Hitman 2

# Hitman 2 with Intel Core Ultra 5 235 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070

The data for Hitman 2 with the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 shows a system that scales predictably across resolutions, with the GPU becoming the primary constraint at higher settings and the CPU providing ample headroom at lower settings. The measured frames per second across four settings presets and three resolutions reveal a combination that is well-suited for 1440p and 1080p gameplay, while 4K demands careful settings selection to maintain smooth performance.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings presets, indicating that the rendering load scales heavily with pixel count. At High settings, the average FPS declines from 143 at 1920x1080 to 92 at 2560x1440, and further to 49 at 3840x2160. That represents a 36% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a 47% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The pattern repeats across other presets, with Low settings dropping from 253 at 1080p to 162 at 1440p and 86 at 4K, and Medium settings falling from 189 to 121 to 65 across the same resolution ladder.

The scaling behavior suggests that at 1080p and 1440p, the system is not purely GPU-bound at every preset. At 1080p Low, the 253 FPS average indicates the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU well beyond typical display refresh rates. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 36 FPS, which is a 66% reduction from the 105 FPS at 1080p Ultra. The diminishing returns at higher resolutions are characteristic of a GPU that becomes increasingly saturated as pixel count grows, while the CPU's role diminishes.

The most telling data point is the Medium preset, which is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values. At 1080p Medium, the range is 161 to 218 FPS, with an average of 189. At 1440p Medium, the range narrows to 103 to 139 FPS, averaging 121. At 4K Medium, the range compresses further to 55 to 74 FPS, averaging 65. The narrowing range at higher resolutions indicates that frame time variance decreases as the GPU becomes the bottleneck, which is a classic sign of a GPU-limited scenario.

This resolution scaling profile suggests that the limiting component shifts depending on the settings and resolution combination. At 1080p with Low settings, the CPU likely plays a more significant role, given the 253 FPS average approaches what the processor can sustain. At 4K with Ultra settings, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, as the 36 FPS average is far below what the CPU could deliver. The crossover point appears to be around 1440p with High or Ultra settings, where the GPU starts to dominate performance.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 features 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus, with a memory bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 2325 MHz and a boost clock of 2512 MHz. These specifications relate directly to the measured results in Hitman 2, particularly at higher resolutions where memory bandwidth and capacity become more critical.

At 4K Ultra, the average FPS of 36 suggests that the GPU's 12 GB memory capacity is sufficient, but the rendering load at maximum settings exceeds what the card can comfortably handle at that resolution. The 36 FPS result is below the 49 FPS at 4K High, indicating that the Ultra preset imposes a significant additional workload. The GPU's 80 ROPs and 192 TMUs contribute to pixel and texture processing rates of 201.0 GPixel/s and 482.3 GTexel/s, respectively, but these are not enough to maintain high frame rates at 4K Ultra in this title.

The RTX 5070's 6144 shading units and 48 RT cores provide substantial compute capability, with FP32 throughput rated at 30.87 TFLOPS. However, Hitman 2's rendering engine appears to place heavy demands on the traditional rasterization pipeline, as evidenced by the steep performance drop at 4K. The GPU's average benchmark score of 40377 places it in the 82nd percentile among all GPUs, with nearest rivals including the AMD Radeon Pro 580 (score 40318, delta 0.1%) and the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 (score 40870, delta -1.2%).

At 1080p, the GPU has less work to do per frame, and the results show it can deliver high frame rates across all presets. The 105 FPS average at 1080p Ultra demonstrates that the RTX 5070 is more than capable at that resolution. At 1440p, the GPU still performs well, with 92 FPS at High and 67 FPS at Ultra, indicating that this resolution is a sweet spot for this card in this game. The 4K results, however, show that the GPU becomes the primary constraint at that resolution, particularly at High and Ultra settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. It features 24 MB of shared L3 cache, with 192 KB of L1 and 3 MB of L2 per core. The CPU's memory support includes DDR5 with dual-channel configuration and a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. These specifications contribute to the system's ability to feed the GPU at lower resolutions, where the CPU's role is more pronounced.

The CPU's benchmark results show strong single-thread and multi-thread performance. In Cinebench R23, it scores 2085 in single-core and 14769 in multi-core tests. The PassMark single-thread score is 4516, and the multi-thread score is 37816. These results place the CPU in the 89th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46062. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (score 46030, delta 0.1%) and the Intel Core i9-13900HX (score 46098, delta -0.1%), indicating the Ultra 5 235 sits in a competitive performance band.

In Hitman 2, the CPU's role is most apparent at 1080p with lower settings. The 253 FPS average at 1080p Low suggests the processor can handle high frame rates without becoming a bottleneck. The 189 FPS at 1080p Medium and 143 FPS at 1080p High further indicate that the CPU has sufficient headroom for these scenarios. At 1440p and 4K, the CPU's influence diminishes as the GPU takes over as the primary constraint, but the consistent scaling across resolutions indicates the processor is not causing any unusual performance cliffs.

