Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol pairs the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 with the AMD Radeon RX 9060, a combination that delivers a solid 1080p and 1440p experience but struggles to maintain smooth frame rates at 4K. The data indicates that this pairing is best suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1920x1080, where it comfortably exceeds 100 FPS on most presets, and remains playable at 2560x1440 with adjusted settings. The Ultra 5 245’s strong single-thread performance and the RX 9060’s 8 GB VRAM are the key factors shaping these results, though the GPU’s 128-bit memory bus and overall mid-range positioning limit its high-resolution potential.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1920x1080 with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 109 at 1920x1080 with High settings. This indicates a smooth experience for competitive play, as the frame rate is well above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the RX 9060 compare to its nearest GPU rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RX 9060’s average benchmark score is 16014, which is 0.7% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti’s score of 16129. This places them in a very similar performance tier, with the RX 9060 being slightly behind in aggregate synthetic tests.

Q: What is the combo rank for this CPU and GPU pairing in Lockdown Protocol?

A: This combination ranks 1647 out of 2828 tested combos in the game. This places it in the upper-middle tier of all tested configurations, indicating it outperforms a majority of setups but is not at the top end.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU have a higher percentile ranking among its respective components?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 has a percentile rank of 90 among all CPUs, while the AMD Radeon RX 9060 has a percentile rank of 59 among all GPUs. This shows the CPU is a much stronger component relative to its peers than the GPU.

Q: What is the maximum average FPS recorded for this combo, and at what settings?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 175, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is significantly higher than the next best average of 128 FPS at 2560x1440 with Low settings.

Q: At 4K, which preset is the only one that maintains an average above 60 FPS?

A: None of the 4K presets maintain an average above 60 FPS. The highest 4K average is 83 FPS at Low settings, but at Medium, High, and Ultra, the averages drop to 59, 51, and 39 FPS respectively.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 1700 MHz, a game clock of 2400 MHz, and a boost clock of 2990 MHz. These specifications position the RX 9060 as a mid-range part, and the benchmark data confirms this, with its percentile rank sitting at 59 relative to all tested GPUs.

The GPU’s memory configuration is a critical factor in Lockdown Protocol’s results. With only 8 GB of VRAM and a 128-bit bus, the RX 9060 is not optimally equipped for very high resolutions and ultra settings. The data shows a clear and consistent decline in average FPS as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 81. Moving to 2560x1440 at Ultra drops the average to 60 FPS, and at 3840x2160 at Ultra, the average falls to 39 FPS. This pattern strongly suggests that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and capacity become limiting factors at higher resolutions, where the demand for texture data and frame buffer space increases significantly.

The synthetic benchmark scores for the RX 9060 provide additional context for its gaming performance. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 3322, and its Geekbench OpenCL score is 88183. In the Passmark suite, it scores 17631 in G3D and 9919 in GPU Compute. These scores align with its nearest rivals, which include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (average score 16129, deltaPct -0.7%), the AMD Radeon R9 370X (15862, deltaPct 1%), and the AMD Radeon RX 7700 (15852, deltaPct 1%). The RX 9060’s average benchmark score is 16014, putting it in the same performance class as these cards. This means in Lockdown Protocol, the RX 9060 is delivering frame rates consistent with its expected performance tier, with the CPU providing ample headroom.

The GPU’s pixel rate is 191.4 GPixel/s and its texture rate is 334.9 GTexel/s. Its FP32 performance is 21.43 TFLOPS. These compute metrics are moderate, and the measured FPS data reflects this. The GPU is clearly capable of high frame rates at 1080p, but its performance scales down predictably as the rendering load increases. The transition from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings results in a drop from 109 FPS to 80 FPS, a 27% reduction. The jump to 3840x2160 at High further reduces the average to 51 FPS, which is below the generally accepted 60 FPS standard for smooth gameplay. This indicates that while the GPU can handle the game’s demands at lower resolutions, its limits are quickly reached at 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. The CPU’s cache configuration includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. With a TDP of 65 W, it is a power-efficient desktop part. The CPU’s percentile rank is 90 among all CPUs, indicating it is a high-performing processor relative to its peers.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Ultra 5 245 demonstrates strong multi-threaded capabilities. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 32924, and its single-core score is 4648. In Passmark, it scores 38706 in multithread and 4394 in single-thread. These results are closely matched by its nearest rivals, which include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (avg score 49196, deltaPct -0.4%), the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (49228, deltaPct -0.5%), the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48698, deltaPct 0.6%), and the Intel Core i5-14600K (48618, deltaPct 0.8%). The Ultra 5 245’s average benchmark score is 48995, placing it in the same performance ballpark as these competitors.

The CPU’s role in the Lockdown Protocol results is to provide a stable foundation for the GPU. The measured FPS data shows that at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 175 FPS. This high frame rate suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck at this resolution and settings, as the GPU is able to render frames quickly without being constrained by processor throughput. The strong single-core performance, evidenced by the 4648 Cinebench R23 single-core score, is particularly important for FPS games, which often rely heavily on a single thread for game logic and physics.

