Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol is a fast-paced FPS where frame pacing and responsiveness directly translate to hit registration and survival. This analysis covers the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT, using measured data to explain what this combination delivers at each resolution and settings preset. The combo ranks 2014th out of 2828 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database. The CPU is a top-tier 24-core part, while the GPU is a mid-range RDNA 2 card with 8 GB of VRAM, creating a pairing where the graphics card is almost always the limiting factor. The measured FPS numbers show a clear pattern: this system handles 1080p and 1440p well at medium settings, but struggles at 4K with higher presets. Below are the specifics, broken down by component and by the exact measured performance data.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 as the strongest resolution. At Low settings, the average FPS is 159, which is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate many monitors use. At Medium settings, it drops to 113 average FPS, still smooth. Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset yields 117 average FPS, but the Medium preset falls to 83 average FPS. At 3840x2160, even Low settings only reach 75 average FPS, indicating the GPU is heavily taxed.

Q: How does the CPU's 24-core configuration affect Lockdown Protocol performance?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has 24 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. Benchmark results show it is a very strong processor (96th percentile vs all CPUs). However, in this game, the measured FPS scales more with resolution and GPU load than with CPU load. The GPU is the bottleneck at higher settings, meaning the CPU's power is not fully utilized in those scenarios. Its high single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7303) helps maintain high minimum frame rates, but the GPU limits the average.

Q: Is the RX 6600 XT's 8 GB of VRAM enough for Lockdown Protocol?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth. Based on the measured FPS, this VRAM capacity is sufficient for the game at all tested presets up to 1440p. At 3840x2160 Ultra, the average FPS drops to 35, but this is more likely due to the GPU's compute limits (10.60 TFLOPS FP32) than VRAM capacity. The game does not appear to hit a VRAM wall, as the FPS drops are consistent with rendering load increases.

Q: What is the recommended settings preset for a 1440p monitor?

A: For 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers 117 average FPS, which is excellent for competitive play. The Medium preset provides 83 average FPS, which is still playable but not ideal for high-refresh-rate displays. Since the game is an FPS, prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity is advisable. The data suggests using Low settings at 1440p to maintain a high and consistent frame rate.

Q: How does this combo compare to its nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score is 84003, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (83807) and 1.1% higher than the AMD EPYC 4584PX (83090). The GPU's average score is 24442, which is 0.7% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 (24277) and 1.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER (24170). These are synthetic benchmarks, and in-game performance is what matters most.

Q: Does the CPU's 36 MB of L3 cache matter for Lockdown Protocol?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has 36 MB of shared L3 cache. While this is a large cache, the measured FPS data for this game shows that the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The CPU's cache helps with general processing, but the frame rates are more dependent on the GPU's pixel and texture rates. The CPU's high benchmark scores (e.g., PassMark multithread score of 60860) indicate it can handle complex calculations, but the game's FPS is bounded by the graphics card.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus + AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT combination ranks 2014th out of 2828 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the 29th percentile of all tested combinations, meaning roughly 71% of tested combos deliver higher average FPS. This ranking reflects the fact that while the CPU is exceptionally powerful (96th percentile vs all CPUs), the GPU is only at the 70th percentile vs all GPUs. The pairing creates an imbalance where the GPU holds back the overall gaming performance.

The ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU's capabilities. The RX 6600 XT has a PassMark G3D score of 16461 and a DirectX 12 score of 61, which are modest compared to higher-end cards. In contrast, the CPU's PassMark multithread score is 60860, showing it can handle far more than this game demands. The result is that the combo's rank in a game like Lockdown Protocol is dictated by the graphics card's ability to render frames quickly. The 2014th rank reflects this GPU limitation, not a CPU issue.

Looking at the measured FPS, the combo performs best at 1080p, where Low settings achieve 159 average FPS. This is a strong result that would rank higher in a 1080p-only comparison. However, at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 35, which is below the playable threshold for most FPS players. The overall rank aggregates all resolutions and settings, pulling the combo down due to the poor 4K performance. The data suggests that this combo is best suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming, where it can provide competitive frame rates.

The rank also reflects the settings scaling. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 85 FPS (159 vs 74), which is a 53% drop. At 1440p, the drop is 63 FPS (117 vs 54), and at 4K, the drop is 40 FPS (75 vs 35). This scaling indicates that the GPU's 2048 shading units and 64 ROPs are the limiting factor at higher settings. The CPU’s 24 cores do not compensate for the GPU's rendering limits. For a better rank, a more balanced GPU would be needed.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock is 3.70 GHz, and it boosts to 5.80 GHz. This is a high-end desktop CPU with a 125 W TDP and ECC memory support. In synthetic benchmarks, it excels: Cinebench R23 multicore score is 51731, single-core is 7303, and PassMark multithread is 60860. These scores place it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and handle game logic. Given the game's FPS results, the CPU is not the bottleneck. For instance, at 1080p Low, the average FPS is 159. If the CPU were limiting, we would see similar FPS across all resolutions at the same settings. Instead, at 4K Low, the FPS drops to 75, which is a 53% reduction. This indicates that the GPU is doing the heavy lifting, and the CPU has ample headroom.

