Lockdown Protocol

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 ranks 2043rd out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the 55th percentile of all systems. This is a solidly mid-pack result, not a top-tier performer but far from a weak one. The ranking reflects a combination that sits in the upper-middle of the field, with the GPU doing most of the heavy lifting for this FPS title.

The CPU’s average benchmark score of 34083 places it at the 84th percentile of all processors, which is notably higher than the combo’s overall game ranking. This gap indicates that Lockdown Protocol is more GPU-bound than CPU-bound for this pairing. The nearest rivals for the CPU show how tightly clustered this processor is: it sits just 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 5 338H, 0.4% behind the AMD EPYC 4244P, and 0.5% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X. These tiny deltas mean that in CPU-heavy scenarios, swapping between these chips would produce nearly identical frame rates.

The GPU’s average benchmark score of 37648 places it at the 81st percentile of all graphics cards, which aligns closely with the combo’s in-game rank. The RTX 4070 sits just 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla P4 and 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, while trailing the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile by 1.3%. This clustering around the RTX 4070’s performance level explains why the combo lands where it does in the overall rankings — it is effectively a mainstream-to-upper-midrange GPU paired with a competent mobile CPU.

Measured data confirms the combo is capable of playable frame rates across all tested settings and resolutions, though the experience varies dramatically based on how demanding the configuration is. The ranking of 2043 out of 3714 suggests that roughly 45% of tested combos outperform this one, but the practical impact of that ranking depends heavily on the user’s target resolution and quality settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus provides 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is well-suited for Lockdown Protocol, which does not appear to be overly VRAM-hungry based on the measured results. The GPU’s base clock of 1920 MHz and boost clock of 2475 MHz are moderate for the 40-series, but the architecture compensates with 5888 shading units, 184 TMUs, and 64 ROPs.

The Ada Lovelace architecture brings 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores, delivering 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. These specifications translate into strong rasterization performance, which is what Lockdown Protocol primarily relies on. The 5 nm process from TSMC and the 35,800 million transistors packed into a 294 mm² die indicate a dense, efficient design that generates a 200 W TDP.

In the measured FPS data, the GPU’s influence is clear. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo hits 189 FPS average, which drops to 88 FPS at Ultra. This spread of 101 FPS between the lowest and highest quality presets shows the GPU has ample headroom at lower settings but is pushed harder as visual fidelity increases. The same pattern appears at 2560x1440, where Low produces 138 FPS and Ultra drops to 64 FPS. At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly stressed: Low yields 89 FPS, but Ultra falls to 41 FPS.

The RTX 4070’s position relative to its nearest rivals reinforces its mid-high tier status. It is effectively tied with the Tesla P4 and RX Vega 56, while being 1.3% slower than the RTX 4080 Mobile. This data suggests the GPU is the bottleneck at higher resolutions and settings, as the CPU’s 84th percentile ranking is higher than the GPU’s 81st percentile. The 12 GB VRAM capacity is never explicitly tested to its limit in the measured data, but the performance drop from Medium to Ultra at 4K indicates the GPU is compute-limited rather than memory-limited.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 is the standout choice. This configuration delivers 98 FPS average with a minimum of 83 FPS and maximum of 113 FPS, providing smooth gameplay while maintaining reasonable visual fidelity. The minimum frame rate of 83 FPS is above the 60 FPS threshold that most FPS players consider acceptable, and the average is high enough to take advantage of higher refresh rate monitors.

At 1920x1080, the High preset is the recommended sweet spot, producing 117 FPS average. This is a substantial improvement over the 88 FPS at Ultra while still looking noticeably better than Medium’s 134 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra at 1080p is 29 FPS, which is significant for competitive play, and the visual difference between these two presets is typically less impactful than the frame rate gain.

For users with 4K displays, the Low preset at 3840x2160 is the only configuration that maintains high frame rates, hitting 89 FPS average. The Medium preset at 4K drops to 63 FPS with a minimum of 54 FPS, which is borderline for fast-paced gameplay. The Ultra preset at 4K is not recommended, as the 41 FPS average falls below playable thresholds for most FPS players.

The data shows a clear pattern: the Medium preset at 1440p offers the best combination of frame rate stability and visual quality across all tested configurations. The minimum of 83 FPS at this setting is higher than the average of several other presets, indicating consistent performance without major dips. For competitive players prioritizing frame rate over visuals, the Low preset at 1080p (189 FPS) is the optimal choice, while the High preset at 1080p provides a strong middle ground.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four settings presets, providing a comprehensive view of the combo’s capabilities. At 1920x1080, the performance ranges from 189 FPS at Low to 88 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset delivers 134 FPS with a minimum of 114 FPS and maximum of 154 FPS, showing strong consistency. High settings produce 117 FPS average. The drop from Low to Medium is 55 FPS, which is the largest single-step decrease at this resolution, indicating that Medium introduces significant visual effects that tax the GPU.

