Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol with an Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER produces a dataset that clearly delineates the boundaries of each component. The measured frames per second across resolutions and settings show a system where the GPU is the primary constraint at higher fidelity, while the CPU’s substantial resources keep minimums stable at lower loads. This analysis breaks down the measured results, contextualizes them against known rivals, and provides actionable settings guidance based solely on the provided data.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Lockdown Protocol shows a pronounced and predictable drop as resolution increases, underscoring the GPU's role as the limiting factor at higher pixel counts. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 159 FPS at 1920x1080 to 117 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 42 FPS. Moving to 3840x2160, the average drops further to 75 FPS, representing a 52.8% decrease from the 1080p result. This steep curve at Low settings indicates that even when graphical load is minimized, the RTX 2060 SUPER's rendering throughput is heavily taxed by the sheer number of pixels at 4K.

The scaling pattern is even more aggressive when settings are raised to Ultra. At this preset, the average FPS plummets from 74 FPS at 1080p to 54 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 35 FPS at 4K. The delta between 1080p and 4K at Ultra is a 39 FPS drop, which is a 52.7% reduction. This consistent percentage decline across both Low and Ultra settings suggests that the game's rendering load scales almost linearly with pixel count for this GPU, with no sudden bottlenecks emerging at intermediate resolutions.

Examining the Medium preset provides the clearest view of the scaling curve, as it includes min and max FPS data. At 1920x1080, the average is 113 FPS with a minimum of 96 FPS. Stepping up to 2560x1440, the average falls to 83 FPS and the minimum to 70 FPS. At 3840x2160, the average is 53 FPS with a minimum of 45 FPS. The min-to-max spread at 1080p (34 FPS) is wider than at 4K (17 FPS), indicating that at lower resolutions, there is more headroom for frame time variance, while at 4K the system is consistently pegged near its limits.

The data suggests that the RTX 2060 SUPER is the definitive bottleneck at 4K across all settings. Even at Low, the 75 FPS average shows the GPU cannot fully utilize the CPU's potential. At 1440p, the results are more balanced, with High settings yielding 72 FPS, which is playable but not high-refresh territory. The transition from 1080p to 1440p at High settings incurs a 27 FPS loss (from 99 to 72 FPS), which is a significant 27.3% reduction, highlighting that even a modest resolution increase has substantial performance implications for this GPU in Lockdown Protocol.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus brings substantial processing power to Lockdown Protocol, though the game's measured FPS suggests it is rarely the constraining factor. The CPU features 24 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. Its benchmark results are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731 and a single-core score of 7303. This places the chip in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, indicating top-tier performance for handling game logic, physics, and AI calculations.

In the context of Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and manage the game's simulation. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 159 FPS, which is likely near the upper limit of what this combination can produce. The fact that the frame rate scales down as resolution increases, rather than plateauing, confirms that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in most scenarios. The chip's high single-thread performance, evidenced by a Passmark single-thread score of 4823, ensures that the game's main thread is well-served, preventing stutter or frame pacing issues that could occur with weaker processors.

Comparing to its nearest rivals, the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus holds a slight edge over the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, with an average benchmark score of 84003 versus 83807, a delta of 0.2%. It also outperforms the AMD EPYC 4584PX and EPYC 9135 by 1.1% and 1.2%, respectively, though those are server-class chips. The only rival ahead is the AMD EPYC 7F72, which leads by 1.3%. These margins are negligible in gaming terms, meaning the CPU's performance is effectively at parity with the best available options, further reinforcing that it is not the limiting component in Lockdown Protocol.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s and support for DDR5 memory also contribute to smooth data flow, which is critical in a fast-paced FPS where asset streaming is constant. However, with the GPU capping frame rates at 4K to 35-75 FPS, the CPU's capabilities are largely held in reserve. The data indicates that at 1080p, the combination approaches the CPU's practical gaming ceiling, but it is the GPU that determines the final frame output at all settings above the lowest at that resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the performance determinant in this Lockdown Protocol configuration. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, the GPU has sufficient resources for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but its 12 nm Turing architecture, with a base clock of 1470 MHz and boost of 1650 MHz, shows its age at 4K. The GPU's FP32 performance is 7.181 TFLOPS, and it holds a 62nd percentile ranking among all GPUs, placing it in the mid-range tier.

The measured FPS data directly reflects the GPU's limitations. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 35, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay in a competitive FPS. Even at 4K Low, the 75 FPS average is playable but far from the high refresh rates that the CPU could theoretically support. The GPU's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile, which scores 0.4% higher on average, and the AMD Radeon Pro 5700, which is 0.5% higher. The AMD Radeon RX 460 and Intel Arc A770M are 1.5% and 1.6% lower, respectively. This tight grouping indicates that the RTX 2060 SUPER is positioned in a crowded performance band, and its 8 GB VRAM capacity is a potential limitation for texture-heavy settings at higher resolutions.

