Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with Intel Core Ultra 5 225 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB produces a combination that ranks 3269 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the lower portion of the field. The data shows this is a system capable of playable frame rates at 1080p with adjusted settings, but it struggles significantly at higher resolutions. Across the twelve measured configurations, the average FPS ranges from 25 at 4K Ultra to 112 at 1080p Low, indicating that the GPU becomes the primary constraint as resolution increases.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 delivers the most playable experience across all settings. At 1080p, the average FPS ranges from 52 on Ultra to 112 on Low, with Medium achieving 80 FPS. At 1440p, the range drops to 38–82 FPS, and at 4K, the average falls to 25–53 FPS.

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 at 36945 (0% delta). It sits 0.2% behind the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and 0.4% behind the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450, and 0.5% behind the Intel Core i9-12900T. This places it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs tested.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB sits in the 50th percentile of all GPUs tested. It has no nearest rivals listed in the data, and its average benchmark score is recorded as 0, meaning the percentile is derived from its characteristics rather than direct benchmark results.

Q: Which settings preset provides the highest FPS at each resolution?

A: Low settings consistently deliver the highest average FPS: 112 at 1080p, 82 at 1440p, and 53 at 4K. Medium settings are the next best at each resolution, with 80 FPS at 1080p, 59 at 1440p, and 38 at 4K. Ultra produces the lowest averages: 52 at 1080p, 38 at 1440p, and 25 at 4K.

Q: Does this combo meet the 60 FPS threshold at any settings?

A: Yes. At 1080p, Low (112 FPS) and Medium (80 FPS) both exceed 60 FPS, while High (70 FPS) also clears the threshold. At 1440p, only Low (82 FPS) and Medium (59 FPS) approach or exceed 60 FPS. At 4K, no preset reaches 60 FPS; the highest average is 53 FPS on Low.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for Medium settings?

A: For Medium settings, the minimum FPS is 68 at 1080p, 50 at 1440p, and 32 at 4K. These are the only configurations in the measured data with min/max values provided.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process at TSMC. It operates with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, with 20 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU draws up to 65 W TDP and supports DDR5 memory through a dual-channel interface with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth. Its benchmark scores indicate strong single-thread performance, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3655 and a multi-core score of 25891. In Passmark, the single-thread score is 4412, and the multithread score is 30459.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the measured FPS values (52–112 depending on settings) suggest the CPU can feed the GPU adequately, as the frame rates scale meaningfully with resolution changes. The 1080p Low result of 112 FPS indicates the processor is capable of high frame throughput, but the GPU's 4 GB VRAM and bandwidth limitations likely cap performance at higher settings. The CPU's 85th percentile ranking versus all CPUs, alongside its near-identical average score to the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (36938 vs 36945), shows it is a competent mid-range part that does not bottleneck the RTX 3050 in this title.

The 10-core configuration without hyperthreading means 10 threads are available, which is sufficient for modern FPS titles like Lockdown Protocol that typically utilize fewer than eight threads. The boost clock of 4.90 GHz provides responsive single-thread performance, which matters for game logic and physics. However, the data shows that at 4K, even the Low preset (53 FPS) falls below 60 FPS, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor rather than the CPU, since the CPU's performance would not degrade with resolution changes.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimal settings. At 1080p, Medium settings deliver 80 FPS average with a minimum of 68 FPS, which provides a smooth experience while maintaining visual quality. High settings at 1080p reach 70 FPS, while Ultra drops to 52 FPS. For players prioritizing frame rate, Low at 112 FPS is the most responsive option, but Medium offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance.

At 1440p, the situation changes. Low settings achieve 82 FPS, which is the only preset above 60 FPS at this resolution. Medium produces 59 FPS with a minimum of 50 FPS, which may cause noticeable stuttering in fast-paced FPS gameplay. High and Ultra fall to 51 and 38 FPS respectively. The recommendation is to use Low at 1440p for competitive play, or Medium if visual quality is prioritized and slight frame drops are acceptable.

At 4K, no preset reaches 60 FPS. Low averages 53 FPS, Medium 38 FPS, High 33 FPS, and Ultra 25 FPS. The data suggests that 4K is not viable for this combo in Lockdown Protocol if a consistent 60 FPS is required. Even at Low, the minimum FPS is not recorded, but the average of 53 indicates borderline playability. The best experience at 4K would be Low settings, but players seeking smoother gameplay should consider 1080p or 1440p instead.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 3269 out of 3714 tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the 12th percentile of all tested systems. This is a low ranking that reflects the GPU's limitations, particularly its 4 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus. The CPU's 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates it is not the primary constraint; rather, the RTX 3050's performance ceiling defines this combo's position.

