Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol, a 2024 FPS title, presents a demanding workload that scales significantly with both resolution and image quality settings. In this analysis, the combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is examined across three resolutions and four quality presets. The data shows a system with substantial headroom at lower resolutions, but one that is clearly bound by the graphics card's capabilities as pixel count and visual fidelity increase. The benchmark results indicate a predictable performance curve, with the CPU's high core count and clock speeds ensuring it does not become a bottleneck until frame rates reach very high levels.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 reveals a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 148 FPS at 1080p to 109 FPS at 1440p, a 26% reduction, and then further to 70 FPS at 4K, a 53% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline is expected, as the number of pixels nearly doubles from 1080p to 1440p and again from 1440p to 4K, placing an exponentially greater load on the rasterization and shading units of the RTX 4080.

The scaling becomes even more pronounced when examining the Low preset. At 1080p, the system achieves 239 FPS, but this falls to 175 FPS at 1440p and 113 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is even larger here, at roughly 53%, similar to the High preset. However, the absolute frame rate at 4K Low is still high enough to be considered very playable, indicating that the RTX 4080 retains significant performance even under heavy pixel load when visual effects are minimized.

The Medium preset shows a similar relative decline, moving from 170 FPS at 1080p to 124 FPS at 1440p and 80 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, sees the average drop from 111 FPS at 1080p to 81 FPS at 1440p and finally to 53 FPS at 4K. The data suggests that the limiting component at 4K, especially on Ultra, is the GPU, as the frame rates drop to a level where the CPU's high single-thread performance is no longer the primary constraining factor. At 1080p Ultra, the 111 FPS result still indicates a strong GPU, but the system is getting closer to a point where the CPU might begin to influence the maximum achievable frame rate.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the primary driver of the frame rates observed in Lockdown Protocol. Its specifications, including 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, provide a substantial 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. This is crucial for high-resolution textures and complex scenes, as insufficient memory bandwidth can cause stuttering and frame drops. The benchmark results show no such issues, with the 4K Medium preset maintaining an average of 80 FPS and a minimum of 68 FPS, suggesting the memory subsystem is handling the data throughput effectively.

The GPU's clock speeds, with a base of 2205 MHz and a boost of 2505 MHz, are typical for the Ada Lovelace architecture and contribute to its raw compute power. The RTX 4080's 9728 shading units and 76 RT cores are heavily utilized at higher settings. The difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 4K illustrates this workload; the 113 FPS on Low scales down to 53 FPS on Ultra, a performance reduction of over half, as the additional graphical effects, such as ray tracing and advanced shading, engage more of the GPU's hardware.

The RTX 4080 sits in the 86th percentile of all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 54247. Its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, scores nearly identically at 54209, a delta of just 0.1%. This indicates that the RTX 4080 is a top-tier performer, and the frame rates observed in Lockdown Protocol are consistent with its high standing. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6567 also confirms its strong DirectX 12 performance, which is relevant for a modern FPS title. The data clearly shows that this GPU is well-suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1440p and playable frame rates at 4K, with the Ultra preset being the only configuration that dips below 60 FPS on average.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested combinations for Lockdown Protocol, this specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 1202 out of 3714 total combinations. This places it in the 68th percentile of all tested systems, indicating that it is a high-performing setup, though not at the absolute top tier. The ranking is determined by the aggregate performance across all resolution and settings combinations.

The CPU's own benchmark scores contribute to this ranking. The Core Ultra 9 275HX has an average benchmark score of 67469, which puts it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon w5-3525 with a delta of -0.3% and the AMD EPYC 4484PX with a delta of -0.5%, meaning the Ultra 9 275HX performs essentially on par with these high-end workstation processors. This level of CPU performance ensures that it is not a bottleneck in most gaming scenarios.

The GPU's performance, as measured by its average benchmark score of 54247, places it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. Its closest competitors, such as the RTX 4080 SUPER, are within a 0.1% delta. The combination of a top-6% CPU and a top-14% GPU results in a system that ranks in the top 32% of all combos tested in this game. This suggests that while the individual components are exceptional, there may be other combinations with even faster GPUs or more optimized configurations that achieve higher overall frame rates, particularly at the 4K resolution where the GPU is the limiting factor.

FAQ

Q: What is the performance difference between the High and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset achieves an average of 109 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves an average of 81 FPS. This represents a 28 FPS difference, or a 25.7% reduction in frame rate when moving to the more demanding Ultra settings.

