Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol is a fast-paced FPS that demands a balanced system, and the combination of the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H with the AMD Radeon 8060S delivers a distinct performance profile. The data shows a system that is highly capable at mainstream resolutions but begins to show its limits when pushed to 4K with maximum settings. This analysis breaks down the benchmark results, component roles, and optimal settings for this specific hardware pairing.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall performance ranking of this CPU and GPU combo in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The combo ranks 1647 out of 2828 tested combinations, placing it in the upper-middle tier of all systems tested for this game.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H compare to its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D?

A: The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H has an average benchmark score of 44466, which is 0.2% lower than the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D's score of 44573. This makes the two processors virtually identical in overall compute performance.

Q: What is the best preset to use for the smoothest gameplay at 1080p?

A: Based on the measured frames per second, the Low preset offers the highest average FPS at 1920x1080, reaching 175 FPS. However, the Medium preset still provides a very high 124 FPS average, which is likely a better balance for visual fidelity.

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

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 3840x2160, the High preset achieves an average of 51 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 39 FPS. For a consistently smooth experience, the Low preset at 83 FPS is the only 4K option that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS.

Q: Is the AMD Radeon 8060S a discrete graphics card?

A: No, the AMD Radeon 8060S is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) that is part of the Strix Halo chip. Its slot width is listed as "IGP," and it uses system-shared memory rather than its own dedicated VRAM.

Q: How does the GPU's performance compare to a dedicated card like the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080?

A: The AMD Radeon 8060S has an average benchmark score of 55757, which is 2.8% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080's score of 54247. Despite being an integrated solution, its raw benchmark scores are competitive with that high-end discrete GPU.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon 8060S is the primary driver for frame generation in Lockdown Protocol, and its role is defined by its RDNA 3.5 architecture and a boost clock of 2900 MHz. The GPU's raw compute power, measured at 14.85 TFLOPS for FP32 operations, is substantial for an integrated part. Its benchmark scores reflect this, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2162 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 84626. These figures place the GPU at the 87th percentile of all GPUs, indicating it outperforms the vast majority of its peers.

The most critical aspect of this GPU is its memory configuration, which is "System Shared." This means the Radeon 8060S does not have its own dedicated VRAM pool; instead, it draws from the system's LPDDR5X memory. The memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," meaning its performance is directly tied to the speed and configuration of the system RAM. This is why the GPU's role becomes more complex at higher resolutions. At 3840x2160, the demand for memory bandwidth and capacity increases significantly, and the shared memory architecture can become a bottleneck. The data supports this: at 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 39, a substantial drop from the 81 FPS seen at 1080p Ultra. This suggests that while the GPU's shader cores are capable, the memory subsystem limits its ability to feed them data quickly enough at higher resolutions.

The GPU's performance in the context of its rivals is notable. It sits within 1% of the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080, and it leads the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 by 2.8%. This indicates that for a mobile integrated solution, the 8060S delivers exceptional compute throughput. However, this raw compute advantage is tempered in real-world gaming by the shared memory bandwidth. The game's results show that while the GPU is strong, its performance scaling from 1080p to 4K is not linear, pointing to the shared memory as the limiting factor in high-resolution scenarios.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H serves as the central processing unit, and its 16 cores and 16 threads are responsible for game logic, physics, and feeding the GPU with draw calls. With a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, the processor can deliver high single-thread performance when needed, which is crucial for FPS games. Its benchmark results confirm its strength: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 18911 and a single-core score of 2200.5 demonstrate a balanced capability for both multithreaded and lightly threaded workloads.

The CPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals is exceptionally tight. The data shows it is just 0.2% behind the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D and 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core i9-13950HX. This places the Ultra X9 388H in a performance class with some of the best desktop and mobile processors available. The PassMark multithread score of 36811 and the PassMark single-thread score of 4280 further underscore its position in the 88th percentile of all CPUs.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is most evident at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the primary bottleneck. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves 175 FPS, a number that is likely held back by the CPU's ability to process game logic and issue render commands. The CPU's 18 MB of shared L3 cache is also a factor, as it helps keep frequently accessed data close to the cores. At 1080p, the CPU is working hard to maintain high frame rates, and the measured FPS indicates that the 5.10 GHz boost clock is being effectively utilized. However, as the resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the frame rate becomes increasingly dependent on the GPU, and the CPU's influence on the final FPS number diminishes. The system is well-balanced, but the CPU is clearly capable enough to not be the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and the player's preference for visual quality versus frame rate. At 1920x1080, all presets are playable, but the choice depends on the desired smoothness. The Low preset delivers the highest average FPS at 175, offering the most responsive experience for competitive play. However, the Medium preset provides a better visual experience with an average of 124 FPS, which is still far above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The High preset drops to 109 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 81 FPS, both of which are still very playable but sacrifice performance for graphical fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the performance curve shifts. The Low preset is the only option that provides a high refresh rate experience, with an average of 128 FPS. The Medium preset is the best balance, offering an average of 91 FPS with a minimum of 77 FPS, ensuring a stable and smooth experience on most monitors. The High preset at 80 FPS is also viable. The Ultra preset, at 60 FPS, is right at the threshold and may experience noticeable frame drops in intense scenes.

