Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol scales predictably across resolutions with this Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT pairing, but the shape of that scaling reveals a system that is firmly balanced toward 1440p and 1080p gaming. At 4K Ultra, the combo drops to 44 FPS average, while dropping to 4K Low nearly doubles performance to 95 FPS. The most telling data point is the jump from 1080p Ultra (93 FPS) to 1080p Low (200 FPS), a 107 FPS swing that indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher settings, while the CPU has ample headroom to push frames when the load lightens. This combination ranks 1275th out of 2828 tested combos for this game, placing it in the upper-middle tier of all systems.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a clear pattern: Lockdown Protocol becomes increasingly GPU-bound as resolution climbs, but the RX 6750 XT still delivers playable frame rates at 4K with adjusted settings. Moving from 1080p High (124 FPS) to 1440p High (91 FPS) represents a 26.6% performance drop, while the step from 1440p High to 4K High (59 FPS) costs another 35.2% of frame rate. This is a steeper decline than the pixel-count increase alone would suggest, indicating that the GPU's memory bandwidth and shading resources become saturated at higher resolutions.

The Ultra preset tells an even more dramatic story. At 1080p Ultra, the system manages 93 FPS, but 1440p Ultra falls to 68 FPS and 4K Ultra plummets to 44 FPS. The gap between 1080p and 4K Ultra is 49 FPS, or a 52.7% reduction. This non-linear scaling points to the 12 GB VRAM buffer and 432.0 GB/s memory bandwidth being pushed to their limits at 4K, where the higher texture detail and post-processing effects of the Ultra preset demand more memory throughput.

Low settings provide the clearest view of the CPU's contribution. At 1080p Low, the system hits 200 FPS average, which drops to 147 FPS at 1440p Low and 95 FPS at 4K Low. The 1080p to 1440p drop of 53 FPS is larger than the 1440p to 4K drop of 52 FPS, suggesting that at Low settings, the CPU begins to matter less and the GPU's raw pixel-pushing capability becomes the limiting factor even at these lighter loads. The 10-core, 10-thread Intel Core Ultra 5 225 with its 4.90 GHz boost clock can feed frames fast enough at 1080p Low that the RX 6750 XT becomes the ceiling, but the GPU's 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs still cap output well below what the CPU could theoretically sustain.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT is the workhorse in this pairing, and its specifications directly explain the measured results. With a boost clock of 2600 MHz and a game clock of 2495 MHz, the card operates at high frequencies, but the 7 nm Navi 22 chip's 13.31 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is modest by current standards. The 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus delivers 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is adequate for 1080p and 1440p but shows strain at 4K, particularly with the Ultra preset's heavier texture loads.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it at the 71st percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 26011. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon R9 M395X (deltaPct 0.5), AMD FirePro W7100 (deltaPct 0.6), and AMD FirePro D700 (deltaPct 0.7), while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile trails by 1.1%. This positions the RX 6750 XT as a solid mid-range performer, but the 4K Ultra result of 44 FPS shows its limits. The card's 40 ray tracing cores are present but do not meaningfully help in this title, as Lockdown Protocol's measured results show no ray tracing-specific uplift.

The 250 W TDP and dual-slot design mean the card runs hot under sustained load, but the 600 W suggested PSU provides adequate headroom. The PCIe 4.0 x16 interface ensures no bandwidth bottleneck, and the 1x HDMI 2.1 plus 3x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs support modern displays. The 18 Gbps effective memory speed is competitive for the generation, but the 192-bit bus width limits peak bandwidth compared to wider-memory competitors.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Lockdown Protocol at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Yes, but only at Medium settings or lower. The measured 4K Medium average is 67 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS, while 4K High drops to 59 FPS average and 4K Ultra falls to 44 FPS. For a consistent 60+ FPS experience at 4K, stick to Medium or Low settings.

Q: What is the best resolution for competitive play?

A: 1080p Low delivers 200 FPS average, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. At 1440p Low, the system still produces 147 FPS, making it viable for 144Hz displays. The jump from 1080p Low to 1080p Medium (142 FPS) costs 58 FPS, so competitive players should prioritize Low settings.

Q: How does the RX 6750 XT compare to its nearest rivals in this game?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 26011 is 0.5% higher than the AMD Radeon R9 M395X, 0.6% higher than the AMD FirePro W7100, 0.7% higher than the AMD FirePro D700, and 1.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile. These close margins indicate the RX 6750 XT performs at the top of its immediate peer group.

Q: Is the 12 GB VRAM sufficient for Lockdown Protocol at all settings?

A: At 1080p and 1440p, the 12 GB buffer is sufficient across all presets, as evidenced by playable frame rates. At 4K Ultra, the 44 FPS average suggests the VRAM and memory bandwidth are stretched thin, but the card still completes the workload. Medium settings at 4K provide a better balance.

Q: What CPU performance can users expect from the Intel Core Ultra 5 225?

