Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol’s CPU demands are substantial, but the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus handles them with authority. This 24-core, 24-thread processor operates with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. Its performance percentile of 96 indicates it outpaces the vast majority of CPUs on the market. In synthetic benchmarks, the chip scores 51,731 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 7,303 in single-core, showcasing a balanced profile for both heavily threaded game logic and the primary thread that often dictates frame pacing in competitive FPS titles. The 36 MB of shared L3 cache provides a large pool for frequently accessed game data, while the 115.2 GB/s memory bandwidth ensures the 24 cores are fed without bottleneck.

Relative to its closest rivals, the 290K Plus sits in a tight cluster. It scores 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, a negligible margin that puts the two effectively on par for gaming. The delta is slightly larger against AMD EPYC parts, with the 290K Plus leading the EPYC 4584PX by 1.1% and the EPYC 9135 by 1.2%. Interestingly, it trails the older AMD EPYC 7F72 by 1.3%, suggesting that raw core count in server parts can still edge out this desktop flagship in aggregate workloads, though those chips lack the single-thread speed that Lockdown Protocol likely leverages. The data suggests that the 290K Plus is not the limiting factor in this configuration; the CPU’s 96th percentile standing means it is providing ample headroom for the GPU to do its work.

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

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is built on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture using a 3 nm process from TSMC. With 24 cores and 24 threads, it is a high-core-count desktop part that excels in multi-threaded environments. The 5.80 GHz boost clock is a critical feature for Lockdown Protocol, as FPS titles often have a primary simulation thread that benefits immensely from high frequency. The benchmark data supports this: the single-core score of 7,303 in Cinebench R23 is strong, and the PassMark single-thread score of 4,823 reinforces that this chip can process the game’s main loop quickly, minimizing frame time spikes.

The CPU’s performance in this specific game combo is ranked 205th out of 3,714 tested combinations, placing it in the top 5.5% of all pairings. This ranking is a direct result of the CPU’s ability to maintain high throughput. The 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die allow for substantial compute resources, and the 192 KB of L1 cache per core plus 3 MB of L2 cache per core reduce latency for the most critical data. When looking at the measured FPS, the jump from Low to Ultra settings shows how the CPU holds up. At 1080p Low, the system produces 333 FPS, which is a CPU-bound scenario where the 290K Plus’s speed is fully exposed. The fact that it can push past 300 FPS even at 1080p indicates that the CPU is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions, a signal of its high clock speed and efficient architecture.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the CPU’s lead is marginal but present. The 0.2% delta over the 285K is within the margin of error for most benchmarks, but the 290K Plus still holds the top spot in this comparison group. The AMD EPYC parts, while competitive in aggregate scores, are fundamentally different products designed for servers, and their lower single-core performance would likely yield lower frame rates in a game like Lockdown Protocol. The data shows that the 290K Plus provides a robust foundation, allowing the RTX 4080 to be the primary driver of visual fidelity without being starved for data.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the graphical powerhouse in this pairing, and its 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs confirms its high-end status. Built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using a 5 nm process, the GPU features 9,728 shading units, 76 RT cores, and 304 tensor cores. Its boost clock of 2505 MHz, up from a base of 2205 MHz, allows for significant compute throughput, with an FP32 performance of 48.74 TFLOPS. The 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for the textures and geometry at 4K resolution in Lockdown Protocol.

The GPU’s role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution scales up. At 1080p, the CPU can push the GPU to its limits, but at 4K, the RTX 4080’s pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 761.5 GTexel/s become the deciding factors. The VRAM capacity is a key asset here; 16 GB prevents any memory spillover at Ultra settings, ensuring consistent frame delivery. The GPU’s nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, is only 0.1% faster in aggregate benchmarks, meaning the two are virtually indistinguishable in real-world gaming. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is 1.1% slower, while the Radeon RX 6750 GRE and Radeon 8060S are 2.6% and 2.7% slower, respectively, indicating that the RTX 4080 sits in a strong position relative to its immediate competition.

In the measured FPS data, the GPU’s impact is clear. At 4K Ultra, the system drops to 73 FPS, a significant reduction from the 155 FPS seen at 1080p Ultra. This 53% performance loss from 1080p to 4K is primarily due to the GPU’s rendering load, not the CPU. The RTX 4080’s 16 GB VRAM is not a limiting factor, as the game’s memory footprint is well within capacity. The GPU’s DirectX 12 Ultimate support and Vulkan 1.4 API compatibility ensure it can utilize modern rendering techniques, and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6,567 indicates strong raw graphics performance. The GPU is clearly the component that scales with resolution, and its capabilities are well-matched to the 290K Plus’s processing power.

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

Analyzing the measured FPS rows, the optimal balance between visual quality and performance depends heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. The data provides clear guidance for each resolution tier.

At 1080p, the system is overwhelmingly CPU-bound. The Low preset produces 333 FPS, Medium yields 236 FPS, High drops to 206 FPS, and Ultra sits at 155 FPS. For a competitive FPS player with a 240Hz monitor, the Medium preset is the sweet spot, as it delivers 236 FPS with a minimum of 201 FPS, staying above the refresh threshold while offering improved visuals over Low. The High preset at 206 FPS is also viable for 200Hz displays, but the Ultra preset’s 155 FPS may fall below the refresh rate of high-end monitors, making it less ideal for competitive play. The jump from Low to Medium costs 97 FPS but provides a substantial visual upgrade, making Medium the recommended preset for 1080p.

