Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with Intel Core Ultra 7 265 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER

This combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER delivers a broad range of frame rates across Lockdown Protocol's four presets and three resolutions, with the data indicating a system that scales predictably from 1080p Low at 307 FPS down to 4K Ultra at 68 FPS. The measured results place this pairing at rank 273 out of 2828 tested combos, putting it in the top 10% of configurations for this title, with the CPU holding a 93rd percentile standing among all processors and the GPU at the 76th percentile among all graphics cards.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression across resolutions reveals how the balance shifts between CPU and GPU limitation in Lockdown Protocol. At 1080p Low, the system produces 307 FPS, which drops to 225 FPS at 1440p Low and further to 145 FPS at 4K Low. This represents a 26.7% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a 35.6% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The fact that 1080p Low exceeds 300 FPS strongly suggests the CPU is the primary limiter at this low-settings, low-resolution configuration, since the graphics workload is minimal.

Moving to High settings, the scaling pattern shifts. The 1080p High result of 191 FPS drops to 140 FPS at 1440p High, a 26.7% decrease, and then to 90 FPS at 4K High, a 35.7% decrease from 1440p. The similarity in percentage drops between Low and High presets indicates that the rendering pipeline at these settings still has headroom on both components, with neither fully saturating until the higher resolutions.

The Ultra preset shows the most aggressive scaling, with 143 FPS at 1080p, 105 FPS at 1440p, and 68 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result represents just 47.6% of the 1080p Ultra frame rate, which is a more pronounced drop than seen in the Low preset. This suggests that at Ultra settings, particularly at 4K, the GPU becomes the dominant limiting factor, as the increased shading, texture, and post-processing demands overwhelm the graphics pipeline before the CPU can feed it more frames.

The Medium preset, which is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum frame times, shows 218 FPS at 1080p with a minimum of 186 and maximum of 251, 160 FPS at 1440p with a minimum of 136 and maximum of 184, and 103 FPS at 4K with a minimum of 88 and maximum of 119. The spread between minimum and maximum FPS narrows as resolution increases, which is consistent with the GPU becoming more consistently utilized at higher resolutions, reducing the variance caused by CPU-side frame pacing.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 brings 20 cores and 20 threads to Lockdown Protocol, running at a base clock of 2.40 GHz and boosting to 5.30 GHz. This Arrow Lake-S architecture processor, built on a 3 nm process at TSMC with 17,800 million transistors, delivers a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42216 and a single-core score of 5960. The PassMark multi-thread score of 49682 and single-thread score of 4689 further quantify its capability in both heavily threaded and lightly threaded workloads.

In Lockdown Protocol, an FPS title that typically benefits from strong single-core performance, the 5.30 GHz boost clock is likely the more relevant specification for maintaining high frame rates, especially at lower resolutions where the CPU must prepare frames quickly. The 30 MB of shared L3 cache provides a substantial buffer for game data, while the dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth ensures the processor can feed data to the GPU without creating a bottleneck in most scenarios.

The CPU's benchmark percentile of 93 among all processors indicates it sits in the top 7% of tested CPUs, and its nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the AMD EPYC 4464P with a delta of -0.3%, the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F at +0.3%, and the AMD EPYC 7343 at +0.7%. These extremely small deltas, all within 1% of each other, suggest that the 265 is positioned in a tightly contested performance tier where any of these processors would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Lockdown Protocol when paired with the same GPU.

The 1080p Low result of 307 FPS is the clearest indicator of CPU capability in this game. At such high frame rates, the GPU is likely not fully saturated at Low settings, meaning the CPU's ability to issue draw calls, process game logic, and maintain frame pacing is what allows the system to reach this level. The fact that 1080p Medium still achieves 218 FPS reinforces that the CPU has sufficient headroom even with increased graphics work, though the drop from Low to Medium at 1080p (307 to 218, a 29% reduction) shows that settings changes do impact the CPU-side workload as well.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD103 chip at TSMC's 5 nm process, containing 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die. It operates at a base clock of 2340 MHz and boosts to 2610 MHz, with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus delivering 672.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The 8448 shading units, 264 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs provide the raw compute throughput, while 66 RT cores and 264 tensor cores handle ray tracing and AI-accelerated workloads respectively.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution and settings increase. At 4K Ultra, the 68 FPS result indicates the GPU is the limiting component, as the CPU is unlikely to be constrained at such a low frame rate. The memory capacity of 16 GB ensures that even at 4K Ultra, the game's texture and geometry data can reside entirely in VRAM without spilling to system memory, which would cause stuttering and frame time spikes.

The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 31811 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5569 place it at the 76th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the NVIDIA Quadro M5000 at -0.4%, the NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q at -0.4%, and the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell at -1.4%. These deltas are again small, though slightly larger than those seen for the CPU, indicating the GPU sits in a performance cluster where modest differences exist between adjacent products.

The scaling from 1080p Ultra at 143 FPS to 4K Ultra at 68 FPS represents a 52.4% reduction, which is a substantial drop that highlights the GPU's workload increasing roughly with pixel count. The 4K Medium result of 103 FPS versus 4K High at 90 FPS shows a 14.4% difference purely from the settings change, while 4K Low at 145 FPS is 61% higher than 4K Ultra. This wide spread across settings at 4K demonstrates that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER has significant performance reserves at lower presets but is fully exercised at the highest quality settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers 307 FPS on Low, 218 FPS on Medium, 191 FPS on High, and 143 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset records a minimum of 186 FPS and a maximum of 251 FPS, giving a spread of 65 FPS between the lowest and highest observed frame rates. The progression from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a 53.4% reduction in frame rate, with each preset step costing approximately 20-30 FPS.

