Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers a decisive performance curve in Lockdown Protocol, with the GPU clearly dominating the bottleneck at lower resolutions while the CPU’s 16 cores and 22 threads provide enough headroom to avoid major frame pacing issues. At 1080p Low, this combo reaches 262 FPS, but the scaling to 4K Ultra reveals a steep drop to 58 FPS, indicating that the RTX 4090’s raw throughput is the primary driver of these results. The data shows a combo rank of 806 out of 3714 tested combinations, placing this pairing in the top 22% of all systems, which is respectable given the mobile CPU’s 28W TDP and the desktop-class GPU’s 450W power envelope. Below, the resolution scaling, ranking context, GPU and CPU roles, and exact measured FPS values are broken down for this specific configuration.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for this combo shows a clear pattern: performance scales inversely with resolution, but the magnitude of the drop varies significantly by settings preset. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 262, which is the highest recorded value in the entire dataset. Moving to 1440p Low, the average falls to 192 FPS, a reduction of 70 FPS (approximately 27% lower). At 4K Low, the average drops further to 124 FPS, which is 138 FPS below the 1080p Low result. This scaling from 262 to 124 FPS across a 4x pixel count increase (from 2.07 million pixels at 1080p to 8.29 million at 4K) suggests that the RTX 4090’s 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth are being taxed heavily, but the frame rates remain playable even at the highest resolution.

The High settings preset shows a different scaling curve. At 1080p High, the average FPS is 162, which drops to 119 at 1440p High (a 43 FPS decline) and then to 77 at 4K High (a 42 FPS decline from 1440p). The delta between 1080p and 4K High is 85 FPS, meaning the 4K result is just 47.5% of the 1080p value. This is a more pronounced relative drop than the Low preset, where 4K retains 47.3% of 1080p performance (124 vs 262). The similarity in these percentages indicates that the GPU’s shading units (16,384) and texture units (512) are being saturated at higher resolutions, regardless of the quality preset, but the Low preset’s lower shading load allows for higher absolute frame rates.

Ultra settings amplify the resolution sensitivity. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 122, which is already below the 4K Low result of 124, highlighting how Ultra presets impose a heavier per-pixel cost. At 1440p Ultra, the average drops to 89, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 58 FPS. The scaling from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra is a 64 FPS drop (52.5% reduction), which is the steepest percentage decline across all presets. This indicates that Ultra settings, combined with 4K resolution, push the RTX 4090’s 82.58 TFLOPS FP32 compute to its limits in this title, and the 58 FPS average is the lowest recorded for this combo. The min FPS data is only available for Medium settings, showing 158 FPS at 1080p, 116 FPS at 1440p, and 75 FPS at 4K, which provides a glimpse into frame time consistency—the 4K Medium minimum of 75 FPS is still above the 4K Ultra average of 58, suggesting that Ultra introduces more severe frame time spikes.

The limiting component in this combo is clearly the GPU, but the CPU’s role is not negligible. At 1080p Low, the 262 FPS average implies that the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H can feed the RTX 4090 with enough draw calls, thanks to its 5.00 GHz boost clock and 16 cores. However, the lack of a higher 1080p result (e.g., no 300 FPS+ figures) suggests that the CPU’s single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1759) may cap frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios, though the data does not explicitly separate CPU and GPU bottlenecks. The 4K results, by contrast, are almost entirely GPU-bound, as evidenced by the 58 FPS Ultra average being far below any plausible CPU limit.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 806 out of 3714 tested combinations places it in the 78.3rd percentile of all systems tested for Lockdown Protocol. This means that roughly 22% of tested combos outperform this pairing, while 78% are slower. Given that the RTX 4090 is one of the fastest consumer GPUs available, the rank is likely dragged down by the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H’s mobile-oriented design, which has a 28W TDP and is not a top-tier desktop processor. The CPU’s average benchmark score is 34083, which puts it in the 84th percentile of all CPUs, but its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X (avg score 34260, delta -0.5%) and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 (avg score 34222, delta -0.4%). These rivals are within 0.5% of the Core Ultra 7 165H’s score, indicating that the CPU is competitive with mid-range desktop processors from previous generations, but it does not match the absolute top-tier CPUs that would typically be paired with an RTX 4090 in a desktop build.