At 3840x2160, the system's limitations become apparent. The Low preset is the only one that provides a clearly comfortable experience, with an average of 83 FPS. The Medium preset has an average of 59 FPS, which is just below the ideal 60 FPS mark. The High preset at 51 FPS and the Ultra preset at 39 FPS are not recommended for a smooth experience, as they will likely feel stuttery in a fast-paced FPS. For 4K gaming, the recommendation is to use the Low preset for playable frame rates or to consider lowering the resolution to 1440p to unlock higher quality settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H and AMD Radeon 8060S combination holds a rank of 1647 out of 2828 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the 58th percentile of all systems, meaning it outperforms more than half of the tested configurations. This is a strong showing for a mobile platform, especially considering the GPU is an integrated part. The ranking suggests that while this combo is not at the top tier for maximum 4K performance, it is a very capable system for high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p gaming.

The ranking is a reflection of the balance between the CPU and GPU. The CPU is in the 88th percentile of all processors, and the GPU is in the 87th percentile of all GPUs. When combined, they produce a system that is greater than the sum of its parts in terms of overall ranking. However, the shared memory architecture of the GPU likely prevents the combo from ranking higher. In games where memory bandwidth is not a limiting factor, this system would likely rank much higher. In Lockdown Protocol, the 4K performance drop-off suggests the system is held back in that specific scenario, which pulls its overall rank down from what it might achieve in other titles.

The nearest rival combos are not specified, but the individual component data shows that the CPU and GPU are both competitive with high-end discrete parts. The CPU's performance is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D, a popular gaming chip, and the GPU's benchmark scores are in line with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080. This suggests that the combo's rank is more about the interaction between the components and the game's engine than about any single component being a weak link.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data is taken directly from the measured FPS table for Lockdown Protocol.

1920x1080:

• Low: Average 175 FPS. This is the highest frame rate recorded for this system, indicating a CPU-bound scenario at this resolution.
• Medium: Average 124 FPS, with a minimum of 106 FPS and a maximum of 143 FPS. This shows excellent frame pacing and a significant boost over High settings.
• High: Average 109 FPS. This is a solid performance level for a high-quality visual experience.
• Ultra: Average 81 FPS. Still smooth, but a noticeable step down from the High preset.

2560x1440:

• Low: Average 128 FPS. The system still delivers high refresh rate performance at this resolution with the lowest preset.
• Medium: Average 91 FPS, with a minimum of 77 FPS and a maximum of 105 FPS. This is the sweet spot for 1440p gaming, providing a balance of quality and speed.
• High: Average 80 FPS. This is a comfortable level for most 60Hz-144Hz monitors.
• Ultra: Average 60 FPS. Exactly at the 60 FPS threshold, but may dip below in demanding scenes.

3840x2160:

• Low: Average 83 FPS. This is the only 4K preset that delivers a clearly smooth experience, indicating that the GPU is still capable at lower settings.
• Medium: Average 59 FPS, with a minimum of 50 FPS and a maximum of 68 FPS. This is right on the edge of playability and may suffer from occasional stutters.
• High: Average 51 FPS. This is not ideal for a fast-paced FPS, as the frame rate is too low for consistent smoothness.
• Ultra: Average 39 FPS. This is the lowest measured average and is not recommended for gameplay, as it will be visibly choppy.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the bottleneck characteristics of this system. At the Low preset, the average FPS drops from 175 at 1080p to 128 at 1440p and then to 83 at 4K. This is a 27% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 53% drop from 1080p to 4K. This scaling pattern is typical of a system where the CPU is a significant factor at 1080p, and the GPU becomes the primary limit as resolution increases. The fact that the FPS doesn't halve when going from 1440p to 4K (128 to 83, a 35% drop) suggests that the GPU is not completely saturated at 4K Low, or that the shared memory bandwidth is starting to become a limiting factor.

The scaling at the Ultra preset is more aggressive. The average FPS drops from 81 at 1080p to 60 at 1440p and then to 39 at 4K. This represents a 26% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 52% drop from 1080p to 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 39 FPS shows that the system is heavily GPU and memory limited in this scenario. The increase in resolution and graphical settings places a massive demand on the shared memory system, and the GPU's performance collapses.

The data indicates that the limiting component shifts based on the workload. At 1080p Low, the CPU is likely the primary limiter, as the GPU has headroom to render more frames. At 4K Ultra, the GPU's compute and memory bandwidth are the clear bottlenecks. The transition point appears to be around 1440p, where the system is well-balanced. At 1440p Medium, the system delivers 91 FPS, showing that neither the CPU nor the GPU is severely overburdened. This resolution and preset combination represents the best balance between component utilization and playable frame rates, making 1440p the target resolution for this hardware if visual quality is prioritized.