Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol, a competitive FPS that launched on 2024-03-11, presents a demanding workload for older desktop hardware. This analysis covers the pairing of an Intel Core i5-9400, a six-core Coffee Lake desktop processor released on 2018-10-18, with an AMD Radeon RX 570, a Polaris-based graphics card released on 2017-04-17 with a launch MSRP of 169 USD. The database contains measured frame rate data for this exact combination across three resolutions (3840x2160, 2560x1440, and 1920x1080) and four quality presets (Low, Medium, High, and Ultra). Average FPS was recorded for every preset, with minimum and maximum values captured for the Medium preset at each resolution. The playable threshold is 60 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the results are consistently below playable levels. The Low preset delivers an average of 36 FPS. Medium averages 26 FPS, with minimum and maximum readings of 22 and 30 FPS respectively. High averages 22 FPS, and Ultra drops to 17 FPS. Even the best case at this resolution falls far short of the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, the picture improves but remains below playable. Low averages 56 FPS, which is just below the threshold. Medium averages 40 FPS, with a minimum of 34 and a maximum of 46. High averages 35 FPS, and Ultra averages 26 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the combination finally crosses the playable threshold. Low averages 77 FPS, comfortably above 60. Medium averages 54 FPS, with a minimum of 46 and a maximum of 63, meaning the frame rate dips below the threshold during demanding scenes. High averages 47 FPS, and Ultra averages 36 FPS.

The data shows a consistent pattern: each step up in resolution reduces average FPS substantially across all presets, and each step up in quality within a resolution also reduces FPS noticeably. The Medium preset at every resolution shows a notable gap between minimum and maximum, with the 4K preset ranging from 22 to 30 FPS, the 1440p preset ranging from 34 to 46 FPS, and the 1080p preset ranging from 46 to 63 FPS. This variance indicates that the Medium preset produces the most frame time instability, likely due to the GPU operating near its capacity limits.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Lockdown Protocol at 60 FPS?

A: At 1920x1080 with the Low preset, yes. The measured average is 77 FPS. At Medium, the average drops to 54 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440 and 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS.

Q: What is the best playable settings preset at 1080p?

A: The Low preset is the only one that clears 60 FPS at 1920x1080, with an average of 77 FPS. Medium averages 54 FPS, High averages 47 FPS, and Ultra averages 36 FPS.

Q: How close is the RX 570 to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RX 570 has an average benchmark score of 28766. The AMD Radeon RX 6800M scores 28874, which is 0.4% higher. The AMD Radeon RX 470 scores 28996, which is 0.8% higher. The AMD Radeon R9 M295X scores 28580, which is 0.7% lower, and the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 scores 28421, which is 1.2% lower.

Q: How does the i5-9400 compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254. The Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264, which is 0.4% higher. The Intel Core i7-1068NG7 scores 2259, which is 0.2% higher. The Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248, which is 0.3% lower, and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, which is 0.4% lower.

Q: Is 1440p playable with this combo?

A: No. At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 56 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. Medium averages 40 FPS, High averages 35 FPS, and Ultra averages 26 FPS.

Q: What frame rates can be expected at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 36 FPS, Medium averages 26 FPS, High averages 22 FPS, and Ultra averages 17 FPS. None of these are close to playable.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals how the CPU and GPU split responsibilities in Lockdown Protocol. At 1920x1080 with the Low preset, the combination produces 77 FPS. When the resolution is raised to 2560x1440 at the same preset, the average drops to 56 FPS. At 3840x2160, the Low preset produces 36 FPS. This scaling behavior indicates that the GPU is the primary limiter as resolution increases, since the CPU workload stays roughly constant while the GPU must render more pixels.

The preset scaling tells a complementary story. At 1920x1080, moving from Low to Medium reduces the average from 77 to 54 FPS. From Medium to High, it drops from 54 to 47 FPS. From High to Ultra, it drops from 47 to 36 FPS. At 2560x1440, the same preset steps produce drops from 56 to 40 FPS, then to 35 FPS, then to 26 FPS. At 3840x2160, the steps go from 36 to 26 FPS, then to 22 FPS, then to 17 FPS.

The narrowing gaps at higher resolutions suggest that the GPU becomes the dominant constraint. At 4K, the difference between Low and Medium is small, whereas at 1080p the same preset step costs much more. This is consistent with a GPU that is saturated at high pixel counts, leaving little headroom for quality settings to matter.

The CPU side is worth noting. The i5-9400 sits at the 47th percentile among all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 2254. Its nearest rivals are all within 0.4% in either direction, meaning the processor is not an outlier. The RX 570, by contrast, sits at the 74th percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 28766. This percentile gap suggests the GPU is the stronger component in this pairing, which aligns with the frame rate scaling observed in the measured data.

At 1080p Low, the combination reaches 77 FPS, indicating the CPU can feed the GPU adequately at this resolution. At 1080p Ultra, the average drops to 36 FPS, showing that the GPU is overwhelmed by the quality settings. The fact that 1080p Medium produces 54 FPS with a minimum of 46 and a maximum of 63 suggests the system is right at the edge of what the GPU can sustain.

The Verdict

The recorded data provides a clear answer. At 3840x2160, no settings preset is playable; the highest average FPS is 36 at Low, and the lowest is 17 at Ultra. At 2560x1440, the same situation applies: no preset clears the 60 FPS threshold, with Low averaging 56 FPS and all other presets falling further behind.

At 1920x1080, the combination clears the threshold with the Low preset, averaging 77 FPS. This is the only playable configuration in the measured data. The Medium preset averages 54 FPS with a minimum of 46, which means it falls below 60 FPS on average and would produce noticeable stutter during demanding scenes. High averages 47 FPS and Ultra averages 36 FPS, both well below the threshold.

The verdict by resolution is straightforward: this PC can run Lockdown Protocol at 1080p with Low settings, and nothing else in the measured data qualifies as playable.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core i5-9400, based on average benchmark scores, are the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (2259, 0.2% higher), the Intel Core i7-10710U (2248, 0.3% lower), the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (2246, 0.4% lower), and the Intel Core i3-10305 (2264, 0.4% higher). Any of these processors would be expected to produce nearly identical frame rates in Lockdown Protocol when paired with the same GPU, since their average scores are all within a fraction of a percent of the i5-9400.

For the AMD Radeon RX 570, the nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 6800M (28874, 0.4% higher), the AMD Radeon R9 M295X (28580, 0.7% lower), the AMD Radeon RX 470 (28996, 0.8% higher), and the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 (28421, 1.2% lower). The RX 470 and RX 6800M both score close to the RX 570, with the RX 6800M being the closest at 0.4% higher. A system using any of these CPU or GPU alternatives would land in the same performance neighborhood: playable at 1080p Low, marginal at 1080p Medium, and not playable at higher resolutions.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the database records no playable settings. The best average FPS is 36 at Low, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, there are also no playable settings. Low averages 56 FPS, just below the threshold.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset is the only playable option, with an average of 77 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS at this resolution. The Medium preset averages 54 FPS, which is below the threshold, so it cannot be recommended.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database's full set of tested combinations, this pairing ranks 3544 out of 3714. That places it in the lower portion of all tested combos, which is consistent with the measured frame rates: playable only at 1080p Low, and not at all at higher resolutions. The CPU's 47th percentile standing and the GPU's 74th percentile standing suggest that the GPU is the stronger component, but neither is anywhere near the top of the database. The rank reflects the combined limitation of a mid-range 2018 processor and a mid-range 2017 graphics card running a 2024 game.