Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol presents an interesting stress profile for the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. The data shows a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions but begins to reveal its mobile CPU limitations only when the graphical load is drastically reduced. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to understand where the bottleneck lies and what the experience means for players.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS drops from 1080p to 4K tell a clear story about component utilization. At 1080p Low, the system achieves an average of 262 FPS, which is an exceptional figure that indicates the CPU is doing its job well enough to feed the GPU at lower resolutions. However, as we move up the resolution scale to 1440p Low, the average drops to 192 FPS, a 27% decrease from 1080p Low. This is a significant reduction, but the frame rate remains highly playable. The trend continues at 4K Low, where the average falls to 124 FPS, a further 35% drop from 1440p Low. This pattern demonstrates that the RTX 4090 is the primary driver of performance at these settings, as its workload increases with pixel count, and the CPU can keep pace.

The scaling becomes even more pronounced when examining the Medium settings. At 1080p Medium, the average FPS is 186, which drops to 136 at 1440p Medium (a 27% decrease) and then to 88 at 4K Medium (a 35% decrease from 1440p). The consistency of these percentage drops across Low and Medium settings suggests that the game's engine scales predictably with resolution, and the RTX 4090 is the limiting factor. The CPU has enough headroom to handle the increased graphical data at these settings without causing a bottleneck.

At High settings, the scaling pattern shifts slightly. The average FPS at 1080p High is 162, which falls to 119 at 1440p High, a 27% decrease. However, the drop from 1440p High to 4K High is more severe, with the average falling to 77 FPS, a 35% decrease. This steeper decline at 4K High suggests that the GPU is working much harder, and the gap between what the CPU can provide and what the GPU needs may be widening. The data indicates that at 4K with higher settings, the RTX 4090 is the absolute bottleneck, as its raw processing power is what determines the final frame rate.

The Ultra preset shows a similar scaling pattern, with 1080p Ultra averaging 122 FPS, 1440p Ultra averaging 89 FPS (a 27% decrease), and 4K Ultra averaging 58 FPS (a 35% decrease). The 4K Ultra result of 58 FPS is the lowest measured average in the entire dataset, highlighting the immense graphical demands of this game at maximum settings. This data strongly suggests that the limiting component at higher resolutions is unequivocally the GPU, as the CPU's influence on FPS diminishes with each step up in resolution.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows provide clear guidance on which preset offers the best experience. For players targeting 4K, the Medium preset stands out as the optimal choice. It delivers an average of 88 FPS, which is 11 FPS higher than the High preset's 77 FPS and a substantial 30 FPS higher than the Ultra preset's 58 FPS. The Medium preset also has a minimum FPS of 75, which is a solid floor for stable gameplay. The data indicates that the jump from Medium to High at 4K costs 11 FPS, while the jump from High to Ultra costs 19 FPS, making the visual fidelity gains at Ultra not worth the significant performance hit.

At 1440p, the High preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. It averages 119 FPS, which is only 17 FPS below the Low preset's 192 FPS but provides a much better visual experience. The Ultra preset at 1440p averages 89 FPS, which is playable but represents a 25% performance loss compared to High. This suggests that High is the sweet spot for 1440p, as it maintains a high refresh rate experience without sacrificing too much graphical detail.

For 1080p, the Low preset is the only one that breaks the 200 FPS barrier, averaging 262 FPS. This is an extreme frame rate that would benefit competitive players with high refresh rate monitors. However, the High preset at 162 FPS is still exceptionally smooth and provides a far superior visual presentation. The Medium preset at 186 FPS is a reasonable middle ground, but the data suggests that High is the best recommendation for most players at 1080p, as it offers a great visual experience while still maintaining a very high frame rate.

Analyzing the entire dataset, the Medium preset appears to be the most versatile recommendation. It is the only preset that provides a minimum FPS value in the data, with 75 FPS at 4K, 116 FPS at 1440p, and 158 FPS at 1080p. This consistency indicates that Medium has a more predictable performance profile across all resolutions, making it the safest choice for a stable and enjoyable gaming experience. The data suggests that for this combination, Medium offers the best "experience per measured row," as it balances frame rate and visual quality effectively at every resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is a critical component in this system, and its specifications provide context for the measured FPS results. This GPU has 16,384 shading units, 512 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, which are massive numbers that explain its ability to handle high resolutions. It features 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores, which are dedicated to ray tracing and AI processing, respectively. The GPU's base clock is 2235 MHz with a boost clock of 2520 MHz, and these clocks contribute to its raw compute power of 82.58 TFLOPS FP32.

The memory subsystem is equally impressive, with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus. This provides a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s, which is crucial for feeding the massive amount of data required at 4K resolutions. The 24 GB capacity is also notable, as it ensures that the GPU is unlikely to run out of video memory in Lockdown Protocol, even at Ultra settings. The data shows that the GPU's performance is consistent with its high-end specifications, as it delivers 77 FPS at 4K High and 58 FPS at 4K Ultra.

The RTX 4090's nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the Intel Arc Pro A60 with an average score of 60326 (a 0% delta), the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 with an average score of 60140 (a 0.3% delta), and the AMD Radeon PRO V710 with an average score of 58657 (a 2.9% delta). These rivals are all within a few percent of the RTX 4090's average benchmark score of 60347, but the measured FPS in Lockdown Protocol shows that the RTX 4090 is capable of delivering high frame rates that are consistent with its top-tier positioning. The GPU's percentile rank of 88 versus all GPUs indicates that it performs better than most other graphics cards in the database.

