Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol is an early-2024 FPS that scales aggressively across resolutions, and the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers a spread of results that clearly delineates where the CPU and GPU each take charge. At 1080p, the combo posts an average of 262 FPS on Low settings, a figure that drops by roughly 26% to 192 FPS at 1440p and then by another 35% to 124 FPS at 4K. That steep decline from 1080p to 1440p, followed by a further drop to 4K, indicates that the RTX 4090 is the primary scaling factor as pixel count rises, but the 1080p numbers also hint at a CPU ceiling that prevents the GPU from fully stretching its legs.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable but telling pattern: performance erodes as resolution climbs, and the rate of erosion accelerates at the top end. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 on High settings, average FPS falls from 162 to 119, a 26.5% reduction. That is a substantial hit, but it is not catastrophic; the system still delivers a smooth 119 FPS at 1440p High. The jump from 1440p to 3840x2160 High, however, is far more punishing, with average FPS dropping from 119 to 77, a 35.3% loss. This widening gap suggests that at 4K, the RTX 4090's 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth are being taxed heavily, and the frame rate begins to approach the lower bounds of what is comfortable for competitive play.

The Low settings preset tells a similar story but with higher absolute numbers. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 262 FPS, which drops to 192 FPS at 1440p (a 26.7% decline) and then to 124 FPS at 4K (a 35.4% decline from 1440p). The consistency of these percentage drops across presets—roughly 26% from 1080p to 1440p and 35% from 1440p to 4K—points to a purely resolution-bound workload where the CPU's role diminishes as pixel count increases. The Core Ultra 9 185H, with its 16 cores and 22 threads, is likely sufficient to feed the RTX 4090 at 1080p, but the data shows that even at Low settings, the 4K result of 124 FPS is far below the 1080p result of 262 FPS, confirming that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Ultra settings amplify this trend. At 1080p Ultra, the combo averages 122 FPS; at 1440p Ultra, it drops to 89 FPS (a 27% decline); and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 58 FPS (a 34.8% decline from 1440p). The 4K Ultra result is the only sub-60 FPS figure in the entire dataset, and it underscores how demanding Lockdown Protocol's highest preset is on the RTX 4090. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K—124 FPS versus 58 FPS—represents a 53% performance swing, which is a significant range for a single GPU to cover, and it suggests that players targeting 4K will need to make careful preset choices to maintain high refresh rates.

How This Combo Ranks

In the broader database of tested CPU-GPU combinations, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 holds a combo rank of 573 out of 2,828 combos for Lockdown Protocol. That places it in the top 20.3% of all tested configurations, which is a strong showing for a mobile CPU paired with a desktop-class GPU. The rank reflects the combined performance of both components, and the data indicates that while the RTX 4090 is a top-tier GPU (ranking in the 88th percentile against all GPUs), the Core Ultra 9 185H is slightly less dominant, sitting in the 85th percentile against all CPUs.

The CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks—the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350, Intel Core 7 250H, AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, and AMD Ryzen 7 7700X—all post average scores within 0.7% of the Core Ultra 9 185H's average benchmark score of 35,670. Specifically, the Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 scores 35,719 (a delta of -0.1%), the Core 7 250H scores 35,728 (-0.2%), the Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 scores 35,802 (-0.4%), and the Ryzen 7 7700X scores 35,909 (-0.7%). This clustering indicates that the Core Ultra 9 185H is not a performance outlier in CPU-bound tasks; it is competitive but not decisively ahead. The combo's rank of 573, therefore, is largely driven by the RTX 4090's raw graphical power rather than any CPU advantage.

The GPU's nearest rivals in the database—the Intel Arc Pro A60, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48, AMD Radeon Pro W6600M, and AMD Radeon PRO V710—are all professional or workstation-class parts that post similar average scores. The Arc Pro A60 matches the RTX 4090's average score of 60,347 with a delta of 0%, while the Radeon Pro Vega 48 is 0.3% ahead, the Radeon Pro W6600M is 2.5% behind, and the Radeon PRO V710 is 2.9% behind. This comparison is somewhat misleading in a gaming context, as these rival GPUs are not typically used for FPS titles, but it does illustrate that the RTX 4090's synthetic benchmark standing is strong, if not unique.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 262, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Is the combo capable of 4K gaming at 60 FPS or higher?

A: Yes, at 4K with High settings, the combo averages 77 FPS, and at 4K Medium, it averages 88 FPS. However, at 4K Ultra, the average drops to 58 FPS, which is below 60 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H has an average benchmark score of 35,670, which is within 0.7% of its nearest rivals: the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 (35,719), Intel Core 7 250H (35,728), AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (35,802), and AMD Ryzen 7 7700X (35,909).

