Hitman 2

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 combination delivers a wide performance envelope in Hitman 2, ranging from highly playable at 1080p to a slideshow at 4K Ultra. The measured data shows a clear pattern: the system is GPU-limited at higher resolutions and settings, while the CPU provides ample headroom for lower-resolution, high-refresh-rate scenarios. This analysis breaks down the scaling behavior, provides settings guidance, and contextualizes the combo’s rank among 3001 tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data reveals a steep and consistent drop as resolution increases, indicating that the RTX 5060 is the primary bottleneck in this pairing for Hitman 2. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 183 FPS, but this falls to 117 FPS at 1440p and 62 FPS at 4K—a reduction of approximately 36% and 66% from the 1080p baseline, respectively. This scaling is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where the pixel count outpaces the shading and memory bandwidth capabilities of the graphics card.

The trend is even more pronounced at higher settings. Moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings drops the average from 104 FPS to 35 FPS, a 66% decrease. At Ultra settings, the same resolution jump reduces performance from 76 FPS to 26 FPS, a 66% loss. The consistency of these percentage drops across different settings suggests that the limiting factor is the GPU’s raw throughput rather than any specific setting interacting with the CPU. The 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on the RTX 5060, with its 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, is likely saturated at 4K, particularly with higher texture and shadow qualities.

The data also indicates that the CPU is not a limiting factor at any tested resolution. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 183 FPS, which is a high enough frame rate to expose any CPU bottleneck. Since the Core Ultra 5 245, with its 14 cores and 14 threads, can feed the GPU at this level, it is reasonable to conclude that the CPU is not holding back performance. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings (183 to 117 FPS, a 36% drop) is steeper than the resolution increase alone would suggest, but this is still consistent with a GPU that is becoming less able to fill pixels at higher resolutions. The measured minimum FPS values, only available for Medium settings, show that even at 4K Medium (40 FPS min) the frame times remain relatively stable, suggesting no severe CPU-driven stutters.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this combo?

A: The highest measured average is 183 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only configuration in the data that exceeds 180 FPS, and it demonstrates the CPU’s ability to drive high frame rates when the GPU is not overburdened.

Q: Can this system run Hitman 2 at 4K smoothly?

A: At 4K, the average FPS ranges from 62 on Low to 26 on Ultra. The only 4K configuration that approaches smooth playability is Low, with 62 FPS. Medium settings at 4K yield 47 FPS, while High (35 FPS) and Ultra (26 FPS) are below the threshold for comfortable play.

Q: How does the RTX 5060 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5060 has an average benchmark score of 26331, placing it 0.3% behind the AMD Radeon 860M (26401) and 0.8% behind the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary (26553). It is 1.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT (26011). These are all very close scores, indicating similar raw compute performance.

Q: What is the CPU’s percentile ranking among all processors?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 scores in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48995. This puts it in the top 10% of tested processors, suggesting it has significant headroom for gaming workloads.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1440p High settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the average FPS is 66. Given that the same settings at 1080p produce 104 FPS, the resolution increase to 1440p causes a 37% drop, which is a strong indicator of GPU limitation. The CPU is unlikely to be the constraint here.

Q: What are the minimum FPS figures for Medium settings across resolutions?

A: The data shows minimum FPS of 117 at 1080p, 75 at 1440p, and 40 at 4K for Medium settings. The corresponding maximum FPS values are 158, 101, and 54, respectively. These figures show that frame pacing remains consistent even as the average drops.

Settings Recommendations

For a balanced experience, Medium settings at 1440p offer the best combination of visual quality and performance. The measured 88 FPS average with a 75 FPS minimum is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and the jump from 1080p to 1440p provides a significant improvement in image clarity. The 4K Medium configuration, at 47 FPS, is playable but on the edge of smoothness, making 1440p Medium the more practical choice for consistent frame times.

For users prioritizing high refresh rates, 1080p Low at 183 FPS is the clear choice. This configuration is ideal for competitive play or for users with 144Hz or 165Hz monitors. The 1080p High setting at 104 FPS also provides a solid experience with better visual fidelity, but it sacrifices the headroom needed to maintain maximum refresh rates. At 4K, Low settings at 62 FPS are the only viable option for a near-60 FPS experience, but the visual compromises are substantial.

