Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti delivers a wide spread of frame rates in Lockdown Protocol, ranging from a demanding 43 FPS average at 4K Ultra to a fluid 196 FPS average at 1080p Low. This combination of a current-generation 10-core CPU with an older 8 GB Ampere GPU creates an interesting performance profile, where the choice of resolution and quality preset determines whether the experience is a slideshow or a high-refresh-rate showcase. The data indicates that the system is capable of exceeding the 60 FPS playable threshold in most configurations, but the upper limits of 4K and the Ultra preset push this hardware to its breaking point. The following analysis breaks down the measured FPS by resolution, explores the CPU and GPU roles, and provides a clear verdict on what this combo can deliver.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 3060 Ti shows its strength, with the CPU rarely becoming a bottleneck. The Low preset produces an average of 196 FPS, which is a massive headroom for high-refresh-rate monitors. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 139 FPS, with a minimum of 118 FPS and a maximum of 160 FPS, indicating a very consistent experience. High settings still deliver a strong 121 FPS average, while the Ultra preset, which typically enables the most demanding lighting and shadow effects, pulls the average down to 91 FPS. None of these 1080p results dip below the 60 FPS threshold, making this resolution the most forgiving for the combo.

Stepping up to 2560x1440 introduces a noticeable scaling penalty, but the system remains comfortably playable. The Low preset averages 144 FPS, which is still exceptionally high. Medium settings produce an average of 102 FPS, with the minimum and maximum recorded at 87 and 117 FPS respectively, showing a slightly wider variance than at 1080p. High settings average 89 FPS, a significant drop from the 121 FPS seen at 1080p, illustrating the pixel-count impact. Surprisingly, the Ultra preset at 1440p averages 67 FPS, which is only 4 FPS above the playable threshold but still clears it, meaning even the highest quality settings are technically playable at this resolution.

The 3840x2160 resolution is where the RTX 3060 Ti's 8 GB memory and 256-bit bus begin to show their limits. At 4K Low, the average FPS is 93, which is a strong result for such a high pixel count. However, the scaling is punishing: Medium drops to an average of 66 FPS, with a minimum of 56 FPS and a maximum of 76 FPS, placing the minimum just below the 60 FPS target. High settings average 57 FPS, which is below the playable threshold, and the Ultra preset sinks to a 43 FPS average. The data shows a clear cliff between Medium and High at this resolution, suggesting that the GPU's memory bandwidth or fillrate is saturated.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Lockdown Protocol at 1080p Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the data shows an average of 91 FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, which is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The minimum FPS is not recorded for this preset, but the average provides sufficient headroom.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 4K resolution?

A: According to the verdictByResolution data, the Medium preset is the best playable setting at 3840x2160, with an average FPS of 66. The High preset falls below the threshold at 57 FPS, and Ultra is even lower at 43 FPS.

Q: Is the 1440p Ultra preset a viable option?

A: The data shows a 67 FPS average at 2560x1440 with Ultra settings, which clears the 60 FPS threshold. However, the margin is slim, so any demanding in-game scenes could potentially cause dips below 60 FPS.

Q: How does the 1080p Medium preset compare to the 1440p Medium preset?

A: At 1080p Medium, the average is 139 FPS with a minimum of 118 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average is 102 FPS with a minimum of 87 FPS. The 1440p result is roughly 27% lower in average FPS, but both remain well above the playable threshold.

Q: Does the combo ever drop below 60 FPS in the measured data?

A: Yes, the 3840x2160 Medium preset has a minimum FPS of 56, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. The 4K High and Ultra presets also have average FPS scores of 57 and 43 respectively, which are below the threshold.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS is 196, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. The 1440p Low preset also delivers a high average of 144 FPS.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions reveals a shift in bottleneck behavior. At 1920x1080, the CPU's role is more prominent, as the GPU can render frames quickly enough to be limited by the processor's single-thread performance. The Intel Core Ultra 5 225, with a boost clock of 4.90 GHz and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3655, provides enough headroom to push the GPU to its limits, as evidenced by the 196 FPS average on Low settings. However, the 1080p Ultra preset still yields 91 FPS, indicating that the GPU is the primary constraint even at this resolution when quality settings are maxed out.

