Hitman 2

Hitman 2, a stealth title from late 2018, presents an interesting test for modern hardware. The measured data for the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile shows a configuration that is heavily influenced by the graphics processor at higher resolutions, while also demonstrating strong scaling at lower settings. This analysis walks through the measured FPS rows to explain where the bottleneck lies and what the experience looks like across the four presets tested.

Resolution Scaling

The most immediate observation from the data is the steep performance drop as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system produces 233 FPS average. Moving to 2560x1440 Low drops that to 149 FPS, a significant reduction. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls further to 79 FPS. This pattern across the Low preset shows a classic GPU-bound scenario: the RTX 5080 Mobile is working progressively harder to fill more pixels, and the frame rate scales inversely with the pixel count.

The High preset tells a similar story but with lower absolute numbers. At 1080p High, the average is 132 FPS. At 1440p High, it is 84 FPS. At 4K High, the average falls to 45 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 36%, and from 1440p to 4K is roughly 46%. These deltas are substantial and point directly to the GPU as the limiting component; if the CPU were the constraint, we would expect the frame rate to remain relatively flat as resolution increases, since the CPU work per frame is largely constant.

The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 97 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 62 FPS. At 4K Ultra, the average is just 33 FPS. The difference between 1440p Ultra and 4K Ultra is a reduction of nearly half, which indicates the GPU is completely saturated at the highest resolution and settings. The 4K Ultra result of 33 FPS is the lowest measured value in the entire set, confirming that this combination is not suitable for maximum settings at that resolution.

The Medium preset offers the only rows with min and max FPS data, providing insight into frame pacing. At 1080p Medium, the average is 175 FPS with a min of 148 and a max of 201. At 1440p Medium, the average is 112 FPS with a min of 95 and a max of 128. At 4K Medium, the average is 60 FPS with a min of 51 and a max of 68. The spread between min and max is roughly 50 FPS at 1080p, 33 FPS at 1440p, and 17 FPS at 4K. This shrinking spread at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is becoming the sole bottleneck, smoothing out the frame time variance that might come from CPU work.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H is a 16-core, 22-thread processor from the Meteor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. Its benchmark scores place it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35670. In synthetic tests, it achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 17984.5 and a single-core score of 1810.5. Geekbench results show 11657 multi-core and 1794 single-core.

Given these strong CPU numbers, the data suggests that the processor is not the primary limiter in Hitman 2. The evidence lies in the resolution scaling. When moving from 1080p to 4K at a fixed preset, the FPS drops consistently, which is the behavior of a GPU-bound workload. If the CPU were limiting, we would see similar FPS numbers across resolutions. For instance, at High settings, the 1080p result is 132 FPS, but at 4K it is 45 FPS. This three-fold difference is far too large to be caused by CPU limitations.

The CPU’s role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions where the GPU has less work. At 1080p Low, the system hits 233 FPS, which is a very high frame rate. Even at 1080p Ultra, it manages 97 FPS. These numbers indicate that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at high rates in this game. The single-core performance, as measured by Cinebench R23 at 1810.5, is likely sufficient for the game’s logic and draw call submission. The multi-core score of 17984.5 is more than adequate, as Hitman 2 is not known for scaling heavily across many cores.

The nearest CPU rivals show that the Core Ultra 9 185H is in a competitive position. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 has an average score of 35719, which is a delta of -0.1% compared to this chip. The Intel Core 7 250H scores 35728, a -0.2% delta. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 scores 35802, a -0.4% delta. The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X scores 35909, a -0.7% delta. All four rivals are within 1% of the Core Ultra 9 185H’s average score, meaning the CPU performance is essentially tied with these alternatives. In gaming, this level of parity suggests no meaningful difference in frame rates would be observed due to the CPU alone.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Hitman 2 with this combo?

A: Based on the measured data, 2560x1440 provides the best balance. At High settings, it averages 84 FPS, and at Medium settings, it averages 112 FPS. Both are well above 60 FPS, offering a smooth experience. 4K is playable only at Low settings with 79 FPS average, but the visual compromise is significant.

Q: How does the system perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The measured result shows an average of 33 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay and indicates that the GPU is fully maxed out. It is not recommended for a playable experience.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor at most settings. Evidence is seen in the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K, which is a hallmark of GPU-bound performance. For example, at High settings, the average drops from 132 FPS at 1080p to 45 FPS at 4K. The CPU’s strong benchmark scores support that it is not the primary constraint.

Q: What is the difference in performance between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 233 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 97 FPS. This is a reduction of 136 FPS, or approximately 58%, when moving from the lowest to the highest quality settings. This shows the large impact of graphical fidelity on the frame rate.

Q: How does this combo rank among other tested configurations?

A: The combination ranks 1026 out of 3711 tested combos in this game, placing it in the top 28% of all tested systems. This indicates that it is a capable setup, though not at the very top tier of performance for Hitman 2.

Q: Are there any frame rate dips to be aware of?

