Hitman 2

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 pairing delivers a fascinating study in bottleneck dynamics within Hitman 2. The data shows a CPU that is solidly mid-tier by modern standards, paired with a GPU that is overwhelmingly powerful, resulting in performance that is heavily dependent on resolution and settings. This combination ranks 110th out of 3001 tested combos in this game, placing it in the top 3.7% of all configurations, a signal of the brute force of the graphics card. However, the benchmark results reveal that this pairing is not always harmonious, with the CPU often becoming the limiting factor at lower resolutions, while the GPU takes over as the primary constraint at 4K Ultra.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, and it supports DDR5 memory via a dual-channel interface. In synthetic benchmarks, it achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14769 and a single-core score of 2085, with a Passmark single-thread score of 4516. Its overall average benchmark score is 46062, placing it at the 89th percentile of all CPUs. The nearest rivals in the data are the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (0.1% faster) and the Intel Core i9-13900HX (0.1% slower), indicating that its raw processing power is competitive with high-end mobile and workstation chips from the previous generation.

In the context of Hitman 2, the CPU's role is to manage game logic, AI, and physics. The data suggests that the Core Ultra 5 235 is more than capable of handling these tasks, but its performance ceiling is evident when paired with the RTX 4090. At 1080p with Low settings, the game achieves an average of 334 FPS. This incredibly high frame rate suggests that the CPU is working near its limit, as the GPU is easily able to render frames that fast. The fact that the game does not exceed this threshold, even at the lowest settings where GPU load is minimal, indicates a CPU bottleneck. The single-core performance is particularly relevant here, as Hitman 2’s engine often relies on a few primary threads. The boost clock of 5.00 GHz provides strong single-threaded performance, but the data implies that there is a ceiling to how many frames it can feed to the RTX 4090. The CPU is not holding back the experience at higher resolutions, but it is the component that caps the maximum achievable frame rate at 1080p.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is a behemoth of a graphics card, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture and the AD102 chip. It features 16384 shading units, 512 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, with a massive 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s. Its boost clock is 2520 MHz, and the memory runs at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). It achieves a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 9223 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 271631. Its average benchmark score is 60347, putting it at the 88th percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals are the Intel Arc Pro A60 (0% difference) and the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (-2.5%), which are professional workstation cards, highlighting the gaming-focused nature of the RTX 4090.

In Hitman 2, the RTX 4090’s role is to render geometry, textures, and lighting. The data shows that it is an absolute powerhouse in this game. At 4K Ultra, it still manages to produce an average of 48 FPS, a very playable frame rate for a demanding stealth title. The GPU’s 24 GB of VRAM is far more than Hitman 2 requires, ensuring that texture loading and memory swapping are non-issues at any resolution. The high texture rate of 1,290.2 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s mean that it can fill the screen with detail at 4K without breaking a sweat. The GPU’s performance is so high that it only becomes the primary bottleneck at the most demanding settings, such as 4K Ultra. In this scenario, the GPU is working at full capacity, and the frame rate drops to the lowest measured value, indicating that the graphics card is the limiting factor.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data demonstrates a classic scaling pattern that clearly illustrates the shifting bottleneck between the CPU and GPU. At 1080p, the CPU is the limiting factor. The difference between Low and Ultra settings is significant, but even at Low, the frame rate is capped at 334 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium (334 to 251 FPS) and then to High (190 FPS) shows how the GPU load increases, but the CPU is still the primary constraint. At 1440p, the balance begins to shift. The Low setting produces 214 FPS, which is a significant drop from the 334 FPS at 1080p, showing that the GPU is starting to work harder. The Ultra setting at 1440p produces 89 FPS, a 35% decrease from the 140 FPS at 1080p Ultra.

