Lockdown Protocol

FAQ

Q: What is the measured average FPS for this combo at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 produces an average of 68 FPS at 1920x1080 on Ultra settings. This is the lowest average among the four tested settings presets at this resolution, with Low delivering 146 FPS, Medium delivering 103 FPS, and High delivering 90 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested CPU-GPU combinations for Lockdown Protocol?

A: The combo ranks 2213 out of 2828 tested combinations in this game. This places it in the lower-mid portion of the overall ranking distribution, indicating that while it is functional for the game, a substantial number of other pairings deliver superior frame rates.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 90 FPS at 1920x1080 to 43 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a reduction of 47 FPS, or roughly 52% of the 1080p performance.

Q: Does the RX 6600's 8 GB VRAM appear to limit performance at 4K?

A: The data shows a significant scaling penalty at 4K. At 3840x2160, even Low settings yield only 69 FPS, while Ultra drops to 32 FPS. The 8 GB GDDR6 memory with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth is likely a contributing factor to the steep performance curve at higher resolutions, though the benchmark numbers alone do not isolate VRAM capacity as the sole cause.

Q: What are the minimum FPS figures recorded for this combo?

A: Minimum FPS data is only available for the Medium settings preset at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 88 FPS; at 1440p Medium, it is 64 FPS; and at 4K Medium, it is 42 FPS. No minimum FPS values were recorded for Low, High, or Ultra settings.

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

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus scores 5068 in PassMark single-thread testing. Its average benchmark score of 93785 is virtually identical to the Intel Xeon 6520P (93786, 0% delta), while it trails the AMD EPYC 4564P by 1.5%, the AMD EPYC 9175F by 1.9%, and the AMD EPYC 4565P by 2.1%.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread desktop processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture. It operates with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, with a TDP of 125 W. This is a high-core-count design that relies on frequency headroom for single-thread responsiveness. The processor includes 36 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 115.2 GB/s bandwidth.

In Lockdown Protocol, a first-person shooter, frame pacing and responsiveness depend heavily on per-core performance. The processor's PassMark single-thread score of 5068 reflects solid single-core capability, while its multi-thread score of 68574 demonstrates massive parallel throughput. However, the game's engine likely does not scale perfectly across all 24 cores. The benchmark results indicate that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at lower resolutions, as the frame rates scale strongly with GPU load changes.

The processor's average benchmark score of 93785 places it at the 96th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Xeon 6520P, scores 93786, which is a 0% delta — essentially identical. The AMD EPYC 4564P is 1.5% ahead, and the AMD EPYC 9175F is 1.9% ahead. These are marginal differences, indicating that the Ultra 7 270K Plus is competitive with enterprise-grade server chips in raw throughput.

At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 146 FPS. This high frame rate suggests the CPU can feed the GPU adequately at lower graphical loads. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 78 FPS, which is a large spread. This spread is attributable to the GPU becoming more saturated as settings increase, rather than the CPU limiting. For a game like Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's 5.50 GHz boost clock and 24 threads provide ample headroom for AI calculations, physics, and game logic, even in dense combat scenarios.

The processor's memory bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s and dual-channel DDR5 support are sufficient for feeding the GPU, as evidenced by the relatively small FPS drop when moving from 1080p Low (146 FPS) to 1440p Low (107 FPS). This 39 FPS drop is primarily a GPU-side scaling effect. The CPU's L3 cache of 36 MB also helps keep frequently accessed game data on-die, reducing memory latency spikes that could cause stutter.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with the Navi 23 chip, manufactured on a 7 nm process. It features 1792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation units. The GPU has 28 ray accelerators and 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock reaches 2491 MHz, with a game clock of 2044 MHz. The card's FP32 throughput is 8.928 TFLOPS, and its TDP is 132 W.

At 1080p, the RX 6600 delivers playable frame rates across all settings. The average FPS ranges from 146 at Low to 68 at Ultra. This is a wide performance envelope, indicating the GPU has enough headroom for competitive play at lower settings but struggles to maintain high refresh rates at maximum quality. The card's 8 GB VRAM is adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the memory bandwidth and capacity become limiting factors.

The GPU's PassMark G3D score is 15096, placing it at the 63rd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Quadro K6000, scores 19030 with a 0% delta. The GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile is 0.1% behind, and the Tesla K20m is 0.3% behind. These are negligible differences, suggesting the RX 6600 sits in a tight performance cluster. However, the RTX 2000 Ada Generation is 0.4% ahead, which is still within noise.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. The measured FPS at 1440p High is 66, which drops to 43 at 4K High. This 23 FPS reduction is a 35% performance loss from a single resolution step, highlighting the GPU's limited memory subsystem. The 128-bit bus and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth struggle to move data fast enough for 4K textures and shader workloads.

The card's pixel rate of 159.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 279.0 GTexel/s are modest by modern standards. At 4K Ultra, the combo only achieves 32 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The GPU's 28 RT cores are present but underutilized in this title, as the benchmark data does not indicate ray tracing performance separately.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 2213 out of 2828 tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the bottom 22% of all tested pairings. The rank reflects the RX 6600's mid-range positioning, as the CPU is in the 96th percentile but the GPU is only in the 63rd percentile. This imbalance means the GPU is the limiting factor in most scenarios.

The rank of 2213 indicates that 615 other combinations perform worse, while 2212 perform better. This is a significant number of superior pairings, largely due to the GPU's age and memory constraints. The RX 6600 was released in October 2021 and is now end-of-life, while the CPU was released in March 2026. This generational gap means the CPU has far more headroom than the GPU can utilize.

