Hitman 2

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

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is a 14-core, 14-thread desktop processor built on the Arrow Lake architecture with a 3 nm process node. Its base clock is 3.40 GHz and it boosts up to 5.00 GHz. This configuration—14 cores with no hyperthreading—represents a modern mid-range CPU that balances multi-threaded throughput with high single-core performance. The processor carries a 24 MB shared L3 cache and 3 MB L2 per core, with L1 at 192 KB per core. Memory support is DDR5 over a dual-channel bus, providing 102.4 GB/s of bandwidth.

In Hitman 2, a stealth game originally released in November 2018, the CPU workload is moderate by modern standards. The game's engine was designed for the hardware of its era, meaning the Core Ultra 5 235's single-core performance is far beyond what the title typically demands. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2085 and multi-core score of 14769 illustrate the processor's capability. The passmark single-thread score of 4516 places it in the 89th percentile among all CPUs, indicating strong per-core performance.

For this specific game, the CPU's role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and handle AI, physics, and game logic. The 14 cores provide ample headroom for background tasks and any additional load the game might place on the system. The data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 194 FPS average, which strongly suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions. The processor's 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46062, places it nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (0.1% faster) and the Intel Core i9-13900HX (0.1% slower) in overall CPU performance.

The boost clock of 5.00 GHz is particularly relevant for Hitman 2, which benefits from high single-thread performance. The Cinebench R15 single-core score of 210 and R20 single-core score of 875 confirm that this CPU can handle the game's logic-heavy scenes without issue. The TDP of 65 W indicates efficient power draw, but that specification does not directly translate to in-game performance metrics. What matters for the benchmark results is that at 1080p, the CPU can sustain high frame rates—the measured data shows 194 FPS at Low settings, which is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate many gamers target.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is built on the Ampere architecture with an 8 nm process from Samsung. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1500 MHz and boosts to 1725 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). The chip contains 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 96 render output units, along with 46 ray tracing cores and 184 tensor cores. The FP32 performance is rated at 20.31 TFLOPS.

For Hitman 2, the GPU is the primary determinant of frame rates at higher resolutions and settings. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is adequate for this 2018 title, as the game's texture budgets were designed for that era's hardware. The RTX 3070's memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s allows for efficient texture streaming in the game's detailed environments, from crowded street scenes to interior spaces with complex lighting.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 61st among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17208, shows that it sits in the upper-mid range of graphics hardware. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT, which scores 0.7% higher, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 at 1% higher. The RTX 3070's Passmark G3D score of 22214 and DirectX 12 score of 85 provide additional context for its DirectX 12 performance, which is the API Hitman 2 uses.

The measured frame rates reveal that the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases. At 1080p, the RTX 3070 delivers 110 FPS at High settings, but at 4K this drops to 38 FPS—a 65% reduction. This scaling pattern is typical for a mid-range GPU at high resolutions, where the pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K. The GPU's 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for Hitman 2 at all settings, but the compute throughput becomes the constraint at higher resolutions.

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

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases. At 1080p High settings, the combo achieves 110 FPS average. Moving to 1440p High, the average drops to 70 FPS—a 36% reduction. At 4K High, the average falls to 38 FPS—a 65% reduction from 1080p. This scaling indicates that the RTX 3070 is the limiting component at higher resolutions, as the CPU's performance headroom becomes less relevant when the GPU is fully saturated.

The Low settings row demonstrates this even more starkly. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 194 FPS, which drops to 124 FPS at 1440p (36% reduction) and 66 FPS at 4K (66% reduction). The near-identical percentage drops across settings suggest that the GPU is consistently the bottleneck at higher resolutions, regardless of the quality preset.

At 1080p, however, the data reveals a different story. The gap between Low (194 FPS) and Ultra (81 FPS) is substantial, indicating that at this resolution, the GPU's load varies significantly with settings while the CPU has enough headroom to keep up. The CPU's 89th percentile ranking and strong single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core of 2085) suggest it can handle the game's logic at high frame rates without becoming a constraint.

