Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol pairs the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT, a combination that lands in the 1023rd position out of 2828 tested configurations. The measured frame rates reveal a system that is clearly capable of high-refresh-rate play at 1080p, but which begins to show its limitations as resolution climbs toward 4K. Benchmark results indicate a balance where the GPU becomes the primary scaling factor at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s 14 cores and 5.00 GHz boost clock provide ample headroom for the game’s FPS mechanics.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve 144+ FPS?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 219 FPS on average. The Medium preset at 1080p delivers 156 FPS, while High settings produce 136 FPS. Only the Ultra preset at 1080p falls short of 144 FPS, averaging 102 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 7700 XT compare to its nearest GPU rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RX 7700 XT has an average benchmark score of 22549, placing it in the 67th percentile of all GPUs. It sits 0.5% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile (22435), 1.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 5700 (22170), and is 0.8% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile (22729).

Q: What is the CPU’s performance percentile and who are its closest competitors?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 ranks in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46062. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (46030, 0.1% ahead), the Intel Core i9-13900HX (46098, 0.1% behind), and the AMD EPYC 4364P (45970, 0.2% ahead).

Q: Does the GPU’s 12 GB VRAM appear sufficient for Lockdown Protocol’s Ultra settings?

A: The data shows playable, if not high-refresh, results at Ultra. At 2560x1440 Ultra, the average FPS is 75, while at 3840x2160 Ultra it drops to 48 FPS. The 12 GB GDDR6 memory with 432.0 GB/s bandwidth supports these settings, but the frame rate drop suggests the GPU’s compute limits, not memory capacity, are the binding factor.

Q: What is the difference between the CPU’s base and boost clocks, and why does it matter?

A: The Core Ultra 5 235 has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The 1.6 GHz boost headroom allows the processor to scale performance for single-threaded workloads, which is relevant for Lockdown Protocol’s gameplay logic and frame pacing.

Q: How does the combo’s rank of 1023 out of 2828 translate to a percentile position?

A: A rank of 1023 out of 2828 places this combo in approximately the 64th percentile of tested configurations. This means roughly 64% of all tested combos perform worse, while 36% perform better.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with a Navi 32 chip, featuring a base clock of 1435 MHz and a boost clock of 2544 MHz. The game clock of 2171 MHz sits between these two figures, representing the expected sustained frequency during typical gaming loads. This 12 GB GDDR6 memory configuration with a 192-bit bus provides 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a substantial amount for 1080p and 1440p gaming.

The GPU’s benchmark profile shows a PassMark G3D score of 22547, placing it in the 67th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the RTX 5060 Mobile, scores marginally higher at 22435, a 0.5% difference. The RTX 4060 Mobile leads by 0.8%, while the RX 5700 trails by 1.7%. This clustering indicates that the RX 7700 XT is positioned in a highly competitive mid-range segment.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU’s role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the system produces 219 FPS, suggesting the GPU is not fully taxed. However, the scaling from 1080p to 1440p and 4K shows a clear GPU-bound trend. The data implies that the RX 7700 XT’s 96 ROPs and 35.17 TFLOPS FP32 performance are well-matched to the game’s visual demands at 1440p High, where it maintains 100 FPS. The 12 GB VRAM is likely adequate for the textures used at these settings, as the frame rate drops are consistent with compute-bound scenarios rather than memory spills.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a predictable degradation as resolution increases, but the rate of decline varies by settings preset. At Low settings, the jump from 1080p to 1440p reduces average FPS from 219 to 161, a 26.5% drop. Moving from 1440p to 4K Low reduces FPS further from 161 to 104, a 35.4% drop. This accelerating decline indicates the GPU is becoming the limiting factor, as the number of pixels quadruples from 1080p to 4K.

The High settings preset shows a similar pattern. From 1080p High (136 FPS) to 1440p High (100 FPS), the drop is 26.5%. From 1440p High to 4K High (64 FPS), the drop is 36%. This consistent pattern across presets suggests that the RX 7700 XT’s rendering pipeline is the bottleneck at higher resolutions. The CPU, with its 14 cores and 5.00 GHz boost clock, does not appear to be limiting frame rates at 4K, as the FPS values scale roughly with pixel count.

Medium settings provide the only complete data set with min and max FPS values. At 1080p Medium, the average is 156 FPS with a minimum of 132 and maximum of 179. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 114 FPS with a range of 97 to 131. At 4K Medium, the average is 74 FPS with a range of 63 to 85. The consistency of the min-to-max spread across resolutions suggests stable frame pacing, with the GPU maintaining a steady output even under load.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080: The Low preset delivers the highest average at 219 FPS. Medium settings average 156 FPS, with a minimum of 132 and maximum of 179. High settings produce 136 FPS on average. The Ultra preset, while the most demanding, still manages 102 FPS. All presets at 1080p exceed 100 FPS, making this resolution ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors.

