Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with Intel Core Ultra 9 185H + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile — Benchmark Analysis

The combination of Intel's Core Ultra 9 185H and NVIDIA's RTX 5060 Mobile delivers a playable but not exceptional experience in Lockdown Protocol, a fast-paced FPS released in March 2024. With the combo ranking 2473rd out of 3714 tested configurations, this pairing sits in the lower-middle tier of the database, showing a clear pattern where the GPU becomes the primary constraint at higher resolutions while the CPU demonstrates substantial headroom. The measured frame rates across three resolutions and four quality presets reveal a system that can handle competitive play at 1080p with high refresh rates, but struggles to maintain smooth performance at 4K, particularly with Ultra settings.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, pointing directly to the GPU as the limiting component. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 163 FPS at 1080p to 120 FPS at 1440p (a 26% reduction) and then to 77 FPS at 4K — a cumulative 53% loss from 1080p to 4K. This pattern intensifies at higher quality presets. At Medium settings, the progression is 116 FPS at 1080p, 85 FPS at 1440p, and 55 FPS at 4K, representing a 53% total drop. High settings show 101 FPS at 1080p, 74 FPS at 1440p, and 48 FPS at 4K — a 52% decline. Ultra settings follow the same trajectory: 76 FPS at 1080p, 56 FPS at 1440p, and 36 FPS at 4K, a 53% reduction.

The uniformity of these percentages — all hovering around 52-53% from 1080p to 4K — indicates that the scaling is resolution-bound rather than settings-bound. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the percentage drop would likely compress at higher settings where the GPU workload grows. Instead, the consistent halving of performance from 1080p to 4K suggests the RTX 5060 Mobile's 8 GB GDDR7 memory and 128-bit bus are being saturated as pixel count quadruples. The 384.0 GB/s memory bandwidth becomes a critical constraint, as 4K resolution demands significantly more memory throughput for texture and frame buffer operations.

Interestingly, the delta between Low and Ultra at each resolution provides another clue. At 1080p, the gap between Low (163 FPS) and Ultra (76 FPS) is 87 FPS — a 114% difference. At 1440p, the gap narrows to 64 FPS (120 vs 56), and at 4K it shrinks further to 41 FPS (77 vs 36). This compression of the settings gap at higher resolutions reinforces that the GPU is the limiting factor: as resolution increases, the GPU becomes so constrained that the additional load from higher quality settings has relatively less impact on the already low frame rates.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H brings substantial processing power to this pairing, with 16 cores and 22 threads running at a 3.90 GHz base clock and 5.10 GHz boost clock. The CPU's 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth provide ample resources for game logic, physics, and AI calculations. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 17984.5 and a single-core score of 1810.5, placing it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs tested. The PassMark multithread score of 29376 and single-thread score of 3697 further confirm its capability.

The CPU's performance percentile of 85 versus the GPU's 67 percentile reveals a notable imbalance. The processor is clearly not the bottleneck in Lockdown Protocol, as evidenced by the resolution scaling pattern: if the CPU were limiting performance, frame rates would show less variation between 1080p and 4K. Instead, the 53% drop across resolutions demonstrates that the GPU is saturated while the CPU likely has headroom remaining.

The nearest CPU rivals in the database paint an interesting picture. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 scores 35719 on average — just 0.1% above this chip's 35670 average benchmark score. The Intel Core 7 250H sits 0.2% higher at 35728, and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 is 0.4% ahead at 35802. The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X leads this group at 35909, a 0.7% advantage. These minuscule deltas indicate that the Core Ultra 9 185H performs essentially at parity with its closest competitors, meaning any performance differences in Lockdown Protocol are unlikely to stem from CPU choice among these options.

