Hitman 2

# Hitman 2 with Intel Core Ultra 5 245 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 delivers a solid Hitman 2 experience, though the game's age and the GPU's 10 GB memory pool create distinct performance patterns. Benchmark data shows this pairing ranks 1078th out of 3711 tested combos, placing it in the upper third of all configurations. The measured FPS across resolutions and settings reveals a system that excels at 1080p and 1440p but struggles to maintain smooth frame rates at 4K Ultra, where the data indicates a clear GPU bottleneck.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K follows a predictable curve, but the magnitude varies significantly by settings preset. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 128 FPS at 1920x1080 to 82 FPS at 2560x1440 and then to 44 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 36% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a further 46% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The total scaling from 1080p to 4K is a 66% performance loss, which is substantial but expected for a game of this era running on modern hardware.

The Low preset shows even more dramatic scaling, with 227 FPS at 1080p dropping to 145 FPS at 1440p (36% loss) and then to 77 FPS at 4K (47% loss from 1440p). Interestingly, the Medium preset exhibits the most consistent scaling pattern: 170 FPS at 1080p, 109 FPS at 1440p (36% loss), and 58 FPS at 4K (47% loss). The Ultra preset follows suit with 95 FPS at 1080p, 61 FPS at 1440p (36% loss), and 32 FPS at 4K (48% loss).

The consistent percentage losses across presets suggest that resolution scaling is primarily driven by GPU workload rather than CPU limitations. The near-identical percentage drops between settings indicate that the RTX 3080's rendering throughput scales predictably with pixel count, regardless of the quality preset. At 4K, even the Low preset drops below 80 FPS, which points to the GPU being the primary limiting component at this resolution. The CPU's role becomes more pronounced at 1080p, where the frame rates exceed 200 FPS on Low settings, suggesting the processor can sustain high throughput without becoming a bottleneck.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 features 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus with 760.3 GB/s bandwidth, paired with a boost clock of 1710 MHz and a base clock of 1440 MHz. The GPU's 8704 shading units and 68 RT cores provide substantial compute capability, with FP32 performance rated at 29.77 TFLOPS. In Hitman 2, the 10 GB memory capacity appears adequate for 1080p and 1440p across all settings, as frame rates remain high even at Ultra preset.

However, the 4K Ultra result of 32 FPS indicates that the combination of high resolution and maximum settings pushes the GPU to its limits. The memory bandwidth of 760.3 GB/s should theoretically handle 4K textures, but the average FPS of 44 at 4K High suggests the GPU's raw compute power, rather than memory bandwidth, is the constraining factor. The fact that 4K Low achieves 77 FPS versus 4K Ultra's 32 FPS demonstrates a 58% performance swing purely from settings adjustments, which is a much larger range than the 1080p spread (227 FPS Low to 95 FPS Ultra, a 58% difference as well).

The GPU's 68th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23172, places it in the mid-to-upper tier. Its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the NVIDIA P106-100, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16, and AMD Radeon RX 6600M, all within 0.4% of its average score. This suggests that while the RTX 3080 is not a top-tier card by modern standards, it remains competitive in this specific workload. The card's 8 nm process node from Samsung and 28,300 million transistors on a 628 mm² die contribute to its 320 W TDP, which is a consideration for system builders but does not directly appear in the measured game performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 1078th out of 3711 tested combinations, placing it in the 71st percentile of all systems evaluated. This ranking reflects the balance between the CPU's 90th percentile standing among all processors and the GPU's 68th percentile among all graphics cards. The pairing is therefore slightly GPU-limited in terms of overall performance potential, but the combination still lands well above the median of all tested combos.

Comparing to the CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks, the Core Ultra 5 245 scores 48995 on average, with the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G at 49196 (0.4% higher), AMD Ryzen 9 7900 at 49228 (0.5% higher), Intel Xeon Gold 5318H at 48698 (0.6% lower), and Intel Core i5-14600K at 48618 (0.8% lower). These small deltas indicate the processor is competitive with a wide range of alternatives, but none of these specific rival CPUs were tested with this GPU in Hitman 2, so direct game performance comparisons are not available.

The GPU's nearest rivals show similarly tight margins, with the P106-100 at 23249 (0.3% higher), Radeon Pro Vega 16 at 23250 (0.3% higher), and Radeon RX 6600M at 23273 (0.4% higher). The RTX 3080's average GPU benchmark score of 23172 sits just below these alternatives, but in Hitman 2 specifically, the measured frame rates demonstrate that this card delivers playable performance at 1440p across all settings. The combo's rank of 1078 out of 3711 suggests that approximately 29% of tested configurations outperform this pairing, while 71% are slower, which is a reasonable position for a system built around a previous-generation flagship GPU and a current-generation mid-range CPU.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Hitman 2?

