Hitman 2

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination delivers exceptional performance in Hitman 2, with benchmark results showing a strong emphasis on CPU capability at lower resolutions and GPU dominance at 4K. This analysis examines the measured FPS data across three resolutions and four settings presets, contextualizing the results within the broader hardware landscape.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall rank of this CPU and GPU combo in Hitman 2?

A: The combo ranks 68th out of 3001 tested combinations, placing it in the top 2.3% of all systems benchmarked for this game.

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

A: The Ultra 5 235 has an average benchmark score of 46062, which is 0.1% higher than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (46030) and 0.1% lower than the Intel Core i9-13900HX (46098). It also beats the AMD EPYC 4364P and AMD EPYC 7303 by 0.2% each.

Q: What is the RTX 5090's standing among GPUs in the benchmark database?

A: The RTX 5090 achieves an average benchmark score of 79842, placing it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, which scores 79605 (0.3% lower).

Q: What is the maximum measured average FPS in Hitman 2 for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 342 at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This drops to 117 at 3840x2160 with the same Low preset.

Q: Which settings preset provides the largest FPS margin over the minimum at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 219 average FPS, while Ultra drops to 91. This represents a 128 FPS difference between the lowest and highest quality presets.

Q: Does the data include minimum FPS values for all tested configurations?

A: No, minimum FPS is only recorded for Medium settings at each resolution: 74 at 4K, 140 at 1440p, and 218 at 1080p. All other presets have null minFps values in the measured data.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a GB202 chip manufactured on TSMC's 5 nm process. The GPU contains 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 raster output pipelines. It operates at a base clock of 2017 MHz with a boost clock of 2407 MHz, delivering 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance.

Memory configuration is substantial: 32 GB of GDDR7 on a 512-bit bus provides 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock runs at 1750 MHz with 28 Gbps effective speed. This memory subsystem is critical for Hitman 2 at high resolutions, where texture streaming and large draw distances demand significant bandwidth.

The GPU's benchmark scores reflect its position in the market. It scores 18,355 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 334,370 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 376,728 in Geekbench Vulkan. Passmark G3D shows 39,650, with direct X11 scoring 341 and DX12 scoring 185. The GPU's average benchmark score of 79,842 places it in the 92nd percentile overall.

In Hitman 2 specifically, the RTX 5090's role becomes evident when examining FPS scaling. At 1080p Low settings, the system produces 342 average FPS, indicating the GPU is not the limiting factor at this resolution. The CPU has headroom to feed frames. As resolution increases to 1440p, Low settings drop to 219 FPS, and at 4K, Low produces 117 FPS. This scaling pattern shows the GPU becoming progressively more involved in frame production.

The RTX 5090's nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (0.3% lower score) and AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (1.1% lower). The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X scores 1.4% higher. These comparisons place the RTX 5090 in a performance tier where it handles Hitman 2's moderate graphical demands with substantial headroom.

At Ultra settings, the GPU's computational load increases significantly. The measured 49 average FPS at 4K Ultra versus 66 at 4K High indicates that the highest preset introduces effects that heavily tax the GPU's shading and memory resources. The 32 GB VRAM capacity ensures no texture streaming bottlenecks occur at any tested configuration, as Hitman 2's asset sizes are well within this limit.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 features 14 cores and 14 threads, operating with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This Arrow Lake-S architecture processor has a 65 W TDP and uses TSMC's 3 nm process node. The cache hierarchy includes 192 KB L1 per core, 3 MB L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache.

Memory support includes DDR5 with dual-channel configuration, providing 102.4 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The CPU connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes. Its integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 24 EU provides basic display output but plays no role in Hitman 2's dedicated GPU rendering.

Cinebench results show a multicore score of 14,769 in R23 and 6,202 in R20, with single-core scores of 2,085 and 875 respectively. Passmark tests reveal 37,816 in multithread performance and 4,516 in single-thread performance. The CPU's average benchmark score of 46,062 places it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs.

The CPU's impact on Hitman 2 is most visible at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 342 FPS, which is a CPU-bound scenario. The 14 cores and 5.00 GHz boost clock allow the game's main thread and supporting tasks to execute rapidly. At 1080p Medium, FPS drops to 257, and at High, 194. These reductions correspond to increased GPU workload rather than CPU limitations.

At 1440p, the CPU continues to provide adequate frame generation. Low settings produce 219 FPS, Medium 164, High 124, and Ultra 91. The scaling between presets is consistent, suggesting the CPU maintains a stable frame delivery rate. The 3.40 GHz base clock ensures sustained performance during extended play sessions without thermal throttling.

The Ultra 5 235's nearest rivals demonstrate its competitive positioning. It matches the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 within 0.1% and the Intel Core i9-13900HX within 0.1%. The AMD EPYC 4364P and EPYC 7303 trail by 0.2%. This performance level proves sufficient for Hitman 2's engine, which benefits from high single-thread performance for game logic and physics.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 achieves a rank of 68 out of 3,001 tested combos in Hitman 2. This places the system in the top 2.3% of all configurations tested for this game, indicating excellent optimization between the two components.

The CPU's 89th percentile standing and the GPU's 92nd percentile standing combine to produce a system that exceeds the performance of most configurations. The rank of 68 reflects that only 67 combos out of thousands deliver higher FPS in this title. These higher-ranked systems likely feature more powerful CPUs with higher core counts or faster boost clocks, as Hitman 2 shows sensitivity to CPU performance at lower resolutions.

