Lockdown Protocol

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that remains at or above 60 FPS is High, delivering an average of 64.8 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 48.3 FPS, which falls below the playable threshold of 60 FPS, while Medium runs at 76.8 FPS and Low at 109.1 FPS. For 4K gameplay, High is the ceiling for smooth performance; pushing to Ultra sacrifices playability.

At 2560x1440, every preset clears the 60 FPS bar, so the best settings are Ultra with an average of 74.7 FPS. High runs at 100.6 FPS, Medium at 117.7 FPS, and Low at 146.8 FPS. The headroom at this resolution is substantial, and even the most demanding preset leaves a comfortable margin above the playable threshold.

At 1920x1080, the story is similar: all presets are playable, and Ultra is the recommended choice with an average of 103.4 FPS. High reaches 138.6 FPS, Medium hits 143.1 FPS, and Low peaks at 165.2 FPS. The data shows that this combination is fully capable of running Lockdown Protocol at maximum settings on 1080p displays, with no need to compromise on visual quality.

CPU and GPU Roles

The recorded data reveals distinct scaling patterns across resolutions, which clarifies which component carries more weight. Moving from 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS at Ultra settings drops from 103.4 to 74.7, a decline of approximately 28%. From 1440p to 4K at Ultra, the average falls further to 48.3, a reduction of about 35%. This progressive degradation with increasing resolution indicates that the GPU becomes the limiting factor as pixel count rises.

At lower resolutions, the CPU has more influence. The gap between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p is 61.8 FPS (165.2 versus 103.4), which shows that the graphics card has ample headroom and the processor is more involved in feeding frames. At 1440p, the Low-to-Ultra spread narrows to 72.1 FPS (146.8 versus 74.7), and at 4K it tightens further to 60.8 FPS (109.1 versus 48.3). This pattern is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, where the RTX 3070 Ti's rendering throughput dictates performance, while the i5-9400's six cores and six threads are sufficient to keep up at 1080p and 1440p.

The CPU's benchmark profile supports this interpretation. The i5-9400 scores 6629 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 935 in single-core, with a percentile rank of 47 among all CPUs. The GPU, by contrast, sits at the 75th percentile among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 29945. The disparity in relative standing suggests that the graphics card is the stronger component in this pairing, which aligns with the FPS scaling data: the GPU is the primary driver of frame rates at 1440p and 4K, while the CPU is adequate but not dominant at 1080p.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the Intel Core i5-9400, the nearest rivals in the database are close in average benchmark score. The Intel Core i7-1068NG7 scores 2259, which is 0.2% higher than the i5-9400's 2254. The Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248, 0.3% lower. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 matches at 2246, 0.4% lower. The Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264, 0.4% higher. These four processors would behave nearly identically in Lockdown Protocol, as their compute performance is within a fraction of a percent of each other. Users with any of these CPUs should expect similar frame rates, with differences too small to be perceptible in gameplay.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti, the nearest rivals are equally close. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile scores 29928, 0.1% higher than the RTX 3070 Ti's 29945. The AMD Radeon RX 6800 scores 30095, 0.5% higher. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti scores 29783, 0.5% lower. The AMD Radeon RX 6700 scores 30433, 1.6% higher. All four GPUs fall within a narrow performance band, meaning that swapping the RTX 3070 Ti for any of these alternatives would produce similar FPS results in Lockdown Protocol at each resolution and preset. The RX 6700 offers the largest delta at 1.6% faster, while the RTX 2080 Ti is 0.5% slower, but none of these differences would change which settings are playable.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Lockdown Protocol at 60 FPS on 4K?

A: Yes, at High settings the average FPS is 64.8 at 3840x2160. Medium runs at 76.8 FPS and Low at 109.1 FPS. Ultra falls short at 48.3 FPS, so it is not playable at that preset.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gameplay?

A: Ultra is the best choice at 2560x1440, delivering an average of 74.7 FPS. All other presets also exceed 60 FPS, with High at 100.6, Medium at 117.7, and Low at 146.8.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game?

A: The GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS falls to 48.3, while at 1080p Ultra it reaches 103.4. The GPU sits at the 75th percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU is at the 47th percentile, indicating the graphics card dominates performance scaling.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 Ti compare to the RTX 2080 Ti?

A: The RTX 3070 Ti has an average benchmark score of 29945, while the RTX 2080 Ti scores 29783. The RTX 3070 Ti is 0.5% faster, a negligible difference in practical gameplay.

Q: What FPS can I expect at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The average FPS at 1920x1080 with Medium settings is 143.1. This is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold and leaves room for higher presets.

Q: Does the i5-9400 hold back the RTX 3070 Ti?

A: At 1080p, the Low preset reaches 165.2 FPS, suggesting the CPU can feed frames effectively. At 1440p and 4K, the FPS drops align with GPU workload increases, so the processor is not a significant bottleneck in this configuration.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table lists all measured average FPS values from the database, organized by resolution and settings. Minimum and maximum FPS were not recorded for this combination; only averages are available.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 64.8 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 109.1 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 76.8 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 48.3 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 100.6 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 146.8 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 117.7 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 74.7 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 138.6 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 165.2 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 143.1 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 103.4 |

Reading the data vertically, each resolution shows a clear hierarchy: Low is always fastest, followed by Medium, then High, with Ultra slowest. The only exception is at 4K, where High at 64.8 FPS is playable but Ultra at 48.3 is not. Horizontally, the 1080p results are consistently higher than 1440p, which are higher than 4K, confirming that resolution scaling is monotonic and predictable.

The spread between Low and Ultra grows as resolution decreases. At 4K, the difference is 60.8 FPS; at 1440p, it is 72.1 FPS; at 1080p, it is 61.8 FPS. This non-linear pattern suggests that at 1440p, the GPU has enough headroom to benefit from lower settings, while at 4K, the sheer pixel load compresses the range.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti ranks 1634 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the upper half of all configurations, roughly at the 56th percentile (1634 divided by 3714). The rank reflects a balanced pairing: the GPU is strong enough to deliver playable frame rates at 4K on High settings and at 1440p and 1080p on Ultra, while the CPU, though mid-tier in its benchmark percentile, does not prevent the system from achieving smooth performance.

Compared to the full database of combos, this system outperforms a majority of alternatives. The recorded FPS at 1080p Ultra (103.4) and 1440p Ultra (74.7) are both solidly above the playable threshold, and the 4K High result (64.8) is just above 60 FPS. The ranking suggests that users seeking a 1440p or 1080p experience at maximum settings will be satisfied, while 4K users must accept High settings rather than Ultra.

The GPU's 75th percentile standing among all GPUs drives this result, while the CPU's 47th percentile is a secondary factor. In games like Lockdown Protocol, where the GPU scales strongly with resolution, this combination leverages the RTX 3070 Ti effectively. The rank of 1634 out of 3714 indicates that there is room for improvement with a stronger CPU, but the practical impact would be minimal at higher resolutions, where the GPU is already the bottleneck.