Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is an exceptionally capable combination for Lockdown Protocol, delivering playable frame rates at every resolution and preset combination tested. The data shows a clear verdict: this system can run the game at 60 FPS or better across the board, with the weakest result being an 83 FPS average at 4K Ultra settings, which still comfortably clears the playable threshold. The combination's raw performance is underscored by its ranking in the 56th percentile out of 3,714 tested combos, placing it firmly among the top-tier configurations for this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160 (4K), the measured frame rates show a clear hierarchy across the four presets. The Low preset delivers an average of 178 FPS, while Medium produces an average of 127 FPS with a recorded minimum of 108 FPS and a maximum of 146 FPS. High settings yield an average of 111 FPS, and the Ultra preset, which represents the most demanding configuration, drops to an average of 83 FPS. Notably, only the Medium preset at 4K has documented min/max values, suggesting that the other presets were tested without capturing those specific metrics, but the averages alone indicate that every 4K setting maintains substantial headroom above the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440 (1440p), the performance scaling becomes more pronounced. The Low preset achieves a remarkable 276 FPS average, while Medium reaches 196 FPS with a minimum of 167 FPS and a maximum of 226 FPS. High settings produce 171 FPS on average, and Ultra still manages a strong 128 FPS. The gap between 4K and 1440p is significant at every preset, with the Low preset showing a 55% improvement in frame rate (from 178 to 276 FPS) when dropping from 4K to 1440p, while the Ultra preset improves by 54% (from 83 to 128 FPS). This indicates that resolution scaling has a substantial impact on performance, even with a GPU as powerful as the RTX 5090.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the system's performance becomes almost excessive for the game's demands. The Low preset produces a staggering 360 FPS average, which is the highest recorded value across all tested configurations. Medium settings deliver 268 FPS with a minimum of 227 FPS and a maximum of 308 FPS, while High achieves 234 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1080p still generates 175 FPS on average, which is higher than the 4K Low preset's 178 FPS by a narrow margin. The progression from 1080p to 1440p shows a 27% reduction in frame rate at Ultra settings (from 175 to 128 FPS), and from 1440p to 4K at Ultra, there is another 35% reduction (from 128 to 83 FPS), demonstrating a consistent and predictable scaling curve.

The min/max data available for Medium settings across all three resolutions provides additional insight into frame time consistency. At 4K Medium, the range spans from 108 to 146 FPS, a spread of 38 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the range is from 167 to 226 FPS, a spread of 59 FPS. At 1080p Medium, the range is from 227 to 308 FPS, a spread of 81 FPS. These widening ranges at lower resolutions suggest that the CPU becomes more involved in frame generation as the GPU load decreases, which is consistent with the Core Ultra 5 245's 14-core, 14-thread configuration and its PassMark multithread score of 38,706.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a clear division of labor between the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090, with the GPU dominating at higher resolutions and the CPU's influence becoming more apparent as resolution drops. At 4K, the RTX 5090's massive 32 GB GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth are the primary drivers of performance. The GPU's 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 compute capability and 21,760 shading units handle the pixel throughput demanded by 3840x2160, as evidenced by the 83 FPS average at Ultra settings. The CPU's role at 4K is secondary, as the frame rates are largely determined by the GPU's rendering capacity rather than the processor's ability to feed draw calls.

At 1440p, the balance shifts slightly. The GPU still carries the majority of the workload, but the CPU's 14 cores and 5.10 GHz boost clock begin to matter more. The 276 FPS average at Low settings suggests that the CPU is capable of driving frame generation well past the GPU's limits at this resolution, but the 128 FPS Ultra result indicates that the GPU remains the bottleneck when graphical effects are maximized. The Core Ultra 5 245's Cinebench R23 multicore score of 32,924 and single-core score of 4,648 demonstrate strong per-thread performance, which is critical for maintaining high frame rates in an FPS title like Lockdown Protocol.

At 1080p, the CPU's role becomes much more prominent. The 360 FPS average at Low settings is a clear indicator that the GPU is being underutilized, as the RTX 5090 is capable of far higher output if the CPU could feed it faster. The 234 FPS High result and 175 FPS Ultra result show that even at maximum settings, the system is unlikely to be GPU-bound at 1080p. This is further supported by the PassMark single-thread score of 4,394 for the Core Ultra 5 245, which ranks in the 90th percentile against all CPUs. The scaling between presets at 1080p is compressed relative to higher resolutions: Ultra is 51% slower than Low at 1080p (175 vs. 360 FPS), whereas at 4K, Ultra is 53% slower than Low (83 vs. 178 FPS), suggesting that the GPU's role remains significant even at lower resolutions.

The resolution scaling data reinforces this analysis. When moving from 4K to 1440p, the average frame rate increases by 54% at Ultra settings (83 to 128 FPS). From 1440p to 1080p, the increase at Ultra is 37% (128 to 175 FPS). The diminishing returns at lower resolutions indicate that the GPU is becoming less of a constraint, and the CPU's 14 threads are increasingly responsible for maintaining frame pacing. The Core Ultra 5 245's L3 cache of 24 MB shared across all cores helps mitigate thread contention, which is beneficial for a game that likely spawns multiple simulation threads typical of the FPS genre.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals to the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 are all within a narrow performance band, making any of them viable substitutes in this configuration. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G has an average benchmark score of 49,196, which is 0.4% lower than the Core Ultra 5 245's 48,995 average. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900 scores 49,228, a 0.5% delta, making it essentially identical in overall compute capability. The Intel Xeon Gold 5318H scores 48,698, which is 0.6% higher, and the Intel Core i5-14600K scores 48,618, a 0.8% delta. These four alternatives bracket the Core Ultra 5 245 so tightly that swapping to any of them would produce near-identical frame rates in Lockdown Protocol, assuming the GPU remains constant.

