Lockdown Protocol

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for this combination shows a clear pattern: playability drops quickly as resolution and preset load increase. At 3840x2160, the average frame rates are consistently low across every setting. The High preset averages 22 FPS, Medium averages 26 FPS with a minimum of 22 and a maximum of 29, Low averages 36 FPS, and Ultra drops to 17 FPS. None of these numbers approach a comfortable playable level, and the gap between the fastest and slowest presets is only 19 FPS, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor rather than the preset overhead.

Moving to 2560x1440, the situation improves but remains below the 60 FPS threshold. The Low preset reaches an average of 56 FPS, which is close but still short. Medium averages 40 FPS with a minimum of 34 and a maximum of 46, High averages 35 FPS, and Ultra averages 26 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra is a 30 FPS drop, which is a more pronounced difference than at 4K, suggesting that at this resolution both the CPU and GPU are being exercised more evenly.

At 1920x1080, the data finally shows a playable configuration. The Low preset averages 76 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold by a comfortable margin. Medium averages 54 FPS with a minimum of 46 and a maximum of 62, meaning it occasionally dips below 60 but also exceeds it in lighter scenes. High averages 47 FPS, and Ultra averages 35 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 41 FPS, the largest of any resolution, which indicates that at 1080p the preset selection has a substantial impact on the experience.

The measured data also shows that the minimum and maximum values are only recorded for the Medium preset at each resolution. At 3840x2160 Medium, the range is 22 to 29 FPS, a narrow band that suggests consistent frame pacing under load. At 2560x1440 Medium, the range is 34 to 46 FPS, and at 1920x1080 Medium, it is 46 to 62 FPS. The widening range as resolution decreases indicates that the system has more headroom at lower resolutions, allowing occasional spikes above the average.

CPU and GPU Roles

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a high-end desktop processor with 24 cores and 24 threads, a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, and a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731. Its percentile rank against all CPUs is 96, meaning it outperforms the vast majority of processors in the database. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650, by contrast, is an end-of-life GPU with a PassMark G3D score of 7880 and a percentile rank of 40 against all GPUs. This is a severe imbalance: the CPU is in the top 4 percent of all tested processors, while the GPU sits in the lower half.

The benchmark results reflect this imbalance clearly. At 3840x2160, the average FPS barely changes between Low and High, moving from 36 to 22 FPS, a 14 FPS difference. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the preset would have a much larger effect on frame rate, since higher presets add draw calls and geometry work. Instead, the GPU saturates first, and the CPU has ample headroom to feed it. The 4K results are therefore GPU-bound.

At 2560x1440, the preset scaling becomes more visible, with Low at 56 FPS and Ultra at 26 FPS, a 30 FPS swing. This suggests the GPU is still the primary constraint, but the CPU is beginning to matter more as the pixel count drops and the GPU can process frames faster. At 1920x1080, the preset swing grows to 41 FPS, from 76 FPS on Low to 35 FPS on Ultra. The fact that Low clears 60 FPS while Medium does not indicates that the GPU is the bottleneck at higher presets, but the CPU is capable of driving well above 60 FPS when the GPU is not overloaded.

The resolution scaling reinforces this conclusion. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 36 at 4K to 56 at 1440p to 76 at 1080p. The 20 FPS jump from 4K to 1440p and the additional 20 FPS jump from 1440p to 1080p are nearly linear with pixel count, which is typical of a GPU-bound scenario. At Ultra settings, the numbers are 17, 26, and 35 FPS respectively, a similar pattern. The CPU, with its 96th percentile ranking, is never the limiting factor in any of these configurations.

How This Combo Ranks

The database ranks this specific CPU and GPU combination at 3580 out of 3714 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol. That places it in the bottom 4 percent of all combinations, which aligns with the measured FPS data. The GPU's low percentile rank of 40 dominates the outcome, dragging the combo down despite the CPU's strong 96th percentile ranking.

The rank of 3580 is a strong signal that this is not a balanced pairing for this game. Most of the 3714 combos tested in the database achieve better results, which is expected given that the GTX 1650 is an entry-level GPU from 2019, while the game is built around modern FPS demands. The CPU alone would rank much higher, but the combination score reflects the weakest link, and the GPU is clearly that link.

