Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol is a fast-paced FPS where frame pacing matters as much as raw average output. The data for the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 shows a system that behaves predictably: the GPU is almost always the limiting factor, and the CPU has ample headroom even at 1080p. This combination ranks 2234 out of 2828 tested combos, placing it in the lower-mid tier of the database, which is consistent with the RTX 2060’s age and 6 GB VRAM. The measured FPS rows reveal a clear story about resolution scaling, settings sensitivity, and where this rig actually delivers a playable experience. Below is a breakdown of how this combo behaves across resolutions and presets, with exact numbers from the measured data.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, which points directly at the GPU as the bottleneck. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 145 FPS at 1920x1080 to 106 FPS at 2560x1440, then to 69 FPS at 3840x2160. That is a 27% reduction going from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 35% reduction going from 1440p to 4K. The trend is identical at High settings: 90 FPS at 1080p, 66 FPS at 1440p, and 43 FPS at 4K. The RTX 2060 simply runs out of pixel throughput as resolution climbs, and the numbers confirm that this is not a CPU-limited scenario.

At Medium settings, the only preset with min/max FPS recorded, the data shows 103 FPS average at 1080p (min 88, max 119), 76 FPS at 1440p (min 64, max 87), and 49 FPS at 4K (min 41, max 56). The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is a 26% drop, and from 1440p to 4K it is another 36% drop. The min FPS values at 4K Medium (41) are close to the average at 4K High (43), which suggests that even at Medium the GPU is heavily loaded and frame times become less stable as resolution increases. The Ultra preset shows the same pattern but at lower absolute numbers: 67 FPS at 1080p, 49 FPS at 1440p, and 32 FPS at 4K.

What this means in practice is that the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is not the limiting component at any resolution tested. The CPU’s benchmark scores — including a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 32924 and a Passmark multithread score of 38706 — place it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, far above what a game like Lockdown Protocol would need even at high frame rates. The RTX 2060, by contrast, sits in the 58th percentile of all GPUs, with a Passmark G3D score of 14111. The GPU is the clear ceiling. At 1080p Low, the 145 FPS average is likely near the practical limit for this GPU in this game, but the CPU could push higher if paired with a stronger graphics card. At 4K, the FPS drops to 32-69 depending on settings, which is firmly GPU-bound territory.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the best experience for this combo depends on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 145 FPS average, which is excellent for a competitive FPS, but the Medium preset at 103 FPS (min 88, max 119) offers a better balance of visual quality and frame rate. High at 1080p drops to 90 FPS, which is still playable, but the jump from Medium to High costs 13 FPS (103 to 90) while the jump from Low to Medium costs 42 FPS (145 to 103). Medium is the sweet spot at 1080p because it keeps the average above 100 FPS while providing more detail than Low. Ultra at 1080p is 67 FPS, which is borderline for a fast-paced shooter, and the 36 FPS loss from Medium to Ultra is hard to justify.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 106 FPS, which is surprisingly strong and makes it the only settings level that stays comfortably above 100 FPS at this resolution. Medium at 1440p averages 76 FPS (min 64, max 87), which is acceptable for slower play but risky for competitive scenarios where frame drops matter. High at 1440p drops to 66 FPS, and Ultra falls to 49 FPS. For 1440p, Low is the recommended preset if you prioritize smoothness, while Medium is viable if you can tolerate occasional dips into the 60s. The data shows that the RTX 2060’s 6 GB VRAM starts to feel pressured at 1440p High and above, though the exact VRAM usage is not recorded in the measured FPS rows.

At 3840x2160, the situation is grim. Low averages 69 FPS, which is the only 4K preset that reaches a playable range, and even then it is not ideal for a competitive FPS. Medium averages 49 FPS (min 41, max 56), High averages 43 FPS, and Ultra falls to 32 FPS. The min FPS at 4K Medium (41) is below what most players would consider smooth. For 4K, Low is the only realistic choice, and even that is marginal. The data suggests that this combo is not suited for 4K gaming in Lockdown Protocol unless you are willing to accept Low settings and frame rates in the 60s.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is a Turing-architecture GPU with 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. Its boost clock is 1680 MHz, and it has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. These specs are modest by modern standards, and the measured FPS reflects that. The GPU’s Passmark G3D score is 14111, and its percentile rank against all GPUs is 58, meaning it outperforms just over half of the database’s GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the benchmark database are the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 (avg score 15283, deltaPct 0), the AMD Radeon 680M (avg score 15270, deltaPct 0.1), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM (avg score 15199, deltaPct 0.6). The RTX 2060’s average benchmark score is 15290, so it is essentially tied with these cards, which are all older or lower-tier entries.

The 6 GB VRAM is a notable limitation in Lockdown Protocol, especially at higher resolutions and settings. While the measured FPS rows do not include VRAM usage, the steep FPS drops at 4K Ultra (32 FPS) and 4K High (43 FPS) are consistent with a GPU that is both compute-bound and memory-constrained. The 336.0 GB/s bandwidth is enough for 1080p Medium (103 FPS) but becomes a bottleneck as pixel count rises. The RTX 2060’s 12 nm process node and 160 W TDP also mean it is an older design compared to the CPU’s 3 nm Arrow Lake architecture, but that is a manufacturing detail rather than a performance metric.

