Lockdown Protocol

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus sits in a tight cluster of high-end desktop and server processors. Its average benchmark score of 84003 places it within 1.3% of the nearest rivals in the database. The closest match is the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, which scores 83807, a delta of just 0.2%. That means the 290K Plus is effectively a side-grade in raw compute performance, not a meaningful step forward. The AMD EPYC 4584PX trails by 1.1% with a score of 83090, while the AMD EPYC 9135 is 1.2% behind at 82980. The only rival that edges ahead is the AMD EPYC 7F72, which posts 85072, a 1.3% advantage. For gaming workloads that rely on single-thread strength, the 290K Plus records a PassMark single-thread score of 4823, which is strong but not class-leading.

On the GPU side, the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT is an older part, and its nearest rivals show how tightly grouped mid-range GPUs can be. The Radeon Pro 5600M matches it almost exactly with an average score of 16351 versus 16361, a 0.1% difference. The NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell scores 16408, which is 0.3% higher, and the AMD Radeon PRO W7500 is also 0.3% higher at 16415. Interestingly, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D V2 appears in this list with a score of 16504, just 0.9% ahead. This suggests that in the database's aggregate GPU benchmark, the RX 5700 XT performs in line with a range of professional and flagship cards, though its 59th percentile ranking among all GPUs indicates there are many faster options above it. For Lockdown Protocol specifically, the measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, but at 1080p the CPU has enough headroom to push frame rates well past the playable threshold.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data for Lockdown Protocol shows a clear shift in bottleneck behavior as resolution changes. At 1920x1080, the CPU plays a larger role because frame rates are high enough that the GPU is not always saturated. The Low preset at 1080p delivers 156 FPS average, which is the highest recorded value in the entire dataset. That number suggests the CPU can feed the GPU efficiently at low settings. Moving from Low to High at 1080p drops the average to 97 FPS, a 38% reduction, which is primarily due to increased GPU workload. At 1080p Ultra, the average falls to 72 FPS, still above the 60 FPS threshold but showing that the GPU is now the dominant constraint.

At 2560x1440, the GPU becomes more limiting. The Low preset averages 114 FPS, which is still high, but the gap between Low and High narrows: High averages 71 FPS, a 38% drop from Low. The Medium preset sits at 81 FPS, and Ultra drops to 53 FPS, which is below the playable threshold. This pattern indicates that the RX 5700 XT has enough compute for 1440p at lower settings, but the transition from Medium to Ultra pushes it over the edge. The CPU, with 24 cores and 24 threads, is not the bottleneck here; the recorded FPS scaling aligns with GPU-bound behavior.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is almost entirely responsible for performance. Low averages 74 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium drops to 52 FPS, High to 46 FPS, and Ultra to 34 FPS. The steep decline from Low to Medium (a 30% drop) and from Medium to Ultra (a 35% drop) reflects the GPU's memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s and its 8 GB GDDR6 frame buffer. At 4K, the CPU's high single-thread score of 4823 is largely irrelevant because the GPU cannot produce enough frames to expose any CPU limitation. In short, the 290K Plus is overkill for this game at 4K, while the RX 5700 XT is the deciding factor at every resolution above 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Lockdown Protocol, this pairing ranks 2759 out of 3714 combos. That places it in the lower half of all tested systems, which is surprising given the high-end CPU. The rank reflects the GPU's age and its 59th percentile standing among all GPUs. The CPU alone sits at the 96th percentile among all CPUs, but the combo rank is dragged down by the RX 5700 XT. In practical terms, this means there are 955 tested combos that deliver better performance in this game, and many of those likely use mid-range GPUs paired with slower CPUs.

The ranking also makes sense when looking at the FPS data. At 1080p, the combo can hit 72 FPS on Ultra, which is respectable, but at 1440p it drops to 53 FPS on Ultra, and at 4K it only reaches 34 FPS on Ultra. These numbers are not competitive with modern GPU pairings. The CPU's performance is effectively wasted at 4K because the GPU cannot keep up. However, the rank is not catastrophic: the combo still clears the 60 FPS threshold at 1080p on every preset, and at 1440p on High, Low, and Medium. The database ranks it lower than the CPU's individual standing would suggest, which is a clear indicator that the GPU is the weak link.

The Verdict

Can this PC run Lockdown Protocol? The answer is yes, but with conditions. According to the recorded data, the system maintains at least 60 FPS at 1920x1080 across all four presets: Low, Medium, High, and Ultra. The best playable setting at 1080p is Ultra, which averages 72 FPS. At 2560x1440, the system achieves 60 FPS or higher on Low, Medium, and High, with High being the best setting at 71 FPS average. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset clears the 60 FPS threshold, with an average of 74 FPS.

The verdict by resolution is unambiguous. For 1080p gaming, this combo is more than sufficient, even at maximum settings. For 1440p, it requires a drop from Ultra to High to stay fluid, but High still delivers a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. For 4K, the system is barely playable, and only at Low settings. The 74 FPS average at 4K Low is above the threshold, but the lack of min/max data for that preset means there is no information on frame pacing. The Medium preset at 4K has recorded min and max values of 44 and 60 FPS, which shows that even the average of 52 FPS includes dips below the playable line. Owners should treat 4K as a low-settings experience only.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four settings each, for a total of 12 data points. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers the highest average at 156 FPS. Medium averages 111 FPS with a min of 94 and a max of 127. High averages 97 FPS, and Ultra averages 72 FPS. Notably, the min and max values are only recorded for Medium at this resolution, so the other presets lack frame-time detail. The gap between Low and Ultra is 84 FPS, which is a 54% reduction. This indicates that the GPU workload scales heavily with preset quality at 1080p.

At 2560x1440, Low averages 114 FPS. Medium averages 81 FPS with a min of 69 and a max of 93. High averages 71 FPS, and Ultra drops to 53 FPS. The Medium preset shows a min of 69 FPS, which is still above the 60 FPS threshold, but the Ultra preset's average of 53 FPS suggests that dips below 60 are likely. The step from High to Ultra is an 18 FPS drop, or 25%, which is the largest single-step decline at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, Low averages 74 FPS. Medium averages 52 FPS with a min of 44 and a max of 60. High averages 46 FPS, and Ultra averages 34 FPS. The Medium preset's min of 44 FPS is well below the playable threshold, indicating stutter or frame drops. The High and Ultra presets have no recorded min/max, but their averages of 46 and 34 FPS are both below 60. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is a 40 FPS drop, a 54% reduction, which mirrors the 1080p pattern but at lower absolute numbers.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 72 FPS. This is the maximum quality setting available, so the system can run Lockdown Protocol at full visual fidelity at 1080p. The 72 FPS average provides a 20% margin above the playable threshold, though there is no min/max data to confirm stable frame times.

For 2560x1440, the best setting is High, averaging 71 FPS. Medium also clears the threshold at 81 FPS, but High offers better quality while still maintaining a 71 FPS average, which is 18% above the 60 FPS line. Ultra is not playable at this resolution, as its 53 FPS average falls short. The choice between Medium and High is a trade-off of 10 FPS for higher visual fidelity, and the data shows High is the optimal pick.

For 3840x2160, the only playable setting is Low, with an average of 74 FPS. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below 60 FPS, with averages of 52, 46, and 34 respectively. The Low preset's 74 FPS is a solid result for 4K, but the lack of min/max data means it is unclear whether the frame rate is consistent. Given that the Medium preset shows a min of 44 FPS, it is reasonable to assume that Low also experiences some variance, but the average is high enough to recommend it as the only viable 4K option. In summary, the system is best used at 1080p Ultra or 1440p High, with 4K reserved for low-detail play.