Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX paired with the AMD Radeon 890M presents a clear picture for Lockdown Protocol: this is a combination that can handle the game, but only within a narrow window of settings and resolution. The measured data shows a system that is firmly entry-level for this FPS title, with performance falling off sharply as resolution and graphical demands increase. The benchmark results indicate that the integrated GPU is the decisive limiting factor, while the CPU provides ample headroom at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo spans three resolutions and four quality presets, revealing a consistent pattern of performance degradation as both resolution and settings increase. At 3840x2160, the highest resolution tested, the results are uniformly below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The Low preset delivers an average of 37 FPS, which is the best result at this resolution. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 26 FPS, with a minimum of 22 FPS and a maximum of 30 FPS. High settings yield an average of 23 FPS, while Ultra falls to 17 FPS. None of these figures approach playability, and even the Low preset shows a performance deficit of roughly 38% compared to the 60 FPS target.

At 2560x1440, the situation improves slightly but remains largely unplayable. Low settings produce an average of 58 FPS, which is just 2 FPS shy of the 60 FPS threshold. This is the closest the combo comes to playability at this resolution. Medium settings average 41 FPS, with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 47 FPS. High settings average 36 FPS, and Ultra drops to 27 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is substantial—a 17 FPS average difference—indicating that the Medium preset imposes a significant additional load on the GPU. The data shows that even at the lowest settings, the system cannot consistently hold 60 FPS at 1440p.

The 1920x1080 results are the only ones where the combo achieves a playable experience. At Low settings, the average FPS is 78, comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. This is the standout result in the entire dataset. Medium settings average 56 FPS, with a minimum of 47 and a maximum of 64, which places it slightly below the threshold on average but with some frames above 60. High settings average 49 FPS, and Ultra averages 36 FPS. The progression from Low to Medium to High to Ultra shows a steady decline: 78 to 56 to 49 to 36. The drop from Low to Medium is 22 FPS, while the drop from High to Ultra is 13 FPS, suggesting that the Medium preset is a particularly demanding step for the integrated GPU.

Best Settings per Resolution

The verdict data from the FACT PACK provides a definitive answer for each resolution. At 3840x2160, there are no playable settings—the `playableSettings` array is empty, and no `bestSettings` value is recorded. This means that even the lowest preset, which averages 37 FPS, fails to meet the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, the same situation applies: `playableSettings` is empty, and `bestSettings` is null. The Low preset at 58 FPS is the closest, but it still does not clear the bar.

At 1920x1080, the only playable setting is Low, with a recorded `avgFpsAtBest` of 78. The `bestSettings` field explicitly lists Low as the optimal choice. This is the sole configuration across all tested resolutions and settings where the combo achieves a playable frame rate. Medium at 1080p averages 56 FPS, which is technically below the threshold, so it cannot be recommended as a "best settings" option despite its maximum of 64 FPS. The data is unambiguous: for this hardware pairing, 1080p Low is the only path to a smooth experience, and it delivers a 30% margin above the 60 FPS target.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results indicate that the AMD Radeon 890M is the primary bottleneck across all resolutions. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 9210 places it in the 45th percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU’s average score of 52073 places it in the 91st percentile among all CPUs. This disparity—roughly 46 percentage points in percentile ranking—suggests that the GPU is far less capable relative to its peers than the CPU is relative to its own peers. The measured FPS data reinforces this: dropping resolution from 3840x2160 to 1920x1080 at Low settings improves average FPS from 37 to 78, a 2.1x increase. This scaling is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where reducing pixel count directly relieves the graphics processor.

The CPU’s role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions. At 1920x1080 Low, the system hits 78 FPS, which is 18 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold. This suggests that the CPU—with 14 cores, 14 threads, and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz—has sufficient headroom to feed the GPU at this resolution. However, the CPU cannot compensate for the GPU’s limitations at higher settings. The transition from 1080p Low to 1080p Medium results in a 22 FPS drop, while the transition from 1440p Low to 1440p Medium results in a 17 FPS drop. These large drops are attributable to increased GPU workload, not CPU limitations, as the CPU’s single-thread performance (a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4903) is more than adequate for a competitive FPS title.

