Hitman 2

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

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX is a 24-core, 24-thread mobile processor built on the Arrow Lake-HX architecture using a 3 nm TSMC process. It operates with a base clock of 2.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a 55 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support is DDR5 over a dual-channel bus, yielding 102.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The CPU integrates Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 64 execution units, though this game's results rely on the discrete GPU.

In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35,589 and a single-core score of 2,204. Its Geekbench multi-core score is 20,795, while single-core reaches 2,458. PassMark multi-thread results show 55,759, and single-thread performance sits at 4,713. The processor's overall percentile versus all CPUs is 94, indicating it outperforms the vast majority of tested processors. Its average benchmark score is 67,469.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the Core Ultra 9 275HX trails the Intel Xeon w5-3525 by 0.3% (67,673 vs. 67,469), the AMD EPYC 4484PX by 0.5% (67,822 vs. 67,469), and the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5955WX by 0.6% (67,868 vs. 67,469). It leads the Intel Xeon 6515P by 0.7% (67,469 vs. 67,006). These margins are razor-thin, placing the 275HX in a performance tier where workload-specific behavior matters more than raw aggregate power.

For Hitman 2, a stealth title that relies on CPU-driven simulation for NPC AI, crowd logic, and dynamic events, the 24-thread configuration provides ample parallel capacity. The boost clock of 5.40 GHz is critical for single-threaded physics and game logic, which often bottleneck at lower frequencies. At 1080p with Low settings, the measured average FPS is 217, a figure that reflects the CPU's ability to feed frames quickly when GPU load is minimal. The high single-core Cinebench R23 score of 2,204 translates into responsive game-world updates, which is essential for maintaining consistent frame pacing in Hitman's dense sandbox environments.

The data suggests that at lower resolutions and settings, the CPU is the primary limiting factor. When moving from Low to Ultra at 1080p, the average FPS drops from 217 to 91, a 126 FPS swing that indicates the GPU becomes progressively more involved as graphical fidelity increases. However, the 275HX's multi-core strength ensures that even during complex crowd scenes or explosions, the CPU can maintain its side of the rendering pipeline without stalling the GPU.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is a 16 GB GDDR6X graphics card based on the AD103 chip with Ada Lovelace architecture on a 5 nm TSMC process. It runs at a base clock of 2205 MHz and a boost clock of 2505 MHz, with memory clocked at 1400 MHz (22.4 Gbps effective). The memory interface is 256-bit, delivering 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has 9,728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, 112 raster output units, 76 ray tracing cores, and 304 tensor cores. Pixel rate is 280.6 GPixel/s, texture rate is 761.5 GTexel/s, and FP32 performance reaches 48.74 TFLOPS, with FP16 at the same 48.74 TFLOPS (1:1). The card draws up to 320 W and requires a 700 W power supply, connecting via PCIe 4.0 x16 with a 1x 16-pin power connector.

In GPU benchmarks, the RTX 4080 scores 6,567 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 214,739 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 263,779 in Geekbench Vulkan. PassMark G3D shows 34,457, and GPU compute reaches 20,671. The GPU's percentile versus all GPUs is 86, with an average benchmark score of 54,247.

Its nearest rivals show tight competition: the RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54,209, a delta of 0.1% higher; the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54,828, a 1.1% lead; the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55,698, a 2.6% lead; and the AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55,757, a 2.7% lead. Notably, the RTX 4080 ranks below these rivals in aggregate GPU score, but the measured game FPS tells a different story, as Hitman 2's specific rendering paths favor the RTX 4080's architecture.

The 16 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for Hitman 2 at any resolution tested, as the game's textures and geometry rarely exceed even 8 GB at 4K Ultra. This headroom means memory capacity is not a bottleneck; the limiting factor is raw shading and rasterization throughput. The boost clock of 2505 MHz provides the compute throughput needed for the game's lighting and shadow calculations, which are computationally heavy in Hitman's sprawling levels.

