Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol, a 2024 FPS title, exhibits a pronounced dependency on both resolution and graphical settings when paired with the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER. The measured frames per second (FPS) data reveals a system that is exceptionally capable at high refresh rates in 1080p and 1440p, while 4K Ultra settings present a more demanding scenario that tests the limits of the GPU. This analysis breaks down the performance characteristics of this specific combination, interpreting the raw numbers to understand the balance between the CPU and GPU across various workloads.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K showcases a classic GPU-bound scaling curve, though the magnitude of the performance drop is heavily influenced by the chosen quality preset. At Low settings, the average FPS at 1920x1080 is 307, which falls to 225 at 2560x1440 and further to 145 at 3840x2160. This represents a significant 52.8% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K, indicating that even at the lowest quality settings, the rendering resolution is a substantial load for the GPU.

However, the scaling pattern changes with higher presets. At High settings, the average FPS is 191 at 1080p, 140 at 1440p, and 90 at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K (a 35.7% decrease) is less severe than the drop from 1080p to 1440p (a 26.7% decrease). This suggests that as the preset increases, the additional pixel count at 4K is somewhat mitigated by the increased per-pixel work, which the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER handles with relative efficiency. The data shows that the GPU is the primary limiting factor in all scenarios, as the FPS scales inversely with resolution, but the CPU's capability is clearly sufficient to feed the GPU even at 1080p Low, where the 307 FPS average indicates headroom.

The most demanding configuration, 3840x2160 at Ultra settings, produces an average of 68 FPS. This is a 55.6% drop from the 143 FPS achieved at 1080p Ultra. This steep decline is the clearest evidence that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is the bottleneck at 4K Ultra, as the sheer pixel throughput and advanced effects overwhelm the GPU's compute units. Conversely, the relatively small gap between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings (307 vs 225 FPS) suggests that at lower resolutions, the workload is less about raw pixel fill and more about geometry and draw calls, which the CPU handles comfortably.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is the dominant component in this configuration, and its specifications directly correlate with the observed performance. The GPU is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with 8448 shading units and 66 RT cores, which are instrumental in handling the visual effects of a modern FPS. Its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 672.3 GB/s, which is a critical resource at 4K resolutions where large textures and high-detail assets place a premium on memory throughput.

The GPU's clock speeds, with a base of 2340 MHz and a boost of 2610 MHz, contribute to its peak compute performance of 44.10 TFLOPS FP32. This raw power is what enables the high frame rates seen at 1080p and 1440p. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark score of 5569 places the GPU in the 76th percentile of all GPUs, confirming its position as a high-end part. However, the benchmark results indicate that at 4K Ultra, the GPU's capabilities are fully taxed, resulting in the 68 FPS average. The 4K Medium result, with an average of 103 FPS and a minimum of 88 FPS, shows that the GPU can maintain playable frame rates if the settings are tuned down, but Ultra settings demand more than the chip can deliver at that resolution.

The GPU's memory configuration is particularly relevant for Lockdown Protocol. The 16 GB frame buffer ensures that there is no VRAM capacity limitation at any of the tested settings, allowing the GPU to focus entirely on compute and rendering. The 672.3 GB/s of bandwidth provides the necessary data flow to the 96 ROPs and 264 TMUs, preventing texture and pixel processing from stalling. The performance delta to its nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA TITAN RTX which is 1.9% slower, shows that the 4070 Ti SUPER is a very competitive part, but the data clearly shows it is the component that dictates the upper limits of performance in this pairing.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p with High settings for this combo?

A: The measured average FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings is 140 FPS. This indicates a very smooth experience for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Q: Can this system achieve 60 FPS at 4K with maximum settings?

A: The data shows an average of 68 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. While this is above 60 FPS, it is the lowest average recorded and leaves little headroom for demanding scenes.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus has an average benchmark score of 93785, placing it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. It performs nearly identically to the Intel Xeon 6520P, which has a delta of 0%, and is 1.5% faster than the AMD EPYC 4564P.

Q: Is the 1080p Low setting CPU-bound or GPU-bound?

A: The 307 FPS average at 1920x1080 Low is exceptionally high, suggesting that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at a very fast rate. However, the FPS still scales down as resolution increases, indicating the GPU remains the limiting factor even at this low setting.

Q: What is the FPS range at 1080p Medium?

A: The measured data shows a minimum FPS of 186 and a maximum FPS of 251, with an average of 218 FPS. This wide range suggests some scene-to-scene variability but remains well within playable territory.

Q: How does the GPU's benchmark percentile reflect its gaming performance?