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combos for this game?

A: The combo ranks 573rd out of 2,828 tested CPU-GPU combinations for Lockdown Protocol.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 192 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 89 FPS, a difference of 103 FPS.

Q: Does the GPU's VRAM capacity affect performance in this game?

A: The RTX 4090 has 24 GB of GDDR6X memory, and the data shows that 4K Ultra performance drops to 58 FPS, which is likely influenced by the memory bandwidth demands at that resolution and settings level.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of how this combo handles Lockdown Protocol across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 262 FPS average, which is the highest score recorded. The Medium preset at 1080p averages 186 FPS, with a minimum of 158 FPS and a maximum of 214 FPS, indicating some frame-time variance but still a highly playable experience. High settings at 1080p average 162 FPS, while Ultra drops to 122 FPS. The 1080p results show that the combo has ample headroom for high-refresh-rate monitors, even at Ultra settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 192 FPS, a 26.7% reduction from 1080p Low. Medium at 1440p averages 136 FPS, with a minimum of 116 FPS and a maximum of 157 FPS. High settings at 1440p average 119 FPS, and Ultra averages 89 FPS. The 1440p numbers remain strong, with even the Ultra preset staying above 85 FPS, which is sufficient for most gaming displays. The minimum FPS figures for Medium at 1440p (116 FPS) suggest that the combo can maintain smooth gameplay without significant stuttering.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 124 FPS, which is still a solid result for 4K gaming. Medium at 4K averages 88 FPS, with a minimum of 75 FPS and a maximum of 101 FPS, showing a wider range of frame times. High settings at 4K average 77 FPS, while Ultra drops to 58 FPS, which is the only sub-60 FPS result in the entire dataset. The 4K Medium result of 88 FPS is particularly notable, as it offers a balance between visual fidelity and frame rate that is close to the 90 FPS mark.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the dominant component in this combo, and its specifications explain much of the measured performance. The GPU features 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing 1.01 TB/s of memory bandwidth. This is a massive amount of VRAM that is unlikely to be fully utilized by Lockdown Protocol, but the bandwidth is critical for maintaining high frame rates at 4K, where texture and geometry data demands spike. The GPU's boost clock is rated at 2520 MHz, and its 16,384 shading units deliver an FP32 performance of 82.58 TFLOPS, which is more than enough for a competitive FPS title.

The data shows that the RTX 4090's performance ceiling is not fully exposed at 1080p. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 262 FPS, but at 1440p Low, it drops to 192 FPS, a 26.7% reduction. If the GPU were the sole bottleneck at 1080p, the drop to 1440p would be proportional to the pixel count increase (which is about 1.78x), but the actual drop is much smaller, indicating that the CPU is limiting performance at 1080p. At 4K, however, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck, as evidenced by the 35% drop from 1440p to 4K across all presets. The RTX 4090's 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores are not directly measured in this game's FPS data, but their presence supports the GPU's overall compute capability.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 88 against all GPUs, combined with an average benchmark score of 60,347, places it in the upper echelon of graphics cards. However, its nearest rivals in the database are professional parts like the Intel Arc Pro A60 and AMD Radeon Pro W6600M, which are not typical gaming GPUs. This suggests that the RTX 4090's synthetic benchmark scores are high, but its real-world gaming performance, as shown in Lockdown Protocol, is what matters most to players.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p gaming, the Ultra preset at 122 FPS is the best choice for visual quality, as it remains well above the 60 FPS threshold and is suitable for 120 Hz displays. If a higher frame rate is desired, the High preset at 162 FPS provides a significant boost with only a modest visual downgrade, and the Medium preset at 186 FPS is a strong middle ground. The Low preset at 262 FPS is only necessary for competitive play at extremely high refresh rates, such as 240 Hz or above.

At 1440p, the High preset at 119 FPS offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, as it stays above 100 FPS and is smooth on most gaming monitors. The Medium preset at 136 FPS is also a viable option for players who prioritize frame rate over graphics, and the Ultra preset at 89 FPS is still playable but may not be ideal for fast-paced action. The Low preset at 192 FPS is overkill for most 1440p displays and sacrifices too much visual quality for marginal gains.

At 4K, the Medium preset at 88 FPS is the recommended choice, as it delivers a smooth experience that is close to 90 FPS without dropping below 75 FPS. The High preset at 77 FPS is also acceptable for players who prefer higher visual settings, but the Ultra preset at 58 FPS falls below the 60 FPS threshold and is not recommended for competitive play. The Low preset at 124 FPS is the best option for players who want to maximize frame rate at 4K, but it sacrifices significant visual detail. For most players, the Medium preset at 4K provides the best overall experience, balancing the RTX 4090's capabilities with the game's demands.