At 1440p, the GPU begins to take on more load. Low produces 244 FPS, Medium 173 FPS, High 151 FPS, and Ultra 113 FPS. For a 144Hz monitor, the High preset at 151 FPS is the best choice, as it exceeds the refresh rate while providing rich detail. The Medium preset at 173 FPS offers more headroom for frame drops, but the visual fidelity of High is often worth the 22 FPS reduction. Ultra at 113 FPS is playable but does not fully utilize a 144Hz panel. The minimum FPS for Medium at 1440p is 147, which is just above the 144Hz threshold, making it a safe fallback if High proves inconsistent.

At 4K, the GPU is the primary bottleneck. Ultra runs at 73 FPS, High at 98 FPS, Medium at 112 FPS, and Low at 157 FPS. For a 60Hz display, the High preset at 98 FPS is ideal, as it provides excellent visual quality with a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 73 FPS is also viable for 60Hz panels, but the 25 FPS gain from High to Ultra is not proportional to the visual improvement, making High the more efficient choice. For 120Hz displays, the Medium preset at 112 FPS is the only option that approaches the refresh rate, though it still falls short. The Low preset at 157 FPS is the only one that exceeds 120Hz, but it sacrifices too much visual quality for a single-player experience. The data suggests that 4K High is the best overall experience, offering a 98 FPS average that balances smoothness and detail.

FAQ

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus compare to its closest rival, the 285K?

A: The 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84,003, which is 0.2% higher than the 285K’s 83,807. This difference is minimal, indicating that the two CPUs perform nearly identically in aggregate workloads, with the 290K Plus holding a slight edge.

Q: What is the GPU’s performance percentile, and what does it mean for Lockdown Protocol?

A: The RTX 4080 sits in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, meaning it outperforms 86% of graphics cards. This high ranking ensures it can handle demanding settings at high resolutions, though it is the limiting factor at 4K Ultra where it drops to 73 FPS.

Q: Is 16 GB of VRAM sufficient for Lockdown Protocol at 4K?

A: Yes, the 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra is 73 FPS, indicating that the VRAM capacity is not a bottleneck, as the game runs without memory-related stutters.

Q: Which resolution shows the most CPU-bound behavior?

A: At 1920x1080, the system produces 333 FPS on Low settings, which is significantly higher than at other resolutions. This indicates that the CPU is the primary driver of performance at 1080p, as the GPU has ample headroom to keep up with the 290K Plus’s frame generation.

Q: How does the 290K Plus rank among all CPU/GPU combinations in this game?

A: The combo is ranked 205th out of 3,714 tested combinations, placing it in the top 5.5%. This ranking reflects the strong synergy between the 290K Plus and the RTX 4080, which together deliver high frame rates across all settings.

Q: What is the GPU’s launch MSRP?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 had a launch MSRP of 1,199 USD.

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

The FPS data reveals a clear scaling pattern that identifies the system’s bottleneck at each resolution. At 1080p, the system is CPU-bound. The Low preset achieves 333 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 155 FPS, a 53% reduction. This drop is due to increased GPU load, but the absolute numbers remain high, indicating that the CPU is still feeding the GPU effectively. The transition from 1080p to 1440p shows a performance loss of approximately 27% across all settings. For example, High drops from 206 FPS to 151 FPS, and Ultra drops from 155 FPS to 113 FPS. This scaling is more pronounced, suggesting the GPU is starting to become a larger factor, but the CPU still has headroom.

The most significant drop occurs from 1440p to 4K. High falls from 151 FPS to 98 FPS, a 35% reduction, while Ultra falls from 113 FPS to 73 FPS, a 35% reduction as well. Low sees a drop from 244 FPS to 157 FPS, a 36% reduction. This consistent ~35% penalty across all settings at 4K is a classic sign of GPU limitation. The pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K, but the frame rate does not drop by 75%, indicating that the CPU is still contributing significantly at 1080p and 1440p, while the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck at 4K. The RTX 4080’s 16 GB VRAM and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient, but the raw compute power of 48.74 TFLOPS is challenged by the 4K resolution. The data shows that the system transitions from CPU-limited at 1080p to GPU-limited at 4K, with a balanced crossover around 1440p where both components share the load.

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

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across all combinations. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 333 FPS. The Medium preset averages 236 FPS, with a minimum of 201 FPS and a maximum of 272 FPS. High settings produce 206 FPS, while Ultra drops to 155 FPS. These numbers show that even at the most demanding 1080p preset, the system maintains a frame rate suitable for high-refresh-rate gaming.

At 2560x1440, performance scales down proportionally. Low averages 244 FPS, Medium averages 173 FPS with a minimum of 147 FPS and a maximum of 199 FPS, High averages 151 FPS, and Ultra averages 113 FPS. The Medium preset’s minimum of 147 FPS is notable, as it stays above the 144Hz refresh rate threshold, making it a reliable choice for competitive play. High and Ultra offer better visuals but require a lower refresh rate monitor to avoid screen tearing.

At 3840x2160, the GPU’s workload becomes the dominant factor. Low averages 157 FPS, Medium averages 112 FPS with a minimum of 95 FPS and a maximum of 129 FPS, High averages 98 FPS, and Ultra averages 73 FPS. The Medium preset’s minimum of 95 FPS is the lowest recorded across all resolutions, indicating that even with a capable GPU, 4K Ultra can push the system to its limits. The step from High to Ultra at 4K costs 25 FPS, which is the largest single-settings jump in the entire dataset, highlighting the extreme demands of Ultra settings at 4K. Overall, the measured data shows a system that excels at 1080p and 1440p, with 4K being reserved for those who prioritize visual fidelity over raw frame rate.