At 2560x1440, the same pattern emerges but with lower overall numbers. Low settings achieve 138 FPS, which drops to 98 FPS at Medium (minimum 83 FPS, maximum 113 FPS). High settings yield 86 FPS, and Ultra falls to 64 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at the same settings shows a consistent reduction: Low loses 51 FPS, Medium loses 36 FPS, High loses 31 FPS, and Ultra loses 24 FPS. This narrowing gap at higher settings indicates the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly. Low settings produce 89 FPS, Medium delivers 63 FPS (minimum 54 FPS, maximum 73 FPS), High yields 55 FPS, and Ultra drops to 41 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 48 FPS, which is substantial. The Medium preset’s minimum of 54 FPS is particularly notable, as it approaches the lower boundary of smooth gameplay. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is severe: Low loses 49 FPS, Medium loses 35 FPS, High loses 31 FPS, and Ultra loses 23 FPS.

The data reveals that the combo maintains playable frame rates (above 60 FPS average) at all settings up to 1440p, with the exception of Ultra at 1440p (64 FPS) which is marginal. At 4K, only Low settings exceed 60 FPS, while Medium and High fall below that threshold. The measured minimum FPS values for Medium settings show the combo’s consistency: 114 FPS at 1080p, 83 FPS at 1440p, and 54 FPS at 4K. These minimums indicate that the system does not experience severe frame time spikes, making the gameplay feel stable even when the average drops.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Lockdown Protocol at 60 FPS on Ultra settings?

A: At 1920x1080, Ultra settings produce 88 FPS average, easily exceeding 60 FPS. At 2560x1440, Ultra drops to 64 FPS average, which is still above 60 FPS but with less headroom. At 3840x2160, Ultra falls to 41 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The 2560x1440 resolution with Medium settings provides the best balance, delivering 98 FPS average with a minimum of 83 FPS. This offers higher visual fidelity than 1080p while maintaining frame rates well above playable thresholds.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in this game?

A: The RTX 4070 is effectively tied with the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (0.1% ahead) and AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (0.4% ahead), while trailing the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile by 1.3%. These differences are minimal and unlikely to produce noticeable frame rate variations in Lockdown Protocol.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck for this combo in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU ranks at the 84th percentile of all processors, while the GPU ranks at the 81st percentile. At higher resolutions and settings, the GPU’s workload increases disproportionately, confirming it as the primary constraint.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1080p with High settings?

A: The combo delivers 117 FPS average at 1920x1080 with High settings. This is a solid result for competitive FPS play, offering a smooth experience with good visual quality.

Q: How does this combo rank overall in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The combo ranks 2043rd out of 3714 tested combinations, placing it in the middle of the field. This ranking is consistent with the GPU’s 81st percentile performance and slightly below the CPU’s 84th percentile ranking.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H is a 16-core, 22-thread processor from 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 5.00 GHz, with a 28 W TDP. The CPU’s cache hierarchy includes 112 KB L1 per core, 2 MB L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache, providing ample fast memory for game logic and physics calculations.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU’s role is secondary to the GPU, as evidenced by the measured FPS scaling. The processor’s 84th percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates it is more than capable of feeding the GPU with data. Benchmark results support this: the CPU achieves 2641 in Cinebench R15 multicore, 9233 in R20 multicore, and 14551 in R23 multicore. Single-core scores of 257 (R15), 1303 (R20), and 1759 (R23) show strong per-thread performance, which is important for FPS games that often rely on a few heavily loaded threads.

The CPU’s nearest rivals show how competitive this processor is. It sits 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 5 338H, 0.4% behind the AMD EPYC 4244P, and 0.5% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X. These sub-1% differences mean that in CPU-bound scenarios, the choice between these processors would result in nearly identical frame rates. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 34083 places it in the upper echelon of mobile processors, though it is not a flagship part.

The CPU’s 22 threads and 16 cores are more than sufficient for Lockdown Protocol, which is a modern FPS title that benefits from multi-core processing but does not require extreme core counts. The DDR5 memory support with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth ensures the CPU can quickly access game data, reducing potential bottlenecks. The integrated Arc Xe-LPG 128EU graphics are irrelevant for gaming with the discrete RTX 4070 present, but they do not interfere with performance.

The measured FPS data shows that the CPU does not bottleneck the system at any tested setting. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 189 FPS, which is a high frame rate that would stress many CPUs, but the Ultra 7 165H handles it without issue. The consistent scaling across resolutions and settings suggests the GPU is the primary determinant of performance. At 4K Ultra, the 41 FPS result is clearly GPU-limited, as the CPU has significant headroom left unused. The CPU’s boost clock of 5.00 GHz and strong single-core performance ensure that even at low resolutions where CPU load is highest, the processor keeps up with the GPU’s output.