Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus + AMD Radeon RX 580

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the AMD Radeon RX 580 produces a heavily CPU-favored system in Lockdown Protocol, but the combination sits at rank 2590 out of 2828 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 8% of all configurations. Benchmark results show the RX 580 consistently becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the 24-core Arrow Lake Refresh processor delivers compute headroom that the aging Polaris GPU cannot fully exploit. The measured FPS data reveals a system that can deliver playable 1080p performance on Low settings, but struggles to maintain fluid frame rates at 4K regardless of quality preset.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread desktop processor built on TSMC's 3 nm process node, featuring a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. Its cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache, with dual-channel DDR5 memory support delivering 115.2 GB/s of bandwidth. This processor scores in the 96th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84003.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is largely about maintaining minimum frame stability and feeding the GPU with draw calls. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 51731 and single-core score of 7303 indicate substantial headroom for the game's logic and physics threads. The PassMark multithread score of 60860 and single-thread score of 4823 further confirm that this processor will not bottleneck most GPU configurations in this title. However, the measured FPS data suggests that even with this CPU, the system's frame rates are constrained elsewhere.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K in average benchmark score, and 1.1% ahead of the AMD EPYC 4584PX. It trails the AMD EPYC 7F72 by 1.3%, but those server-grade chips are not typical gaming comparisons. The data indicates the 290K Plus is effectively performance-equivalent to the 285K, meaning any frame rate differences in Lockdown Protocol come from the GPU pairing rather than CPU choice.

The PassMark data compression score of 698346 and floating point math score of 214760 suggest strong general compute capabilities, which may help with game asset streaming and background tasks. The extended instructions score of 52338 and integer math score of 166194 round out a processor that is clearly not the weak link in this combination. For Lockdown Protocol specifically, the CPU's 36 MB of shared L3 cache likely aids in keeping frequently accessed game data close to the cores, reducing memory latency penalties.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is a Polaris 20 chip built on GlobalFoundries' 14 nm process, featuring 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operation units. It operates at a base clock of 1257 MHz and boost clock of 1340 MHz, with 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus providing 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3, with a pixel rate of 42.88 GPixel/s and texture rate of 193.0 GTexel/s.

This GPU scores in the 53rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 12928. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (0.1% ahead), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER (0.4% ahead), AMD Radeon 740M (0.5% behind), and AMD FirePro W5100 (0.6% behind). The RX 580's PassMark G3D score of 8813 and GPU compute score of 3488 place it firmly in the mid-range tier for modern gaming, but its age shows in Lockdown Protocol's measured results.

The GPU's 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming in this title, but the measured FPS at 4K Ultra (19 avg FPS) suggests the Polaris architecture struggles with the computational load rather than memory capacity alone. The FP32 performance of 6.175 TFLOPS is modest by current standards, and the 32 ROPs limit fill-rate-dependent scenarios. The 185 W TDP and 450 W suggested PSU requirement indicate this is a power-hungry card for its performance class, though that is not reflected in the benchmark scores.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU is the primary bottleneck across all tested resolutions. The gap between CPU capability and GPU output is stark: the processor can deliver PassMark single-thread scores in the top 4% of all CPUs, while the GPU sits near the median. This mismatch means the system's frame rates are dictated almost entirely by the RX 580's rendering throughput, with the CPU idling well below its potential.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination ranks 2590 out of 2828 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the bottom 8.4% of all configurations. The rank reflects a severe imbalance: a top-tier CPU (96th percentile) paired with a mid-tier GPU (53rd percentile) yields a system that underperforms even modestly balanced alternatives. The data suggests that most other tested combos achieve higher average FPS, likely because they pair more appropriate GPUs with mid-range CPUs.

The ranking implies that Lockdown Protocol is GPU-bound for this pairing at every resolution tested. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 85 avg FPS, which is respectable, but the same CPU with a modern GPU would likely push well beyond 144 FPS given the processor's headroom. The combo's rank reflects not just absolute performance but also the efficiency of the pairing — and this pairing is inefficient in the extreme.

