Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and AMD Radeon RX 7700 combination delivers a robust 1080p and 1440p experience in Lockdown Protocol, with 4K requiring a settings compromise. Benchmark data shows the pairing clearing 60 FPS at every tested resolution, though the margin shrinks considerably at 3840x2160.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for 4K gameplay?

A: At 3840x2160, the Medium preset is the most demanding option that stays at or above 60 FPS, delivering an average of 67 FPS. The High preset drops to 59 FPS average, just below the playable threshold, while Ultra falls to 44 FPS.

Q: Can this system run Lockdown Protocol at 1440p with maximum settings?

A: Yes. The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 produces an average of 68 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS playable threshold. All four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are listed as playable at this resolution.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rival?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84003, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (83807). It also sits 1.1% above the AMD EPYC 4584PX and 1.2% above the AMD EPYC 9135.

Q: What GPU performance tier does the RX 7700 occupy?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7700 ranks in the 58th percentile among all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 15852 is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon R9 370X (15862, -0.1% delta) and within 1.7% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (16129).

Q: What frame rates are achievable at 1080p?

A: The data shows 200 FPS on Low, 142 FPS on Medium, 124 FPS on High, and 93 FPS on Ultra at 1920x1080. The Medium preset has a recorded minimum of 121 FPS and maximum of 163 FPS.

Q: Is the 4K Ultra preset playable?

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 44 FPS, which is 16 FPS below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The High preset at 59 FPS also misses the mark, though barely.

Best Settings per Resolution

The most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS varies by resolution. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset runs at 93 FPS average, making it the clear choice for maximum visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness. The 2560x1440 resolution also supports Ultra settings, with an average of 68 FPS — above the threshold but with less headroom than 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes. The Medium preset delivers 67 FPS average, with a recorded minimum of 57 FPS and maximum of 77 FPS. This is the highest quality setting that clears 60 FPS on average. The High preset sits at 59 FPS, technically below the playable threshold, and Ultra drops to 44 FPS. For 4K users, Medium is the recommended ceiling.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions reveals how the workload shifts. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset achieves 93 FPS, while the same preset at 2560x1440 drops to 68 FPS — a 26.9% reduction. Moving from 1440p to 4K Ultra, the frame rate falls further to 44 FPS, a 35.3% decline. This pattern indicates the GPU becomes progressively more dominant as resolution increases.

The CPU's role is more apparent at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 200 FPS, suggesting the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus can feed frames rapidly without the GPU bottlenecking. The single-thread benchmark score of 4823 on Passmark and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7303 support this, showing strong per-core performance. At 1440p, the spread between Low (147 FPS) and High (91 FPS) narrows compared to 1080p, where Low (200 FPS) versus High (124 FPS) shows a 76 FPS gap.

The 4K results show the GPU's limits most clearly. The RX 7700's 16 GB GDDR6 memory and 624.1 GB/s bandwidth handle the data throughput, but the 25.18 TFLOPS FP32 compute is strained by Ultra settings. The transition from Medium (67 FPS) to High (59 FPS) at 4K represents a 13.6% frame rate drop, while the jump from High to Ultra (44 FPS) is a 25.4% decline — indicating a steep scaling penalty at the highest quality tier.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K with an average score of 83807 (0.2% slower), the AMD EPYC 4584PX at 83090 (1.1% slower), and the AMD EPYC 9135 at 82980 (1.2% slower). The AMD EPYC 7F72 scores 85072, which is 1.3% higher than the 290K Plus. These deltas are minor, meaning any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Lockdown Protocol, assuming the GPU remains the primary constraint.

On the GPU side, the AMD Radeon R9 370X (15862, -0.1% delta) is the closest match, followed by the AMD Radeon RX 9060 (16014, -1% delta) and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (15679, +1.1% delta). The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti scores 16129, which is 1.7% higher. For practical purposes, swapping the RX 7700 for any of these would shift performance by roughly 1-2%, translating to a 1-2 FPS difference at most settings in this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the frame rate data shows a clear hierarchy. Low averages 200 FPS, Medium averages 142 FPS with a minimum of 121 and maximum of 163, High averages 124 FPS, and Ultra averages 93 FPS. No minimum or maximum values are recorded for Low, High, or Ultra presets at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 147 FPS (Low), 104 FPS (Medium, with min 88 and max 120), 91 FPS (High), and 68 FPS (Ultra). The Medium preset's recorded range of 88-120 FPS shows a 32 FPS spread, indicating some scene-to-scene variability.

At 3840x2160, Low averages 95 FPS, Medium averages 67 FPS (min 57, max 77), High averages 59 FPS, and Ultra averages 44 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 57 FPS dips below the 60 FPS threshold, though the average remains playable. This is the only resolution where the top two presets fail to maintain 60 FPS on average.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol at all three tested resolutions, but the quality ceiling varies. At 1920x1080, every preset clears 60 FPS, with Ultra delivering 93 FPS average — leaving substantial headroom for competitive play or streaming. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset runs at 68 FPS average, which is above the 60 FPS threshold but with limited margin for demanding scenes.

At 3840x2160, the system is playable on Low (95 FPS) and Medium (67 FPS), but High (59 FPS) and Ultra (44 FPS) fall short. The verdict data lists Medium as the best 4K setting, with an average of 67 FPS. Users prioritizing frame rate over visual quality can use Low for nearly 100 FPS, while those wanting higher fidelity should stick to Medium.

The overall picture is positive: this combination provides a high-refresh 1080p experience, a solid 1440p Ultra experience, and a workable 4K experience with settings adjusted. The 16 GB VRAM on the RX 7700 likely contributes to the 4K viability, as memory capacity is sufficient for the game's textures at Medium settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and AMD Radeon RX 7700 combination ranks 1709 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the upper half of configurations, roughly the 46th percentile. Given that the GPU sits in the 58th percentile among all GPUs and the CPU in the 96th percentile among all CPUs, the overall ranking reflects a system where the graphics card is the limiting factor.

The rank suggests this pairing outperforms roughly 2000 other tested combinations, many of which likely feature weaker GPUs paired with high-end CPUs or balanced mid-range parts. The gap between the CPU's strong percentile standing (96th) and the combo's overall rank (46th percentile of combos) indicates that Lockdown Protocol's frame rates are heavily dictated by the GPU at the resolutions tested. For users considering upgrades, the data points to the graphics card as the component to prioritize next, while the CPU has sufficient headroom to support a faster GPU without becoming a bottleneck.