Hitman 2

# Hitman 2 with Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 produces a highly uneven performance profile in Hitman 2, with results that shift dramatically depending on resolution and settings. The data reveals a system where the 24-core CPU is rarely the limiting factor, while the 8 GB GPU becomes increasingly strained as resolution climbs, making this combo a study in bottleneck behavior rather than a straightforward performance story.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus brings substantial processing resources to Hitman 2, featuring 24 cores and 24 threads. This is a notable design choice for a desktop part — equal core and thread counts mean no hyper-threading, with each core expected to handle a single thread. The base clock sits at 3.70 GHz, while the boost clock reaches 5.80 GHz, giving the chip a wide operating range that can service both lightly-threaded and heavily-threaded workloads.

The CPU's benchmark results underscore its high-end positioning. In Cinebench R23, it scores 51731 in multi-core and 7303 in single-core tests. These numbers place it in the 96th percentile versus all CPUs, indicating it outperforms roughly 96% of processors in the database. The nearest rivals in average benchmark score are the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K at 83807 (a 0.2% delta), the AMD EPYC 4584PX at 83090 (1.1% delta), and the AMD EPYC 9135 at 82980 (1.2% delta). The AMD EPYC 7F72 sits slightly ahead at 85072, with a -1.3% delta meaning the 290K Plus trails it by 1.3%.

For a stealth game like Hitman 2, the CPU's role is primarily about maintaining consistent frame pacing across AI-driven scenarios and dynamic crowd simulations. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 183 FPS average, which is far beyond what a typical 60 Hz display needs. At 1080p Ultra, the average drops to 76 FPS, but this decline tracks closely with GPU load rather than CPU limitations. The 290K Plus's single-core strength, demonstrated by its 736 score in Cinebench R15 single-core and 4823 in Passmark single-thread tests, suggests it can feed the RTX 5060 adequately even at lower resolutions where CPU overhead becomes more apparent.

The chip's memory bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s via dual-channel DDR5, combined with 36 MB of shared L3 cache, provides ample data throughput for Hitman 2's level streaming. The Passmark physics score of 3315, while not a direct game benchmark, hints at the CPU's capability to handle the game's physical interactions and NPC reactions without becoming a bottleneck. Across all measured resolutions, the FPS scaling follows a pattern consistent with GPU-bound performance — the CPU appears to have headroom left on the table.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a GB206 chip fabricated on a 5 nm process. It carries 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The core clocks run at 2280 MHz base and 2497 MHz boost, while the memory operates at 1750 MHz with 28 Gbps effective speed. This configuration produces a theoretical FP32 performance of 19.18 TFLOPS.

The GPU's benchmark profile shows a mixed picture. It scores 20891 in Passmark G3D, 112787 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 113321 in Geekbench Vulkan. These figures place the RTX 5060 in the 72nd percentile versus all GPUs. The nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon 860M at 26401 (a -0.3% delta, meaning the RTX 5060 trails it slightly), the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 at 26421 (-0.3% delta), the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary at 26553 (-0.8% delta), and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT at 26011 (1.2% delta ahead). This clustering suggests the RTX 5060 sits in a competitive mid-range tier, though the comparisons are based on aggregate scores rather than game-specific performance.

In Hitman 2, the GPU's 8 GB VRAM capacity becomes a key constraint at higher resolutions. The measured FPS data shows a steep drop when moving from 1440p to 4K at the same settings. At 1440p High, the average is 66 FPS, but at 2160p High, it falls to 35 FPS — a 47% reduction. This pattern strongly indicates that the GPU, not the CPU, is the limiting component at 4K. The 128-bit memory bus, while fast for its width, struggles to feed the rendering pipeline at higher pixel counts. The 48 ROPs and 120 TMUs provide reasonable fill rates (119.9 GPixel/s and 299.6 GTexel/s), but the data shows these resources are insufficient for smooth 4K play on Ultra settings, where the average drops to 26 FPS.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The resolution scaling data reveals a clear and consistent story: the RTX 5060 becomes the dominant bottleneck as pixel count increases. At Low settings, the combo delivers 183 FPS at 1080p, 117 FPS at 1440p, and 62 FPS at 2160p. This represents a 36% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 47% further drop from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is steeper than what would be expected from pure pixel count increases, indicating that the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute resources are being saturated.