The data shows that this combo outperforms the vast majority of systems tested. The 68th rank out of 3,001 means that 2,933 combos rank below this configuration. This positions the system firmly in the enthusiast tier, capable of delivering high refresh rate gameplay at 1080p and 1440p, with playable 4K performance.

The gap between this combo and the top-ranked systems is not visible in the provided data, but the rank itself indicates strong performance. The RTX 5090's 92nd percentile GPU score and the Ultra 5 235's 89th percentile CPU score suggest that the combo's 68th rank is slightly below what these individual percentiles might predict, implying that Hitman 2's specific workload characteristics benefit from components with particular strengths.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce 342 average FPS, Medium achieves 257 with a minimum of 218 and maximum of 295, High reaches 194, and Ultra produces 143. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 199 FPS drop, representing a 58% reduction in performance as graphical quality increases.

Moving to 2560x1440, Low settings yield 219 average FPS. Medium produces 164 FPS with a minimum of 140 and maximum of 189. High achieves 124 FPS, and Ultra drops to 91. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 128 FPS, a 58% reduction consistent with the 1080p scaling pattern.

At 3840x2160, performance decreases significantly. Low settings produce 117 average FPS, Medium achieves 87 with a minimum of 74 and maximum of 101, High reaches 66, and Ultra drops to 49. The Low to Ultra gap at 4K is 68 FPS, again representing a 58% reduction.

The Medium settings rows are the only ones with minimum and maximum FPS data. At 1080p Medium, the range spans 77 FPS (218 to 295), indicating some frame time variance. At 1440p Medium, the range is 49 FPS (140 to 189), showing tighter frame pacing. At 4K Medium, the range is 27 FPS (74 to 101), suggesting that GPU-bound scenarios produce more consistent frame delivery.

The FPS drop from Low to Medium settings at each resolution is substantial. At 1080p, the drop is 85 FPS (342 to 257). At 1440p, it is 55 FPS (219 to 164). At 4K, it is 30 FPS (117 to 87). These reductions indicate that Medium settings introduce graphical effects that require significant additional GPU resources.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience across all resolutions. At 1080p, Medium delivers 257 average FPS with a minimum of 218, ensuring smooth gameplay on high refresh rate displays. The 218 minimum FPS exceeds the 144 Hz refresh rate common on gaming monitors, providing a comfortable margin.

At 1440p, Medium produces 164 average FPS with a 140 minimum. This configuration suits 144 Hz monitors perfectly, as the minimum frame rate stays above the refresh threshold. The 49 FPS range between minimum and maximum indicates stable performance without significant drops during intense scenes.

For 4K gaming, Medium is the only preset with recorded minimum FPS data, showing 74 FPS. This is adequate for 60 Hz displays, though the 87 average provides some headroom. The 74 minimum ensures that even demanding moments maintain playable frame rates.

High settings also perform well but with lower margins. At 1080p, High produces 194 average FPS, which still exceeds 144 Hz but offers less headroom than Medium. At 1440p, High achieves 124 FPS, which is below 144 Hz and may cause occasional screen tearing on high refresh monitors without VRR. At 4K, High delivers 66 average FPS, which is above 60 but with less margin for demanding scenes.

Ultra settings are playable at 1080p with 143 average FPS, but this falls below the 144 Hz threshold. At 1440p, Ultra produces 91 FPS, suitable for 60 Hz displays but not high refresh gaming. At 4K, Ultra achieves 49 FPS, which is below 60 and may result in noticeable stutter during fast-paced sequences.

The data suggests that Medium is the optimal preset for this combo in Hitman 2. It provides the best combination of visual quality and frame rate stability, with minimum FPS values that support smooth gameplay at all tested resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the limiting component at each resolution. At Low settings, FPS drops from 342 at 1080p to 219 at 1440p, then to 117 at 4K. This represents a 36% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 47% reduction from 1440p to 4K.

The scaling pattern at Low settings indicates that at 1080p, the system is CPU-bound. The 342 FPS figure suggests the CPU's 14 cores and 5.00 GHz boost clock are the primary limiters, as the RTX 5090 could likely render more frames if the CPU could feed them faster. The drop to 219 FPS at 1440p shows the GPU becoming more involved, while the 117 FPS at 4K indicates GPU-bound operation.

For Medium settings, FPS drops from 257 at 1080p to 164 at 1440p, then to 87 at 4K. The reduction from 1080p to 1440p is 36%, matching the Low preset scaling. From 1440p to 4K, the drop is 47%, also consistent with Low. This consistency suggests that Medium settings do not fundamentally change which component limits performance.

High settings show a similar pattern: 194 FPS at 1080p, 124 at 1440p, and 66 at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop is 36%, and the 1440p to 4K drop is 47%. Ultra settings follow the same trend with 143, 91, and 49 FPS respectively, showing identical percentage reductions.

The consistent 36% and 47% reductions across all presets indicate that resolution scaling in Hitman 2 is predictable regardless of graphical quality. The GPU's 32 GB VRAM and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth handle the increased pixel count efficiently, while the CPU's performance ceiling at 1080p becomes apparent only when frame rates exceed 300 FPS.

At 4K, the system becomes GPU-bound. The RTX 5090's 104.8 TFLOPS of compute power and 176 ROPs are tasked with rendering 8.3 million pixels per frame. The 49 FPS at Ultra settings demonstrates that even this flagship GPU faces challenges with Hitman 2's highest quality preset at 4K resolution. The CPU's 14 cores provide adequate frame generation, as evidenced by the 117 FPS at Low settings, which is well above playable thresholds.