Lockdown Protocol

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for Lockdown Protocol with the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 covers three resolutions and four quality presets. The measurements show a clear performance gradient as resolution and settings scale.

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. The Low preset averages 168 FPS, which is the highest recorded figure across the entire test matrix. Medium drops to 119 FPS with a minimum of 102 FPS and a maximum of 137 FPS. High follows at 104 FPS, and Ultra remains comfortably smooth at 78 FPS. Every preset at this resolution clears the 60 FPS playable threshold, with even the most demanding setting holding a 30% margin above that baseline.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance curve shifts downward but remains playable across most settings. Low records 123 FPS, Medium averages 88 FPS with a 74 FPS minimum and 101 FPS maximum, and High settles at 76 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to 57 FPS, which places it just below the 60 FPS threshold. The delta between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 66 FPS, indicating a substantial scaling cost for the highest quality settings.

At 3840x2160, the GPU workload becomes the dominant factor. Low still produces a solid 80 FPS, but Medium averages 57 FPS with a 48 FPS minimum and 65 FPS maximum. High drops to 49 FPS, and Ultra falls to 37 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 43 FPS, and only the Low preset maintains a consistent 60 FPS experience. The minimum FPS figures follow a similar pattern, with the 48 FPS floor at Medium representing the only recorded minimum below 60 FPS in the entire dataset.

The data shows that min and max FPS values were only recorded for the Medium preset at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the 102 FPS minimum indicates strong frame consistency, while at 1440p the 74 FPS minimum still holds above the playable threshold. At 4K Medium, the 48 FPS minimum reveals occasional dips that would be noticeable during intense scenes.

How This Combo Ranks

The database ranks this CPU and GPU combination at position 2276 out of 3714 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the upper 39% of all configurations, which reflects a capable but not top-tier pairing. The percentile positioning makes sense given that the RTX 4060 sits at the 61st percentile among all GPUs, while the Core Ultra 5 235HX ranks at the 91st percentile among all CPUs.

The CPU is the stronger component in this pairing. Its average benchmark score of 52073 places it just 0.1% behind the AMD EPYC 8124P, 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, 0.4% behind the Intel Core i7-14700, and 0.7% ahead of the Intel Core i9-13900F. These four nearest rivals all sit within a narrow 1.1% band, indicating that the Core Ultra 5 235HX delivers performance essentially equivalent to several high-end desktop and server processors from the previous generation.

The GPU contributes a more modest standing. Its average benchmark score of 17639 places it 0.2% behind the AMD Radeon HD 7790, 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon 780M, 0.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 560, and 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 460. These rivals span very different market segments, which highlights the RTX 4060's position as a mid-range mobile GPU rather than a flagship part.

The combination ranking reflects this asymmetry. The CPU provides substantial headroom and ensures that the system is not processor-limited in Lockdown Protocol, while the GPU determines the actual frame rates at higher resolutions. The 2276th rank out of 3714 combos indicates that many configurations with stronger GPUs outperform this pairing, but the Core Ultra 5 235HX keeps the system competitive at lower resolutions where the GPU has less work to do.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Low, which averages 80 FPS. Medium falls short at 57 FPS, so the 4K ceiling is firmly set at Low for this hardware combination.

At 2560x1440, the best playable option is High with an average of 76 FPS. Medium runs at 88 FPS and Low at 123 FPS, but High represents the highest quality preset that still clears the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset averages 57 FPS and is therefore not recommended for 1440p gameplay.

At 1920x1080, all four presets clear 60 FPS, so the best settings are Ultra at 78 FPS. This gives players full access to the highest quality options while maintaining a 30% buffer above the playable threshold. The 1080p Ultra figure of 78 FPS is actually 2 FPS higher than the 1440p High figure of 76 FPS, which suggests that the resolution reduction more than compensates for the increased graphical fidelity.

For players seeking the highest visual quality possible, 1080p Ultra is the clear choice. For those prioritizing frame rate, 1080p Low delivers 168 FPS, which is more than double the 4K Low figure of 80 FPS.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, but only at Low settings. The measured average at 3840x2160 Low is 80 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS playable threshold. Medium drops to 57 FPS, High to 49 FPS, and Ultra to 37 FPS.

Q: What is the best setting for 1440p gameplay?

A: High is the best playable preset at 2560x1440, averaging 76 FPS. Medium runs at 88 FPS and Low at 123 FPS, but Ultra falls below the threshold at 57 FPS.

Q: Is the Ultra preset ever playable with this hardware?

A: Yes, at 1920x1080. The Ultra preset averages 78 FPS at 1080p, which is the only resolution where Ultra stays above 60 FPS. At 1440p Ultra averages 57 FPS, and at 4K Ultra averages 37 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU benchmark compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Core Ultra 5 235HX scores 52073 on average. This is 0.1% below the AMD EPYC 8124P, 0.2% above the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, 0.4% below the Intel Core i7-14700, and 0.7% above the Intel Core i9-13900F.

