Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol is a fast-paced FPS where frame rate directly impacts aiming precision and reaction time. When paired with the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070, the measured data shows a system that is capable of delivering smooth gameplay across all tested presets. The optimal balance between visual fidelity and performance, however, shifts depending on your display's resolution.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data for this combination reveals a clear performance hierarchy across the four tested quality presets. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are exceptionally high, with the Low preset delivering 278 FPS, Medium at 197 FPS, High at 172 FPS, and Ultra at 129 FPS. This indicates that at 1080p, the CPU-GPU combo is rarely the limiting factor. For competitive play where maximum refresh rates matter, the Low preset at 278 FPS provides the greatest headroom. However, the High preset at 172 FPS is the recommended sweet spot for most users, as it offers a substantial improvement in visual quality while still maintaining frame rates well above the threshold for high-refresh-rate monitors, sacrificing only 106 FPS compared to Low but gaining significant graphical detail.

Stepping up to 2560x1440, the performance remains robust, but the gap between presets narrows. The Low preset yields 204 FPS, Medium provides 145 FPS, High delivers 126 FPS, and Ultra drops to 95 FPS. At this resolution, the High preset is the recommended choice for a balanced experience. It maintains an average of 126 FPS, which is smooth for most gaming scenarios, while the jump from Medium to High offers a noticeable improvement in texture detail and shadow quality. The Ultra preset, while visually stunning, dips below the 100 FPS mark, which may be noticeable to players with 144Hz or higher displays. For those prioritizing a competitive edge, the Medium preset's 145 FPS offers a meaningful boost over High, but the visual compromise is more apparent at this resolution than at 1080p.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the RTX 5070 begins to feel the strain of the higher pixel count. The measured averages are 132 FPS for Low, 93 FPS for Medium, 82 FPS for High, and 61 FPS for Ultra. Here, the Medium preset is the clear recommendation for a playable and visually appealing experience. It is the only preset at 4K that breaks the 90 FPS average, providing a smooth and responsive feel. The High preset at 82 FPS is acceptable for slower-paced moments, but it may feel less fluid during intense firefights. The Ultra preset at 61 FPS is not recommended for a competitive FPS, as the frame rate is too close to the 60 FPS baseline and will likely suffer from stutter in demanding scenes. The data suggests that 4K gaming on Ultra is a stretch for this GPU, and players should expect to dial back settings to Medium to achieve a consistently high frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 combination holds a combo rank of 517 out of 2828 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places the pairing in the top 18.3% of all tested systems, indicating a strong, high-end performance tier. This ranking reflects the balance between the CPU's processing power and the GPU's rendering capabilities for this specific title. It suggests that while there are faster combinations available, this setup is firmly in the upper echelon, capable of delivering high frame rates at demanding resolutions and settings.

The CPU's individual performance helps contextualize this ranking. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has a percentile rank of 96 against all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 84003 is 0.2% higher than its closest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K. This shows the processor is a top-tier part that provides a strong foundation for gaming. The GPU, while also powerful, has a percentile rank of 82 against all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 40377 is just 0.1% above the AMD Radeon Pro 580, indicating that it is a high-performing card but not at the very apex of the GPU hierarchy. This combination of a top-5% CPU and a top-20% GPU results in a system that punches above its weight in Lockdown Protocol, as the game appears to leverage the CPU's strengths well.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is the primary driver of frame rate in Lockdown Protocol, and its 12 GB of GDDR7 memory is a critical component for high-resolution gaming. The memory operates at 1750 MHz with an effective speed of 28 Gbps, delivering a bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s across a 192-bit bus. This bandwidth is sufficient to feed the GPU's 6144 shading units at the tested settings, though the performance drop at 4K Ultra suggests that the memory capacity and bandwidth are being pushed to their limits. The card's 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores are also present, though their impact on this non-ray-traced title is minimal.