The 2560x1440 results show 225 FPS on Low, 160 FPS on Medium, 140 FPS on High, and 105 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset at 1440p records a minimum of 136 FPS and a maximum of 184 FPS, a spread of 48 FPS. The reduction from 1080p to 1440p at each preset is consistent: Low drops by 82 FPS, Medium by 58 FPS, High by 51 FPS, and Ultra by 38 FPS. The narrowing absolute differences at higher settings indicate that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor as settings increase.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates are 145 FPS on Low, 103 FPS on Medium, 90 FPS on High, and 68 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 88 FPS and a maximum of 119 FPS, a spread of 31 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K is 80 FPS for Low, 57 FPS for Medium, 50 FPS for High, and 37 FPS for Ultra. Notably, the absolute frame rate reductions are similar across presets when moving from 1440p to 4K, which suggests that the rendering cost per pixel is relatively consistent regardless of quality settings.

The only preset with complete min/max data at all three resolutions is Medium, providing the clearest picture of frame time stability. At 1080p Medium, the minimum of 186 FPS represents 85.3% of the average, while at 1440p Medium the minimum of 136 FPS is 85% of the average, and at 4K Medium the minimum of 88 FPS is 85.4% of the average. This consistent ratio indicates that frame pacing remains stable across resolutions, with no single resolution exhibiting disproportionately poor frame time consistency.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest frame rate this combination achieves in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 307 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The next highest is 225 FPS at 2560x1440 Low, followed by 218 FPS at 1080p Medium.

Q: How does the system perform at 4K resolution across different presets?

A: At 3840x2160, the system delivers 145 FPS on Low, 103 FPS on Medium, 90 FPS on High, and 68 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 88 FPS and a maximum of 119 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p Low?

A: The 307 FPS result at 1080p Low, combined with the CPU's high single-thread performance of 5960 in Cinebench R23 and 4689 in PassMark single-thread, indicates the CPU is likely the primary limiter at this configuration, as the GPU is not heavily tasked at low settings and resolution.

Q: What is the frame time consistency like at Medium settings?

A: At Medium settings, the minimum FPS is 186 at 1080p, 136 at 1440p, and 88 at 4K. These minimums represent approximately 85% of the average FPS at each resolution, indicating consistent frame pacing without major stutters.

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

A: The combination ranks 273rd out of 2828 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the top 9.7% of all configurations. The CPU ranks in the 93rd percentile among all processors, while the GPU ranks in the 76th percentile among all GPUs.

Q: Does the system maintain playable frame rates at 4K Ultra?

A: At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 68, which is above the 60 FPS threshold commonly considered playable for FPS titles. However, the lack of min/max data at this preset means frame time consistency cannot be fully assessed from the available measurements.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data shows that the Medium preset offers the best balance between visual quality and frame rate stability across all three resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the system delivers 218 FPS with a minimum of 186 FPS, ensuring no drops below 144 Hz refresh rates. At 1440p Medium, the 160 FPS average with a 136 FPS minimum keeps the experience above 120 Hz, and at 4K Medium, the 103 FPS average with an 88 FPS minimum maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS.

The High preset is a viable alternative for users prioritizing visual fidelity over raw frame rate. At 1080p High, the 191 FPS average still supports high refresh rate displays, while 1440p High at 140 FPS remains smooth, and 4K High at 90 FPS provides a solid experience for 60 Hz displays with headroom for frame time spikes. However, the lack of min/max data for High makes it harder to guarantee frame time consistency compared to Medium.

The Ultra preset should only be considered at 1080p or 1440p, where the 143 FPS and 105 FPS averages respectively remain playable. At 4K Ultra, the 68 FPS average is borderline for competitive FPS play, and without minimum frame data, the risk of drops below 60 FPS cannot be ruled out. The Low preset, while delivering the highest frame rates, sacrifices too much visual quality for most users, though the 307 FPS at 1080p Low and 225 FPS at 1440p Low would benefit competitive players using 240 Hz or higher refresh rate monitors.

How This Combo Ranks

The rank of 273 out of 2828 tested combos places this Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and RTX 4070 Ti SUPER pairing in the top 9.7% of all configurations tested for Lockdown Protocol. This is a strong result that reflects the combination of a 93rd percentile CPU and a 76th percentile GPU working together effectively in this title.

The CPU's position among its nearest rivals shows it is competitively matched with server-class processors, with deltas of -0.3% versus the AMD EPYC 4464P, +0.3% versus the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F, and +0.7% versus the AMD EPYC 7343. These differences are negligible in real-world gaming scenarios, meaning the 265's gaming performance is essentially on par with these alternatives when paired with the same GPU.

The GPU's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro M5000 at -0.4%, the NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q at -0.4%, and the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell at -1.4%. The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER's slightly higher average benchmark score of 31087 compared to these rivals indicates it holds a marginal performance advantage, though the -1.9% delta against the NVIDIA TITAN RTX shows it lags behind that higher-tier card.

Given the measured frame rates in Lockdown Protocol, this combo is well-suited for high refresh rate gaming at 1080p and 1440p, and remains capable at 4K with settings adjustments. The rank of 273 suggests that while many configurations outperform it, the vast majority of tested combos deliver lower performance, making this a strong pairing for this specific game. The data indicates that users seeking maximum frame rates at 1080p or 1440p would be well served by this configuration, while those targeting 4K Ultra should consider whether 68 FPS meets their expectations or if they should opt for a higher-tier GPU.