Hitman 2

Hitman 2, a stealth title from 2018, presents a demanding workload that scales significantly across resolutions. This analysis examines the measured performance of the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, focusing on how the system behaves under different graphical loads. The data provides a clear picture of where the bottleneck lies, how the components interact, and what settings deliver the optimal experience.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the system produces 128 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 drops performance to 82 FPS, a 36% reduction. At 3840x2160, the average falls further to 44 FPS, which is a 46% drop from the 1440p result and a 66% drop from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline as pixel count rises is the hallmark of a graphics card operating at its limit.

The trend is consistent across all settings presets. With Low settings, the system achieves 227 FPS at 1080p, 145 FPS at 1440p, and 77 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 4K here is a 66% reduction, nearly identical to the High preset's 66% drop. Even at the lowest graphical fidelity, the RTX 3080 cannot maintain high frame rates at 4K, confirming that the GPU's rendering throughput is the primary constraint at higher resolutions.

The data indicates that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this scenario. The frame rate drops are proportional to the increase in pixel count, which is the expected behavior when the graphics card is saturated. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a plateau in performance at lower resolutions, where the GPU has spare capacity. Instead, the performance scales consistently, suggesting that the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus provides ample headroom to feed the GPU at 1080p and 1440p. The transition from 1440p to 4K shows the most severe degradation, with average FPS nearly halving at every settings level, which strongly suggests the RTX 3080's 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and its bandwidth are being overwhelmed by the 4K pixel workload.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 2560x1440 with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 61. This is the lowest performance at 1440p across all tested presets, indicating that the Ultra preset demands significant graphical resources.

Q: How does the 1080p Medium preset compare to the 1440p High preset?

A: At 1080p Medium, the system averages 170 FPS, while at 1440p High, it averages 82 FPS. The higher resolution with a higher quality preset results in a 52% performance reduction, clearly demonstrating the impact of resolution over settings.

Q: Is the system capable of 4K gaming at playable frame rates?

A: The data shows that at 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 77 at Low settings to 32 at Ultra settings. Only the Low preset achieves a frame rate above 60 FPS, while the Medium preset averages 58 FPS. High and Ultra presets fall below 45 FPS, suggesting that 4K gaming requires significant settings compromises.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1920x1080?

A: The Low preset yields an average of 227 FPS, while the Ultra preset yields 95 FPS. This represents a 58% decrease in performance when moving from the lowest to the highest quality settings at 1080p.

Q: Does the system maintain a minimum FPS above 60 at any resolution?

A: Yes, the only preset with a recorded minimum FPS above 60 is 1920x1080 Medium, which has a minimum of 144 FPS and a maximum of 195 FPS. All other presets either have no min/max data recorded or, in the case of 1440p Medium, a minimum of 92 FPS.

Q: How does the combo rank compared to other tested configurations?

A: The combo rank is 840 out of 3001 tested combinations. This places the system in the top 28% of all tested configurations for this game, indicating solid overall performance.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is the defining component for this game's performance. Its GA102 chip, built on Samsung's 8 nm process, contains 28,300 million transistors. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1440 MHz and a boost clock of 1710 MHz. The memory subsystem is a 10 GB pool of GDDR6X on a 320-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 760.3 GB/s. This memory configuration is a critical factor in the game's performance, particularly at higher resolutions where texture data and frame buffers demand more capacity and speed.

The benchmark results show the RTX 3080 at the 68th percentile among all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 23172. In the passmark G3D test, it scores 25086, while in the GPU compute test, it scores 14397. These figures indicate a strong mid-to-high-range performer. The GPU's nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA P106-100, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16, and AMD Radeon RX 6600M, all with average scores within 0.4% of the RTX 3080. This suggests that the RTX 3080 is performing as expected for its class.

