Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol, a 2024 FPS title, presents an interesting stress test for the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination. The benchmark data reveals a system that is heavily capable at high refresh rates, yet the performance scaling across resolutions and settings offers a nuanced look at where the bottlenecks lie. This analysis will break down the measured FPS, the roles of the CPU and GPU, and how this particular pairing ranks against the broader field of tested configurations.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with High settings?

A: The benchmark data shows an average of 170 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings.

Q: Does the RTX 5090 maintain playable frame rates at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 60 FPS, which is on the threshold of standard high-refresh-rate gaming.

Q: How much of a performance gain is seen when moving from Medium to Low settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the average FPS increases from 142 on Medium to 201 on Low, a substantial jump of 59 FPS.

Q: What is the performance difference between the CPU and GPU in their respective benchmark suites?

A: The CPU’s average benchmark score is 34083, placing it in the 84th percentile, while the GPU’s average score is 79842, placing it in the 92nd percentile.

Q: What is the closest rival to this CPU based on average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 338H has a nearly identical average score of 33989, showing a delta of only 0.3% from the Core Ultra 7 165H.

Q: Is the GPU’s memory bandwidth a significant factor for this game?

A: The RTX 5090 features a 512-bit memory bus and 32 GB of GDDR7 memory, providing a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s, which is sufficient to feed its high pixel and texture rates at 4K resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the undisputed powerhouse in this combination. The data indicates it is the primary driver of frame rates, especially as resolution and settings are increased. Its architecture, Blackwell 2.0, is built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, containing 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die. This hardware foundation allows for a massive 21,760 shading units and 680 texture mapping units, which directly translate to the raw compute power needed to render complex FPS scenes. The GPU’s boost clock of 2407 MHz is a key metric, but the sheer number of cores is what allows it to achieve an average benchmark score of 79842, placing it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs.

The memory subsystem is equally critical for Lockdown Protocol, particularly at higher resolutions. The 32 GB of GDDR7 memory operates across a 512-bit bus, yielding a staggering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. This is essential for handling large textures and high-resolution frame buffers without creating a bottleneck. The data supports this, as the GPU maintains a 60 FPS average at 4K Ultra, a demanding scenario that requires rapid data transfer. The GPU's capabilities are further underscored by its 170 RT cores and 680 Tensor cores, which are present and ready for any ray-traced or DLSS-enhanced workloads the game might present, even if not explicitly measured in these FPS rows.

When comparing the GPU to its nearest rivals in the benchmark database, the data shows it is in a tight cluster at the top. Its average score of 79842 is only 0.3% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB and 1.1% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT. This suggests that while the RTX 5090 is a top performer, its closest competitors are within a very small margin in synthetic tests. However, in the context of this game, the measured FPS suggests the RTX 5090 is more than adequate, providing high frame rates even at the most demanding settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and expected trend: performance scales inversely with resolution. The most telling comparison is the performance drop from 1080p to 4K at the same settings. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 170 at 1920x1080 to 124 at 2560x1440, and finally to 80 at 3840x2160. This represents a 53% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K. This scaling pattern is indicative of a system that becomes increasingly GPU-bound as the pixel count rises. At 1080p, the CPU can keep up with the GPU’s output, allowing for very high frame rates. But as the resolution increases, the GPU has to work much harder to fill those pixels, becoming the limiting factor.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly steep. The average FPS at High settings drops from 124 to 80, a 35% decrease. This is a larger relative drop than the 27% decrease seen when going from 1080p to 1440p. This suggests that 4K is pushing the GPU into a more demanding territory where its raw compute and memory bandwidth are being fully taxed. The difference between Low and Ultra settings at 4K is also substantial, with the average FPS ranging from 129 on Low to just 60 on Ultra. This shows that the Ultra preset is incredibly demanding, but the RTX 5090 is still able to deliver a playable experience.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the system has a significant amount of headroom, with the CPU likely playing a more significant role in determining the final frame rate. At 1440p and 4K, the GPU's workload becomes the dominant factor. The fact that the 4K Ultra average is exactly 60 FPS suggests a performance ceiling that is likely tied to the GPU's architecture and power limits, rather than a software or CPU constraint. The system is clearly designed for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming, while still being capable of a solid 4K experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates its peak performance capabilities. The average frame rates are exceptionally high across all presets. On Low settings, the system achieves an average of 273 FPS, which is a remarkable figure that points to a strong CPU-GPU balance at this resolution. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 194 FPS, with a minimum of 165 and a maximum of 223 FPS. High settings yield an average of 170 FPS, while the most demanding Ultra preset still manages a very high 127 FPS average. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the RTX 5090 is not the primary limiting factor, and the system is well-suited for competitive play where maximum frame rates are desired.