The rank of 3269 means that 445 tested combos performed worse, but the vast majority of systems deliver better results. This positioning is consistent with the measured FPS data: the combo is playable at 1080p with adjusted settings but falls short at higher resolutions. The data does not provide direct comparison to other CPU-GPU pairings in this game, but the combination's low rank suggests that the RTX 3050 4 GB holds back the otherwise capable Ultra 5 225. For context, the CPU's average benchmark score of 36938 is near the top of its segment, yet the GPU's 50th percentile ranking drags the overall combo down.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB is built on the Ampere architecture with the GA107 chip, manufactured on Samsung's 8 nm process. It features 2048 shading units, 64 TMUs, 32 ROPs, 16 RT cores, and 64 tensor cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1545 MHz and a boost clock of 1740 MHz, with 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus providing 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory runs at 1500 MHz with 12 Gbps effective speed. The card has a 90 W TDP and requires a 250 W suggested PSU.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU is clearly the limiting component at higher resolutions. The measured FPS at 4K shows a dramatic drop: 53 FPS on Low, 38 on Medium, 33 on High, and 25 on Ultra. This pattern indicates that the 4 GB VRAM capacity is insufficient for high-quality textures at 4K, causing severe performance degradation. The 192.0 GB/s bandwidth and 128-bit bus further constrain performance at resolutions where memory bandwidth becomes critical.

At 1080p, the GPU performs adequately, with 112 FPS on Low and 80 FPS on Medium. The jump from Low to Medium costs 32 FPS, and from Medium to High costs another 10 FPS, while Ultra costs an additional 28 FPS from High. This scaling shows that the GPU's compute capabilities are sufficient for 1080p, but the VRAM and bandwidth limits become apparent as texture quality increases. The FP32 throughput of 7.127 TFLOPS and texture rate of 111.4 GTexel/s are modest by modern standards, yet they allow for playable frame rates at lower settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are: Low 112, Medium 80 (min 68, max 92), High 70, and Ultra 52. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 60 FPS drop, representing a 53.6% reduction in frame rate. The Medium preset provides the only complete min/max data at this resolution, with a minimum of 68 FPS that remains above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low 82, Medium 59 (min 50, max 67), High 51, and Ultra 38. The drop from 1080p to 1440p costs 30 FPS on Low (112 to 82), 21 FPS on Medium (80 to 59), 19 FPS on High (70 to 51), and 14 FPS on Ultra (52 to 38). The Medium minimum of 50 FPS at 1440p indicates occasional dips below playable levels.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low 53, Medium 38 (min 32, max 43), High 33, and Ultra 25. The transition from 1440p to 4K costs 29 FPS on Low (82 to 53), 21 FPS on Medium (59 to 38), 18 FPS on High (51 to 33), and 13 FPS on Ultra (38 to 25). The Medium minimum of 32 FPS at 4K shows significant frame pacing issues. The overall data indicates that only 1080p Low through High settings and 1440p Low provide average FPS above 60.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the GPU-bound nature of this combo. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 112 at 1080p to 82 at 1440p (a 26.8% reduction) and then to 53 at 4K (a 35.4% reduction from 1440p). The total drop from 1080p to 4K on Low is 59 FPS, or 52.7%. At Medium settings, the progression is 80 to 59 to 38, representing a 52.5% total drop. High settings go from 70 to 51 to 33, a 52.9% drop. Ultra goes from 52 to 38 to 25, a 51.9% drop.

These percentages are remarkably consistent across all settings, hovering around 52-53% total reduction from 1080p to 4K. This consistency indicates that the scaling is primarily resolution-driven rather than setting-driven, which points to the GPU's memory bandwidth and fill rate as the limiting factors. The pixel rate of 55.68 GPixel/s and texture rate of 111.4 GTexel/s are the hardware constraints that scale with resolution. The 4 GB VRAM also plays a role, as higher resolutions require more memory for framebuffers and textures, potentially causing spills to system memory.

The fact that the percentage drop is nearly identical across Low and Ultra settings suggests that the GPU is fully utilized even at Low settings when resolution increases. This means that lowering settings does not alleviate the resolution bottleneck; only reducing resolution itself provides meaningful FPS gains. The data shows that 1080p Medium (80 FPS) and 1440p Low (82 FPS) offer similar performance, but the 1080p Medium has a higher minimum FPS (68 vs 50), making it the more consistent experience. The CPU's strong benchmark scores, including Cinebench R23 multi-core of 25891, ensure that it is not the cause of this scaling behavior, confirming the GPU as the definitive constraint.