Hitman 2

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

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is a 20-core, 20-thread desktop processor built on the Arrow Lake architecture and TSMC's 3 nm process node. Its base clock is 3.90 GHz with a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, and it carries 30 MB of shared L3 cache alongside 3 MB of L2 cache per core. The processor supports DDR5 memory over a dual-channel bus, yielding 102.4 GB/s of memory bandwidth. In this benchmark database, the chip holds a 97th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79102.

Benchmark results place this CPU in a tight cluster with several high-end rivals. Its average score is 0.2% lower than the Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF and the Intel Core i9-14900KF, 0.9% lower than the Intel Core i9-14900K, and 1.2% lower than the AMD EPYC 7413. These deltas are small enough to be considered noise in many workloads, but they do establish a clear hierarchy: the 265K sits just below the top of the desktop stack in raw compute throughput, while remaining ahead of the vast majority of tested processors.

In the context of Hitman 2, a stealth game originally released in November 2018, the CPU's role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics data. The game's AI routines and crowd simulations can be single-thread sensitive, and the 265K's single-core performance is strong: it scores 711 in Cinebench R15 single-core, 2965 in Cinebench R20 single-core, and 7060 in Cinebench R23 single-core. The multi-core scores are equally robust — 5040 in Cinebench R15, 21003 in Cinebench R20, and 50009 in Cinebench R23 — meaning the processor will not bottleneck even when the game engine spawns many NPCs or complex scripting events.

The measured frame rates in this dataset show that at 1080p with Low settings, the combo delivers 302.5 FPS average. That figure is far beyond the refresh rate of typical monitors and indicates the CPU is not a limiting factor at lower resolutions. Even at 1080p Ultra, the average of 127.1 FPS suggests the processor has ample headroom. The data consistently points to the CPU as a capable partner for the GPU in this title, with no indication of CPU-bound stutter or frame pacing issues across any tested configuration.

FAQ

Q: How does the Core Ultra 7 265K compare to its closest rival, the Core Ultra 7 265KF?

A: The 265K scores 79102 on average, which is 0.2% lower than the 265KF's 79240. This difference is negligible in real-world gaming, including Hitman 2.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking among all tested processors?

A: The Core Ultra 7 265K sits in the 97th percentile of all CPUs in the benchmark database, indicating it outperforms roughly 97% of processors tested.

Q: Does the CPU's multi-core performance matter for Hitman 2?

A: The 265K scores 50009 in Cinebench R23 multi-core. While Hitman 2 is not heavily threaded, this headroom ensures the CPU never becomes a bottleneck, as evidenced by 302.5 FPS at 1080p Low.

Q: How much slower is the 265K than the Intel Core i9-14900K?

A: The 265K's average score of 79102 is 0.9% lower than the i9-14900K's 79824. In practical terms for this game, the difference is imperceptible.

Q: What memory bandwidth does the CPU support?

A: The 265K supports DDR5 over a dual-channel interface, providing 102.4 GB/s of memory bandwidth. This is sufficient for the game's data streaming needs.

Q: Is the CPU's single-thread performance adequate for Hitman 2's AI and simulation logic?

A: Yes — the 265K scores 7060 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 4904 in Passmark single-thread tests, which places it comfortably ahead of the vast majority of CPUs in single-threaded workloads.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of resolution scaling. At 1080p High, the combo averages 168.4 FPS. Moving to 1440p High drops that to 108.4 FPS, a reduction of 60 FPS (about 35.6%). At 4K High, the average falls to 62 FPS, which is 106.4 FPS lower than at 1080p High — a 63.2% drop. This steep decline indicates the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor as resolution increases.

The story is similar at other settings. At Low, the system delivers 302.5 FPS at 1080p, 193.5 FPS at 1440p, and 102.9 FPS at 4K. The 4K figure is still more than double the 1080p Ultra result of 127.1 FPS, showing that even at Low settings, the GPU's rendering load scales heavily with pixel count. At Medium, the numbers are 226 FPS (1080p), 147 FPS (1440p), and 78.4 FPS (4K). At Ultra, they are 127.1 FPS, 81.9 FPS, and 43.5 FPS respectively.

