Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with Intel Core Ultra 7 265 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER delivers a high-refresh-rate experience across all tested resolutions in Lockdown Protocol, with the data showing that the 4K Ultra preset is the only configuration that drops below 100 FPS. The measured results indicate a system that scales predictably with resolution and settings, with the 1080p Low preset reaching 331 FPS while the 4K Ultra preset bottoms out at 73 FPS. This combination ranks in the 94th percentile of tested combos, placing it firmly in the top tier for this FPS title.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K reveals a system where the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor as resolution increases. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 331 at 1920x1080 to 243 at 2560x1440, a 26.6% reduction, and then further to 157 at 3840x2160, representing a 35.4% drop from 1440p. This scaling pattern is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario at lower settings, where the RTX 4080 SUPER's rendering throughput dictates the frame rate.

Moving to High settings, the scaling shows similar characteristics: 205 FPS at 1080p, 151 FPS at 1440p, and 97 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops between successive resolutions are 26.3% and 35.8% respectively, nearly identical to the Low preset scaling. This consistency suggests that the rendering pipeline's resolution-dependent workload scales uniformly regardless of quality preset, pointing to the GPU's pixel throughput and memory bandwidth as the dominant constraints.

At Ultra settings, the resolution scaling becomes even more pronounced. The system delivers 154 FPS at 1080p, 113 FPS at 1440p, and 73 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 26.6%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 35.4%. These percentages mirror the Low and High presets almost exactly, indicating that the resolution scaling factor is independent of the settings level. The data strongly suggests that Lockdown Protocol's rendering engine scales resolution in a predictable, linear fashion across the quality spectrum.

The 4K to 1080p ratio at Medium settings tells a similar story: 235 FPS at 1080p versus 111 FPS at 4K represents a 52.8% reduction. This is the largest proportional drop across all presets, and it correlates with the Medium preset being the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values in the data, suggesting more frame-time variance at this quality level. The 4K Medium result of 111 FPS with a 95 FPS minimum shows that even at the highest resolution, the system maintains playable frame rates.

The scaling data indicates that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution. The 1080p Low result of 331 FPS demonstrates that the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 can feed frames well beyond typical high-refresh display capabilities, and the consistent percentage drops as resolution increases confirm that the GPU is the limiting component throughout. The 20-core, 20-thread processor with its 5.30 GHz boost clock provides ample headroom for the game's logic and draw-call processing.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the defining component in this combination, and its specifications explain the measured performance envelope. With 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus delivering 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth, the card has the resources to handle Lockdown Protocol's texture and geometry demands at 4K resolution. The 10240 shading units and 112 ROPs provide substantial pixel throughput, which is reflected in the 285.6 GPixel/s pixel rate and 816.0 GTexel/s texture rate.

The GPU's clock behavior contributes to the scaling pattern observed. The base clock of 2295 MHz and boost clock of 2550 MHz represent a 11.1% boost headroom, and the data shows that the card sustains its performance across all tested configurations. The 52.22 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is more than sufficient for this title, as evidenced by the 4K High result of 97 FPS, which indicates the card is not compute-limited at any tested setting.

The 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores are present but not directly exercised in this game's measured results, as Lockdown Protocol's standard rendering path appears to rely primarily on the rasterization pipeline. The 16 GB frame buffer proves adequate even at 4K Ultra, where the 73 FPS average suggests memory capacity is not causing any performance degradation. The card's 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54209, places it just 0.1% behind the standard RTX 4080 and 2.8% ahead of the AMD Radeon 8060S, confirming its position near the top of the graphics hierarchy.

