Lockdown Protocol

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Lockdown Protocol with the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER shows a predictable but steep decline as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the combo produces 84.9 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at Ultra drops that to 58.9 FPS, a reduction of roughly 31%. At 3840x2160 Ultra, the average falls to 40.6 FPS, which is less than half of the 1080p Ultra result.

The scaling pattern becomes more telling when looking at Low settings. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 174.1 FPS. At 1440p Low, it manages 130.8 FPS. At 4K Low, it still delivers 84.9 FPS. The fact that 4K Low matches 1080p Ultra at exactly 84.9 FPS highlights where the bottleneck shifts. At 1080p, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor—dropping settings from Ultra to Low yields a massive jump from 84.9 to 174.1 FPS, a 105% improvement. That headroom shrinks at 1440p, where Low (130.8) is 122% higher than Ultra (58.9), but the absolute numbers are lower. At 4K, the Low-to-Ultra spread narrows further: 84.9 versus 40.6, a 109% difference.

What this says about the limiting component is straightforward. The RTX 2070 SUPER, with its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, runs out of pixel throughput as resolution climbs. The 4K High result of 50.3 FPS versus the 4K Medium result of 61.8 FPS shows that even modest settings changes at high resolution produce only single-digit FPS differences—the GPU is saturated. Conversely, the 1080p results demonstrate that the CPU is not the primary constraint in this pairing. The Core Ultra 7 265K, with its 20 cores and 20 threads, has ample headroom to feed the GPU at lower resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake-S architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock is 3.90 GHz with a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. The L3 cache is 30 MB shared, and memory support is DDR5 with dual-channel bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. These specifications place the CPU in the 97th percentile among all tested CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79102.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The measured data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 174.1 FPS, which is well above what most displays can show. Even at 1080p Ultra, the 84.9 FPS result indicates the CPU is not holding back performance. The nearest rivals for this CPU are the Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF (deltaPct -0.2%), the Intel Core i9-14900KF (deltaPct -0.2%), the Intel Core i9-14900K (deltaPct -0.9%), and the AMD EPYC 7413 (deltaPct -1.2%). All of these are within 1.2% of the 265K's average score, meaning the CPU is not the differentiator in this combo.

The 265K's single-core performance, represented by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7060, is strong enough to handle the game's main thread. In an FPS title like Lockdown Protocol, single-thread performance often matters more than raw multi-core throughput. The multi-core R23 score of 50009 shows the CPU can handle background tasks without impacting frame times. The PassMark multithread score of 58838 reinforces this. For this game, the CPU is effectively a non-issue—the data shows that resolution and settings, not CPU frequency or core count, determine the FPS ceiling.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is the clear performance limiter in this combo. This Turing-architecture GPU, built on a 12 nm process, features 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. It has 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores, with a base clock of 1605 MHz and a boost clock of 1770 MHz. The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory runs at 1750 MHz with a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's FP32 throughput is 9.062 TFLOPS.

The RTX 2070 SUPER sits in the 65th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 22206. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX A400 (deltaPct -0.5%), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z (deltaPct 0.9%), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile (deltaPct -2.3%), and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 (deltaPct 2.5%). This places the GPU in the mid-range tier for current gaming. The 8 GB VRAM is adequate for 1080p and 1440p but can become a limiting factor at 4K, especially with High or Ultra textures.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU's role is dominant. At 1080p, the gap between Low (174.1 FPS) and Ultra (84.9 FPS) is 89.2 FPS, showing that the GPU's shading units and memory bandwidth are the primary drivers of performance. At 1440p, the same settings gap produces 71.9 FPS difference. At 4K, the gap narrows to 44.3 FPS, but the absolute numbers are low. The 4K Ultra result of 40.6 FPS is below the playable threshold for most FPS players, while 4K Low at 84.9 FPS is acceptable. The GPU's 12 nm process and 215 W TDP mean it runs hot and draws significant power, but the data shows it delivers consistent frame rates within its capability window.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers four resolutions and four settings levels, giving a complete picture of this combo's performance.

