Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is an exceptionally high-performing combination for Lockdown Protocol, delivering frame rates that far exceed the 60 FPS playability threshold at every tested resolution. The measured data shows this system is capable of running the game at its maximum Ultra preset with substantial headroom, making it a top-tier option for competitive and high-refresh-rate gameplay.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160 (4K), the system achieves its most demanding playable preset at Ultra settings, producing an average of 81 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS playability threshold, indicating that even at 4K resolution, the hardware is not being pushed to its limits. The High preset at this resolution yields 108 FPS, Medium produces 124 FPS, and Low reaches 174 FPS, showing a consistent scaling where each step down in quality provides a meaningful frame rate increase.

For 2560x1440 (1440p), the best settings remain Ultra, with an average of 125 FPS. The gap between Ultra and High is 42 FPS (167 FPS at High), while Medium delivers 192 FPS and Low reaches 270 FPS. The 125 FPS at Ultra is particularly notable because it suggests the system can handle 1440p at maximum quality while still providing refresh rates that exceed most high-end monitors' capabilities.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the Ultra preset again represents the best playable settings, achieving 171 FPS on average. The scaling here is more pronounced: High produces 228 FPS, Medium reaches 261 FPS, and Low hits 346 FPS. The 171 FPS at Ultra is more than double the 60 FPS threshold, indicating the system is heavily GPU-limited at this resolution rather than CPU-bound, as the frame rates continue to climb substantially with lower settings.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear pattern of GPU dominance across all resolutions, with the CPU playing a supporting role that becomes less significant as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is 175 FPS (346 vs 171), representing a 50.6% drop in performance when moving from the lowest to the highest quality preset. This substantial scaling indicates that the RTX 4090 is the primary bottleneck, as the CPU has ample headroom to feed frames at even the lowest settings.

At 2560x1440, the scaling between Low and Ultra is 145 FPS (270 vs 125), a 46.3% reduction. The relative consistency of these percentages across 1080p and 1440p suggests that the GPU workload scales predictably with pixel count, while the CPU maintains sufficient throughput to avoid becoming a limiting factor. The Core Ultra 5 225's 10 cores and 10 threads, combined with its 4.90 GHz boost clock, provide enough single-threaded performance for the game's FPS workload, as evidenced by the 3655 single-core Cinebench R23 score.

At 3840x2160, the scaling between Low and Ultra is 93 FPS (174 vs 81), a 53.4% reduction. The slightly larger percentage drop compared to lower resolutions indicates that the GPU is becoming even more dominant, as the increased pixel count amplifies the graphics processing demands. The CPU's role diminishes further, with the 81 FPS at Ultra still comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold, demonstrating that the processor has sufficient headroom even when the GPU is heavily loaded.

The Medium preset across all resolutions provides the clearest view of CPU involvement. At 1080p, Medium produces 261 FPS with a minimum of 222 FPS and maximum of 301 FPS; at 1440p, Medium yields 192 FPS (163-220 min-max); at 4K, Medium delivers 124 FPS (105-142 min-max). The consistent 31-36% drop in frame rate when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and then another 35% drop from 1440p to 4K, follows the expected pixel-count scaling, confirming that the CPU is not introducing any significant bottleneck at any resolution.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Lockdown Protocol at 4K with maximum settings?

A: Yes. The measured data shows Ultra settings at 3840x2160 produce an average of 81 FPS, which is 21 FPS above the 60 FPS playability threshold. All four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are marked as playable at this resolution.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gameplay?

A: Ultra settings at 2560x1440 deliver an average of 125 FPS, making it the most demanding preset that stays above 60 FPS. This represents the optimal balance between visual quality and frame rate, with significant headroom for competitive play.

Q: How does the system perform at 1080p compared to higher resolutions?

A: At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset achieves 171 FPS, which is 37% higher than the 125 FPS at 1440p Ultra and more than double the 81 FPS at 4K Ultra. The frame rate scaling follows the pixel count increases, indicating consistent GPU-bound performance.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor for this game?

A: The GPU is the dominant factor at all resolutions. The frame rate drops by 50-53% when moving from Low to Ultra settings at each resolution, while the CPU maintains sufficient performance to avoid becoming a bottleneck, evidenced by the 10-core/10-thread configuration and 25891 multi-core Cinebench R23 score.

Q: What frame rates can be expected at Medium settings across resolutions?

A: Medium settings produce 261 FPS at 1080p (222-301 min-max), 192 FPS at 1440p (163-220 min-max), and 124 FPS at 4K (105-142 min-max). These figures provide a consistent view of GPU scaling without the full load of Ultra settings.

Q: Does the system maintain consistent frame times at high settings?

