Hitman 2

The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 combination produces a playable but resolution-sensitive experience in Hitman 2, with the data showing a clear ceiling at 4K Ultra and strong performance at 1080p. The combo ranks 1977th out of 3001 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database, yet the measured frame rates reveal a system that can handle the game comfortably at 1440p and below. The CPU’s 16 cores and 22 threads provide ample headroom for Hitman 2’s stealth gameplay, while the GPU’s 8 GB of VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth become the limiting factors at higher resolutions and settings.

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

The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H is a mobile processor built on the Meteor Lake architecture, featuring 16 cores and 22 threads. Its base clock runs at 3.80 GHz, boosting up to 5.00 GHz when workloads demand it. This CPU belongs to the Core Ultra Series 1, and its benchmark scores show a balanced profile for gaming. In Cinebench R23, the chip scores 14551 in multi-core and 1759 in single-core tests, which indicates strong sustained performance for a laptop part. The PassMark multi-thread score of 25933 and single-thread score of 3509 further confirm that this processor does not bottleneck a mid-range GPU in a title like Hitman 2.

The 24 MB of shared L3 cache is notable for a mobile chip, and the 112 KB L1 cache per core plus 2 MB L2 per core provide low-latency access to frequently used data. Hitman 2 is a game that relies on CPU for AI routines, crowd simulations, and physics in its sandbox levels, but the 16-core configuration with 22 threads is more than sufficient for the game’s 2018-era engine. The processor’s 84th percentile ranking among all CPUs places it ahead of the majority of installed hardware, and its nearest rivals—the Intel Core Ultra 5 338H, AMD EPYC 4244P, AMD Ryzen AI 7 350, and AMD Ryzen 7 3700X—all sit within 0.5 percent of its average benchmark score of 34083. This shows the 165H is a competent mid-tier mobile CPU, not a flagship, but one that should not hold back the RTX 5060 in most scenarios.

The single-core performance is particularly relevant for Hitman 2, as the game’s main thread often dictates frame pacing. A Cinebench R15 single-core score of 257 and R20 score of 1303 suggest the 165H can feed frames quickly enough to keep the GPU busy at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 148 FPS, which is close to what one would expect if the CPU were the primary constraint. However, at 4K Ultra, the average drops to 21 FPS, indicating that the GPU becomes the bottleneck as resolution and settings scale up. The CPU’s PassMark physics score of 1806 is modest, but Hitman 2 does not stress physics to the same degree as newer titles, so this does not manifest as a major issue in the measured results.

The memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s on the dual-channel DDR5 interface is adequate for feeding the GPU, but the integrated Arc Xe-LPG 128EU graphics are irrelevant here since the RTX 5060 handles all rendering. The processor’s 28 W TDP classifies it as a low-power mobile part, yet the boost clock of 5.00 GHz ensures it can respond to bursty gaming loads. In practical terms, the data shows that the CPU delivers consistent frame rates across all tested settings, with the biggest FPS swings correlating with GPU load rather than CPU limitations.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 ranks 1977th out of 3001 combos in Hitman 2. This places it in the 34th percentile, meaning roughly two-thirds of tested configurations perform better in this specific game. The rank is not a reflection of poor hardware, but rather the competitive field—many combos pair desktop-class CPUs with higher-end GPUs, while this mobile setup targets mainstream gaming. The data shows that the combo’s performance is closer to mid-range desktop builds from several generations ago, as evidenced by the GPU’s nearest rivals: the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary, AMD Radeon 860M, and NVIDIA GeForce MX550 all have average scores within 0.8 percent of the RTX 5060’s 26331 average.

The rank of 1977 suggests that this combo will handle Hitman 2 at 1080p and 1440p with ease, but it will struggle to maintain playable frame rates at 4K with high settings. The measured FPS data supports this interpretation: at 1080p High, the combo delivers 84 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. At 1440p High, it drops to 54 FPS, still playable but with occasional dips. At 4K High, it falls to 29 FPS, which is borderline unplayable for a stealth game that rewards precision. The combo’s rank reflects this tier of performance—capable for mainstream resolutions, but not a high-refresh or 4K powerhouse.

