Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol is a fast-paced FPS that stresses both the CPU and GPU, and the measured data for the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX paired with the AMD Radeon 8060S reveals a system with a clear performance ceiling. The combination lands at rank 1647 out of 2828 tested combos in this game, placing it in the middle of the pack. The benchmark results show a platform that is capable of high refresh rate gaming at 1080p but begins to buckle under the load of higher resolutions, with the integrated-class Radeon 8060S emerging as the primary bottleneck.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a predictable and steep decline in frame rates as resolution increases, but the rate of decline tells a story about system balance. At 1080p with High settings, the system produces 109 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops that to 80 FPS, a 26.6% reduction. Jumping to 4K at High settings yields just 51 FPS, another 36.3% drop from 1440p. This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor; if the CPU were the constraint, the frame rate would remain relatively flat as resolution increases, since the CPU work per frame is largely resolution-independent.

The scaling across the settings presets reinforces this. At Low settings, the system achieves 175 FPS at 1080p, 128 FPS at 1440p, and 83 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop is 26.9%, and the 1440p to 4K drop is 35.2%. The consistency of these percentages across Low and High presets suggests the GPU is consistently saturated. Even at the lowest graphical load, the Radeon 8060S cannot maintain a stable high frame rate at 4K, indicating that the GPU's raw throughput, not memory bandwidth or CPU overhead, is the wall. The Ultra preset shows the most severe scaling, with 81 FPS at 1080p falling to 60 FPS at 1440p (a 25.9% drop) and then to 39 FPS at 4K (a 35% drop), again pointing squarely at the GPU.

The data suggests this is a system designed for 1080p and 1440p gaming. The 4K results, even at Medium settings, hover around 59 FPS, which is playable but far from the high refresh rates the system can achieve at lower resolutions. The performance cliff between 1440p and 4K is steep across all presets, confirming that the integrated GPU is the dominant limiting component. The gap between the fastest and slowest 4K presets is also significant, with Ultra (39 FPS) being less than half the speed of Low (83 FPS), indicating that the GPU is extremely sensitive to pixel shading load at this resolution.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon 8060S is the heart of this system's graphics performance, and its specifications explain the scaling behavior observed. It is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) built on the RDNA 3.5 architecture, using the Strix Halo chip. It operates with a base clock of 1295 MHz and a boost clock of 2900 MHz. The GPU has 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs, with 40 ray tracing cores. Its FP32 compute is rated at 14.85 TFLOPS, which is the raw shader throughput that determines how fast it can fill pixels.

The memory configuration is critical to understand. The Radeon 8060S uses System Shared memory, meaning its bandwidth and size are dependent on the system's DDR5 RAM and the dual-channel memory bus of the CPU. This shared memory architecture is a common bottleneck for integrated graphics, and the data suggests it is limiting performance at higher resolutions. The pixel rate of 185.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 464.0 GTexel/s are theoretical maximums that are unlikely to be fully realized in practice due to memory bandwidth constraints.

Benchmark scores place this GPU in the 87th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 55757. Its nearest rival according to the data is the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB, which scores 55698, a delta of just 0.1%. This puts the 8060S in a performance class that is roughly equivalent to a mid-range discrete graphics card from a previous generation. However, the data also shows it is 0.6% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 and 2.8% behind the RTX 4080, which are far more powerful discrete parts. This seeming contradiction is explained by the fact that these are average benchmark scores across many tests, not just gaming. In gaming, the shared memory and power constraints of the IGP will likely cause it to fall further behind those high-end discrete GPUs.

The GPU's performance in Lockdown Protocol is best described as adequate for 1080p and 1440p. The 175 FPS at 1080p Low shows it can handle esports-style settings with ease. However, the 4K results, particularly the 39 FPS at Ultra, demonstrate that it lacks the raw fill rate and memory bandwidth for high-resolution, high-fidelity gaming. The 51 FPS at 4K High is the only 4K result above 60 FPS, and it is only marginally so.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Lockdown Protocol with this hardware?

A: The data shows 1080p is the sweet spot. At 1080p High, the system delivers 109 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold. At 1440p High, the frame rate drops to 80 FPS, which is still playable, but 4K High at 51 FPS is below ideal smoothness.

Q: How does the AMD Radeon 8060S compare to its closest rivals in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The Radeon 8060S has an average benchmark score of 55757. This places it 0.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (55698) and 1.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (54828). It is behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 (56083) by 0.6% and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 (54247) by 2.8%.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck at 4K resolution?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the bottleneck. The frame rate drops significantly from 1440p to 4K across all settings. For example, at High settings, the system drops from 80 FPS at 1440p to 51 FPS at 4K. If the CPU were the limit, these numbers would be much closer together.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: The difference is substantial. At 1080p, the Low preset achieves an average of 175 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves 81 FPS. This represents a 53.7% reduction in frame rate when moving from Low to Ultra.

