Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with Intel Core Ultra 7 265 + AMD Radeon RX 9070

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 delivers a robust Lockdown Protocol experience across all tested resolutions, with the data showing a clear progression from 245 FPS at 1080p Low to 54 FPS at 4K Ultra. This combination sits at rank 790 out of 2828 tested combos, placing it comfortably in the top 28% of all configurations measured for this FPS title. The CPU's 20 cores and 20 threads, combined with the GPU's 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, create a balanced platform where neither component consistently bottlenecks the other, though the scaling pattern reveals important insights about where the limits lie.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable decline as resolution increases, but the rate of that decline reveals the GPU's growing dominance as pixel count rises. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 245 FPS average. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 180 FPS, a reduction of 65 FPS or roughly 26.5%. At 4K Low, the average falls to 116 FPS, which is 35.5% below the 1440p figure and 52.7% below the 1080p result. This pattern of accelerating percentage drops as resolution climbs is classic GPU-bound behavior — the rendering load grows faster than the frame rate can compensate.

The High preset tells a similar story with slightly different magnitudes. At 1080p High, the average is 152 FPS. At 1440p High, it drops to 112 FPS, a 26.3% reduction nearly identical to the Low preset's scaling. At 4K High, the average is 72 FPS, which represents a 35.7% drop from 1440p and a 52.6% drop from 1080p. The consistency of these percentages across Low and High presets indicates that the resolution scaling is largely independent of the graphics settings — the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints once resolution increases.

Ultra settings amplify the resolution penalty further. At 1080p Ultra, the combo averages 114 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, that falls to 84 FPS, a 26.3% reduction. At 4K Ultra, the average is 54 FPS, which is 35.7% below the 1440p figure and 52.6% below 1080p. The Ultra preset's absolute numbers are lower at every resolution, but the percentage scaling between resolutions remains remarkably consistent across all four settings levels. This suggests that Lockdown Protocol's resolution scaling is primarily governed by the GPU's raw throughput rather than by specific settings-dependent effects.

The Medium preset provides the only complete FPS range data, with minimum and maximum values recorded at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the average is 174 FPS with a minimum of 148 and maximum of 200. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 128 FPS with a range of 109 to 147. At 4K Medium, the average is 82 FPS with a range of 70 to 95. The spread between minimum and maximum widens slightly as resolution increases — from 52 FPS at 1080p to 38 FPS at 1440p to 25 FPS at 4K — indicating that frame time variance becomes less pronounced at higher resolutions where the GPU is more consistently saturated.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the CPU still plays a meaningful role in frame delivery. The 245 FPS Low result is substantially higher than what a purely GPU-limited scenario would produce with this GPU's capabilities. As resolution climbs to 1440p and then 4K, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor. The fact that 4K Low (116 FPS) is lower than 1080p Ultra (114 FPS) is notable — it shows that resolution has a greater impact on performance than settings level for this combination, confirming the GPU-bound nature of higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 brings substantial hardware to this title. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for Lockdown Protocol's demands at all tested settings. The GPU's boost clock of 2520 MHz and game clock of 2070 MHz, with a base clock of 1330 MHz, allow it to scale its performance dynamically based on workload intensity. The 3584 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 128 render output units provide the computational foundation for the frame rates measured.

The GPU's 36.13 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 36.13 TFLOPS of FP16 (at a 1:1 ratio) give it substantial raw processing power. In practice, this translates to the RX 9070 handling 4K Ultra at 54 FPS average, which is playable but not ideal for competitive play. At 4K High, the average improves to 72 FPS, crossing the 60 FPS threshold that many players consider the minimum for smooth gameplay. The 4K Medium result of 82 FPS provides additional headroom, suggesting that players with 4K displays can find a comfortable settings balance.

The GPU's memory configuration deserves attention. The 16 GB capacity means that even at 4K Ultra, the game's texture and geometry data can reside entirely in VRAM without spilling to system memory. The 644.6 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient to feed the GPU's compute units at the measured frame rates — the fact that 4K Low (116 FPS) is more than double 4K Ultra (54 FPS) indicates that the GPU is not bandwidth-starved but rather compute-limited at higher settings.

