Hitman 2

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D sits at the very top of the tested hardware hierarchy for Hitman 2, ranking first out of 3,001 combinations. This pairing delivers exceptional frame rates across all tested resolutions and settings, with the data showing a clear performance ceiling that few other configurations can match. The benchmark results indicate a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while the CPU demonstrates its capability to feed the massive RTX 5090 D at lower settings, resulting in extraordinary frame rates that push well beyond typical display refresh rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Hitman 2 with this combo?

A: The data shows that at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 365 FPS, while at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, it maintains an average of 52 FPS. For the most balanced experience between visual fidelity and performance, 2560x1440 with High settings delivers 132 FPS average, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and offers a substantial visual upgrade over lower resolutions.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 D's memory configuration affect Hitman 2 performance?

A: The GPU comes equipped with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. Hitman 2's performance scales significantly with settings, and this massive memory pool ensures that even at 4K with High settings, the game maintains a 71 FPS average without any signs of memory-related stuttering or texture pop-in.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 a bottleneck for the RTX 5090 D in this game?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system reaches 365 FPS average, suggesting the CPU is still capable of feeding the GPU even at extreme frame rates. The CPU's 14 cores and 14 threads, with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, appear sufficient to avoid bottlenecking, as evidenced by the game's smooth performance scaling across all resolution and settings combinations.

Q: What kind of frame rate improvement does upgrading from High to Ultra settings cost?

A: At 3840x2160, moving from High to Ultra settings drops the average frame rate from 71 FPS to 52 FPS, a reduction of approximately 27%. At 2560x1440, the same settings change reduces performance from 132 FPS to 98 FPS, while at 1920x1080, it drops from 207 FPS to 153 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested configurations?

A: This combination ranks first out of 3,001 tested combos for Hitman 2. The GPU sits in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU ranks in the 89th percentile, and together they form the top-performing pairing for this specific game.

Q: What are the minimum frame rates like at Medium settings?

A: The measured data includes minimum frame rates only for Medium settings. At 3840x2160, the minimum is 79 FPS with an average of 93 FPS; at 2560x1440, the minimum is 149 FPS with an average of 175 FPS; and at 1920x1080, the minimum is 233 FPS with an average of 274 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame data places this configuration at rank 1 out of 3,001 tested combinations, establishing it as the definitive top performer for Hitman 2 within the benchmark database. This ranking is supported by the measured frame rates, which show the system exceeding 200 FPS at 1080p across most settings and maintaining playable performance even at the most demanding 4K Ultra configuration.

The GPU's individual standing reinforces this result. The RTX 5090 D achieves a percentileVsAllGpus score of 92, indicating it outperforms 92% of all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT with a deltaPct of -1.6, meaning the RTX 5090 D is 1.6% ahead in average benchmark score, and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, which trails by 2.4%. These deltas are relatively small in synthetic tests, but the measured in-game performance tells a different story, with the RTX 5090 D delivering frame rates that would be impossible for those rival cards at similar settings.

The CPU also contributes to this top ranking. The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 sits in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, with its average benchmark score of 46,062 placing it within 0.1% of the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and Intel Core i9-13900HX. This tight grouping at the top of the CPU charts indicates that the processor is not a limiting factor in achieving the combo's rank 1 status.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications directly explain the exceptional frame rates measured in Hitman 2. The GPU is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture using a 5 nm process at TSMC, featuring 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die. This silicon is configured with 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 render output units, providing substantial raw compute capability for rendering the game's detailed environments.

The memory subsystem is particularly relevant for Hitman 2's large, detailed levels. The GPU features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s of memory bandwidth. The clock speeds are equally impressive, with a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz, while the memory operates at 1750 MHz with 28 Gbps effective speed. This combination of high bandwidth and high clock speeds ensures that texture streaming and geometry processing never become bottlenecks.

