Lockdown Protocol

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for Lockdown Protocol with the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 shows a clear scaling pattern across resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080, the combination delivers consistently high frame rates. Low settings average 145 FPS, Medium averages 103 FPS with a minimum of 88 FPS and maximum of 119 FPS, High averages 90 FPS, and Ultra averages 67 FPS. The 1080p results place every preset well above the 60 FPS playability threshold, with Ultra still maintaining a comfortable margin.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but the gap between presets widens. Low settings average 106 FPS. Medium averages 76 FPS with a minimum of 64 FPS and maximum of 87 FPS. High averages 66 FPS. Ultra drops to an average of 49 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 57 FPS, showing that preset selection has a substantial impact on this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 2060 begins to struggle with the higher preset levels. Low settings average 69 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS mark. Medium averages 49 FPS with a minimum of 41 FPS and maximum of 56 FPS. High averages 43 FPS. Ultra averages 32 FPS. The 4K results show a steep decline as settings increase, with Ultra delivering less than half the frame rate of Low. The minimum frame rate at Medium, 41 FPS, indicates noticeable dips during intense scenes, and the maximum of 56 FPS never reaches the playability threshold.

The frame time consistency also varies by resolution. At 1080p Medium, the recorded minimum of 88 FPS and maximum of 119 FPS show a tight band around the 103 FPS average. At 1440p Medium, the spread from 64 FPS to 87 FPS around the 76 FPS average is wider in relative terms. At 4K Medium, the spread from 41 FPS to 56 FPS around the 49 FPS average represents significant variance, meaning the experience will feel less stable than the average suggests.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which averages 67 FPS. This is the optimal configuration for 1080p gaming on this hardware. The combination has enough headroom at this resolution that even the maximum preset level clears the playability threshold, and the 67 FPS average provides some buffer above the 60 FPS minimum.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are High, which averages 66 FPS. Ultra falls short at 49 FPS, so High represents the highest quality preset that maintains playable performance. The 66 FPS average at High leaves only a small margin above the 60 FPS threshold, so users should expect occasional dips below 60 FPS during demanding sequences, though the average remains acceptable.

At 3840x2160, the only playable preset is Low, which averages 69 FPS. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below 60 FPS, with averages of 49, 43, and 32 FPS respectively. Low at 4K provides a playable experience, but the visual quality is heavily reduced. The 69 FPS average at Low exceeds the 60 FPS threshold by a modest margin, leaving limited headroom for fluctuations.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data indicates that at 1920x1080, the GPU is the primary constraint. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265, with its 20 cores and 20 threads, provides ample processing power for this game. The CPU benchmarks show a 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 42216 and a single-core score of 5960. The RTX 2060, by contrast, sits at the 58th percentile among GPUs with a PassMark G3D score of 14111. At 1080p, the frame rate scaling from Low to Ultra, 145 FPS down to 67 FPS, reflects GPU workload rather than CPU limitation.

As resolution increases to 2560x1440, the GPU load grows further. The average frame rates at 1440p are roughly 73% of the 1080p values at corresponding settings. For example, High drops from 90 FPS at 1080p to 66 FPS at 1440p, a 27% reduction. This scaling confirms that the GPU is the limiting factor, since the CPU workload does not change significantly with resolution.

At 3840x2160, the GPU constraint becomes even more pronounced. The RTX 2060's 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 192-bit bus provide a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s, which is adequate for lower resolutions but strained at 4K. The average frame rates at 4K are roughly 48% of the 1080p values at corresponding settings. High drops from 90 FPS at 1080p to 43 FPS at 4K, a 52% reduction. The CPU's role remains constant across resolutions, so the dramatic frame rate drops at 4K are attributable entirely to GPU rendering capacity.

The CPU does matter for maintaining minimum frame rates. The Core Ultra 7 265's strong single-thread performance, reflected in a PassMark single-thread score of 4689, helps prevent CPU-bound stutters. However, in Lockdown Protocol, the recorded minimum frame rates at Medium settings across all resolutions (88 FPS at 1080p, 64 FPS at 1440p, 41 FPS at 4K) scale with resolution in a way that points to GPU memory bandwidth and fill rate as the limiting factors.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 provide context for CPU performance. The AMD EPYC 4464P has an average benchmark score of 64823, which is 0.3% lower than the Core Ultra 7 265's 64640 average. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265F scores 64438, 0.3% lower. The AMD EPYC 7343 scores 64202, 0.7% lower. The AMD EPYC 9124 scores 65104, 0.7% higher. These deltas are all within 1% of the Core Ultra 7 265, meaning any of these processors would deliver essentially identical gaming performance in Lockdown Protocol. The EPYC processors are server-class parts, but their benchmark scores place them in the same performance tier for this workload.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals to the RTX 2060 are closely matched. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 has an average score of 15283, essentially identical to the RTX 2060's 15290 with a delta of 0%. The AMD Radeon 680M scores 15270, 0.1% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM scores 15199, 0.6% lower. The AMD Radeon RX 7600 scores 15171, 0.8% lower. These four GPUs would all produce nearly identical frame rates in Lockdown Protocol. A system with any of these alternatives paired with the Core Ultra 7 265 would be expected to match the measured results within a small margin.

The RTX 2060's nearest rivals are particularly notable because they span different generations and market segments. The GTX 580 is a legacy architecture, while the Radeon 680M is an integrated solution. The RTX 3050 OEM and RX 7600 are more modern discrete options. The tight clustering of scores, within 0.8% of each other, means that swapping between these GPUs would not change the playability verdict at any resolution.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol, but the playable range depends heavily on resolution. At 1920x1080, the system clears 60 FPS at every preset, including Ultra with a 67 FPS average. This is the recommended resolution for this combination. Users can enable maximum settings and still maintain playable performance.

At 2560x1440, the system is playable at High settings with a 66 FPS average. Ultra drops to 49 FPS and is not recommended for smooth gameplay. The margin at High is thin, so users who prioritize consistent frame rates over visual quality may prefer Medium, which averages 76 FPS and has a minimum of 64 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system is only playable at Low settings, averaging 69 FPS. The RTX 2060's 6 GB memory capacity and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for higher presets at 4K. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below 60 FPS, with Ultra delivering just 32 FPS average. Users with 4K displays should accept Low settings or lower the resolution to 1440p for a better experience.

The verdict by resolution is clear: 1080p Ultra is fully playable, 1440p High is playable with minimal headroom, and 4K Low is the only playable option. The Core Ultra 7 265 provides ample CPU performance, as evidenced by its high benchmark scores, but the RTX 2060 is the limiting component at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination ranks 2941 out of 3714 tested combos in the database for Lockdown Protocol. This places the system in the lower portion of the rankings, around the 21st percentile of tested configurations. The ranking reflects the GPU's age and tier rather than the CPU, which is a top-tier processor by benchmark standards.

The CPU itself ranks at the 93rd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 64640. The GPU ranks at the 58th percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 15290. The combination of a high-end CPU with a mid-range GPU creates a bottleneck situation where the RTX 2060 restricts overall performance. Systems with higher-ranked GPUs paired with comparable or weaker CPUs would achieve better frame rates in Lockdown Protocol.

The rank of 2941 out of 3714 indicates that most tested combinations outperform this setup. This is consistent with the GPU's position in the performance hierarchy. The RTX 2060's nearest rivals, including the GTX 580 and Radeon 680M, sit at similar performance levels, so any of these combinations would rank similarly. Upgrading the GPU would yield a substantial ranking improvement, while upgrading the CPU would provide minimal gains for this game, as the GPU is already the limiting factor.