Hitman 2

# CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. This Arrow Lake Refresh part, built on TSMC's 3 nm process, sits in the 96th percentile of all CPUs according to aggregate benchmark data, with an average benchmark score of 84,003. In synthetic testing, the chip delivers 51,731 points in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 7,303 in single-core, indicating substantial headroom for both heavily threaded workloads and lightly threaded game logic.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role is best understood through the game's frame pacing at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low settings, the combo produces 302 FPS average, which is the highest measured figure in the entire dataset. This result strongly suggests that at low graphical load, the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is not the limiting factor — the engine is capable of pushing well beyond 300 FPS when the GPU has minimal work. The processor's Cinebench R20 single-core score of 3,067 and PassMark single-thread score of 4,823 indicate strong per-core performance, which matters for Hitman 2's simulation and AI logic. The game's stealth genre relies on complex NPC routines and line-of-sight calculations, and the data shows this CPU handles those tasks without becoming a bottleneck at 1080p High, where the combo still achieves 172 FPS.

The CPU's nearest rivals in aggregate benchmark scores are the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K at 83,807 (0.2% ahead) and the AMD EPYC 4584PX at 83,090 (1.1% ahead). The 290K Plus trails the AMD EPYC 7F72 by 1.3%. These are small margins, and in a game like Hitman 2, which is not known for extreme CPU demands, the practical difference between these processors is likely negligible at typical gaming resolutions. However, the data shows that the 290K Plus outperforms its direct predecessor, the 285K, by a hair in aggregate, suggesting that the refresh does offer a marginal uplift.

Critically, the CPU's cache hierarchy — 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 — provides ample fast storage for game assets. The PassMark data compression score of 698,346 and integer math score of 166,194 demonstrate that the processor can handle the kind of real-time data processing Hitman 2's sandbox environments require. The benchmark results indicate that this CPU is well-matched to the RTX 4080 for this title, as evidenced by the fact that FPS scales nearly linearly with resolution reductions, which points to GPU-bound behavior at higher settings.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus a bottleneck for the RTX 4080 in Hitman 2?

A: No. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 302 FPS average, which is the highest measured result in the dataset. At 1080p Ultra, the average drops to 126 FPS, a 58% reduction that aligns with increased GPU workload rather than CPU limitations. The CPU's 96th percentile ranking and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51,731 indicate it can feed the GPU adequately.

Q: How does the 290K Plus compare to its nearest rival, the Core Ultra 9 285K?

A: The 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84,003, which is 0.2% higher than the 285K's 83,807. In practical terms for Hitman 2, this difference is negligible — both processors would deliver nearly identical frame rates in this game.

Q: What is the CPU's strongest benchmark area for gaming?

A: The PassMark single-thread score of 4,823 and Cinebench R20 single-core score of 3,067 are the most relevant metrics for game logic. The processor also shows strong data handling with a PassMark data encryption score of 52,563 and extended instructions score of 52,338, which help with asset decompression and AI calculations.

Q: Does the CPU's 24-thread configuration help in Hitman 2?

A: Hitman 2 is not a heavily threaded game, so the 24 threads are not fully utilized. However, the high single-core performance ensures that the primary game thread runs efficiently. The PassMark multithread score of 60,860 shows the CPU has massive headroom for background tasks while gaming.

Q: How does the CPU's memory bandwidth affect performance?

A: The dual-channel DDR5 memory bus delivers 115.2 GB/s of bandwidth. This is sufficient for Hitman 2's needs, as the game's environments are not exceptionally large. The 36 MB of shared L3 cache further reduces memory pressure.

Q: Is the 290K Plus overkill for a game released in 2018?

A: The benchmark data shows the combo still achieves 172 FPS at 1080p High and 110 FPS at 1440p High, so the CPU is not limiting. However, the processor's capabilities far exceed what Hitman 2 requires — the game would run well on a much weaker CPU, but the 290K Plus ensures no frame drops from CPU stalls.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling behavior in Hitman 2 reveals a clear GPU-bound pattern at higher settings and a CPU-bound ceiling at the lowest settings. Starting at 1080p Low, the combo produces 302 FPS average. Moving to 1440p Low, the average drops to 193 FPS — a 36% reduction. At 4K Low, the average is 103 FPS, which is another 47% drop from 1440p. This steep decline at Low settings indicates that even with minimal graphical workload, the RTX 4080's rendering throughput is the limiting factor, as the CPU can clearly sustain well over 300 FPS.

At High settings, the scaling is similar but slightly less dramatic: 172 FPS at 1080p, 110 FPS at 1440p (36% drop), and 58 FPS at 4K (47% drop from 1440p). The consistent percentage drops across settings suggest that the game's rendering pipeline scales predictably with pixel count, and the GPU is the primary constraint at every resolution above 1080p Low.

The Medium presets provide the only complete min/max FPS data in the dataset. At 1080p Medium, the average is 227 FPS with a minimum of 193 and maximum of 261. At 1440p Medium, the average is 145 FPS with a minimum of 123 and maximum of 167. At 4K Medium, the average is 77 FPS with a minimum of 66 and maximum of 89. The min-to-max spreads — 68 FPS at 1080p, 44 FPS at 1440p, and 23 FPS at 4K — become tighter at higher resolutions, which is typical of GPU-bound scenarios where frame time variance is reduced.

