Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile is a flagship-class mobile combo, and the measured data for Lockdown Protocol confirms it sits well above the playability threshold at nearly every setting. The combination ranks 806th out of 3714 tested combos, placing it in the top quarter of all systems tested for this title. Across all three resolutions, the system delivers average frame rates that range from a playable 58 FPS at 4K Ultra up to 262 FPS at 1080p Low, indicating a hardware pairing that is far more capable than the minimum requirements for smooth gameplay.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame value of 806 out of 3714 tested combinations places this system in the 78th percentile of all hardware pairings evaluated for Lockdown Protocol. This means roughly 22% of tested systems perform better, while the vast majority of configurations fall below this setup. The ranking reflects the combined strength of the CPU and GPU, but the data suggests the GPU is the primary driver of this position. The RTX 4090 Mobile's PassMark G3D score of 27212 places it in the 84th percentile of all GPUs, while the Core Ultra 9 185H's average benchmark score of 35670 places it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. Both components are near the top of their respective fields, which explains the strong overall rank.

The rank becomes even more meaningful when considering the CPU's nearest rivals. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 sits just 0.1% behind in average score, the Intel Core 7 250H trails by 0.2%, and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 is 0.4% behind. The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X, a desktop-class part, is only 0.7% ahead. This clustering shows that the Core Ultra 9 185H is competitive with the best available mobile processors, though not a clear leader. On the GPU side, the RTX 4090 Mobile's nearest rivals tell a similar story: the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 is 0.8% ahead, the GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile is 0.9% ahead, and the RTX A6000 is 0.9% behind. The performance deltas are small, meaning a swap to any of these alternatives would produce nearly identical frame rates in Lockdown Protocol.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured FPS data reveals how the balance of CPU and GPU load shifts across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system averages 262 FPS on Low settings, which is the highest frame rate recorded in the entire dataset. This suggests that at lower resolutions, the GPU is not fully saturated, and the CPU's single-thread performance (Geekbench single-core score of 1794) is sufficient to feed frames quickly. Moving from Low to Ultra at 1080p drops the average to 122 FPS, a reduction of 140 FPS. This large drop indicates the GPU is becoming the limiting factor as settings increase, since the CPU workload remains relatively constant while the GPU must render more complex scenes.

At 2560x1440, the scaling pattern changes. Low settings produce 192 FPS, Medium drops to 136 FPS, High yields 119 FPS, and Ultra falls to 89 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 103 FPS, slightly smaller than at 1080p. This compression suggests the GPU is handling more of the load at higher resolutions, but the CPU still has headroom. The Core Ultra 9 185H's multi-core strength (Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 17984.5) ensures that even at 1440p, the processor is not a bottleneck. At 3840x2160, the pattern becomes even more pronounced: Low averages 124 FPS, Medium 88 FPS, High 77 FPS, and Ultra 58 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 66 FPS, the smallest gap of any resolution. This indicates that at 4K, the GPU is the dominant constraint, with the RTX 4090 Mobile's 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 576.0 GB/s bandwidth being pushed to their limits.

The data shows a clear transition: at 1080p, the CPU has more influence on frame rates, especially at lower settings where the GPU can easily keep up. As resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the GPU becomes progressively more important, with the 4K Ultra result falling below the 60 FPS threshold. This is not a CPU limitation—the processor's multi-threaded performance is ample for this game—but rather the sheer pixel count and graphical complexity overwhelming the mobile GPU's 9728 shading units.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, with an average of 77 FPS. Medium averages 88 FPS, and Low reaches 124 FPS, but High offers the best visual quality while maintaining a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS playability threshold. Ultra falls short at 58 FPS, which is below the threshold and would require a reduction in settings for smooth play.

At 2560x1440, all four presets are playable. Ultra averages 89 FPS, which is the best setting available and still clears the 60 FPS mark by a wide margin. High averages 119 FPS, Medium 136 FPS, and Low 192 FPS. For users prioritizing maximum visual fidelity, Ultra is the clear choice at this resolution, as the 89 FPS average leaves enough headroom for dips in demanding scenes.