The CPU's boost clock of 5.00 GHz and 14 cores provide ample capacity for Hitman 2's game logic, AI, and physics simulation. The lack of hyperthreading (14 threads for 14 cores) does not appear to hinder performance in this title, as the measured FPS at lower resolutions shows no signs of CPU saturation. The processor's 65 W TDP and 3 nm process node contribute to efficient operation, but the specific power characteristics are not directly reflected in the game's measured FPS data.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combination in Hitman 2?

A: Based on the measured data, 2560x1440 offers the best balance. The system achieves 92 FPS at High settings and 121 FPS at Medium settings, both well above 60 FPS. At 4K, the highest average FPS is 86 at Low settings, which is playable but requires sacrificing visual quality.

Q: How does the RTX 5070 perform at 4K Ultra in this game?

A: The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 36 FPS. This is below the 49 FPS at High settings and 65 FPS at Medium settings, indicating that the Ultra preset is too demanding for smooth gameplay at 4K with this GPU.

Q: Is the Core Ultra 5 235 sufficient for high frame rates in Hitman 2?

A: Yes. The measured data shows 253 FPS at 1080p Low and 143 FPS at 1080p High, indicating the CPU can support very high frame rates. The processor's PassMark single-thread score of 4516 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2085 support this capability.

Q: How does this system compare to other tested combinations in this game?

A: The combination ranks 604th out of 3001 tested combos in Hitman 2, placing it in the top 20% of all configurations. This rank reflects the system's strong overall performance across the measured settings and resolutions.

Q: What is the frame time consistency like at different settings?

A: The only preset with recorded minimum and maximum FPS is Medium. At 1080p, the range is 161 to 218 FPS; at 1440p, it is 103 to 139 FPS; and at 4K, it is 55 to 74 FPS. The narrowing range at higher resolutions indicates more consistent frame pacing as the GPU becomes the bottleneck.

Q: Does the 12 GB VRAM on the RTX 5070 limit performance in Hitman 2?

A: The measured data does not indicate a VRAM capacity limitation. The 4K results show a smooth progression from 86 FPS at Low to 36 FPS at Ultra, which is consistent with rendering load rather than memory constraints. The 672.0 GB/s memory bandwidth is likely sufficient for this game.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 combination ranks 604th out of 3001 tested combos in Hitman 2. This places the system in the 80th percentile of all configurations tested for this game, indicating above-average performance relative to the entire pool of combinations.

The rank reflects the system's ability to deliver strong frame rates across most settings and resolutions. The CPU's 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs and the GPU's 82nd percentile ranking among all GPUs provide context for this result. The combination of a high-performing processor and a capable graphics card results in a system that handles Hitman 2 well, though the 4K Ultra preset is the exception where performance falls below 40 FPS.

Compared to other combinations in the database, this system outperforms the majority of tested configs. The 604th rank out of 3001 means it sits comfortably in the upper quartile, with only about 20% of combinations achieving higher scores in this game. The system's strengths are most evident at 1080p and 1440p, where it delivers high frame rates across all settings presets.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 143 FPS average, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset at 105 FPS is also viable, offering higher visual quality with a still-playable frame rate. For those seeking maximum performance, the Low preset at 253 FPS is available, but the visual quality trade-off is substantial.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 92 FPS provides an excellent balance of visual fidelity and performance. The Medium preset at 121 FPS offers even higher frame rates with modest visual compromises. The Ultra preset at 67 FPS is playable but closer to the 60 FPS threshold, making it a less comfortable choice for competitive play. The Low preset at 162 FPS is available but sacrifices significant visual quality.

At 3840x2160, the only preset that maintains an average above 60 FPS is Low at 86 FPS. The Medium preset at 65 FPS is just above the 60 FPS threshold, making it a viable option for 4K gaming with some visual compromise. The High preset at 49 FPS and Ultra preset at 36 FPS are below the smoothness threshold and not recommended for general gameplay. For 4K, the Medium preset is the best choice, offering a playable frame rate with medium-quality visuals.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers the following average FPS across settings: Low at 253 FPS, Medium at 189 FPS (with a range of 161 to 218 FPS), High at 143 FPS, and Ultra at 105 FPS. The Medium preset is the only one with measured minimum and maximum values, showing a 57 FPS spread between minimum and maximum frame rates.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS values are: Low at 162 FPS, Medium at 121 FPS (range 103 to 139 FPS), High at 92 FPS, and Ultra at 67 FPS. The Medium preset's range narrows to 36 FPS, indicating more consistent frame delivery compared to 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS values are: Low at 86 FPS, Medium at 65 FPS (range 55 to 74 FPS), High at 49 FPS, and Ultra at 36 FPS. The Medium preset's range narrows further to 19 FPS, showing increased frame pacing stability as the GPU becomes the dominant constraint. The progression from Low to Ultra at each resolution shows a consistent pattern of performance degradation, with the largest drop occurring between Medium and High at 4K (65 to 49 FPS, a 25% reduction) and between Medium and High at 1440p (121 to 92 FPS, a 24% reduction).