Hitman 2

Hitman 2, a 2018 stealth title, remains a demanding benchmark for modern hardware. The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D delivers a performance profile that is revealing about the game's engine and the limits of current generation components. The data shows a system that is exceptionally fast, but the scaling across resolutions and settings tells a nuanced story about where the bottlenecks lie.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall ranking of this CPU+GPU combo among all tested configurations in Hitman 2?

A: This combination ranks 3rd out of 3711 tested combos, placing it in the top 0.08% of all systems benchmarked for this game.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 compare to its nearest rival in average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 has an average benchmark score of 64640, which is 0.3% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F and 0.7% higher than the AMD EPYC 7343. It is 0.3% lower than the AMD EPYC 4464P and 0.7% lower than the AMD EPYC 9124.

Q: What is the maximum average FPS recorded for this combination, and at which settings?

A: The highest average FPS is 365, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Does the GPU have enough VRAM for Hitman 2 at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, which is far more than the game requires. The 4K Ultra preset shows an average of 52 FPS, indicating the limitation is not VRAM capacity.

Q: What is the single-core performance of the CPU, and how does it relate to the game's performance?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 scores 5960 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 884 in Cinebench R20 single-core. These scores are critical for Hitman 2, which relies heavily on single-threaded performance for AI and physics calculations.

Q: What is the GPU's clock speed, and how does it influence performance?

