Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol pairs the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, a combination that delivers a wide performance envelope across resolutions and presets. The measured data shows a system that is capable of high refresh rates at 1080p and 1440p, while still maintaining playable framerates at 4K, though the scaling between settings reveals distinct bottlenecks. This analysis breaks down the raw numbers to explain how the CPU and GPU each contribute to the final experience in this FPS title.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread desktop processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It operates with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and can boost up to 5.80 GHz, with a TDP of 125 W. The processor includes a 36 MB shared L3 cache and 3 MB of L2 cache per core, supporting DDR5 memory over a dual-channel bus with a bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU scores 51,731 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 7,303 in single-core, placing it in the 96th percentile among all CPUs tested.

For a game like Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's high single-thread performance, evidenced by the 7,303 single-core score, is crucial for maintaining high framerates, particularly at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the measured FPS at Low settings reaches 249, which indicates that the processor is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to hit very high frame rates. The multi-core might, demonstrated by the 51,731 Cinebench R23 score, ensures that background tasks and game logic do not cause stutters, but the game's performance scaling with resolution suggests that the CPU is not the primary limiter in most scenarios.

Comparing the Ultra 9 290K Plus to its nearest rivals, its average benchmark score of 84,003 is 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, which scores 83,807. It is also 1.1% higher than the AMD EPYC 4584PX and 1.2% higher than the AMD EPYC 9135, while trailing the AMD EPYC 7F72 by 1.3%. These margins are small, indicating that within this performance tier, the CPU choice does not lead to massive swings in overall capability. In Lockdown Protocol, this means the CPU provides a solid, consistent foundation that allows the GPU to be the deciding factor in frame rate output as resolution increases.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured FPS data provides a clear view of how each preset impacts performance. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 249 FPS, while Medium drops to 177 FPS, High to 155 FPS, and Ultra to 116 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium is a 72 FPS reduction, which is substantial, but the step from Medium to High is only 22 FPS, and High to Ultra is 39 FPS. For competitive play where maximum frame rate is paramount, the Low preset at 1080p offers the highest headroom, but the High preset at 155 FPS still provides a very smooth experience with presumably better visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the pattern shifts slightly. Low settings yield 183 FPS, Medium drops to 130 FPS, High to 113 FPS, and Ultra to 85 FPS. The difference between Medium and High here is only 17 FPS, making High a compelling choice for users with 144Hz monitors, as it stays above the refresh rate threshold. At 4K (3840x2160), the presets show a steeper decline: Low gives 118 FPS, Medium 84 FPS, High 73 FPS, and Ultra 55 FPS. For a 60Hz 4K display, the Medium preset at 84 FPS is the sweet spot, as it offers a significant bump over Low without the performance hit of High or Ultra.

Based on the measured rows, the best experience balances framerate and visual quality. At 1080p, High is recommended for its 155 FPS average, which is more than sufficient for most monitors. At 1440p, the High preset's 113 FPS is ideal for high-refresh displays. For 4K, Medium at 84 FPS is the optimal choice, as it remains well above 60 FPS while providing more detail than Low. The Ultra preset, while visually demanding, only makes sense for users who prioritize graphics over frame rate and have a 60Hz display, as the 55 FPS average at 4K is below the ideal threshold.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The FPS scaling across resolutions reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 249 at 1080p to 183 at 1440p, a 26.5% decrease, and then to 118 at 4K, a further 35.5% decrease from 1440p. This steep decline as pixel count increases indicates that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is the limiting component, as the CPU's performance headroom is not being fully utilized at higher resolutions. The single-core strength of the Ultra 9 290K Plus is sufficient to maintain high frame rates at 1080p, but the GPU's rendering workload becomes the bottleneck as resolution scales.

This trend is consistent across all settings. At Medium, FPS drops from 177 at 1080p to 130 at 1440p (a 26.6% decrease) and then to 84 at 4K (a 35.4% decrease from 1440p). At High, the drop is from 155 at 1080p to 113 at 1440p (27.1%) and then to 73 at 4K (35.4%). The consistent percentage drops across different presets reinforce that the scaling behavior is tied to resolution, not settings, which is a hallmark of a GPU-limited workload. The CPU is capable of delivering data fast enough, but the RTX 3080's pixel processing capability is what determines the final frame rate.

The data indicates that to maintain a playable experience at 4K, users must lower settings significantly. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 63 FPS (118 vs 55), which is a massive swing that highlights the GPU's inability to handle the most demanding preset at that resolution. Conversely, at 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 133 FPS (249 vs 116), showing that the CPU can push high frame rates even with less GPU work. This scaling analysis confirms that the RTX 3080 is the primary performance limiter in Lockdown Protocol, and any resolution increase will disproportionately impact frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 ranks 1,031 out of 3,714 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the top 27.8% of all tested systems, which is a strong showing for a pairing of a high-end CPU with a previous-generation high-end GPU. The rank indicates that while this combo is not at the absolute top tier, it outperforms the majority of systems tested in this game.

