Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with Intel Core Ultra 5 225 + AMD Radeon RX 7700

Lockdown Protocol, a 2024 FPS title, shows a distinct performance profile when paired with the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Radeon RX 7700. The measured data reveals a system that scales predictably across resolutions and settings, with the GPU acting as the primary bottleneck at higher visual loads. This combination ranks 1709th out of 3714 tested combos in the game, placing it in the upper half of all systems evaluated. The following analysis breaks down how resolution, GPU characteristics, and CPU capabilities shape the gaming experience.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and consistent across all settings, indicating that the Radeon RX 7700 becomes the limiting factor as pixel count rises. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 200 FPS at 1920x1080 to 147 FPS at 2560x1440, a 26.5% reduction, and then to 95 FPS at 3840x2160, a further 35.4% drop from the 1440p figure. This steep decline at higher resolutions is classic GPU-bound behavior, where the rendering workload scales directly with the number of pixels.

The Medium settings show a similar pattern: 142 FPS at 1080p, 104 FPS at 1440p (a 26.8% decrease), and 67 FPS at 4K (a 35.6% decrease from 1440p). High settings follow suit with 124 FPS, 91 FPS, and 59 FPS across the three resolutions, representing a 26.6% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 35.2% drop from 1440p to 4K. Ultra settings exhibit the most pronounced scaling loss, moving from 93 FPS at 1080p to 68 FPS at 1440p (26.9% lower) and finally to 44 FPS at 4K (35.3% lower than 1440p).

This consistent pattern—roughly a 26% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a further 35% reduction from 1440p to 4K—points squarely at the GPU as the bottleneck. The Intel Core Ultra 5 225, with its 10 cores and 10 threads running at a 3.30 GHz base and 4.90 GHz boost clock, provides ample headroom at lower resolutions, but the RX 7700's rendering throughput cannot keep pace as pixel counts quadruple from 1080p to 4K. Notably, the percentage drops are nearly identical across all four settings, reinforcing that resolution scaling is purely a function of GPU load, not CPU or memory constraints.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700, built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 32 chip, is the dominant component in determining Lockdown Protocol's frame rates. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for the game's assets at all tested resolutions. The GPU's base clock of 1900 MHz, game clock of 2041 MHz, and boost clock of 2459 MHz dictate how quickly it can process shader work, and the data shows that this headroom is exhausted at 4K across all settings.

The 2560 shading units and 160 texture mapping units contribute to the RX 7700's pixel rate of 236.1 GPixel/s and texture rate of 393.4 GTexel/s. These figures explain why the GPU can deliver 200 FPS at 1080p Low but only 44 FPS at 4K Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 51 FPS, while at 1080p it is 107 FPS, demonstrating that the GPU's compute resources are stretched thin at higher resolution and quality combinations. The 40 ray tracing cores are present but do not appear to influence these non-RT benchmark results, as the data shows purely rasterized performance.

In terms of relative standing, the RX 7700 sits at the 58th percentile among all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 15852. Its nearest rivals in average score include the AMD Radeon R9 370X (deltaPct -0.1), the AMD Radeon RX 9060 (deltaPct -1), the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (deltaPct 1.1), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (deltaPct -1.7). These competitors all fall within a 2% band of the RX 7700's average score, suggesting that in purely synthetic terms, the card trades blows with older and newer mid-range offerings. However, in Lockdown Protocol specifically, the 16 GB frame buffer ensures that VRAM capacity is never a limiting factor, unlike some rivals with smaller memory pools.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 provides a solid foundation for Lockdown Protocol, though its influence on frame rates is secondary to the GPU. The processor features 10 cores and 10 threads, a configuration that handles modern FPS titles without becoming a bottleneck at lower resolutions. Its base clock of 3.30 GHz and boost clock of 4.90 GHz allow for responsive single-thread performance, which is critical for game logic and draw call processing. The 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache help keep frequently accessed data close to the execution units, reducing memory latency.

The CPU's synthetic benchmarks place it at the 85th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 36938. Its nearest rivals in average score are the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (deltaPct 0), the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (deltaPct -0.2), the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (deltaPct -0.4), and the Intel Core i9-12900T (deltaPct -0.5). All of these competitors are within 0.5% of the Ultra 5 225's average score, indicating that the CPU is competitively positioned against a range of mid-range and older high-end parts.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role becomes apparent when examining the scaling from 1080p to 1440p. At Low settings, the 1080p result of 200 FPS is likely near the CPU's practical limit for frame generation, as the game's engine must process game state updates, physics, and input handling. The 1440p Low result of 147 FPS is 26.5% lower, but this drop is attributable to the GPU's increased pixel workload rather than CPU limitations. The CPU's PassMark single-thread score of 4412 and multi-thread score of 30459 indicate that it can handle the game's threading demands without stuttering, as evidenced by the smooth average frame rates across all tested configurations.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Radeon RX 7700 achieves a rank of 1709 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the 54th percentile of all systems evaluated. This mid-pack ranking is consistent with the individual component positions: the CPU at the 85th percentile and the GPU at the 58th percentile. The CPU's strong relative standing helps lift the combo above the GPU's lower percentile, but the overall result is constrained by the graphics card's mid-range performance ceiling.

