Hitman 2

The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H pairs a 16-core, 22-thread Meteor Lake design with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz against the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory in Hitman 2. The measured frame rates across resolutions and presets reveal a system that behaves very differently depending on whether the workload is CPU-bound or GPU-bound. This is a mobile processor with a 28 W TDP driving a desktop-class GPU, and the benchmark data shows the consequences of that pairing in a stealth title that rewards both logic and visual clarity.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Core Ultra 7 165H is a 16-core, 22-thread processor built on Intel's Meteor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The cache hierarchy includes 112 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3. Its general-purpose benchmark scores place it at the 84th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 34083. The nearest rivals show how tight the competition is: the Intel Core Ultra 5 338H sits 0.3% ahead, the AMD EPYC 4244P is 0.4% behind, the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 is 0.4% behind, and the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X trails by 0.5%. These deltas are minuscule, meaning the 165H's computational throughput is well within the noise of its closest peers.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role becomes apparent when examining the frame rate behavior at 1080p. At Low settings with a 1920x1080 resolution, the system produces 217 average FPS. This is the highest measured frame rate in the entire dataset, and it strongly suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck at this point — the GPU is still able to push frames at a rate that exceeds what most displays can show. The 165H's 22 threads and 5.00 GHz boost clock provide ample single-thread headroom for the game's AI and physics calculations, which are typically the primary CPU workloads in a stealth game like Hitman 2. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14551 and single-core score of 1759 both indicate a processor that can handle the episodic, detail-rich environments of Hitman 2 without compromising the frame delivery.

However, the data also reveals a subtle CPU influence when moving between presets at the same resolution. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS drops to 91, which is a 58% reduction from the Low preset's 217 FPS. This drop is primarily a GPU-side effect of increased rendering load, but the fact that the CPU maintains the frame rate above 90 FPS at Ultra suggests it is not the limiting factor. The Passmark multi-thread score of 25933 and the Passmark single-thread score of 3509 both support the idea that the 165H has the computational headroom to feed the RTX 4080 at lower resolutions. The data does not show any scenario where the CPU's 22 threads become a ceiling, as even the most CPU-intensive settings at 1080p still yield playable frame rates above 90 FPS.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is a 5 nm Ada Lovelace GPU with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. The base clock is 2205 MHz with a boost clock of 2505 MHz, and the memory runs at 1400 MHz with 22.4 Gbps effective speed. The GPU's 9728 shading units, 304 TMUs, and 112 ROPs give it a pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 761.5 GTexel/s. Its average benchmark score is 54247, placing it at the 86th percentile among all GPUs. The nearest rivals show it is nearly identical to the GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, which is 0.1% ahead, while the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X trails by 1.1%, the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB trails by 2.6%, and the AMD Radeon 8060S trails by 2.7%.

The GPU's role in Hitman 2 is most clearly demonstrated by the resolution scaling data. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the average FPS is 42. At the same settings but 2560x1440, it jumps to 79 FPS, and at 1920x1080, it reaches 123 FPS. This scaling pattern is nearly linear with the pixel count, indicating that the RTX 4080 is the dominant factor at these settings. The 16 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for Hitman 2's textures at any resolution — the game's highest preset at 4K does not appear to suffer from memory capacity issues, as the frame rate drops are attributable to compute and bandwidth limits rather than VRAM spillover. The GDDR6X memory with 716.8 GB/s bandwidth is particularly relevant for 4K Ultra, where the 31 FPS average suggests the GPU is fully saturated.