The data shows that the combo rank does not improve meaningfully with lower resolutions. Even at 1920x1080, where the Low preset reaches 76 FPS, the overall ranking remains low because the database considers all resolutions and presets when computing the rank. A combo that only achieves playable frame rates at the lowest settings on a single resolution will naturally sit near the bottom of the list.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K has an average benchmark score of 83807, which is 0.2 percent lower than the 290K Plus's 84003. The AMD EPYC 4584PX scores 83090, 1.1 percent lower, and the AMD EPYC 9135 scores 82980, 1.2 percent lower. The AMD EPYC 7F72 scores 85072, which is 1.3 percent higher. These deltas are all within a couple of percent, meaning any of these processors would behave nearly identically in this game when paired with the same GPU. The 290K Plus is not uniquely strong or weak; it sits in a tightly clustered group of high-end CPUs.

On the GPU side, the nearest rivals are much closer in absolute terms. The AMD Radeon HD 8850M scores 7447, 0.3 percent below the GTX 1650's 7472. The Intel UHD Graphics 750 scores 7441, 0.4 percent below. The AMD Radeon R7 350 scores 7425, 0.6 percent below. The Intel Arc A310 scores 7550, 1 percent above. These are all within a narrow band around the GTX 1650, so swapping to any of these GPUs would produce similar frame rates in Lockdown Protocol. The deltas are small enough that none of these alternatives would push the combo into a different playability tier at any resolution.

For a user looking at nearby hardware, the practical takeaway is that changing the CPU would have no measurable effect on this game, since all four rival CPUs are within 1.3 percent of each other. Changing the GPU to one of the listed rivals would also produce nearly identical results, since the GPU rivals are all within 1 percent. The bottleneck is structural: the GPU class is the limiting factor, and none of the nearby alternatives escape that class.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS. The highest average is 36 FPS on Low, and the lowest is 17 FPS on Ultra. The database records no playable settings for this resolution, meaning every preset fails the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, the situation is the same. No preset reaches 60 FPS. The Low preset comes closest at 56 FPS, but it falls short. Medium averages 40 FPS, High averages 35 FPS, and Ultra averages 26 FPS. The database records no playable settings for this resolution either.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset is the only playable option, averaging 76 FPS. Medium averages 54 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold, so it does not qualify as playable. High averages 47 FPS, and Ultra averages 35 FPS. The best settings for this resolution are therefore Low, which is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, and it delivers 76 FPS on average.

FAQ

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

A: No. At 3840x2160, the highest average FPS is 36 on Low, and Ultra averages 17 FPS. All presets fall well below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: The only playable configuration is 1920x1080 with the Low preset, which averages 76 FPS. At 2560x1440, the best result is 56 FPS on Low, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

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. The closest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, scores 83807, which is 0.2 percent lower. All nearest rivals are within 1.3 percent.

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

A: The GTX 1650 has an average benchmark score of 7472. The Intel Arc A310 scores 7550, 1 percent higher, and the AMD Radeon HD 8850M scores 7447, 0.3 percent lower. All rivals are within 1 percent.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance in this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU ranks in the 96th percentile, while the GPU ranks in the 40th percentile. The frame rates scale almost entirely with resolution and preset load, which is characteristic of GPU-bound performance.

Q: What average FPS does Medium deliver at 1080p?

A: Medium at 1920x1080 averages 54 FPS, with a minimum of 46 and a maximum of 62. It occasionally exceeds 60 FPS but does not sustain it, so it is not classified as playable.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol, but only under a narrow set of conditions. The verdict by resolution is clear: at 3840x2160, there are no playable settings, meaning every preset fails the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, the same is true; no preset reaches 60 FPS, with Low peaking at 56 FPS. At 1920x1080, the Low preset is the sole playable option, delivering 76 FPS on average.

The data shows a system with a severe bottleneck. The 24-core CPU is one of the strongest in the database, ranking in the 96th percentile, but the GTX 1650 ranks in the 40th percentile and cannot translate that CPU power into high frame rates at demanding settings. The combination ranks 3580 out of 3714 tested combos, placing it near the bottom of the database.

Users who own this pairing should expect to play at 1080p with the lowest settings to maintain a playable experience. The Medium preset at 1080p comes close at 54 FPS, but it dips to 46 FPS in demanding scenes, so it does not reliably clear the threshold. The Ultra preset at any resolution is not viable, with the best Ultra result being 35 FPS at 1080p. This is a system that can run the game, but only at its most conservative configuration.