Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with Intel Core Ultra 5 135H + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090

The Intel Core Ultra 5 135H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 produces a particularly lopsided combination for Lockdown Protocol, a fast-paced FPS where the CPU-bound nature of the title becomes evident at lower resolutions. The data shows a system that can push well past 200 FPS at 1080p on Low settings, yet the processor's mobile-class performance metrics suggest it is the primary constraint when the GPU is not fully taxed. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across three resolutions and four quality presets, contextualizing the raw scores against the component benchmarks and the broader combo ranking.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall ranking of this CPU and GPU combo for Lockdown Protocol?

A: The combo ranks 573rd out of 2,828 tested combinations, placing it in the top 20.3% of all configurations tested for this game.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H compare to its nearest CPU rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score is 29,093, which is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X (29,123, a delta of -0.1%) and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT (28,940, a delta of +0.5%). It also trails the Intel Core i5-13500HX (29,270) by 0.6%.

Q: What is the best measured average FPS for this combo at 1080p?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 262 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The Medium preset delivers 186 FPS, while High and Ultra produce 162 and 122 FPS respectively.

Q: Does the RTX 4090's 24 GB of VRAM create any bottlenecks at 4K?

A: The data does not indicate a VRAM capacity issue. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo still achieves 58 FPS, and at High settings it reaches 77 FPS, suggesting the memory buffer is sufficient for the tested presets.

Q: How much does the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K on the High preset?

A: On High settings, the average FPS drops from 162 at 1080p to 119 at 1440p and then to 77 at 4K. This represents a 52.5% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K.

Q: What is the CPU's single-thread performance indicator?

A: In Cinebench R23 single-core testing, the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H scores 1,700 points. Its PassMark single-thread score is 3,521 points.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 135H is a 14-core, 18-thread mobile processor based on the Meteor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 7 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, with a TDP of 28 watts. The chip features 18 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory through a dual-channel interface with 89.6 GB/s of bandwidth. The processor's market segment is explicitly mobile, and its release date in December 2023 positions it as a recent addition to the Core Ultra Series 1 lineup.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is most visible when the GPU is not the limiting factor. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo reaches 262 FPS, which is a strong indicator that the processor can feed the RTX 4090 adequately at that resolution and preset. However, the CPU's percentile ranking against all CPUs is 81, and its nearest rivals include desktop parts like the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, which scores nearly identically in average benchmarks. The delta between the Core Ultra 5 135H and the Ryzen 7 5800X is -0.1%, meaning the two processors are effectively tied in synthetic workload performance.

The multi-threaded performance of the CPU is reflected in a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11,875.5 points and a PassMark multi-thread score of 22,422. In a game like Lockdown Protocol, which is an FPS with potentially many on-screen entities and physics calculations, the 18 threads provide reasonable headroom. However, the single-core performance, which often dictates gaming FPS, shows a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1,700 and a PassMark single-thread score of 3,521. These figures are modest compared to high-end desktop CPUs, which explains why the combo's ranking in-game (573 out of 2,828) is lower than what the GPU alone might suggest.

The data reveals a curious dynamic: at 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 58, which is a playable but not high-refresh-rate number. At 1080p Low, the FPS jumps to 262. This spread of over 200 FPS across the tested configurations shows that the CPU can scale its output significantly when the render load is light, but it also indicates that the processor's absolute ceiling is being reached at the lower resolutions. The benchmark results suggest that the Core Ultra 5 135H is a capable gaming CPU for this title, but it does not have the raw single-thread muscle to fully unlock the RTX 4090's potential at 1080p.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the flagship of the GeForce 40-series, based on the AD102 chip and Ada Lovelace architecture, manufactured on TSMC's 5 nm process. It contains 76,300 million transistors on a 609 mm² die, with a transistor density of 125.3 million per square millimeter. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2235 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz, with memory running at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). It comes equipped with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s.

In terms of raw compute, the RTX 4090 delivers 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 1,290.2 GTexel/s of texture fill rate. The GPU's PassMark G3D score is 38,194, placing it in the 88th percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 60,347 is nearly identical to the Intel Arc Pro A60 (60,326, a delta of 0%), which is a notable comparison given the massive difference in their underlying specifications. The GPU also scores 26,613 in PassMark GPU compute tests, reflecting its strength in general-purpose workloads.

For Lockdown Protocol, the RTX 4090's role is to provide the raw rendering power, and the measured FPS data shows it is more than capable. At 4K with High settings, the combo achieves 77 FPS, and at 4K Medium it reaches 88 FPS with a minimum of 75 FPS and a maximum of 101 FPS. The GPU's large memory pool of 24 GB ensures that even at 4K Ultra, which likely demands significant video memory for textures and geometry, there is no capacity-related stutter indicated by the data. The minimum FPS values are only recorded for the Medium preset at each resolution, with 4K Medium showing a min of 75 FPS, 1440p Medium showing 116 FPS, and 1080p Medium showing 158 FPS.

The GPU's performance ceiling is not reached in this combo at 1080p, where the FPS on Low settings (262) appears to be limited by the CPU rather than the GPU. At 4K, the GPU becomes the primary driver of performance, and the scaling from 124 FPS at Low to 58 FPS at Ultra shows a 53.2% reduction in average FPS as the graphical load increases. The data suggests that the RTX 4090 is being fully utilized at 4K Ultra, where the 58 FPS average is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario for a demanding title.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's in-game rank of 573 out of 2,828 tested combinations places it in the 79.7th percentile of all configurations. This ranking is notable because the RTX 4090 is one of the most powerful consumer GPUs available, yet the combo does not crack the top 500. The reason is clear when examining the CPU's nearest rivals: the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H is a mobile processor with a TDP of 28 watts, and its average benchmark score of 29,093 is nearly identical to desktop parts like the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X (29,123). However, the in-game rank suggests that Lockdown Protocol is sensitive to the CPU's performance characteristics beyond just the average benchmark score.

