Lockdown Protocol

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 combination delivers marginal frame rates. The Low preset produces an average of 36 FPS, which is the highest result at this resolution. Medium settings drop the average to 26 FPS, with a recorded minimum of 22 FPS and a maximum of 29 FPS. High settings yield 22 FPS on average, while Ultra settings bottom out at 17 FPS. None of these figures approach the 60 FPS playability threshold, and the Ultra preset represents a 52.8% reduction from the Low preset's average.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rate improves notably but still falls short of playable levels across all settings. The Low preset averages 56 FPS, a 55.6% increase over the 4K Low result. Medium settings average 40 FPS, with a minimum of 34 FPS and a maximum of 46 FPS. High settings average 35 FPS, and Ultra settings average 26 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 30 FPS, showing a clear performance penalty for higher graphical fidelity.

At 1920x1080, the combination finally reaches playable territory. The Low preset averages 76 FPS, clearing the 60 FPS threshold by 16 FPS. Medium settings average 54 FPS, with a minimum of 46 FPS and a maximum of 62 FPS. High settings average 47 FPS, and Ultra settings average 35 FPS. The scaling from 1440p Low to 1080p Low is a 35.7% improvement, while the 1080p Ultra result of 35 FPS matches the 1440p High result exactly, indicating consistent GPU-bound behavior at higher settings.

The minimum and maximum frame data available only for Medium presets shows consistent behavior: at 1080p Medium, the range spans 46 to 62 FPS, a 16 FPS spread; at 1440p Medium, the range spans 34 to 46 FPS, a 12 FPS spread; at 4K Medium, the range spans 22 to 29 FPS, a 7 FPS spread. This narrowing range at higher resolutions suggests the GPU is the limiting factor, with less variance as the workload saturates the hardware.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals in the database, based on average benchmark scores, include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, which scores 0.4% lower, and the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, which scores 0.5% lower. On the Intel side, the Xeon Gold 5318H scores 0.6% higher, and the Core i5-14600K scores 0.8% higher. These deltas are all within a narrow band, meaning any of these processors paired with the same GPU would produce nearly identical frame rates in Lockdown Protocol. The Core Ultra 5 245 sits at the 90th percentile among all CPUs, so its processing capability is not the bottleneck in this configuration.

The GPU's nearest rivals paint a different picture. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 scores at the 40th percentile among all GPUs, and its closest competitors are the AMD Radeon HD 8850M (0.3% higher), the Intel UHD Graphics 750 (0.4% higher), the AMD Radeon R7 350 (0.6% higher), and the Intel Arc A310 (1% lower). These GPUs would deliver essentially the same frame rates in Lockdown Protocol at the same settings and resolutions. The Arc A310, despite being a newer architecture, trails by only 1%, reinforcing that the GTX 1650's performance class is well established.

For a system builder looking at this pairing, swapping the CPU to any of the four listed rivals would change game performance by less than 1%, while swapping the GPU to any of its four rivals would also shift results by roughly 1% or less. The frame rates recorded for this combo are therefore representative of a broader set of hardware configurations, not just this exact CPU and GPU pairing.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a GPU-bound system at all tested resolutions. The CPU, scoring at the 90th percentile among all processors, provides ample headroom for the GTX 1650, which sits at the 40th percentile. The frame rate scaling between resolutions confirms this: dropping from 4K to 1440p improves Low preset performance from 36 to 56 FPS, a 55.6% gain, while dropping from 1440p to 1080p improves it from 56 to 76 FPS, a 35.7% gain. These gains are far larger than what a CPU-limited system would show, since the CPU workload does not scale with resolution.

At 1080p Low, the 76 FPS average suggests the GPU is still the primary constraint, as a stronger GPU would likely push higher. The CPU's single-thread performance, measured at 4648 in Cinebench R23, and multi-thread score of 32924, are more than sufficient for a competitive FPS title. The gap between 1080p Low (76 FPS) and 1080p Ultra (35 FPS) is 54%, which is a purely GPU-side scaling cost.

