Hitman 2

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination delivers a compelling 1080p and 1440p experience in Hitman 2, but the data reveals a sharp performance cliff at 4K Ultra that shifts the bottleneck firmly onto the GPU. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across resolutions and settings, contextualizes the CPU and GPU roles, and ranks this combo against the broader database.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Hitman 2 shows a classic resolution-scaling curve, but with some notable inflection points that reveal where the system’s limits lie. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo pushes 301 FPS average, which is an extremely high ceiling for a stealth title. Moving to 2560x1440 Low drops that to 192 FPS, a 36% reduction, while 3840x2160 Low yields 103 FPS, representing another 46% drop from 1440p. These scaling factors indicate that at Low settings, the frame rate is heavily influenced by pixel throughput, with the RTX 4080 SUPER’s 736.3 GB/s memory bandwidth and 256-bit bus playing a significant role.

The High settings curve is less steep but still substantial. At 1080p High, the average is 171 FPS. At 1440p High, it falls to 109 FPS, a 36% drop. At 4K High, it reaches 58 FPS, which is another 47% decline from 1440p. This pattern suggests that the game’s High preset introduces enough shading and texture work to scale more linearly with resolution, but the CPU is still feeding the GPU adequately at these levels.

The Medium settings row provides the only complete min/max data in the pack. At 1080p Medium, the average is 226 FPS with a minimum of 192 and maximum of 260. At 1440p Medium, the average is 144 FPS, with min/max of 123/166. At 4K Medium, the average drops to 77 FPS, with min/max of 65/88. The min-to-max spread narrows as resolution increases (68 FPS at 1080p, 43 FPS at 1440p, 23 FPS at 4K), which indicates that at higher resolutions, the frame pacing becomes more consistent as the GPU becomes the primary limiter.

The Ultra settings data is the most revealing for bottleneck analysis. At 1080p Ultra, the combo still manages 126 FPS, which is respectable for a 2018 title. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 80 FPS, a 36.5% reduction. At 4K Ultra, the average collapses to 43 FPS, which is only 34% of the 1080p Ultra figure. This steep decline at 4K Ultra — a 53% drop from 1440p Ultra — strongly suggests that the RTX 4080 SUPER’s 16 GB of GDDR6X VRAM and its 52.22 TFLOPS FP32 compute are being saturated by the combination of high resolution and maximum settings.

Looking at the scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution, the data shows the CPU is rarely the limiting factor. At 1080p, the gap between Low (301 FPS) and Ultra (126 FPS) is 175 FPS, meaning the GPU handles the added load proportionally. At 4K, the Low-to-Ultra gap is only 60 FPS (103 to 43), which indicates that the GPU is already near its throughput ceiling at 4K Low, and Ultra settings push it over the edge. The data suggests that for 4K gaming, this combo is best suited to Medium settings (77 FPS) or High settings (58 FPS) for a playable experience, while 1080p and 1440p can accommodate Ultra without dipping below 80 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 brings 20 cores and 20 threads to the table, operating at a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This is a high-core-count desktop part built on TSMC’s 3 nm process, with a TDP of 65 W. In Hitman 2, a game that primarily relies on single-threaded game logic but can distribute AI and physics across multiple cores, this CPU’s strong single-core performance is evident in the 1080p results.

The CPU’s benchmark data supports its capability in this title. In Cinebench R23, it scores 42,216 points multi-core and 5,960 single-core. The single-core score is particularly relevant for Hitman 2, as the game’s engine typically has one or two primary threads managing character AI and world simulation. The PassMark single-thread score of 4,689 further confirms that this CPU can handle the game’s per-frame logic without becoming a bottleneck at lower resolutions.

However, the data shows that the CPU’s role diminishes as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the 301 FPS average is far beyond what most displays can show, indicating that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at very high frame rates. At 4K, even with Low settings, the 103 FPS result is more than triple the 4K Ultra figure, but the CPU is not the cause of this drop — the GPU is. The CPU’s 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth are sufficient for Hitman 2’s level streaming and NPC management, which is a known CPU-intensive aspect of the series.

Compared to its nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark database, the Core Ultra 7 265 holds its ground. It slightly trails the AMD EPYC 4464P by 0.3% in average benchmark score, and leads the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F by 0.3% and the AMD EPYC 7343 by 0.7%. The AMD EPYC 9124 leads this chip by 0.7%. These are all marginal differences, and in gaming workloads like Hitman 2, the Core Ultra 7 265’s higher boost clock of 5.30 GHz likely provides an advantage in single-threaded sections that the benchmark averages don’t fully capture. The CPU’s 93rd percentile ranking versus all CPUs indicates it is a top-tier performer for gaming.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the primary driver of Hitman 2’s visual performance, and the data makes its role clear. With 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth, this GPU has ample memory capacity and throughput for the game’s large environments. The Ada Lovelace architecture, built on TSMC’s 5 nm process, provides 10,240 shading units, 80 RT cores, and 320 tensor cores, with a boost clock of 2,550 MHz.

The GPU’s raw compute figures are substantial: 52.22 TFLOPS FP32, 816.0 GTexel/s texture rate, and 285.6 GPixel/s pixel rate. In Hitman 2, which is not a ray tracing showcase by modern standards (released in 2018, before the RTX 20-series), the RT cores and tensor cores are largely unused. This means the GPU’s traditional rasterization performance is what matters, and the pixel rate and texture rate are the key metrics.