A: The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER scores in the 76th percentile of all GPUs with a Passmark G3D score of 31811. This high percentile aligns with the strong FPS numbers observed, confirming its capability as a high-end gaming GPU.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal balance between visual fidelity and performance depends heavily on the target resolution. For 1080p and 1440p displays, the Ultra preset is a viable option. At 1080p, Ultra yields an average of 143 FPS, and at 1440p, it produces 105 FPS. Both are excellent results for a fast-paced FPS, ensuring a responsive and smooth experience without sacrificing visual quality.

For 4K gaming, the Ultra preset is not recommended, as the 68 FPS average, while playable, is close to the minimum threshold for competitive play and could suffer dips in intense action. The High preset at 4K provides a better experience, with an average of 90 FPS, which offers a substantial improvement in smoothness. The data suggests that High is the sweet spot for 4K, delivering a 32.4% performance increase over Ultra while likely maintaining most of the visual fidelity that matters during gameplay.

The Medium preset at 4K offers an average of 103 FPS with a minimum of 88 FPS, which is a robust alternative for players who prioritize frame rate over maximum detail. Given the high performance at lower resolutions, the Low and Medium presets at 1080p and 1440p are essentially unnecessary for this hardware, as they produce frame rates (225 to 307 FPS) that far exceed the refresh rate of most monitors. The data strongly suggests that users should play at Ultra for 1080p and 1440p, and switch to High for 4K to maintain a high frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested configurations, this specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER achieves a rank of 273 out of 2828 combos for Lockdown Protocol. This places the system in the top 10% of all tested configurations, highlighting its status as a high-performance pairing for this particular game. The rank reflects the strengths of both components.

The CPU's 96th percentile ranking and the GPU's 76th percentile ranking combine to form a system that has no significant weak points. The CPU is clearly not a bottleneck, as evidenced by its high percentile and the FPS data showing high performance even at low resolutions. The GPU is the limiting factor at 4K Ultra, but its overall performance is strong enough to secure a top-tier position. The combo's rank of 273 suggests that it outperforms the vast majority of other system configurations tested, making it a formidable choice for Lockdown Protocol.

Measured FPS Breakdown

This section details the exact measured average FPS for every resolution and settings combination provided in the data.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: Average 307 FPS
• Medium: Average 218 FPS (Min 186, Max 251)
• High: Average 191 FPS
• Ultra: Average 143 FPS

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: Average 225 FPS
• Medium: Average 160 FPS (Min 136, Max 184)
• High: Average 140 FPS
• Ultra: Average 105 FPS

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: Average 145 FPS
• Medium: Average 103 FPS (Min 88, Max 119)
• High: Average 90 FPS
• Ultra: Average 68 FPS

The data clearly illustrates a consistent performance hierarchy. There is a significant performance cost associated with increasing the quality preset from Low to Ultra at every resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 164 FPS, while at 4K, it is 77 FPS. This shows that the absolute cost of Ultra settings is lower at higher resolutions, but the relative cost remains substantial. The Medium preset is the only one with complete min and max data, providing a useful reference for frame time variability; the 4K Medium minimum of 88 FPS is still well above the 60 FPS target.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is a formidable CPU that provides the necessary foundation for the high frame rates observed. With 24 cores and 24 threads, it offers substantial multi-threaded capacity, which is reflected in its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44253. This processing power ensures that the game's logic, physics, and AI calculations are handled without introducing a frame rate bottleneck, even at the high FPS levels seen at lower resolutions.

The CPU's single-thread performance is equally important for gaming. Its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2439 and Passmark single-thread score of 5068 indicate strong per-core performance, which is critical for games that rely on a few primary threads for rendering and input. The boost clock of 5.50 GHz, combined with a base clock of 3.70 GHz, allows the CPU to rapidly ramp up performance for demanding tasks. Its 36 MB of shared L3 cache provides a large, fast memory pool for frequently accessed data, reducing latency and improving efficiency.

The CPU's 96th percentile ranking, with an average benchmark score of 93785, places it among the top processors available. Its performance is nearly identical to the Intel Xeon 6520P (0% delta) and slightly ahead of the AMD EPYC 4564P by 1.5%. The evidence from the game's performance strongly suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this system. The FPS scales consistently with resolution changes, which is the hallmark of a GPU-bound scenario. Even at 1080p Low, where the CPU's role is most prominent, the system achieves 307 FPS, demonstrating that the CPU has ample headroom to support the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER. The processing power of this CPU ensures that the GPU can operate at its full potential, making it a perfect match for a high-end graphics card.