Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol presents a demanding workload for the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER pairing. The measured data shows a system that is firmly GPU-limited across most configurations, with the CPU providing a robust foundation that allows for significant graphical scaling. The benchmark results indicate that users can prioritize visual fidelity or raw frame rate, with a clear performance hierarchy that is consistent across all tested resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K reveals a pronounced impact on frame rates, which is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 99 FPS at 1920x1080 to 72 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 27%. Pushing further to 3840x2160, the average falls to 47 FPS, representing a 53% decrease from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline is directly attributable to the rendering load placed on the RTX 2060 SUPER, as the pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K, demanding more from the GPU's shading units and memory bandwidth.

The pattern holds across all settings presets. At Low settings, the average frame rate scales from 159 FPS at 1080p to 117 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 75 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is roughly 53%, which is nearly identical to the High preset's drop. This consistency strongly suggests that the RTX 2060 SUPER is the primary limiting component even at the lowest graphical fidelity. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a smaller absolute difference between resolutions, as the CPU's workload is largely independent of resolution.

The data implies that the Ultra preset is particularly punishing for the GPU at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the average frame rate plummets to 35 FPS, which is only 47% of the 1080p Ultra score of 74 FPS. This indicates that the combination of high resolution and Ultra settings creates a rendering load that the 2060 SUPER cannot effectively manage, resulting in a playable but hardly smooth experience. Conversely, the difference between Medium and High at 4K is only 6 FPS (53 vs. 47), suggesting that diminishing returns set in as the GPU approaches its limits.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows provide a clear guide for balancing visual quality and performance. For users targeting a smooth 60 FPS experience, the data indicates that Medium settings at 2560x1440 are the optimal choice, delivering an average of 83 FPS. This provides a significant margin above the 60 FPS threshold while offering a visual upgrade over Low settings. At 1920x1080, High settings can be comfortably selected, with an average of 99 FPS, while Medium pushes to 113 FPS for those who prefer a higher refresh rate experience.

The Ultra preset appears to be a questionable choice for this GPU combination. At 1080p, it produces an average of 74 FPS, which is playable, but it is a 25% performance penalty compared to High settings for what is often a marginal visual improvement. At 1440p, the Ultra preset's 54 FPS average dips below the 60 FPS threshold, and at 4K it falls to 35 FPS, making it a poor fit for the RTX 2060 SUPER's capabilities. Benchmark results suggest that High or Medium presets offer the best balance of visual fidelity and performance.

For 4K users, the data is less encouraging. Even at Low settings, the average frame rate is 75 FPS, which falls to 47 FPS at High settings. This makes 4K gaming a compromise for this hardware, requiring significant reductions in visual quality to achieve acceptable frame rates. The Medium preset at 4K offers a 53 FPS average, which may be acceptable for slower-paced titles, but for a fast-paced FPS, the Low preset is the only setting that provides a consistently smooth experience.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the defining component in this system's gaming performance. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s, which is sufficient for the data demands of Lockdown Protocol at the tested settings. The GPU's 2176 shading units and 64 ROPs are responsible for the pixel and texture processing that drives the observed frame rates. The boost clock of 1650 MHz helps maintain throughput, but the data shows that the GPU is frequently saturated, particularly at higher resolutions and settings.

The GPU's compute capabilities, measured at 7.181 TFLOPS FP32, are a key factor in the performance scaling. The significant frame rate drops as resolution increases are a direct consequence of the GPU's fill-rate and shader processing limits. The RTX 2060 SUPER's 62nd percentile ranking among all GPUs, based on its average benchmark score of 18093, places it as a mid-range performer. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile, which scores 0.4% higher, and the AMD Radeon Pro 5700, which is 0.5% higher, indicating that the desktop 2060 SUPER is competitive with these parts in synthetic tests.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity does not appear to be a limiting factor in the measured results, as the frame rates scale consistently with resolution and settings without any anomalous drops that would indicate memory swapping. The GPU's performance in the PassMark G3D test, scoring 16462, reinforces its position as a capable 1080p and 1440p card, but the data confirms that 4K is a stretch for this hardware, requiring Low settings to maintain an average above 60 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed view of the system's performance across a matrix of resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are 159 FPS for Low, 113 FPS for Medium, 99 FPS for High, and 74 FPS for Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 96 FPS and a maximum of 130 FPS, indicating a consistent frame delivery with a 34 FPS range. This makes 1080p an excellent resolution for this combo, with even the Ultra preset delivering a playable average.

