Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT presents a compelling mid-range analysis case for Lockdown Protocol. The data shows a system capable of high refresh rate gaming at 1080p, with predictable scaling into higher resolutions. This combination, ranking in the 52nd percentile of tested combos, offers a balanced profile where the GPU becomes the primary driver of performance as resolution increases.

FAQ

*Q: What is the combo's overall ranking among tested configurations in Lockdown Protocol?*

A: The combination ranks 1473 out of 2828 tested combos, placing it slightly above the median.

Q: How does the CPU's benchmark score compare to its closest rival?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 has an average benchmark score of 36938, which is virtually identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (36945), showing a 0% delta.

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

A: The highest average FPS at 1920x1080 is 191, achieved with the Low settings preset.

Q: What is the GPU's position relative to all other GPUs in the database?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT holds an 72nd percentile ranking among all GPUs, based on its average benchmark score of 27425.

Q: What is the largest performance drop observed when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 118 at 1080p to 56 at 4K, representing a decrease of 62 frames per second.

Q: Does the CPU have integrated graphics?

A: Yes, the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 includes integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 16 execution units.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT serves as the graphical powerhouse in this configuration, and its memory subsystem is a defining characteristic. The GPU is equipped with 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding a substantial memory bandwidth of 384.0 GB/s. This bandwidth is a critical resource, as Lockdown Protocol's high-resolution textures and effects at higher presets will likely demand significant data throughput. The GPU's clock speeds are also a key factor; with a base clock of 2321 MHz, a game clock of 2424 MHz, and a boost clock of 2581 MHz, the card is engineered for high-frequency operation.

The architectural foundation of the RX 6700 XT is the Navi 22 chip, built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture using a 7 nm process. This silicon hosts 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation pipelines. The GPU's compute capabilities are quantified by its 13.21 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, which translates directly into the raw shader processing power available for rendering frames. The card also features 40 ray accelerators for hardware-accelerated ray tracing, a feature that can significantly impact performance in supported titles.

In the context of the benchmark results, the GPU's role becomes increasingly dominant at higher resolutions. The data shows a clear trend: as resolution scales from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, the average FPS drops consistently across all settings. For instance, at High settings, performance falls from 118 FPS to 87 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 56 FPS at 4K. This pattern strongly suggests that the RX 6700 XT's pixel throughput and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors at 4K, whereas at 1080p, the CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU efficiently, allowing it to reach high frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and logical progression of performance degradation as resolution increases, which is a classic indicator of GPU-bound scaling. At the Low settings preset, the combo achieves an average of 191 FPS at 1080p. This drops to 140 FPS at 1440p, a decrease of 51 FPS, and then further to 90 FPS at 4K, a decrease of 50 FPS from 1440p. This linear decline suggests that the GPU's rendering workload is scaling proportionally with the pixel count.

A similar pattern emerges at the High settings preset. The system delivers 118 FPS at 1080p, which is still highly playable. Moving to 1440p reduces the average to 87 FPS, and at 4K, the average falls to 56 FPS. The 31 FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p and the subsequent 31 FPS drop from 1440p to 4K demonstrate a consistent scaling factor. This consistency indicates that at these settings, the game's performance is being dictated almost entirely by the GPU's ability to process pixels, shaders, and textures.

The most significant relative drop occurs at the Ultra preset. Starting from 89 FPS at 1080p, the frame rate falls to 65 FPS at 1440p and then plummets to 42 FPS at 4K. This steeper decline at higher resolutions and settings points to the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute resources being saturated. The 12 GB VRAM buffer is likely sufficient, but the 384.0 GB/s bandwidth becomes a bottleneck when rendering complex scenes at 4K with Ultra-level detail. The data implies that for a consistent 60 FPS experience at 4K, users would need to select lower graphical presets, while 1440p offers a strong balance of fidelity and performance for this hardware.