The Meteor Lake architecture's 7 nm process and 45 W TDP make it an efficient mobile performer. The integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 128EU provides a fallback, though the discrete RTX 5060 Mobile handles gaming duties. The CPU's 5.10 GHz boost clock is particularly relevant for Lockdown Protocol's FPS genre, where single-thread performance often drives frame pacing and responsiveness. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1810.5 suggests strong per-core capability that should handle the game's primary simulation thread without issue.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile is the decisive component in this system's Lockdown Protocol performance. Its 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus delivers 384.0 GB/s bandwidth — a specification that explains the pronounced performance cliff at 4K. The GPU's 3328 shading units, 104 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs are arranged in a configuration that excels at 1080p but struggles with the pixel throughput demands of 4K.

The RTX 5060 Mobile's boost clock of 1455 MHz (base 952 MHz) seems conservative for a modern GPU, and the resulting 9.684 TFLOPS FP32 performance reflects this modest clock speed. The 26 ray tracing cores and 104 tensor cores provide modern feature support, including DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), but these capabilities come at a performance cost in a game that may not fully utilize them. The GPU's 5 nm process from TSMC, with 21,900 million transistors on a 181 mm² die, represents a dense design, yet the thermal and power constraints of a 45 W TDP mobile part limit sustained performance.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 67 versus the CPU's 85 highlights the imbalance in this pairing. In the database's average benchmark scores, the GPU achieves 22435 compared to the CPU's 35670, and the GPU's nearest rivals show tight competition. The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT scores 22549 (0.5% higher), while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile scores 22729 (1.3% higher). Conversely, the AMD Radeon RX 5700 trails at 22170 (1.2% lower), and the RX 6700S sits at 22154 (1.3% lower). This clustering indicates the RTX 5060 Mobile is competitive with its direct peers, but none of these GPUs are positioned for high-refresh 4K gaming.

The measured frame rates in Lockdown Protocol confirm the GPU's limits. At 4K Ultra, the GPU can only manage 36 FPS average — below the threshold for smooth gameplay. Even at 4K Low, the 77 FPS average requires significant visual compromises. The GPU's pixel rate of 69.84 GPixel/s and texture rate of 151.3 GTexel/s provide theoretical ceilings, but the 128-bit memory interface creates a practical bandwidth wall that manifests in the resolution scaling data.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal experience depends heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 1080p, all settings are playable, but the data suggests Medium offers the best balance. The Medium preset delivers 116 FPS average with a minimum of 99 FPS and maximum of 133 FPS — a tight range that indicates consistent frame pacing. High settings at 1080p drop to 101 FPS, still respectable, but the 15 FPS difference between High and Medium is meaningful for competitive play. Low settings at 1080p achieve 163 FPS, which would satisfy even 144Hz displays, but the visual quality trade-off may not be worth the extra 47 FPS over Medium.

At 1440p, the recommendations shift. Medium settings produce 85 FPS average with a 72-98 FPS range, which remains fluid for most players. High settings at 74 FPS are playable but approach the boundary where frame drops become noticeable. Low settings at 120 FPS provide the best competitive advantage, though users must accept reduced visual fidelity. Ultra at 1440p drops to 56 FPS, which is borderline for an FPS title.

At 4K, the data presents a difficult choice. Medium settings yield 55 FPS average (47-63 FPS range), which is minimally playable but not ideal for a fast-paced FPS. Low settings at 77 FPS are the only 4K option that approaches smooth gameplay, while High at 48 FPS and Ultra at 36 FPS fall below acceptable thresholds. Given the game's genre, the measured data strongly suggests that 1440p Medium or 1080p Medium/High provides the best experience, sacrificing some visual quality for consistent frame rates that match the game's competitive nature.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Lockdown Protocol at 4K smoothly?

A: Only at Low settings, where it achieves 77 FPS average. Medium settings drop to 55 FPS, High to 48 FPS, and Ultra to 36 FPS — the latter three are below the 60 FPS threshold typically desired for smooth FPS gameplay.

Q: What is the best resolution for competitive play?

