Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with Intel Core Ultra 5 235 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER delivers a robust Lockdown Protocol experience across all tested resolutions, with the data showing this combination ranks 175th out of 2,828 tested combos, placing it in the top 6.2% of all configurations. The measured frame rates reveal a system that excels at high-refresh 1080p and 1440p gaming while remaining comfortably playable at 4K, though the scaling patterns indicate where each component's contribution begins and ends.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K follows a clear pattern that identifies the GPU as the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 205 at 1920x1080 to 151 at 2560x1440, a 26.3% reduction, and then further to 97 at 3840x2160, representing a cumulative 52.7% drop from 1080p to 4K. This scaling curve is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the RTX 4080 SUPER's rendering throughput becomes the bottleneck as pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K.

The Low settings data reinforces this interpretation with an even steeper relative decline. At 1920x1080 Low, the system produces 331 FPS, which falls to 243 at 2560x1440 (a 26.6% drop) and then to 157 at 3840x2160 (a 52.6% drop from 1080p). The near-identical percentage drops between High and Low settings suggest that the CPU is not constraining performance even at the lowest graphical load, as the scaling pattern remains consistent regardless of how much work is offloaded from the GPU.

The Medium settings row provides the only complete min/max data in the set, showing a 235 FPS average at 1080p with a 200 FPS minimum and 270 FPS maximum. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 172 FPS with a 147 FPS minimum and 198 FPS maximum, while 4K Medium produces 111 FPS average with a 95 FPS minimum and 128 FPS maximum. The min-to-max spread narrows from 70 FPS at 1080p to 51 FPS at 1440p and 33 FPS at 4K, indicating that frame time consistency improves as the GPU becomes more uniformly saturated at higher resolutions.

Ultra settings show the steepest absolute decline, with 154 FPS at 1080p dropping to 113 FPS at 1440p and 73 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 73 FPS sits just above the 60 FPS threshold, suggesting that this configuration can handle maximum quality at 4K for players who accept slightly lower refresh rates. The resolution scaling data collectively indicates that the RTX 4080 SUPER, with its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 736.3 GB/s bandwidth, is the component that governs performance scaling, while the CPU maintains sufficient headroom to avoid becoming a limiting factor even at 1080p Low where the GPU is least stressed.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 brings 14 cores and 14 threads to the Lockdown Protocol workload, operating with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This Arrow Lake-S architecture processor, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC with 17,800 million transistors, delivers benchmark scores that place it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14,769 and single-core score of 2,085 indicate strong per-thread performance, which is relevant for a game that appears to scale with both core count and clock speed.

The CPU's PassMark multithread score of 37,816 and single-thread score of 4,516 place it in close competition with its nearest rivals. The data shows the Core Ultra 5 235 averaging 46,062 across all benchmarks, sitting just 0.1% above the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (46,030) and 0.1% below the Intel Core i9-13900HX (46,098). This tight clustering suggests that the CPU's performance envelope is well-established, and in Lockdown Protocol specifically, the measured frame rates indicate the processor is not the primary constraint.

The 24 MB of shared L3 cache, combined with 3 MB L2 per core and 192 KB L1 per core, provides adequate data locality for game assets. The dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth ensures the CPU can feed the RTX 4080 SUPER without memory bandwidth bottlenecks. The 65 W TDP classification, while not directly indicative of gaming performance, suggests the CPU operates within a power envelope that allows sustained boost clocks during extended gaming sessions.

In the context of Lockdown Protocol's frame rates, the CPU's role becomes most apparent at 1080p Low where the system achieves 331 FPS. At this resolution and settings combination, the GPU has minimal work per frame, yet the CPU sustains a frame rate that exceeds what most displays can show. The fact that 1080p High (205 FPS) and 1080p Ultra (154 FPS) show substantial differences indicates the GPU is still the dominant factor even at lower resolutions, but the CPU's 5.00 GHz boost capability ensures it never becomes the limiting factor in any tested configuration.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER serves as the performance centerpiece of this configuration, and the Lockdown Protocol data clearly demonstrates its capabilities. Built on the AD103 chip with Ada Lovelace architecture and manufactured on TSMC's 5 nm process, this GPU packs 45,900 million transistors across a 379 mm² die. Its 10,240 shading units, 320 texture mapping units, and 112 render output units provide the raw compute throughput needed for high-resolution gaming.

