Hitman 2

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER delivers a top-tier experience in Hitman 2, with benchmark data showing that combination ranks in the 92nd percentile of all tested system configurations. The pairing of a modern mid-range CPU with a flagship GPU from the previous generation produces frame rates that are consistently high, though the data reveals a system that transitions from being firmly GPU-bound at 4K to increasingly CPU-sensitive at lower resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

Out of 3,001 tested hardware combinations for Hitman 2, this specific CPU-GPU pairing achieves a combo rank of 225. That places it in the top 7.5% of all configurations, a strong showing that reflects the balanced capabilities of both components. The Ultra 5 225 and RTX 4080 SUPER work together to deliver frame rates that are competitive with some of the most expensive builds on the market, though the rank also indicates that there are over 200 other combinations that manage to squeeze out higher performance in this particular title.

The ranking is particularly impressive when considering the CPU's overall standing in the broader benchmark database. The Ultra 5 225 sits at the 85th percentile versus all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 36,938. Its nearest rivals in the synthetic benchmarks include the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, which scores 36,945 (a 0% delta), and the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D at 37,018 (-0.2%). This puts the Intel chip in a dead heat with those alternatives. Meanwhile, the RTX 4080 SUPER holds the 86th percentile versus all GPUs, with an average score of 54,209, placing it just 0.1% behind the non-SUPER RTX 4080.

The practical result is a combo that ranks in the top tier for Hitman 2, but the data suggests the GPU is doing the heavy lifting to achieve that position. The RTX 4080 SUPER's percentile rank is slightly higher than the CPU's, and the gap between this combo and the top 224 configurations likely comes down to systems with even more powerful processors that can better feed the GPU at lower resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing for Hitman 2, and its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides ample bandwidth for the game's detailed environments. The memory runs at 1438 MHz with 23 Gbps effective speed, yielding a total bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s. This is more than sufficient for the textures and geometry found in the stealth title's sprawling levels, even at 4K resolution.

The GPU's clock speeds are relatively modest for a flagship, with a base clock of 2295 MHz and a boost clock of 2550 MHz. However, the Ada Lovelace architecture's efficiency means these clocks translate into substantial performance. The card's 52.22 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power and 816.0 GTexel/s texture rate ensure that pixel shading and texture filtering are never bottlenecks. With 10,240 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 112 ROPs, the RTX 4080 SUPER has the raw throughput to handle Hitman 2's dynamic lighting and shadow systems without breaking a sweat.

The data shows the GPU's ceiling is rarely tested in this game. At 1080p Low settings, the combo hits 301 FPS, which is likely near the practical limit for the game engine itself. The RTX 4080 SUPER's 86th percentile GPU ranking and its benchmark score of 54,209 (just 0.1% behind the RTX 4080) confirm that this is a top-tier card, but in Hitman 2, the bottleneck shifts to the CPU long before the GPU runs out of resources. The 16 GB VRAM is never a limiting factor, as even at 4K Ultra, the game only pushes the combo to 43 FPS, which is a CPU limitation rather than a memory capacity issue.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases, but the magnitude of the drop-off tells a story about which component is the limiting factor. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings, the average frame rate falls from 171 FPS to 109 FPS, a 36% reduction. From 1440p to 4K at High settings, the average drops from 109 FPS to 58 FPS, another 47% reduction. This steep decline at higher resolutions is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario.

