Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol presents a demanding workload for mobile hardware, and the combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H and the AMD Radeon 880M delivers a narrowly constrained experience. The measured data indicates that this system is firmly positioned at the entry level for this title, with performance that is heavily dependent on resolution and preset selections. The benchmark results show a clear hierarchy where playability is possible, but only within specific, lower-demand configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K reveals a steep performance curve, indicating that the AMD Radeon 880M is the primary bottleneck in this configuration. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 74 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same Low preset drops the average to 54 FPS, a reduction of 20 frames. The scaling continues to be severe at 3840x2160, where the average falls to 35 FPS. This pattern shows a near-linear relationship between pixel count and frame rate, characteristic of a GPU that is saturated by the rendering workload.

The data suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The frame rate drops are consistent with the increase in pixel throughput, rather than a sudden stall in processing. For instance, the jump from 1080p to 1440p represents a 1.78x increase in pixels, and the corresponding frame rate drop from 74 to 54 FPS (a 27% reduction) is indicative of a GPU-bound scenario. The trend continues to 4K, where the pixel count is 4x that of 1080p, yet the frame rate does not drop to a quarter of the 1080p value, suggesting some inefficiency or other limiting factor begins to play a role, but the GPU remains the dominant constraint.

When examining the Medium preset, the scaling is similar. At 1080p, the average is 53 FPS, which drops to 39 FPS at 1440p and further to 25 FPS at 4K. The gap between Low and Medium presets also widens with resolution, indicating that the additional graphical effects at Medium impose a higher relative cost at lower resolutions where the GPU is already struggling. The overall picture is clear: the Radeon 880M's compute and memory bandwidth capabilities are exhausted quickly, and higher resolutions amplify this limitation.

How This Combo Ranks

The overall standing of this combination is precarious. The comboRankInGame field places this system at rank 2763 out of 2828 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the bottom 2.3% of all configurations tested, signaling that the vast majority of systems will outperform it. This rank is a direct reflection of the GPU's limited performance, as the CPU's relative strength in synthetic benchmarks does not translate to a competitive position in this gaming workload.

The Radeon 880M's percentileVsAllGpus is 43, meaning it performs better than only 43% of all GPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score of 8436 places it in close competition with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX, which has a deltaPct of 0.1%, and the NVIDIA GeForce MX330, which is 0.3% slower. This situates the 880M at a performance level roughly equivalent to a dedicated graphics card from over a decade ago, which is a sobering comparison for a modern integrated solution. The nearest rival data shows a tight cluster around the 880M's score, with the AMD Radeon HD 8870M (0.3% slower) and the AMD Radeon R9 M375X (1.3% slower) also in the same performance bracket.

In contrast, the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H is a much stronger component. Its percentileVsAllCpus is 83, and its average benchmark score of 32697 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, including the Intel Core i5-14600T (0% delta) and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 (0.1% faster). This indicates that the CPU is capable of feeding a much more powerful GPU, but it is paired with an iGPU that cannot leverage its full potential in this game. The system's low rank is therefore almost entirely attributable to the GPU's performance ceiling.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H provides a robust foundation for this system, but its capabilities are largely untapped in Lockdown Protocol. The processor features 16 cores and 22 threads, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz. This configuration is well-suited for multi-threaded workloads, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15028 and Passmark multithread score of 24873. The single-thread performance is also respectable, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1743 and a Passmark single-thread score of 3468.

Given the GPU-bound nature of the performance scaling, the CPU's role is to maintain a consistent frame delivery. The data suggests it succeeds in this regard, as there are no reported instances of the frame rate collapsing to a point where the CPU would be the clear culprit. The high core count and boost clock provide ample headroom for background tasks and game logic, but they do not translate into higher frame rates in this specific title.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s is a critical factor for an integrated GPU, as the Radeon 880M relies on system memory for its frame buffer. This bandwidth is sufficient to support the frame rates observed at 1080p, but it likely contributes to the steep drop-off at higher resolutions where the demand for memory bandwidth increases significantly. The 24 MB of shared L3 cache helps mitigate some of the latency, but it cannot compensate for the fundamental bandwidth limitations when moving to 1440p and 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the system's performance across all settings. The most playable configuration is at 1920x1080 with Low settings, where the average FPS is 74. This is the only configuration that approaches a smooth 60+ FPS experience. At the same resolution, the Medium preset yields an average of 53 FPS, with a minimum of 45 FPS and a maximum of 61 FPS, indicating some frame time variance. High settings at 1080p produce an average of 46 FPS, while Ultra drops to 35 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance becomes more marginal. The Low preset manages an average of 54 FPS, which is playable but not ideal. Medium at 1440p averages 39 FPS, with a range of 33 to 44 FPS. High settings drop to 34 FPS, and Ultra falls to 25 FPS. These figures show that 1440p is only viable with the Low preset, and even then, the frame rate is not consistently high.

