Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol, a 2024 FPS title, shows a clear performance hierarchy when paired with the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER. The measured data reveals a system that is capable of high refresh-rate gaming at 1080p and 1440p, while 4K demands a careful balance of settings. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS, the role of each component, and how this specific combination compares against the broader database of tested hardware.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K demonstrates a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo delivers an average of 290 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 212 FPS, a 27% reduction, and at 4K Low it further falls to 137 FPS, a 53% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline indicates that as resolution increases, the rendering load on the GPU grows exponentially, directly impacting frame rates.

Under the High preset, the scaling is similar but at lower absolute values. The system produces 180 FPS at 1080p, 132 FPS at 1440p, and 85 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are consistent: a 27% decrease from 1080p to 1440p, and a 53% decrease from 1080p to 4K. This consistency across presets suggests the limiting factor is purely the GPU's fill rate and shading power, not any CPU-side bottleneck.

The Ultra preset tells the most interesting story. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 135 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 99 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 64 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only measured point below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that this combination is not suitable for maximum settings at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is 27%, and from 1080p to 4K is 53%, matching the pattern of other presets.

What the data suggests is that the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 has ample headroom to feed the RTX 4070 SUPER even at 1080p. The 290 FPS result at Low settings shows no sign of a CPU bottleneck, as the frame rate is high enough to be limited by GPU pixel throughput. The consistent scaling percentages across all presets reinforce that the GPU is the primary constraint in this configuration. The CPU's 14 threads and boost clock up to 5.10 GHz are sufficient to keep up with the GPU's demands, even in lighter CPU load scenarios.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting a 144Hz or 165Hz monitor, the 1080p High preset, measured at 180 FPS average, is the optimal choice. It provides a significant visual upgrade over Low settings while maintaining a frame rate well above refresh rate thresholds. The Medium preset at 1080p offers 206 FPS, but the jump to High is preferable for visual fidelity with only a 12% performance hit.

At 1440p, the High preset at 132 FPS is the best balance for high refresh rate gaming. It comfortably exceeds 120 FPS, making it ideal for fast-paced FPS action. The Medium preset at 151 FPS is also viable for players who prioritize maximum smoothness, but the visual gains from High are generally worth the 13% frame rate reduction. The Ultra preset at 99 FPS is still playable but doesn't fully utilize a 144Hz display.

For 4K, the data suggests a compromise is necessary. The High preset at 85 FPS is the best option for a smooth experience, providing a solid frame rate that is well above the playable threshold. The Medium preset at 97 FPS is also viable, offering a 14% performance increase over High but with lower visual quality. The Ultra preset at 64 FPS is playable but leaves no headroom for demanding scenes, and the Low preset at 137 FPS sacrifices too much visual fidelity for the gain.

The measured minimum FPS data for the Medium preset provides insight into frame pacing. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 83 FPS, which is close to the 97 average, indicating stable frame times. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 128 FPS against a 151 average, showing good consistency. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 175 FPS against a 206 average. The relatively small gaps between average and minimum FPS suggest the system maintains stable performance without significant stutters.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture. Its base clock is 3.50 GHz, and it can boost up to 5.10 GHz. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 32,924 points in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 4,648 points in single-core. These scores place it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs tested, indicating strong overall performance.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent with GPU-bound behavior, suggesting the CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution. Even at 1080p Low, where the CPU load is typically highest relative to the GPU, the system achieves 290 FPS, which is a high enough number to indicate the CPU can handle the game's processing demands.

The processor's nearest rivals in the benchmark database are the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, with an average score 0.4% lower, and the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, with an average score 0.5% lower. On the other side, the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H scores 0.6% higher, and the Intel Core i5-14600K scores 0.8% higher. These deltas are minuscule, indicating that the Core Ultra 5 245 is well-matched against its direct competitors in general processing tasks.

The 24 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support contribute to the CPU's responsiveness. While the game's specific cache usage is not measured, the benchmark results show a capable processor that does not bottleneck the RTX 4070 SUPER. The 65W TDP suggests efficient operation, but this is a specification, not a performance metric.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 407th out of 2,828 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the top 14.4% of all configurations, a strong result for a mid-range to high-end pairing. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU's 90th percentile performance and the GPU's 83rd percentile performance.

The GPU's nearest rivals in the database are the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB (0.1% lower average score), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile (0.1% lower), the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 (0.2% lower), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile (1% lower). This shows the RTX 4070 SUPER is positioned at a performance tier where minute differences in benchmark scores separate it from both workstation and mobile flagships.