The Medium settings rows provide the most complete data, with minimum and maximum FPS recorded. At 1080p Medium, the combo averages 146 FPS with a min of 124 and max of 168. At 1440p Medium, the average is 93 FPS with min 79 and max 107. At 4K Medium, the average is 50 FPS with min 42 and max 57. The min-to-max spread narrows as resolution increases, which is consistent with GPU-bound scenarios where frame times become more uniform under sustained load.

The resolution scaling data clearly identifies the RTX 3070 as the limiting factor for 4K gaming. The 8 GB VRAM and 20.31 TFLOPS of FP32 compute are insufficient to maintain high frame rates at 3840x2160, where even Medium settings yield only 50 FPS average. For 1440p, the GPU delivers playable frame rates across all settings, with Ultra at 52 FPS and High at 70 FPS. At 1080p, the combo is well-balanced, with all settings producing smooth gameplay.

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

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 194 FPS average
• Medium: 146 FPS average (min 124, max 168)
• High: 110 FPS average
• Ultra: 81 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 124 FPS average
• Medium: 93 FPS average (min 79, max 107)
• High: 70 FPS average
• Ultra: 52 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 66 FPS average
• Medium: 50 FPS average (min 42, max 57)
• High: 38 FPS average
• Ultra: 28 FPS average

The 1080p data shows a smooth progression from 194 FPS at Low to 81 FPS at Ultra, with each settings tier reducing performance by roughly 25-30%. The Medium preset at 1080p delivers 146 FPS average, which is 75% of the Low setting's frame rate. The High preset at 110 FPS represents a 24% drop from Medium, and Ultra at 81 FPS is a 26% drop from High.

At 1440p, the same pattern emerges with lower absolute values. Low produces 124 FPS, Medium 93 FPS, High 70 FPS, and Ultra 52 FPS. The percentage drops between settings are consistent with 1080p: Medium is 75% of Low, High is 75% of Medium, and Ultra is 74% of High. This consistency indicates that the settings scaling is uniform across resolutions, with the GPU handling each quality tier similarly relative to its load.

The 4K results show the most constrained performance. Low achieves 66 FPS, Medium 50 FPS, High 38 FPS, and Ultra 28 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K has the only complete min/max data for that resolution, with 42 FPS minimum and 57 FPS maximum. The 28 FPS at Ultra is below the 30 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for playable frame rates, indicating that the Ultra preset is not viable at 4K with this hardware combination.

Looking at the Medium settings across resolutions, the data shows a clear relationship: 1080p Medium at 146 FPS, 1440p Medium at 93 FPS, and 4K Medium at 50 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 36%, and from 1440p to 4K is 46%. This non-linear scaling is consistent with the pixel count increase: 1080p to 1440p is a 78% increase in pixels, while 1440p to 4K is a 125% increase. The frame rate drops are smaller than the pixel increases, suggesting some CPU involvement mitigates the GPU load at higher resolutions.

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

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 ranks 1266 out of 3001 tested combinations in Hitman 2. This places the combo in the 58th percentile of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms 58% of combinations while being outperformed by 42%. The rank of 1266 out of 3001 indicates a solidly mid-pack position, which is consistent with the component choices: a strong CPU combined with a mid-range GPU.

The CPU's 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs (average benchmark score 46062) is significantly higher than the combo's overall ranking in this game. This discrepancy suggests that the RTX 3070, which ranks in the 61st percentile among GPUs, is the limiting factor in the combo's overall position. The GPU's average benchmark score of 17208, while close to its nearest rivals, places it in a competitive segment where many other graphics cards offer similar or better performance.