The GPU’s average benchmark score is 60347, placing it in the 88th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (avg score 61896, delta -2.5%) and the AMD Radeon PRO V710 (avg score 58657, delta 2.9%), which are all within 3% of the RTX 4090’s score. This suggests that the GPU is performing near its expected level, and the combo’s rank is not due to a defective or throttled GPU. The discrepancy between the GPU’s high percentile (88th) and the combo’s lower rank (78.3rd) implies that the CPU is the limiting factor in the overall system ranking. In a game like Lockdown Protocol, which is an FPS, the CPU’s single-thread performance is critical for frame generation, and the Core Ultra 7 165H’s Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1759 is adequate but not exceptional.

Compared to other combos that would include the RTX 4090 with a high-end desktop CPU like a Ryzen 9 or Core i9, this mobile CPU pairing would likely rank lower because those CPUs offer higher single-thread scores and more consistent frame delivery at high refresh rates. The data shows that the combo’s 1080p Low average of 262 FPS is not the highest possible for an RTX 4090, which can exceed 300 FPS in many titles when paired with a stronger CPU. However, the 4K Ultra result of 58 FPS is more representative of the GPU’s absolute limit, and here the CPU matters less, so the combo’s rank at 4K Ultra would be closer to the GPU’s percentile. The rank of 806 is an aggregate across all resolutions and settings, so the CPU’s impact at 1080p and 1440p drags the overall position down.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the dominant component in this combo, and its specifications directly explain the measured FPS across all resolutions. The GPU features an AD102 chip on a 5 nm process, with 16,384 shading units, 512 texture mapping units, and 176 raster output units. Its base clock is 2235 MHz with a boost clock of 2520 MHz, and it operates at 82.58 TFLOPS FP32. The 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus provides 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth, which is crucial for 4K textures and high-resolution rendering. In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU’s memory bandwidth is likely the key enabler for the 4K Medium average of 88 FPS, which is the highest 4K result outside of Low settings (124 FPS). The 24 GB capacity is more than sufficient for this game, as no VRAM-related slowdowns are evident from the data—the FPS drops from 1080p to 4K are consistent with compute and bandwidth scaling, not memory capacity limits.

The GPU’s boost clock of 2520 MHz, combined with its 128 ray tracing cores and 512 tensor cores, does not directly appear in the FPS data, but the shading units do. The scaling from 1080p High (162 FPS) to 1440p High (119 FPS) to 4K High (77 FPS) follows a pattern where each doubling of pixel count reduces FPS by roughly 28-35%, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario. The RTX 4090’s pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,290.2 GTexel/s are the theoretical limits, and the measured FPS shows that the GPU is being utilized heavily. At 4K Ultra, the 58 FPS average means the GPU is taking 17.2 milliseconds per frame (1/58 seconds), which is near the limit for 60 FPS gameplay.

The GPU’s percentile versus all GPUs is 88th, and its average benchmark score of 60347 is within 2.5% of its nearest rivals, indicating that this specific RTX 4090 is performing as expected. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 9223 and the Passmark G3D score of 38194 are consistent with the GPU’s class. The 450W TDP and triple-slot design are irrelevant to the FPS numbers but explain why this GPU is typically paired with desktop CPUs, not a mobile 28W processor. In this combo, the GPU’s performance is not hampered by the CPU at higher resolutions, as the 4K results are clearly GPU-limited. For example, the 4K Low average of 124 FPS is 138 FPS lower than 1080p Low, and this drop is entirely attributable to the GPU’s pixel throughput limitations, not CPU bottlenecks.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Lockdown Protocol?*

A: The highest average FPS is 262, recorded at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 58, which is the lowest measured result for this combo. No minimum or maximum FPS values are provided for this preset.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 806 out of 3714 tested combinations, placing it in the top 22% of all systems tested for Lockdown Protocol.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance at 1080p Low?

A: The data shows 262 FPS at 1080p Low, which is the highest result. The CPU’s single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 score of 1759) likely caps this frame rate, but the exact bottleneck is not specified in the data.

Q: What is the RTX 4090’s memory configuration and how does it affect 4K performance?

A: The GPU has 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus with 1.01 TB/s bandwidth. This bandwidth supports the 4K Medium average of 88 FPS, where the min FPS is 75 and max is 101, indicating consistent frame delivery.