2560x1440: Low settings drop to 161 FPS average, still comfortably above 144 FPS. Medium averages 114 FPS, with a range of 97 to 131. High settings maintain 100 FPS. Ultra falls to 75 FPS. At this resolution, players targeting 144 FPS must use Low settings, while those with 100 Hz displays can opt for High.

3840x2160: Low settings average 104 FPS, which is playable but below high-refresh thresholds. Medium averages 74 FPS, with a minimum of 63 and maximum of 85. High settings drop to 64 FPS. Ultra produces 48 FPS, which is the only preset that dips below 50 FPS. The 4K data suggests that this combo is best suited for 60 FPS gaming at Medium or Low settings, or 30-50 FPS at High and Ultra.

The data shows a clear hierarchy: Low > Medium > High > Ultra in terms of FPS, with Ultra typically performing 50-55% worse than Low at the same resolution. This scaling is consistent across all three resolutions, indicating that the GPU’s compute units are the primary constraint when settings increase.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo sits at rank 1023 out of 2828 total tested combinations, placing it in the upper-middle of the field. This ranking reflects the balanced nature of the Core Ultra 5 235 and RX 7700 XT pairing. The CPU’s 89th percentile standing (46062 average benchmark score) is notably higher than the GPU’s 67th percentile (22549 average score), suggesting the processor has more headroom than the graphics card relative to their respective markets.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in benchmark scores are all within 0.2% of each other, indicating that the Core Ultra 5 235’s performance is tightly grouped with other high-end processors. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and Intel Core i9-13900HX are virtually identical in synthetic tests, with delta percentages of 0.1% and -0.1% respectively. This suggests that the CPU is not a differentiating factor in this combo’s overall rank.

The GPU’s nearest rivals show a similar tight grouping, with the RTX 5060 Mobile, RTX 4060 Mobile, and RTX 2080 all within 1.5% of the RX 7700 XT. This competitive positioning means that the combo’s rank is more influenced by the GPU’s performance in Lockdown Protocol specifically, rather than its synthetic benchmark standing. The 4K Ultra result of 48 FPS is the weakest point in the data, likely dragging the combo’s rank below what the CPU’s strong showing might otherwise suggest.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.00 GHz provide strong single-threaded performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2085. The multi-core score of 14769 indicates solid all-core performance for this class of processor.

In Lockdown Protocol, an FPS title, the CPU’s role is primarily in managing game logic, physics, and frame pacing. The 14 threads are more than sufficient for modern game engines, and the high boost clock ensures that single-threaded tasks are handled swiftly. The CPU’s PassMark single-thread score of 4516 places it in the upper echelon of processors, which helps maintain high frame rates even when the GPU is not fully saturated.

The CPU’s 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB L2 cache per core provide ample data locality for game assets. The 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth from dual-channel DDR5 support is adequate for feeding the GPU’s 432.0 GB/s bandwidth, though the GPU remains the bottleneck in most scenarios. The core Ultra 5 235’s 89th percentile ranking versus all CPUs suggests it is unlikely to be the limiting factor in this combo, as the measured FPS drops are more closely tied to resolution and settings than to CPU-bound scenarios.

The data supports this conclusion: at 1080p Low, the system hits 219 FPS, which is a frame rate that would challenge many CPUs. The fact that it maintains this level suggests the CPU has headroom beyond what the GPU can deliver at higher resolutions. The 14-core configuration also ensures that background tasks and game threads do not interfere, contributing to the stable minimum FPS values seen at Medium settings.

Settings Recommendations

For players using a 1080p display with a 144 Hz monitor, the High preset at 136 FPS offers the best balance of visual quality and refresh rate. Those with 165 Hz or higher displays should use Medium settings, which average 156 FPS and provide a minimum of 132 FPS that stays above most standard refresh rates. The Low preset at 219 FPS is unnecessary for most displays but could benefit competitive players seeking maximum responsiveness.

At 1440p, the High preset delivers 100 FPS, which is ideal for 100 Hz monitors. Players with 144 Hz displays should use Low settings (161 FPS) or Medium (114 FPS) to stay above the refresh threshold. The Ultra preset at 75 FPS is playable but does not take full advantage of high-refresh displays. For 4K displays, the Medium preset at 74 FPS is the recommended choice, as it provides a playable experience above 60 FPS. High settings at 64 FPS are also viable, but the minimum FPS data at Medium (63 FPS) suggests better frame consistency than High, which lacks min/max data.

The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution above 1080p, as the 1440p result of 75 FPS and 4K result of 48 FPS do not provide a smooth experience for an FPS title. The data indicates that Medium settings offer the best compromise across all resolutions, with the only complete min/max data showing stable frame delivery. For competitive play, Low settings at 1080p (219 FPS) or 1440p (161 FPS) provide the highest frame rates and lowest latency, while the Medium preset at 1080p (156 FPS) offers a reasonable middle ground for those who want some visual fidelity without sacrificing performance.