Q: How does the GPU benchmark compare to its closest rivals?

A: The RTX 4060 scores 17639 on average. This is 0.2% below the AMD Radeon HD 7790, 0.3% above the AMD Radeon 780M, 0.5% above the AMD Radeon Pro 560, and 0.7% above the AMD Radeon Pro 460.

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

A: The measured averages are 168 FPS at Low, 119 FPS at Medium with a 102 FPS minimum, 104 FPS at High, and 78 FPS at Ultra. All presets stay above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a clear division of labor between the Core Ultra 5 235HX and the RTX 4060 in Lockdown Protocol. The CPU is a high-end mobile processor with a 91st percentile ranking among all CPUs, while the GPU sits at the 61st percentile. This gap becomes visible in how frame rates scale across resolutions and presets.

At 1920x1080, the GPU has enough headroom that the CPU can keep frame rates high across all presets. The jump from Ultra at 78 FPS to Low at 168 FPS shows that settings adjustments deliver massive gains, but even the most demanding preset stays well above the playable threshold. The 90 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor when settings increase, but the CPU is never the bottleneck at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the GPU begins to feel the load. The Low preset still produces 123 FPS, but the gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 66 FPS compared to 90 FPS at 1080p. This narrowing suggests that the GPU is becoming the primary constraint, as raising settings now costs more performance than at lower resolutions. The Ultra preset dropping to 57 FPS confirms that the GPU cannot sustain maximum quality at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the dominant factor. The Low preset delivers 80 FPS, but every higher preset falls below 60 FPS. The 43 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is smaller than at lower resolutions, which indicates diminishing returns from settings changes when the GPU is already saturated. The CPU's high benchmark scores do not compensate for the GPU's limited 8 GB memory and 128-bit bus at this resolution.

The resolution scaling tells the same story. Moving from 1080p Low at 168 FPS to 4K Low at 80 FPS represents a 52% reduction, while the same move at Ultra drops from 78 FPS to 37 FPS, a 53% reduction. This consistency shows that resolution scaling affects all presets equally, reinforcing the conclusion that the GPU is the primary determinant of performance in Lockdown Protocol, especially above 1080p.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol, but the experience depends heavily on resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the system clears 60 FPS on every preset, with Ultra averaging 78 FPS. This makes 1080p fully playable at maximum quality, which is the strongest result in the dataset.

At 2560x1440, the system remains playable at High, Medium, and Low settings. High averages 76 FPS, providing a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra falls to 57 FPS, so players who want maximum quality at 1440p will need to accept slightly lower frame rates or drop to 1080p.

At 3840x2160, only Low is playable, averaging 80 FPS. Medium drops to 57 FPS, High to 49 FPS, and Ultra to 37 FPS. The 4K experience is therefore limited to the lowest quality preset, which may be acceptable for competitive play but not for visual fidelity.

The verdict by resolution is clear: 1080p offers full preset freedom, 1440p offers three playable presets, and 4K offers only Low. The Core Ultra 5 235HX provides ample CPU performance, but the RTX 4060's mid-range standing caps the system at 1080p for high-quality gameplay. Players targeting 1440p or 4K should consider this pairing adequate for lower settings but should not expect maximum quality at higher resolutions.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest CPU rivals to the Core Ultra 5 235HX would behave similarly in this system. The AMD EPYC 8124P scores 0.1% lower on average, the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X scores 0.2% higher, the Intel Core i7-14700 scores 0.4% higher, and the Intel Core i9-13900F scores 0.7% higher. All four fall within a 1.1% performance band, so swapping the Core Ultra 5 235HX for any of these processors would produce nearly identical frame rates in Lockdown Protocol, assuming the GPU remains unchanged.

On the GPU side, the nearest rivals to the RTX 4060 are more varied. The AMD Radeon HD 7790 scores 0.2% higher, the AMD Radeon 780M scores 0.3% lower, the AMD Radeon Pro 560 scores 0.5% lower, and the AMD Radeon Pro 460 scores 0.7% lower. These delta values are small, but the underlying hardware differs substantially in architecture and target market. The Radeon 780M is an integrated graphics solution, while the Radeon Pro 560 and Pro 460 are professional mobile GPUs. In practice, any of these alternatives would deliver frame rates within 1% of the RTX 4060 in Lockdown Protocol, which means the same resolution and preset limitations would apply.

For a system builder considering alternatives, the data suggests that CPU choices within this performance band will not change the gaming experience. The GPU remains the deciding factor, and the RTX 4060's nearest rivals would produce nearly identical results. Players who need higher frame rates at 1440p or 4K would need to look beyond this performance class entirely, as the entire cluster of comparable GPUs sits at the same 61st percentile tier.