The measured FPS data shows that the GPU's performance degrades predictably as settings increase. At 1080p, the RTX 3080 can deliver high frame rates across all presets, but the scaling is not linear. The jump from Medium to High at 1080p results in a 25% performance drop (170 to 128 FPS), while the jump from High to Ultra results in a 26% drop (128 to 95 FPS). This pattern indicates that the Ultra preset introduces effects that are particularly taxing on the GPU's compute and memory resources. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, with the Ultra preset dropping to 32 FPS, a 66% reduction from the 1080p Ultra result.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the system's capabilities across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 3840x2160 (4K), the performance is as follows: Low settings yield an average of 77 FPS, Medium settings yield 58 FPS with a minimum of 49 and a maximum of 67, High settings yield 44 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 32 FPS. This data shows a clear linear progression of performance loss as quality increases, with the Ultra preset delivering only 42% of the Low preset's frame rate.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), the system performs significantly better. Low settings produce an average of 145 FPS, Medium settings produce 109 FPS with a minimum of 92 and a maximum of 125, High settings produce 82 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 61 FPS. The relative performance gaps are similar to 4K, but the absolute numbers are much higher. The Medium preset at 1440p is the only one in this resolution with recorded min/max values, showing a tight frame time distribution.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the system excels. Low settings produce an average of 227 FPS, Medium settings produce 170 FPS with a minimum of 144 and a maximum of 195, High settings produce 128 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 95 FPS. The 1080p Medium preset has the highest minimum FPS of any tested configuration, indicating stable performance. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at each settings level is roughly a 35-40% reduction, while the scaling from 1440p to 4K is a 45-50% reduction, further emphasizing the GPU's struggle at the highest resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is a high-end desktop processor featuring 24 cores and 24 threads. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. The CPU is built on a 3 nm process by TSMC and features a large cache hierarchy, including 192 KB of L1 cache per core, 3 MB of L2 cache per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration provides substantial processing power for gaming workloads.

The CPU's benchmark results place it in the 96th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 93785. In Cinebench R23, it scores 44253 in multi-core and 2439 in single-core tests. These scores are exceptional, indicating that the CPU is far from being a bottleneck in this gaming scenario. The nearest CPU rivals, such as the Intel Xeon 6520P and AMD EPYC 4564P, have average scores within 2.1% of the Core Ultra 7, confirming its position at the top of the performance hierarchy.

In Hitman 2, the data suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution. This is evident from the scaling patterns observed in the resolution analysis. If the CPU were struggling, we would see frame rates plateau at lower resolutions, especially on the Low preset. However, the system reaches 227 FPS at 1080p Low, which is a very high frame rate that indicates the CPU can handle a significant amount of draw calls and game logic. The CPU's 24 threads and high boost clock provide ample headroom, ensuring that the GPU is the sole determinant of performance across all tested settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For competitive or high-refresh-rate gaming at 1920x1080, the Medium preset is the best choice. It delivers an average of 170 FPS with a minimum of 144 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay without any noticeable drops. The High preset at 1080p also performs well with 128 FPS, but the Medium preset offers a better balance of visual quality and performance headroom.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is the recommended choice for a smooth experience, delivering 82 FPS. This is above the 60 FPS threshold for most displays. The Medium preset at 1440p provides a higher frame rate of 109 FPS, but the visual fidelity is lower. For users with G-Sync or FreeSync displays, the High preset at 1440p is the sweet spot, offering a good balance of image quality and performance. The Ultra preset at 1440p, at 61 FPS, is playable but leaves little margin for error in demanding scenes.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain high frame rates. The Low preset at 77 FPS is the only option that provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 58 FPS is playable but may experience occasional dips, as indicated by its minimum of 49 FPS. The High and Ultra presets at 4K are not recommended for a smooth experience, as they average 44 and 32 FPS respectively. For 4K gaming, the Low preset is the most viable option, though users may prefer to reduce the resolution to 1440p and use higher quality settings for a better overall visual experience.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combination holds a rank of 840 out of 3001 tested combos in Hitman 2. This places it in the 72nd percentile of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms the majority of configurations. This ranking reflects the strength of both the CPU and GPU, though the GPU's mid-range positioning in the overall GPU percentile (68th) slightly tempers the combo's overall standing.

The combo's rank is likely driven by the CPU's exceptional performance, which ensures that the GPU is always fully utilized. The data shows that the system performs well above the 60 FPS threshold at 1080p and 1440p with most settings, which is a solid achievement. However, the ranking also reflects the GPU's limitations at 4K, where it falls below the 60 FPS mark on all but the lowest settings. The nearest GPU rivals, all within 0.4% of the RTX 3080's average score, suggest that the GPU is performing at the expected level for its class. The top 28% placement indicates that this combo is a capable gaming platform, but not an elite one, due to the GPU's relative age and memory capacity constraints at higher resolutions.