Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i5-13400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB delivers a playable experience in Lockdown Protocol only at 1080p and 1440p with specific settings. At 4K, the combo fails to reach the 60 FPS threshold across all presets. The data shows that 1080p High is the most demanding playable setting, averaging 71.5 FPS, while 1440p Low is the only playable option at that resolution, averaging 81.2 FPS. This combination ranks in the 11th percentile of all tested combos, indicating it is far from optimal for this FPS title.

Best Settings per Resolution

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern: this system can clear the 60 FPS playable threshold at 1080p and 1440p, but not at 4K. For each resolution, the goal is to identify the highest quality preset that still maintains at least 60 FPS on average.

At 1920x1080, the best settings that stay at or above 60 FPS are High. The average frame rate at High is 71.5 FPS. While Low (113.2 FPS) and Medium (83 FPS) also clear the threshold, High represents the maximum visual quality that maintains playability. Ultra drops to 52.1 FPS, which falls short of the 60 FPS target.

At 2560x1440, the only preset that clears 60 FPS is Low, with an average of 81.2 FPS. Medium comes close at 57.9 FPS but misses the threshold. High (53.6 FPS) and Ultra (37.2 FPS) are progressively worse. Therefore, Low is the best playable setting at this resolution, sacrificing visual fidelity for smoothness.

At 3840x2160, no preset reaches the 60 FPS threshold. Low averages 51 FPS, Medium 35.7 FPS, High 30.8 FPS, and Ultra 23.8 FPS. The data indicates that 4K is not viable for this combo in Lockdown Protocol, regardless of settings. The verdict data confirms this, listing no playable settings at 4K.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearestRivals data for the CPU and GPU provides context for what other hardware would behave similarly. The GPU has no listed rivals, so comparisons rely on the CPU's neighboring components.

The Intel Core i5-13400F has an average benchmark score of 25292, placing it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are extremely close in performance. The AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS scores 25284, a delta of 0%. The Intel Core 5 120 scores 25362, a delta of -0.3%. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D scores 25365, also a delta of -0.3%. The AMD Ryzen 7 6800H scores 25201, a delta of 0.4%. These deltas are negligible, meaning any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Lockdown Protocol when paired with the same GPU.

Practically, if a user swapped the i5-13400F for any of these rivals, the overall performance in this game would be indistinguishable. The CPU's 10 cores, 16 threads, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache are sufficient to feed the RTX 3050 4 GB at the tested resolutions. Since the GPU is the more limiting factor (given its 50th percentile ranking among all GPUs), the CPU choice within this performance band has minimal impact on the final FPS numbers.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data offers a complete picture across three resolutions and four quality presets. The table below summarizes the average frame rates, with no minimum or maximum values recorded in the data.

At 1920x1080, the scaling is steep. Low averages 113.2 FPS. Medium drops to 83 FPS, a 26.7% reduction. High averages 71.5 FPS, a further 13.9% drop from Medium. Ultra falls to 52.1 FPS, which is 27.1% below High and critically below the 60 FPS threshold. The gap between Low and Ultra is 61.1 FPS, showing that the RTX 3050 4 GB has a limited range at 1080p.

At 2560x1440, the same preset order shows lower absolute numbers. Low averages 81.2 FPS. Medium averages 57.9 FPS, a 28.7% drop from Low and just under the playable threshold. High averages 53.6 FPS, only 7.4% below Medium. Ultra averages 37.2 FPS, a 30.6% drop from High. The transition from Low to Medium is the most punishing, losing 23.3 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the performance collapses. Low averages 51 FPS, which is playable in a technical sense but below the 60 FPS target. Medium averages 35.7 FPS, a 30% drop. High averages 30.8 FPS, a 13.7% drop from Medium. Ultra averages 23.8 FPS, a 22.7% drop from High. The total spread from Low to Ultra is 27.2 FPS, but no preset reaches the target.

Comparing resolutions, the same preset scales predictably. For Low, 1080p averages 113.2 FPS, 1440p averages 81.2 FPS (28.3% lower), and 4K averages 51 FPS (37.2% lower than 1440p). For High, 1080p averages 71.5 FPS, 1440p averages 53.6 FPS (25% lower), and 4K averages 30.8 FPS (42.5% lower than 1440p). The resolution scaling is consistent, with 4K being disproportionately heavy.

