Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol pairs a flagship 24-core Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus with an end-of-life AMD Radeon RX 570, creating one of the most lopsided combinations in the benchmark database. The measured frame rates confirm a severe bottleneck, but the data reveals exactly how the game scales across resolutions and settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and AMD Radeon RX 570 ranks 2723 out of 2828 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places the pairing in the bottom 4 percent of all configurations, which is striking given the CPU’s position in the broader market. The processor itself sits in the 96th percentile against all CPUs, meaning it outclasses nearly every other chip in synthetic workloads. The GPU, by contrast, lands in the 74th percentile against all GPUs, which is respectable for a 2017 card but nowhere near enough to feed a modern flagship processor in a demanding FPS title.

The rank disparity between the components is the core story here. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 84003 is nearly three times the GPU’s average of 28766. When paired together, the GPU becomes the limiting factor at every measured resolution and settings level. The data shows the CPU is essentially idle waiting for the GPU to finish rendering frames, which explains why the combo ranks so poorly despite having a top-tier processor. The nearest CPU rivals — the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K at 83807 average score and the AMD EPYC 4584PX at 83090 — would likely produce nearly identical results in this game because they would all be equally constrained by the RX 570. The GPU’s nearest rivals, including the AMD Radeon RX 6800M with a deltaPct of -0.4 and the AMD Radeon R9 M295X with a deltaPct of 0.7, suggest that swapping to a marginally different GPU would not change the outcome meaningfully.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is built on the Polaris 20 chip using GCN 4.0 architecture, manufactured on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It packs 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operation pipelines. The card’s base clock runs at 1168 MHz with a boost clock of 1244 MHz, while the memory clock operates at 1750 MHz, translating to 7 Gbps effective on its 4 GB of GDDR5 memory across a 256-bit bus. This yields a memory bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s, which is adequate for 1080p gaming but becomes increasingly strained as resolution climbs.

The GPU’s compute capabilities are modest by modern standards: 5.095 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, a pixel rate of 39.81 GPixel/s, and a texture rate of 159.2 GTexel/s. These figures explain the measured frame rates in Lockdown Protocol. At 1080p Low, the card manages 77 FPS average, which is playable but far from the high refresh rates that the CPU could theoretically support. The 4 GB VRAM capacity is particularly relevant here. At 4K Ultra, the card drops to 17 FPS average, and even at 1440p Ultra it only reaches 26 FPS. The data suggests that the VRAM capacity, combined with the Polaris architecture’s age, becomes a hard wall as settings and resolution increase.

The GPU’s production status is listed as end-of-life, and its release date is April 2017. Its 150 W TDP and single 6-pin power connector indicate it was designed for mainstream systems, not high-end gaming rigs. The card’s DirectX 12 (12_0) support and Vulkan 1.3 capability mean it can run modern titles, but the underlying hardware lacks the raw throughput needed for demanding scenes. In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU’s 74th percentile ranking against all GPUs flatters its actual gaming performance because the benchmark suite includes compute-heavy workloads where the card’s GCN architecture still performs reasonably.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable but steep decline as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 77 FPS at 1920x1080 to 56 FPS at 2560x1440, then to 36 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 27 percent drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 53 percent drop from 1080p to 4K. The pattern is similar at High settings: 47 FPS at 1080p, 35 FPS at 1440p, and 22 FPS at 4K. The scaling is roughly linear with pixel count, which strongly indicates that the GPU is the sole limiting factor. If the CPU were playing any role in the bottleneck, the frame rate would not scale so cleanly with resolution.

The Medium settings row provides the only min and max FPS data in the entire dataset. At 1080p Medium, the average is 54 FPS with a minimum of 46 and maximum of 63. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 40 FPS with a minimum of 34 and maximum of 46. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 26 FPS with a minimum of 22 and maximum of 30. The tight min-to-max ranges at each resolution suggest consistent frame pacing with no sudden spikes or drops, which is typical of a GPU-bound scenario where the frame rate is dictated by the render load rather than CPU stutter.

The resolution scaling reveals that the RX 570 is barely adequate for 1080p gaming in this title and falls apart at higher resolutions. The 4K Low result of 36 FPS is technically playable but far from smooth, while 4K Ultra at 17 FPS is essentially a slideshow. The data implies that users of this combo should target 1080p as their primary resolution, with 1440p reserved for Low or Medium settings if they can tolerate frame rates in the 35-56 range.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RX 570 delivers its best results. Low settings produce an average of 77 FPS, which is the only measured configuration that approaches high-refresh-rate territory. Medium settings drop to 54 FPS with a minimum of 46 and maximum of 63, providing a playable experience with better visual quality. High settings reduce the average to 47 FPS, and Ultra settings bottom out at 36 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 41 FPS, showing that the GPU has some headroom at this resolution but cannot maintain high frame rates with maximum visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops noticeably. Low settings average 56 FPS, which is still playable. Medium settings average 40 FPS with a minimum of 34 and maximum of 46, placing it on the edge of acceptable smoothness. High settings fall to 35 FPS, and Ultra settings reach only 26 FPS. The 1440p results show that the GPU’s pixel throughput becomes a bottleneck, as the 224.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 39.81 GPixel/s pixel rate struggle to keep up with the increased resolution.

