Hitman 2

Hitman 2, a stealth title from 2018, remains a demanding benchmark for modern hardware. When paired with the mobile Intel Core Ultra 5 135H and the flagship desktop NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, the measured results reveal a fascinating bottleneck dynamic. The data indicates that at lower resolutions, the CPU becomes the primary constraint, while at 4K, the GPU workload dominates, creating a performance curve that is anything but linear.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a pronounced and expected drop as resolution increases, but the magnitude of that drop is highly informative. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces an average of 135 FPS. Moving to 1440p, that average falls to 86 FPS, a reduction of 49 FPS (or roughly 36%). Scaling further to 4K (3840x2160), the average plummets to 46 FPS, which is a 40 FPS drop from the 1440p result and a staggering 89 FPS below the 1080p figure.

This scaling pattern is the key to understanding the system's limiting factor. The transition from 1080p to 1440p represents a 78% increase in pixel count, while the frame rate only dropped by 36%. This suggests that at 1080p, the system is not purely GPU-bound. The Intel Core Ultra 5 135H, with its 14 cores and 18 threads boosting up to 4.60 GHz, is likely the constraining element here. If the GPU were the sole bottleneck, we would expect a frame rate drop closer to the pixel count increase.

However, the jump from 1440p to 4K is different. This is a 2.25x increase in pixels, and the frame rate drops by 40 FPS, from 86 to 46. This is a more severe relative decline. The data shows that the RTX 4090, with its 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth, is now being saturated. The GPU's shading units (16384) are being tasked with rendering nearly double the pixels, and the frame rate suffers accordingly. The CPU is no longer the primary bottleneck; the GPU's raw rendering power is now the limiting factor.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings also widens with resolution, but the relative pattern is consistent. At 1080p Low, the average is 238 FPS, which is an incredibly high frame rate that almost certainly hits CPU limitations. The 135H's single-core performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1700, is simply not enough to feed the RTX 4090 at such low graphical loads. At 4K Ultra, the average is 34 FPS, showing that the GPU is now the definitive limiter. This analysis confirms that the system is a "tale of two cities": a CPU-bound situation at 1080p and a GPU-bound one at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark results provide a clear hierarchy for optimizing the gameplay experience. The most balanced option for high refresh rate displays is the Medium preset. At 1440p Medium, the combo achieves an average of 114 FPS with a minimum of 97 FPS and a maximum of 131 FPS. This provides a smooth, high-frame-rate experience that is well-suited for the stealth-action gameplay of Hitman 2, where quick reactions and smooth camera movement are beneficial.

At 1080p, the Medium preset is even more compelling, with an average of 178 FPS and a minimum of 152 FPS. This level of performance ensures that the game will run flawlessly on any high-refresh-rate monitor without any perceptible stutter. The High preset at 1080p (135 FPS average) is also excellent, but it offers a 43 FPS average reduction compared to Medium. The visual fidelity difference between Medium and High is often less impactful than the frame rate gain, making Medium the superior choice for competitive or smooth play.

The Low preset is only recommended for the most extreme frame rate targets. At 1080p Low, the system averages 238 FPS, which is an extreme outlier. This setting is best reserved for esports-level play or if a user has a 240Hz+ monitor. However, the visual sacrifice is significant. At 4K, the choice becomes more difficult. The High preset yields only 46 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a smooth experience. The Medium preset at 4K (61 FPS average) is the best choice for 4K gaming, as it crosses the 60 FPS threshold that is generally considered the standard for a playable experience. Ultra at 4K (34 FPS) is a showcase mode that is not recommended for actual gameplay.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 135H is a mobile processor built on Intel's Meteor Lake architecture using a 7 nm process. It features a hybrid configuration of 14 cores and 18 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. In this benchmark scenario, its role is to feed the powerful RTX 4090 with draw calls and game logic. The benchmark results indicate that this CPU is the primary bottleneck at lower resolutions.

The data supports this conclusion. At 1080p Low, the system produces 238 FPS. This is an enormous workload for the CPU to process, as it must handle the game's simulation and prepare all the rendering commands for the GPU. The CPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks, such as a Passmark single-thread score of 3521 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1700, suggests it has decent single-core throughput. However, it is not enough to fully saturate the RTX 4090 at such low resolutions.

Comparing it to its nearest rivals, the 135H is functionally tied with the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, showing a deltaPct of -0.1%. It is also just 0.5% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT. This places its overall compute capability in the same tier as these older desktop parts. In multi-threaded workloads, its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11875.5 is respectable for a mobile chip. However, in a game like Hitman 2, which often relies on a few heavily-loaded threads, the CPU's single-thread performance is what matters most, and it is this that creates the 1080p bottleneck. The 135H is a capable processor, but it is a mobile part, and its limitations are exposed when paired with the most powerful consumer GPU available.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand database of tested combinations for Hitman 2, this specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 holds a rank of 852 out of 3711 combos. This places it in the top 23% of all tested systems, which is a strong showing. The ranking is a composite measure that likely weighs performance across multiple resolutions and settings.