The RTX 4080's compute capabilities, measured at 48.74 TFLOPS FP32, are what drive the high frame rates at 1440p and 1080p. At 1440p Medium, the system achieves 104 FPS, and at 1080p Medium, it reaches 163 FPS. These numbers indicate that the GPU can comfortably handle the game's lighting and shadow effects at mid-tier presets. The 76 RT cores are present in the hardware, but the FACT PACK does not specify whether Hitman 2 uses ray tracing in these measurements, so the data only reflects the rasterization performance. The GPU's 16 GB VRAM and 256-bit bus interface are the key specifications that prevent any memory-related stutters, as the measured minimum FPS values (e.g., 47 FPS at 4K Medium) are not abnormally low relative to the averages.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 123 at 1920x1080 to 79 at 2560x1440 (a 35.8% reduction) and then to 42 at 3840x2160 (a 46.8% reduction from the 1440p figure). The total drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings is from 123 FPS to 42 FPS, a 65.9% decrease. This is a substantial reduction that cannot be explained by the CPU, which maintains its clock speeds regardless of resolution. The scaling is consistent with the GPU being the limiting component.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more pronounced in absolute terms. The average FPS at 1080p Low is 217, at 1440p Low it is 139, and at 4K Low it is 74. The drop from 1080p to 4K is from 217 to 74 FPS, a 65.9% decrease — identical to the High preset's percentage drop. This uniformity across presets is a strong indicator that the RTX 4080's rendering throughput is the bottleneck at all settings, and the CPU's contribution is relatively constant. The fact that the percentage drop is the same at Low and High settings suggests that the CPU is not introducing any resolution-dependent overhead.

At Medium settings, the data includes minimum and maximum FPS values, which provide additional insight. At 1080p Medium, the average is 163 with a minimum of 138 and a maximum of 187. At 1440p Medium, the average is 104 with a minimum of 89 and a maximum of 120. At 4K Medium, the average is 55 with a minimum of 47 and a maximum of 64. The minimum FPS values at each resolution are roughly 85% of the average, indicating that the frame delivery is stable and that the GPU is not experiencing sudden spikes in workload. The 4K Medium minimum of 47 FPS is still above the 30 FPS threshold for playability, but it is notably close to the 4K High average of 42 FPS, suggesting that the GPU is running out of headroom at 4K regardless of preset.

The data implies that at 4K, the RTX 4080 is the sole limiting factor, as the CPU's performance is unchanged by resolution. At 1080p and 1440p, the CPU has enough headroom to support the GPU, but the frame rates are still primarily determined by the GPU's rendering capabilities. The only scenario where the CPU might become relevant is at 1080p Low, where 217 FPS approaches the upper limits of what the GPU can output, but even then, the CPU's 5.00 GHz boost clock and 22 threads are sufficient to avoid bottlenecking.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the system delivers the highest frame rates across all presets. Low settings produce an average of 217 FPS, Medium produces 163 FPS (with a minimum of 138 and maximum of 187), High produces 123 FPS, and Ultra produces 91 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a consistent degradation: each step up in quality costs roughly 30-40 FPS on average. The Medium preset's minimum of 138 FPS is still higher than the High preset's average of 123 FPS, which indicates that the step from Medium to High is a significant increase in rendering load.

At 2560x1440, the averages drop noticeably. Low settings yield 139 FPS, Medium yields 104 FPS (minimum 89, maximum 120), High yields 79 FPS, and Ultra yields 58 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is more severe at lower settings: Low loses 78 FPS (from 217 to 139), while Ultra loses 33 FPS (from 91 to 58). This suggests that at lower presets, the GPU is more sensitive to resolution increases because it has more headroom to begin with, while at Ultra, the GPU is already heavily loaded and the resolution increase has a smaller absolute impact.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates become marginal for smooth gameplay. Low settings produce 74 FPS, Medium produces 55 FPS (minimum 47, maximum 64), High produces 42 FPS, and Ultra produces 31 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration that falls below 30 FPS in the average, which is a critical threshold for playability. The Medium preset's maximum of 64 FPS at 4K is lower than the High preset's average at 1440p (79 FPS), which illustrates the steep cost of 4K rendering. The data shows that the system is best suited for 1440p gaming, where it can maintain above 58 FPS even at Ultra settings.

The minimum and maximum FPS values are only provided for the Medium preset at each resolution, limiting the analysis of frame time consistency. However, the available data shows that the spread between minimum and maximum is relatively consistent: at 1080p Medium, the spread is 49 FPS; at 1440p Medium, it is 31 FPS; and at 4K Medium, it is 17 FPS. This narrowing spread at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU's workload is more uniform as it becomes more saturated, which is a sign of stable performance rather than erratic frame delivery.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average FPS is 217, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Is the system capable of running Hitman 2 at 4K Ultra?