Compared to other combos with the same CPU, the RX 6600 holds back the Ultra 7 270K Plus. The CPU's 96th percentile ranking suggests it can drive much faster GPUs, but the measured FPS in this pairing reflect the GPU's limits. The 4K Ultra result of 32 FPS is particularly indicative of a GPU-bound scenario, as the CPU's 24 cores are unlikely to bottleneck at such low frame rates.

The rank also suggests that for Lockdown Protocol, users seeking higher frame rates would need to pair the CPU with a more powerful GPU. The measured data shows that even at 1080p Low, the combo only reaches 146 FPS, which is below what many competitive shooters aim for on high-refresh monitors. The combo's percentile rank of 2213 out of 2828 is a clear signal that this pairing is not optimized for maximum performance in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. Low settings produce an average of 146 FPS, which is the highest measured value across all resolutions and settings. Medium settings yield 103 FPS with a minimum of 88 and a maximum of 119. High settings drop to 90 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 68 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 78 FPS, a 53% reduction from the Low baseline.

At 2560x1440, performance scales down proportionally. Low settings average 107 FPS, Medium averages 76 FPS with a minimum of 64 and a maximum of 87, High averages 66 FPS, and Ultra averages 50 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 57 FPS, which is smaller in absolute terms than at 1080p but similar in percentage (53%).

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles. Low settings average 69 FPS, Medium averages 49 FPS with a minimum of 42 and a maximum of 56, High averages 43 FPS, and Ultra averages 32 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra spread is 37 FPS, again a 54% reduction. The 4K Medium minimum of 42 FPS is notable, as it indicates the frame rate can dip below 45 FPS even at moderate settings.

The Medium preset is the only one with min/max data across all resolutions. At 1080p, the minimum is 88 FPS and the maximum is 119 FPS, a spread of 31 FPS. At 1440p, the spread is 23 FPS (64 to 87). At 4K, the spread is 14 FPS (42 to 56). This tightening of the min/max range at higher resolutions suggests the GPU becomes more consistently loaded, reducing frame time variance.

Settings Recommendations

For competitive play at 1080p, Low settings provide the highest average FPS at 146, which is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate common in esports monitors. The significant jump from Low (146 FPS) to Medium (103 FPS) is a 43 FPS loss, making Low the only preset that comfortably exceeds 144 FPS. Players prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity should select Low at 1080p.

For a balance of visual quality and performance at 1080p, Medium settings offer 103 FPS with a minimum of 88 FPS. This ensures the frame rate stays above 85 FPS even in demanding scenes, which is sufficient for most high-refresh displays. The maximum of 119 FPS indicates headroom for occasional spikes. High settings at 90 FPS are also viable, but the 13 FPS drop from Medium may not justify the visual gains.

At 1440p, Low settings are the most practical choice for smooth gameplay, averaging 107 FPS. Medium settings drop to 76 FPS, which is still playable but may introduce noticeable judder on 144 Hz panels. High settings at 66 FPS are borderline, and Ultra at 50 FPS is not recommended for fast-paced FPS action. The data suggests that 1440p users should stay on Low or Medium to maintain competitive response times.

At 4K, no setting provides an ideal experience. Low settings average 69 FPS, which is playable but not high-refresh territory. Medium averages 49 FPS with a minimum of 42, which can cause stutter in firefights. High and Ultra average 43 and 32 FPS, respectively, making them unsuitable for a first-person shooter. If 4K is required, Low settings are the only viable option, and even then, the experience is suboptimal.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-bound pattern. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 146 at 1080p to 107 at 1440p (a 27% reduction) and then to 69 at 4K (a 53% reduction from 1080p). This non-linear scaling indicates that the GPU's memory bandwidth and pixel throughput become increasingly strained as resolution rises.

At High settings, the scaling is steeper: 90 FPS at 1080p, 66 FPS at 1440p (a 27% drop), and 43 FPS at 4K (a 52% drop from 1080p). The consistency of these percentage drops across settings suggests that resolution scaling is largely independent of the graphics preset, pointing to a fixed hardware limit rather than a settings-specific bottleneck.

The 4K Medium result of 49 FPS, compared to 103 FPS at 1080p Medium, is a 52% reduction. The 4K Ultra result of 32 FPS, compared to 68 FPS at 1080p Ultra, is also a 53% reduction. This uniform scaling across all settings is a strong indicator that the RX 6600's 128-bit memory interface and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth are the limiting factors at higher resolutions.

The data also shows that the CPU is not a significant limiter in this scaling. If the CPU were bottlenecking, the FPS would plateau at lower resolutions rather than scaling linearly. The fact that 1080p Low achieves 146 FPS while 4K Low achieves 69 FPS demonstrates that the GPU is fully utilized across the resolution range. The CPU's 24 cores and 5.50 GHz boost clock provide ample headroom, as evidenced by the consistent 53% performance loss from 1080p to 4K, which aligns with the pixel count increase of 4x (though not perfectly, due to other overheads).

In summary, the resolution scaling data indicates that the AMD Radeon RX 6600 is the primary bottleneck for Lockdown Protocol at 1440p and 4K. The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus has sufficient compute and memory bandwidth to support higher frame rates, but the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth cap performance. Users targeting 4K should consider lower settings or a GPU upgrade, while 1080p users can achieve competitive frame rates at Low settings.