Hitman 2

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination delivers a wide performance envelope in Hitman 2, ranging from high-refresh-rate dominance at 1080p to a playable, near-4K experience. The data shows a system that is clearly capable of exploiting high refresh rates at lower resolutions, while still providing a smooth experience at 4K with the right settings. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS, scaling behavior, and component roles to help you configure the game for your specific display.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data indicates that the High preset provides the most balanced experience across all resolutions, maximizing frame rates without the steep cost of the Ultra preset. At 1920x1080, High settings yield an average of 178 FPS, which is more than sufficient for any high-refresh-rate monitor. Moving up to 2560x1440, the High preset still delivers a very playable 114 FPS average, making it the sweet spot for competitive and immersive gameplay on a QHD panel.

For 4K gaming, High is the only sensible choice if you want to stay above the 60 FPS threshold. The data shows a 61 FPS average at 3840x2160 with High settings. While this is technically playable, it's a near-miss for a locked 60 FPS experience. The Medium preset offers a more comfortable margin of error, with an 80 FPS average and a minimum of 68 FPS, ensuring a smoother experience on displays that are less tolerant of frame drops. The Low preset at 4K is viable for maximizing frame rate (107 FPS), but the visual compromise is likely unnecessary given the other options.

The Ultra preset is not recommended for this combination. The data reveals a massive performance penalty: at 4K, Ultra settings drop the average FPS to 45, which is below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. Even at 1080p, the Ultra preset's 131 FPS average is a significant downgrade from High's 178 FPS. The visual uplift from High to Ultra in this title does not justify the ~26% reduction in frame rate at 1080p and the ~35% reduction at 4K. For the best experience, stick with High settings; if you have a 4K display and want a more robust frame rate floor, Medium is a better choice than High.

How This Combo Ranks

The data places this specific CPU and GPU pairing at rank 179 out of 3001 tested combinations for Hitman 2. This places it firmly in the top 6% of all tested systems, indicating a high-performance configuration that outperforms the vast majority of alternatives. This ranking reflects the strength of both the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and the RTX 5080, working in concert to produce excellent results.

This high ranking is supported by the individual component performance. The CPU's average benchmark score of 46062 puts it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, showing it is a top-tier processor. It trades blows with the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (0.1% faster) and the Intel Core i9-13900HX (0.1% slower), indicating that it is a very strong performer for gaming. The GPU also performs admirably, with its average benchmark score of 56083 placing it in the 87th percentile of all GPUs. It sits close to the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE, which is 2.2% faster, and it is notably ahead of the AMD Radeon 8060S (0.6% faster) and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (0.7% faster). The combined strength of these components explains the combo's high ranking.

In the context of Hitman 2, this ranking suggests the system has ample headroom. The 3001-combo pool includes many systems with older or less powerful parts, and this pairing's ability to maintain high frame rates at 1440p and 4K is what propels it to the top tier. The data shows that this is not a system struggling to keep up; it is a system with significant performance reserves.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 plays a decisive role in this pairing, particularly at higher resolutions. Its 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus provides a substantial 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This is more than enough to handle the texture and geometry data required by Hitman 2 at 4K. The measured FPS data suggests that the GPU is the primary limiter at 4K, as the frame rates scale directly with the graphics settings changes.

The card's clock speeds, with a base of 2295 MHz and a boost of 2617 MHz, are high, and its 10752 shading units provide immense raw compute power. This is reflected in its ability to push 107 FPS at 4K Low, a demanding task for most GPUs. The RTX 5080's architecture, Blackwell 2.0, is built on a 5 nm process and contains 45,600 million transistors. This hardware allows the GPU to handle the game's rendering loads efficiently, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p.

The GPU's performance metrics are strong. Its Passmark G3D score of 36565 is a robust indicator of its DirectX gaming performance. While its DirectX 12 score of 151 seems low, it is more of a synthetic measurement artifact; the real-world gaming results in Hitman 2—which is a DirectX 12 title—show excellent performance. The GPU's compute capabilities are also high, with a Passmark GPU Compute score of 21789. This combination of high memory bandwidth, a large frame buffer, and a powerful compute core makes the RTX 5080 an excellent match for a game like Hitman 2, where the GPU is the main driver of performance at high resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

Here is the full breakdown of the measured average FPS data for this combination.

