Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti delivers a top-tier experience in Lockdown Protocol, securing the 428th spot out of 3,714 tested combos. That places this configuration in the 89th percentile of all hardware pairings tested for this title, meaning it outperforms the vast majority of systems while leaving headroom above the lower-cost alternatives. The ranking reflects a balanced platform where neither the CPU nor GPU presents a significant bottleneck at the settings measured, a conclusion supported by the frame rate scaling across resolutions and presets.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 428 out of 3,714 tested combinations places it firmly in the upper tier of systems running Lockdown Protocol. This position is driven by a synergy between the 20-core processor and the 12 GB graphics card, which together produce average frame rates that remain playable even at 4K Ultra. Benchmark results indicate that the pairing is not merely adequate but competitive, as the data shows a clear separation from mid-range configurations that struggle to maintain triple-digit frame rates at lower resolutions.

Looking at the individual components, the CPU holds a percentile rank of 94 against all processors, with an average benchmark score of 70,879. This places it just 0.2% behind the Intel Xeon 6511P and 1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-14700KF, per the nearestRivals data. The GPU, meanwhile, sits at the 84th percentile against all graphics cards, with an average score of 44,795, trailing the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile by 0.8% but leading the RTX A6000 by 1.6%. When combined, these component strengths translate into a system that ranks in the top 12% of all tested combos, a result that speaks to the absence of a severe performance ceiling in this specific game.

The rank also underscores the efficiency of the pairing at high refresh rates. While the CPU’s 20 threads and the GPU’s 7,680 shading units are individually strong, their combined output in Lockdown Protocol shows that the game scales well with both multi-core processing and ample graphics memory bandwidth. The data suggests that users with this combo can expect a smooth experience across most settings, with the only notable dip occurring at the most demanding configuration, 4K Ultra, where the average frame rate drops to 67 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti serves as the primary renderer, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process node and 35,800 million transistors. It operates with a base clock of 2310 MHz and a boost clock of 2610 MHz, while the 12 GB of GDDR6X memory runs at 1313 MHz, translating to 21 Gbps effective and a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. These specifications are directly reflected in the measured FPS, where the GPU’s memory capacity and speed allow for high texture fidelity without significant frame time spikes at 1440p and 1080p.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU’s role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 4K High, the average frame rate is 90 FPS, but dropping to 4K Low yields 144 FPS, a 60% improvement that highlights the GPU’s sensitivity to shading and post-processing loads. The boost clock of 2610 MHz is particularly relevant in this title, as the game’s fast-paced environments benefit from sustained clock speeds; the data shows that the Medium preset at 4K holds an average of 103 FPS with a minimum of 87 FPS, indicating stable performance under load rather than thermal throttling.

The GPU’s 60 RT cores and 240 tensor cores, while not directly benchmarked in this game’s measured FPS, contribute to the overall compute capability that supports the 40.09 TFLOPS FP32 throughput. This compute headroom explains why the card achieves 305 FPS at 1080p Low—a scenario where the GPU is not the limiting factor—and still manages 142 FPS at 1080p Ultra. The 192-bit memory bus and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient to feed the 7,680 shading units, as evidenced by the 224 FPS average at 1440p Low, which suggests that the card is not starved for data even at lower settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K provides the computational foundation for this combo, featuring 20 cores and 20 threads based on the Arrow Lake architecture. With a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, the processor can handle both single-threaded game logic and multi-threaded background tasks. The 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache reduce latency for frequently accessed data, which is critical in a fast-paced FPS where frame pacing depends on consistent CPU response times.

Benchmark results show the CPU excels in multi-core workloads, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35,850 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 23,085. These figures align with its 94th percentile ranking, placing it just 1.3% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F in average score. In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU’s role is most evident at lower resolutions where the GPU is underutilized; for instance, at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 305 FPS, a figure that likely reflects the CPU’s ability to feed the GPU with enough draw calls and physics calculations to maintain such high frame rates.