The GPU's thermal and power design, with a 320 W TDP and triple-slot cooler, allows sustained boost clocks during extended gaming sessions. The data shows no evidence of throttling, as the 4K Medium preset records a maximum FPS of 128, which is consistent with expected boost behavior. The memory clock of 1438 MHz (23 Gbps effective) combined with the 256-bit bus produces the 736.3 GB/s bandwidth figure, which is critical for maintaining frame rates in a fast-paced FPS where texture streaming and asset loading are constant.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 provides the computational foundation for this combination, and its specifications align well with the measured results. The 20 cores and 20 threads represent a substantial multi-threading capability, with a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz offering a 2.2x frequency range. The 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache provide rapid access to game data, while the dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth ensures the GPU receives data without bottlenecking.

The processor's 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 64640, places it slightly below the AMD EPYC 4464P by 0.3% and above the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F by 0.3%. In gaming workloads, the single-thread performance is most critical, and the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5960 demonstrates strong per-thread capability. The multi-core score of 42216 in the same benchmark confirms that the processor can handle background tasks without compromising frame delivery.

The 1080p Low result of 331 FPS is the clearest indicator of CPU headroom. At this resolution and setting, the GPU is not heavily loaded, yet the processor still manages to deliver over 300 FPS, showing that the 5.30 GHz boost clock is effective in single-threaded game logic. The 3 nm process node from TSMC, with 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die, contributes to the processor's efficiency, allowing sustained boost clocks without excessive power draw from the 65 W TDP.

The memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s is adequate for this title, as the game's performance scaling with resolution shows no signs of memory subsystem limitations. The 20-thread configuration ensures that even with the game's physics, audio, and network processing, there are ample resources available. The PassMark multi-thread score of 49682 and single-thread score of 4689 corroborate the processor's balanced capabilities, with the physics score of 2923 indicating the cores can handle simulation workloads effectively.

The processor's 20 lanes of PCIe Gen 5 connectivity provide ample bandwidth for the RTX 4080 SUPER's PCIe 4.0 x16 interface, ensuring no bottleneck in data transfer between CPU and GPU. The integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 32EU is present but not relevant for gaming performance when a discrete GPU is installed. The 65 W TDP is notably low for a 20-core processor, and combined with the GPU's 320 W TDP, the total system power demands are manageable with a 700 W suggested PSU.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimizing the balance between visual quality and frame rate in Lockdown Protocol. The Medium preset emerges as the most balanced option across all resolutions, offering substantial performance improvements over High while maintaining acceptable visual fidelity. At 1920x1080, Medium delivers 235 FPS compared to High's 205 FPS, a 14.6% improvement, while the gap widens at 2560x1440 where Medium achieves 172 FPS versus High's 151 FPS, a 13.9% gain.

At 4K resolution, the Medium preset's advantage becomes more critical. The 111 FPS average at 3840x2160 Medium is 14.4% higher than High's 97 FPS, and the recorded minimum of 95 FPS ensures consistent frame delivery. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 73 FPS, which may be below the threshold for competitive play in an FPS title. The data suggests that for 4K displays, Medium is the optimal choice, as it maintains triple-digit frame rates while the visual difference between Medium and High in a fast-paced game like Lockdown Protocol is often imperceptible.

For 1440p displays, the choice between Medium and High depends on the refresh rate of the monitor. With a 144 Hz display, Medium's 172 FPS provides headroom above the refresh rate, while High's 151 FPS is sufficient but leaves less margin for frame-time spikes. For 240 Hz displays, Low's 243 FPS at 1440p becomes the only preset that fully utilizes the refresh rate, though the visual compromise may not be worth the performance gain for most players.

At 1080p, the system is capable of exceeding 200 FPS on all presets except Ultra. The Medium preset's 235 FPS offers the best balance for high-refresh gaming, with the 200 FPS minimum ensuring consistent frame delivery. The Low preset's 331 FPS is only relevant for competitive players with 360 Hz displays who prioritize frame rate over visual quality. The Ultra preset at 154 FPS still provides a smooth experience but offers diminishing visual returns over High for the 25% performance cost.