The Verdict

Based on the verdictByResolution data, this PC can run Lockdown Protocol, but only at specific resolutions and settings. The playable threshold is defined as 60 FPS average.

At 1920x1080, the system is playable at High, Low, and Medium presets. The best playable setting is High, with an average of 71.5 FPS. Ultra is not playable, averaging 52.1 FPS. This is the sweet spot for this combo: 1080p High delivers smooth performance with decent visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the system is only playable at Low, with an average of 81.2 FPS. Medium (57.9 FPS), High (53.6 FPS), and Ultra (37.2 FPS) all fail to reach 60 FPS. This means 1440p gaming requires substantial visual compromises. The verdict data confirms that Low is the best and only playable setting at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the verdict data lists no playable settings. Even Low averages only 51 FPS, below the threshold. The system cannot run Lockdown Protocol at 4K with acceptable performance. Users must lower the resolution to 1440p or 1080p.

Overall, the verdict is mixed. The combo is viable for 1080p gaming with high settings and 1440p gaming with low settings. It is not viable for 4K. The data suggests that 1080p is the intended resolution for this hardware in this game.

CPU and GPU Roles

Understanding which component limits performance in Lockdown Protocol requires examining the scaling between resolutions and presets. The GPU, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB, has a percentile rank of 50 among all GPUs, while the CPU, Intel Core i5-13400F, ranks in the 77th percentile of CPUs. This disparity suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck.

The evidence is in the resolution scaling. At 1080p Low, the system averages 113.2 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 81.2 FPS, a 28.3% decrease. At 4K Low, it falls to 51 FPS, a 37.2% decrease from 1440p. These are significant drops that align with GPU workload scaling. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rate would remain more constant across resolutions, as the CPU's work does not change with resolution.

Preset scaling further confirms this. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra reduces FPS from 113.2 to 52.1, a 54% drop. This is a GPU-bound behavior, as higher settings increase pixel shading and memory bandwidth demands. The RTX 3050 4 GB has a 128-bit memory bus and 192.0 GB/s bandwidth, which is modest for modern games. At 4K, the 4 GB frame buffer is likely insufficient, causing the steep drop to 23.8 FPS at Ultra.

The CPU's role is to feed the GPU. The i5-13400F's 16 threads and 20 MB L3 cache provide ample headroom. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS, show nearly identical average scores, meaning CPU performance is not a differentiator here. In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU is the limiting factor at all resolutions, but especially at 1440p and 4K.

At 1080p, the GPU still dominates, but the CPU's strong single-thread performance (3dmark_single_thread score of 960, Cinebench R23 single-core of 3191) ensures that frame pacing remains stable. The data shows no CPU-bound symptoms, such as frame rate plateaus across resolutions. Instead, FPS scales inversely with resolution, a classic GPU-limited signature.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame places this specific CPU and GPU pairing at rank 3298 out of 3714 tested combos. This is the 88.8th percentile ranking from the bottom, meaning it outperforms only about 11.2% of all tested combinations. In percentile terms, this combo is in the bottom decile of systems tested for Lockdown Protocol.

This low ranking is consistent with the GPU's 50th percentile status among all GPUs and the CPU's 77th percentile status. The combination of a mid-range CPU with a lower-mid-range GPU results in a system that is average for general tasks but weak for this specific FPS title. The game demands high frame rates, and the RTX 3050 4 GB simply cannot deliver at higher presets.

The ranking also reflects the 4K failure. Many tested combos presumably achieve playable 4K performance, while this one does not. At 1080p, the combo is competitive, but the ranking is global across all resolutions and presets, so the 4K shortcomings drag the overall rank down.

In context, the i5-13400F's nearest CPU rivals all have similar scores, so pairing them with the RTX 3050 4 GB would yield nearly identical ranks. The GPU has no nearestRivals listed, but its 50th percentile rank suggests that many GPUs offer better performance. For Lockdown Protocol, a faster GPU would improve the combo's rank substantially, while a faster CPU would have minimal impact. The data indicates that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming at medium-to-high settings, with 1440p only viable at low settings. For users targeting 1440p or 4K, a more powerful GPU is necessary.