Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol, a 2024 FPS title, presents an interesting case study in how a high-refresh-rate gaming PC built around the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti behaves across different resolutions and quality presets. The measured data reveals a system that is clearly capable of delivering smooth gameplay at the most common gaming resolutions, but which begins to show its limits when pushed to the absolute maximum settings at 4K. The benchmark results indicate that this combination is well-balanced for 1080p and 1440p gaming, offering headroom for high refresh rates, while still being a viable, albeit less flexible, option for 4K displays.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall performance class of this CPU and GPU combination?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 sits in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 36938. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 41187. Together, they form a high-end pairing that ranks 936th out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol.

Q: Can this PC run Lockdown Protocol at 60 frames per second on a 4K display?

A: Yes, the data shows it can. The measured FPS at 3840x2160 is 76 FPS on High settings and 87 FPS on Medium. However, at the Ultra preset, the average FPS drops to 57, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The verdict lists High, Medium, and Low as playable settings at this resolution.

Q: How much performance headroom is there for high-refresh-rate monitors at 1440p?

A: The benchmark results indicate significant headroom. At 2560x1440, the system achieves 118 FPS on High, 135 FPS on Medium, and 190 FPS on Low settings. Even at the Ultra preset, it manages 88 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and suitable for 144Hz displays.

Q: What is the performance difference between the CPU's nearest rivals and the Core Ultra 5 225?

A: The data shows this processor is effectively tied with its closest competitors. Its average benchmark score of 36938 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (36945) and the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (37018), which is only a 0.2% difference. It also performs similarly to the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 and Intel Core i9-12900T, with all rivals within a 0.5% margin.

Q: At which resolution does the GPU become the primary limiting factor?

A: The data suggests this occurs at 3840x2160. At this resolution, the Ultra preset yields an average of 57 FPS, which is below the playable threshold, while the same preset at 2560x1440 produces 88 FPS. This indicates that the increased pixel count at 4K severely impacts the RTX 3080 Ti, making it the constraining component.

Q: What is the most demanding settings preset that maintains 60 FPS at 1080p?

A: The system can run the game at the Ultra preset with an average of 120 FPS at 1920x1080. This is the most demanding preset tested and it stays significantly above the 60 FPS playable threshold, indicating that the system is not stressed at this resolution.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmarking data for Lockdown Protocol reveals a clear shift in system bottleneck as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the game is likely more dependent on CPU performance. This is evidenced by the high frame rates achieved, with the Ultra preset producing an average of 120 FPS and the Low preset reaching 259 FPS. These high numbers suggest that the Intel Core Ultra 5 225, with its 10 cores and 10 threads, is capable of feeding frames to the RTX 3080 Ti quickly enough to prevent a CPU-bound scenario at this resolution. The relatively small performance gap between settings, from 120 FPS at Ultra to 184 FPS at Medium, suggests that the GPU is still doing significant work, but the CPU is keeping up.

Moving to 2560x1440, the balance shifts. The average FPS at the Ultra preset drops to 88, which is a 26.7% reduction from the 120 FPS seen at 1080p. This indicates that the GPU is beginning to take on a more significant role as the pixel workload increases. The scaling between Low (190 FPS) and Ultra (88 FPS) at this resolution shows a wider spread, indicating that the GPU's rendering capabilities are becoming more of a determining factor. The system is still comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold at all presets, indicating that this resolution is the "sweet spot" for this hardware combination, with neither component being severely overburdened.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's role becomes dominant. The Ultra preset's average FPS falls to 57, which is below the playable threshold, while the High preset manages 76 FPS. The performance drop from 1440p Ultra (88 FPS) to 4K Ultra (57 FPS) is a 35.2% reduction, a stark illustration of the demands that 4K rendering places on the graphics card. The RTX 3080 Ti, with its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 912.4 GB/s bandwidth, is a powerful card, but the data shows it is simply overwhelmed by the Ultra preset at this resolution. The fact that the Medium preset (87 FPS) scores higher than High (76 FPS) is an anomaly in the data, but it further underscores that the GPU is the limiting factor here, as even small changes in settings have a large impact on frame rate.

The implication is that for a gamer with a 1080p or 1440p monitor, the Core Ultra 5 225 is a strong partner for the RTX 3080 Ti, providing enough processing power to avoid a CPU bottleneck. However, for a 4K gamer who wants to use the highest quality settings, the GPU's compute power and memory bandwidth will be the primary constraint, and the CPU will have less influence on the final frame rate.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core Ultra 5 225, based on average benchmark scores, are a set of processors that perform almost identically. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F has an average score of 36945, which is a 0% difference from the Core Ultra 5 225's score of 36938. The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D scores 37018, a mere 0.2% higher. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 and the Intel Core i9-12900T also fall within a 0.5% performance delta. This means that in a system like this, swapping the Core Ultra 5 225 for any of these chips would result in virtually identical frame rates in Lockdown Protocol, as the performance difference is negligible. A user building with any of these CPUs could expect the same gaming experience, provided the rest of the system remains constant.

