Hitman 2

Hitman 2’s performance with the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 reveals a configuration that is heavily influenced by resolution and graphics settings. The data shows a clear hierarchy where the GPU becomes the primary constraint at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s robust architecture ensures headroom at lower settings. This analysis breaks down the measured frame rates, component roles, and overall ranking within the database.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K produces a dramatic shift in frame rates, underscoring the RTX 5060’s limitations at higher pixel counts. At 1080p with High settings, the combo delivers 102.1 FPS, which is already a playable figure. However, moving to 1440p at the same settings drops performance to 67.1 FPS, a reduction of approximately 34%. The jump to 4K High further cripples the experience, yielding only 38 FPS—a 63% decline from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are insufficient for the demands of 4K rendering in this title.

The data becomes more telling when examining the Low settings across resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 181.2 FPS, showcasing the CPU’s ability to feed frames rapidly. Yet at 4K Low, the average drops to 61.5 FPS, which is still smooth but represents a 66% performance loss. This suggests that even at minimal graphical load, the RTX 5060 cannot sustain high frame rates at 4K, pointing to a raw compute bottleneck rather than a memory capacity issue. The Medium settings reinforce this trend: 134.6 FPS at 1080p falls to 46.2 FPS at 4K, a 66% reduction.

Ultra settings produce the most severe scaling. The combo manages 76.9 FPS at 1080p Ultra, which is respectable for a stealth title, but this collapses to 49.8 FPS at 1440p and a mere 23.8 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is below playable thresholds, indicating that the RTX 5060’s 19.18 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is not adequate for this game’s highest preset at that resolution. The consistent pattern across all settings—where 4K performance is roughly 40-60% of 1080p—confirms that the GPU is the limiting component at 4K, while the CPU remains capable of higher throughput.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K brings substantial processing power to this pairing, with 20 cores and 20 threads operating at a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. This Arrow Lake-S architecture, built on a 3 nm process, delivers a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 50009 and a single-core score of 7060. Such results place the CPU in the 97th percentile among all processors, indicating it is far from a bottleneck in Hitman 2.

The game’s reliance on single-thread performance is evident in the frame rates at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the 181.2 FPS result demonstrates that the CPU can push well beyond the GPU’s capabilities. Even at 1440p Low, the 115.2 FPS figure shows that the processor maintains high throughput, with the GPU becoming the limiting factor above 1080p. The CPU’s 30 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth provide ample data transfer for this game’s environments.

Despite the high core count, Hitman 2 does not appear to utilize all 20 threads effectively, as evidenced by the relatively modest performance scaling between resolutions. The CPU’s single-core strength, highlighted by a PassMark single-thread score of 4904, is more relevant here. In the database, the 265K sits within 0.2% of the Core Ultra 7 265KF and Core i9-14900KF in average benchmark scores, suggesting that this processor’s performance is competitive for gaming workloads. The 125 W TDP is modest for a 20-core part, but the efficiency of the 3 nm process allows for sustained boost clocks without thermal throttling in most scenarios.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of 1795 tested combinations, this pairing of the Core Ultra 7 265K and RTX 5060 achieves a rank of 902 in Hitman 2. This places it in the middle of the pack, which is surprising given the CPU’s high percentile ranking. The ranking reflects the GPU’s modest standing—the RTX 5060 sits in the 73rd percentile among all GPUs—and the game’s sensitivity to graphics hardware.

The combo’s rank is likely dragged down by the 4K results, where the GPU struggles. At 1080p and 1440p, the frame rates are competitive with many higher-end configurations, but the 4K Ultra score of 23.8 FPS is a significant outlier that impacts the overall assessment. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 30109 places it nearly identical to the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT (30097) and within 0.2% of the RX 570, which are older or less capable parts in other workloads. This suggests that in Hitman 2, the RTX 5060’s performance is adequate for mainstream gaming but not for high-refresh-rate 4K play.

The rank of 902 out of 1795 indicates that roughly half of tested combos outperform this setup in this specific game. This is notable because the CPU alone would rank much higher, but the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus create a bottleneck at higher resolutions. The data shows that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it delivers excellent frame rates, rather than 4K, where it falls short of the top 50% of configurations.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p High settings for this combo?

A: The measured average frame rate at 1920x1080 with High settings is 102.1 FPS, which is smooth for a stealth game.

Q: How does the RTX 5060 compare to its nearest rival in terms of benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 5060 has an average benchmark score of 30109, which is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT at 30097, with a deltaPct of 0%.

Q: Is this CPU capable of handling 4K gaming without bottlenecking the GPU?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K, with a 97th percentile ranking among CPUs, provides ample processing power. At 4K Low, the combo achieves 61.5 FPS, indicating the CPU is not the limiting factor; the GPU is.

Q: What is the worst performance scenario for this combo in Hitman 2?

A: The lowest measured average FPS is 23.8 at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, which is below playable thresholds for most users.

Q: How does the combo’s rank in this game compare to its overall hardware capabilities?

A: The combo ranks 902 out of 1795 tested combinations in Hitman 2, which is mid-pack. This reflects the GPU’s 73rd percentile standing, while the CPU is in the 97th percentile, showing a mismatch in performance tiers.

Q: Is there a significant FPS drop between 1440p and 4K at High settings?

A: Yes, the average FPS drops from 67.1 at 2560x1440 to 38 at 3840x2160, representing a 43% reduction, which highlights the GPU’s struggle at 4K.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060, based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture and GB206 chip, is the decisive factor in this combo’s Hitman 2 performance. With 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, the GPU offers a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s, which is adequate for 1080p and 1440p but insufficient for 4K textures and effects. The memory clock runs at 1750 MHz, translating to 28 Gbps effective, and the boost clock of 2497 MHz provides the compute throughput for the measured results.

The GPU’s 3840 shading units and 120 tensor cores deliver 19.18 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, which is modest for modern standards. This is reflected in the benchmark scores: a PassMark G3D score of 20891 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 120785 place the RTX 5060 in the 73rd percentile among all GPUs. The nearest rivals in the database are the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT (30097, deltaPct 0%), the RX 570 (30158, deltaPct -0.2%), and the Tesla M60 (29969, deltaPct 0.5%), indicating that the RTX 5060’s raw compute is comparable to older or lower-tier parts.

In Hitman 2, the GPU’s role is most evident in the scaling from Low to Ultra settings. At 1080p, the frame rate drops from 181.2 FPS on Low to 76.9 FPS on Ultra, a 58% reduction, showing that the GPU is taxed by the game’s graphical features. The 8 GB VRAM becomes a concern at 4K Ultra, where the 23.8 FPS result suggests memory capacity or bandwidth limitations. The 145 W TDP and dual-slot design are modest, but the PCIe 5.0 x8 interface ensures sufficient bandwidth for the GPU’s data needs. Overall, the RTX 5060 is the bottleneck at 4K, while the CPU waits for the GPU to catch up, making this combo a 1080p/1440p performer rather than a 4K powerhouse.