Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti pairing delivers a robust Lockdown Protocol experience, with measured frame rates that scale predictably across resolutions and presets. The data reveals a system where the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s strong single-thread performance ensures high frame rates at 1080p. The following analysis breaks down the measured performance, offering insight into how this specific hardware combination behaves in this FPS title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and pronounced drop in performance as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. This scaling pattern is the classic signature of a GPU-bound workload, where the rendering load on the graphics card increases exponentially with pixel count. At the High preset, the average frame rate falls from 161 FPS at 1080p to 118 FPS at 1440p, a decline of 43 FPS. Moving from 1440p to 4K (3840x2160), the average drops further to 76 FPS, another 42 FPS reduction. This consistent ~40 FPS step-down for each resolution increase suggests the RTX 3080 Ti is being pushed progressively harder, with its compute and memory resources becoming the limiting factor.

The scaling pattern is even more dramatic when examining the Low preset. At 1080p Low, the system achieves an average of 259 FPS, an exceptionally high number that indicates the CPU and GPU are both working efficiently with minimal graphical overhead. However, this figure plummets to 190 FPS at 1440p and then to 122 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is significant, with the 4K Low average being less than half of the 1080p Low average. This steep decline highlights that even at the lowest settings, the sheer number of pixels at 4K presents a formidable challenge to the GPU, overwhelming its fill rate and memory bandwidth.

The data implies that at 1080p, the system is not fully GPU-limited, especially at lower presets. The 259 FPS at Low suggests the CPU, with its high boost clock, is capable of feeding frames at a very high rate. However, as resolution climbs, the GPU’s workload expands, and the frame rate becomes increasingly tied to its performance. The gap between the Low and Ultra presets also widens with resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low (259 FPS) and Ultra (120 FPS) is 139 FPS. At 4K, this gap narrows to 65 FPS (122 FPS Low vs. 57 FPS Ultra), further confirming that at higher resolutions, the GPU’s raw processing power, not the preset’s specific effects, is the dominant factor in determining final performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combo in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The highest average frame rate is 259 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: How does the 4K Ultra performance compare to the 1080p Ultra performance?

A: At 4K Ultra, the system averages 57 FPS, while at 1080p Ultra, it averages 120 FPS. This represents a 63 FPS reduction, or the 4K result being less than half the 1080p result.

Q: Is there a settings preset that provides a playable experience at 4K without dropping below 60 FPS?

A: Yes, the data shows that at 3840x2160, the Medium preset averages 87 FPS with a minimum of 74 FPS, ensuring the frame rate stays above 60 FPS. The High preset also averages 76 FPS at this resolution.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded across all tested configurations?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 74 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with the Medium settings preset. This is the only configuration with a reported minimum that falls below 100 FPS.

Q: How much of a performance gain is seen when moving from Medium to Low at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset averages 135 FPS, while the Low preset averages 190 FPS. This is a 55 FPS increase, which is a substantial jump for players seeking maximum frame rates.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU appear to be the limiting factor at 1080p High?

A: The 161 FPS average at 1080p High suggests a balanced load, but the ability to reach 259 FPS at Low indicates that the CPU can push much higher frame rates. The GPU is likely the primary limiter at the High preset, though the system is not fully saturated.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings preset depends heavily on the player’s target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p displays, the High preset at 161 FPS is an excellent choice, offering a significant visual upgrade over Low while still providing a frame rate well above the 144Hz refresh rate common on many monitors. Players with very high refresh rate panels (240Hz+) may prefer the Low preset’s 259 FPS, but the High preset provides a strong balance of visual fidelity and speed. The Medium preset at 184 FPS is a viable middle ground, but the jump to High is relatively small in FPS cost (23 FPS) for a likely noticeable visual improvement.

At 1440p, the High preset’s 118 FPS average is ideal for 120Hz displays, providing a smooth experience. The Medium preset at 135 FPS offers a small performance boost for those seeking a higher frame rate, but the High preset is recommended for its superior visual quality at a still-very-playable frame rate. The Ultra preset at 88 FPS is also playable, but the 30 FPS drop from High may not justify the additional graphical effects for competitive play. For 4K resolution, the Medium preset is the clear recommendation. Its 87 FPS average and 74 FPS minimum ensure a consistently smooth experience, which is crucial for a fast-paced FPS. The High preset at 76 FPS is also acceptable, but the Medium preset provides a better safety margin against frame rate dips. The Ultra preset at 57 FPS falls below the 60 FPS threshold and is not recommended for this resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset for this combo shows a consistent hierarchy across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset leads with an average of 259 FPS. The Medium preset follows with 184 FPS (min 156, max 211), then High at 161 FPS, and finally Ultra at 120 FPS. This order is maintained at 2560x1440, where Low achieves 190 FPS, Medium 135 FPS (min 115, max 155), High 118 FPS, and Ultra 88 FPS. At 3840x2160, the pattern continues with Low at 122 FPS, Medium at 87 FPS (min 74, max 100), High at 76 FPS, and Ultra at 57 FPS.