Comparatively, the CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, would likely perform identically in this combo given the 0.2% benchmark delta. The GPU's nearest rival, the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile, is a laptop part, while the GTX 1660 SUPER is 0.4% faster in synthetic benchmarks and would likely produce marginally higher FPS in Lockdown Protocol. The data does not include direct head-to-head gaming comparisons, but the synthetic scores suggest the RX 580 is at the bottom edge of acceptable performance for this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160 (4K), the RX 580 delivers 25 avg FPS on High settings, 40 avg FPS on Low, 29 avg FPS on Medium (with min 24 and max 33), and 19 avg FPS on Ultra. None of these are playable for a competitive FPS, and even the Low preset's 40 FPS would feel stuttery in fast-paced combat. The 4K results show a clear progression: dropping from Ultra to Low nearly doubles the frame rate, but the absolute numbers remain too low for smooth gameplay.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), the results improve but remain marginal. High settings produce 39 avg FPS, Low produces 62 avg FPS, Medium produces 44 avg FPS (with min 38 and max 51), and Ultra produces 29 avg FPS. The Low preset at 1440p is the first playable configuration, with 62 FPS providing a reasonably smooth experience, though the lack of min/max data for that row means the frame time consistency is unknown. The Medium preset's 38 FPS minimum suggests noticeable drops during intense scenes.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the system becomes viable for casual play. High settings yield 53 avg FPS, Low yields 85 avg FPS, Medium yields 60 avg FPS (with min 51 and max 69), and Ultra yields 40 avg FPS. The 1080p Low result of 85 FPS is the best measured performance in the entire dataset, while Medium's 60 FPS with a 51 FPS minimum provides a more stable experience. Ultra at 40 FPS is borderline, with the frame rate dipping below the threshold for smooth competitive play.

The data shows that resolution scaling is consistent: each step from 1080p to 1440p to 4K reduces FPS by roughly 35-40% at equivalent settings. The Medium preset consistently shows the most stable frame delivery, with documented min/max values that indicate less variance than other presets. However, no preset at 4K reaches 60 FPS, and only 1080p Low exceeds that threshold.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo playable for Lockdown Protocol at 1080p?

A: Yes, but only on lower presets. The measured data shows 85 avg FPS on Low settings and 60 avg FPS on Medium (with min 51 and max 69). High settings drop to 53 avg FPS, and Ultra falls to 40 avg FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth competitive play.

Q: What is the best resolution for this pairing?

A: 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the system achieves playable frame rates across multiple presets. At 1440p, only the Low preset reaches 62 avg FPS, while all other presets fall below 45 FPS. At 4K, no preset exceeds 40 avg FPS, making that resolution unsuitable.

Q: How does the RX 580 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RX 580's average benchmark score of 12928 is 0.1% behind the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile, 0.4% behind the GTX 1660 SUPER, 0.5% ahead of the Radeon 740M, and 0.6% ahead of the FirePro W5100. These are effectively performance-equivalent results, meaning any of these GPUs would produce similar FPS in Lockdown Protocol.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck this GPU in Lockdown Protocol?

A: No, the data indicates the opposite. The Core Ultra 9 290K Plus ranks in the 96th percentile among CPUs, while the RX 580 ranks in the 53rd percentile. The FPS results scale directly with GPU load across resolutions, confirming the GPU is the limiting factor.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking among tested configurations?

A: This combo ranks 2590 out of 2828 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the bottom 8.4% of all configurations. The ranking reflects the severe CPU-GPU performance mismatch.

Q: Is the 8 GB VRAM sufficient for this game?

A: The data does not indicate VRAM limitations. At 4K Ultra, the GPU produces 19 avg FPS, but the bottleneck appears to be raw compute throughput rather than memory capacity, since even 1080p Ultra only reaches 40 avg FPS.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p gaming, the Medium preset provides the best balance of performance and visual quality, delivering 60 avg FPS with a minimum of 51 and maximum of 69. The documented frame variance shows Medium is more consistent than Low, which lacks min/max data but achieves 85 avg FPS. If competitive frame rates are the priority, the Low preset at 1080p is the only configuration that exceeds 80 FPS.

For 1440p, the Low preset is the only playable option, producing 62 avg FPS. The Medium preset drops to 44 avg FPS with a 38 FPS minimum, which introduces noticeable stutter in fast-paced scenarios. High and Ultra at 1440p are not recommended, as they fall below 40 FPS.

For 4K, no preset is recommended for actual gameplay. The best result is 40 avg FPS on Low, which is below the minimum threshold for a competitive FPS. Users with 4K displays should either reduce resolution to 1440p or accept significant frame rate compromises.

The Ultra preset should be avoided entirely across all resolutions, as it produces the lowest frame rates in every category: 19 FPS at 4K, 29 FPS at 1440p, and 40 FPS at 1080p. The performance cost of Ultra settings is not justified by the visual gains on this GPU architecture. The High preset offers a middle ground at 1080p with 53 avg FPS, but the Medium preset provides a better frame rate with likely similar visual fidelity for this title.

The data suggests that users should prioritize frame stability over graphical fidelity with this combo. The Medium preset at 1080p offers the best documented frame time consistency, while the Low preset at 1440p provides the highest resolution playable experience. For the smoothest experience, 1080p Low delivers the highest measured average FPS at 85, but the lack of min/max data for that configuration means frame drops cannot be ruled out.