reaches 81 FPS, making it viable for 60Hz displays at this resolution.

At 1920x1080, the combo demonstrates exceptional performance. Low hits 302 FPS average, more than tripling the 4K Ultra frame rate. Medium delivers 227 FPS average with a 193 FPS minimum and 261 FPS maximum, showing remarkable consistency. High achieves 172 FPS average, while Ultra reaches 126 FPS, providing excellent visual quality at high refresh rates.

The scaling patterns reveal that the RTX 4080 has significant headroom at lower resolutions. The jump from 4K Ultra (43 FPS) to 1080p Low (302 FPS) represents a 7x increase, indicating that resolution is the dominant factor in this game's performance. The CPU's role becomes more apparent at 1080p, where the 302 FPS ceiling suggests the Ultra 5 225 can sustain very high frame rates without bottlenecking.

The Medium preset consistently shows the most stable frame delivery, with the only reported minimum and maximum values across all resolutions. This data suggests that the Medium preset's workload distribution aligns well with the CPU's 10-core/10-thread configuration, avoiding the frame spikes that can occur with more demanding settings.