At Ultra settings, the pattern intensifies. The combo manages 76 FPS at 1080p, 49 FPS at 1440p, and 26 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop is 35.5%, while the 1440p to 4K drop is 47%. These percentage drops are similar to the Low settings, but the absolute FPS numbers at 4K Ultra (26 FPS) are essentially unplayable for a stealth game that benefits from smooth camera movement. The consistency of these scaling ratios — roughly 35% and then 47% — suggests the GPU's performance degradation is predictable and tied to its fixed hardware resources rather than any software inefficiency.

The data implies that at 1080p, the CPU and GPU are more balanced. The 183 FPS Low result and 76 FPS Ultra result show the combo can handle the game well at this resolution. However, the 62 FPS at 4K Low versus 117 FPS at 1440p Low shows that even on the lowest settings, 4K pushes the GPU beyond its comfort zone. The 8 GB VRAM capacity likely contributes to this, as Hitman 2's larger textures and higher-resolution rendering targets at 4K can exceed what the memory can efficiently manage. This is a case where the GPU's mid-range positioning becomes apparent — it handles 1080p and 1440p admirably but lacks the headroom for consistent 4K performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the combo produces its strongest results. Low settings yield an average of 183 FPS, Medium settings average 137 FPS with a minimum of 117 FPS and maximum of 158 FPS, High settings average 104 FPS, and Ultra settings average 76 FPS. The Medium settings row is the only one at this resolution with reported minimum and maximum values, showing a 41 FPS range between the lowest and highest frame rates. This range suggests some variability, but the average remains solid for competitive or high-refresh-rate play.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops noticeably. Low settings average 117 FPS, Medium settings average 88 FPS with a minimum of 75 FPS and maximum of 101 FPS, High settings average 66 FPS, and Ultra settings average 49 FPS. The Medium settings range at 1440p is 26 FPS, narrower than at 1080p, which could indicate the GPU is becoming more consistently loaded. The jump from High to Ultra at this resolution costs 17 FPS, a significant penalty for the visual quality gain.

At 3840x2160, the numbers become marginal. Low settings average 62 FPS, Medium settings average 47 FPS with a minimum of 40 FPS and maximum of 54 FPS, High settings average 35 FPS, and Ultra settings average 26 FPS. The Medium settings range at 4K is 14 FPS, the tightest of all resolutions, suggesting the GPU is operating at its limits and frame times are becoming more uniform under full load. The step from Low to Medium costs 15 FPS, from Medium to High costs 12 FPS, and from High to Ultra costs 9 FPS — the diminishing returns of higher settings become clear at this resolution.

Comparing across resolutions at the same settings reveals the scaling. At Low, the 183 FPS at 1080p drops to 117 FPS at 1440p (a 36% reduction) and then to 62 FPS at 4K (a 47% reduction from 1440p). At Medium, 137 FPS at 1080p becomes 88 FPS at 1440p (36% drop) and 47 FPS at 4K (47% drop). At High, 104 FPS at 1080p becomes 66 FPS at 1440p (37% drop) and 35 FPS at 4K (47% drop). At Ultra, 76 FPS at 1080p becomes 49 FPS at 1440p (36% drop) and 26 FPS at 4K (47% drop). The consistency of these percentages across all settings is striking, indicating a uniform scaling behavior tied to the GPU's architectural limits.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combo ranks 1313 out of 3001 tested combinations in Hitman 2, placing it in the 56th percentile of all tested systems. This rank is somewhat surprising given the individual components' strong benchmark positions — the CPU sits in the 96th percentile and the GPU in the 72nd percentile. The mid-pack ranking suggests that Hitman 2's performance demands favor different hardware configurations, or that the RTX 5060's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus limit its effectiveness in this particular title.