When compared to other combos in the database, this pairing sits in the same ballpark as systems using the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X with a mid-range GPU, given that the 165H’s average benchmark score is only 0.5 percent lower than that desktop CPU. The deltaPct values from the nearest rivals show a tight cluster, meaning the 165H is not an outlier in either direction. The 0.3 percent difference from the Intel Core Ultra 5 338H and the -0.4 percent from the AMD EPYC 4244P indicate that swapping this CPU for those alternatives would yield nearly identical Hitman 2 results. The ranking is thus more dependent on the GPU’s capability than the CPU’s, and the RTX 5060’s 72nd percentile among all GPUs confirms it is a solid mid-range part, but not one that boosts this combo above the median.

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

The measured FPS data across three resolutions and four settings reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 148 FPS, which drops to 95 FPS at 1440p Low, and further to 51 FPS at 4K Low. This represents a 35.8 percent reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 65.5 percent reduction from 1080p to 4K. The scaling is not linear, which indicates that the GPU’s pixel throughput and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints at higher resolutions. The RTX 5060’s 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the larger frame buffer demands exceed what this configuration can deliver.

At Medium settings, the combo holds 111 FPS at 1080p, 71 FPS at 1440p, and 38 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 36 percent, and from 1080p to 4K is 65.8 percent, nearly identical to the Low preset scaling. This consistency suggests that the performance loss is driven by resolution alone, not by the complexity of the shading or texture work. The same pattern emerges at High settings: 84 FPS at 1080p, 54 FPS at 1440p, and 29 FPS at 4K, with drops of 35.7 percent and 65.5 percent respectively. The Ultra preset shows the steepest absolute decline: 62 FPS at 1080p, 40 FPS at 1440p, and 21 FPS at 4K, with a 35.5 percent drop to 1440p and a 66.1 percent drop to 4K.

These numbers indicate that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this combo. If the 165H were the bottleneck, we would expect to see smaller FPS differences between 1080p and 1440p, as the GPU would have spare capacity. Instead, the consistent 35-36 percent drop to 1440p and 65-66 percent drop to 4K across all settings points to the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth as the ceiling. The RTX 5060’s pixel rate of 119.9 GPixel/s and texture rate of 299.6 GTexel/s are decent for a 145 W mobile part, but they are not enough to drive 4K at high settings. The data confirms that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K playable only at Low settings (51 FPS) or Medium with dips (38 FPS average, 32 FPS minimum).

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

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of this combo’s performance in Hitman 2. Starting at 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 148 FPS, with no minimum or maximum recorded. This is the highest frame rate in the entire dataset and indicates that the CPU and GPU are both well within their comfort zones. The Medium preset at 1080p averages 111 FPS, with a minimum of 95 FPS and a maximum of 128 FPS, showing a tight frame pacing that avoids noticeable stutter. The High preset drops to an average of 84 FPS, which is still smooth for a stealth game, though the lack of min/max data means we cannot assess variance. The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 62 FPS, which is exactly at the 60 FPS threshold for playability, but the absence of min/max data leaves some uncertainty about dips during crowded scenes.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 95 FPS, a significant drop from 1080p but still well above 60 FPS. The Medium preset averages 71 FPS, with a minimum of 60 FPS and a maximum of 82 FPS, indicating that the frame rate occasionally touches the playability floor but does not go below it. The High preset at 1440p averages 54 FPS, which is below 60 FPS and suggests that players may notice occasional slowdowns during intense action. The Ultra preset at 1440p averages 40 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a game that rewards precise timing. The lack of min/max data for Low, High, and Ultra at this resolution prevents a full variance analysis, but the averages alone tell a clear story.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 51 FPS, which is the only 4K setting that clears the 60 FPS threshold by a wide margin. The Medium preset averages 38 FPS, with a minimum of 32 FPS and a maximum of 44 FPS, meaning the frame rate can dip into the low 30s during complex scenes. The High preset averages 29 FPS, which is below the playable threshold for most users. The Ultra preset averages 21 FPS, which is effectively a slideshow and not recommended for any serious play. The min/max data for Medium at 4K (32-44 FPS) shows a 12 FPS spread, indicating that the GPU struggles with consistency at this resolution, likely due to memory bandwidth limitations.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is the primary driver of the measured results, and its specifications explain the performance ceiling observed in the data. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory capacity is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p in Hitman 2, but at 4K, the game’s texture and shadow data can exceed 8 GB, leading to the sharp FPS drops seen in the results. The memory clock runs at 1750 MHz, which translates to 28 Gbps effective, and this is a mid-range configuration that trades off bandwidth for power efficiency, as the GPU’s TDP is 145 W.

