Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H is a 16-core, 22-thread mobile processor based on the Meteor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 7 nm process. It features a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz, with a TDP of 28 W. The CPU's cache configuration includes 112 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. Its memory bandwidth is rated at 89.6 GB/s over a dual-channel bus, which is a critical factor for an integrated graphics setup. In synthetic benchmarks, the chip scores 15,028 points in Cinebench R23 multi-core, 1,743 points in single-core, and 24,873 points in Passmark multithread, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-14600T, which scores 32,707 against the 155H's 32,697 average (a 0% delta), and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 at 32,662 (0.1% ahead).

For a game like Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is significant but secondary to the GPU in most frames. The 16-core/22-thread configuration provides ample headroom for game logic, physics, and background tasks. However, the data shows that the integrated GPU, not the CPU, becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution rises. The processor's high single-core score of 1,743 in Cinebench R23 ensures that frame pacing is stable when the GPU is not saturated. The CPU's 83rd percentile ranking indicates strong overall performance, but in this specific combo, its potential is capped by the graphics subsystem. The memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s is shared between the CPU and the iGPU, which becomes a limiting factor in high-resolution gaming scenarios.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Core Ultra 7 155H's 16 cores and 22 threads are far more than Lockdown Protocol requires for basic operation. The game is a multiplayer FPS, and the CPU's 3.80 GHz base and 4.80 GHz boost clocks provide responsive single-threaded performance, which is typical for game logic and network handling. The Cinebench R15 single-core score of 255 and R23 single-core score of 1,743 indicate that the processor can handle the game's main thread without causing frame drops. In contrast, the multi-core scores of 2,450 (R15) and 15,028 (R23) show that even under heavy load with many players or complex scenes, the CPU has ample headroom. The Passmark physics score of 1,727 further supports this, as physics calculations are often the first to suffer on weaker processors.

The CPU's 83rd percentile ranking versus all CPUs means it outperforms the majority of processors in the database. Among its nearest rivals, the Core i5-14600T matches its average score almost exactly (32,707 vs 32,697, delta 0%), while the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H is slightly ahead at 32,812 (0.4% faster). This parity suggests that any performance differences in Lockdown Protocol between these CPUs would be negligible. The bottleneck is clearly not the processor. The L3 cache of 24 MB is shared, and while this is not massive by modern standards, it is sufficient for a game of this scope. The data from the measured FPS shows that at 1080p Low, the combo hits 78 FPS, which is a CPU-friendly scenario where the GPU is not fully strained, but even at 4K Ultra, the CPU is unlikely to be the limiting factor. The 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth is a shared resource, and the CPU's ability to feed the iGPU with data is constrained by this, but the CPU itself is not the weak link.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon 890M is an integrated GPU based on the RDNA 3.5 architecture, built on a 4 nm process by TSMC. It features 1,024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, with 16 ray tracing cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 400 MHz and boosts up to 2,900 MHz. Its memory is System Shared, meaning it draws from the main system RAM, with a bus width and bandwidth that are System Dependent. The GPU's theoretical performance includes a pixel rate of 92.80 GPixel/s, a texture rate of 185.6 GTexel/s, and an FP32 throughput of 5.939 TFLOPS. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. In synthetic tests, the GPU scores 590 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 8,076 in Passmark G3D, and 4,157 in Passmark GPU Compute, placing it in the 45th percentile of all GPUs.

The Radeon 890M's nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon Vega 8 (average score 9,221 vs 9,210, delta -0.1%), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 (9,273, -0.7%), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M (9,302, -1%). This places the 890M in a performance tier that is competitive with older discrete mid-range GPUs, but it is still an integrated part with shared memory. In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU's role is dominant. The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern: at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 78 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to 17 FPS. This is a 78% reduction in performance, which is characteristic of a GPU that is being overwhelmed by pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth demands. The GPU's 2,900 MHz boost clock is high for an iGPU, but the System Shared memory is a significant drawback. At 4K, the game requires more memory bandwidth than the system can provide, leading to severe frame drops. The 45th percentile ranking indicates that the GPU is below average, and this is the primary reason the combo ranks poorly overall.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H paired with the AMD Radeon 890M ranks 2,675 out of 2,828 combos for Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the bottom 5% of all tested configurations. The data is measured, not estimated, which confirms that this pairing is underpowered for the game at most settings. The rank reflects the combined performance of the CPU and GPU, but given the CPU's high percentile (83rd) and the GPU's low percentile (45th), the GPU is clearly dragging the combo down. A combo ranked at 2,675 means that the vast majority of other processors and graphics cards tested achieve higher frame rates in this title.