Q: How does the Core Ultra 7 165H’s average benchmark score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The CPU’s average benchmark score is 34083. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 5 338H, scores 33989 (0.3% higher), while the AMD EPYC 4244P scores 34220 (-0.4% lower). All rivals are within 0.5% of this CPU’s score.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data is provided for 12 combinations of resolution and settings, with average FPS values for all, and min/max values for Medium settings only. At 1920x1080, the results are: Low averages 262 FPS, Medium averages 186 FPS (min 158, max 214), High averages 162 FPS, and Ultra averages 122 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 140 FPS, meaning Ultra delivers just 46.6% of the Low preset’s performance. At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low at 192 FPS, Medium at 136 FPS (min 116, max 157), High at 119 FPS, and Ultra at 89 FPS. The 1440p Medium min FPS of 116 is higher than the 4K Medium average of 88, showing that resolution has a greater impact on minimum frame times than the Medium preset’s demands. At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low at 124 FPS, Medium at 88 FPS (min 75, max 101), High at 77 FPS, and Ultra at 58 FPS.

The Medium settings are the only preset with complete min and max data, which allows for a deeper analysis of frame pacing. At 1080p Medium, the min FPS of 158 is 85% of the average (186), indicating a relatively stable frame rate. At 1440p Medium, the min of 116 is 85.3% of the average (136), showing similar consistency. At 4K Medium, the min of 75 is 85.2% of the average (88), meaning the frame time variance scales proportionally with resolution. The max FPS values show headroom: at 1080p Medium, the max of 214 exceeds the average by 28 FPS, while at 4K Medium, the max of 101 exceeds the average by 13 FPS. This suggests that the GPU can burst to higher frame rates but is typically sustained at the average level.

Across all resolutions, the Low preset consistently delivers the highest FPS, followed by Medium, High, and Ultra in descending order. The only exception is that 4K Low (124 FPS) outperforms 1080p Ultra (122 FPS), which illustrates that the resolution penalty is less severe than the quality preset penalty at the extremes. The data also shows that the difference between Medium and High is smaller than between High and Ultra: at 1080p, Medium is 186 FPS, High is 162 (24 FPS difference), and Ultra is 122 (40 FPS difference). This pattern holds at 1440p (136 to 119 to 89) and 4K (88 to 77 to 58), indicating that Ultra settings impose a disproportionately high cost on the GPU’s shading units.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H is a mobile processor with 16 cores and 22 threads, based on the Meteor Lake architecture on a 7 nm process. Its base clock is 3.80 GHz, with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, and it has a 28W TDP. The CPU’s cache hierarchy includes 112 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. Its memory support is DDR5 with dual-channel configuration and 89.6 GB/s bandwidth, which is shared with the GPU’s 1.01 TB/s bandwidth over the system bus. In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU’s role is to manage game logic, physics, and draw calls, and its performance is measured by benchmarks like Cinebench R23 multicore (14551) and single-core (1759), as well as Passmark multithread (25933) and single-thread (3509).

The CPU’s 16 cores and 22 threads provide ample parallel processing for the game’s background tasks, but FPS in a first-person shooter is more dependent on single-thread performance. The single-core Cinebench R23 score of 1759 is modest compared to desktop CPUs, and this likely explains why the 1080p Low average is 262 FPS rather than higher. The RTX 4090 is capable of exceeding 300 FPS in many esports titles, but the data shows 262 FPS as the ceiling for this combo at 1080p Low. At 1440p Low, the average drops to 192 FPS, which is a 70 FPS reduction from 1080p, indicating that the GPU is becoming the bottleneck as pixel count increases. The CPU’s boost clock of 5.00 GHz helps mitigate this, but the 28W TDP limits sustained performance under heavy load, potentially causing slight frame dips in CPU-intensive scenes, though the data does not provide per-core utilization.

The CPU’s nearest rivals, based on average benchmark score, include the Intel Core Ultra 5 338H (0.3% higher score) and the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X (0.5% lower score). This indicates that the Core Ultra 7 165H performs similarly to a desktop Ryzen 7 3700X, which was a strong gaming CPU in 2019 but is now mid-range. In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU’s 24 MB of L3 cache is sufficient for the game’s data, but the lack of a higher single-thread score (compared to modern desktop CPUs like a Core i9 with scores above 2000) means that the CPU cannot fully unlock the RTX 4090 at 1080p. However, at 4K, the CPU’s role diminishes, and the 58 FPS Ultra result is purely GPU-bound. The data shows that the combo’s rank of 806 out of 3714 is more a reflection of the CPU’s mid-tier standing than the GPU’s performance, as the RTX 4090 ranks in the 88th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU ranks in the 84th percentile of all CPUs.