The GPU's nearest rivals include the Intel Arc Pro A60 (60,326, delta 0%) and the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (61,896, delta -2.5%), which are professional or mobile workstation parts. The RTX 4090's average benchmark score of 60,347 is slightly below the Radeon Pro W6600M, yet the RTX 4090 has dramatically higher specifications in terms of memory bandwidth and compute units. This discrepancy in benchmark scores versus specifications may be due to the specific workloads tested, but it does not detract from the GPU's measured performance in Lockdown Protocol.

Within the context of this combo, the ranking indicates that the system is not balanced for maximum FPS in this game. The 573rd rank out of 2,828 combos means there are 572 configurations that perform better, likely with higher-clock desktop CPUs paired with the RTX 4090 or similar high-end GPUs. The data shows that the CPU's single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 score of 1,700) is a limiting factor at lower resolutions where the GPU could otherwise render more frames. At 1080p Low, the 262 FPS average is likely near the CPU's maximum frame generation capability for this game, while the GPU is underutilized.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers 186 FPS with a minimum of 158 FPS, which is a strong balance for high-refresh-rate gaming on a 144Hz or 165Hz monitor. The High preset at 1080p drops to 162 FPS, which is still above 144Hz, but the Medium preset's minimum FPS of 158 provides more consistent frame pacing. The Ultra preset at 1080p yields 122 FPS, which is below the 144Hz threshold and may not be worth the visual gain for competitive play.

At 1440p, the Medium preset achieves 136 FPS with a minimum of 116 FPS, making it the best choice for a 144Hz monitor at this resolution. The High preset at 1440p produces 119 FPS, which is still smooth but does not fully saturate a 144Hz display. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 89 FPS, which is acceptable for slower-paced play but may feel less responsive in a fast FPS. The Low preset at 1440p reaches 192 FPS, but the visual quality reduction is likely too severe for most users.

For 4K, the High preset at 77 FPS is the recommended choice for a 60Hz or 75Hz display, as it provides a playable experience with good visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 4K offers 88 FPS with a minimum of 75 FPS, which is smoother but with reduced detail. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 58 FPS, which is playable on a 60Hz screen but may exhibit more noticeable frame drops during intense action. The Low preset at 4K reaches 124 FPS, but the visual compromise is significant for a title that likely relies on environmental detail.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS across settings shows a clear progression: Low delivers 262 FPS, Medium delivers 186 FPS (with a minimum of 158 and maximum of 214), High delivers 162 FPS, and Ultra delivers 122 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 76 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is 24 FPS, and the gap between High and Ultra is 40 FPS. This suggests that the Medium to High transition is the most efficient in terms of FPS cost per quality increment.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS values are as follows: Low at 192 FPS, Medium at 136 FPS (min 116, max 157), High at 119 FPS, and Ultra at 89 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p on the Medium preset shows a reduction from 186 FPS to 136 FPS, a drop of 26.9%. The High preset drops from 162 FPS to 119 FPS, a 26.5% reduction. The Low preset drops from 262 FPS to 192 FPS, a 26.7% reduction. This consistent percentage drop across settings indicates that the scaling from 1080p to 1440p is uniform, suggesting that neither the CPU nor GPU is a disproportionate bottleneck at this resolution change.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS values are: Low at 124 FPS, Medium at 88 FPS (min 75, max 101), High at 77 FPS, and Ultra at 58 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K on the Medium preset is from 136 FPS to 88 FPS, a reduction of 35.3%. The High preset drops from 119 FPS to 77 FPS, a 35.3% reduction. The Low preset drops from 192 FPS to 124 FPS, a 35.4% reduction. The larger percentage drop from 1440p to 4K, compared to the 1080p to 1440p drop, indicates that the GPU is becoming the primary limiting factor at 4K, as the pixel count increase from 1440p to 4K (2.25x) is more demanding than the 1.78x increase from 1080p to 1440p.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals important insights about the limiting component in this combo. On the Low preset, the average FPS drops from 262 at 1080p to 192 at 1440p (a 26.7% reduction) and then to 124 at 4K (a 35.4% reduction from 1440p). The absolute FPS drop from 1080p to 4K on Low is 138 FPS, or 52.7%. On the High preset, the FPS drops from 162 at 1080p to 119 at 1440p (26.5% reduction) and then to 77 at 4K (35.3% reduction), for a total drop of 85 FPS or 52.5%. On the Ultra preset, the FPS drops from 122 at 1080p to 89 at 1440p (27.0% reduction) and then to 58 at 4K (34.8% reduction), for a total drop of 64 FPS or 52.5%.

The consistent total drop of approximately 52-53% from 1080p to 4K across all presets is a strong indicator that the scaling is primarily driven by the GPU's rendering load. The pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K, but the FPS does not quarter, which would be the case if the GPU were 100% efficient in scaling. Instead, the FPS drops by roughly half, suggesting that the CPU is providing a baseline frame rate that the GPU cannot exceed at lower resolutions, while at 4K the GPU's workload becomes the dominant factor.

The fact that the FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p is approximately 26-27% across all presets, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is approximately 35% across all presets, shows that the GPU's scaling efficiency decreases as resolution increases. This is typical of a GPU that is being increasingly saturated. At 1080p, the CPU limits the frame rate, so the GPU has headroom; at 1440p, the GPU begins to work harder; at 4K, the GPU is the clear bottleneck. The data supports the conclusion that this combo is CPU-limited at 1080p and GPU-limited at 4K, with 1440p representing a transitional zone where both components contribute to the final frame rate.