A: The Medium preset data shows a minimum-to-average gap of 39 FPS at 1080p, 29 FPS at 1440p, and 19 FPS at 4K. These gaps indicate stable frame delivery, with the variance decreasing as resolution increases due to the GPU becoming more uniformly loaded.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol at every resolution and settings combination tested. The verdict by resolution confirms that all four settings presets at 3840x2160, 2560x1440, and 1920x1080 are playable, with the best settings being Ultra at each resolution. The 4K Ultra average of 81 FPS clears the 60 FPS threshold by 35%, while 1440p Ultra at 125 FPS provides nearly double the threshold, and 1080p Ultra at 171 FPS offers almost triple the required performance.

The system's capability is further underscored by the minimum frame rates recorded. At Medium settings, the lowest minimum observed across any resolution is 105 FPS at 4K, which still exceeds the 60 FPS playability threshold by a significant margin. This suggests that even during intense gameplay sequences with frame drops, the system maintains playable performance. The data indicates this combination is not merely capable of running the game, but rather provides substantial headroom for future updates or more demanding scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the system delivers 81 FPS at Ultra settings, 108 FPS at High, 124 FPS at Medium (with a minimum of 105 FPS and maximum of 142 FPS), and 174 FPS at Low. The progression from Ultra to Low shows a consistent increase of 27, 16, and 50 FPS respectively, with the largest jump occurring between Medium and Low settings.

For 2560x1440, the measured results are 125 FPS at Ultra, 167 FPS at High, 192 FPS at Medium (163-220 min-max), and 270 FPS at Low. The scaling here shows a 42 FPS difference between Ultra and High, a 25 FPS difference between High and Medium, and a substantial 78 FPS jump from Medium to Low, indicating that the Low preset significantly reduces GPU workload.

At 1920x1080, the frame rates are 171 FPS at Ultra, 228 FPS at High, 261 FPS at Medium (222-301 min-max), and 346 FPS at Low. The differences between consecutive presets are 57 FPS (Ultra to High), 33 FPS (High to Medium), and 85 FPS (Medium to Low), showing the largest absolute scaling at this resolution, which is expected given the lower pixel count relative to GPU throughput.

The Medium preset provides the only complete min-max data across all resolutions, allowing for frame time analysis. At 4K, the 105-142 FPS range represents a 37 FPS spread; at 1440p, the 163-220 FPS range has a 57 FPS spread; and at 1080p, the 222-301 FPS range shows a 79 FPS spread. The increasing variance at lower resolutions is consistent with the CPU beginning to influence frame delivery more heavily, though it remains well within acceptable limits.

How This Combo Ranks

This Intel Core Ultra 5 225 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination ranks 91st out of 3714 tested configurations for Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the top 2.5% of all systems evaluated. The percentile ranking of the CPU is 85th among all processors, while the GPU ranks in the 88th percentile among all graphics cards, indicating that both components are near the top of their respective performance tiers.

The high combo rank is primarily driven by the RTX 4090's exceptional throughput, as the game is GPU-bound at all resolutions. The GPU's 82.58 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 1.01 TB/s memory bandwidth provide ample resources for the game's rendering demands, while the CPU's 85th percentile ranking ensures it can keep pace without introducing bottlenecks. The combination of a top-tier GPU with a upper-midrange CPU proves effective for this title, as the frame rates show no signs of CPU limitation even at 1080p with Low settings where the CPU would be most stressed.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the Intel Core Ultra 5 225, the nearest rival based on average benchmark scores is the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, which scores 36945 compared to the Ultra 5 225's 36938, representing a 0% delta. The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D is 0.2% slower at 37018, while the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 shows a 0.4% deficit with a score of 37093. The Intel Core i9-12900T rounds out the nearest competitors at 37112, which is 0.5% higher. These four processors would deliver nearly identical CPU performance in Lockdown Protocol, meaning any of them paired with an RTX 4090 would produce frame rates within a few percent of the measured results.

On the GPU side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090's nearest rivals are led by the Intel Arc Pro A60, which scores 60326 versus the RTX 4090's 60347, a 0% difference. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 is 0.3% behind at 60140, while the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores 61896, which is 2.5% higher than the RTX 4090. The AMD Radeon PRO V710 is 2.9% slower at 58657. These alternatives would produce nearly equivalent frame rates in Lockdown Protocol, with the Radeon Pro W6600M potentially offering slightly better performance and the Radeon PRO V710 trailing by a small margin.

The practical implication is that a system with any of these rival CPUs paired with any of these rival GPUs would achieve similar playable results, with all configurations maintaining the Ultra preset at 60 FPS or higher across all tested resolutions. The tight clustering of benchmark scores, with deltas of 3% or less, suggests that the overall user experience would be virtually indistinguishable between these setups.