Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile delivers a strong performance profile for Lockdown Protocol, a 2024-released FPS. According to the measured data, this combination consistently exceeds the 60 FPS playability threshold at most settings, with the primary exception being the Ultra preset at 4K resolution. The data shows a clear scaling pattern where the system’s performance is heavily influenced by resolution and graphical preset, with the most demanding configuration being the only one that fails to maintain smooth gameplay.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. The Low preset produces an average of 239 FPS, which is the peak performance recorded for this combo. Moving up the preset ladder, the Medium settings yield an average of 170 FPS, with a minimum of 144 FPS and a maximum of 195 FPS. The High preset averages 148 FPS, while the Ultra preset still maintains a robust average of 111 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the RTX 4080 Mobile is barely taxed, with even the most demanding preset providing a significant margin above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains very high but shows a noticeable step down from 1080p. The Low preset averages 175 FPS, which is still far above the playable threshold. The Medium preset delivers an average of 124 FPS, with a minimum of 106 FPS and a maximum of 143 FPS. The High preset averages 109 FPS, and the Ultra preset, while the most demanding at this resolution, still produces an average of 81 FPS. This resolution showcases the GPU's capability to handle higher pixel counts without dropping below the playable mark, even at maximum settings.

At 3840x2160, the performance drop becomes more pronounced, particularly at the highest settings. The Low preset averages 113 FPS, showing that the system can still achieve high frame rates when graphical demands are relaxed. The Medium preset averages 80 FPS, with a minimum of 68 FPS and a maximum of 92 FPS. The High preset averages 70 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold but with less headroom. The Ultra preset, however, falls below the playable mark with an average of 53 FPS. This is the only configuration in the measured data that fails to meet the 60 FPS playability standard.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo achieves in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 239 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low preset.

Q: Does the system maintain 60 FPS at 4K resolution in all settings?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the Low, Medium, and High presets all average above 60 FPS (113, 80, and 70 FPS respectively), but the Ultra preset falls short with an average of 53 FPS.

Q: Which resolution and preset combination yields the lowest minimum frame rate?

A: The lowest minimum frame rate reported is 68 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with the Medium preset.

Q: Is the Ultra preset playable at 1440p?

A: Yes. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset produces an average of 81 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: How does the 1080p Medium preset compare to the 1440p Medium preset in terms of average FPS?

A: The 1080p Medium preset averages 170 FPS, while the 1440p Medium preset averages 124 FPS, representing a difference of 46 FPS in favor of the lower resolution.

Q: Are there any settings where the average FPS exactly matches the playable threshold?

A: No. All playable settings listed have average FPS values above 60. The closest value to the threshold is the 4K Ultra preset, but it falls below at 53 FPS.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals that the GPU is the dominant factor in this game's performance, with the CPU playing a secondary role. This is evident from the scaling pattern across resolutions. When moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440, the average FPS at the High preset drops from 148 to 109, a decrease of 39 FPS. The drop from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 at the High preset is even more substantial, falling from 109 to 70 FPS. This consistent degradation with increasing resolution is a classic sign of GPU-bound performance, as the rendering workload expands with pixel count.

The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H, with its 16 cores and 16 threads, provides a solid foundation that does not bottleneck the GPU at lower resolutions. At 1080p, where the GPU load is lighter, the system still achieves high frame rates, with the Low preset hitting 239 FPS. This indicates that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU enough data to sustain very high frame rates in less demanding scenarios. The CPU's strong single-thread performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2200.5, is likely a contributing factor to this headroom.

However, as resolution increases, the workload shifts almost entirely to the GPU. The fact that the 4K Ultra preset drops to 53 FPS while the 4K Low preset reaches 113 FPS shows that the GPU's rendering capabilities are the limiting factor at high settings. The CPU's performance remains relatively constant across these scenarios, as it is not tasked with more work when the resolution changes. Therefore, the data suggests that for Lockdown Protocol, the RTX 4080 Mobile is the primary determinant of frame rate, especially at higher resolutions and presets, while the CPU is sufficient to avoid becoming a bottleneck at any tested configuration.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile ranks 1202 out of 3714 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol. This places the system in the upper third of all tested configurations, indicating a strong overall performance capability. The CPU itself sits in the 88th percentile compared to all CPUs in the benchmark database, while the GPU ranks in the 81st percentile compared to all GPUs. These individual rankings corroborate the strong combined showing.

The rank of 1202 out of 3714 means that roughly 68% of tested combos perform better in this game. This is not a top-tier result, but it is a solidly above-average placement. The fact that the system can run the game at 60 FPS or higher in most configurations, as detailed in the FPS breakdown, is consistent with this mid-to-upper tier ranking. The performance gap between this combo and higher-ranked ones is likely due to the mobile GPU's limitations at 4K Ultra settings, which is a common trade-off for laptops.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Based on the nearest rivals to the CPU, the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H performs very similarly to several other processors. The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D has an average benchmark score that is 0.2% lower, making it a near-identical performer. The Intel Core i9-13950HX is 0.3% higher, the AMD Ryzen AI Max 385 is 0.4% higher, and the Intel Core i5-13600 is 0.5% higher. These deltas are minuscule, meaning that swapping the Core Ultra X9 388H for any of these CPUs would produce virtually indistinguishable results in Lockdown Protocol.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals show a similar pattern of close performance. The NVIDIA GeForce MX570 has an average score that is 0.4% lower than the RTX 4080 Mobile, making it an incredibly close match. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile is 0.6% lower, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is 1.3% higher and the NVIDIA Tesla P4 is also 1.3% higher. These differences are within a few percentage points, indicating that these GPUs would deliver very similar frame rates in practice. A user with any of these alternatives would expect comparable gameplay experiences, with only slight variations in average FPS.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol effectively across the vast majority of tested scenarios. The verdict by resolution confirms that at 1920x1080, all four presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable, with average FPS ranging from 111 to 239. At 2560x1440, the same four presets are also playable, with the Ultra preset maintaining an average of 81 FPS. At 3840x2160, the system can run the Low, Medium, and High presets above the 60 FPS threshold, with averages of 113, 80, and 70 FPS respectively. The only configuration that fails to meet the playable threshold is 4K Ultra, which averages 53 FPS.

The system's ability to clear 60 FPS at 1080p and 1440p across all settings makes it highly capable for competitive play, where high refresh rates are beneficial. At 4K, users will need to reduce settings to High or lower to maintain smooth gameplay. The data shows a clear performance ceiling at 4K Ultra, but this is a minor limitation given the broad range of playable options available.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that remains at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which achieves an average of 111 FPS. This is the optimal choice for users seeking maximum visual quality without sacrificing performance at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset also stays above the threshold, with an average of 81 FPS. This provides a high-fidelity experience while still offering a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS playability standard.

For 3840x2160, the best settings are the High preset, which yields an average of 70 FPS. While the Medium preset also exceeds the threshold at 80 FPS, the High preset offers superior visual quality while still maintaining a playable frame rate. The Ultra preset is not recommended at this resolution due to its sub-60 FPS average.