Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol places this Intel Core Ultra 5 225 + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 combination in the 2737th position out of 2828 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 3% of all configurations. This rank reflects a pairing where a strong modern CPU is heavily constrained by an end-of-life GPU, resulting in a system that is functional for the game but far from competitive in performance metrics.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 2737 out of 2828 tested configurations places this system in the 96.8th percentile from the bottom, indicating that nearly all other tested combinations deliver higher frame rates in Lockdown Protocol. This is a decidedly low ranking, and the data suggests the primary bottleneck is not the processor. The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 sits in the 85th percentile among all CPUs, showing it is a capable processor by general standards, but this standing is completely undermined by the GPU pairing.

The GPU itself ranks in the 40th percentile among all GPUs, which is below average. When a high-percentile CPU is paired with a below-average GPU, the aggregate combo ranking naturally suffers. The measured frame rates confirm this: even at 1080p Low settings, the system only achieves an average of 76 FPS, which is modest for a game from 2024. The gap between the CPU's potential and the delivered gaming experience is stark. The processor's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F with a deltaPct of 0, meaning they perform nearly identically in synthetic benchmarks, yet this does not translate to high gaming performance here. The data indicates that the combo's low rank is almost entirely attributable to the graphics card's limitations, a conclusion supported by the FPS scaling patterns discussed later.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is the defining component in this combo, and its specifications directly explain the measured performance. It features 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 128.1 GB/s. This memory capacity is a critical limitation for a 2024 FPS title, as modern games often exceed 4 GB of VRAM usage at higher resolutions and settings. The GPU's base clock is 1485 MHz with a boost clock of 1665 MHz, and it contains 896 shading units. These figures place it in the 40th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 7472, which is only marginally higher than its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon HD 8850M, which scores 7447.

The GPU's performance in synthetic tests further illustrates its position. Its PassMark G3D score is 7880, and its DirectX 12 score is just 35, indicating weak modern API performance. The FP32 compute capability is 2.984 TFLOPS, which is quite low for contemporary gaming workloads. In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU's role is to render frames, and it struggles under load. The benchmark results show that at 4K Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 17, which is unplayable. Even at 1080p Low, the 76 FPS average suggests the GPU is working near its capacity. The 4 GB VRAM is likely the culprit for the severe performance drop at higher settings, as the game attempts to allocate more memory than available, leading to texture swapping and reduced frame rates. The GPU's launch MSRP was 149 USD, but that does not change its current end-of-life status and limited capabilities.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p Low settings, the system averages 76 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low, the average drops to 56 FPS, a reduction of 20 FPS (approximately 26%). At 4K Low, the average falls to 36 FPS, which is less than half of the 1080p performance. This pattern of significant FPS loss with each resolution increase indicates that the GPU is the limiting component.

The scaling is even more pronounced at higher settings. At 1080p High, the average is 47 FPS. At 1440p High, it drops to 35 FPS, and at 4K High, it plummets to 22 FPS. The jump from 1440p to 4K at High settings results in a 13 FPS loss (37% reduction), which is substantial. At Ultra settings, the degradation is catastrophic: 35 FPS at 1080p, 26 FPS at 1440p, and 17 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1440p to 4K at Ultra is 34.6%, mirroring the drop seen at High settings. This consistent, large-scale FPS reduction across all settings as resolution increases points to the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth being overwhelmed. The CPU is not the bottleneck here; if it were, we would see similar FPS at 1080p and 1440p, as the CPU workload does not increase proportionally with resolution. Instead, the data shows a clear GPU limit, with the 128.1 GB/s bandwidth and 4 GB VRAM unable to handle the pixel throughput demanded by 4K.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the most viable settings for this combo are at 1080p with Low or Medium presets. At 1080p Low, the system achieves an average of 76 FPS, which provides a smooth experience for a fast-paced FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p yields an average of 54 FPS, with a minimum of 46 FPS and a maximum of 62 FPS. This is still playable, but the frame pacing may be less consistent, as indicated by the 46 FPS minimum. The data suggests that for competitive play, 1080p Low is the optimal choice, as it offers the highest average frame rate and avoids the dips seen at Medium.