This rank is interesting because it does not reflect the GPU's full potential. The RTX 4090 is an absolute monster of a card, with an average benchmark score of 60347, placing it in the 88th percentile of all GPUs. However, the combo's rank of 852 suggests that the CPU is holding it back from achieving a top-tier position. If the system were paired with a faster desktop CPU, the frame rates at 1080p and 1440p would be significantly higher, and the combo's rank would likely be much better.

The data shows a clear discrepancy between the individual components. The GPU's nearest rivals are professional workstation cards like the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M, which shows a -2.5% deltaPct. The CPU's nearest rivals are desktop gaming processors like the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X. This pairing of a high-end desktop GPU with a mid-range mobile CPU is unusual and creates the performance dynamics observed in the data. The rank of 852 reflects the sheer power of the RTX 4090 at higher resolutions, but it also highlights the inherent imbalance of this specific combination.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the undisputed king of consumer graphics. Based on the Ada Lovelace architecture and built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, it is a massive chip with 76,300 million transistors and a die size of 609 mm². Its specifications are staggering: 16384 shading units, 512 TMUs, and 176 ROPs. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2235 MHz and boosts to 2520 MHz, with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus providing 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth.

In this benchmark, the RTX 4090's role is to render the game at high resolutions. The data shows that it performs admirably, but its immense power is wasted at 1080p. At 4K High, it manages 46 FPS, and at 4K Medium, it achieves 61 FPS. These are respectable numbers for a 2018 title at 4K, but they are not the ultra-high frame rates one might expect from the flagship card. The GPU's Passmark G3D score of 38194 and its 88th percentile ranking confirm its raw power.

The GPU's performance scaling from 1440p to 4K is the most telling. At 1440p High, it produces 86 FPS. At 4K High, it produces 46 FPS. This is a 46.5% reduction in frame rate for a 125% increase in pixels. This non-linear scaling is typical of a GPU-bound scenario where memory bandwidth and fill rate become critical. The 24 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for Hitman 2, even at 4K Ultra, so the limitation is the core compute and memory bandwidth. The RTX 4090 is powerful enough to make the game playable at 4K, but the mobile CPU partner prevents it from reaching the stratospheric frame rates it is capable of at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is the complete breakdown of measured average FPS for the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination in Hitman 2.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: 238 FPS average
• Medium: 178 FPS average (min 152, max 205)
• High: 135 FPS average
• Ultra: 99 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: 152 FPS average
• Medium: 114 FPS average (min 97, max 131)
• High: 86 FPS average
• Ultra: 64 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: 81 FPS average
• Medium: 61 FPS average (min 52, max 70)
• High: 46 FPS average
• Ultra: 34 FPS average

The data shows a clear pattern. The frame rate is highest at 1080p Low and degrades as resolution and settings increase. The difference between Low and Medium at 1080p is 60 FPS (238 vs 178), while the difference between High and Ultra is 36 FPS (135 vs 99). At 4K, the differences are smaller in absolute terms but larger in percentage: Low to Medium is a 20 FPS drop, and High to Ultra is a 12 FPS drop. This compression of frame rates at 4K further confirms that the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as its performance limits are being reached regardless of the CPU's state.

FAQ

Q: Why is the frame rate at 1080p Low so much higher than at 1080p High?

A: The difference is 103 FPS (238 vs 135). This is because at Low settings, the GPU is under-utilized, and the system becomes limited by the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H's single-core performance. Lower graphical settings reduce the GPU workload, allowing the CPU to become the primary bottleneck and "cap" the frame rate at a level it can sustain.

Q: Is the RTX 4090 the bottleneck at 4K?

A: Yes. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 34, and at 4K High, it is 46. The GPU is being fully saturated with the immense pixel workload. The CPU, while still a factor, is no longer the primary limitation, as the GPU's rendering throughput dictates the final frame rate.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all other tested systems for Hitman 2?

A: The combo ranks 852 out of 3711 tested combinations. This places it in the top 23% of all systems, which is strong, but its rank is likely held back by the mobile CPU's limitations at lower resolutions.

Q: What is the best setting for a 1440p monitor?

A: Based on the data, the Medium preset is the best choice. It provides an average of 114 FPS with a minimum of 97 FPS, ensuring a smooth and responsive experience. The High preset drops to 86 FPS, which is still good, but Medium offers a significant performance buffer.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU have a higher average benchmark score?

A: The CPU has an average benchmark score of 29093, which places it in the 81st percentile of all CPUs. The GPU has an average benchmark score of 60347, placing it in the 88th percentile of all GPUs. The GPU is significantly more powerful relative to its peers than the CPU.

Q: Will the game run smoothly at 4K?

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K Medium, the average FPS is 61, which is playable. At 4K High, the average drops to 46 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target for a "smooth" experience. For a consistently smooth 4K experience, the Medium preset is recommended.