For the GPU, the picture is slightly more varied but still indicates a close performance cluster. The nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070, has an average score of 40377, which is 2% lower than the RTX 3080 Ti's score of 41187. This suggests that the RTX 3080 Ti holds a small performance advantage over this newer card in general compute benchmarks. On the other hand, the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 is 0.8% faster, with a score of 40870. The NVIDIA Tesla M40 24 GB and the Tesla M40 are 1.2% and 1.7% slower, respectively. In practice, these differences are small enough that users would be hard-pressed to notice a difference in frame rates without a side-by-side comparison. A system with an RTX 3080 Ti would behave nearly identically to one with a Radeon Pro 5300 or RTX 5070 in this game, though the RTX 3080 Ti would have a slight edge over the latter.

The Verdict

Based on the measured data, this PC can definitively run Lockdown Protocol, and it does so with significant authority at most settings. The verdict by resolution confirms that the system clears the 60 FPS playable threshold at all tested presets for 1920x1080 and 2560x1440. At 1080p, the best playable settings are at the Ultra preset, which produces an average of 120 FPS. At 1440p, the system also achieves its best playable results at the Ultra preset, with an average of 88 FPS. This indicates that gamers with either 1080p or 1440p monitors can enjoy the game at maximum visual quality without worrying about frame rate drops.

The situation is more nuanced at 3840x2160. The system can run the game at this resolution, but not at the highest quality settings. The Ultra preset's average of 57 FPS falls just short of the 60 FPS target. However, the High preset achieves 76 FPS, and the Medium preset achieves 87 FPS, both of which are comfortably playable. The verdict lists High as the best playable setting at this resolution, offering a balance between visual fidelity and performance. The data suggests that a 4K user would need to be willing to compromise on some graphical options to maintain a smooth experience, but they would not need to sacrifice the High preset to do so.

Best Settings per Resolution

For players seeking the most demanding visual experience while maintaining a frame rate at or above 60 FPS, the data provides a clear recommendation for each resolution.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the clear choice. It delivers an average of 120 FPS, which is double the playable threshold and ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The system has so much headroom at this resolution that even the most demanding settings leave performance to spare.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset also remains the recommended choice. With an average of 88 FPS, it still provides a smooth and responsive experience that is well-suited for 144Hz displays. The performance is 46.7% above the 60 FPS threshold, indicating a comfortable margin.

At 3840x2160, the recommendation changes to the High preset. While the Ultra preset is technically available, its 57 FPS average falls below the playable threshold. The High preset, with an average of 76 FPS, is the most demanding setting that stays above 60 FPS. It offers a significant visual upgrade over Medium (87 FPS) while maintaining the necessary performance for smooth gameplay. This is the optimal compromise for a 4K display.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations for Lockdown Protocol, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti holds a respectable position. It ranks 936th out of 3714 combos, placing it in the top 25% of all systems tested. This indicates that the system is a strong performer, but not at the absolute top tier. The rank suggests that there are many other combinations that can achieve higher frame rates, likely those using more powerful CPUs or GPUs. However, this ranking also confirms that the Core Ultra 5 225 + RTX 3080 Ti is a very capable setup that outperforms the majority of systems in the database. The data shows that this is a high-end configuration that will deliver a superior gaming experience in this title for most users.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is a detailed breakdown of the measured average frame rates, with minimum and maximum values where available, for each resolution and settings preset.

3840x2160

• Ultra: Average 57 FPS.
• High: Average 76 FPS.
• Medium: Average 87 FPS, with a minimum of 74 FPS and a maximum of 100 FPS.
• Low: Average 122 FPS.

2560x1440

• Ultra: Average 88 FPS.
• High: Average 118 FPS.
• Medium: Average 135 FPS, with a minimum of 115 FPS and a maximum of 155 FPS.
• Low: Average 190 FPS.

1920x1080

• Ultra: Average 120 FPS.
• High: Average 161 FPS.
• Medium: Average 184 FPS, with a minimum of 156 FPS and a maximum of 211 FPS.
• Low: Average 259 FPS.

The data shows a consistent scaling pattern, with frame rates decreasing as resolution and settings are increased. The minimum and maximum FPS values for the Medium preset at each resolution show a variance of about 34-40%, indicating that there is some fluctuation in frame time, but the averages remain high enough to ensure a stable experience. The most notable takeaway is the performance cliff at 4K Ultra, where the system drops below the 60 FPS target, while at every other preset and resolution combination, the performance is well above this threshold.