The memory subsystem is particularly relevant for Lockdown Protocol at 4K. With 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus delivering 736.3 GB/s bandwidth, the RTX 4080 SUPER has ample capacity and bandwidth for high-resolution textures and effects. The 4K Ultra result of 73 FPS suggests that memory capacity is not a limiting factor, as even the most demanding settings remain playable. The GPU's 2,295 MHz base clock and 2,550 MHz boost clock, combined with 52.22 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, provide the processing power to maintain high frame rates across all tested settings.

The GPU's benchmark profile shows a PassMark G3D score of 34,245 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6,600, placing it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 non-SUPER, scores 54,247 on average, a -0.1% delta, indicating the SUPER variant offers only marginal synthetic benchmark gains. However, in Lockdown Protocol, the measured FPS demonstrates that this GPU delivers consistently high performance, with the 4K Medium result of 111 FPS average and 95 FPS minimum showing strong frame time stability.

The GPU's 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores, while not explicitly stressed in this game's measurements, contribute to its overall capability profile. The 285.6 GPixel/s pixel rate and 816.0 GTexel/s texture rate provide the fill rate necessary for high-resolution rendering, and the 700 W suggested PSU requirement indicates the power delivery needed to sustain peak performance. The data suggests the RTX 4080 SUPER is the component that determines Lockdown Protocol's performance ceiling, particularly at 4K where the frame rates scale inversely with settings in a predictable manner.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the configuration produces its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings yield 331 FPS average, Medium produces 235 FPS with a 200 FPS minimum and 270 FPS maximum, High delivers 205 FPS, and Ultra achieves 154 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 177 FPS, representing a 53.5% reduction in performance when moving from the lowest to highest quality preset. This wide range indicates that players prioritizing maximum frame rates for competitive play can achieve exceptional refresh rates, while those seeking visual fidelity still obtain 154 FPS at Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong across all settings. Low produces 243 FPS, Medium delivers 172 FPS (147 minimum, 198 maximum), High reaches 151 FPS, and Ultra maintains 113 FPS. The 1440p results show a 130 FPS spread from Low to Ultra, with Ultra settings still exceeding 100 FPS, making this resolution the sweet spot for high-refresh gaming at maximum quality. The Medium preset's 147 FPS minimum ensures consistent frame delivery even during intense gameplay moments.

At 3840x2160, the configuration transitions from high-refresh territory to standard refresh rates. Low settings produce 157 FPS, Medium delivers 111 FPS (95 minimum, 128 maximum), High achieves 97 FPS, and Ultra falls to 73 FPS. The 4K results show an 84 FPS spread from Low to Ultra, and while Ultra settings dip below the 100 FPS mark, the 73 FPS average remains well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset at 4K, with its 95 FPS minimum, provides the best combination of visual quality and frame rate stability for players using 4K displays.

The Medium settings rows provide the only complete min/max data across all three resolutions, revealing interesting consistency patterns. At 1080p Medium, the minimum (200 FPS) is 85% of the average (235 FPS). At 1440p Medium, the minimum (147 FPS) is also 85% of the average (172 FPS). At 4K Medium, the minimum (95 FPS) is 86% of the average (111 FPS). This consistent ratio suggests the game maintains similar frame time distribution regardless of resolution, indicating well-optimized rendering pipelines.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 175th out of 2,828 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the top 6.2% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the strong performance demonstrated across the measured FPS data, with the system delivering playable frame rates at every resolution and settings combination tested. The rank position suggests that while this combo is not at the absolute top tier, it outperforms the vast majority of alternatives.