A: The 10-core, 10-thread processor achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 and a single-core score of 3655, placing it at the 85th percentile among all CPUs. Its PassMark multithread score of 30459 and single-thread score of 4412 show strong capability for gaming workloads.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Core Ultra 5 225's average benchmark score of 36938 is virtually tied with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (36945, deltaPct 0), 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (37018), 0.4% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (37093), and 0.5% ahead of the Intel Core i9-12900T (37112). This shows the CPU is well-matched to its competition.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its strongest results. Low settings produce 200 FPS average, which is the highest measured frame rate across all configurations. Medium settings reduce this to 142 FPS with a minimum of 121 FPS and maximum of 164 FPS, showing consistent frame delivery. High settings yield 124 FPS average, while Ultra drops to 93 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 107 FPS, indicating that the GPU's shading units and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors at higher presets.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but shows expected declines. Low settings achieve 147 FPS average, which is still excellent for high-refresh monitors. Medium settings produce 104 FPS with a minimum of 89 FPS and maximum of 120 FPS, providing a smooth experience. High settings reach 91 FPS average, while Ultra falls to 68 FPS. The 1440p results show a 79 FPS spread from Low to Ultra, with the Ultra preset dipping below the 70 FPS threshold that some players consider minimum for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become apparent. Low settings deliver 95 FPS average, which is playable but far below the 1080p Low result. Medium settings produce 67 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS and maximum of 77 FPS, which is tolerable but close to the edge of smoothness. High settings drop to 59 FPS average, barely hitting the 60 FPS target, while Ultra falls to 44 FPS, which is below the threshold for most players. The 4K spread from Low to Ultra is 51 FPS, showing that the GPU is the definitive bottleneck at this resolution.

The Medium preset is the only configuration with full min/max data at all three resolutions, providing insight into frame consistency. At 1080p Medium, the 121-164 FPS range shows a 43 FPS variance, while 1440p Medium shows a 31 FPS variance (89-120 FPS), and 4K Medium shows a 20 FPS variance (57-77 FPS). This tightening of frame delivery at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is working closer to its limits, reducing the spikes that occur when load varies.

Settings Recommendations

For the best overall experience, Medium settings at 2560x1440 provide the optimal balance of visual quality and performance. The 104 FPS average with an 89 FPS minimum ensures smooth gameplay, and the 120 FPS maximum shows headroom for less demanding scenes. This configuration offers a 13 FPS improvement over High settings at the same resolution while maintaining a minimum above 85 FPS.

Players prioritizing competitive performance should select Low settings at 1920x1080, where the 200 FPS average provides maximum responsiveness. The 147 FPS result at 1440p Low is also viable for 144Hz displays, offering a resolution upgrade without sacrificing frame rate. For those with 4K displays, Medium settings at 3840x2160 is the only preset that maintains an average above 60 FPS, with the 67 FPS result being acceptable for slower-paced gameplay.

The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution based on the measured data. At 1080p Ultra, the 93 FPS result is only 9 FPS higher than 4K Medium, and at 1440p Ultra, the 68 FPS average is barely above the 4K Medium result. The visual uplift from Ultra settings does not justify the performance cost, particularly when High settings at 1080p (124 FPS) or 1440p (91 FPS) provide smoother experiences with minimal visual difference.

High settings offer a middle ground for players who want better visuals without sacrificing too much performance. At 1080p High, the 124 FPS average is solid, and at 1440p High, the 91 FPS result is playable. However, the 59 FPS at 4K High is marginal, and players should drop to Medium if they experience any frame hitches.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is not the primary bottleneck in Lockdown Protocol for this combination, but its specifications still shape the results. With 10 cores and 10 threads running at a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, the processor provides strong single-threaded performance that games favor. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3655 and PassMark single-thread score of 4412 indicate robust per-core performance, which is critical for game logic and draw call processing.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are equally strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 and a PassMark multithread score of 30459. These scores place the processor at the 85th percentile among all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 36938 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F scores 36945 (deltaPct 0), while the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D scores 37018 (deltaPct -0.2), showing that the Core Ultra 5 225 is competitive with its peers.

The 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample data storage for game assets, while the 102.4 GB/s dual-channel DDR5 memory bandwidth ensures the GPU receives data without CPU-side starvation. The Arrow Lake architecture on a 3 nm process node from TSMC delivers efficient performance, and the 65 W TDP keeps thermals manageable even with the 250 W GPU running alongside it.

The measured FPS data confirms the CPU's adequacy. At 1080p Low, the 200 FPS result shows the CPU can feed frames far faster than the GPU can render them, proving that the processor is not the limiting factor in this configuration. Even at 1080p Ultra, the 93 FPS result is well within the CPU's capability, and the performance drops at higher resolutions are attributable to GPU limitations rather than CPU constraints. The 10-thread configuration is sufficient for Lockdown Protocol's workload, and the lack of hyperthreading does not appear to hinder performance in this title.