The data also shows that resolution scaling has a greater impact than settings scaling. Moving from 1080p Low to 1440p Low reduces average FPS from 78 to 58, a 20 FPS loss, while moving from 1440p Low to 2160p Low reduces it from 58 to 37, a 21 FPS loss. This near-linear decline with resolution confirms that the integrated GPU is the dominant factor. The CPU’s multi-threaded performance (a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 34731) is likely irrelevant in this game, as Lockdown Protocol’s FPS is governed by the GPU at every tested configuration.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Lockdown Protocol at 4K resolution?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the highest average FPS recorded is 37 at Low settings, with Medium at 26, High at 23, and Ultra at 17. No preset reaches the 60 FPS playable threshold, and the `verdictByResolution` data lists no playable settings for this resolution.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1080p gameplay?

A: The only playable preset at 1920x1080 is Low, with an average of 78 FPS. Medium averages 56 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold, and High and Ultra average 49 and 36 FPS respectively. The `bestSettings` field for 1080p is explicitly Low.

Q: How does the GPU compare to the CPU in terms of overall performance ranking?

A: The AMD Radeon 890M ranks in the 45th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 9210. The Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX ranks in the 91st percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 52073. This indicates the GPU is the weaker component relative to its peers.

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p with Low settings?

A: The average FPS at 2560x1440 with Low settings is 58. This is 2 FPS below the 60 FPS playable threshold, and the `verdictByResolution` data confirms that no settings at 1440p are playable.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The FPS scales significantly with resolution—from 78 FPS at 1080p Low to 37 FPS at 2160p Low—while the CPU’s high percentile ranking (91st) suggests it has ample capacity. The GPU’s 45th percentile ranking aligns with the observed performance ceiling.

Q: Which component would need upgrading to improve performance?

A: Based on the data, the GPU is the bottleneck. The Radeon 890M’s average benchmark score of 9210 is below that of its nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 (9273), and its percentile ranking (45th) is far lower than the CPU’s (91st). Upgrading the GPU would yield the most significant FPS gains.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the AMD Radeon 890M provide context for what other hardware would behave similarly. The AMD Radeon Vega 8 has an average score of 9221, which is 0.1% higher than the 890M’s 9210. This indicates near-identical performance, meaning a system with Vega 8 would produce virtually the same FPS in Lockdown Protocol. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 scores 9273, 0.7% higher, and would offer a marginal improvement of roughly 1-2 FPS at most settings. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465 scores 9294, 0.9% higher, and the GeForce GTX 850M scores 9302, 1% higher. These deltas are within measurement error, so all four GPUs would land in the same playability category: 1080p Low only.

For the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX, the nearest rivals are all desktop-class CPUs, which underscores the CPU’s strength relative to the GPU. The AMD EPYC 8124P scores 52121, 0.1% lower, and the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X scores 51947, 0.2% higher. The Intel Core i7-14700 scores 52301, 0.4% lower, and the Intel Core i9-13900F scores 51730, 0.7% higher. These differences are negligible in gaming terms, meaning any of these CPUs paired with the Radeon 890M would yield the same FPS results in Lockdown Protocol, as the GPU would remain the bottleneck. The data suggests that CPU choice has minimal impact on this game’s performance with this GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

This combo ranks 3495 out of 3714 tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the bottom 6% of all systems tested. This low ranking is consistent with the measured FPS data, which shows the system failing to reach 60 FPS at 1440p and 2160p, and only achieving playability at 1080p Low. The rank of 3495 indicates that 219 other combinations performed worse, but the vast majority—over 94%—of tested systems delivered better performance. The GPU’s 45th percentile ranking is the primary driver of this low combo rank, as the CPU’s 91st percentile ranking alone would suggest a much higher position. The combination of a high-end CPU with a low-end integrated GPU creates a significant imbalance, and the combo rank reflects the GPU’s dominance in determining gaming performance.

The Verdict

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX with AMD Radeon 890M can run Lockdown Protocol, but only at 1920x1080 with Low settings, where it achieves an average of 78 FPS. This is the sole configuration that clears the 60 FPS playable threshold, and it does so with a comfortable margin. At 2560x1440, the best result is 58 FPS at Low settings, which falls just short of playability. At 3840x2160, even the lowest preset only reaches 37 FPS, making 4K gameplay entirely out of reach. The data shows that this system is suitable for 1080p competitive play at minimum settings, but it cannot handle higher resolutions or more demanding presets. For users who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity, this combo will deliver a playable experience at 1080p Low. For anyone expecting 1440p or 4K performance, the benchmark results are unequivocal: this hardware is not sufficient. The verdict by resolution is clear—1080p Low is the only playable option, and all other tested configurations fall below the 60 FPS standard.