Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 pairing in Lockdown Protocol presents a balanced 1080p and 1440p setup, with the CPU providing strong single-thread performance and the GPU holding back frame rates at higher resolutions. The data shows that this combo ranks in the 53rd percentile of all tested configurations, indicating a mid-pack performance that is neither dominant nor underwhelming. This analysis breaks down the component roles, answers common questions, and provides a full breakdown of measured frame rates across resolutions and settings.

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

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It operates with a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 30 MB of shared L3 cache. This CPU scores 93rd percentile against all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 64,640. Its nearest rivals are the AMD EPYC 4464P, which scores 64,823 (-0.3% delta), and the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F at 64,438 (+0.3% delta), showing that the 265 is essentially performance-identical to its closest competitors.

For Lockdown Protocol, an FPS title, the single-thread performance is critical. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5,960 and PassMark single-thread score of 4,689 indicate that this CPU can handle the game's physics and game logic without bottlenecking at typical frame rates. The multi-core scores are also strong, with Cinebench R23 multi-core at 42,216 and PassMark multithread at 49,682. However, the game's frame rate data suggests that at 1080p Low, where the CPU has the least load, the average FPS reaches 189, which is likely near the CPU limit for this title. As resolution increases, the frame rate drops, showing that the GPU becomes the limiting factor rather than the CPU.

The 20 cores and 20 threads are more than sufficient for a game like Lockdown Protocol, which likely uses fewer threads. The CPU's 5.30 GHz boost clock provides excellent responsiveness in frame-time sensitive scenarios, and the lack of hyperthreading (20 threads equals 20 cores) simplifies scheduling. In practical terms, the data indicates that this CPU will not be the bottleneck in most gaming scenarios, especially when paired with an RTX 4060, which is a mid-range GPU. The CPU's dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth ensures that the processor has sufficient memory bandwidth for game assets, though this is rarely a limiting factor in FPS titles.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, using the AD107 chip built on a 5 nm process. It has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock is 1830 MHz with a boost clock of 2460 MHz, and memory runs at 2125 MHz (17 Gbps effective). The RTX 4060 scores 61st percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17,639. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (17,666, -0.2% delta) and the AMD Radeon 780M (17,588, +0.3% delta), which places the 4060 in a relatively low position for a modern GPU.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU's role is dominant at higher resolutions. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Ultra, the average is 88 FPS, while at 1440p Ultra, it drops to 64 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 42 FPS. This scaling pattern indicates that the RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the GPU becomes severely limited. The 4K High setting averages 55 FPS, while 4K Low reaches 89 FPS, showing that reducing settings can recover frame rates, but the GPU still struggles to maintain high FPS at this resolution.

The RTX 4060's 3072 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 48 ROPs provide enough compute power for 1080p gaming, but the 8 GB VRAM may be a limiting factor in texture-heavy scenes at higher resolutions. The GPU's 24 RT cores and 96 tensor cores support ray tracing and DLSS, but the benchmark data does not include these features, so we cannot quantify their impact. The 115 W TDP and 300 W suggested PSU indicate that this is a power-efficient card, but the performance ceiling is clear: it is a 1080p/1440p card, not a 4K card, as evidenced by the 4K Ultra score of 42 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 a bottleneck for the RTX 4060 in Lockdown Protocol?

A: No, the CPU is not the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 189 FPS, which is likely CPU-limited, but at higher resolutions, the frame rate drops, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU's 93rd percentile ranking and strong single-thread scores (5,960 in Cinebench R23) ensure it can keep up with the GPU at all settings tested.

Q: What is the best resolution and settings for this combo to maintain 60+ FPS?

A: The data shows that 1080p Ultra averages 88 FPS, 1440p High averages 86 FPS, and 4K Medium averages 63 FPS. For a consistent 60 FPS experience, 1440p High is the sweet spot, as it offers a 60% higher resolution than 1080p with similar frame rates. 4K is only viable at Medium settings, where it averages 63 FPS but dips to 54 FPS minimum.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 1514 out of 2828 tested combos, placing it in the 53rd percentile. This means that over half of the tested combinations perform better, but this ranking includes many high-end CPUs and GPUs. For a mid-range setup, this is a reasonable position.

Q: Does the RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM cause issues in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The benchmark data does not show VRAM-specific issues, but the performance drop from 1080p to 4K suggests that memory bandwidth and capacity may be limiting factors. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 42, which is likely due to the 128-bit memory bus and 8 GB capacity being insufficient for high-resolution textures.

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

A: The Core Ultra 7 265 scores 64,640 on average, which is 0.3% lower than the AMD EPYC 4464P (64,823) and 0.3% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F (64,438). This puts it in a virtual tie with its closest competitors, making the choice between them negligible for gaming performance.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p with this combo?