The pattern is consistent: the frame rate drops by roughly 35-40% from 1080p to 1440p, and then by another 40-45% from 1440p to 4K, regardless of quality setting. This uniform scaling behavior is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the FPS would remain relatively flat across resolutions, but that is not what the data shows. The 265K's strong single-core and multi-core scores, combined with the consistent resolution scaling, confirm that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the component doing the heavy lifting in Hitman 2 at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 116th out of 1795 tested combinations in Hitman 2. That places it in the top 6.5% of all combos in the database for this game. The rank is determined by measured average FPS across all tested resolutions and settings, not by synthetic benchmarks alone.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 88 among all graphics cards, combined with the CPU's 97th percentile, suggests a balanced pairing. However, the combo rank of 116 indicates that there are 115 other CPU-GPU combinations that deliver higher average frame rates in Hitman 2. Given the GPU's end-of-life production status and the fact that newer cards like the RTX 5070 Ti score only 2.9% higher in average GPU benchmarks, the 4080 SUPER remains competitive. The CPU's near-tie with the Core i9-14900K and 265KF further reinforces that this combo is well-matched, with neither component dragging the other down significantly.

The data shows that the combination is more than capable of delivering high frame rates in this title, as evidenced by the 302.5 FPS ceiling at 1080p Low. The rank of 116 reflects the presence of slightly faster GPUs and CPUs in the database, but it does not indicate any fundamental weakness in this pairing.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using TSMC's 5 nm process. It packs 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock is 2295 MHz with a boost clock of 2550 MHz, and memory runs at an effective 23 Gbps. The chip contains 10240 shading units, 320 texture mapping units, and 112 raster output units, along with 80 ray tracing cores and 320 tensor cores. Its FP32 compute throughput is 52.22 TFLOPS.

In Hitman 2, the GPU's role is dominant at higher resolutions. The 4K Ultra result of 43.5 FPS average is the lowest in the dataset, and it suggests that the game's Ultra settings place a significant load on the GPU's shading and memory subsystems. The 16 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for this title, which was released in 2018 and does not demand large texture pools. The 736.3 GB/s bandwidth ensures that texture streaming and geometry processing do not become bottlenecks.

The GPU's benchmark scores are strong: 34245 in Passmark G3D and 246994 in Geekbench OpenCL. Its percentile ranking of 88 among all GPUs places it above the majority of graphics cards. When compared to its nearest rivals, the 4080 SUPER scores 0.2% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, 0.4% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M, 2.1% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 7700S, and 2.9% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti. These margins are modest, but they confirm the 4080 SUPER's position as a high-end performer.

The measured frame rates in Hitman 2 align with the GPU's capabilities. At 1080p High, the 168.4 FPS average shows the GPU can easily handle the game at mainstream resolutions. At 4K High, the 62 FPS average is playable but indicates that Ultra settings at 4K will push the GPU to its limits — hence the 43.5 FPS Ultra result.

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

The full measured FPS dataset for this combo in Hitman 2 is presented below, organized by resolution and settings.

1080p (1920x1080):

• Low: 302.5 FPS average
• Medium: 226 FPS average
• High: 168.4 FPS average
• Ultra: 127.1 FPS average

At 1080p, the system is clearly GPU-bound at all settings, with the CPU having ample headroom. The jump from Ultra to Low more than doubles the frame rate, from 127.1 to 302.5 FPS, highlighting the significant performance cost of Ultra-quality shadows, reflections, and ambient occlusion.

1440p (2560x1440):

• Low: 193.5 FPS average
• Medium: 147 FPS average
• High: 108.4 FPS average
• Ultra: 81.9 FPS average

The 1440p results show a consistent reduction of roughly 36-38% compared to 1080p at the same settings. The Ultra setting at 81.9 FPS remains smooth for most displays, while Low at 193.5 FPS is well above high-refresh-rate thresholds.

4K (3840x2160):

• Low: 102.9 FPS average
• Medium: 78.4 FPS average
• High: 62 FPS average
• Ultra: 43.5 FPS average

At 4K, the GPU's workload becomes the dominant factor. The Low setting still manages over 100 FPS, but Ultra drops below 45 FPS, which may require adjustments for smooth gameplay. The 4K High result of 62 FPS is within the range of many 60 Hz displays, but the Ultra setting clearly demands a more powerful GPU for consistent 60 FPS performance.

Across all resolutions, the scaling from Low to Ultra is consistent: Ultra delivers roughly 42-46% of the Low setting's frame rate at each resolution. This uniformity indicates that the game's quality presets scale predictably with GPU load, and the RTX 4080 SUPER's performance characteristics are stable across the resolution range tested. The data confirms that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K Ultra representing the most demanding scenario in the dataset.