The GPU’s core clocks are 2280 MHz base and 2497 MHz boost. These clock speeds, combined with 3840 shading units and 120 texture mapping units, produce a FP32 performance of 19.18 TFLOPS. This is a respectable figure for a mobile GPU, but Hitman 2’s engine is not particularly demanding on raw compute. Instead, the game stresses fill rate and memory bandwidth, as evidenced by the pixel rate of 119.9 GPixel/s and texture rate of 299.6 GTexel/s. The 48 ROPs are adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the pixel throughput becomes a limiting factor, which is why the Ultra preset at 4K only manages 21 FPS.

The GPU’s 72nd percentile ranking among all GPUs places it above the median, and its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon 860M, NVIDIA GeForce MX550, AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary, and AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT. The deltaPct values show that the RTX 5060’s average benchmark score of 26331 is within 1.2 percent of all these cards, with the RX 6750 XT being 1.2 percent faster. This indicates that the RTX 5060 performs at the level of a desktop RX 5700 XT or RX 6750 XT in synthetic benchmarks, but its 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus limit its 4K performance compared to those desktop cards, which often have 12 GB or more memory and wider buses.

The GPU’s 30 RT cores and 120 tensor cores are present but not heavily utilized in Hitman 2, as the game has limited ray tracing support. The DirectX 12 benchmark score of 77 in PassMark is low, but this is a synthetic test that does not reflect gaming performance directly. The Geekbench OpenCL score of 112787 and Vulkan score of 113321 are more indicative of real-world compute capability, and they align with the GPU’s mid-range positioning. The PCIe 5.0 x8 interface provides sufficient bandwidth for the 8 GB frame buffer, and the 300 W suggested PSU indicates that this is not a power-hungry part, but the 145 W TDP still generates heat that must be managed in a laptop chassis.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and the player’s tolerance for frame rate dips. At 1920x1080, the High preset is the best balance, delivering 84 FPS average with no min/max data to suggest instability. This is above the 60 FPS threshold and leaves headroom for demanding scenes. The Medium preset at 1080p offers 111 FPS with a minimum of 95 FPS, which is smoother but sacrifices visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 62 FPS, which is exactly at the playability threshold, but the lack of min/max data means that dips below 60 FPS are possible. For most players, High at 1080p is the recommended choice, as it provides a comfortable frame rate without the visual downgrades of Medium or the risk of dips with Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the best option, with an average of 71 FPS, a minimum of 60 FPS, and a maximum of 82 FPS. This preset keeps the frame rate above the 60 FPS floor, ensuring smooth gameplay during Hitman 2’s stealth sequences and crowd-filled levels. The High preset at 1440p averages 54 FPS, which is below the ideal threshold and may result in noticeable stutter during fast camera movements. The Low preset at 1440p averages 95 FPS, but the visual quality reduction is significant, making it less desirable for a game that relies on environmental detail for immersion. Ultra at 1440p averages 40 FPS, which is not recommended for anything beyond casual exploration.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only viable option, averaging 51 FPS. This is below 60 FPS, but it is playable, and the game’s stealth mechanics do not require twitch reflexes. The Medium preset at 4K averages 38 FPS, with a minimum of 32 FPS, which means the frame rate can drop into the low 30s during busy scenes, making it a risky choice. High at 4K averages 29 FPS, and Ultra at 4K averages 21 FPS; both are too low for a satisfying experience. For 4K play, players should accept Low settings and be prepared for occasional dips, or they should consider dropping to 1440p with Medium settings for a much better experience.

The overall recommendation is to target 1440p Medium for the best combination of visual quality and performance, as this preset maintains a 71 FPS average with a 60 FPS minimum. For players who prioritize frame rate over fidelity, 1080p High at 84 FPS is the superior choice. The 4K resolution is only viable at Low settings, and even then, the 51 FPS average is borderline. The data shows that this combo’s sweet spot is 1440p, where the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate, and the CPU’s 16 cores provide enough headroom to avoid bottlenecks. The Ultra preset is best avoided at any resolution above 1080p, as the 40 FPS at 1440p and 21 FPS at 4K are below playable thresholds.