The settings scaling also points to GPU dominance. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium costs 22 FPS (76 to 54), from Medium to High costs 7 FPS (54 to 47), and from High to Ultra costs 12 FPS (47 to 35). The largest single drop occurs at the Low to Medium step, which is typical for a GPU with limited memory bandwidth (128.1 GB/s) and 4 GB of VRAM. At 1440p, the same Low to Medium step costs 16 FPS (56 to 40), and at 4K it costs 10 FPS (36 to 26). The CPU's role is consistent across all of these scenarios: it feeds the GPU without becoming a limiting factor.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol, but only at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. The verdict data shows that at 3840x2160, no settings are playable; the best average is 36 FPS on Low, which is 24 FPS short of the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, the same situation applies: no settings reach 60 FPS, with the Low preset averaging 56 FPS. At 1920x1080, only the Low preset clears the threshold, averaging 76 FPS. Medium, High, and Ultra at 1080p all fall below 60 FPS, with averages of 54, 47, and 35 FPS respectively.

The system is therefore viable for competitive play only at 1080p with reduced graphical settings. Players seeking higher visual quality would need to accept frame rates in the 40s or 50s, which may be tolerable for some but does not meet the 60 FPS playability standard used in this database. At 1440p and 4K, the combination is not recommended for this game, as even the lowest settings fail to deliver smooth gameplay.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, there is no preset that maintains 60 FPS. The highest average achievable is 36 FPS on Low, which is below the threshold, so no recommendation can be made for this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the same outcome applies. The Low preset averages 56 FPS, which is 4 FPS short of 60, and no other preset comes closer. This resolution is not playable at any setting.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset is the only playable option, delivering an average of 76 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, and it is the recommended configuration for this system. Medium settings at 54 FPS, High at 47 FPS, and Ultra at 35 FPS all fall short. The 76 FPS average provides a 16 FPS margin over the threshold, offering some headroom for scene complexity spikes.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combo in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The only playable resolution is 1920x1080 with the Low preset, which averages 76 FPS. Both 2560x1440 and 3840x2160 fail to reach 60 FPS at any setting.

Q: Can this system run Lockdown Protocol at Ultra settings?

A: No. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 35 FPS; at 1440p Ultra, it is 26 FPS; and at 4K Ultra, it is 17 FPS. None of these approach the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How close is the 1440p Low preset to being playable?

A: The 1440p Low preset averages 56 FPS, which is 4 FPS below the 60 FPS threshold. It is the closest non-playable result in the measured data.

Q: Which component limits performance in this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The GTX 1650 sits at the 40th percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU sits at the 90th percentile. Frame rates scale strongly with resolution and settings, indicating GPU-bound performance.

Q: How does the GTX 1650 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GTX 1650's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon HD 8850M (0.3% higher score), Intel UHD Graphics 750 (0.4% higher), AMD Radeon R7 350 (0.6% higher), and Intel Arc A310 (1% lower). All would produce similar frame rates in this game.

Q: Is there any preset at 4K that reaches 60 FPS?

A: No. The best 4K result is 36 FPS on Low, and the worst is 17 FPS on Ultra. The 4K resolution is not viable for this game with this hardware.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database's tested combinations for Lockdown Protocol, this pairing ranks 3580 out of 3714 combos. This places it in the bottom 3.6% of all tested configurations, reflecting the GPU's low percentile standing. The CPU's strong performance (90th percentile) does not compensate for the GPU's weakness in this GPU-bound title. The rank indicates that most other tested combos, including those with weaker CPUs but stronger GPUs, would deliver better frame rates in this game. The GTX 1650's 4 GB VRAM and 128.1 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the higher presets, and the recorded data confirms that only the 1080p Low preset provides a playable experience. For context, the CPU's nearest rivals would not change this rank meaningfully, but a GPU upgrade to even a mid-range part would move this combo substantially higher in the rankings.