Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 presents a mixed performance profile in Lockdown Protocol, delivering playable frame rates across most configurations but hitting a clear ceiling at 4K Ultra. Measured data shows the combination ranks 1649th out of 3714 tested combos, placing it in the upper-middle tier for this FPS title. The CPU sits in the 96th percentile among all processors, while the GPU holds the 72nd percentile among all graphics cards, indicating a substantial imbalance where the processor far outclasses the graphics solution in raw benchmark potential.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination produces its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings yield an average of 201 FPS, which is the single highest average recorded for this pairing in any configuration. Medium settings drop the average to 143 FPS, with a minimum of 121 FPS and a maximum of 164 FPS, providing a consistent window above the 60 FPS threshold. High settings average 125 FPS, while Ultra settings still maintain a respectable 94 FPS average. The scaling from Low to Ultra at this resolution shows a 53% reduction in average frame rate, from 201 down to 94 FPS, which demonstrates the substantial cost of enabling the highest visual quality presets.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong but begin to show the GPU's limitations. Low settings average 148 FPS, which is 53 FPS lower than the same preset at 1080p. Medium settings deliver 105 FPS average with a minimum of 89 FPS and a maximum of 120 FPS, maintaining a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS playability threshold. High settings average 91 FPS, while Ultra settings drop to 69 FPS average. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 79 FPS, representing a 53% performance loss, which mirrors the percentage drop seen at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the performance curve steepens considerably. Low settings average 95 FPS, which remains playable but represents a 36% reduction compared to the same settings at 1440p. Medium settings average 68 FPS, with a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 78 FPS, placing the average just above the 60 FPS threshold but exposing dips below it. High settings average 59 FPS, falling just short of the playability mark. Ultra settings average 44 FPS, which is the only configuration in the entire dataset that falls well below acceptable playability. The scaling from 1080p Low to 4K Low shows a 53% drop, while the scaling from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra shows a 53% drop as well, indicating consistent resolution scaling behavior across presets.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which achieves an average of 94 FPS. This provides the full visual experience while maintaining a substantial buffer above the playability threshold. The 94 FPS average means the system can handle the highest quality settings without compromising playability at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the best playable setting is also Ultra, delivering an average of 69 FPS. This sits just 9 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold, leaving less headroom than at 1080p but still clearing the bar. The 69 FPS average at 1440p Ultra contrasts with the 59 FPS average at 4K High, showing that resolution has a more significant impact on performance than preset selection in this range.

At 3840x2160, the best playable setting is Medium, which averages 68 FPS. This configuration includes a minimum of 57 FPS, meaning some frames will dip below the 60 FPS threshold even though the average clears it. High settings at 4K average 59 FPS and are therefore not classified as playable, while Ultra at 4K drops to 44 FPS. The verdict data confirms that only Low and Medium are playable at 4K for this combination.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck in this pairing, particularly at higher resolutions. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus demonstrates exceptional synthetic performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731 and a single-core score of 7303, placing it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. However, the RTX 5060's PassMark G3D score of 20891 and its 72nd percentile ranking among GPUs suggest it cannot fully utilize the CPU's capabilities in gaming workloads.

Resolution scaling provides clear evidence of GPU dominance. When moving from 1080p to 1440p at the same settings, average frame rates drop by approximately 26-30%. Moving from 1440p to 4K at the same settings results in an additional 35-36% reduction. This progressive decline with increasing resolution is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario, where the rendering load grows faster than the GPU's processing capacity. The CPU's performance headroom is evident in the fact that even at 4K Low, the system still achieves 95 FPS, suggesting the processor is not the limiting factor.

