Hitman 2

Hitman 2, a stealth classic from 2018, remains a demanding title for modern hardware, and the pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 produces a fascinating set of benchmark results. The data reveals a configuration that is immensely powerful at lower resolutions but begins to show its limitations as pixel counts rise, creating a profile that is anything but uniform across the settings spectrum. This analysis will dissect the measured frames per second (FPS) to understand where the bottleneck lies and what it means for players seeking the optimal experience.

Resolution Scaling

The most striking observation in the measured data is the dramatic impact of resolution on frame rates. At 1080p, the combination of the Core Ultra 7 155H and RTX 5080 is clearly operating in a CPU-bound territory, especially at lower settings. The average FPS at 1080p Low is 233, which is exceptionally high, but this number craters to 132 at 1080p High and 97 at 1080p Ultra. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a 136 FPS swing, which is a massive 58% drop. This steep decline suggests that while the GPU is capable of producing hundreds of frames, the game's engine and CPU are struggling to keep up with the increased draw calls and physics computations at higher settings, limiting the overall throughput.

Moving to 1440p, the dynamics shift. The average FPS at 1440p Low is 149, which is a significant 84 FPS drop from the 1080p Low result. This indicates that the GPU is now becoming a more significant factor, as the increased pixel count demands more from the rendering pipeline. The scaling from 1440p Low to 1440p Ultra shows a drop to 62 FPS, a 58% reduction (87 FPS difference). While the percentage drop is similar to 1080p, the absolute numbers are lower, confirming that the RTX 5080 is being pushed harder. The 1440p Medium result of 112 FPS is still very playable, but it is noticeably lower than its 1080p counterpart.

The 4K results paint a starkly different picture. At 3840x2160, even the Low preset only manages an average of 79 FPS. This is less than half of the 1080p Low score, and it clearly demonstrates that the RTX 5080 is now the primary limiting component. The scaling from 4K Low to 4K High shows a drop from 79 to 45 FPS, a 43% reduction. The 4K Ultra setting is the most demanding, yielding just 33 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth, responsive gameplay. The progression from 1080p to 4K shows that while the CPU is the bottleneck at lower resolutions, the GPU's raw pixel-pushing power becomes the defining factor at 4K. The data suggests that at 1080p, the RTX 5080 is being held back by the CPU, while at 4K, the GPU is working at full capacity.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H is a mobile processor with a 16-core, 22-thread configuration based on the Meteor Lake architecture. Its boost clock of 4.80 GHz is respectable, and its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15028 points indicates a strong multi-threaded capability. However, its single-core performance, as measured by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1743, is more moderate. In a game like Hitman 2, which often relies on a few primary threads for game logic and physics, this single-core performance is crucial.

The benchmark results strongly imply a CPU limitation at 1080p. The fact that the average FPS at 1080p Low (233) is so much higher than at 1080p Ultra (97) suggests that the graphics settings are not the only thing changing. At Low settings, the GPU has less work to do, allowing the CPU to feed it frames as fast as it can. When settings are increased to Ultra, the GPU takes longer to render each frame, but the CPU's frame generation rate might not scale perfectly, creating a bottleneck. The data shows that the CPU's ability to process game logic is the ceiling at lower resolutions, and the RTX 5080 is left waiting for more work. The CPU's Passmark single-thread score of 3468 and its percentile ranking of 83rd overall place it as a solid performer, but not a top-tier one, which aligns with the observed 1080p behavior.

At higher resolutions, the CPU's role diminishes as the GPU's rendering time increases. The 4K Ultra score of 33 FPS is so low that the CPU is clearly not the limiting factor there; the GPU is simply overwhelmed. The core count of 16 and the 24 MB of shared L3 cache are likely sufficient to prevent major hitches in gameplay, but the single-thread speed is the key metric for this game. The data suggests that the 155H provides a good, but not exceptional, foundation for gaming at high frame rates, and its limitations become increasingly apparent the lower the resolution goes.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in Hitman 2?

A: The highest average FPS is 233, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low settings preset.

Q: How does the 4K Ultra setting compare to the 1080p Low setting?

A: The 4K Ultra setting produces an average FPS of 33, which is a 200 FPS difference from the 1080p Low result of 233. This highlights the massive performance cost of rendering at 4K with maximum visual fidelity.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H a bottleneck for the RTX 5080?

A: Yes, the data indicates that at 1080p, the CPU is the limiting component. This is evidenced by the large frame rate differences between settings at 1080p, which suggest the CPU's processing speed caps the frame output before the GPU can be fully utilized.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for the 1440p Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS recorded for 2560x1440 with Medium settings is 95 FPS, with a maximum of 128 FPS.

Q: How does this CPU compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H has an average benchmark score of 32697. Its closest rival, the Intel Core i5-14600T, has an average score of 32707, showing a negligible 0% performance difference.