The GPU's clock speeds play a significant role in its performance. The base clock is 2325 MHz with a boost clock of 2512 MHz. The boost clock is the more relevant figure for gaming, as it is sustained under load. The 5 nm process node allows for these high clocks while maintaining a 250 W TDP. The data shows a clear scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1080p High, the card produces 172 FPS; at 1440p High, it drops to 126 FPS; and at 4K High, it falls to 82 FPS. This 52% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K at the High preset is expected, given the fourfold increase in pixel count. The card's pixel rate of 201.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 482.3 GTexel/s are key metrics that determine how quickly it can fill the screen with detailed textures.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates exceptional performance. The Low preset achieves an average of 278 FPS, making it ideal for maximum refresh rate displays. The Medium preset records an average of 197 FPS, with a minimum of 168 FPS and a maximum of 227 FPS, providing a stable experience well above 144Hz. The High preset yields 172 FPS, a significant step down from Medium but still excellent for high-refresh-rate gaming. The Ultra preset rounds out the options with 129 FPS, which is playable but shows the performance cost of maximum settings.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong. The Low preset averages 204 FPS, ensuring a very smooth experience. The Medium preset delivers 145 FPS, with a minimum of 123 FPS and a maximum of 166 FPS, offering a good balance between speed and visuals. The High preset produces 126 FPS, which is still above the 120Hz threshold and suitable for most gamers. The Ultra preset drops to 95 FPS, which is the first point where the system falls below the 100 FPS mark in this resolution, indicating that the GPU is beginning to work harder.

At 3840x2160, the system's performance is more constrained. The Low preset reaches 132 FPS, which is impressive for 4K. The Medium preset averages 93 FPS, with a minimum of 79 FPS and a maximum of 107 FPS, making it the only 4K preset that consistently stays above 60 FPS. The High preset falls to 82 FPS, which is acceptable but shows the strain of 4K rendering. The Ultra preset averages just 61 FPS, with the minimum likely dipping below 60 FPS in intense scenes, making it the least desirable option for a competitive FPS at this resolution.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve maximum frame rates?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 278 FPS, the highest measured frame rate for this combination. This is the optimal setup for players seeking the absolute maximum frame rate.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Lockdown Protocol?

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 3840x2160, the Medium preset yields an average of 93 FPS (minimum 79 FPS), which is smooth and playable. The High preset averages 82 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 61 FPS, which may not be ideal for fast-paced gameplay.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between High and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset produces an average of 126 FPS, while the Ultra preset produces 95 FPS. This is a difference of 31 FPS, representing a 24.6% performance gain by using High settings over Ultra.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: The combo has a rank of 517 out of 2828 tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the top 18.3% of all systems.

Q: Is the RTX 5070's 12 GB of VRAM sufficient for this game?

A: At the tested settings, the 12 GB of GDDR7 memory is sufficient. The card delivers playable frame rates at all resolutions, with the performance drop at 4K Ultra being more attributable to raw compute limits rather than a memory capacity issue.

Q: What is the minimum frame rate recorded for the Medium preset at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the minimum FPS recorded is 168, with an average of 197 FPS and a maximum of 227 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus provides the computational backbone for this system. With 24 cores and 24 threads, it has a substantial amount of parallel processing power. The absence of hyper-threading is notable, but the high core count compensates for this in multi-threaded workloads. Its base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz allow for excellent single-thread performance, which is crucial for game logic and physics calculations in a title like Lockdown Protocol. The CPU's 36 MB of shared L3 cache is a large pool of high-speed memory that helps keep frequently accessed data close to the cores, reducing latency.

In terms of benchmark scores, the CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731 and a single-core score of 7303. The multi-core score is particularly impressive, indicating that the CPU can handle heavy background tasks without impacting game performance. Its Passmark single-thread score of 4823 is strong, ensuring that the main game thread has ample processing power. The CPU's 96th percentile rank against all other CPUs confirms its high-end status, and its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, is only 0.2% slower on average.

While the GPU is responsible for rendering the images, the CPU's role in Lockdown Protocol is to feed the GPU with draw calls and manage the game's simulation. The high boost clock of 5.80 GHz ensures that the CPU can process the game's instructions quickly, preventing a bottleneck at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 278 FPS, a frame rate that is likely CPU-limited, as the GPU is not under significant load at this resolution. The CPU's strong single-core performance is the key reason this system can achieve such high frame rates, as it can keep up with the game's request for new frames from the GPU. The data indicates that this CPU is more than capable of supporting the RTX 5070, providing a balanced and powerful platform for high-refresh-rate gaming.