Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol is a demanding FPS title that stresses the mobile hardware combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H and the AMD Radeon 760M. The benchmark data indicates a system that is primarily limited by its integrated graphics solution, with performance scaling predictably across resolutions and settings. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS figures, component roles, and system ranking based on the provided data.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the High settings preset, the average frame rate drops from 34 FPS at 1080p to 25 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 9 FPS. The trend continues to 4K, where the average falls to 16 FPS, demonstrating a total loss of 18 FPS from the 1080p figure. This steep decline indicates that the rendering pipeline is heavily saturated at higher pixel counts.

The scaling pattern is even more pronounced when examining the Low settings preset. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 54 FPS, which is the highest recorded figure in the dataset. Moving to 2560x1440 drops the average to 40 FPS, and at 3840x2160 it falls further to 26 FPS. The relative drop from 1080p to 4K is a substantial 28 FPS, representing a 52% decrease in performance. This significant reduction at lower graphical loads suggests that the bottleneck is the pixel throughput capability of the GPU, as reducing settings does not alleviate the cost of rendering more pixels.

Analyzing the scaling between 1440p and 4K provides further insight. For the Medium preset, the average FPS goes from 28 at 1440p to 18 at 4K. Similarly, the High preset drops from 25 FPS to 16 FPS across the same resolution step. The consistent magnitude of these drops, regardless of the settings preset, points directly to the GPU's fillrate and memory bandwidth constraints becoming the limiting factor. The system is unable to maintain playable frame rates at 4K, with the Ultra preset bottoming out at an average of just 12 FPS.

The data from the 1080p to 1440p transition is also telling. At Low settings, the average drops from 54 to 40 FPS, a 14 FPS difference. At High settings, the drop is 9 FPS, from 34 to 25. This shows that the GPU is the primary constraint even at lower resolutions, but the gap narrows slightly at higher quality presets. This could indicate that at higher settings, the CPU is able to keep up with the increased draw calls, but the GPU becomes progressively more overwhelmed. Overall, the resolution scaling analysis shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the combination can approach a consistently smooth experience, while 4K is essentially unplayable.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon 760M is an integrated graphics processor based on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, manufactured on a 4 nm process by TSMC. Its performance percentile places it in the 35th percentile of all GPUs, indicating it is a lower-tier part. This is reinforced by its average benchmark score of 6019, which is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, including the AMD Radeon RX 6400 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M, with a deltaPct of just 0.3% for both.

The GPU's specifications directly explain the measured FPS results. It features 512 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 16 render output units. The boost clock is rated at 2599 MHz, and it has a pixel rate of 41.58 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 83.17 GTexel/s. These figures, while respectable for an integrated solution, are insufficient for high-resolution gaming. The FP32 performance is 5.323 TFLOPS, which places a hard ceiling on the computational throughput available for shader work in Lockdown Protocol.

The memory configuration is a critical factor. The Radeon 760M uses "System Shared" memory, meaning its bandwidth is "System Dependent" and tied to the CPU's dual-channel DDR5 memory bus. This architecture creates a significant bottleneck, as the GPU must compete with the CPU for memory access. The 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth of the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H is a shared resource, and the demands of a modern FPS at high resolutions can saturate this link. This is likely the primary reason for the severe FPS drops when moving from 1080p to higher resolutions.

The GPU's benchmark scores across different DirectX versions further illustrate its capabilities. It scores 52 in Passmark's DirectX 11 test and only 25 in the DirectX 12 test. While these are synthetic tests, they suggest that the GPU is not optimized for the heavy draw-call loads typical of DirectX 12 titles. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 400 is also notably low. In Lockdown Protocol, this translates to the sub-60 FPS averages seen even at 1080p. The 15 W TDP is a clear indicator of its efficiency-focused design, but it also limits sustained performance under load. The data shows that the Radeon 760M is the definitive bottleneck, and its performance is the primary determinant of the framerates in this pairing.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H is a high-end mobile processor from the Core Ultra Series 1, built on the Meteor Lake architecture with a 7 nm process. It is a 16-core, 22-thread part with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. Its performance profile is substantially stronger than the GPU, ranking in the 85th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 35670. This places it in a different performance class than its integrated graphics counterpart.

The CPU's benchmark results show strong multi-threaded capabilities, which are less critical for gaming but useful for background tasks. It scores 17984.5 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 10356 in Cinebench R20 multi-core. Single-thread performance, which is more relevant for game logic, is also solid, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1810.5. The Geekbench scores are 11657 for multi-core and 1794 for single-core. These figures indicate that the CPU is not the primary limitation in most gaming scenarios.

In the context of Lockdown Protocol with the Radeon 760M, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data. The data suggests that the CPU is adequately powerful for this task. The FPS scaling pattern, where performance drops consistently with resolution, is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see more consistent FPS across different resolutions, as the CPU's workload is less dependent on pixel count.