At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 31, which is playable but not smooth. At 4K High, it rises to 42 FPS, and at 4K Medium, 55 FPS. These figures indicate the GPU is the dominant constraint at high resolutions. The RTX 4080's 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is being fully utilized at these settings, as evidenced by the steep FPS drop from 74 at 4K Low to 31 at 4K Ultra.

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

Resolution scaling reveals a clear picture of where the bottleneck shifts. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 217. Moving to 1440p Low, it drops to 139 FPS, a 36% reduction. At 4K Low, it falls to 74 FPS, a further 47% reduction from 1440p. This pattern shows that even at Low settings, the GPU is increasingly stressed as pixel count grows, since the CPU has ample headroom at these frame rates.

For High settings, 1080p yields 123 FPS, 1440p yields 79 FPS, and 4K yields 42 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 44 FPS, while from 1440p to 4K is 37 FPS. The percentage declines are 36% and 47%, respectively, mirroring the Low setting pattern. This consistency suggests that the GPU's fill rate and pixel processing are scaling predictably with resolution, independent of the preset.

Ultra settings show the most dramatic scaling. At 1080p, the average is 91 FPS; at 1440p, 58 FPS; and at 4K, 31 FPS. The 1080p to 1440p drop is 33 FPS (36%), and the 1440p to 4K drop is 27 FPS (47%). The absolute FPS values at 4K Ultra (31) and 1440p Ultra (58) indicate that the RTX 4080 is reaching its limits, while the CPU has more to give.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the CPU is the primary limiter, especially at Low and Medium settings where FPS exceeds 160. At 1440p, the balance shifts toward the GPU, and at 4K, the GPU is unequivocally the bottleneck. The fact that 1080p Low achieves 217 FPS while 4K Ultra achieves only 31 FPS—a 7x difference—shows that Hitman 2's rendering load scales heavily with both resolution and quality settings. Players targeting high refresh rates should stay at 1080p or 1440p, while those prioritizing visual fidelity at 4K will accept lower frame rates.

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

For a balanced experience at 1080p, Medium settings provide 163 FPS average with a minimum of 138 FPS and maximum of 187 FPS. This preset delivers smooth gameplay well above the 144 Hz threshold, with the min FPS still comfortably high. High settings at 1080p yield 123 FPS, which is also excellent but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes. Ultra at 1080p drops to 91 FPS, which is playable but not optimal for high-refresh displays.

At 1440p, Medium settings offer 104 FPS average with a minimum of 89 FPS and maximum of 120 FPS. This is the sweet spot for 1440p, as it maintains a playable minimum above 60 FPS while providing a substantial visual upgrade over 1080p. High at 1440p gives 79 FPS, which is acceptable for 60 Hz displays but may feel less responsive. Ultra at 1440p falls to 58 FPS, which is borderline for fast-paced stealth action, though Hitman 2 is not a twitch shooter.

At 4K, Medium settings produce 55 FPS average with a minimum of 47 FPS and maximum of 64 FPS. This is the highest preset that maintains an average above 50 FPS, making it the recommended choice for 4K gaming. High at 4K gives 42 FPS, which is playable but not smooth, and Ultra at 4K drops to 31 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable gameplay. Low settings at any resolution offer higher frame rates but sacrifice visual quality significantly, which detracts from Hitman 2's detailed environments.

The best overall experience, balancing visual fidelity and frame rate, is Medium settings at 1440p, where the average of 104 FPS with a min of 89 FPS ensures consistent performance. For 4K users, Medium is the only viable preset that keeps the average above 50 FPS. For competitive or high-refresh players, 1080p Low at 217 FPS is the maximum achievable frame rate, but Medium at 163 FPS is a better balance of quality and speed.

# How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 956th out of 3,001 tested combinations in Hitman 2. This places the combo in the 68th percentile of all tested systems, meaning roughly 32% of combinations perform better. Given the high-end nature of both components, this ranking might seem modest, but it reflects the specific demands of Hitman 2, which is less GPU-intensive than many modern titles.