The Ultra preset shows the most severe scaling: 126 FPS at 1080p, 81 FPS at 1440p (36% drop), and 43 FPS at 4K (47% drop from 1440p). This consistent 36%/47% pattern across all settings strongly indicates that the RTX 4080's fill rate and shading capacity are the limiting factors, not the CPU. The CPU's role is to maintain high minimum frame rates, and the data shows no evidence of CPU-induced stuttering.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest performance. Low settings produce 302 FPS average, Medium produces 227 FPS (min 193, max 261), High produces 172 FPS, and Ultra produces 126 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra represents a 58% reduction in average FPS, which is substantial but expected given the increased shading, shadow, and reflection work.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain highly playable across all presets. Low settings yield 193 FPS, Medium yields 145 FPS (min 123, max 167), High yields 110 FPS, and Ultra yields 81 FPS. The 1440p results show that even the most demanding preset maintains above 60 FPS, making this resolution a sweet spot for high-refresh-rate displays.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 4080 begins to show its limits. Low settings produce 103 FPS, Medium produces 77 FPS (min 66, max 89), High produces 58 FPS, and Ultra produces 43 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 43 FPS falls below the 60 FPS threshold that many players consider minimum for smooth gameplay. The 4K High result of 58 FPS is borderline, while 4K Medium at 77 FPS provides a comfortable margin.

The complete dataset shows that the combo's performance scales linearly with resolution changes: 1080p to 1440p consistently reduces FPS by 36%, and 1440p to 4K reduces it by 47%. This consistency across all four settings presets confirms that the bottleneck is the GPU's pixel throughput, not the CPU or memory subsystem.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is an Ada Lovelace architecture part with 9,728 shading units, 304 TMUs, and 112 ROPs. It operates at a base clock of 2205 MHz and boosts to 2505 MHz, with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus delivering 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 76 RT cores provide ample compute for modern titles, though Hitman 2 predates the RTX 40-series by four years and does not utilize ray tracing.

The RTX 4080's benchmark profile shows it sits in the 86th percentile of all GPUs with an average score of 54,247. Its nearest rival is the RTX 4080 SUPER at 54,209 (0.1% ahead), followed by the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X at 54,828 (1.1% ahead). The 4080 trails the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB by 2.6% and the AMD Radeon 8060S by 2.7% in aggregate scores, but these differences are within normal variance and do not reflect real-world gaming differences.

In Hitman 2, the RTX 4080's role is clearly dominant. The GPU is the limiting factor at every resolution and settings combination except possibly 1080p Low, where the 302 FPS result suggests the CPU or engine frame rate cap may be the constraint. The GPU's 16 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for Hitman 2's 2018-era textures, and the 716.8 GB/s bandwidth ensures no texture streaming bottlenecks even at 4K.

The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 34,457 and DirectX 12 score of 132 indicate strong DirectX 12 performance, which is the API used by Hitman 2. The Geekbench Vulkan score of 263,779 shows the GPU is also capable in Vulkan, though Hitman 2 primarily uses DX12. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6,567 provides a synthetic measure of DX12 gaming performance that aligns with the measured FPS results.

The RTX 4080's launch MSRP is 1,199 USD. The GPU's TDP of 320 W and triple-slot design indicate it is a high-power part, but the benchmark data shows it delivers accordingly in Hitman 2.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p displays, the Ultra preset at 126 FPS average is the best choice for players with high-refresh-rate monitors (120Hz+). The High preset at 172 FPS offers a better margin for 165Hz displays, while Medium at 227 FPS is ideal for 240Hz panels. Given that the min FPS at 1080p Medium is 193, even the most demanding scenes stay above 144 FPS, making Medium the safest choice for competitive play.

For 1440p displays, Ultra at 81 FPS is viable for 60-75Hz monitors, but High at 110 FPS provides a better experience for 100Hz+ displays. Medium at 145 FPS (min 123) is the recommended preset for 144Hz monitors, as it maintains a minimum above 120 FPS. Low at 193 FPS is overkill for most displays but useful for maximum frame rate.

For 4K displays, the data shows a clear tradeoff. Ultra at 43 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold and should be avoided. High at 58 FPS is borderline — acceptable for slower-paced stealth gameplay but not ideal. Medium at 77 FPS (min 66) is the sweet spot, providing a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while maintaining good visual quality. Low at 103 FPS is the best choice for 4K120 displays, though it sacrifices visual fidelity.

The best overall experience per the measured rows is the Medium preset at 1440p, which delivers 145 FPS average with a minimum of 123 FPS and maximum of 167 FPS. This combination offers high frame rates, excellent visual quality, and a narrow frame time distribution that ensures smooth gameplay. For players prioritizing visual fidelity over frame rate, the High preset at 1440p (110 FPS) or Medium at 4K (77 FPS) are the recommended alternatives.

The data shows that the Ultra preset provides diminishing returns in Hitman 2 — the jump from High to Ultra reduces FPS by 27% at 1080p, 26% at 1440p, and 26% at 4K, yet the visual difference between these presets in a 2018 game is likely modest. The Medium preset offers the best balance of performance and quality across all resolutions, making it the default recommendation for this CPU-GPU combo.