At 2560x1440, the average frame rates drop to 117 FPS for Low, 83 FPS for Medium, 72 FPS for High, and 54 FPS for Ultra. The Medium preset's minimum of 70 FPS and maximum of 95 FPS show a 25 FPS range, which is tighter than at 1080p, suggesting the GPU is working harder. The High preset is still capable of a strong performance, but Ultra begins to show its limits, falling below the 60 FPS average threshold.

At 3840x2160, the average frame rates are 75 FPS for Low, 53 FPS for Medium, 47 FPS for High, and 35 FPS for Ultra. The Medium preset is the only one with reported minimum and maximum values, showing a range of 45 to 62 FPS. The data clearly shows that 4K is only viable at Low settings for consistent smoothness, and even then, the 75 FPS average is a significant step down from the 159 FPS achieved at 1080p Low.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Lockdown Protocol at 4K with high settings?

A: The data shows that at 3840x2160 with High settings, the average frame rate is 47 FPS. This is below the 60 FPS threshold commonly desired for a smooth FPS experience, so while it is playable, it is not ideal. Reducing to Medium settings increases the average to 53 FPS, and Low settings provide a 75 FPS average.

Q: What is the best resolution for this hardware to achieve 100+ FPS?

A: To achieve an average of 100 FPS or more, the data indicates that 1920x1080 with Medium settings provides a 113 FPS average, and Low settings provide a 159 FPS average. At 2560x1440, only the Low preset, with a 117 FPS average, crosses the 100 FPS threshold.

Q: How much performance is lost when switching from 1080p to 1440p at High settings?

A: The average frame rate at 1920x1080 High is 99 FPS. At 2560x1440 High, the average drops to 72 FPS. This represents a 27 FPS decrease, or roughly 27% less performance.

Q: Is the Ultra preset ever a good choice with the RTX 2060 SUPER?

A: The data suggests that Ultra is only viable at 1920x1080, where it averages 74 FPS. At 2560x1440, the average drops to 54 FPS, and at 3840x2160, it falls to 35 FPS. For most users, High or Medium presets will offer a better balance of visual quality and frame rate.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals?

A: Based on average benchmark scores, the RTX 2060 SUPER scores 18093. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile scores 18159, which is 0.4% higher, and the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 scores 18189, which is 0.5% higher. The AMD Radeon RX 460 scores 18373, which is 1.5% higher.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded in the tests?

A: The only reported minimum FPS values are for the Medium preset. At 1920x1080, the minimum is 96 FPS; at 2560x1440, it is 70 FPS; and at 3840x2160, it is 45 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 serves as a powerful foundation for this system, and its capabilities are evident in the frame rates achieved. With 14 cores and 14 threads, a base clock of 3.40 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, the CPU provides ample processing power to feed the RTX 2060 SUPER. The benchmark results show that at 1080p Low settings, the system achieves an average of 159 FPS, which indicates that the CPU is capable of handling high frame rate scenarios without becoming the limiting factor.

The CPU's performance in synthetic tests is strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14769 and a single-core score of 2085. Its average benchmark score of 46062 places it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, signifying a high-end part. Its nearest rivals in benchmark scores include the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 with a 0.1% higher score, the Intel Core i9-13900HX with a 0.1% lower score, and the AMD EPYC 4364P with a 0.2% higher score. This suggests that the Ultra 5 235 is competitive with some of the best mobile and server chips on the market.

The CPU's 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB per core L2 cache provide fast access to frequently used data, which helps maintain high instructions per cycle. The 65W TDP and 3 nm process node from TSMC indicate an efficient design that can sustain high clocks without excessive power draw. The data implies that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution or settings preset in Lockdown Protocol, as the frame rate scaling is consistent with GPU-bound behavior.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for Lockdown Protocol, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is ranked 2014 out of 2828 total combos. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the rankings, which is expected given the GPU's mid-range status. The percentile ranking of the CPU at 89% suggests that it is a top-tier part, but the GPU's 62nd percentile ranking pulls the overall combo down.

The ranking reflects the balance of the system. The GPU's performance in Lockdown Protocol, as evidenced by the measured FPS, is the constraining factor. The combo's rank of 2014 indicates that there are 2013 other combinations of CPUs and GPUs that achieve higher performance in this specific game. This is not a criticism of the CPU, which is clearly capable, but rather proof of the demanding nature of the game on the GPU.

The data suggests that to improve this combo's ranking in Lockdown Protocol, a GPU upgrade would be the most effective path. The CPU has headroom to support a more powerful graphics card, as indicated by its high synthetic scores and the observed GPU limits. The current ranking of 2014 out of 2828 puts it in the 71st percentile of tested combos, meaning that 29% of tested systems perform worse, but a significant majority achieve higher frame rates. This positions the system as a capable 1080p and 1440p gaming machine that is not suited for maximum settings at 4K.