The combo's rank is influenced by the CPU's 94th percentile standing and the GPU's 86th percentile. The gap between these percentiles and the combo's 68th percentile rank suggests that either the game is not fully utilizing both components, or that other combos in the database feature parts that synergize better with Hitman 2's engine. The CPU's nearest rivals—the Xeon w5-3525, EPYC 4484PX, and Threadripper PRO 5955WX—are all workstation-class processors that may pair with more powerful GPUs in the database, pushing them higher in the rankings.

The GPU's nearest rivals, particularly the RTX 4080 SUPER (0.1% higher score) and the Radeon Pro W5700X (1.1% higher), may be paired with CPUs that offer better single-thread performance for Hitman 2's AI logic. The data suggests that the 275HX's 24-thread configuration is overkill for this game, which likely utilizes fewer threads, making the CPU's raw multi-core power less relevant than its single-core speed.

Despite the rank, the measured FPS shows that this combo delivers excellent real-world performance, with 1080p Medium hitting 163 FPS and 1440p Medium reaching 104 FPS. The rank of 956 out of 3,001 indicates that while many combos are faster, the absolute performance is still high, and the system is well-suited for Hitman 2 at 1080p and 1440p with Medium or High settings.

# FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS this combo achieves in Hitman 2?

A: The maximum average FPS is 217, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

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

A: At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 31, and the data shows the GPU is the limiting component, as CPU load is minimal at such high pixel counts.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming?

A: Medium settings at 2560x1440 offer 104 FPS average with a minimum of 89 FPS, providing the best balance of quality and performance.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its nearest rival in GPU benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4080 scores 54,247 on average, which is 0.1% lower than the RTX 4080 SUPER (54,209), 1.1% lower than the Radeon Pro W5700X (54,828), 2.6% lower than the RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (55,698), and 2.7% lower than the Radeon 8060S (55,757).

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested systems?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX + RTX 4080 combo ranks 956th out of 3,001 tested combinations in Hitman 2.

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K?

A: Only at Low settings, where the average FPS is 74. Medium settings yield 55 FPS average with a minimum of 47 FPS, which is below 60.

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

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS across settings is as follows: Low settings achieve 217 FPS, Medium settings achieve 163 FPS with a minimum of 138 FPS and maximum of 187 FPS, High settings achieve 123 FPS, and Ultra settings achieve 91 FPS. No minimum or maximum values are available for Low, High, or Ultra at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, Low settings produce 139 FPS average, Medium settings produce 104 FPS average with a minimum of 89 FPS and maximum of 120 FPS, High settings produce 79 FPS average, and Ultra settings produce 58 FPS average. As with 1080p, minimum and maximum values are only recorded for Medium settings.

At 3840x2160, Low settings yield 74 FPS average, Medium settings yield 55 FPS average with a minimum of 47 FPS and maximum of 64 FPS, High settings yield 42 FPS average, and Ultra settings yield 31 FPS average. The Medium preset is the only one with recorded min/max values across all resolutions, suggesting it was the focus of detailed frame time analysis.

The data shows a consistent pattern: Medium settings always provide the most complete FPS data, with min and max values recorded, while other presets only have averages. This suggests that Medium is considered the baseline for stability testing. Across all resolutions, the FPS drops proportionally from Low to Medium to High to Ultra, with the steepest declines occurring at 4K where the GPU is saturated.

From 1080p to 1440p, the FPS reduction for each preset is: Low drops from 217 to 139 (a 78 FPS decrease), Medium drops from 163 to 104 (a 59 FPS decrease), High drops from 123 to 79 (a 44 FPS decrease), and Ultra drops from 91 to 58 (a 33 FPS decrease). From 1440p to 4K, the reductions are: Low drops from 139 to 74 (a 65 FPS decrease), Medium drops from 104 to 55 (a 49 FPS decrease), High drops from 79 to 42 (a 37 FPS decrease), and Ultra drops from 58 to 31 (a 27 FPS decrease).

The decreasing absolute FPS drops from Low to Ultra at each resolution step indicate that higher settings are progressively more GPU-bound, while lower settings are more CPU-bound. This is corroborated by the 1080p Low FPS of 217, which is likely near the CPU's maximum frame output for this game, and the 4K Ultra FPS of 31, which is near the GPU's minimum playable threshold.