VRAM usage is a critical consideration. Lockdown Protocol at 4K with High or Ultra settings could easily exceed 8 GB, leading to texture swapping and stutter. The benchmark data shows a 12 FPS average drop between High and Ultra at 4K (47 to 35 FPS), which is a 25.5% reduction. This suggests that Ultra settings may be pushing the GPU's memory and compute limits simultaneously. At 1080p, the gap between High and Ultra is 25 FPS (99 to 74 FPS), indicating that the GPU is less memory-constrained at lower resolutions, but the compute overhead of Ultra still exacts a significant toll.

The GPU's 175 W TDP and dual-slot design are typical for this class, but the data shows that in Lockdown Protocol, the RTX 2060 SUPER is best utilized at 1080p or 1440p with medium-to-high settings. The measured 1440p High result of 72 FPS is respectable, but the 4K results, even at Low (75 FPS), show that the GPU is working at its maximum capacity, with no headroom for frame rate variability, as evidenced by the narrow min-max spread at 4K Medium.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 4K performance is marginal. At High settings, the average FPS is 47, and at Ultra it drops to 35. Even at Low settings, the average is 75 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for competitive play. The GPU is the primary constraint at this resolution.

Q: What is the best resolution for high refresh rate gaming with this setup?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where high refresh rates are achievable. At Low settings, the average FPS is 159, and at Medium it is 113. For a 144 Hz monitor, Medium settings at 1080p would be the optimal choice.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its direct predecessor?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84003, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K's score of 83807. This indicates a very minor performance uplift, making the 290K Plus effectively a refresh rather than a major upgrade.

Q: Is the RTX 2060 SUPER's 8 GB VRAM sufficient for Lockdown Protocol?

A: The measured data suggests that 8 GB is adequate for 1080p and 1440p at most settings. However, the significant FPS drop from High to Ultra at 4K (47 to 35 FPS) indicates that the GPU is struggling with memory and compute demands, suggesting that Ultra settings at 4K may exceed comfortable VRAM capacity.

Q: What is the performance gap between the RTX 2060 SUPER and its closest competitor?

A: The nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile, which has an average benchmark score of 18159, just 0.4% higher than the RTX 2060 SUPER's score of 18093. This difference is negligible in real-world gaming.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at 1080p?

A: The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system reaches 159 FPS. Given the CPU's high single-thread performance (Passmark score of 4823), it is unlikely to be the bottleneck at this resolution. The GPU's rendering limits are the primary constraint, as evidenced by the FPS dropping to 74 at 1080p Ultra.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear hierarchy for settings optimization in Lockdown Protocol. For players prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity, the Low preset at 1920x1080 delivers 159 FPS average, which is ideal for competitive play. However, this sacrifices graphical quality. The Medium preset at 1080p offers a balanced experience with 113 FPS average and a minimum of 96 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay even in intense firefights. This is the recommended setting for most users, as it maintains a high frame rate while providing better visual detail than Low.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset yields 83 FPS average with a minimum of 70 FPS, which is acceptable for casual play but may feel less responsive in fast-paced scenarios. The High preset at 1440p drops to 72 FPS average, which is still playable on a 60 Hz monitor but not on a 144 Hz display. For 1440p users, the Low preset (117 FPS) is the only way to achieve high refresh rates, but it significantly reduces visual quality.

At 3840x2160, the data shows that no setting provides a consistently smooth experience. The Low preset averages 75 FPS, which is borderline playable, but the Medium preset drops to 53 FPS average with a minimum of 45 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable FPS gaming. The High and Ultra presets at 4K (47 and 35 FPS respectively) are not recommended for any gameplay style. Therefore, for 4K, players should either accept the Low preset or reduce the resolution to 1440p for a better experience.

The best overall experience, according to the measured rows, is the Medium preset at 1920x1080. It provides a 113 FPS average with a 96 FPS minimum, ensuring no significant frame drops. The jump from Medium to High at 1080p only yields a 14 FPS average loss (113 to 99 FPS), but the visual improvement may justify this for some players. However, the Ultra preset at 1080p (74 FPS) is not worth the performance cost, as the drop from High is 25 FPS, which is too steep for the marginal graphical gains.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS dataset for Lockdown Protocol with the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is as follows:

At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 159 FPS. The Medium preset averages 113 FPS, with a minimum of 96 FPS and a maximum of 130 FPS. The High preset averages 99 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 74 FPS. This shows a clear progression of performance loss as settings increase, with a total drop of 85 FPS from Low to Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 117 FPS. The Medium preset averages 83 FPS, with a minimum of 70 FPS and a maximum of 95 FPS. The High preset averages 72 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 54 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings results in a 42 FPS loss, while at Ultra settings, the loss is 20 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 75 FPS. The Medium preset averages 53 FPS, with a minimum of 45 FPS and a maximum of 62 FPS. The High preset averages 47 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 35 FPS. The 4K results show the most significant performance degradation, with the Ultra preset falling below 40 FPS, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay.

The data across all resolutions and settings reveals that the RTX 2060 SUPER is the dominant factor in determining frame rates. The CPU's high performance is evident in the stable minimum FPS values at Medium settings, which never drop below 45 FPS even at 4K. However, the GPU's compute and memory limitations cap the maximum achievable frame rates, particularly at higher resolutions and settings. This combination is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can deliver high frame rates across all presets, and 1440p gaming, where it can maintain playable frame rates at Medium settings or below.