The most telling data comes from the 4K resolution. At 4K Low, the average FPS is 114, a massive drop from 214 FPS at 1440p Low. This indicates that the GPU is now the primary bottleneck, as the resolution has increased the rendering load to a point where the RTX 4090 can no longer keep up with the CPU’s frame generation. The 4K Medium setting shows an average of 85 FPS, and 4K High drops to 65 FPS. The most demanding scenario, 4K Ultra, yields an average of just 48 FPS. This scaling from 334 FPS at 1080p Low to 48 FPS at 4K Ultra represents a 85% decrease in performance, a clear indicator that as resolution increases, the GPU becomes the dominant limiting factor. The data shows that this combo is CPU-bound at 1080p, balanced at 1440p, and GPU-bound at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame field places this pairing at rank 110 out of 3001 tested combinations. This is an exceptional ranking, placing it in the top 3.7% of all systems tested. This high ranking is almost entirely attributable to the RTX 4090’s raw power. The CPU, while competent, is not a top-tier part. The data shows that the Core Ultra 5 235’s average benchmark score is 46062, which rivals the Intel Core i9-13900HX, a mobile processor. This suggests that while the CPU is not a slouch, it is not the kind of flagship desktop part that would typically be paired with the fastest consumer GPU. The high combo rank indicates that in most scenarios, particularly at higher resolutions, the RTX 4090 is able to push the frame rates high enough to overcome the CPU’s limitations. The fact that this combo is in the top 110 out of over 3000 systems shows that it is a very powerful configuration, but the data also hints that its performance could be even higher with a more powerful CPU, as the CPU bottleneck at 1080p prevents it from reaching the absolute top of the charts.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at the performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. Here is the exact breakdown:

• 1920x1080 (1080p)
• Low: Average 334 FPS
• Medium: Average 251 FPS (min 213, max 288)
• High: Average 190 FPS
• Ultra: Average 140 FPS

• 2560x1440 (1440p)
• Low: Average 214 FPS
• Medium: Average 160 FPS (min 136, max 184)
• High: Average 121 FPS
• Ultra: Average 89 FPS

• 3840x2160 (4K)
• Low: Average 114 FPS
• Medium: Average 85 FPS (min 73, max 98)
• High: Average 65 FPS
• Ultra: Average 48 FPS

These numbers reveal a consistent pattern. At 1080p, the performance is so high that it is likely beyond the refresh rate of most monitors, making the CPU the limiting factor. At 1440p, the frame rates are still very high, with the Ultra preset providing a smooth 89 FPS average. At 4K, the GPU begins to struggle with the most demanding settings, with the Ultra preset dipping to an average of 48 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K, with an average of 85 FPS and a minimum of 73 FPS, offers a much more stable experience for high-refresh-rate 4K gaming. The data shows that the RTX 4090 is powerful enough to handle Hitman 2 at 4K High with 65 FPS, but the Ultra preset pushes it to its limits.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the ideal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. The data indicates that this system is overkill for 1080p, as even the Ultra preset at 140 FPS is far above the 60 FPS target and likely exceeds the refresh rate of most standard monitors. For 1440p, the High preset at 121 FPS is an excellent choice for high-refresh-rate monitors, while the Ultra preset at 89 FPS is still very smooth and provides the best visual fidelity. For 4K gaming, the Ultra preset at 48 FPS is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. The High preset at 65 FPS provides a better balance of visual quality and smoothness for a 60 Hz display.

The best experience per the measured rows is achieved at 1440p with the High preset. This setting yields an average of 121 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and it likely offers a better visual experience than the Medium preset. It provides a significant frame rate advantage over the Ultra preset (121 vs 89 FPS) while still delivering a high level of graphical detail. If the user has a 4K monitor, the 4K Medium preset is the most practical recommendation. It delivers an average of 85 FPS with a minimum of 73 FPS, ensuring that the frame rate never drops below a smooth threshold. This is a more consistent experience than the High preset, which has no minimum FPS data but averages only 65 FPS, and it is a far better choice than the Ultra preset, which averages 48 FPS. For users who prioritize maximum visual fidelity and have a 120Hz or higher 4K display, the 4K High preset at 65 FPS is the highest quality option that remains consistently above 60 FPS. The data suggests avoiding the 4K Ultra preset, as its 48 FPS average is not ideal for a game that benefits from smooth, responsive controls.