On the GPU side, the RTX 5090's nearest rivals are more spread out in terms of architectural differences but still close in aggregate benchmark scores. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB scores 79,605, which is 0.3% higher than the RTX 5090's 79,842 average. The Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB scores 79,396, a 0.6% delta. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 78,940, a 1.1% delta, and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X scores 80,959, which is 1.4% higher. The data shows that while these alternatives are numerically close in average benchmark scores, their real-world gaming performance could differ due to driver optimization and feature sets, but the aggregate scores suggest they would produce broadly similar frame rates in Lockdown Protocol.

The combination of the Core Ultra 5 245 with any of these rival GPUs, or the RTX 5090 with any of the rival CPUs, would yield performance within roughly 1% of the tested configuration. This is because the bottleneck analysis shows that both components are sufficiently powerful that small compute differences do not translate into meaningful FPS changes, particularly at 4K where the GPU dominates. For users considering a similar build, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 offers the closest CPU match with a 0.5% delta, while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X represents the closest GPU alternative at 1.4% higher aggregate score, though its workstation-oriented design may not translate directly to gaming performance.

The Verdict

The measured data is unambiguous: this PC can run Lockdown Protocol at 60 FPS or higher at every resolution and preset combination tested. At 3840x2160, the verdictByResolution data lists High, Low, Medium, and Ultra as all playable settings, with the best settings being Ultra at an average of 83 FPS. This means that even the most graphically demanding configuration at 4K maintains a 23 FPS buffer above the 60 FPS playable threshold, providing a smooth experience with room to spare for demanding scenes or background tasks.

At 2560x1440, all four presets are playable, with Ultra being the best setting at an average of 128 FPS. This more than doubles the 60 FPS threshold, giving users the freedom to enable all graphical features without concern for frame rate drops. The 1440p Medium preset's minimum recorded frame rate of 167 FPS further confirms that even worst-case scenarios stay well above playable levels.

At 1920x1080, the system achieves its peak performance, with Ultra settings delivering 175 FPS on average. The Low preset's 360 FPS average is so far above the playable threshold that the system is effectively overkill for competitive play, though the Ultra preset's 175 FPS is more than sufficient for any esports scenario. The verdictByResolution data confirms that all settings at 1080p are playable, with the best setting being Ultra at 175 FPS.

The only caveat in the data is that min/max frame rates are only available for Medium settings at each resolution. The 4K Medium minimum of 108 FPS, 1440p Medium minimum of 167 FPS, and 1080p Medium minimum of 227 FPS all indicate that frame times are stable, with no dips below the 60 FPS threshold in the recorded data. The absence of min/max data for other presets means that worst-case scenarios for those settings cannot be verified, but the average frame rates are sufficiently high that even a 50% drop would still clear the playability threshold in most cases.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combination can achieve in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The highest recorded average frame rate is 360 FPS at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This represents the peak performance of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination.

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the data shows an average of 83 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, which is 23 FPS above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The verdictByResolution data lists Ultra as the best playable setting at 4K.

Q: Which resolution offers the best balance of visual quality and frame rate?

A: At 2560x1440 with Ultra settings, the system achieves 128 FPS on average. This provides high visual fidelity while maintaining a frame rate that is more than double the 60 FPS threshold, making it the recommended resolution for the best overall experience.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in terms of benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 has an average benchmark score of 48,995, which is within 0.8% of its nearest rivals. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G scores 49,196 (-0.4%), the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 scores 49,228 (-0.5%), the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H scores 48,698 (+0.6%), and the Intel Core i5-14600K scores 48,618 (+0.8%).

Q: What is the frame time consistency like at Medium settings?

A: The min/max data for Medium settings shows consistent performance: at 4K, the range is 108-146 FPS; at 1440p, it is 167-226 FPS; and at 1080p, it is 227-308 FPS. These ranges indicate stable frame delivery without significant dips.

Q: How does this combination rank against other tested systems?

A: The combo rank in game is 56 out of 3,714 tested combinations, placing it in the top 2% of all configurations tested for Lockdown Protocol. This ranking reflects the system's ability to maintain high frame rates across all resolutions and presets.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination ranks 56th out of 3,714 tested configurations for Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the top 1.5% of all systems evaluated. This ranking is consistent with the measured performance data, which shows the system exceeding 60 FPS at every resolution and preset combination, with the lowest average being 83 FPS at 4K Ultra. The high ranking is driven by the RTX 5090's exceptional compute capabilities, including its 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 32 GB of GDDR7 memory, which are among the highest recorded for any GPU in the database.

The CPU's contribution to this ranking is more modest but still significant. The Core Ultra 5 245's 90th percentile ranking against all CPUs, combined with its 14 cores and 5.10 GHz boost clock, ensures that it does not bottleneck the GPU at any tested resolution. The 56th overall ranking out of 3,714 systems suggests that this combination outperforms the vast majority of configurations, including many that pair the RTX 5090 with more expensive or higher-core-count processors. This is because Lockdown Protocol appears to be well-optimized for the 14-thread architecture of the Core Ultra 5 245, as evidenced by the strong scaling from 4K to 1080p.

For context, the ranking places this system well ahead of the median tested configuration, and the delta between this combo and the top-ranked systems is likely driven by CPUs with higher single-thread performance or additional cache. However, the practical difference in frame rates is minimal, as the system already exceeds 175 FPS at 1080p Ultra and 128 FPS at 1440p Ultra, both of which are far beyond the 60 FPS playable threshold. The combination's rank of 56 out of 3,714 represents a top-tier result that would satisfy even the most demanding players seeking high refresh rate gaming at any resolution.