This ranking suggests that the combo is well-balanced for 1080p and 1440p gaming but falls behind top-tier systems at 4K. The data supports this interpretation: at 1080p, the combo delivers 124 FPS on High settings and 93 FPS on Ultra, both playable figures. At 1440p, High settings yield 91 FPS and Ultra yields 68 FPS, still respectable for competitive play. However, at 4K, the combo drops to 59 FPS on High and 44 FPS on Ultra, which are marginal for a fast-paced FPS title.

Compared to other combos in the database, this pairing sits in the upper half, meaning it outperforms the majority of systems tested. The gap between the CPU's 85th percentile and the GPU's 58th percentile highlights that the RX 7700 is the limiting factor; pairing the Ultra 5 225 with a stronger GPU would likely push the combo higher in the rankings, while the current configuration is well-suited to users who prioritize higher frame rates at lower resolutions over 4K fidelity.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across twelve configurations. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 200 FPS on Low, 142 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 121 FPS and maximum of 163 FPS), 124 FPS on High, and 93 FPS on Ultra. These numbers indicate that 1080p gaming is well within the system's capabilities, with even Ultra settings maintaining a frame rate that exceeds the refresh rate of most standard monitors.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 147 FPS on Low, 104 FPS on Medium (minimum 88 FPS, maximum 120 FPS), 91 FPS on High, and 68 FPS on Ultra. The Medium setting's minimum of 88 FPS shows that the system can maintain consistent frame delivery even during demanding scenes, while the Ultra setting's 68 FPS average is still smooth for most players. The 1440p results suggest that this resolution is the sweet spot for the combo, offering a good balance between visual fidelity and frame rate.

At 3840x2160, the averages drop to 95 FPS on Low, 67 FPS on Medium (minimum 57 FPS, maximum 77 FPS), 59 FPS on High, and 44 FPS on Ultra. The Medium setting's minimum of 57 FPS approaches the threshold where frame drops become noticeable, while the Ultra setting's 44 FPS average is below the ideal for a fast-paced FPS. The 4K results clearly indicate that the RX 7700 is overextended at this resolution, even with the CPU providing ample support.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and the user's preference for frame rate versus visual quality. At 1920x1080, the High preset at 124 FPS offers an excellent balance, providing smooth gameplay with solid visual detail. The Ultra preset at 93 FPS is also viable for users who prioritize image quality, as the frame rate remains above 60 FPS. The Low preset at 200 FPS is overkill for most displays but could benefit competitive players with 240 Hz monitors.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 91 FPS is the recommended choice, as it delivers a frame rate that is both smooth and visually rich. The Medium preset at 104 FPS offers a slightly higher frame rate with minimal visual compromise, making it a strong alternative. The Ultra preset at 68 FPS is playable but may exhibit occasional dips below 60 FPS in intense scenes, so users sensitive to frame pacing should prefer High or Medium.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset at 95 FPS is the only configuration that provides a consistently smooth experience, but it sacrifices significant visual quality. The Medium preset at 67 FPS is borderline playable, though its minimum of 57 FPS indicates potential stutter in demanding moments. The High and Ultra presets at 59 FPS and 44 FPS, respectively, are not recommended for competitive play. For 4K users, the data suggests either accepting Low settings or reducing the resolution to 1440p to maintain higher frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The measured data shows that 2560x1440 provides the best balance, with 104 FPS on Medium and 91 FPS on High settings. At 1080p, the combo delivers 142 FPS on Medium and 124 FPS on High, while at 4K, the averages drop to 67 FPS on Medium and 59 FPS on High.

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

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 has an average benchmark score of 36938, which is within 0.5% of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (deltaPct 0), the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (deltaPct -0.2), the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (deltaPct -0.4), and the Intel Core i9-12900T (deltaPct -0.5).

Q: Is the GPU the bottleneck at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, the data indicates that the Radeon RX 7700 is the limiting factor at 3840x2160. The average FPS drops from 200 at 1080p Low to 95 at 4K Low, and from 93 at 1080p Ultra to 44 at 4K Ultra, showing that the GPU cannot maintain high frame rates as pixel count increases.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking among tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 1709th out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the upper half of all systems evaluated.

Q: Does the 16 GB of VRAM provide enough memory for 4K gaming?

A: The 16 GB GDDR6 memory with 624.1 GB/s bandwidth is not the limiting factor in the 4K results. The bottleneck is the GPU's compute throughput, as evidenced by the consistent FPS scaling across all settings at 4K.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded in the measured data?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 57 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 with Medium settings. At 2560x1440 Medium, the minimum is 88 FPS, and at 1920x1080 Medium, the minimum is 121 FPS.