The CPU's high boost clock of 5.80 GHz is beneficial for single-threaded game logic. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7303 confirms strong single-thread performance. This helps maintain stable frame pacing, even when the GPU is under load. The 36 MB of shared L3 cache also aids in reducing latency for frequently accessed data. However, the measured data shows that the GPU's limits are reached before the CPU's, especially at 1440p and 4K.

The CPU's memory bandwidth is 115.2 GB/s with dual-channel DDR5 support. This is sufficient for feeding the GPU. The 20 PCIe Gen 5 lanes from the CPU provide high bandwidth for the GPU, though the RX 6600 XT uses PCIe 4.0 x8. The CPU's architecture includes integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics, but this is irrelevant when a discrete GPU is present. In summary, the CPU is overqualified for this GPU pairing in Lockdown Protocol, providing consistent performance without being a limiting factor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS is as follows: Low settings achieve 159 FPS, High settings 99 FPS, Medium settings 113 FPS, and Ultra settings 74 FPS. The Medium preset also has recorded min and max FPS of 96 and 130, respectively, showing a 34 FPS range. The Low preset has no min/max data but the average is the highest. These numbers indicate that 1080p is the sweet spot for this combo, with even Ultra settings staying above 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops: Low settings average 117 FPS, High settings 72 FPS, Medium settings 83 FPS, and Ultra settings 54 FPS. The Medium preset has min and max of 70 and 95 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 63 FPS. The 117 FPS at Low is still very smooth for competitive play, but the Ultra preset falls below 60 FPS, which is not ideal for an FPS.

At 3840x2160, the results are more challenging: Low settings average 75 FPS, High settings 47 FPS, Medium settings 53 FPS, and Ultra settings 35 FPS. The Medium preset has min and max of 45 and 61 FPS. The 75 FPS at Low is playable, but the 35 FPS at Ultra is not. This resolution is clearly too demanding for the RX 6600 XT at higher presets.

The data shows a consistent pattern: lowering settings from Ultra to Low provides a significant FPS boost at every resolution. At 1080p, the boost is 85 FPS (from 74 to 159). At 1440p, the boost is 63 FPS (from 54 to 117). At 4K, the boost is 40 FPS (from 35 to 75). This suggests that the GPU's pixel fill rate (165.7 GPixel/s) and texture rate (331.4 GTexel/s) are the main constraints. The 8 GB VRAM is not the issue, as the FPS scales linearly with resolution and settings, which is typical of GPU compute limits.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT is based on the Navi 23 chip with RDNA 2.0 architecture, built on a 7 nm process. It has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The base clock is 1968 MHz, with a boost clock of 2589 MHz and a game clock of 2359 MHz. Memory is 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, providing 256.0 GB/s bandwidth. The GPU's FP32 performance is 10.60 TFLOPS, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU is the primary determinant of performance. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (159) is close to the GPU's theoretical maximum for this game. As resolution increases, the GPU's fill rate and shading capacity are stretched, leading to lower FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 35 FPS highlights the GPU's limitations at high pixel counts. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 16461 places it at the 70th percentile of all GPUs, which is mid-range.

The GPU's nearest rivals in benchmark scores include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 (0.7% higher score) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER (1.1% lower score). This indicates that the RX 6600 XT performs similarly to these older cards in synthetic tests. In-game, the RTX 2080 SUPER might have better ray tracing, but for Lockdown Protocol, the rasterization performance is what matters. The GPU's 32 RT cores are present but unused in this game if ray tracing is not enabled.

The 8 GB VRAM is adequate for the tested presets. At 4K Ultra, the game likely uses close to 8 GB, but the FPS drop to 35 is due to compute limits, not memory. The memory bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s is moderate, and the 128-bit bus is a known limitation for higher resolutions. The GPU's boost clock of 2589 MHz helps maintain performance, but it cannot overcome the rendering load at 4K. Overall, the GPU is best used at 1080p or 1440p, where it provides excellent frame rates at lower presets.

Settings Recommendations

For this combo in Lockdown Protocol, the best experience is achieved by prioritizing frame rate. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset is the sweet spot. It delivers 113 average FPS, which is smooth, and the min FPS of 96 ensures minimal stutter. The High preset at 99 FPS is also acceptable, but the jump to Ultra at 74 FPS is not worth the visual gain for an FPS. Low at 159 FPS is the maximum, but it sacrifices too much visual clarity for most players.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset is the recommended choice. It delivers 117 average FPS, which is excellent for a 1440p display. The Medium preset at 83 FPS is playable but not ideal for competitive play. The High preset at 72 FPS is borderline, and Ultra at 54 FPS is too low. The data suggests that 1440p users should stick to Low to maintain a high refresh rate experience.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only viable option, delivering 75 average FPS. This is playable but not optimal. The Medium preset at 53 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold, and Ultra at 35 FPS is not recommended for an FPS. For 4K users, the Low preset is the best choice, but they should be aware that the experience is not as smooth as at lower resolutions.

Overall, the best experience per the measured rows is at 1080p Medium or 1440p Low. Both provide frame rates above 100 FPS, which is ideal for Lockdown Protocol's fast-paced gameplay. The Ultra preset should be avoided at all resolutions due to the significant FPS drop. The data indicates that this combo is not suitable for 4K gaming at high settings, but it excels at 1080p and 1440p with adjusted settings.