Stepping up to 2560x1440, the impact of the increased pixel count becomes apparent, but the performance remains stellar. The Low preset averages 201 FPS, showcasing the GPU's immense power. The Medium preset averages 142 FPS, with a minimum of 121 FPS, ensuring a smooth experience. High settings average 124 FPS, which is still well above the threshold for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Ultra preset delivers an average of 93 FPS, demonstrating that the system can handle the most visually intensive settings at 1440p without significant compromises. The data shows a consistent step-down in performance as settings are increased, but the system never falls below a highly playable frame rate.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly working at its limits. The Low preset produces an average of 129 FPS, which is impressive for 4K. The Medium preset averages 92 FPS, with a minimum of 78 FPS, highlighting a noticeable but manageable performance dip from Low. The High preset averages 80 FPS, which is still smooth. The Ultra preset brings the system to its measured limit with an average of 60 FPS. This is a classic example of 4K Ultra being a "showcase" setting that demands maximum GPU power. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K results in a 54% reduction in average FPS, which clearly illustrates the immense computational load required by the Ultra preset at this resolution.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. For players with a 1080p 240Hz or 360Hz monitor, the High preset at 170 FPS average is an excellent choice, offering a great balance of visual fidelity and high speed. The Ultra preset at 127 FPS is also viable for those prioritizing image quality, as it still provides a very high frame rate. The Low and Medium presets are best reserved for scenarios where exceeding 200 FPS is the primary goal.

At 1440p, the High preset is the sweet spot. The 124 FPS average is ideal for 120Hz or 144Hz displays, providing a smooth and responsive experience while maintaining good visual quality. The Ultra preset, at 93 FPS, is also a strong option for those who want maximum detail and have a 90Hz or 100Hz monitor. The Medium preset at 142 FPS is a good fallback for players who want to ensure they stay well above 120 FPS at all times, but High offers a better visual experience for only a modest performance cost.

For 4K gaming, the data suggests that Medium is the best overall choice for a high-refresh-rate experience. The 92 FPS average is significantly better than the 80 FPS average on High, and it provides a noticeable visual upgrade over the Low preset's 129 FPS. The Ultra preset, while playable at 60 FPS, is best reserved for slower-paced or visually-focused moments, as the lower frame rate may not be ideal for fast-paced FPS action. The Medium preset at 4K delivers a good balance of sharpness, detail, and performance, making it the most versatile option for this resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H is a mobile processor with a 16-core, 22-thread configuration based on the Meteor Lake architecture. It operates with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and can boost up to 5.00 GHz. While its TDP is rated at 28 W, its performance is more than adequate for gaming. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 34083 places it in the 84th percentile of all CPUs, indicating strong overall performance. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14551 and single-core score of 1759 suggest it has robust multi-threaded capabilities and solid single-thread performance, which is often more critical for gaming.

The data from the measured FPS shows that this CPU is not a bottleneck at 1080p. The ability to achieve 273 FPS on Low settings and 170 FPS on High settings indicates that the CPU can feed the RTX 5090 with enough data to maintain high frame rates. The CPU’s large 24 MB of shared L3 cache likely helps with game logic and asset streaming. However, the performance scaling from 1080p to 4K shows that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions, meaning the CPU has more than enough headroom to support the GPU's workload.

The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core Ultra 5 338H and the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X, have nearly identical average benchmark scores, with deltas of 0.3% and -0.5% respectively. This indicates that the Core Ultra 7 165H is performing as expected for its class. In the context of Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is to ensure a stable and high frame rate floor, which it successfully does. The data shows that the system is well-balanced, with the CPU providing a strong foundation for the GPU to operate at its full potential.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 holds a combo rank of 776 out of 3714 tested configurations in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the top 21% of all tested combos, which is a strong showing. This ranking is particularly impressive given that the CPU is a mobile part, while the GPU is a desktop-class powerhouse. The high rank suggests that the system's overall performance is excellent, even when compared to configurations with more powerful desktop CPUs.

The ranking also implies that while the RTX 5090 is a top-tier GPU, the overall combo performance is slightly tempered by the CPU's mobile pedigree. A combo with a more powerful desktop CPU would likely rank higher. However, the data shows that this pairing is still highly effective for Lockdown Protocol. The measured FPS at 1440p and 4K are all very playable, and the system is clearly capable of delivering a premium gaming experience. The rank of 776 out of 3714 reflects the GPU's immense power and the CPU's ability to keep pace without being a significant drag on overall performance. This combo is a high-performance option that will not disappoint.