A: At 1440p, the measured FPS ranges from 64 FPS on Ultra to 138 FPS on Low, with Medium averaging 98 FPS and High averaging 86 FPS. For most players, Medium or High settings will provide a smooth experience above 60 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combo ranks 1514 out of 2828 tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the 53rd percentile. This means that 1,314 combos perform worse, and 1,514 perform better. The ranking is influenced more by the GPU than the CPU, as the RTX 4060's 61st percentile GPU score is significantly lower than the CPU's 93rd percentile. In practical terms, this combo sits in the middle of the pack, which is expected for a mid-range GPU paired with a high-end CPU.

The delta between the CPU and GPU performance is notable: the CPU is in the top 7% of all processors, while the GPU is in the top 39%. This imbalance suggests that users would see better gaming performance by pairing the 265 with a stronger GPU, but the current combo still delivers playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p. The ranking is also affected by the game's optimization; Lockdown Protocol appears to be GPU-bound at higher resolutions, which penalizes the RTX 4060's mid-range performance.

For context, the 53rd percentile ranking means that this combo is slightly above average among all tested configurations. However, many of the combos above this rank likely feature higher-end GPUs like the RTX 4070 or RTX 4080, which would push frame rates significantly higher. The data suggests that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can achieve high frame rates, while 4K gaming is only possible at lower settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases. At 1080p High, the combo averages 117 FPS, which drops to 86 FPS at 1440p High (a 26.5% decrease) and 55 FPS at 4K High (a 53% decrease from 1080p). This scaling indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor, as the CPU's performance does not change with resolution. The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is roughly linear, with each resolution step costing about 25-30% performance.

At Low settings, the pattern is similar but with higher absolute numbers. 1080p Low averages 189 FPS, 1440p Low averages 138 FPS (27% decrease), and 4K Low averages 89 FPS (53% decrease). This shows that even at the lowest settings, the GPU cannot maintain high frame rates at 4K, confirming that the RTX 4060 is not suitable for 4K gaming. The gap between Low and Ultra settings is also telling: at 1080p, the difference is 101 FPS (189 vs 88), while at 4K, the difference is 47 FPS (89 vs 42), showing that the GPU is more sensitive to settings at lower resolutions.

The limiting component is clearly the GPU. The CPU's performance is sufficient to drive frame rates beyond what the GPU can render at all resolutions. For example, at 1080p Low, the 189 FPS average is likely near the CPU's maximum frame rate capability, but at 4K Ultra, the 42 FPS average is purely GPU-bound. This means that upgrading the GPU would yield significant performance gains, while upgrading the CPU would have minimal impact on frame rates in this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1080p (1920x1080):

• Low: Average 189 FPS, with no minimum or maximum recorded. This is the highest frame rate in the entire dataset, indicating that the CPU can deliver very high FPS when the GPU is not constrained.
• Medium: Average 134 FPS, with a minimum of 114 FPS and a maximum of 154 FPS. The 20 FPS spread between min and max suggests some frame time variability, but the average is well above 60 FPS.
• High: Average 117 FPS, with no minimum or maximum recorded. This is a solid setting for competitive play, offering high frame rates with better visual quality.
• Ultra: Average 88 FPS, with no minimum or maximum recorded. This is still above 60 FPS, making Ultra playable at 1080p.

1440p (2560x1440):

• Low: Average 138 FPS, with no minimum or maximum recorded. This is a 27% drop from 1080p Low, confirming the GPU's memory bandwidth limitations.
• Medium: Average 98 FPS, with a minimum of 83 FPS and a maximum of 113 FPS. The 30 FPS spread is wider than at 1080p, indicating more variance at higher resolution.
• High: Average 86 FPS, with no minimum or maximum recorded. This is comfortably above 60 FPS, making High a good choice for 1440p gaming.
• Ultra: Average 64 FPS, with no minimum or maximum recorded. This is right at the 60 FPS threshold, so players may experience occasional dips below 60 FPS.

4K (3840x2160):

• Low: Average 89 FPS, with no minimum or maximum recorded. This is surprisingly high for 4K, showing that Low settings can unlock playable frame rates.
• Medium: Average 63 FPS, with a minimum of 54 FPS and a maximum of 73 FPS. The minimum is below 60 FPS, so players may notice stutters.
• High: Average 55 FPS, with no minimum or maximum recorded. This is below 60 FPS, making High settings marginal for smooth gameplay.
• Ultra: Average 42 FPS, with no minimum or maximum recorded. This is not playable for a fast-paced FPS, confirming that the RTX 4060 is not a 4K card.

The data shows that the combo is best used at 1080p or 1440p, with 1080p allowing for high refresh rate monitors (up to 189 FPS on Low) and 1440p providing a balance between visual quality and performance. At 4K, only Low settings provide an acceptable frame rate, and even then, the 89 FPS average is not ideal for competitive play. The minimum FPS data points, available only for Medium settings, show that 1440p Medium has an 83 FPS minimum, which is safe, while 4K Medium dips to 54 FPS, which could cause noticeable hitches. Overall, this combo is a solid 1080p/1440p performer with clear limitations at 4K.