The rank implies that roughly 1688 other combos outperform this pairing in Hitman 2, while 1312 perform worse. This places the combo in a crowded middle tier where many systems achieve similar results. The gap between the CPU's elite standing and the combo's mid-pack rank highlights the GPU as the weak link. A system with this CPU paired with a more powerful GPU would likely rank significantly higher, while the RTX 5060's strengths are better showcased in games that are less demanding at higher resolutions.

The data suggests that for Hitman 2 specifically, the RTX 5060's 8 GB VRAM is a limiting factor. The game's release date of 2018-11-12 means it predates the GPU by several years, but its engine scales well with resolution and settings, exposing the memory and bandwidth constraints of the 128-bit bus. The combo's rank of 1313 out of 3001 is not a poor result — it indicates a system that can play the game well at 1080p and 1440p — but it falls short of what the CPU's raw processing power might suggest is possible.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 4K performance is marginal. At 4K Low, the average is 62 FPS, but at 4K High, it drops to 35 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 26 FPS. Only the Low setting at 4K achieves a playable average, while Medium (47 FPS) is borderline.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: At 1440p, the combo delivers 117 FPS on Low, 88 FPS on Medium, 66 FPS on High, and 49 FPS on Ultra. These numbers indicate 1440p is the sweet spot, offering high frame rates on Medium to High settings while maintaining visual quality.

Q: How does this CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84003, which is 0.2% above the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (83807), 1.1% above the AMD EPYC 4584PX (83090), and 1.2% above the AMD EPYC 9135 (82980). It trails the AMD EPYC 7F72 (85072) by 1.3%.

Q: Is the GPU a bottleneck in this system?

A: The data strongly suggests yes. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 183 FPS, but at 4K Low, it drops to 62 FPS. The consistent 47% FPS drop from 1440p to 4K across all settings indicates the GPU's resources are saturated at higher resolutions, while the CPU's high percentile ranking shows it has headroom.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1080p Ultra?

A: At 1080p Ultra, the combo averages 76 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold and indicates the system can handle the game at maximum settings at this resolution without issues.

Q: How does the RTX 5060 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 5060 has an average benchmark score of 26331. It is 0.3% behind the AMD Radeon 860M (26401) and NVIDIA GeForce MX550 (26421), 0.8% behind the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary (26553), and 1.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT (26011).

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p, the combo can comfortably run Ultra settings at 76 FPS average, providing the best visual experience without sacrificing smoothness. Players seeking higher refresh rates can drop to High settings for 104 FPS or Medium for 137 FPS, with Low reaching 183 FPS for competitive play.

At 1440p, High settings at 66 FPS offer the best balance of visual fidelity and playability, while Medium at 88 FPS provides a smoother experience for those prioritizing frame rate. Ultra at 49 FPS is playable but may feel slightly less responsive in fast-paced sections. Low at 117 FPS is suitable for players who want maximum smoothness over visual quality.

At 4K, the choices are more constrained. Low settings at 62 FPS is the only option that maintains a consistent 60 FPS average, while Medium at 47 FPS is acceptable for slower-paced stealth gameplay. High at 35 FPS and Ultra at 26 FPS are too low for comfortable play, even in a game like Hitman 2 where precise aiming is less critical than in first-person shooters. The Medium settings at 4K, with a minimum of 40 FPS and maximum of 54 FPS, represent the highest visual quality that remains playable, though frame drops below 60 FPS may be noticeable.

For the best overall experience, the data points to 1440p High as the recommended configuration, delivering 66 FPS average with strong visual quality. This avoids the steep performance penalties of 4K while providing a higher pixel density than 1080p. The combo ranks 1313 out of 3001 in Hitman 2, and selecting the right settings can push the actual gameplay experience well above what that mid-pack ranking suggests, particularly at 1080p and 1440p where the system shows its strengths.