The benchmark results for the RTX 4080 SUPER show it is a high-end card, with a PassMark G3D score of 34,245 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6,600. Its 86th percentile ranking versus all GPUs places it in the upper echelon, but the data shows it is not the absolute fastest. Compared to its nearest rivals, the RTX 4080 SUPER is slightly behind the RTX 4080 by 0.1% in average benchmark score, and trails the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X by 1.1%, the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB by 2.7%, and the AMD Radeon 8060S by 2.8%. These deltas are small, but they suggest that the RTX 4080 SUPER is positioned at a performance tier where small differences matter.

In Hitman 2 specifically, the GPU’s VRAM capacity of 16 GB is more than sufficient, even at 4K Ultra, where the game’s textures and draw distances can be demanding. The bottleneck at 4K Ultra is not memory capacity but rather the GPU’s shading and pixel throughput. The 43 FPS average at 4K Ultra indicates that the card’s 112 ROPs and 320 TMUs are being fully utilized, and the game’s post-processing effects at Ultra settings are filling the render pipeline. The 58 FPS at 4K High shows that dropping from Ultra to High provides a 35% performance uplift, which is a significant improvement for a relatively small visual downgrade.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo in Hitman 2 provides a comprehensive picture across three resolutions and four settings levels. Here is the full breakdown:

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional performance across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 301 FPS, which is the highest figure in the entire dataset. Medium settings yield 226 FPS, with a minimum of 192 and maximum of 260, indicating consistent frame delivery. High settings drop to 171 FPS average, and Ultra settings still maintain a strong 126 FPS. The 1080p results show that this combo can easily drive high-refresh-rate monitors at any setting, with even the most demanding preset staying well above the 100 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains robust but begins to show the GPU’s workload. Low settings average 192 FPS, which is still very high. Medium settings produce 144 FPS, with a minimum of 123 and maximum of 166, showing a tighter range than at 1080p. High settings average 109 FPS, which is playable on 144Hz displays but not at their maximum refresh rate. Ultra settings drop to 80 FPS, which is still smooth for most users but represents the first setting where the combo cannot exceed 100 FPS at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the data reveals the GPU’s limits. Low settings average 103 FPS, which is surprisingly high and indicates that the RTX 4080 SUPER can handle 4K without heavy graphical effects. Medium settings drop to 77 FPS, with a minimum of 65 and maximum of 88, which is a playable range for most titles. High settings average 58 FPS, which is on the edge of smoothness for many gamers. Ultra settings produce just 43 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target that most users consider the minimum for a good experience.

The progression from 1080p Ultra (126 FPS) to 1440p Ultra (80 FPS) to 4K Ultra (43 FPS) shows a consistent halving of frame rate with each resolution step, approximately. This is typical of GPU-bound scenarios, and the data confirms that Hitman 2 at Ultra settings is heavily GPU-limited at 4K. The Medium settings at 4K (77 FPS) offer the best balance of visual quality and performance for this combo, as they stay above 60 FPS while still providing a significant upgrade over Low settings.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 225th out of 3,001 combos in Hitman 2. This places it in the top 7.5% of all tested systems, which is a strong showing for a desktop setup. The combo’s rank reflects its ability to deliver high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, while its 4K Ultra performance holds it back from a higher position.

The rank is influenced by the fact that Hitman 2 is a 2018 title that can be very CPU-friendly at lower resolutions. Combos with higher-end GPUs (such as the RTX 4090 or newer generations) likely achieve higher ranks at 4K Ultra, but this combo’s 1080p performance, where it exceeds 300 FPS at Low settings, is a significant contributor to its overall position. The 225th rank out of 3,001 is notably better than the CPU’s 93rd percentile ranking and the GPU’s 86th percentile ranking individually, suggesting that the pairing works synergistically in this game.

The combo’s position in the ranking also benefits from the CPU’s high single-thread performance, which prevents any CPU bottleneck at 1080p and 1440p. Many combos with lower-end CPUs might see frame rates capped at lower values even with the same GPU, but the Core Ultra 7 265’s 5.30 GHz boost clock ensures that the RTX 4080 SUPER is always fed with enough data. The data indicates that to improve this combo’s rank, the most impactful change would be a more powerful GPU, as the 4K Ultra result of 43 FPS is the weakest point in the dataset. However, for users targeting 1080p or 1440p, this combo is already in a very strong position, as evidenced by its top-10% ranking.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution/settings combination for this setup in Hitman 2?*

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 at High settings (109 FPS) or Ultra settings (80 FPS) provides an excellent balance of visual fidelity and smoothness. At 4K, Medium settings (77 FPS) are the highest preset that maintains an average above 60 FPS.

*Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Hitman 2?*

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K Low settings, the average is 103 FPS, which is very smooth. At 4K Medium, it drops to 77 FPS, which is still playable. However, 4K High (58 FPS) and 4K Ultra (43 FPS) fall below the 60 FPS threshold that many gamers prefer.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its direct rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is 0.3% slower than the AMD EPYC 4464P, 0.3% faster than the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F, 0.7% faster than the AMD EPYC 7343, and 0.7% slower than the AMD EPYC 9124 in average benchmark scores. These are all within the margin of error for gaming performance.

Q: Is the GPU the bottleneck at 4K Ultra?

A: Yes, the data strongly indicates this. At 1080p Ultra, the combo achieves 126 FPS, but at 4K Ultra it drops to 43 FPS, a 66% reduction. This dramatic scaling with resolution is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, not a CPU bottleneck.

Q: What is the frame time consistency at 1440p Medium?

A: At 2560x1440 Medium, the minimum FPS is 123 and the maximum is 166, with an average of 144. This creates a frame time range of approximately 43 FPS, which is relatively narrow and indicates stable performance without major stutters.

Q: How does this combo rank against all tested combinations?

A: It ranks 225th out of 3,001 tested combos in Hitman 2, placing it in the top 7.5% of all systems in the database. This is a strong result, driven primarily by excellent 1080p and 1440p performance.