Q: What is the GPU's rank among all tested GPUs based on its average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 has a percentile rank of 87 among all GPUs, meaning it performs better than 87% of them in synthetic benchmarks.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combo's performance across different resolutions and settings. The data is consistent and shows clear trends.

At 1920x1080, the results are as follows:

• Low: 233 FPS average.
• Medium: 175 FPS average, with a minimum of 148 and a maximum of 201 FPS.
• High: 132 FPS average.
• Ultra: 97 FPS average.

At 2560x1440, the performance steps down:

• Low: 149 FPS average.
• Medium: 112 FPS average, with a minimum of 95 and a maximum of 128 FPS.
• High: 84 FPS average.
• Ultra: 62 FPS average.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is put under maximum stress:

• Low: 79 FPS average.
• Medium: 60 FPS average, with a minimum of 51 and a maximum of 68 FPS.
• High: 45 FPS average.
• Ultra: 33 FPS average.

These numbers show a clear and consistent scaling pattern. The step from 1080p to 1440p reduces frame rates by roughly 35-40% across most settings, while the step from 1440p to 4K results in a similar percentage decrease. The 4K Ultra setting is the only configuration that falls below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and it is the only setting that could be considered unplayable on high-refresh-rate displays.

How This Combo Ranks

In the context of all tested combinations for Hitman 2, this specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 holds a rank of 791 out of 3001 combos. This places it in the top 26% of all systems tested, which is a respectable position given the sheer number of possible configurations.

This ranking is particularly interesting given the individual components' performance. The GPU is a top-tier part, ranking in the 87th percentile of all GPUs. The CPU, while solid, is in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs. The combination of two above-average parts results in a ranking that is slightly lower than the average of their individual percentiles. This suggests that while the system is very capable, it is not the absolute best pairing for this game. The rank of 791 implies that there are many other combos, likely with more powerful desktop CPUs, that can achieve higher frame rates, especially at lower resolutions where the CPU bottleneck is more pronounced. The data suggests that the RTX 5080's full potential is not being realized in this mobile-CPU pairing at 1080p, which likely contributes to the system's overall rank being lower than the GPU's individual standing.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the ideal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate.

For players with a 1080p 144Hz or 240Hz monitor, the High preset at 132 FPS is an excellent choice, offering a great balance between visual quality and smooth motion. For those seeking the absolute highest frame rates for competitive play, the Low preset at 233 FPS will push a 240Hz display to its limits, but at a significant cost to visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 175 FPS is a strong middle ground for 144Hz displays, and it has recorded minimums above 148 FPS, ensuring a consistently smooth experience.

At 1440p, the High preset at 84 FPS is a very playable option for a 60Hz or 75Hz monitor. The Medium preset at 112 FPS is better suited for 120Hz or 144Hz displays, and its minimum of 95 FPS ensures that it stays above 60 FPS at all times. The Ultra preset at 62 FPS is only suitable for 60Hz displays, and it will likely experience occasional dips below that refresh rate.

At 4K, the options are more constrained. The Low preset at 79 FPS is the only setting that guarantees a consistent 60+ FPS experience. The Medium preset at 60 FPS is right at the edge of playability for a 60Hz monitor, but its minimum of 51 FPS means it will drop below the refresh rate at times. The High and Ultra presets at 45 and 33 FPS respectively are not recommended for smooth gameplay and should be avoided unless visual fidelity is the absolute priority over performance. For most users, the Medium preset appears to be the best overall choice for a balanced experience at 4K.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is a monster of a GPU, built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture. It features 10752 shading units, 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, and a memory bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s. Its boost clock of 2617 MHz and FP32 performance of 56.28 TFLOPS are top-tier figures. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores a 36565 in Passmark G3D and a 8637 in 3DMark Steel Nomad, placing it in the 87th percentile of all GPUs.

In Hitman 2, the GPU's role is clearly defined. At 1080p, it is underutilized, as the frame rates are capped by the CPU's performance. This is evident from the fact that the GPU can produce 233 FPS on Low settings but only 97 FPS on Ultra, indicating that the GPU is not the primary constraint at this resolution. However, as the resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the GPU's workload becomes significantly more demanding. The 4K results show a clear GPU bottleneck, with the Low preset only achieving 79 FPS. The RTX 5080's 16 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for Hitman 2, even at 4K Ultra, so memory capacity is not a limiting factor.

The GPU's performance scaling from 1080p to 4K is the story here. The 84% reduction in FPS from 1080p Low to 4K Low (233 to 79) highlights the massive increase in pixel count and the corresponding strain on the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth. The data shows that the RTX 5080 is a powerhouse that can dominate at lower resolutions, but it still meets its match at 4K with maximum settings in this 2018 title, where it falls below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.