Lockdown Protocol

This PC combination pairs the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus with the AMD Radeon RX 6600. The benchmark data for Lockdown Protocol shows a system that handles 1080p comfortably, manages 1440p with some settings compromises, and struggles at 4K. The CPU is a top-tier desktop processor, while the GPU is a mid-range RDNA 2 part, and their combined performance in this FPS title reveals a clear GPU bottleneck at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the AMD Radeon RX 6600 ranks 2901 out of 3714 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the bottom 22% of all CPU/GPU pairings tested for this game. The ranking reflects the significant mismatch between the CPU and GPU: the processor sits in the 96th percentile against all CPUs, while the graphics card is only in the 63rd percentile against all GPUs.

The low combo rank is primarily driven by the RX 6600's modest performance ceiling. While the CPU can feed frames far beyond what the GPU can render, the overall system score is dragged down by the graphics card's position relative to other tested hardware. At 1080p, the system manages a 146 FPS average on Low settings, which is respectable, but the rank suggests that many other combinations deliver higher frame rates across the board.

The delta between the combo's rank and what the CPU alone can achieve is substantial. The Core Ultra 9 290K Plus outperforms 96% of all CPUs in the database, yet the full system only beats 22% of tested combos in this game. This gap quantifies how heavily the RX 6600 limits the overall package. For Lockdown Protocol specifically, the benchmark results indicate that the GPU is the primary constraint, and users should expect performance closer to the graphics card's tier than the processor's tier.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this PC in Lockdown Protocol?

A: At 1920x1080, the system can run Ultra settings with an average of 68 FPS. At 2560x1440, the best playable setting is High with an average of 66 FPS. At 3840x2160, only Low settings are playable, delivering an average of 69 FPS.

Q: Can this PC maintain 60 FPS at 4K resolution?

A: Only at Low settings, where the average FPS is 69. Medium settings at 4K drop to 49 FPS average with a minimum of 42 FPS, while High and Ultra settings fall to 43 FPS and 32 FPS averages respectively.

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

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84003. Its closest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, scores 83807, which is 0.2% lower. The AMD EPYC 4584PX scores 83090 (1.1% lower), and the AMD EPYC 9135 scores 82980 (1.2% lower). The AMD EPYC 7F72 scores higher at 85072, a 1.3% delta.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p and 1440p at High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with High settings, the average FPS is 90. At 2560x1440 with the same settings, the average drops to 66 FPS. This represents a 24 FPS decrease, or roughly a 27% reduction in average frame rate when moving from 1080p to 1440p.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6600 has an average benchmark score of 19036. The NVIDIA Quadro K6000 scores 19030 (0% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile scores 19049 (0.1% higher), the NVIDIA Tesla K20m scores 19089 (0.3% higher), and the NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation scores 18954 (0.4% lower). All rivals are within a 0.4% performance band.

Q: Does lowering settings from Ultra to Low help more at 4K or 1080p?

A: At 3840x2160, going from Ultra (32 FPS) to Low (69 FPS) more than doubles the average frame rate, a gain of 37 FPS. At 1920x1080, the same settings change moves from 68 FPS to 146 FPS, a gain of 78 FPS. The absolute gain is larger at 1080p, but the relative improvement is similar, with both resolutions roughly doubling performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers four resolutions and four settings presets, though not every combination includes min and max values. At 3840x2160, Low settings produce an average of 69 FPS with no min or max recorded. Medium settings at 4K average 49 FPS, with a minimum of 42 and a maximum of 56. High settings average 43 FPS, and Ultra settings average 32 FPS, both without min or max values.

Moving to 2560x1440, Low settings deliver an average of 107 FPS. Medium settings average 76 FPS with a minimum of 64 and a maximum of 87. High settings average 66 FPS, and Ultra settings average 50 FPS. The pattern shows a consistent step-down as settings increase, with the gap between Low and Ultra being 57 FPS at 1440p.

At 1920x1080, the system performs best. Low settings average 146 FPS, Medium settings average 103 FPS with a minimum of 88 and a maximum of 119, High settings average 90 FPS, and Ultra settings average 68 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 78 FPS, which is the largest spread across all resolutions.

The data reveals that min and max values are only provided for Medium settings at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the minimum of 88 FPS stays above the 60 FPS playable threshold. At 1440p Medium, the minimum of 64 FPS also clears the threshold. At 4K Medium, the minimum of 42 FPS falls well below playable levels, confirming that Medium at 4K is not viable.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol at playable frame rates, but the playable settings vary significantly by resolution. At 1920x1080, the system clears the 60 FPS threshold at all four presets: Low averages 146 FPS, Medium averages 103 FPS, High averages 90 FPS, and Ultra averages 68 FPS. The best settings at 1080p are Ultra, which delivers an average of 68 FPS, just above the 60 FPS playable mark.