Q: Is this CPU/GPU combo capable of 4K gaming?

A: Yes, the data shows it is capable of 4K gaming. At 3840x2160, the system achieves an average of 113 FPS on Low, 80 FPS on Medium, and 70 FPS on High. However, on the Ultra preset, the average drops to 53 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold often considered ideal for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its closest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54247. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, has an average score of 54209, resulting in a delta of only 0.1%. This indicates that they perform virtually identically in synthetic workloads.

Q: Does the Core Ultra 9 275HX bottleneck the RTX 4080 in this game?

A: The benchmark data suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck at most settings. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 239 FPS, which is a very high frame rate. The CPU's high performance, evidenced by its 4713 single-thread score, allows the GPU to operate near its full potential. The only time a CPU limit might be approached is at 1080p Low, where frame rates are exceptionally high.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for the Medium preset?

A: The minimum FPS for the Medium preset is 68 at 3840x2160, 106 at 2560x1440, and 144 at 1920x1080. These minimum values are important for understanding frame time consistency and stutter, with the 4K result showing a stable enough experience.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the GPU in this combo?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 has a launch MSRP of 1,199 USD.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data represents the measured average frame rates for the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination in Lockdown Protocol.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: 239 FPS average
• Medium: 170 FPS average, with a minimum of 144 FPS and a maximum of 195 FPS
• High: 148 FPS average
• Ultra: 111 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: 175 FPS average
• Medium: 124 FPS average, with a minimum of 106 FPS and a maximum of 143 FPS
• High: 109 FPS average
• Ultra: 81 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: 113 FPS average
• Medium: 80 FPS average, with a minimum of 68 FPS and a maximum of 92 FPS
• High: 70 FPS average
• Ultra: 53 FPS average

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake-HX architecture. With a base clock of 2.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, it provides the high single-thread performance necessary for gaming. Its benchmark results are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35589 and a single-core score of 2204. This strong single-core performance is critical for Lockdown Protocol, as FPS titles often rely on one or two primary threads for game logic and rendering commands.

The CPU's role in the observed frame rates becomes more apparent at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 239 FPS, which is a rate where the CPU's ability to feed the GPU with draw calls becomes a significant factor. The PassMark single-thread score of 4713 indicates that this processor has the headroom to handle these high-speed scenarios. The 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth also help ensure that data is readily available for the CPU cores.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the Ultra 9 275HX performs nearly identically to the Intel Xeon w5-3525 and AMD EPYC 4484PX, with deltas of -0.3% and -0.5%, respectively. This shows that its multi-threaded capabilities are on par with high-end workstation chips, even though those are designed for different workloads. In gaming, this translates to a CPU that will not limit the RTX 4080's performance, except perhaps in the most extreme cases where frame rates are pushing beyond 200 FPS. The data shows that the CPU is a capable partner, providing a stable platform for the GPU to deliver its full potential.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user's target resolution and refresh rate.

For players at 1920x1080, the High preset is the most balanced choice, delivering 148 FPS. This is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate common on high-end monitors, and it offers significantly better visual quality than the Medium preset, which runs at 170 FPS. The Ultra preset at 111 FPS is also viable for 120 Hz displays, providing the highest fidelity, while the Low preset's 239 FPS is only necessary for 240 Hz displays where maximum frame rate is the sole priority.

At 2560x1440, the High preset remains an excellent option with 109 FPS, comfortably supporting 100 Hz or 120 Hz displays. For users with 144 Hz monitors, the Medium preset's 124 FPS is a better fit, sacrificing some visual effects for a 15 FPS increase. The Ultra preset at 81 FPS is still playable and offers a significant visual upgrade over Medium, but it may not be smooth enough for fast-paced competitive play.

For 3840x2160 gaming, the Medium preset is the recommended sweet spot. Its 80 FPS average and 68 FPS minimum ensure a consistent and playable experience, which is a good balance for a 60 Hz display. The High preset at 70 FPS is also acceptable, but the Ultra preset at 53 FPS dips below 60 FPS and is not recommended for smooth gameplay. The Low preset at 113 FPS shows the GPU's capability, but the visual compromise is substantial. The data shows that the Medium preset offers the best combination of performance and visual fidelity for a 4K experience on this hardware.