The combo rank of 1266 out of 3001 means that 1735 other combinations outperform this pairing in Hitman 2. Given that the game is not particularly demanding by current standards, the ranking reflects the GPU's limitations at high resolutions more than the CPU's capabilities. In the 1080p results, where the CPU has more influence, the combo performs well—194 FPS at Low settings is a strong result. However, at 4K Ultra, the 28 FPS average drags the overall ranking down.

The nearest rivals for the CPU (AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 within 0.1%, Intel Core i9-13900HX within 0.1%) and GPU (AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT within 0.7%) suggest that alternative combinations with these components would likely produce similar rankings. The data indicates that the combo's position is stable within its performance class, with no single component dramatically improving or depressing the overall result relative to similar hardware.

# FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Hitman 2?

A: The data shows that 1440p provides the best balance of visual quality and performance. At High settings, the combo delivers 70 FPS average at 2560x1440, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. At 4K High, the average drops to 38 FPS, which is below ideal playability.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Hitman 2?

A: Yes, but with limitations. At 4K Low settings, the combo achieves 66 FPS average, which is playable. At 4K Medium, the average is 50 FPS with a minimum of 42 FPS. However, 4K High (38 FPS) and 4K Ultra (28 FPS) fall below the 60 FPS target, with Ultra dipping below the 30 FPS playability threshold.

Q: How does the Core Ultra 5 235 compare to its closest CPU rivals?

A: The Core Ultra 5 235 has an average benchmark score of 46062. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375, scores 46030 (0.1% faster), while the Intel Core i9-13900HX scores 46098 (0.1% slower). The AMD EPYC 4364P and AMD EPYC 7303 both score 45970 and 45960 respectively, each 0.2% faster than the Core Ultra 5 235.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: At 1080p High, the combo achieves 110 FPS average. At 4K High, the average drops to 38 FPS. This represents a 65% reduction in frame rate when moving from 1080p to 4K, indicating that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions.

Q: Is the RTX 3070's 8 GB VRAM sufficient for Hitman 2?

A: The measured data shows no evidence of VRAM-related performance issues. The GPU delivers consistent frame rates across all settings at each resolution, with no anomalous drops that would indicate memory capacity problems. The 8 GB VRAM is adequate for this game's requirements.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking among tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 1266 out of 3001 tested combinations in Hitman 2. This places it in the 58th percentile of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms 58% of combinations while being outperformed by 42%.

# Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimal settings in Hitman 2. At 1080p, all settings presets deliver playable frame rates, with Low at 194 FPS, Medium at 146 FPS, High at 110 FPS, and Ultra at 81 FPS. The Medium preset offers the best experience at this resolution, providing 146 FPS average with a minimum of 124 FPS and maximum of 168 FPS. This delivers smooth gameplay with visual improvements over Low, while maintaining frame rates well above any display refresh rate threshold.

At 1440p, the High preset at 70 FPS average is the recommended choice. It provides a substantial visual upgrade over Medium (93 FPS) while keeping frame rates above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 52 FPS is below the 60 FPS target but remains playable, though the High preset's 70 FPS offers a better balance of quality and performance. The Medium preset at 93 FPS is also viable for gamers prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity.

At 4K, the data shows that only the Low preset (66 FPS) and Medium preset (50 FPS) provide adequate performance. The Medium preset is the recommended choice at this resolution, offering 50 FPS average with a minimum of 42 FPS and maximum of 57 FPS. This provides the best visual quality while maintaining playable frame rates. The High preset at 38 FPS and Ultra at 28 FPS are not recommended, as they fall below the 60 FPS threshold and, in the case of Ultra, below the 30 FPS playability minimum.

For the best overall experience, the data suggests prioritizing 1440p High settings. This configuration delivers 70 FPS average, which is smooth and responsive, while providing a significant visual upgrade over 1080p. The combo's CPU, with its strong single-core performance, ensures consistent frame delivery, while the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth handle the game's texture and geometry requirements without issue. The 1440p High preset represents the sweet spot for this hardware combination, balancing visual quality, frame rate, and the GPU's capabilities.