The relationship between the GPU's memory bandwidth and the game's performance is evident. At 4K Ultra, the game demands a significant amount of data throughput, and the 1.01 TB/s bandwidth is a major factor in the GPU's ability to maintain an average of 58 FPS. While this is the lowest frame rate in the dataset, it is still a playable number for a game at maximum settings. The GPU's role is clearly to provide the graphical horsepower, and the data confirms that it is the dominant component in this system for most settings and resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achieved by this system?

A: The highest average FPS measured is 262 at 1920x1080 with the Low preset.

Q: At 4K resolution, which preset provides the best frame rate?

A: The Low preset provides the best frame rate at 4K, with an average of 124 FPS, followed by Medium at 88 FPS, High at 77 FPS, and Ultra at 58 FPS.

Q: Is the system more CPU-bound or GPU-bound at higher resolutions?

A: The data indicates the system is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions. The consistent percentage drops in FPS from 1080p to 1440p to 4K suggest the GPU is the limiting factor, as its workload increases with pixel count.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this system?

A: The only preset with a minimum FPS value recorded is Medium. The minimum FPS values are 75 at 3840x2160, 116 at 2560x1440, and 158 at 1920x1080.

Q: How does the RTX 4090's average benchmark score compare to its nearest rival?

A: The RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 60347. Its nearest rival, the Intel Arc Pro A60, has an average score of 60326, which is a 0% delta. The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M has a score of 61896, which is a -2.5% delta.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile rank versus all CPUs?

A: The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H has a percentile rank of 88 versus all CPUs, indicating it performs better than 88% of CPUs in the database.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H is a mobile processor with 16 cores and 16 threads. It has a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, and a TDP of 25 W. This is a 3 nm processor from Intel's Panther Lake architecture, and it supports LPDDR5X memory. The CPU's cache configuration includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 18 MB of shared L3 cache. These specifications are important for understanding its role in Lockdown Protocol.

The CPU's benchmark scores show it is a capable processor. It scores 18,911 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,200.5 in single-core. In Passmark, it scores 36,811 in multi-thread and 4,280 in single-thread. Its average benchmark score is 44,466, which puts it in the 88th percentile versus all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D with an average score of 44,573 (a -0.2% delta), the Intel Core i9-13950HX with an average score of 44,342 (a 0.3% delta), and the AMD Ryzen AI Max 385 with an average score of 44,309 (a 0.4% delta). This places the CPU in a competitive position, but it is not a top-tier desktop processor.

In the context of Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, physics, and draw calls. The data shows that at lower resolutions and settings, the CPU can become a more significant factor. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 262 FPS, which is a very high frame rate. However, the fact that it does not reach higher values, such as 300 FPS, suggests that the CPU is providing a high but not limitless frame ceiling. The CPU's 16 cores and 16 threads are sufficient for the game, and its boost clock of 5.10 GHz helps with single-threaded performance.

The CPU's performance is best understood in relation to its rivals. It is nearly identical in performance to the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D, being only 0.2% slower. It is also slightly faster than the Intel Core i9-13950HX and the AMD Ryzen AI Max 385. This indicates that the CPU is well-matched with the RTX 4090 for gaming, as it can provide enough data to keep the GPU busy at most settings. However, the data suggests that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in this system, as the GPU's performance scaling with resolution demonstrates that the GPU is the limiting factor in most scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at the system's performance across different resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 262 FPS, which is the highest recorded. The Medium preset averages 186 FPS with a minimum of 158 FPS and a maximum of 214 FPS. The High preset averages 162 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 122 FPS. The data shows a clear hierarchy, with Low being the fastest and Ultra being the slowest.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 192 FPS. The Medium preset averages 136 FPS with a minimum of 116 FPS and a maximum of 157 FPS. The High preset averages 119 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 89 FPS. The performance drops are consistent, with each preset tier showing a similar percentage decrease from the previous tier.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 124 FPS. The Medium preset averages 88 FPS with a minimum of 75 FPS and a maximum of 101 FPS. The High preset averages 77 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 58 FPS. This is the most demanding resolution, and the data shows that the system can still maintain playable frame rates, but the Ultra preset drops below 60 FPS.

The data reveals that the Medium preset is the only one with a minimum FPS value recorded, which suggests it has a more consistent frame time distribution. The minimum FPS values are 158 at 1080p, 116 at 1440p, and 75 at 4K. These figures provide a floor for performance, indicating that the game will not drop below these values, ensuring a stable experience. The High and Ultra presets do not have minimum FPS values in the data, which means their frame pacing is less predictable.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination ranks 573 out of 2828 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the top 20% of all tested systems, which is a strong result. The rank of 573 indicates that there are many other combinations that can achieve higher frame rates, but this specific combo is still well above average.

The combo's rank is influenced by both the CPU and GPU. The CPU has an average benchmark score of 44,466, which is in the 88th percentile. The GPU has an average benchmark score of 60,347, which is also in the 88th percentile. Both components are well above average, but the combo's rank of 573 out of 2828 suggests that there are more powerful combinations available, likely with higher-end desktop CPUs or more recent GPU models.

The rank is also contextualized by the nearest rivals of the individual components. The CPU is nearly identical in performance to the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D, which is a strong gaming processor. The GPU is similar to the Intel Arc Pro A60. However, the combination of these two specific parts results in a rank that is solidly in the upper tier of tested systems. The data indicates that this combo is well-suited for high-resolution gaming, as it can handle 4K with playable frame rates and excels at 1440p and 1080p. The rank of 573 suggests that while it is not the absolute best, it is a very capable system for Lockdown Protocol.