At 1920x1080, the system can handle Ultra at 122 FPS average, making it the best setting that maintains 60 FPS. High averages 162 FPS, Medium 186 FPS, and Low 262 FPS. The 122 FPS at Ultra is more than double the playability threshold, indicating the GPU is far from stressed at 1080p. This resolution offers the most flexibility, as even the most demanding preset provides a high-refresh-rate experience.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals, the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H is surrounded by closely matched alternatives. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 has an average score of 35719, just 0.1% below the Core Ultra 9's 35670. The Intel Core 7 250H scores 35728, a 0.2% difference. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 scores 35802, trailing by 0.4%. The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X scores 35909, which is 0.7% higher. In practical terms, swapping the Core Ultra 9 185H for any of these processors would result in nearly identical frame rates in Lockdown Protocol, as the game is not heavily CPU-bound at the tested settings.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4090 Mobile's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro M6000, which scores 43301 on average, 0.8% higher than the RTX 4090 Mobile's 43667. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile scores 43268, 0.9% higher. The NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB scores 43262, also 0.9% higher. The NVIDIA RTX A6000 scores 44075, which is 0.9% lower. These deltas are all within one percentage point, meaning any of these GPUs would produce frame rates within a few FPS of the RTX 4090 Mobile in this game. A system with any of these CPU-GPU combinations would behave essentially identically to the tested configuration.

FAQ

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

A: No. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 58, which falls below the 60 FPS playability threshold. The best playable setting at 4K is High, which averages 77 FPS.

Q: What is the highest playable setting at 1440p?

A: Ultra settings at 2560x1440 average 89 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. All four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable at this resolution.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest competitor?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H's average benchmark score is 35670, which is 0.1% lower than the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350's 35719 and 0.2% lower than the Intel Core 7 250H's 35728. The differences are negligible for gaming performance.

Q: Is the GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: No. At 1920x1080 Low, the system averages 262 FPS, indicating the GPU has significant headroom. Even at Ultra, the average is 122 FPS, well above the threshold, suggesting the CPU is capable of feeding frames quickly enough.

Q: What is the performance gap between Low and Ultra at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, Low averages 124 FPS while Ultra averages 58 FPS, a difference of 66 FPS. This is the smallest gap among the three resolutions, showing the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 806th out of 3714 tested combinations, placing it in the 78th percentile. This means it outperforms roughly 78% of all tested setups for Lockdown Protocol.

The Verdict

This PC can absolutely run Lockdown Protocol, and it does so with substantial performance to spare at most settings. At 1920x1080, all presets are playable, with Ultra averaging 122 FPS—more than double the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, the system again clears 60 FPS at every preset, with Ultra averaging 89 FPS. The only limitation appears at 3840x2160, where Ultra dips to 58 FPS, just below the playability threshold. The best playable setting at 4K is High, which averages 77 FPS.

For users with a 1080p or 1440p monitor, this system delivers a high-refresh-rate experience even at maximum settings. The 122 FPS at 1080p Ultra and 89 FPS at 1440p Ultra both provide smooth gameplay with no concerns about frame drops. At 4K, the system is still highly capable, but users must choose between High settings at 77 FPS or Ultra at 58 FPS. Given that the difference between High and Ultra is a relatively small visual gain for a 19 FPS cost, High is the recommended choice for 4K displays.

Measured FPS Breakdown

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: average 124 FPS. This is the fastest preset at 4K, providing the highest frame rate available at this resolution.
• Medium: average 88 FPS, with a minimum of 75 and maximum of 101. The min-max range of 26 FPS indicates some scene-to-scene variability.
• High: average 77 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that stays above 60 FPS, with a comfortable margin.
• Ultra: average 58 FPS. This falls below the 60 FPS playability threshold, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: average 192 FPS. The high frame rate at this setting shows the GPU is not stressed at 1440p Low.
• Medium: average 136 FPS, with a minimum of 116 and maximum of 157. The 41 FPS spread is the largest recorded at 1440p.
• High: average 119 FPS. This provides a strong balance of visual quality and performance.
• Ultra: average 89 FPS. This is the best visual setting and still delivers well above the 60 FPS threshold.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: average 262 FPS. This is the highest frame rate recorded in the entire dataset, showing the system's peak capability.
• Medium: average 186 FPS, with a minimum of 158 and maximum of 214. The min-max spread of 56 FPS is the largest of any preset across all resolutions.
• High: average 162 FPS. This is more than enough for any high-refresh-rate monitor.
• Ultra: average 122 FPS. The most demanding preset at 1080p still delivers double the playability threshold.