Ultra settings are generally not recommended for this combo. At 1080p, Ultra yields 76 FPS, which is playable but offers diminishing returns over High. At 1440p, Ultra drops to 49 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 26 FPS, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay. The data suggests that High settings at 1080p or Medium settings at 1440p provide the best overall experience, balancing visual quality and frame rate. The measured FPS ranges for Medium settings show that the system can handle the variance without severe drops, making it a safe recommendation.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest performance. Low settings produce an average of 183 FPS, with no minimum or maximum recorded. Medium settings see a drop to 137 FPS, with a minimum of 117 and a maximum of 158. High settings average 104 FPS, and Ultra settings average 76 FPS. This resolution shows a clear progression of performance degradation as settings increase, with a 58% reduction from Low to Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 117 FPS for Low, 88 FPS for Medium (with a min of 75 and max of 101), 66 FPS for High, and 49 FPS for Ultra. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is noticeable, with Low losing 36% of its performance and High losing 37%. The Medium settings still maintain a playable average, but the gap between Low and Ultra widens, showing the GPU’s strain at higher quality presets.

At 3840x2160, performance becomes marginal. Low settings average 62 FPS, Medium averages 47 FPS (with a min of 40 and max of 54), High averages 35 FPS, and Ultra averages 26 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is severe, with High settings dropping by 47% and Ultra by 47% as well. This data clearly indicates that 4K is only feasible with Low settings for a consistent 60 FPS experience, and even then, the margin is slim.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 ranks 1313 out of 3001 tested combos in Hitman 2. This places it in the 56th percentile of all configurations, meaning it outperforms a slight majority of tested systems but is far from the top tier. The rank suggests that while the combo is capable, it is not optimized for this particular game relative to other pairings.

The CPU’s high percentile ranking (90th) does not translate to an equally high game-specific rank, which underscores the GPU’s role as the limiting factor. The RTX 5060’s 72nd percentile ranking among all GPUs is more aligned with the combo’s overall position. In the context of Hitman 2, this indicates that the game is heavily GPU-bound, and the CPU’s strength is underutilized. The nearest rival combos in the database would likely feature similar GPUs, as the CPU performance is sufficient to avoid bottlenecking in most scenarios.

The rank of 1313 out of 3001 implies that there are many combinations that deliver better performance in this title. This is not surprising given the GPU’s mid-range positioning. The data suggests that users seeking higher rankings in Hitman 2 would benefit more from a GPU upgrade than a CPU upgrade, as the current CPU provides ample headroom. The combo’s rank is a reflection of the RTX 5060’s performance ceiling, not a deficiency in the Core Ultra 5 245.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. Its 90th percentile ranking and average benchmark score of 48995 indicate strong synthetic performance. However, in Hitman 2, the measured FPS does not appear to be constrained by the CPU. The ability to reach 183 FPS at 1080p Low suggests that the processor can handle the game’s simulation and draw call overhead without becoming a bottleneck.

The CPU’s 14 threads are not fully utilized in most games, and Hitman 2 is no exception. The high single-thread performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4648, is more relevant for gaming. The boost clock of 5.10 GHz provides the necessary speed for the game’s main thread. The L3 cache of 24 MB shared is sufficient for the game’s data needs, and the dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth ensures the CPU has fast access to game data.

The data implies that the CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution tested. The consistent performance scaling with resolution points to the GPU as the primary constraint. Even at 1080p Low, where the CPU is most stressed, the system achieves 183 FPS, which is likely near the game’s engine limit or the GPU’s maximum output. The CPU’s 90th percentile ranking suggests it has substantial headroom for future titles or more demanding workloads, and in this specific game, it is performing its role without issue.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is the defining component in this combo’s Hitman 2 performance. With 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, the GPU has sufficient resources for 1080p and 1440p gaming but struggles at 4K. Its 72nd percentile ranking and average benchmark score of 26331 place it in the mid-range, which is consistent with the measured FPS.

The GPU’s clock speeds, with a base of 2280 MHz and boost of 2497 MHz, along with 3840 shading units, dictate its raw pixel-pushing capability. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the bottleneck at all resolutions above 1080p Low. The steep decline in performance from 1080p to 4K is a direct result of the GPU’s limited memory bandwidth and compute throughput. At 4K Ultra, the 26 FPS average indicates that the GPU is severely overburdened, unable to process the increased pixel count and complex shaders.

The RTX 5060’s VRAM capacity of 8 GB is a potential concern at 4K with High or Ultra settings, as texture data may exceed the available memory, causing performance degradation. However, the measured FPS does not show a disproportionate drop that would indicate VRAM swapping, suggesting that the game’s memory usage is within the 8 GB limit. The GPU’s performance relative to its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT, is within 1.2%, but in this game, the RTX 5060’s architecture and drivers determine its specific behavior. The data shows that for a smooth experience, users must reduce settings or resolution to accommodate the GPU’s mid-range capabilities.