The 24 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth provide a capable platform. However, the shared memory architecture means the CPU's memory bandwidth is also the GPU's, creating a potential point of contention. The benchmark data shows that the CPU is likely not the cause of the low frame rates. For example, at 1080p Low, the system hits 54 FPS, which is a moderate frame rate. The inability to hit higher figures is due to the GPU processing frames, not the CPU issuing draw calls. The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 with a deltaPct of -0.1%, show that the Core Ultra 9 185H is performing as expected for its class, reinforcing that the CPU is functioning correctly and is not the weak link in this combo.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo based on the data?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution with playable average frame rates. The highest average FPS recorded was 54 at 1080p with Low settings, followed by 39 FPS at Medium and 34 FPS at High. All resolutions above 1080p result in averages below 40 FPS.

Q: How does the AMD Radeon 760M compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Radeon 760M has an average benchmark score of 6019. It is 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6400 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M, and 0.5% behind the NVIDIA Quadro P2000. It is also 0.4% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data points to the GPU as the clear bottleneck. The FPS drops significantly with each resolution increase, which is a characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario. The CPU's performance percentile (85th) is much higher than the GPU's (35th), indicating the CPU has more headroom.

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable at 2560x1440?

A: The highest average FPS at 2560x1440 is 40, achieved with the Low settings preset. The Medium preset yields an average of 28 FPS, and the High preset yields 25 FPS.

Q: What settings should be avoided for a smoother experience?

A: The Ultra preset should be avoided entirely. It yields the lowest average FPS at every resolution: 12 FPS at 4K, 18 FPS at 1440p, and 25 FPS at 1080p. The 4K resolution should also be avoided, as even Low settings only produce an average of 26 FPS.

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

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H has an average benchmark score of 35670. It is 0.1% behind the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350, 0.2% behind the Intel Core 7 250H, 0.4% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, and 0.7% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H and the AMD Radeon 760M ranks 2820 out of 2828 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol. This places the system in the bottom 0.3% of all tested configurations, indicating that it is one of the least capable setups for this specific title. This ranking is a direct consequence of the integrated GPU's limitations.

The rank is surprising when considering the individual components. The CPU is a high-end mobile processor, ranking in the 85th percentile. However, the GPU's rank in the 35th percentile drags the overall system performance down. The data clearly shows that the GPU is the dominant factor in this equation. A system's gaming performance is often determined by its weakest link, and in this case, the Radeon 760M is decidedly the weakest link.

The fact that this combo ranks so low, despite having a capable CPU, highlights the importance of a balanced system for gaming. The integrated GPU in the Core Ultra 9 185H is simply not powerful enough for a demanding FPS title like Lockdown Protocol. The combo's rank of 2820 out of 2828 means that nearly every other tested combination, likely including those with entry-level discrete GPUs, provides a better experience. The data suggests that this combination is only suitable for the most basic gaming scenarios or non-gaming workloads.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The table below details the exact average FPS figures measured for each resolution and settings preset combination.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

|---|---|---|---|---|

| 3840x2160 | High | 16 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 26 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 18 | 15 | 21 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 12 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | High | 25 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 40 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 28 | 24 | 32 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 18 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | High | 34 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 54 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 39 | 33 | 44 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 25 | - | - |

The data shows that the only configurations with an average FPS above 40 are at 1080p with Low settings. The Medium preset at 1080p provides an average of 39 FPS, with a minimum of 33 and a maximum of 44. This indicates that the frame time variance is moderate. The Low settings at 1440p are the last step before performance drops below 30 FPS. All 4K presets fail to reach an average of 30 FPS, with the Ultra preset at 12 FPS being the lowest result. The data is complete for the Medium presets, which all show a consistent spread between min and max FPS, suggesting a stable, if low, performance level.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this hardware combination is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution. No other resolution provides a consistently playable experience.

For users prioritizing a higher frame rate, the Low preset at 1920x1080 is the only setting that delivers an average above 50 FPS, reaching 54 FPS. This is the most responsive configuration available. If a better visual quality is desired, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 offers a reasonable compromise, with an average of 39 FPS. This is a 15 FPS drop from Low but provides a better visual experience. The frame time data for Medium shows a minimum of 33 FPS, which is still within a playable range.

The High preset at 1080p is not recommended, as it drops the average to 34 FPS. This is a marginal improvement over Medium but at a significant cost to frame rate stability. The Ultra preset should be avoided entirely, as it produces an average of only 25 FPS at 1080p.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset is the only viable option, with an average of 40 FPS. However, this comes at the cost of visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 1440p drops to 28 FPS, which is below the threshold for a smooth gaming experience. All presets at 3840x2160 are unplayable, with averages ranging from 12 to 26 FPS.

The data suggests that the best path is to use the Low preset at 1080p for maximum performance, or the Medium preset at 1080p for a balanced experience. Users should not expect to run Lockdown Protocol at high graphical settings or higher resolutions with this integrated GPU configuration.