At 2560x1440, three of four settings are playable. Low averages 107 FPS, Medium averages 76 FPS, and High averages 66 FPS. Ultra drops to 50 FPS, which is below the threshold. The best playable settings at 1440p are High, with an average of 66 FPS. This gives users a solid quality-to-performance balance, though the margin above 60 FPS is narrow.

At 3840x2160, only Low settings are playable, with an average of 69 FPS. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below 60 FPS, averaging 49 FPS, 43 FPS, and 32 FPS respectively. The verdict is clear: this combination is a 1080p machine for Lockdown Protocol, with acceptable 1440p performance at reduced settings and marginal 4K performance only at the lowest preset.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K performs nearly identically, with an average benchmark score of 83807 compared to the 290K Plus's 84003, a delta of just 0.2%. The AMD EPYC 4584PX and AMD EPYC 9135 are also close, with scores of 83090 and 82980, deltas of 1.1% and 1.2% respectively. The AMD EPYC 7F72 scores slightly higher at 85072, a 1.3% delta in the other direction. Any of these CPUs paired with the RX 6600 would produce nearly identical results in Lockdown Protocol, since the game's frame rates are limited by the GPU at most settings.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are all within a 0.4% performance band. The NVIDIA Quadro K6000 matches the RX 6600's average score of 19036 at 19030, a 0% delta. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile scores 19049, which is 0.1% higher. The NVIDIA Tesla K20m scores 19089, 0.3% higher, and the NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation scores 18954, 0.4% lower. A system with the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and any of these GPUs would deliver very similar FPS numbers in Lockdown Protocol, as the benchmark scores translate to comparable rendering performance.

The practical implication is that users with any of these rival components can expect similar behavior. The 0.2% CPU delta between the 290K Plus and the 285K would not produce a measurable difference in FPS, and the 0.4% GPU delta between the RX 6600 and its closest rivals is equally negligible. The bottleneck remains the graphics card, so upgrading to any of these alternatives would not meaningfully change the game's performance profile.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Low, with an average of 69 FPS. Medium falls to 49 FPS, so Low is the only viable option at 4K. The 9 FPS margin above the threshold is comfortable but not excessive, and users should expect occasional dips below 60 FPS during intense scenes.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are High, with an average of 66 FPS. This provides a 6 FPS margin above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium averages 76 FPS, which offers a larger safety margin, but High delivers better visual quality while still clearing the playable bar. Ultra is not playable at 50 FPS average.

At 1920x1080, Ultra settings are the best choice, with an average of 68 FPS. This exceeds the 60 FPS threshold by 8 FPS. High averages 90 FPS and Medium averages 103 FPS, both offering more headroom, but Ultra provides the highest visual fidelity while maintaining playability. Low settings at 146 FPS are available for users prioritizing maximum frame rates.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data clearly shows that the GPU is the limiting factor in Lockdown Protocol at all resolutions. Evidence comes from the scaling patterns. At 1920x1080 Low, the system achieves 146 FPS, which is a high frame rate that still falls well short of what the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus could drive if paired with a stronger GPU. The processor's 96th percentile ranking against all CPUs indicates it is not the constraint.

Resolution scaling makes the GPU bottleneck more pronounced. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings reduces the average FPS from 90 to 66, a 27% drop. Moving from 1440p to 4K at High settings further reduces the average to 43 FPS, another 35% drop. These steep declines as resolution increases are characteristic of GPU-limited performance. A CPU-limited scenario would show much smaller frame rate differences across resolutions.

Settings scaling also points to GPU dominance. At 1080p, going from Low to Ultra reduces the average FPS from 146 to 68, a 53% decrease. At 4K, the same settings change reduces the average from 69 to 32, a 54% decrease. The consistency of these percentage drops across resolutions suggests the GPU is handling the rendering workload proportionally, while the CPU's role remains relatively constant.

The CPU's contribution is more visible at lower resolutions and lower settings. At 1080p Low, the 146 FPS average indicates the CPU is capable of feeding frames quickly. However, even at this resolution, the RX 6600's shading units and memory bandwidth limit the ceiling. At 4K, the CPU's role diminishes further, as the GPU becomes the overwhelming constraint regardless of settings. For users seeking higher frame rates in Lockdown Protocol, upgrading the graphics card would yield far larger gains than swapping the processor for any of its near-identical rivals.