1920x1080:

• Low: 314 FPS (average)
• Medium: 235 FPS (average), with a minimum of 200 FPS and a maximum of 270 FPS.
• High: 178 FPS (average)
• Ultra: 131 FPS (average)

At 1080p, the CPU is the primary bottleneck. The RTX 5080 is so powerful that it can render frames faster than the processor can feed it data, leading to the very high frame rates seen here. The jump from Low to Medium (314 to 235 FPS) and Medium to High (235 to 178 FPS) shows the GPU is still scaling with settings, but the sheer frame rates indicate a CPU-limited scenario at the lower settings.

2560x1440:

• Low: 201 FPS (average)
• Medium: 150 FPS (average), with a minimum of 128 FPS and a maximum of 173 FPS.
• High: 114 FPS (average)
• Ultra: 84 FPS (average)

At 1440p, the load shifts more towards the GPU, but the system remains very capable. The frame rates are still high enough for a 144Hz monitor on High settings. The data shows a linear progression of performance drops as settings increase, which is a classic sign of a balanced system where neither component is overwhelmingly dominant.

3840x2160:

• Low: 107 FPS (average)
• Medium: 80 FPS (average), with a minimum of 68 FPS and a maximum of 92 FPS.
• High: 61 FPS (average)
• Ultra: 45 FPS (average)

At 4K, the RTX 5080 becomes the clear limiting factor. The performance drop from 1440p to 4K is significant, and the settings scaling becomes more pronounced. The High preset's 61 FPS average is the threshold for playability, and the Ultra preset's 45 FPS is not smooth enough for most players. This is where the GPU's memory bandwidth and raw compute power are being fully utilized.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases. Moving from 1080p to 1440p results in a substantial frame rate drop, and the drop from 1440p to 4K is even more pronounced. This analysis reveals the nature of the limiting component.

At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 314 at 1080p to 201 at 1440p (a 36% reduction), and then further down to 107 at 4K (a 47% reduction from 1440p). This pattern is indicative of a system that is becoming more GPU-bound as resolution increases. The CPU is powerful enough to handle the game's logic at 1080p, but the GPU's rendering load increases with the pixel count.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is more severe. The average FPS falls from 131 at 1080p to 84 at 1440p (a 36% reduction), and then to 45 at 4K (a 46% reduction from 1440p). The absolute frame rates are lower, but the percentage drop is similar. This suggests that the GPU's processing power is the primary constraint at all resolutions when settings are maxed out.

The data clearly indicates that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is the limiting component at 4K, while the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is the limiting factor at 1080p. At 1080p and Low settings, the 314 FPS average is a CPU-bound ceiling. The GPU could likely render more frames, but it is waiting on the CPU to provide draw calls and game state updates. At 4K, the GPU is working at its full capacity to fill the 8.3 million pixels, and the CPU has more than enough headroom to keep up, making the GPU the bottleneck. The system is best balanced at 1440p, where both components are working together more equitably.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset to use for a 60 FPS experience at 4K?

A: The Medium preset is the best choice for a locked 60 FPS experience at 3840x2160. The data shows it achieves an average of 80 FPS with a minimum of 68 FPS. The High preset averages 61 FPS, which is closer to the 60 FPS threshold and more susceptible to dips.

Q: How does this combo perform at 1080p for high-refresh-rate gaming?

A: The performance is exceptional. The data shows that at 1920x1080 with High settings, the system delivers an average of 178 FPS. At Low settings, it reaches an average of 314 FPS, making it ideal for 240Hz or higher refresh rate monitors.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck in this system for Hitman 2?

A: It depends on the resolution. At 1080p, the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is the primary limiter, as indicated by the very high frame rates that cap out. At 4K, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 becomes the limiting component, as the frame rates drop significantly and scale heavily with graphics settings.

Q: How does the RTX 5080's performance in this game compare to its closest rivals?

A: The RTX 5080's benchmark scores show it is a top-tier performer. Its average benchmark score is 2.2% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE, but it is 0.6% higher than the AMD Radeon 8060S and 0.7% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB. In-game, this translates to a very smooth experience at all tested resolutions.

Q: I have a 1440p 144Hz monitor. What settings should I use?

A: The High preset is the recommended choice. The data shows an average of 114 FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings. While this is below 144 FPS, it is a very smooth experience. The Ultra preset drops to 84 FPS, which is less desirable.

Q: How does this system rank compared to all other tested combinations?

A: The data places this combo at rank 179 out of 3001 tested combinations for Hitman 2. This puts it in the top 6% of all systems, indicating that it is a high-performance pairing that will handle the game with ease.