The GPU’s clock behavior also matters. The base clock is 1365 MHz and boost is 1680 MHz, but the measured FPS suggests the card is running at or near boost in most scenarios, given the linear scaling with resolution. The fact that 1080p Low hits 145 FPS while 1080p Ultra drops to 67 FPS shows that the GPU’s shading units and TMUs are the limiting factor, not the CPU. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 has 14 cores and 14 threads, a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache, all of which are far beyond what this game requires. The CPU’s nearest rivals in the benchmark database — the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (avg score 49196, deltaPct -0.4), AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (avg score 49228, deltaPct -0.5), Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (avg score 48698, deltaPct 0.6), and Intel Core i5-14600K (avg score 48618, deltaPct 0.8) — are all in the same performance class, reinforcing that the CPU is not the weak link.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks 2234 out of 2828 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the bottom 21% of the database, which is a direct consequence of the GPU’s age and limited VRAM. The CPU’s individual percentile is 90, meaning it is in the top 10% of all CPUs, while the GPU’s percentile is 58, just above the median. The combination of a top-tier CPU with a lower-mid-tier GPU produces a system that is heavily GPU-bound in this game, and the rank reflects that imbalance.

In practical terms, this rank means that most other tested combinations — even those with weaker CPUs but stronger GPUs — will outperform this setup in Lockdown Protocol. The RTX 2060’s nearest GPU rivals (GTX 580, Radeon 680M, RTX 3050 OEM, RX 7600) all have similar average benchmark scores, so swapping in any of those cards would yield nearly identical FPS. However, the CPU is not holding the system back. If the RTX 2060 were replaced with a significantly stronger GPU, the Core Ultra 5 245 could support much higher frame rates, given its 90th percentile standing. The data shows that this combo is a classic case of GPU bottlenecking, and the rank of 2234 reflects that the limiting factor is the graphics card, not the processor.

The rank also suggests that for Lockdown Protocol specifically, this combo is not competitive for high-refresh-rate play at 1080p, where many other combos exceed 200 FPS. At 1440p, the combo is playable but not exceptional, and at 4K it is only marginally viable at Low settings. The measured FPS rows are consistent with the rank: the system performs best at 1080p Low (145 FPS) and degrades rapidly as resolution and settings increase.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 holding back the RTX 2060 in Lockdown Protocol?

A: No. The CPU is in the 90th percentile of all CPUs with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 32924, while the GPU is in the 58th percentile with a Passmark G3D score of 14111. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K (145 to 69 at Low) shows the GPU is the limiting component.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1080p gaming with this combo?

A: Medium preset is recommended, averaging 103 FPS with a min of 88 and max of 119. Low averages 145 FPS but reduces visual quality, while High drops to 90 FPS and Ultra to 67 FPS.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K in Lockdown Protocol?

A: Only at Low settings, which averages 69 FPS. Medium averages 49 FPS (min 41, max 56), High averages 43 FPS, and Ultra averages 32 FPS. None of these are ideal for a competitive FPS.

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

A: The RTX 2060’s average benchmark score is 15290. Its nearest rivals are the GTX 580 (15283, deltaPct 0), Radeon 680M (15270, deltaPct 0.1), RTX 3050 OEM (15199, deltaPct 0.6), and RX 7600 (15171, deltaPct 0.8). They are all effectively tied.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested combinations?

A: It ranks 2234 out of 2828 combos, placing it in the lower 21% of the database. This is primarily due to the GPU’s limited performance and 6 GB VRAM.

Q: Does the CPU’s performance matter for this game at 1440p?

A: Not much. At 1440p Medium, the combo averages 76 FPS (min 64, max 87), and the CPU’s 90th percentile standing means it is not the bottleneck. The GPU’s 336.0 GB/s bandwidth and 6 GB VRAM are the constraints.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured FPS across settings is as follows: Low averages 145 FPS, Medium averages 103 FPS (min 88, max 119), High averages 90 FPS, and Ultra averages 67 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 78 FPS, which is the largest gap among the three resolutions, indicating that the GPU is still the limiting factor but has enough headroom at 1080p to show clear differences between presets.

At 2560x1440, Low averages 106 FPS, Medium averages 76 FPS (min 64, max 87), High averages 66 FPS, and Ultra averages 49 FPS. The gap from Low to Ultra is 57 FPS, narrower than at 1080p, which suggests the GPU is becoming more constrained as pixel count increases. The min FPS at Medium (64) is still above 60, making it the only 1440p preset besides Low that maintains a playable floor.

At 3840x2160, Low averages 69 FPS, Medium averages 49 FPS (min 41, max 56), High averages 43 FPS, and Ultra averages 32 FPS. The gap from Low to Ultra is 37 FPS, the smallest of all resolutions, because the GPU is so heavily loaded that even reducing settings cannot fully compensate for the pixel throughput demands. The min FPS at 4K Medium (41) is below the average at 4K High (43), indicating unstable frame times at that preset.

The data shows a clear pattern: the RTX 2060 delivers playable frame rates at 1080p across all settings, becomes marginal at 1440p Medium and above, and is only viable at 4K on Low settings. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 never appears to be the constraint, as evidenced by the consistent FPS drops that track with GPU load. For a builder considering this combo, the takeaway is that the CPU has longevity, but the GPU will need an upgrade to unlock higher resolutions or refresh rates in Lockdown Protocol.