For Lockdown Protocol specifically, the 407th rank out of 2,828 combos indicates that the system outperforms the vast majority of tested hardware. The 4K High result of 85 FPS is particularly notable, as many combinations would struggle to maintain 60 FPS at that resolution and settings. The ranking reflects that this combo is well-suited for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming and capable 4K gaming with adjusted settings.

The data shows that the combo's performance is largely dictated by the GPU, as the CPU rank (90th percentile) is higher than the GPU rank (83rd percentile). This imbalance means the CPU has headroom to spare, and the system's overall rank is likely held back by the GPU's absolute performance level. In a game like Lockdown Protocol, which is more GPU-intensive, this is the expected behavior.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with 7,168 shading units, 56 RT cores, and 224 tensor cores. It has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The boost clock is 2475 MHz, and the card is rated for a 220W TDP. These specifications place it in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs tested.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU is clearly the dominant factor in performance. The frame rate scaling with resolution changes is textbook GPU behavior. The 4K Ultra result of 64 FPS is the only point where the card's limits are fully exposed, suggesting that the 12 GB of VRAM and the GPU's compute power are sufficient for most scenarios but not for maximum settings at 4K.

The GPU's benchmark scores support its gaming performance. It scores 29,995 in Passmark G3D and 17,108 in Passmark GPU Compute. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 4,627. These numbers indicate a strong mid-range to high-end card that can handle modern titles well. The 12 GB VRAM capacity is a key factor for 4K gaming, as it allows the card to hold high-resolution textures without excessive swapping.

The data shows that the RTX 4070 SUPER performs admirably in this game. At 1440p High, it delivers 132 FPS, which is excellent for a competitive FPS. The 4K High result of 85 FPS is also strong, showing the card's ability to handle higher resolutions when not pushed to Ultra settings. The consistent performance across presets indicates that the card's memory bandwidth and shading power are well-balanced for this title.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combo for a 144Hz monitor?

A: The data shows that at 1440p High, the combo delivers 132 FPS average, which is close to a 144Hz refresh rate. For a more comfortable margin, 1080p High provides 180 FPS, ensuring the frame rate stays well above the monitor's maximum refresh rate.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming?

A: Yes, but with compromises. At 4K High, the average FPS is 85, which is smooth. At 4K Medium, it's 97 FPS. The Ultra preset dips to 64 FPS, which is still playable but closer to the edge of stability.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the bottleneck. The frame rate drops consistently as resolution increases, which is a classic sign of GPU limitation. The CPU's high benchmark scores and the high FPS at 1080p Low (290 FPS) show it is not holding the system back.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 SUPER compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 4090 Mobile?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER has an average benchmark score that is 1% lower than the RTX 4090 Mobile. In Lockdown Protocol, the desktop card's performance is strong, but the comparison is based on synthetic benchmarks, not in-game FPS.

Q: What is the lowest measured FPS for a stable experience?

A: The 4K Medium preset has a measured minimum FPS of 83. The 1440p Medium preset has a minimum of 128 FPS, and 1080p Medium has a minimum of 175 FPS. These minimums are close to the averages, indicating stable performance.

Q: Is the Core Ultra 5 245 a good match for the RTX 4070 SUPER?

A: Yes. The CPU's 90th percentile ranking and 14 cores provide sufficient processing power. The combo ranks 407th out of 2,828 tested, and the CPU does not appear to limit the GPU at any resolution or settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. With Low settings, the average FPS is 290. The Medium preset averages 206 FPS, with a minimum of 175 FPS and a maximum of 237 FPS. High settings average 180 FPS, and Ultra settings average 135 FPS. This resolution is clearly where the combo excels, providing frame rates that can drive high refresh rate monitors.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong. The Low preset averages 212 FPS. Medium averages 151 FPS, with a minimum of 128 FPS and a maximum of 173 FPS. High averages 132 FPS, and Ultra averages 99 FPS. This resolution offers a good balance between visual fidelity and performance, with High settings being the sweet spot for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's workload increases significantly. The Low preset averages 137 FPS. Medium averages 97 FPS, with a minimum of 83 FPS and a maximum of 112 FPS. High averages 85 FPS, and Ultra averages 64 FPS. The 4K results show that the system is capable, but users will need to select High or Medium settings to maintain a consistently smooth experience above 60 FPS.