A: Yes, but barely — the average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 31 FPS. This is the only measured configuration that falls below the 30 FPS playability threshold.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H has an average benchmark score of 34083, which is 0.3% below the Intel Core Ultra 5 338H and 0.4% above the AMD EPYC 4244P and AMD Ryzen AI 7 350. The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is 0.5% behind.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 123 at 1920x1080 to 42 at 3840x2160, a 65.9% reduction.

Q: Does the GPU have enough VRAM for Hitman 2 at maximum settings?

A: The RTX 4080 has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory with 716.8 GB/s bandwidth. The measured data shows no indication of VRAM-related performance issues, as the frame rates degrade smoothly with resolution and settings.

Q: Which resolution provides the best balance of visual quality and frame rate?

A: The 2560x1440 resolution with High settings yields 79 FPS, while Medium yields 104 FPS and Ultra yields 58 FPS. The 1440p Medium preset is the only configuration with reported minimum FPS (89) that stays above 60 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target frame rate and resolution. For 1080p displays, the High preset at 123 FPS provides an excellent balance — it is significantly smoother than the Ultra preset's 91 FPS while offering better visual fidelity than Medium's 163 FPS. The Medium preset is the most forgiving option for competitive play, as its 163 FPS average and 138 FPS minimum ensure no frame rate dips below the refresh rate of most high-end monitors.

For 1440p, the Medium preset is the recommended choice for a consistent experience. The measured average of 104 FPS with a minimum of 89 FPS and maximum of 120 FPS means that the frame rate stays within a comfortable range for both casual and competitive play. The High preset at 79 FPS is also viable, but it does not offer the same headroom for demanding scenes. The Ultra preset at 58 FPS is playable but approaches the lower bound of what is considered smooth, so it is only recommended for players who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate consistency.

At 4K, the data shows that the system struggles to maintain high frame rates. The Low preset at 74 FPS is the only 4K configuration that exceeds 60 FPS, making it the sole viable option for players who require smooth gameplay at this resolution. The Medium preset at 55 FPS is borderline acceptable, but its minimum of 47 FPS could result in noticeable stutters in crowded areas. The High preset at 42 FPS and Ultra at 31 FPS are not recommended for serious play, as they fall below the 60 FPS threshold and approach the 30 FPS minimum for playability.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination ranks 1232 out of 3711 tested combos in Hitman 2. This places the combo in the top third of all tested systems, which is a strong result given the mobile CPU's 28 W TDP. The rank reflects the GPU's dominant contribution to gaming performance, as the RTX 4080's 86th percentile score among all GPUs is the primary driver of the combo's position. The CPU's 84th percentile score is also above average, but its impact on the gaming rank is secondary.

The ranking is particularly notable when considering the CPU's nearest rivals. The Core Ultra 7 165H is only 0.3% behind the Core Ultra 5 338H in average CPU score, yet the gaming rank of 1232 out of 3711 indicates that the overall combo performance is more heavily influenced by the GPU. The data suggests that pairing a mid-tier mobile CPU with a high-end desktop GPU can yield a competitive gaming experience, even in a CPU-sensitive genre like stealth. The rank of 1232 out of 3711 means that the combo outperforms roughly 67% of all tested configurations, which is a solid result for a system that is not built around a flagship desktop processor.

The comparison to the RTX 4080's nearest rivals further contextualizes the ranking. The RTX 4080 is 0.1% behind the RTX 4080 SUPER and 1.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X, which means the GPU is near the top of its class. This high GPU performance, combined with the CPU's adequate throughput, results in a combo that is well-suited for Hitman 2 at 1440p and even 1080p Ultra. The 4K performance is the weak point, as the rank would likely be higher if the system could maintain 60 FPS at 3840x2160, but the measured data shows that the GPU simply does not have enough rendering power for that resolution at high settings.