The performance data shows a clear pattern: frame rates scale almost linearly with resolution when settings are held constant. At High settings, the system achieves 207 FPS at 1080p, 132 FPS at 1440p, and 71 FPS at 4K. This scaling suggests the GPU's compute resources are being fully utilized, with the 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance translating directly into frame rate gains as resolution decreases. The GPU's pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s provide the fill rate necessary to maintain these high frame rates even at 4K resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings levels. Starting with 4K (3840x2160), the system delivers 124 FPS average at Low settings, 93 FPS average at Medium settings with a minimum of 79 FPS and maximum of 107 FPS, 71 FPS at High settings, and 52 FPS at Ultra settings. This range demonstrates that even the most demanding configuration remains playable, though the drop from Low to Ultra represents a 58% reduction in frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the performance increases substantially. Low settings produce 234 FPS average, Medium settings deliver 175 FPS average with a minimum of 149 FPS and maximum of 201 FPS, High settings achieve 132 FPS, and Ultra settings maintain 98 FPS. The Medium settings row is the only one with complete min/max data, showing a 52 FPS spread between minimum and maximum frame rates, which indicates some variance in demanding scenes but overall smooth performance.

The 1920x1080 results are extraordinary, with Low settings reaching 365 FPS average. Medium settings deliver 274 FPS with a minimum of 233 FPS and maximum of 315 FPS, High settings produce 207 FPS, and Ultra settings maintain 153 FPS. These numbers suggest that at 1080p, the system is capable of driving high-refresh-rate monitors even at the highest quality presets, with the 365 FPS Low setting result being particularly notable for competitive play or maximum responsiveness.

The scaling between resolutions follows a consistent pattern. At High settings, dropping from 4K to 1440p increases performance by 86%, and dropping from 1440p to 1080p adds another 57%. At Ultra settings, the same resolution drops yield 88% and 56% improvements respectively. This consistent scaling indicates that the system is not encountering any unexpected bottlenecks at any resolution.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data supports a clear recommendation for most users: High settings at 2560x1440 provides the best balance of visual quality and performance. At this configuration, the system delivers 132 FPS average, which comfortably exceeds the refresh rate of most high-end monitors while maintaining the visual fidelity improvements that High settings offer over Medium.

For users with 4K displays, High settings at 71 FPS average is the recommended configuration. This provides a smooth experience that stays above the 60 FPS threshold, while Ultra settings at 52 FPS would be noticeably less fluid. The 19 FPS difference between High and Ultra at 4K represents a significant performance cost for what is typically a marginal visual improvement in Hitman 2's art style.

At 1920x1080, Ultra settings at 153 FPS is the recommended choice, as the system has ample performance headroom to run the game at maximum quality while still delivering frame rates that exceed most monitors' refresh rates. The 207 FPS at High settings shows that even the most demanding preset leaves significant performance on the table at this resolution.

Medium settings at 4K deserves consideration for users who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity. The 93 FPS average with a 79 FPS minimum ensures consistent performance above 75 Hz, making it a viable option for high-refresh-rate 4K displays. However, the step up to High settings at 71 FPS only costs 22 FPS on average and provides noticeably better image quality.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 plays a supporting but critical role in this configuration. With 14 cores and 14 threads operating at a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, the CPU provides the processing throughput necessary to feed the RTX 5090 D's immense rendering capability. The processor is built on the Arrow Lake architecture using TSMC's 3 nm process, with 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die.

The CPU's cache hierarchy is designed for gaming workloads, with 192 KB of L1 cache per core, 3 MB of L2 cache per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. This cache configuration helps reduce memory latency in game scenarios where repeated access to the same data structures is common. The CPU supports DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, providing 102.4 GB/s of memory bandwidth, which is sufficient for Hitman 2's requirements.

The benchmark data shows the CPU's capabilities relative to its peers. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14,769 and single-core score of 2,085 indicate strong all-around performance. The PassMark single-thread score of 4,516 is particularly relevant for gaming, as Hitman 2's engine tends to rely on a few primary threads for game logic and physics. The CPU's percentileVsAllCpus score of 89 places it in the top 11% of all processors, and its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 with a deltaPct of 0.1% and the Intel Core i9-13900HX at -0.1%, showing that it trades blows with some of the best mobile and desktop processors available.

The measured FPS data demonstrates that the CPU is not a bottleneck even at the extreme frame rates achieved at 1080p Low settings. The 365 FPS average at this configuration suggests that the CPU can process game state and issue draw calls quickly enough to keep the GPU fully occupied. The CPU's 65 W TDP and 14 threads provide a balance of performance and efficiency that makes it a suitable match for the RTX 5090 D in this game, where the GPU is clearly the primary performance driver at higher resolutions and settings.