The processor’s 125 W TDP and DDR5 memory support (dual-channel, 102.4 GB/s bandwidth) ensure that the system can sustain high clocks without excessive power draw, which is beneficial for long gaming sessions. The 20 threads are particularly useful for handling the game’s AI and network code, as the data shows that the combo maintains a 90 FPS average at 4K High, a scenario where both CPU and GPU are heavily loaded. The single-core performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,020, is sufficient to avoid bottlenecking the GPU, as the 4K Ultra average of 67 FPS is more likely constrained by the graphics card’s pixel throughput than by CPU instruction throughput.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the combo delivers a wide spread of frame rates depending on the preset. The Low setting produces an average of 144 FPS, which is surprising for 4K and indicates that the game’s low preset removes most GPU-intensive effects, allowing the RTX 4070 Ti’s 12 GB memory to shine. The Medium preset averages 103 FPS with a minimum of 87 FPS and a maximum of 118 FPS, providing a stable experience for those who want a balance between visual quality and performance. High drops to 90 FPS average, while Ultra falls to 67 FPS, showing that the GPU’s 208.8 GPixel/s pixel rate is the limiting factor at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates jump significantly. Low averages 224 FPS, Medium averages 159 FPS (with a min of 135 and max of 183), High averages 139 FPS, and Ultra averages 104 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 54% reduction in frame rate, which is a typical pattern for a GPU-bound scenario at this resolution. The 1440p Medium result of 159 FPS is particularly noteworthy, as it exceeds the refresh rate of most high-refresh monitors, making this the sweet spot for competitive play without sacrificing too much visual detail.

At 1920x1080, the combo becomes extremely fast. Low averages 305 FPS, Medium averages 217 FPS (with a min of 184 and max of 249), High averages 189 FPS, and Ultra averages 142 FPS. The 1080p Low result is the highest measured in the dataset, demonstrating that the CPU’s 5.50 GHz boost clock and the GPU’s 40.09 TFLOPS are more than capable of driving frame rates well beyond 300 FPS in this title. Even at Ultra, the 142 FPS average ensures a smooth experience on standard 144 Hz monitors, with the minimum not recorded but the average suggesting no significant stutters.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for competitive play with this combo?

A: At 2560x1440 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 224 FPS, which exceeds the refresh rate of most high-end monitors. For even higher frame rates, 1920x1080 Low reaches 305 FPS, but the 1440p result offers a better balance of visual clarity and speed.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 67 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced FPS action. The data indicates that 4K Medium (103 FPS) or 4K High (90 FPS) are better choices for maintaining a higher refresh rate.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system for Lockdown Protocol?

A: The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 305 FPS, suggesting the CPU is still capable of feeding the GPU. At 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 67 FPS, indicating the GPU’s pixel rate is the limiting factor. The bottleneck shifts from CPU at low resolutions to GPU at high resolutions.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 Ti compare to its nearest rival in terms of performance?

A: Based on average benchmark scores, the RTX 4070 Ti (44,795) trails the RTX 5090 Mobile by 0.8% and leads the RTX A6000 by 1.6%. This places it in the 84th percentile of all GPUs, with a score that is competitive within its class.

Q: What is the impact of the CPU’s 20 cores on gaming performance?

A: The 20 cores and 20 threads contribute to a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35,850, which ranks in the 94th percentile. In Lockdown Protocol, this translates to stable frame rates at high resolutions where background tasks can be handled without impacting game performance.

Q: Does the combo support high refresh rates at 1440p?

A: Yes, at 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 159 with a minimum of 135 and a maximum of 183. This is sufficient for 144 Hz monitors and even allows for 165 Hz displays with minor drops below the refresh rate.

Settings Recommendations

For the best overall experience, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 stands out as the optimal choice. The measured data shows an average of 159 FPS with a minimum of 135 FPS, ensuring that frame rates remain above the 120 FPS threshold even during intense combat sequences. This setting provides a 53% improvement over High (139 FPS) while only slightly reducing visual fidelity, making it the most balanced option for the majority of players.

If the user prioritizes maximum visual quality at the expense of frame rate, the High preset at 1920x1080 delivers 189 FPS average, which is still exceptionally smooth. However, the step up to Ultra at 1080p reduces the average to 142 FPS, a 25% drop that is noticeable on high-refresh displays. The data suggests that the visual difference between High and Ultra does not justify the performance cost, so High is recommended for those who prefer higher resolutions.

For competitive players who value response time over graphics, the Low preset at 2560x1440 offers 224 FPS average, which is 41% faster than Medium at the same resolution. This preset minimizes GPU load, allowing the CPU’s 5.50 GHz boost clock to drive frame rates that are well beyond the refresh rate of most monitors. At 4K, the Medium preset (103 FPS) is the highest playable option, as the Low preset (144 FPS) sacrifices too much detail for a marginal gain over Medium. Ultimately, the combo is versatile enough to handle any preset, but the measured FPS values clearly favor Medium at 1440p as the sweet spot for a smooth and visually appealing experience.