At 3840x2160, the RX 570 is overwhelmed. Low settings average 36 FPS, Medium averages 26 FPS with a minimum of 22 and maximum of 30, High averages 22 FPS, and Ultra averages 17 FPS. None of these results are suitable for competitive play, and even casual gaming would be frustrating at these frame rates. The 4 GB VRAM capacity is almost certainly a contributing factor, as higher resolutions require more memory for textures and frame buffers, potentially causing the card to spill into system memory and further reducing performance.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data points to Low settings at 1080p as the only configuration that provides a consistently smooth experience, with an average of 77 FPS. This is the recommended preset for players who prioritize frame rate over visual quality, which is typically the case in an FPS title like Lockdown Protocol. The 41 FPS jump from Ultra to Low at 1080p is significant enough to justify the visual compromise.

For players who want better visuals, Medium settings at 1080p offer a reasonable middle ground at 54 FPS average with a minimum of 46 FPS. The min FPS of 46 stays above the 30 FPS threshold that most players consider the minimum for playability, making this a viable option for those who cannot tolerate Low settings. However, the 23 FPS drop from Low to Medium suggests that the GPU is already straining to maintain frame pacing at this settings level.

At 1440p, only Low settings provide a consistently playable experience at 56 FPS. Medium settings at 1440p drop to 40 FPS average with a 34 FPS minimum, which may cause noticeable stuttering in fast-paced gameplay. The data suggests that 1440p should be avoided for this combo unless the player is willing to accept Low settings, and even then, the 56 FPS average is significantly lower than the 1080p Low result. 4K gaming is not recommended at any settings level, as even Low settings only reach 36 FPS and Ultra falls to 17 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process at TSMC. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The CPU’s cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus and 115.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth, along with PCIe Gen 5 connectivity with 20 CPU lanes.

The processor’s benchmark scores are exceptional. It achieves 51731 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 7303 in single-core, along with 21727 in Cinebench R20 multi-core and 3067 in single-core. In PassMark tests, it scores 60860 in multi-thread and 4823 in single-thread, with particularly strong results in data compression at 698346 and floating-point math at 214760. These numbers place it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84003.

Despite this computational power, the CPU plays almost no role in Lockdown Protocol’s frame rates when paired with the RX 570. The game is clearly GPU-bound at all measured settings and resolutions, as evidenced by the steep frame rate drops when resolution increases. The CPU’s nearest rivals — the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K at 83807 average score and the AMD EPYC 4584PX at 83090 — would likely produce identical results in this game because the GPU cannot render frames fast enough to utilize even a fraction of the CPU’s capability. The CPU’s 24 cores and 24 threads are entirely wasted on this title at these settings, as the GPU is the limiting factor in every scenario.

The data implies that this CPU is designed for workloads that require massive parallel processing, such as rendering, compilation, or scientific computing, not for gaming with a mid-range GPU. For Lockdown Protocol specifically, the CPU’s role is reduced to feeding the GPU with draw calls and game logic, which it can do with ease given its 5.80 GHz boost clock and high single-thread performance. The bottleneck is so severe that even the CPU’s 115.2 GB/s memory bandwidth is irrelevant, as the GPU’s 224.0 GB/s bandwidth is the one that matters for frame rendering.

FAQ

Q: Why does this combo rank so low in Lockdown Protocol despite having a top-tier CPU?

A: The combo ranks 2723 out of 2828 tested combinations, which places it in the bottom 4 percent. The CPU is in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, but the GPU is in the 74th percentile and is an end-of-life product from 2017. The GPU becomes the limiting factor at every resolution and settings level, preventing the CPU from being utilized effectively.

Q: What is the best settings preset for this combo in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The data shows that Low settings at 1920x1080 produce an average of 77 FPS, which is the highest measured frame rate. Medium settings at the same resolution drop to 54 FPS with a minimum of 46 FPS, which is still playable. Higher resolutions or settings levels result in frame rates below 50 FPS, making them less suitable for an FPS title.

Q: How much does performance drop from 1080p to 4K?

A: At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 77 FPS at 1080p to 56 FPS at 1440p, then to 36 FPS at 4K. This represents a 53 percent reduction from 1080p to 4K. At High settings, the drop is from 47 FPS at 1080p to 22 FPS at 4K, a 53 percent reduction as well.

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

A: The GPU is the bottleneck in all measured scenarios. This is evident from the consistent frame rate scaling with resolution, where higher pixel counts directly reduce FPS. The CPU’s benchmark scores, including 51731 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 7303 in single-core, far exceed what the game requires, while the GPU’s 5.095 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is insufficient for smooth gameplay.

Q: What are the GPU’s memory specifications and how do they affect performance?

A: The GPU has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth and an effective memory clock of 7 Gbps. The 4 GB capacity is likely a limiting factor at higher resolutions, as 4K Ultra only reaches 17 FPS average, while 1080p Low achieves 77 FPS. The bandwidth is adequate for 1080p but struggles with the increased data demands of 1440p and 4K.

Q: How does this GPU compare to its nearest rivals in terms of benchmark scores?

A: The GPU has an average benchmark score of 28766, which is slightly below the AMD Radeon RX 6800M at 28874 (a deltaPct of -0.4) and the AMD Radeon RX 470 at 28996 (a deltaPct of -0.8). It performs slightly better than the AMD Radeon R9 M295X at 28580 (a deltaPct of 0.7) and the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 at 28421 (a deltaPct of 1.2). These small differences would not meaningfully change gameplay performance in Lockdown Protocol.