Q: Can this system achieve a stable 60 FPS at 4K in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The data suggests it is not possible with the tested presets. The highest 4K result is 83 FPS at Low settings, but this is an average. The Medium preset at 4K averages 59 FPS with a minimum of 50 FPS, which dips below 60 FPS. The High preset averages 51 FPS, and Ultra averages 39 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's benchmark score compare to its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX has an average benchmark score of 52073. This is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X's score of 51947, making them effectively tied in overall synthetic performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX and AMD Radeon 8060S in Lockdown Protocol is as follows:

1920x1080:

• Low: 175 FPS average
• Medium: 124 FPS average (min 106, max 143)
• High: 109 FPS average
• Ultra: 81 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 128 FPS average
• Medium: 91 FPS average (min 77, max 105)
• High: 80 FPS average
• Ultra: 60 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 83 FPS average
• Medium: 59 FPS average (min 50, max 68)
• High: 51 FPS average
• Ultra: 39 FPS average

The 1080p data shows a clear hierarchy. The Low preset is the only one to break 170 FPS, hitting 175 FPS. The Medium preset provides a substantial step down to 124 FPS, which is still very smooth. High and Ultra presets follow at 109 FPS and 81 FPS respectively. The gap between Medium and Low (51 FPS) is larger than the gap between High and Medium (15 FPS), suggesting diminishing returns on the lower end of the settings scale.

At 1440p, the pattern is similar but compressed. The Low preset manages 128 FPS, which is still high. Medium drops to 91 FPS, High to 80 FPS, and Ultra to 60 FPS. The Ultra preset exactly hits the 60 FPS average, which is the minimum for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset's minimum of 77 FPS shows it can hold a stable frame rate without dipping into stutter territory.

The 4K results are the most telling. Low is the only preset that stays above 60 FPS, with an average of 83 FPS. Medium averages 59 FPS but has a minimum of 50 FPS, which will be noticeable as stuttering. High and Ultra presets fall to 51 FPS and 39 FPS respectively, which are not ideal for a fast-paced FPS. The data shows that 4K gaming is only viable at the lowest settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX is a mobile processor from the Core Ultra Series 2, built on the Arrow Lake-HX architecture using a 3 nm process. It has 14 cores and 14 threads, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. The CPU has a 24 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory on a dual-channel bus, giving it a memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. This memory bandwidth is shared with the integrated GPU, which is a critical factor in the system's gaming performance.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 34731 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 4903 in single-core. Its overall average benchmark score is 52073, placing it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are tightly clustered: the AMD EPYC 8124P at 52121 (-0.1%), the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X at 51947 (+0.2%), the Intel Core i7-14700 at 52301 (-0.4%), and the Intel Core i9-13900F at 51730 (+0.7%). This shows the 235HX is a very strong performer, offering desktop-class multi-threaded performance in a mobile form factor.

For Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and handle game logic. The high boost clock of 5.10 GHz and strong single-core performance (4903 in Cinebench R23) are beneficial for this. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system reaches 175 FPS, which suggests the CPU is capable of high frame rate output. However, the fact that frame rates drop so significantly at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor, not the CPU. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would see similar frame rates across different resolutions.

The 14 threads are sufficient for modern game engines, and the high L3 cache helps with data locality. The CPU's performance in the Passmark physics test (2550) and integer math (97177) shows it can handle the computational load of a game like Lockdown Protocol. The data suggests the CPU is more than capable of keeping up with the GPU at 1080p and 1440p, but the GPU's limitations cap the system's overall performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal preset depends on the user's resolution and performance goals. For a smooth 60+ FPS experience, the data points to a clear set of choices.

At 1920x1080, the High preset at 109 FPS is the best balance of visual quality and performance. It offers a significant improvement over Medium (124 FPS) in visual fidelity for a 15 FPS cost, while still being far above the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset at 81 FPS is also viable, but it incurs a 28 FPS penalty over High for what is likely a marginal visual gain. The Medium preset at 124 FPS is suitable for users who prefer maximum smoothness, but High provides a better experience per the data.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset at 91 FPS is the recommended choice. It provides a stable experience with a minimum of 77 FPS, ensuring no major dips. The High preset at 80 FPS is also acceptable, but the Medium preset offers more headroom. The Ultra preset at 60 FPS is right at the edge; while playable, it has no margin for error, and any complex scene could cause a drop below 60 FPS. The Low preset at 128 FPS is for competitive play, but the visual compromise is significant.

At 3840x2160, the data shows that only the Low preset (83 FPS) can deliver a consistently smooth experience above 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 59 FPS is technically playable but has a minimum of 50 FPS, which will cause noticeable stuttering in a fast-paced FPS. The High and Ultra presets at 51 FPS and 39 FPS respectively are not recommended for this game. Therefore, at 4K, users should stick to Low settings to maintain playability.

The best overall experience for most users will be 1440p with Medium settings. This combination provides a 91 FPS average with a 77 FPS minimum, offering high resolution with smooth gameplay. For users who prioritize frame rate over resolution, 1080p High at 109 FPS is an excellent choice. The data clearly shows that the 4K Ultra preset is not viable, and the 4K Medium preset is the absolute minimum for acceptable play.