Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol is a fast-paced FPS that responds sharply to both resolution and quality presets. With the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060, the data shows a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, but capable of very high frame rates at 1080p. The measured results indicate that this pairing is best suited for high-refresh 1080p or smooth 1440p gaming, with 4K requiring compromises in visual fidelity to stay playable.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 163 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 120 FPS, a 26% reduction. At 4K Low, the average falls to 77 FPS, which is a 53% drop from the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern is typical for a system where the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor as pixel count rises.

The gap between resolutions narrows when the settings are raised to High. At 1080p High, the average is 101 FPS. At 1440p High, it drops to 74 FPS, and at 4K High, it further drops to 48 FPS. The relative performance loss from 1080p to 4K is about 52% at High settings, which is nearly identical to the 53% loss at Low settings. This consistency indicates that the RTX 5060's workload is scaling linearly with pixel count, with no sudden bottlenecks appearing at any specific resolution.

The Medium preset data includes min and max FPS figures, offering additional insight. At 1080p Medium, the average is 116 FPS with a min of 99 FPS and a max of 133 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 85 FPS, with a min of 72 FPS and a max of 98 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 55 FPS, with a min of 47 FPS and a max of 63 FPS. The min-to-max spread remains relatively tight at each resolution, suggesting that frame pacing is stable and that the system is not experiencing severe stuttering or hitches.

The most demanding scenario, 4K Ultra, yields an average of only 36 FPS. This is a 77% reduction from the 1080p Low result, highlighting that Ultra settings at 4K are far beyond the comfortable operating range for this GPU. The data clearly shows that 4K is only viable when the quality preset is set to Low or Medium, and even then, the frame rates are not ideal for competitive FPS play.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 4K is playable only with reduced settings. At 4K Medium, the average FPS is 55, and at 4K Low, it is 77 FPS. 4K High and Ultra are not recommended, as they produce averages of 48 FPS and 36 FPS respectively.

Q: What is the highest frame rate achievable with this hardware?

A: The maximum measured average FPS is 163, achieved at 1080p with Low settings. This is the only setting that approaches the range of high-refresh competitive play.

Q: How significant is the performance gap between Medium and High settings?

A: The difference is notable. At 1080p, the average FPS drops from 116 on Medium to 101 on High. At 1440p, it drops from 85 to 74, and at 4K, it drops from 55 to 48.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The benchmark results do not indicate a CPU bottleneck. The CPU has a 94th percentile ranking among all CPUs, and the frame rates scale consistently with resolution, which is a sign of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU's high multithreaded and single-threaded scores suggest it is more than capable of feeding the GPU.

Q: How does the RTX 5060 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5060 has an average benchmark score of 26331. Its closest rival, the AMD Radeon 860M, scores 26401, a delta of -0.3%. The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 is also -0.3% behind, while the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary is -0.8% behind. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT is 1.2% ahead of the RTX 5060.

Q: What is the role of the CPU's 24 cores in this game?

A: The CPU's core count is a specification, but the game's performance is not limited by it. The data shows that the FPS scales with resolution and settings, which is characteristic of a GPU-limited workload. The CPU's high Cinebench R23 multicore score of 35589 indicates it has ample headroom for gaming workloads.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is the defining component in this gaming configuration. Its 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus provides a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. This bandwidth is a crucial factor for a modern FPS like Lockdown Protocol, which needs to stream textures and geometry quickly. The data suggests that at 4K, the GPU's compute capacity and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints, as frame rates drop significantly.

The GPU's clock speeds are a key part of its performance profile. With a base clock of 2280 MHz and a boost clock of 2497 MHz, the RTX 5060 operates at a high frequency. The 145 W TDP is a reasonable power envelope for a mobile or compact desktop solution. The synthetic benchmarks for the GPU show a Passmark G3D score of 20891 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 113321, placing it in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs. This indicates it is a solid mid-range performer.