The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) ensures compatibility with modern rendering techniques, and its Vulkan 1.4 support provides an alternative API path. The RX 9070's 56 ray tracing cores are present but the measured FPS data does not isolate ray tracing performance, so their contribution to Lockdown Protocol's results cannot be directly quantified from this dataset. The PCIe 5.0 x16 interface provides ample bandwidth to the CPU, and the 220 W TDP with a suggested 550 W PSU indicates the power requirements are moderate for a GPU in this performance class.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in context. Its PassMark G3D score of 25381 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6290 demonstrate solid synthetic performance. The GPU's percentile of 69 against all GPUs means it outperforms roughly two-thirds of the database's tracked graphics cards. Its nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z (0.6% higher score), AMD Radeon RX 6800S (0.8% lower), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile (1.1% higher), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER (1.2% lower). These margins are small, indicating the RX 9070 sits in a tightly contested performance band.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 provides 20 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This Arrow Lake-S architecture chip, built on TSMC's 3 nm process, includes 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB of L2 cache per core. The 102.4 GB/s dual-channel DDR5 memory bandwidth ensures the CPU can feed the GPU without creating a memory subsystem bottleneck.

The CPU's benchmark results show strong multi-threaded performance. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42216 and single-core score of 5960 indicate balanced capabilities. The PassMark multi-thread score of 49682 and single-thread score of 4689 further confirm this. The CPU's percentile of 93 against all CPUs means it outperforms 93% of processors in the database, placing it firmly in the high-end desktop segment.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role varies by resolution. At 1080p Low, the 245 FPS average suggests the CPU is capable of feeding frames well above what most displays can show. The fact that 1080p Ultra (114 FPS) is significantly lower than 1080p Low (245 FPS) — a 53.5% reduction — indicates that at 1080p, the GPU becomes the limiting factor once settings increase. The CPU's headroom at 1080p Low means it is not constraining the GPU's output.

At 4K, the CPU's influence diminishes further. The 4K Ultra result of 54 FPS is 52.6% below the 1080p Ultra result of 114 FPS, which closely mirrors the resolution scaling seen across all settings. This consistency suggests the CPU is providing sufficient frame data to the GPU at all resolutions, and the performance differences are driven by GPU throughput. The CPU's 20 cores and 20 threads are more than adequate for an FPS title like Lockdown Protocol, which typically scales well across multiple cores for game logic and physics while relying on fewer threads for rendering commands.

The CPU's nearest rivals in the database include the AMD EPYC 4464P (0.3% lower score), Intel Core Ultra 7 265F (0.3% higher), AMD EPYC 7343 (0.7% higher), and AMD EPYC 9124 (0.7% lower). These are all server or workstation-class processors, indicating the Ultra 7 265's performance aligns with enterprise-grade silicon. The CPU's PassMark data compression score of 522983 and encryption score of 40456 suggest strong general-purpose compute, though these are not directly relevant to gaming performance.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for settings selection based on target frame rates and display capabilities. At 1080p, every settings level exceeds 60 FPS, with even Ultra averaging 114 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p provides 174 FPS average with a minimum of 148 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Low preset's 245 FPS average is the highest measured result in the entire dataset, making it the best choice for competitive play on 1080p displays with refresh rates above 144 Hz.

At 1440p, the High preset delivers 112 FPS average, which is suitable for 100 Hz and 120 Hz displays. The Medium preset at 128 FPS average with a minimum of 109 FPS provides even more headroom. The Ultra preset at 84 FPS average is playable on 75 Hz and 85 Hz monitors but may not fully satisfy players with 144 Hz displays. The Low preset's 180 FPS average is the strongest 1440p result, though the visual quality trade-off may not justify the frame rate gain for most players.