At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low averages 174.1 FPS, Medium averages 125.5 FPS, High averages 108.7 FPS, and Ultra averages 84.9 FPS. The step from Low to Medium costs 48.6 FPS, a 28% drop. From Medium to High, the cost is 16.8 FPS. From High to Ultra, another 23.8 FPS. This shows that each settings tier has a meaningful impact, but the largest single jump is from Low to Medium. For competitive play at 1080p, Low or Medium settings provide the headroom needed for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low at 130.8 FPS, Medium at 94.1 FPS, High at 80.4 FPS, and Ultra at 58.9 FPS. The Low-to-Medium drop is 36.7 FPS (28%). The Medium-to-High drop is 13.7 FPS. The High-to-Ultra drop is 21.5 FPS. At this resolution, even High settings keep the frame rate above 80 FPS, which is smooth for most players. Ultra dips below 60 FPS, which may be noticeable in a fast-paced FPS.

At 3840x2160, the results are: Low at 84.9 FPS, Medium at 61.8 FPS, High at 50.3 FPS, and Ultra at 40.6 FPS. The Low-to-Medium drop is 23.1 FPS. The Medium-to-High drop is 11.5 FPS. The High-to-Ultra drop is 9.7 FPS. At 4K, only Low settings maintain a frame rate above 60 FPS. Medium is borderline at 61.8 FPS, while High and Ultra fall below 60 FPS. For 4K gaming, players will need to compromise on visual fidelity to maintain playable frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 1014 out of 1637 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. That places it in the lower-middle tier of the database. The ranking reflects the GPU's age and performance class more than the CPU's capabilities. The 265K is a top-tier CPU in the 97th percentile, but the RTX 2070 SUPER, in the 65th percentile, pulls the overall combo ranking down.

The rank of 1014 out of 1637 means that roughly 38% of tested combos perform worse than this one. This is not a flattering position, but it is consistent with the measured FPS data. The combo can handle 1080p and 1440p gaming well, but struggles at 4K. The CPU is performing above its class, as evidenced by the ability to push 174.1 FPS at 1080p Low. The GPU is the bottleneck, and the ranking reflects that reality.

Compared to other combos in the database, this pairing is better suited for 1080p and 1440p play. The CPU's strength means that upgrading the GPU in the future would yield significant performance gains without needing to replace the processor. The data suggests that this combo is balanced for 1440p High settings, where it delivers 80.4 FPS, but the GPU limits 4K potential. The 1014 rank is a reflection of the GPU's mid-range status, not a condemnation of the overall system.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the best experience for this combo depends on the target resolution and refresh rate.

For 1920x1080, the Medium preset at 125.5 FPS offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides smooth gameplay for most monitors. If aiming for high refresh rates (144 Hz or above), Low at 174.1 FPS is the only setting that fully saturates such displays. High at 108.7 FPS is also viable, but Ultra at 84.9 FPS sacrifices too much speed for marginal visual gains.

For 2560x1440, High settings at 80.4 FPS are the sweet spot. This provides a good visual experience while staying above 60 FPS. Medium at 94.1 FPS is also excellent if you prefer higher frame rates. Ultra at 58.9 FPS dips below 60, which is borderline for FPS games. Low at 130.8 FPS is excessive for most 1440p monitors unless you have a 120 Hz or 144 Hz panel.

For 3840x2160, the data is clear: Low settings at 84.9 FPS provide the only smooth experience. Medium at 61.8 FPS is playable but teeters on the edge of 60 FPS. High at 50.3 FPS and Ultra at 40.6 FPS are not recommended for a competitive FPS. The 8 GB VRAM and the GPU's compute throughput are insufficient for high-fidelity 4K gaming in this title.

The overall recommendation is to target 1440p High or 1080p Medium for the best balance of visuals and frame rate. The CPU has ample headroom, so the GPU is the sole determinant of settings. For 4K, only Low settings are viable, and even then, the experience is marginal for a fast-paced game. Players with 1080p monitors should use Medium for a comfortable 125.5 FPS, while 1440p owners should stick to High for 80.4 FPS.