However, the scaling is not uniform across all settings levels. At Low settings, the combo delivers 301 FPS at 1080p, 192 FPS at 1440p, and 103 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is 36%, and from 1440p to 4K is 46%, which is remarkably similar to the High settings pattern. This consistency suggests that even at Low settings, where the GPU workload is reduced, the system is still hitting a performance ceiling that scales with resolution rather than being purely CPU-limited.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the CPU begins to constrain performance. The RTX 4080 SUPER is capable of far more than 301 FPS in a game like Hitman 2, but the Ultra 5 225's single-thread performance becomes the limiting factor. The CPU's Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3,655 is respectable but not exceptional, and the game's engine relies heavily on a few main threads. At 4K, the GPU takes over as the primary bottleneck, with the 58 FPS average at High settings reflecting the card's raw rendering limits rather than any CPU constraint.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers an average of 301 FPS at Low settings, 226 FPS at Medium (with a minimum of 192 FPS and maximum of 260 FPS), 171 FPS at High, and 126 FPS at Ultra. These numbers are exceptional, with even the Ultra preset providing a frame rate that far exceeds the refresh rate of most monitors. The Medium preset's minimum of 192 FPS indicates that the system rarely dips below high triple-digit frame rates, even during demanding scenes.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong. Low settings produce 192 FPS, Medium averages 144 FPS (minimum 123 FPS, maximum 166 FPS), High averages 109 FPS, and Ultra drops to 80 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p is particularly notable, as the 144 FPS average aligns perfectly with high-refresh gaming monitors, while the minimum of 123 FPS ensures smooth gameplay without significant hitches. The Ultra preset at 80 FPS is still very playable and suggests that users with 1440p 144Hz displays can enjoy the game at high settings without compromise.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes more demanding. Low settings yield 103 FPS, Medium averages 77 FPS (minimum 65 FPS, maximum 88 FPS), High drops to 58 FPS, and Ultra falls to 43 FPS. The 4K Medium preset at 77 FPS is the sweet spot for this resolution, providing a good balance between visual quality and smoothness. The High preset at 58 FPS is borderline for 60Hz displays, while Ultra at 43 FPS is playable but not optimal for fast-paced action. The minimum FPS of 65 at 4K Medium indicates that even the most demanding scenes stay above the 60 FPS threshold.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of 4K gaming in Hitman 2?

A: Yes, but with caveats. The data shows the combo averages 58 FPS at 4K High and 43 FPS at 4K Ultra. For a smooth 60 FPS experience, the Medium preset at 77 FPS is the recommended choice, as it provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ultra 5 225 scores 36,938 on average, essentially matching the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F at 36,945 (0% delta). It is 0.2% behind the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and 0.4% behind the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450, indicating these CPUs are all within a hair's breadth of each other in raw compute performance.

Q: What is the limiting factor at 1080p resolution?

A: At 1080p, the CPU becomes the primary bottleneck. The RTX 4080 SUPER is capable of producing frame rates well above 300 FPS, but the Ultra 5 225's single-thread performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3,655, caps the system's output. This is why the 1080p Low preset averages 301 FPS rather than a higher number.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 SUPER rank among all GPUs?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER holds the 86th percentile versus all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54,209. It is 0.1% behind the standard RTX 4080 and 1.1% behind the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X, showing it is at the top end of the GPU hierarchy.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured data shows an average of 109 FPS at 1440p High settings. This is well above the 60 FPS standard and provides a smooth experience for high-refresh-rate monitors, though it falls short of the 144 FPS that the Medium preset delivers.

Q: Is there a significant performance gap between the Low and Ultra presets?

A: The gap is substantial. At 1080p, the difference between Low (301 FPS) and Ultra (126 FPS) is 175 FPS, a 58% reduction. At 4K, the gap narrows in absolute terms but remains proportionally similar, with Low at 103 FPS and Ultra at 43 FPS, a 58% reduction as well.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 plays a crucial supporting role in this combo, and its limitations become more apparent as resolution decreases. This 10-core, 10-thread processor is built on the Arrow Lake architecture using a 3 nm process from TSMC, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. The 65W TDP is modest for a desktop chip, and the 20 MB of shared L3 cache provides a solid foundation for gaming workloads.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's performance is adequate but not exceptional. The game is known for its AI-driven NPCs and complex level simulations, which can be demanding on processor resources. The Ultra 5 225's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25,891 is strong, but the single-core score of 3,655 is what matters most for this title. The PassMark single-thread score of 4,412 confirms that the chip has good per-core performance, but it is not in the same league as the top-tier gaming CPUs.

The data reveals the CPU's impact most clearly at 1080p. With the RTX 4080 SUPER, the combo reaches 301 FPS at Low settings, but this is likely the CPU's ceiling rather than the GPU's. The 10 threads are all the processor has, and Hitman 2's engine can utilize multiple threads, but the lack of hyperthreading means the chip cannot extract every last frame from the powerful GPU. At 4K, the CPU's role diminishes, as the GPU becomes the limiting factor and the 58 FPS average at High settings is primarily a function of the RTX 4080 SUPER's rendering capability.

The CPU's 85th percentile ranking among all processors, with a 0% delta to the Ryzen 5 5600F, places it as a solid mid-range option. However, for a game like Hitman 2 where frame rates at 1080p are already extremely high, the CPU's influence is less about achieving playable performance and more about maximizing the GPU's potential. The data suggests that users who prioritize 1080p gaming with the RTX 4080 SUPER would benefit from a stronger processor, while those gaming at 1440p or 4K will find the Ultra 5 225 to be a capable partner that does not significantly hold back the GPU.