The 4K results are largely unusable for gaming. The Low preset at 3840x2160 averages 35 FPS, which is on the border of playability for a slow-paced game but not suitable for an FPS. Medium at 4K averages 25 FPS, with a minimum of 21 FPS and a maximum of 29 FPS, showing significant frame pacing issues. High settings average 22 FPS, and Ultra drops to a slideshow-like 16 FPS. The data clearly shows that 4K is beyond the capabilities of this hardware for this game.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon 880M is the decisive factor in this system's performance, and its specifications explain the observed results. The GPU is based on the RDNA 3.5 architecture on a 4 nm process, featuring 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. It operates with a base clock of 400 MHz and a boost clock of 2900 MHz, delivering a peak FP32 performance of 4.454 TFLOPS. These specs are modest for a modern GPU, and they are reflected in its Passmark G3D score of 7615.

The GPU's memory configuration is "System Shared," which means it uses a portion of the system's DDR5 memory. The bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," but the CPU's memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s is the theoretical ceiling. This shared memory architecture is a significant disadvantage for gaming, as it introduces latency and bandwidth contention with the CPU. The 880M's 12 ray tracing cores and DirectX 12 Ultimate support suggest it is feature-rich, but the raw compute power is insufficient for demanding titles like Lockdown Protocol.

The GPU's nearest rivals in the database are the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX and the NVIDIA GeForce MX330, both of which are older, lower-end discrete GPUs. This comparison underscores the 880M's performance tier. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 535 and the Geekbench OpenCL score of 31285 further illustrate its limited compute capabilities. The GPU is the clear bottleneck, as the frame rate scales directly with the resolution and preset, with no indication that the CPU is preventing higher performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal experience is achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. This configuration yields an average of 74 FPS, which is the only setting that provides a consistently smooth frame rate suitable for an FPS title. The Low preset at 1080p is the recommended starting point for any gaming session.

If a player prefers higher visual fidelity, the Medium preset at 1080p is the next viable option, with an average of 53 FPS. However, the minimum FPS of 45 suggests that there may be noticeable dips during intense action sequences. The High and Ultra presets at 1080p are not recommended for competitive play, as the average frame rates of 46 and 35 FPS, respectively, are too low for a responsive feel.

For users with a 1440p display, the Low preset is the only playable option, averaging 54 FPS. This may be acceptable for a more casual experience, but it is not ideal. The Medium preset at 1440p, with an average of 39 FPS, is borderline and likely to feel choppy. The 4K resolution is not recommended for this game, as even the Low preset fails to maintain a playable 35 FPS average. The data suggests that users should prioritize resolution reduction over visual settings to achieve the best performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combo for this game on this hardware?

A: The best measured configuration is 1920x1080 with Low settings, which achieves an average of 74 FPS. This is the only setup that provides a consistently smooth frame rate for an FPS.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Lockdown Protocol?

A: No. At 3840x2160, even the Low preset only averages 35 FPS, with Ultra at 16 FPS. The GPU does not have the performance headroom for 4K in this title.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck in this system?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The AMD Radeon 880M's performance is comparable to older discrete GPUs, while the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H is a high-end mobile processor with a strong benchmark score.

Q: How does the Radeon 880M compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The 880M's average benchmark score is 8436, which is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX (0.1% faster) and the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 (0.3% slower). It is also within 1.3% of the AMD Radeon R9 M375X.

Q: What is the expected frame rate at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings is 39 FPS, with a minimum of 33 FPS and a maximum of 44 FPS. This is likely too inconsistent for a competitive FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all other tested systems?

A: This system ranks 2763 out of 2828 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the bottom 2.3% of all configurations. This is due to the GPU's limited performance.