However, the CPU’s influence becomes less pronounced as resolution increases, where the GPU becomes the primary limiter. For example, at 3840x2160 with Low settings, the average FPS is 83, which is a substantial drop from the 175 FPS at 1080p Low. This indicates that the GPU is struggling to keep up with the increased pixel count, and the CPU’s performance is no longer the deciding factor. The 14-core configuration provides enough parallelism for modern game engines, but the game’s frame rate is ultimately governed by the GPU’s rendering capabilities at higher resolutions. The CPU’s 5.10 GHz boost clock helps ensure that even in CPU-bound scenarios, the processor can deliver instructions quickly, but the data shows that the GPU is the limiting component for most of the tested settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo covers three resolutions and four settings presets, providing a clear picture of its performance scaling.

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results. With Low settings, the average FPS is 175. Moving to Medium settings, the average is 124 FPS, with a minimum of 106 FPS and a maximum of 143 FPS. High settings yield an average of 109 FPS. Ultra settings produce an average of 81 FPS. The data shows a smooth progression, with the frame rate decreasing as the graphical load increases. All averages at this resolution are above 60 FPS, making it a viable resolution for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops noticeably. Low settings produce an average of 128 FPS, which is still excellent for competitive gaming. Medium settings average 91 FPS, with a minimum of 77 FPS and a maximum of 105 FPS. High settings average 80 FPS. Ultra settings are the only preset to dip below the 60 FPS mark, with an average of 60 FPS. This makes 1440p with High settings or lower a good target for a smooth experience, while Ultra is borderline.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain high frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 83 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for high-refresh-rate displays. Medium settings average 59 FPS, with a minimum of 50 FPS and a maximum of 68 FPS. High settings average 51 FPS. Ultra settings average 39 FPS. None of the 4K presets reach the 60 FPS average that is often considered the baseline for smooth gameplay, and the Ultra preset is particularly demanding, resulting in a sub-40 FPS experience.

The data reveals a consistent pattern: the frame rate scales with resolution and settings as expected, with the most significant drops occurring at 4K. The transition from 1080p to 1440p at High settings results in a 29 FPS drop (from 109 to 80), while the transition from 1440p to 4K at High settings results in another 29 FPS drop (from 80 to 51). This shows that the GPU’s performance ceiling is hit relatively quickly when pushing higher resolutions. The minimum and maximum FPS figures for the Medium preset at each resolution provide additional insight into frame time consistency, with the variance being more pronounced at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Lockdown Protocol, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 + AMD Radeon RX 9060 combo ranks 1647 out of 2828 total combos. This places it in the 58th percentile of all tested configurations. This ranking reflects the overall performance of the pairing, which is solid for 1080p and 1440p gaming but not exceptional for 4K.

The combo’s rank is influenced by both the CPU and GPU’s individual strengths. The CPU’s high percentile rank of 90 means it is a top-tier processor, but the GPU’s lower rank of 59 drags down the overall performance of the combo. The data suggests that the CPU is capable of pushing much higher frame rates if paired with a more powerful GPU, but the RX 9060 is the limiting factor in this specific configuration. The combo’s rank of 1647 is a reflection of this imbalance, as it sits in the middle of the pack among all tested systems.

In comparison to other combos, this pairing is likely to outperform systems with older or weaker GPUs, but it will lag behind systems with higher-end graphics cards. The GPU’s nearest rivals, such as the RTX 3060 Ti, have similar synthetic scores, so a system with an RTX 3060 Ti would likely have a similar in-game rank. The CPU’s strong performance ensures that it does not hold back the GPU, but the overall rank is capped by the GPU’s capabilities. For a user looking at this data, the rank indicates that this is a mid-range gaming system, well-suited for 1080p high-refresh-rate gaming and capable of handling 1440p with some settings adjustments.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the user’s resolution and performance goals.

For 1920x1080, the High preset is the recommended choice for a balanced experience. It delivers an average of 109 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a smooth, responsive feel for fast-paced FPS gameplay. The Medium preset offers a higher average of 124 FPS, which could be preferable for users with a 144 Hz or higher refresh rate monitor, but the visual quality difference between Medium and High is often significant. Ultra settings at 81 FPS are also playable, but the performance gain from dropping to High is minimal, while the visual impact of Ultra is often less noticeable in competitive games. For maximum competitive performance, the Low preset’s 175 FPS is the best choice, but it sacrifices visual fidelity.

For 2560x1440, the High preset is the best option for maintaining a smooth experience. The 80 FPS average is above the 60 FPS threshold and provides good visual quality. The Medium preset is also viable, with an average of 91 FPS, making it a strong choice for users who prioritize frame rate over visuals. The Ultra preset’s 60 FPS average is right at the edge of playability, but it may experience occasional drops below 60 FPS, especially in intense scenes. The Low preset at 128 FPS is an excellent option for competitive play, offering a high frame rate with reduced graphical detail.

For 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only one that delivers an average above 60 FPS, with a score of 83. The Medium preset’s 59 FPS average is barely below the 60 FPS threshold, and its minimum of 50 FPS indicates that frame pacing could be inconsistent. High and Ultra presets are not recommended for 4K, as their averages of 51 and 39 FPS respectively result in a subpar experience. Users with a 4K monitor should either stick to the Low preset or consider lowering the resolution to 1440p for a better balance of visual quality and performance. The data clearly shows that this combo is not designed for 4K gaming, and users should adjust their expectations accordingly.