A: The data shows 1080p Low provides 163 FPS, and 1440p Low provides 120 FPS. For a balance of visual quality and performance, 1080p Medium (116 FPS) or 1440p Medium (85 FPS) are the strongest measured options.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The GPU is clearly the limiting component. The CPU ranks in the 85th percentile while the GPU ranks in the 67th, and the consistent 52-53% FPS drop from 1080p to 4K across all settings indicates GPU-bound performance.

Q: How does the RTX 5060 Mobile compare to the RTX 4060 Mobile?

A: The RTX 5060 Mobile's average benchmark score is 22435, which is 1.3% lower than the RTX 4060 Mobile's 22729. This places them at near-parity in general performance.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1440p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured data shows 56 FPS average at 1440p Ultra. This is playable but may feel inconsistent in a fast-paced FPS, and users may prefer High settings at 74 FPS for smoother gameplay.

Q: Does the Core Ultra 9 185H hold back the GPU in this game?

A: The data suggests no. The CPU's 85th percentile ranking and strong single-core performance (1810.5 in Cinebench R23) indicate it has sufficient headroom, as evidenced by the GPU-bound resolution scaling pattern.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the full settings spectrum is playable. Low settings lead with 163 FPS average, followed by Medium at 116 FPS (99-133 FPS range), High at 101 FPS, and Ultra at 76 FPS. The 87 FPS spread between Low and Ultra at this resolution demonstrates the GPU's ability to scale with quality settings when pixel count is manageable.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance drops noticeably. Low settings maintain 120 FPS, which remains smooth, while Medium delivers 85 FPS (72-98 FPS range). High settings fall to 74 FPS, and Ultra drops to 56 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 64 FPS, reflecting the increased GPU load at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 5060 Mobile's limitations become pronounced. Low settings achieve 77 FPS, Medium manages 55 FPS (47-63 FPS range), High drops to 48 FPS, and Ultra falls to 36 FPS. The 41 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 4K shows how resolution constraints compress the impact of quality settings. The Medium preset's measured minimum of 47 FPS and maximum of 63 FPS indicates notable frame time variance at 4K, which could manifest as stutter in gameplay.

The progression across resolutions reveals consistent scaling factors. At Low settings, the 1080p to 1440p drop is 43 FPS, and the 1440p to 4K drop is another 43 FPS — an almost perfectly linear decline. At Medium settings, the drops are 31 FPS (1080p to 1440p) and 30 FPS (1440p to 4K), showing similar linearity. This uniform scaling pattern suggests the GPU's memory bandwidth and pixel throughput are the controlling factors, with each resolution step adding a consistent workload increment.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 2473 out of 3714 tested configurations places it in the 66.6th percentile of all tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This positioning, combined with the component-level percentiles (CPU at 85th, GPU at 67th), suggests the GPU drags the overall ranking below what the CPU alone would achieve. The gap between the CPU's high percentile and the combo's mid-tier rank indicates that many other tested configurations pair stronger GPUs with comparable or weaker CPUs.

The measured FPS data supports this interpretation. At 1080p Low, the 163 FPS average is competitive, but the 4K Ultra result of 36 FPS reveals the hardware's ceiling. In the context of the 3714 tested combos, this system would likely outperform configurations with lower-tier GPUs at 1080p, but fall behind those with higher-end GPUs at 4K. The CPU's near-parity with rivals (all within 0.7% in average benchmark score) means the GPU selection is the primary differentiator in this game.

The RTX 5060 Mobile's average benchmark score of 22435, sitting between the RX 7700 XT (22549) and RX 5700 (22170), places it in a competitive mid-range segment. However, the 67th percentile ranking indicates that a substantial portion of tested GPUs outperform it, which likely explains the combo's 2473rd rank. For Lockdown Protocol specifically, the measured data shows the system performs best at 1080p and 1440p, where the GPU can maintain high frame rates, but the 4K results confirm this combo is not designed for ultra-high-resolution gaming. The rank of 2473 suggests that while this configuration is functional and capable of smooth gameplay at lower resolutions, it sits firmly in the middle of the pack when compared to all tested hardware combinations.