At 1440p, the situation becomes more challenging. The Low preset at 1440p provides an average of 56 FPS, which is acceptable but not ideal for a competitive FPS. The Medium preset drops to 40 FPS, with a minimum of 34 FPS, which could lead to noticeable stuttering during intense gameplay. The High and Ultra presets at 1440p are not recommended, as they produce averages of 35 FPS and 26 FPS, respectively, which are below the threshold for smooth gameplay. At 4K, no settings are viable for a good experience. The Low preset at 4K averages just 36 FPS, and High and Ultra averages are 22 FPS and 17 FPS, respectively. The conclusion is clear: to get the best experience from this hardware, users should stick to 1080p with Low settings. The Medium preset at 1080p is a secondary option if visual fidelity is prioritized, but the data shows a 22 FPS average loss compared to Low, which is a significant trade-off.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best performance. The Low preset averages 76 FPS. The Medium preset averages 54 FPS, with a minimum of 46 FPS and a maximum of 62 FPS. The High preset averages 47 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 35 FPS. This shows a clear progression: dropping from Low to Ultra reduces the average FPS by more than half, from 76 to 35. The Medium preset’s minimum of 46 FPS is notable, as it suggests occasional frame dips that could be felt in gameplay.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops across all settings. The Low preset averages 56 FPS. The Medium preset averages 40 FPS, with a minimum of 34 FPS and a maximum of 46 FPS. The High preset averages 35 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 26 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium at 1440p is 16 FPS, which is larger than the 22 FPS gap at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is struggling more with the increased pixel count. The High and Ultra presets at this resolution are largely unplayable for a smooth experience, with averages below 36 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system is severely constrained. The Low preset averages 36 FPS. The Medium preset averages 26 FPS, with a minimum of 22 FPS and a maximum of 29 FPS. The High preset averages 22 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 17 FPS. The data shows that even at Low settings, 4K is not a viable option, as the 36 FPS average is below the 40 FPS threshold typically considered minimum for a playable FPS. The Medium preset’s minimum of 22 FPS indicates significant frame drops, making the game feel sluggish. In summary, the measured FPS data across all resolutions confirms that this combo is only capable of delivering acceptable performance at 1080p with lower settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake-S architecture, built on a 3 nm process node by TSMC. It has a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. Its cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache. This is a modern, capable CPU, as evidenced by its 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs. Its average benchmark score is 36938, which is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, which has an average score of 36945 and a deltaPct of 0.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU shows strong performance. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 25891, and its single-core score is 3655. The PassMark multithread score is 30459, and the single-thread score is 4412. These numbers indicate a processor that can handle demanding workloads, including gaming, without being a bottleneck. However, in this specific combo, the CPU’s role is secondary. The benchmark results show that at 1080p Low, the FPS is 76, which is likely limited by the GPU, not the CPU. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar FPS at 1440p and 4K, but the FPS drops significantly with resolution, as detailed earlier.

The CPU’s memory support is DDR5, with dual-channel memory and a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. This is ample for the game’s needs. The processor’s 20 PCIe Gen 5 lanes also provide sufficient bandwidth for the GPU, although the GTX 1650 is a PCIe 3.0 card. The data suggests that the CPU is underutilized in this pairing, as its high single-thread and multicore scores do not translate into high frame rates in Lockdown Protocol due to the GPU’s limitations. The CPU’s launch MSRP was $246, but that is irrelevant to its gaming performance here. The core takeaway is that the CPU is not the limiting factor; upgrading the GPU would yield significant performance improvements, while upgrading the CPU would not.

FAQ

Q: What is the combo's overall rank in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The combo ranks 2737th out of 2828 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 3% of all configurations.

Q: Which component is the primary bottleneck for this system in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The data indicates the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is the bottleneck. The FPS drops significantly as resolution increases, which is a sign of GPU limitation, while the CPU is in the 85th percentile.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a smooth experience?

A: At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 76 FPS, which is the highest measured performance and provides the smoothest experience.

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

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 has an average benchmark score of 36938, which is essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (36945, deltaPct 0) and slightly ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (37018, deltaPct -0.2).

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this hardware?

A: No. At 4K Low settings, the average FPS is 36, and at 4K Ultra, it drops to 17 FPS, both of which are too low for a playable FPS experience.

Q: What is the GPU's memory capacity and how does it affect performance?

A: The GPU has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 128.1 GB/s. This limited VRAM is likely a major factor in the severe performance drops at higher settings and resolutions.