The relationship between the GPU's specifications and the measured game performance is clear. At 1080p, the GPU has enough headroom to push high frame rates, even at High settings (101 FPS). As the resolution increases, the GPU's pixel fill rate and shading power become the limiting factor. The pixel rate of 119.9 GPixel/s and texture rate of 299.6 GTexel/s are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but they are not enough to maintain high frame rates at 4K with high-quality settings.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K with Ultra settings, it may be a limiting factor. The average FPS at 4K Ultra is just 36, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. This suggests that either the GPU's compute cores are overwhelmed, or the memory is being saturated. The data does not specify VRAM usage, but the performance cliff between Medium (55 FPS) and High (48 FPS) at 4K points to a system that is running out of resources as texture quality increases.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across all resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system performs admirably. The Low preset yields an average of 163 FPS. The Medium preset produces an average of 116 FPS, with a minimum of 99 and a maximum of 133. The High preset produces an average of 101 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to an average of 76 FPS. The 1080p results show a clear hierarchy, with each setting tier delivering a significant and predictable performance step.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down accordingly. The Low preset maintains a high average of 120 FPS, which is still excellent for competitive play. The Medium preset averages 85 FPS, with a min of 72 and a max of 98. The High preset averages 74 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 56 FPS. The 1440p results show that the system can handle the resolution well, with Medium and High settings both providing playable frame rates above 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly. The Low preset averages 77 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a fast-paced FPS. The Medium preset averages 55 FPS, with a min of 47 and a max of 63. The High preset averages 48 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 36 FPS. The 4K results indicate that this GPU is not designed for high-refresh 4K gaming. The data shows a 32% drop in average FPS between 1080p Medium and 1440p Medium, and a 35% drop between 1440p Medium and 4K Medium.

The min and max FPS data for the Medium preset offers insight into frame consistency. At 1080p, the min is 99 and the max is 133, a spread of 34 FPS. At 1440p, the min is 72 and the max is 98, a spread of 26 FPS. At 4K, the min is 47 and the max is 63, a spread of 16 FPS. This tightening spread at higher resolutions suggests that the frame rate becomes more consistent as the GPU becomes the sole bottleneck, with fewer CPU-related spikes.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. For a 1080p display with a high refresh rate (144Hz or higher), the Low preset is the clear choice. The 163 FPS average ensures that the frame rate stays above the refresh rate of most monitors, providing the smoothest possible experience for competitive play. If a higher visual quality is desired, the Medium preset at 116 FPS is a strong alternative, still offering a high frame rate.

For 1440p gaming, the data suggests that the Medium preset is the best balance of visual quality and performance. The 85 FPS average is comfortably above 60 FPS, and the min FPS of 72 ensures that there are no significant dips below playable levels. The High preset at 74 FPS is also playable, but the drop to 56 FPS on Ultra is too significant to recommend. The 1440p Low preset at 120 FPS is the best option for players who prioritize frame rate above all else.

For 4K gaming, the options are limited. The data shows that the Low preset is the only viable choice for a smooth experience, with an average of 77 FPS. The Medium preset at 55 FPS is playable, but the min FPS of 47 indicates that it will dip into less smooth territory. The High and Ultra presets are not recommended, as they produce averages of 48 FPS and 36 FPS respectively, which are too low for a fast-paced FPS.

The data indicates that the Medium preset is the "sweet spot" for this hardware configuration. It provides a consistent experience across all resolutions, with the 1080p result being excellent, the 1440p result being very good, and the 4K result being just barely playable. For most users, starting with the Medium preset and adjusting based on the in-game experience will yield the best results.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX is a high-end mobile processor with a 24-core, 24-thread configuration based on the Arrow Lake architecture. Its base clock is 2.70 GHz, and it can boost up to 5.40 GHz. This high boost clock is critical for gaming, where single-threaded performance often dictates the maximum achievable frame rate. The processor's Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2204 and Passmark single-thread score of 4713 confirm its strong single-threaded capabilities.

The CPU's role in Lockdown Protocol appears to be secondary to the GPU. The measured FPS scaling with resolution indicates that the system is GPU-bound, especially at higher resolutions. However, the CPU's strong performance ensures that it is not a bottleneck at 1080p, where frame rates are the highest. The 163 FPS average at 1080p Low demonstrates that the CPU can handle the game's game logic and draw calls without limiting the GPU.

The CPU's 3 MB of L2 cache per core and 36 MB of shared L3 cache provide ample storage for frequently accessed game data. The dual-channel DDR5 memory support with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s ensures that the CPU can feed data to the GPU without causing a bottleneck. In the context of this game, the CPU's high core count (24 cores) is not a major factor, as most games do not scale perfectly across that many threads.

The CPU's benchmark scores place it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 67469. Its nearest rival, the Intel Xeon w5-3525, has an average score of 67673, which is a -0.3% difference. The AMD EPYC 4484PX is -0.5% behind, and the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5955WX is -0.6% behind. These results show that the Ultra 9 275HX is a top-tier performer, but its power is not fully utilized in this gaming scenario.

The data strongly suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor in Lockdown Protocol. The frame rates are consistently tied to the GPU's workload, as evidenced by the FPS drops from 1080p to 4K. The CPU's high performance provides a stable foundation, ensuring that the GPU is able to render frames as fast as it can. For users considering this configuration, the CPU provides more than enough headroom for the RTX 5060 in this title.