The minimum FPS data for Medium presets provides additional context. At 1080p, the 200 FPS minimum versus 235 FPS average represents an 85% consistency ratio, while at 1440p the 147 FPS minimum versus 172 FPS average is an 85.5% ratio, and at 4K the 95 FPS minimum versus 111 FPS average is an 85.6% ratio. This consistent frame-time behavior across resolutions indicates that the Medium preset provides stable performance, making it the recommended choice for all display configurations.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 175th out of 2828 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the top 6.2% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the synergistic balance between the processor's strong single-thread performance and the GPU's high-end rasterization capabilities. The 86th percentile GPU ranking combined with the 93rd percentile CPU ranking produces a system that is well-matched for this title, with neither component significantly bottlenecking the other.

The combo's ranking is particularly notable given the game's recent release date of March 2024, which means the measured results reflect performance on a title that is still being optimized. The data shows that this combination outperforms the vast majority of tested systems, with only 174 combos achieving higher frame rates. This places it in the upper echelon of gaming PCs, suitable for high-refresh-rate displays and competitive play.

The CPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database include server-class processors like the AMD EPYC 4464P and EPYC 9124, which have higher average benchmark scores but are not optimized for gaming workloads. The GPU's nearest rivals include the standard RTX 4080, which scores 0.1% lower in average benchmarks, and the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X, which scores 1.1% higher but is a workstation card not designed for gaming. These comparisons contextualize the combo's position within the broader hardware landscape.

The rank of 175 out of 2828 combos indicates that the system is in the top tier for Lockdown Protocol, with the measured FPS results confirming that it can handle all tested settings and resolutions with playable frame rates. The 4K Ultra result of 73 FPS is the only configuration that falls below the 100 FPS threshold, and even this is above the 60 FPS minimum typically required for smooth gameplay. The data supports the conclusion that this combination is a high-end choice for this FPS title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for this combination across all resolutions and settings provides a comprehensive picture of performance. At 1920x1080, the system delivers 331 FPS on Low, 235 FPS on Medium, 205 FPS on High, and 154 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset's recorded minimum of 200 FPS and maximum of 270 FPS indicate a frame-time range of 70 FPS, while the average of 235 FPS sits comfortably in the middle of this range.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally: 243 FPS on Low, 172 FPS on Medium, 151 FPS on High, and 113 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset at this resolution shows a minimum of 147 FPS and maximum of 198 FPS, with the 51 FPS spread being smaller than at 1080p but still indicating some frame-time variance. The 172 FPS average represents a 29.2% reduction from the 1080p Medium result, consistent with the increased pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the results are 157 FPS on Low, 111 FPS on Medium, 97 FPS on High, and 73 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset's 95 FPS minimum and 128 FPS maximum show a 33 FPS range, which is the narrowest of any resolution, suggesting that at 4K the system is more consistent in frame delivery. The 111 FPS average at 4K Medium is a 35.4% reduction from the 1440p Medium result, and the 73 FPS at 4K Ultra is the lowest measured value across all configurations.

The data reveals a clear performance hierarchy across settings, with Low being the fastest, followed by Medium, High, and Ultra in that order. The performance gap between Low and Ultra is substantial: at 1080p, the difference is 177 FPS (331 versus 154), representing a 53.5% performance advantage for Low. At 1440p, the gap is 130 FPS (243 versus 113), a 53.5% difference, and at 4K, the gap is 84 FPS (157 versus 73), also a 53.5% difference. This consistent percentage gap across resolutions indicates that the settings scaling is independent of resolution, further confirming that the GPU is the primary constraint.

The Medium preset's measured minimum and maximum FPS values provide the only frame-time data in the dataset. At all three resolutions, the minimum FPS is at least 85% of the average, indicating stable frame delivery without significant stuttering or frame drops. This stability is crucial for an FPS game where consistent frame times are more important than peak frame rates. The data supports the conclusion that the Medium preset offers the best combination of visual quality, frame rate, and consistency for this combination in Lockdown Protocol.