The ranking also implies that the 890M's iGPU is not suited for even medium settings at high resolutions. The measured FPS shows that at 1080p Medium, the combo averages 56 FPS, which is playable, but at 1440p Medium, it drops to 41 FPS, and at 4K Medium, it falls to 26 FPS. The 890M's nearest GPU rival, the GTX 960, scores slightly higher in synthetic benchmarks, but in a real gaming scenario, the shared memory of the iGPU likely hurts more than the synthetic scores suggest. The combo's rank is a stark indicator that while the CPU is capable, the graphics solution is not. Users seeking smoother gameplay would need to rely on lower resolutions and settings, as the data shows a hard ceiling for this combo.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates for Lockdown Protocol are available across three resolutions and four settings levels, providing a clear picture of the combo's capabilities. At 1920x1080 (1080p), the performance is as follows: Low settings yield an average of 78 FPS, which is the highest in the dataset. Medium settings drop to 56 FPS, with a minimum of 47 FPS and a maximum of 64 FPS. High settings average 49 FPS, and Ultra settings average 36 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the combo is playable at Low and Medium, with High being borderline and Ultra being less than ideal for competitive play.

Moving to 2560x1440 (1440p), the frame rates decline noticeably. Low settings average 58 FPS, Medium averages 41 FPS (with a range of 35 to 47 FPS), High averages 36 FPS, and Ultra averages 27 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is significant, with the Low setting losing 20 FPS (from 78 to 58) and Ultra losing 9 FPS (from 36 to 27). At 3840x2160 (4K), the performance becomes largely unplayable for most settings. Low averages 37 FPS, Medium averages 26 FPS (with a range of 22 to 30 FPS), High averages 23 FPS, and Ultra averages 17 FPS. The only setting that approaches playability at 4K is Low, but even that is marginal. The data shows a consistent pattern: each settings tier costs roughly 10-15% performance, and each resolution step costs a similar amount.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 78 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 58 FPS, a 25.6% reduction. At 4K Low, it drops to 37 FPS, a 52.6% reduction from 1080p. This scaling is not linear, and it indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rate would remain relatively stable across resolutions, as the CPU workload does not increase with pixel count. Instead, the frame rate drops sharply, which is a classic sign of GPU and memory bandwidth saturation. The same pattern holds for Medium settings: 56 FPS at 1080p, 41 FPS at 1440p, and 26 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is 53.6%, and from 1440p to 4K it is 36.6%.

The scaling also shows the impact of the System Shared memory. At 4K, the game requires more memory bandwidth to feed the GPU, but the system's shared memory cannot keep up. The minimum FPS numbers at 1080p Medium (47 FPS) and 1440p Medium (35 FPS) show that frame pacing degrades as resolution rises, with the 4K Medium minimum of 22 FPS indicating stuttering. The resolution scaling analysis points directly to the Radeon 890M's iGPU as the primary limiter. The CPU has more than enough headroom, as evidenced by its high benchmark scores, but the GPU cannot translate that into higher frame rates at higher resolutions. Users should expect to play at 1080p with Low or Medium settings to achieve a consistent 60 FPS experience, as the data shows that 78 FPS at Low is the only setting that exceeds that threshold.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings and resolution combination for this CPU and GPU in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 at Low settings yields the highest average FPS of 78. At Medium settings, the average drops to 56 FPS, which is still playable. For a smoother experience, 1080p Low is the only configuration that consistently exceeds 60 FPS.

Q: How does the Radeon 890M compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Radeon 890M has an average benchmark score of 9,210. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Vega 8, scores 9,221, which is 0.1% faster. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 scores 9,273 (0.7% faster), and the GTX 850M scores 9,302 (1% faster). The 890M is slightly slower than all of them.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H a bottleneck in this combo?

A: No. The CPU ranks in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15,028. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-14600T, scores nearly identically (32,707 vs 32,697, a 0% delta). The frame rate drops are primarily due to the GPU, not the CPU.

Q: Why does the frame rate drop so much from 1080p to 4K?

A: The frame rate drops because the GPU and its System Shared memory are the limiting factors. At 1080p Low, the combo averages 78 FPS, but at 4K Low, it drops to 37 FPS, a 52.6% reduction. The GPU cannot handle the increased pixel count and memory bandwidth demands at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking in the database for this game?

A: The combo ranks 2,675 out of 2,828 tested combinations for Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the bottom 5% of all combos, indicating that the integrated GPU is not well-suited for this title at higher settings.

Q: Does the CPU's memory bandwidth affect gaming performance?

A: Yes. The CPU has a memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s, which is shared with the integrated GPU. The data shows that at 4K, the average FPS at Medium is only 26, with a minimum of 22, indicating that the shared memory bandwidth is insufficient for high-resolution gaming, further confirming the GPU as the bottleneck.