A: The only data with min and max FPS is from the Medium preset. At 4K, the min is 51 FPS and the max is 68 FPS, showing a 17 FPS variance. At 1440p, the min is 95 and the max is 128, a 33 FPS variance. At 1080p, the min is 148 and the max is 201, a 53 FPS variance.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank for this specific configuration is 1026 out of 3711 total tested combos. This places the system in the 27.6th percentile of all tested hardware combinations for Hitman 2. This ranking is a useful context for the measured FPS. It tells us that while this is not the absolute fastest setup on the database, it is far from the bottom. There are 2685 combos that rank lower, which means this system outperforms the majority of tested configurations.

The rank reflects the overall capability of the pairing. The GPU’s percentile versus all GPUs is 81, meaning it is in the top 19% of all GPUs tested. The CPU’s percentile versus all CPUs is 85, placing it in the top 15%. Despite both components being high-percentile performers, the combined rank of 1026 suggests that the game’s engine or the specific combination of this mobile CPU and GPU does not yield top-tier results in Hitman 2. The rank is a holistic measure, and the actual FPS data shows that the system is capable of high frame rates at lower resolutions but struggles at 4K Ultra.

The GPU’s nearest rivals in its own benchmark database include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile, which has an average score of 38135 and a delta of 0.6% compared to the RTX 5080 Mobile. This indicates that the 5080 Mobile is only slightly faster than the previous generation 4080 Mobile in synthetic tests. The other rivals, such as the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 and the AMD Radeon Pro 580X, are significantly different in class, showing that the benchmark database groups a wide range of GPUs together. For this game, the rank of 1026 puts it in a solid mid-to-upper tier, capable of handling 1440p gaming well.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a complete grid of results across three resolutions and four settings. At 1920x1080, the system achieves its highest frame rates. Low settings yield an average of 233 FPS. Medium settings reduce this to 175 FPS, with a minimum of 148 and a maximum of 201. High settings produce 132 FPS. Ultra settings bring the average down to 97 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a clear step-down, with each preset costing a significant number of frames.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down as expected. Low settings average 149 FPS. Medium settings average 112 FPS, with a minimum of 95 and a maximum of 128. High settings average 84 FPS. Ultra settings average 62 FPS. The 1440p results show that the system can comfortably handle High settings at 84 FPS, which is a very playable frame rate for a stealth game. The Ultra preset at 62 FPS is also acceptable, though it leaves less headroom for dips.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly under heavy load. Low settings average 79 FPS. Medium settings average 60 FPS, with a minimum of 51 and a maximum of 68. High settings average 45 FPS. Ultra settings average 33 FPS. The 4K results show that only the Low and Medium presets are viable for a smooth experience. The Medium preset’s 60 FPS average is exactly at the threshold for playability, but the 51 FPS minimum could be noticeable in busy scenes. High and Ultra presets fall below 60 FPS, making them less desirable for action sequences.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data points to 2560x1440 with High settings. This combination yields an average of 84 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS standard for smooth gameplay. The visual quality is high, and the frame rate is stable enough for the stealth gameplay that Hitman 2 requires. The 1440p High preset uses the GPU effectively without pushing it to its limits.

If a higher frame rate is preferred, 1080p with Medium settings is an excellent choice. The average of 175 FPS is exceptionally smooth, and the minimum of 148 FPS ensures that there are no noticeable stutters. This setting is ideal for competitive or high-refresh-rate displays. The 1080p High setting at 132 FPS is also a strong option, offering a balanced mix of quality and speed.

At 4K, the recommendation is to use Medium settings. The average of 60 FPS is the minimum for a good experience, and the 51 FPS minimum is a minor compromise. The Low setting at 4K averages 79 FPS, which is smoother, but the visual downgrade may not be worth the additional frames. Avoid 4K High and Ultra, as the 45 FPS and 33 FPS averages, respectively, do not provide a consistent gaming experience. The Ultra preset at any resolution is only playable at 1080p, where it hits 97 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU with 7680 shading units and 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus. Its memory bandwidth is 896.0 GB/s, and it has a boost clock of 1500 MHz. The GPU’s benchmark scores show a passmark G3D score of 27711 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4952. It ranks in the 81st percentile of all GPUs.

In Hitman 2, the GPU is the primary driver of performance differences between settings and resolutions. The data shows a clear correlation between the GPU’s workload and the average FPS. At 4K Ultra, the GPU is fully saturated, producing only 33 FPS. At 4K Low, it produces 79 FPS, showing that reducing the pixel workload and shading complexity has a large impact.

The GPU’s memory configuration is likely sufficient for Hitman 2. The 16 GB of VRAM is more than the game would require, even at 4K Ultra. The high bandwidth of 896.0 GB/s ensures that texture streaming is not a bottleneck. The GPU’s 60 RT cores are not relevant here, as Hitman 2 does not heavily utilize ray tracing, but the 240 TMUs and 96 ROPs are crucial for the rasterization performance seen in the measured results.

The GPU’s nearest rivals in the benchmark database are interesting. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile has a delta of 0.6%, meaning the 5080 Mobile is only slightly faster. This explains why the measured FPS in Hitman 2 is good but not extraordinary. The GPU’s synthetic benchmark average is 38349, and it is placed in the 81st percentile. The performance in this game aligns with its high percentile, showing strong capability at 1080p and 1440p, but it is not a top-tier 4K performer for this particular title.