At 4K, the settings choices become more critical. The Ultra preset's 54 FPS average is below the 60 FPS threshold that most players consider the minimum for smooth gameplay. The High preset at 72 FPS average crosses that threshold and is the recommended starting point for 4K displays. The Medium preset at 82 FPS average provides additional headroom and is the best choice for 4K gamers who prioritize smoothness over maximum visual fidelity. The Low preset at 116 FPS average is viable for competitive play on 4K high-refresh displays, though the visual compromise is significant.

For the best overall experience per the measured rows, the Medium preset appears to offer the most balanced performance across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the 174 FPS average with a minimum of 148 FPS ensures consistent frame delivery. At 1440p Medium, the 128 FPS average with a minimum of 109 FPS maintains smoothness. At 4K Medium, the 82 FPS average with a minimum of 70 FPS stays above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset's measured minimum and maximum values at each resolution show tighter frame pacing than other presets, suggesting more consistent performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 + AMD Radeon RX 9070 combination ranks 790 out of 2828 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the 72nd percentile of all configurations in the database. This is a strong result, though not exceptional for a high-end 2025 CPU paired with a mid-to-high-end 2025 GPU. The rank of 790 means there are 789 combos that perform better in this game, which likely include configurations with higher-tier GPUs such as the RX 9070 XT or NVIDIA's top offerings.

The combo's ranking is consistent with its component-level performance. The CPU's 93rd percentile ranking and the GPU's 69th percentile ranking suggest that the GPU is the more limiting component in this pairing. The CPU has substantial headroom to drive more powerful GPUs, meaning that users who upgrade the GPU in the future could see meaningful frame rate improvements without changing the processor. Conversely, the GPU's performance is already near its expected range given its specifications.

The rank of 790 out of 2828 represents the top 27.9% of tested configurations. This places the combo in the upper quartile, which is a respectable position for a system built around a $394 CPU and a $549 GPU. The data indicates that this combination delivers a well-balanced 1080p and 1440p experience with playable 4K performance, making it suitable for a wide range of display configurations.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS is 245, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Can this combo maintain 60+ FPS at 4K Ultra?

A: No, the 4K Ultra average is 54 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold. The 4K High preset at 72 FPS and 4K Medium at 82 FPS both exceed 60 FPS.

Q: How does the GPU's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RX 9070's average benchmark score is 23877, which is 0.6% below the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z, 0.8% above the AMD Radeon RX 6800S, 1.1% below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile, and 1.2% above the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking against all CPUs?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 ranks in the 93rd percentile, meaning it outperforms 93% of CPUs in the database.

Q: Which settings preset provides the most consistent frame delivery?

A: The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values at all three resolutions, showing ranges of 148-200 at 1080p, 109-147 at 1440p, and 70-95 at 4K. The minimum values stay above 60 FPS at every resolution.

Q: How much FPS does the combo lose between 1080p and 4K on Low settings?

A: The average FPS drops from 245 at 1080p Low to 116 at 4K Low, a reduction of 129 FPS or 52.7%.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 245 FPS average
• Medium: 174 FPS average, 148 FPS minimum, 200 FPS maximum
• High: 152 FPS average
• Ultra: 114 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 180 FPS average
• Medium: 128 FPS average, 109 FPS minimum, 147 FPS maximum
• High: 112 FPS average
• Ultra: 84 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 116 FPS average
• Medium: 82 FPS average, 70 FPS minimum, 95 FPS maximum
• High: 72 FPS average
• Ultra: 54 FPS average

The data shows a consistent pattern: each settings tier reduces performance by roughly 15-25% from the previous tier at the same resolution. At 1080p, the progression from Low to Medium to High to Ultra is 245 → 174 → 152 → 114 FPS. At 1440p, the progression is 180 → 128 → 112 → 84 FPS. At 4K, the progression is 116 → 82 → 72 → 54 FPS. The Ultra preset's penalty relative to Low is greatest at 4K (53.4% reduction) and smallest at 1080p (53.5% reduction), showing that the settings impact is consistent regardless of resolution for this combo.