The combo ranking is more reflective of the GPU's capabilities than the CPU's, given the GPU-bound nature of the game. The RTX 3080, while powerful, is not the fastest GPU available, which caps the combo's overall position in the rankings. However, the Ultra 9 290K Plus's strong single-thread performance ensures that the combo does not fall behind due to CPU limitations. The 96th percentile CPU ranking, combined with the 68th percentile GPU ranking, suggests that the CPU is overqualified for the GPU, but this does not harm the game's performance.

Compared to other combos, this rank of 1,031 means there are 2,683 combinations that perform worse in Lockdown Protocol. This is a solid result, particularly for users who prioritize a balanced build. The data shows that this combo can achieve high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, which likely places it ahead of many systems with weaker CPUs or older GPUs. The rank is a useful metric for users to understand where this system stands relative to the entire test pool, and it confirms that the RTX 3080, despite being end-of-life, is still a competitive choice for this game.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is built on the Ampere architecture with a GA102 chip, fabricated on an 8 nm process by Samsung. It has 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 760.3 GB/s. The GPU's base clock is 1440 MHz with a boost clock of 1710 MHz, and it offers 8,704 shading units, 272 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. Its compute capabilities include 29.77 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 68 RT cores for ray tracing. In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 3080 scores 4,407 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 and 25,086 in Passmark G3D, placing it in the 68th percentile among all GPUs.

The 10 GB of VRAM is sufficient for Lockdown Protocol at 1080p and 1440p, but it may become a limiting factor at 4K with higher presets. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra is 55, which suggests that the GPU is working at its limits, both in terms of compute and memory bandwidth. The 760.3 GB/s bandwidth is high, but the 4K resolution demands a large amount of data throughput, and the 10 GB capacity could cause texture streaming issues in more complex scenes, although the data does not show explicit stutters.

The GPU's boost clock of 1710 MHz and its 29.77 TFLOPS of FP32 compute are key to its performance in this game. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (249) shows that the GPU can easily handle low-resolution rendering, but as the resolution increases, the compute units are fully utilized. The RTX 3080's nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA P106-100, which scores 23,249 (0.3% higher), and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16, which scores 23,250 (0.3% higher). These rival scores are nearly identical, indicating that the RTX 3080's performance is well-established within its tier, and its 23,172 average benchmark score is a reliable indicator of its capability.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 144Hz 1440p monitor?

A: Based on the measured data, the High preset at 2560x1440 delivers an average of 113 FPS, which is close to the 144Hz refresh rate. The Medium preset offers 130 FPS, which is a better match for 144Hz, but High provides a better visual quality trade-off. For a consistent 144 FPS, Low at 183 FPS is the only preset that exceeds it.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming at 60 FPS?

A: Yes, but only on lower presets. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 118 FPS, and Medium averages 84 FPS, both above 60 FPS. The High preset drops to 73 FPS, and Ultra falls to 55 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target.

Q: How does the CPU's single-core performance affect the game?

A: The CPU's single-core Cinebench R23 score is 7,303, which is in the 96th percentile. In Lockdown Protocol, this high single-thread performance allows for frame rates up to 249 FPS at 1080p Low, demonstrating that the CPU can keep up with the GPU's output without becoming a bottleneck.

Q: Is the RTX 3080 a good match for the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus in this game?

A: The data shows that the combo ranks 1,031 out of 3,714 tested, placing it in the top 27.8%. While the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, the CPU's strength ensures the system performs well overall, making it a capable pairing for this FPS title.

Q: What is the difference in FPS between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 249 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 116 FPS. This is a difference of 133 FPS, showing that the Ultra preset significantly increases the GPU workload even at a lower resolution.

Q: Does the GPU's memory capacity affect performance at 4K?

A: The RTX 3080 has 10 GB of GDDR6X memory. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 55, which is below the 60 FPS target. While the data does not isolate memory capacity as the sole cause, the 4K resolution combined with high settings likely stresses the 10 GB capacity, contributing to the lower performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The following table details the exact average FPS for each resolution and settings preset combination, as measured in the benchmark.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

|---|---|---|

| 3840x2160 | High | 73 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 118 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 84 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 55 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 113 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 183 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 130 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 85 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 155 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 249 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 177 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 116 |

For the Medium preset, additional data is available showing minimum and maximum FPS. At 3840x2160 Medium, the minimum is 71 FPS and the maximum is 96 FPS. At 2560x1440 Medium, the minimum is 110 FPS and the maximum is 149 FPS. At 1920x1080 Medium, the minimum is 151 FPS and the maximum is 204 FPS. This data indicates that the Medium preset provides a stable experience, with the minimum FPS staying above the 60 FPS threshold at all resolutions.

At 4K, the performance gap between the lowest and highest presets is 63 FPS (118 Low vs 55 Ultra). At 1440p, the gap is 98 FPS (183 Low vs 85 Ultra). At 1080p, the gap is 133 FPS (249 Low vs 116 Ultra). This scaling confirms that the GPU's workload increases exponentially with resolution, and the RTX 3080's performance is best suited for high refresh rate gaming at 1080p and 1440p, with 4K gaming reserved for lower settings. The Ultra preset is only viable at 1080p, where it still achieves a respectable 116 FPS.