As resolution increases to 2560x1440, the GPU becomes the dominant factor. The average FPS drops from 196 at 1080p Low to 144 at 1440p Low, a 27% reduction that aligns with the increased pixel count. The CPU's workload does not scale with resolution, so the 10-core, 10-thread processor is likely waiting on the GPU to finish rendering. The 1440p Ultra preset's 67 FPS average, compared to the 91 FPS at 1080p Ultra, further confirms this trend, as the GPU's fillrate and memory bandwidth are taxed more heavily.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is unequivocally the limiting factor. The 4K Medium preset averages 66 FPS, which is only 1 FPS lower than the 1440p Ultra preset, suggesting that the GPU is saturated by the sheer number of pixels. The CPU's Passmark multithread score of 30459 is more than sufficient to feed the GPU at this resolution. The fact that the 4K Low preset averages 93 FPS, while 4K High drops to 57 FPS, highlights the GPU's memory bandwidth constraints. The RTX 3060 Ti's 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is likely the bottleneck when high-resolution textures and effects are enabled, as the 8 GB VRAM capacity is also a potential limiting factor for asset streaming.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Based on the nearestRivals data for the CPU, the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 performs almost identically to the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, with a deltaPct of 0. The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D is a negligible 0.2% slower, and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 is 0.4% slower. The Intel Core i9-12900T is also within 0.5% of the Ultra 5 225's average benchmark score. In practical terms, swapping the Ultra 5 225 for any of these CPUs would yield nearly the same frame rates in Lockdown Protocol, as the game's engine appears to be more dependent on the GPU at most settings.

For the GPU, the nearestRivals list shows the AMD Radeon RX 9060 is 0.7% faster than the RTX 3060 Ti, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT are both 1.4% slower. The AMD Radeon R9 370X is 1.7% slower. These deltaPct values are all within a narrow margin, meaning that any of these GPUs would produce nearly identical FPS results in Lockdown Protocol. The RX 5700 XT, in particular, would be a close substitute, likely delivering within a couple of frames of the RTX 3060 Ti across all resolutions and presets.

The combination of a Ryzen 5 5600F with an RX 5700 XT would represent a very similar system to the one analyzed here. The benchmark data suggests that this alternative pairing would land within 1-2% of the measured FPS, making it a reliable reference point for users considering different component brands. The CPU's 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs and the GPU's 59th percentile ranking among all GPUs indicate that this combo sits in the upper-midrange of tested hardware, with no single component being a severe outlier.

The Verdict

The data clearly shows that this PC can run Lockdown Protocol, but the playability depends heavily on the resolution and preset. At 1920x1080, every preset from Low to Ultra clears the 60 FPS threshold, with the Ultra preset averaging 91 FPS. This makes 1080p the safest bet for a consistently smooth experience. At 2560x1440, all four presets also remain playable, with the Ultra preset averaging 67 FPS, which is above the threshold but leaves little room for frame drops in intense firefights.

The situation changes at 3840x2160. The verdictByResolution data lists only Low and Medium as playable settings, with Medium being the best playable option at an average of 66 FPS. The High preset's 57 FPS average and Ultra's 43 FPS average are both below the playable threshold, making them unsuitable for a smooth experience. For 4K gaming, users must stick to Medium settings or lower to maintain 60 FPS. The 4K Medium preset's minimum FPS of 56 is a concern, as it indicates occasional dips below the target, but the average remains playable.

Overall, this system is a capable 1080p and 1440p machine for Lockdown Protocol, with the ability to max out settings at both resolutions. For 4K, it is a medium-settings solution, which is a reasonable expectation for a GPU of this class. The 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth of the RTX 3060 Ti are the primary constraints at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame field places this CPU-GPU pairing at rank 1854 out of 3714 tested combinations. This means the system is in the middle of the pack, with roughly 50% of tested combos performing better and 50% performing worse. Given that the RTX 3060 Ti is an end-of-life product and the CPU is a recent budget-to-midrange offering, this ranking is consistent with the hardware's overall market position.

The 50th-percentile ranking suggests that while this combo is not a top-tier performer, it is far from being a low-end system. In the context of Lockdown Protocol, the rank reflects the fact that the game is not exceptionally demanding, allowing this midrange hardware to achieve playable frame rates at most settings. The rank of 1854 also indicates that there is significant headroom for improvement, particularly by upgrading the GPU, which would push the combo into the top quartile of tested systems.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 91 FPS. This allows users to enable all visual features without sacrificing smoothness. The 121 FPS High preset is also a viable choice for those who prefer higher refresh rates, but Ultra is the clear recommendation for maximum quality.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset also clears the 60 FPS threshold with an average of 67 FPS. This is the best settings recommendation for this resolution, as it provides the full visual experience. Users with 144Hz or 165Hz monitors may prefer the Medium preset at 102 FPS or the High preset at 89 FPS, but for pure image quality, Ultra is the answer.

For 3840x2160, the data indicates that Medium is the best playable setting, averaging 66 FPS. The Low preset averages 93 FPS and is recommended for users who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity. The High and Ultra presets fall below the 60 FPS threshold and should be avoided. The 4K Medium preset's minimum of 56 FPS is a caveat, but the average suggests it is the sweet spot for 4K gaming on this hardware.