The frame rate deltas between presets are not uniform. At 1080p, the gap between Low and Medium is 75 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is 23 FPS, and between High and Ultra is 41 FPS. This suggests that the Medium preset provides a significant reduction in graphical load compared to Low, but the transition from High to Ultra is more demanding. At 4K, the deltas compress, with a 35 FPS gap between Low and Medium, an 11 FPS gap between Medium and High, and a 19 FPS gap between High and Ultra. This compression indicates that at 4K, the GPU is so heavily loaded that the relative cost of each preset’s effects diminishes in terms of raw FPS impact. The data also shows that the minimum FPS values, where available, follow the average trends. The 4K Medium configuration has the lowest minimum at 74 FPS, which is still a playable frame rate, while the 1440p Medium minimum of 115 FPS and 1080p Medium minimum of 156 FPS show strong consistency.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is the dominant component in this system for Lockdown Protocol, particularly at higher resolutions. Its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus provides a memory bandwidth of 912.4 GB/s. This substantial bandwidth is critical for feeding the GPU’s 10240 shading units at 4K resolution, where texture data and frame buffers are massive. The benchmark results indicate that the GPU’s performance percentile is 83, placing it above the majority of all tested GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 41187 is closely matched by its nearest rivals, with the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 being 0.8% slower and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 being 2% slower, suggesting the 3080 Ti remains a highly competitive part.

The GPU’s clock speeds, with a base of 1365 MHz and a boost of 1665 MHz, are the engine that drives these frame rates. The measured FPS data shows the GPU’s scaling behavior: at 1080p, it can deliver 259 FPS at Low, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to 57 FPS. This 202 FPS swing is entirely attributable to the GPU’s workload. The RTX 3080 Ti’s 34.10 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is the raw resource being consumed by the game’s rendering. The fact that the 4K Ultra preset drops below 60 FPS indicates that this workload is at the very edge of the GPU’s capability, pushing its 350 W TDP to the limit. The GPU’s DirectX 12 Ultimate support, with a score of 110 in the Passmark DirectX 12 test, is relevant, as Lockdown Protocol likely leverages modern DX12 features, which the 3080 Ti handles with its 80 RT cores and 320 Tensor cores.

CPU Role

While the GPU handles the bulk of the rendering, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 plays a crucial role in maintaining high frame rates. With 14 cores and 14 threads, and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, this CPU provides the single-thread performance necessary for game logic and draw calls. The benchmark results show a strong single-core performance, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4648 and a Passmark single-thread score of 4394. This is a key factor in the 1080p Low result of 259 FPS, where the CPU must process frames as fast as the GPU can render them. The CPU’s 24 MB of shared L3 cache helps keep frequently accessed data close to the cores, reducing latency.

The CPU’s overall benchmark percentile is 90, placing it in the top 10% of all tested CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 48995 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals. It is 0.4% slower than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, 0.5% slower than the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, and 0.8% faster than the Intel Core i5-14600K. This indicates that the Core Ultra 5 245 is a very capable processor, and it is not likely to be a bottleneck in Lockdown Protocol. The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU can supply frames fast enough to reach 259 FPS at Low, but the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution and settings increase. The CPU’s 65 W TDP and 3 nm process node also indicate high efficiency, ensuring it does not introduce thermal throttling issues that could affect performance. The memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s for DDR5 is sufficient to feed the CPU’s cores without starving them of data.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and RTX 3080 Ti pairing holds a rank of 670 out of 2828 combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the top 23.7% of all tested systems, a strong showing that underscores the balance between the CPU and GPU. The rank indicates that while this is not an absolute top-tier enthusiast setup, it outperforms the vast majority of configurations tested on this benchmark database. The combination of a high-percentile CPU (90th) and a strong GPU (83rd percentile) results in a synergistic pairing that excels in this game.

This ranking is consistent with the measured FPS data. The system’s ability to maintain an average of 76 FPS at 4K High and 120 FPS at 1080p Ultra demonstrates that it can handle demanding scenarios. The rank of 670 suggests that there are 669 other combos that achieve higher performance, likely including systems with newer, more powerful GPUs like the RTX 40-series or higher-end 30-series cards. However, the data shows that this combo still provides a very playable and enjoyable experience at all tested resolutions, provided the correct settings are chosen. The fact that it ranks in the top quarter of all combos, despite the GPU being from the previous generation, reflects the RTX 3080 Ti’s enduring power and the Core Ultra 5 245’s excellent performance. For a player using this system, the benchmark data suggests they are well-equipped for Lockdown Protocol, with the primary consideration being the trade-off between visual fidelity and frame rate at 4K.