Measured FPS Breakdown

This section details the exact performance metrics captured for Lockdown Protocol across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the combo shows a wide performance envelope. The Low preset yields the highest average FPS at 191. The Medium preset, which has recorded minimum and maximum frame times, averages 135 FPS with a range of 115 to 156 FPS. High settings average 118 FPS, while the demanding Ultra preset still manages a respectable 89 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the impact of increased resolution is immediate. The Low preset averages 140 FPS, a significant drop from its 1080p counterpart but still very fluid. The Medium preset averages 99 FPS, with the recorded range being 84 to 114 FPS. High settings produce an average of 87 FPS, which is still suitable for a smooth experience on most displays. The Ultra preset averages 65 FPS, representing the first point where the system dips below the 70 FPS threshold at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is under maximum strain. The Low preset is the only configuration that breaks the 60 FPS barrier, achieving an average of 90 FPS. The Medium preset averages 64 FPS, with a minimum of 54 and a maximum of 74, indicating some frame pacing variability. High settings average 56 FPS, placing it below the 60 FPS target for optimal smoothness. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with an average of 42 FPS, which may be considered borderline for fast-paced gameplay.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the user's target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p gaming, all presets are viable. The High preset, with an average of 118 FPS, offers a strong balance between visual fidelity and performance, ensuring a smooth experience on high refresh rate monitors. The Ultra preset, at 89 FPS, is also perfectly playable and would be recommended for users prioritizing image quality above all else, as it still provides a high frame rate.

For 1440p, the Medium preset emerges as the best overall choice. It provides an average FPS of 99, which is well above the 60 FPS standard and offers a significant visual upgrade over Low settings. The High preset, at 87 FPS, is also excellent and would be the choice for users with G-Sync or FreeSync displays, as the frame rate remains high. The Ultra preset, at 65 FPS, is playable but may not be ideal for competitive play where higher frame rates are crucial.

At 4K, the recommendations become more restrictive. The Low preset, with an average of 90 FPS, is the only option that provides a truly smooth, high-refresh-rate experience. The Medium preset, at 64 FPS, is the best option for those seeking a balance of visual quality and playable performance, as it maintains an average above 60 FPS. The High preset, at 56 FPS, is functional but may be subject to noticeable drops in demanding scenes. The Ultra preset, at 42 FPS, is not recommended for a first-person shooter, as the lower frame rate can hinder responsiveness and target tracking.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. This processing power is evidenced by its synthetic benchmark scores, including a single-thread score of 3655 in Cinebench R23 and a multi-core score of 25891 in the same test. The CPU also shows strong performance in PassMark's multi-thread test, scoring 30459.

In the context of Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, physics, and the rendering thread's draw calls. The benchmark data indicates that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at lower resolutions. The jump from 89 FPS at 1080p Ultra to 118 FPS at 1080p High demonstrates that the GPU is the limiting factor, as reducing the graphical load yields a significant frame rate increase. The CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to maintain these frame rates.

The CPU's performance profile, with its high boost clock and strong single-thread score, is well-suited for a game like Lockdown Protocol. The data suggests that in CPU-intensive scenarios with many entities or complex physics calculations, the Ultra 5 225 has the headroom to avoid becoming a limiting factor. Its 20 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support, with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s, provide a solid foundation for system-level performance. The CPU's 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs reinforces its standing as a capable mid-range processor.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 + AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT combination holds a rank of 1473 out of 2828 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This placement, just above the midpoint, indicates that while this system is not at the top tier of performance, it outperforms a significant majority of the tested configurations. The ranking reflects a balance between the CPU and GPU, with neither component being a severe bottleneck for the other in this specific title.

The GPU's individual standing is solid, with a 72nd percentile rank among all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 27425 places it in the company of other high-end cards, such as the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090, which has a similar average score of 27565, a delta of -0.5%. This proximity in raw compute benchmarks suggests the RX 6700 XT offers competitive rasterization performance. The CPU, ranked in the 85th percentile, is comparatively stronger relative to its peers, indicating that the processor has more headroom than the GPU in this pairing.

This rank implies that in a game like Lockdown Protocol, the combination is well-matched for 1080p and 1440p gaming, as evidenced by the high frame rates at those resolutions. The performance at 4K, while playable on lower settings, is where the combo's limitations become apparent, dragging its overall rank down. A higher-ranked combo might consist of a similarly strong CPU paired with a more powerful GPU, such as one from the next tier up, to maintain higher frame rates at 4K. The data suggests that for users targeting high refresh rate 1080p or solid 1440p gameplay, this combination is a proven performer, but for 4K enthusiasts, it may leave them wanting more headroom.