The CPU's nearest rivals show tight competition in synthetic benchmarks, with the Core Ultra 5 235 averaging 46,062 points, just 0.1% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (46,030) and 0.2% ahead of both the AMD EPYC 4364P (45,970) and AMD EPYC 7303 (45,960). The Intel Core i9-13900HX (46,098) sits 0.1% ahead, representing the closest margin in this competitive cluster. These sub-0.2% differences suggest that CPU choice among these alternatives would have minimal impact on Lockdown Protocol performance.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4080 SUPER averages 54,209 in synthetic benchmarks, sitting 0.1% behind the RTX 4080 (54,247) and 1.1% behind the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (54,828). The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (55,698) and AMD Radeon 8060S (55,757) lead by 2.7% and 2.8% respectively. These benchmark deltas, while notable in synthetic tests, do not directly translate to Lockdown Protocol performance, where the measured FPS data shows this combo delivering frame rates that justify its 175th position among 2,828 configurations.

The ranking data indicates that the RTX 4080 SUPER's 86th percentile GPU performance is the primary driver of this combo's position, as the CPU's 89th percentile ranking provides ample support without becoming a bottleneck. The combination's 175th place ranking, with 2,653 combos ranked below it, demonstrates that this configuration delivers top-tier performance in Lockdown Protocol, suitable for high-refresh gaming at 1440p and solid 4K experiences.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 331, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Can this configuration handle 4K Ultra settings in Lockdown Protocol?

A: Yes, the 4K Ultra preset produces a 73 FPS average, which remains above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, though it is the lowest measured result.

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

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 averages 46,062 points, which is 0.1% above the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (46,030) and 0.1% below the Intel Core i9-13900HX (46,098).

Q: What is the frame rate consistency at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 Medium, the system produces 172 FPS average with a 147 FPS minimum and 198 FPS maximum, showing a 51 FPS spread.

Q: Does the GPU outperform its direct predecessor in synthetic tests?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER averages 54,209 points, which is 0.1% lower than the RTX 4080's 54,247 average, indicating near-identical synthetic performance.

Q: What is the performance drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 205 at 1080p to 97 at 4K, representing a 52.7% reduction in performance.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data indicates that Medium settings provide the most balanced experience across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the 235 FPS average (200 minimum, 270 maximum) exceeds what most displays can show, while at 1440p Medium, the 172 FPS average (147 minimum) delivers high-refresh gaming with excellent consistency. At 4K Medium, the 111 FPS average (95 minimum) provides smooth gameplay with only a modest quality reduction from High settings.

For players prioritizing maximum frame rates, Low settings at 1080p (331 FPS) or 1440p (243 FPS) offer exceptional performance for competitive play. The Low preset's 157 FPS at 4K also enables high-refresh 4K gaming for those with capable displays. However, the visual quality trade-offs may not be worthwhile for most users, given that Medium settings provide substantial quality improvements with only a 29% performance reduction at 1080p (from 331 to 235 FPS) and a 29% reduction at 1440p (from 243 to 172 FPS).

Ultra settings are viable for players with 1080p displays (154 FPS) and 1440p displays (113 FPS), offering maximum visual fidelity while maintaining high frame rates. At 4K, Ultra's 73 FPS average dips below the 100 FPS threshold but remains playable, making it a reasonable choice for visually demanding players who prioritize image quality over refresh rate. High settings occupy a middle ground, with 205 FPS at 1080p, 151 FPS at 1440p, and 97 FPS at 4K, though the data suggests Medium offers better frame time consistency based on the available min/max measurements.

The optimal configuration depends on display capabilities and performance priorities. For 1080p users, Ultra settings (154 FPS) provide the best visual experience without sacrificing refresh rate. For 1440p users, High settings (151 FPS) or Medium settings (172 FPS) both deliver excellent results, with Medium offering better frame time stability based on the measured minimums. For 4K users, Medium settings (111 FPS) provide the best combination of visual quality and performance, as the 95 FPS minimum ensures consistent frame delivery above the 60 FPS threshold.