Preset scaling further supports this analysis. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra reduces performance by 53%, while at 1440p the same preset change reduces performance by 53%, and at 4K by 54%. This consistent percentage reduction across resolutions indicates that the GPU's workload scaling is uniform, and the CPU is not introducing additional bottlenecks at lower resolutions where frame rates are highest. The RTX 5060's 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth likely contributes to the 4K Ultra performance drop, as the memory subsystem becomes stressed at higher resolutions and settings.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol, but with notable caveats depending on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the system clears the 60 FPS threshold at every preset, including Ultra with a 94 FPS average. This makes 1080p the most comfortable environment for this combination, offering full visual fidelity without performance concerns. At 2560x1440, the system also clears 60 FPS at every preset, with Ultra averaging 69 FPS. This provides a playable experience at high quality, though the margin above the threshold is narrower than at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the verdict is more restrictive. The system can play at Low and Medium settings, with Medium averaging 68 FPS. However, the minimum frame rate of 57 FPS at Medium means the experience will not be consistently smooth, as some scenes will drop below the 60 FPS threshold. High settings at 4K average 59 FPS, missing the playability cutoff by a single frame, and Ultra at 4K averages 44 FPS, which is not playable. The verdict data confirms that 4K users must accept Medium settings as the ceiling for this combination, with the understanding that frame pacing may vary.

The overall picture shows a system that is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming in Lockdown Protocol, with the ability to run the highest presets at both resolutions. For 4K, the system requires compromise, settling for Medium settings to stay near the 60 FPS target. The RTX 5060's 72nd percentile ranking among GPUs and the 8 GB memory capacity are the likely limiting factors at 4K, while the CPU's 96th percentile ranking ensures it is not a bottleneck at any resolution tested.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest playable setting at 3840x2160?

A: Medium is the best playable setting at 4K, averaging 68 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS. High settings average 59 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Q: Can this system run Ultra settings at 2560x1440?

A: Yes, Ultra at 1440p averages 69 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold. The system achieves playable frame rates at all presets at this resolution.

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate this combination achieves in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 201, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. At Medium settings at 1080p, the average is 143 FPS with a minimum of 121 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

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 at 83807, and 1.1% higher than the AMD EPYC 4584PX at 83090.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 has an average benchmark score of 26331, which is 1.2% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT at 26011, and 0.3% lower than the AMD Radeon 860M at 26401.

Q: What is the frame rate at 4K Low settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the system averages 95 FPS. This is the highest average at 4K and provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 combination ranks 1649th out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places the pairing in the 44th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning roughly 56% of tested combos perform better in this specific game. The rank reflects the GPU's mid-tier positioning, as the CPU's high percentile ranking suggests the processor is not the limiting factor. The 8 GB memory capacity of the RTX 5060 likely constrains performance at 4K resolutions, where the GPU's 72nd percentile ranking among all GPUs is insufficient to fully leverage the CPU's capabilities. For comparison, the CPU's nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, has a nearly identical average score of 83807, which is within 0.2% of the 290K Plus, indicating that swapping to that processor would yield negligible performance differences in this game.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals in synthetic benchmark scores are all within a narrow band. The Intel Core Ultra 9 285K scores 83807, just 0.2% lower than the 290K Plus, making it a direct substitute with virtually identical performance. The AMD EPYC 4584PX scores 83090, which is 1.1% lower, and the AMD EPYC 9135 scores 82980, which is 1.2% lower. The AMD EPYC 7F72 actually scores higher at 85072, which is 1.3% above the 290K Plus. All four rivals fall within a 2.5% performance band, meaning any of them would produce near-identical frame rates in Lockdown Protocol when paired with the same GPU.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals cluster even more tightly. The AMD Radeon 860M scores 26401, which is 0.3% higher than the RTX 5060's 26331. The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 scores 26421, also 0.3% higher. The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary scores 26553, which is 0.8% higher, and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT scores 26011, which is 1.2% lower. These delta values are all within 1.2% of the RTX 5060, indicating that any of these GPUs would behave essentially identically in Lockdown Protocol at the tested settings. A system with the RTX 5060 and any of these rival GPUs would produce frame rates within a few FPS of each other across all resolutions and presets, making the choice between them largely irrelevant for this game.