A: The RTX 5090 D has a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz. The boost clock is the effective speed during gaming, and the data shows that even at this high frequency, the GPU is not fully utilized at lower resolutions, where the CPU becomes the limiting factor.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 3 out of 3711 is a statement of elite performance. This is not merely a fast system; it is one of the fastest configurations ever recorded in the Hitman 2 benchmark database. The position suggests that only two other combinations of CPU, GPU, and memory have managed to extract higher frame rates, likely involving CPUs with even stronger single-core performance or more aggressive memory configurations. The rank implies that the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and RTX 5090 D are extremely well-matched for this title, but the small gap to the top spot indicates that the game's engine still has a ceiling that is not yet being fully shattered. The data shows that this combo is within striking distance of the absolute peak, but the law of diminishing returns is clearly in effect. The 93rd percentile of the CPU and the 92nd percentile of the GPU individually are excellent, but their combined rank of 3rd suggests the whole is greater than the sum of its parts for this specific workload.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a monstrous GPU, built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process and 92,200 million transistors. Its 32 GB of GDDR7 memory across a 512-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s, which is staggering for any game. In Hitman 2, the GPU's role is to render the detailed environments, crowds, and lighting effects. The data shows that the GPU's performance is dictated almost entirely by the resolution and settings preset. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 52, indicating that the GPU is being heavily taxed by the combination of high pixel count and demanding graphical features. The boost clock of 2407 MHz is the engine that drives this, and the 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is what allows the card to handle the complex shaders. However, the GPU's role shifts dramatically at lower resolutions. The fact that the 1080p Low preset yields 365 FPS while the 1080p Ultra preset yields 153 FPS shows that the GPU is still capable of massive output, but the CPU cannot feed it fast enough to reach its full potential. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 14326 and the Passmark G3D score of 44065 confirm the GPU's raw power, but the game's engine is the limiting factor, not the hardware.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data reveals a clear hierarchy of performance. At 3840x2160 (4K), the average FPS ranges from 52 (Ultra) to 124 (Low). The Medium preset delivers 93 FPS with a minimum of 79 and a maximum of 107, while the High preset hits 71 FPS. This is the only resolution where the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as the frame rates scale predictably with settings. At 2560x1440 (1440p), the numbers jump significantly. The Low preset achieves 234 FPS, Medium hits 175 FPS (with a min of 149 and max of 201), High reaches 132 FPS, and Ultra drops to 98 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 136 FPS, a massive spread that indicates the GPU is still the dominant factor, but the CPU is starting to play a larger role. At 1920x1080 (1080p), the performance is staggering. The Low preset delivers 365 FPS, Medium hits 274 FPS (min 233, max 315), High reaches 207 FPS, and Ultra settles at 153 FPS. The 1080p Low result of 365 FPS is the peak of the entire dataset, but the fact that the Ultra preset only reaches 153 FPS suggests that the CPU is not able to keep up with the GPU's raw output at lower settings. The 1080p data shows a 212 FPS difference between Low and Ultra, which is a clear sign of a CPU bottleneck at the lower settings, where the GPU is waiting for the CPU to process the frame.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process. Its boost clock of 5.30 GHz is the key to its gaming performance. In Hitman 2, which is known to be sensitive to single-core performance, the CPU's role is to handle the game's logic, AI, and physics. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5960 and the R20 single-core score of 884 are strong indicators of its capability. The data shows that the CPU is the limiting factor at 1080p and, to a lesser extent, at 1440p. The 1080p Low preset of 365 FPS confirms the CPU's ability to push frames, but the 1080p Ultra preset of 153 FPS shows that the CPU cannot process the increased draw calls and AI complexity of the Ultra settings fast enough to keep the GPU fully occupied. The 20 cores and 30 MB of shared L3 cache are largely irrelevant for this game, as it does not scale well across many threads. The CPU's 93rd percentile rank among all CPUs is reflected in its ability to deliver high frame rates, but the 0.3% delta to the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F and the 0.7% delta to the AMD EPYC 7343 show that the performance is not unique. The Passmark single-thread score of 4689 and the Passmark multithread score of 49682 confirm that this CPU is a powerhouse, but its gaming performance is dictated by its single-core speed, not its core count.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data suggests a careful balance between visual fidelity and frame rate. At 4K, the Ultra preset is playable at 52 FPS, but the Medium preset at 93 FPS offers a much smoother experience with still-impressive visuals. The High preset at 71 FPS is a solid middle ground. For a 60 FPS target, the High preset is ideal at 4K. At 1440p, the High preset at 132 FPS is the sweet spot, offering high visual quality with a frame rate that exceeds most monitors' refresh rates. The Ultra preset at 98 FPS is also excellent for 1440p 120 Hz displays. The Medium preset at 175 FPS is overkill for most displays but provides headroom for competitive play. At 1080p, the High preset at 207 FPS is the best choice for 240 Hz monitors, as it balances visual quality with a frame rate that is still well above the refresh rate of most displays. The Ultra preset at 153 FPS is also excellent for 144 Hz monitors. The Low preset at 365 FPS is only useful for extreme competitive scenarios where every frame matters, but the visual sacrifice is significant. The Medium preset at 274 FPS is a good option for those who want high frame rates without completely sacrificing image quality. The data shows that the Ultra preset is the most demanding, and the drop from High to Ultra is steeper than from Medium to High, suggesting that the Ultra preset includes some particularly taxing settings that may not be worth the visual gain.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the shifting bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system delivers 365 FPS. At 4K Low, it delivers 124 FPS. This is a 66% drop in performance, which is less than the pixel count increase (4x), indicating that the CPU is still a significant factor at 4K Low. The drop from 1080p Ultra (153 FPS) to 4K Ultra (52 FPS) is a 66% drop as well, but the absolute numbers are much lower. The 4K Ultra result of 52 FPS is the lowest in the dataset, and it shows that the GPU is being fully saturated. The 1080p Medium to 4K Medium drop is from 274 FPS to 93 FPS, a 66% decrease. The consistency of the percentage drop across all settings is a key finding. It suggests that the game's engine scales linearly with resolution, but the baseline is set by the CPU. The 1080p Low result of 365 FPS is the system's theoretical maximum, and the 4K Ultra result of 52 FPS is the system's minimum. The data shows that the CPU is the dominant factor at 1080p, the GPU becomes the dominant factor at 4K, and 1440p is a balanced middle ground where both components are equally important. The 1080p Ultra result of 153 FPS is lower than the 1440p High result of 132 FPS, which is a counterintuitive finding that highlights the CPU's struggle with the Ultra preset's draw calls. This is a classic sign of a CPU bottleneck at lower resolutions, where the GPU is waiting for the CPU to issue commands.