A: Based on measured data, 2560x1440 with High settings delivers 82 FPS average, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. At 1080p, all settings exceed 95 FPS, while at 4K, only Low settings reach 77 FPS, with High at 44 FPS and Ultra at 32 FPS.

Q: Does the Ultra preset provide a better experience than High at 1440p?

A: No. At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 61 FPS while High averages 82 FPS, a 34% performance improvement with High. The visual difference between High and Ultra in Hitman 2 does not justify the substantial FPS loss, making High the better choice for consistent frame rates.

Q: How much performance is gained by lowering settings from Ultra to Low at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the average FPS increases from 32 FPS at Ultra to 77 FPS at Low, a 141% performance gain. This dramatic improvement indicates that settings adjustments have a much larger impact at 4K than at lower resolutions.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: At 1080p, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, evidenced by the 227 FPS maximum at Low settings. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck, with even Low settings only reaching 77 FPS. The CPU's 14 cores and 14 threads with a 5.10 GHz boost clock provide sufficient headroom for this game.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows 170 FPS average with a minimum of 144 FPS and maximum of 195 FPS. This provides a very smooth experience with no frame rate drops below the 144 FPS threshold for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Q: How does the 10 GB VRAM affect 4K performance?

A: The 10 GB GDDR6X memory with 760.3 GB/s bandwidth appears sufficient for the game's textures at 4K, as the performance drop from High to Ultra (44 FPS to 32 FPS) is consistent with increased compute demand rather than memory capacity limitations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS dataset for this combination is as follows:

At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 227 FPS average, Medium delivers 170 FPS with a minimum of 144 and maximum of 195, High reaches 128 FPS, and Ultra drops to 95 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 132 FPS, representing a 58% performance difference between the lowest and highest quality settings.

At 2560x1440, Low averages 145 FPS, Medium averages 109 FPS with a minimum of 92 and maximum of 125, High averages 82 FPS, and Ultra averages 61 FPS. The performance delta from Low to Ultra is 84 FPS, again a 58% reduction, maintaining the same relative scaling as 1080p.

At 3840x2160, Low averages 77 FPS, Medium averages 58 FPS with a minimum of 49 and maximum of 67, High averages 44 FPS, and Ultra averages 32 FPS. The difference from Low to Ultra is 45 FPS, representing a 58% loss, consistent with the other resolutions. The 4K Medium minimum of 49 FPS is notable, as it indicates that even with the generous 24 MB L3 cache and 14 threads of the CPU, the system can dip below 50 FPS during demanding scenes.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It operates with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, with 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB of L2 cache per core. The CPU's 90th percentile ranking among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 48995, indicates strong overall performance.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (227 FPS) demonstrates that the CPU can sustain very high frame rates without becoming a bottleneck. The fact that frame rates scale consistently across resolutions suggests that even at 4K, the CPU is not limiting performance — the GPU is the primary constraint. The processor's PassMark multithread score of 38706 and single-thread score of 4394 indicate robust computational capability, while the 400942 data compression score and 30236 data encryption score show strong general-purpose performance.

The CPU's 65 W TDP and support for DDR5 memory with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth are relevant for system design, but in this game, the processor's 14 cores and high boost clock provide ample headroom. The nearest rival CPUs in synthetic benchmarks — the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, AMD Ryzen 9 7900, Intel Xeon Gold 5318H, and Intel Core i5-14600K — all score within 0.8% of the Core Ultra 5 245, indicating that any of these processors would likely deliver similar Hitman 2 performance when paired with the RTX 3080.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data clearly points to 2560x1440 with High settings as the optimal configuration for this combo. At 82 FPS average, this setup provides smooth gameplay above the 60 FPS threshold while maintaining high visual quality. The 1440p Medium preset at 109 FPS offers an even higher frame rate for competitive play, while 1440p Ultra at 61 FPS is just barely playable but risks frame rate dips during intense scenes.

At 1080p, all settings are playable, with Low at 227 FPS ideal for maximum responsiveness, Medium at 170 FPS providing a balanced experience, and High at 128 FPS offering good quality. The 1080p Ultra at 95 FPS is also viable, though the visual gains over High are marginal relative to the 33 FPS performance cost. For users prioritizing visual fidelity over frame rate, 1080p Ultra is acceptable, but 1440p High provides a superior overall experience with higher resolution and comparable FPS.

At 4K, the data indicates that only Low settings (77 FPS) are consistently playable. The Medium preset at 58 FPS with a 49 FPS minimum is borderline, and High at 44 FPS falls below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The 4K Ultra at 32 FPS is not recommended for anything other than static screenshots. The performance gap between 1440p High and 4K High is 38 FPS, making 1440p the clear choice for this GPU in Hitman 2, as the resolution increase does not compensate for the significant frame rate loss.