Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 delivers a highly capable 1080p gaming experience in Lockdown Protocol, with performance scaling predictably as resolution increases. Benchmark data shows this combination is fully playable at 1080p and 1440p, while 4K requires significant settings compromises. The measured results indicate a system that excels at high-refresh-rate 1080p gaming but begins to show its limitations when pushed toward 4K Ultra settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination produces excellent frame rates across all settings presets. Low settings yield an average of 159.3 FPS, which is the highest average recorded for this pairing in any configuration. Medium settings maintain strong performance at 116.1 FPS, while High settings still deliver a smooth 101.4 FPS. Ultra settings, typically the most demanding preset, produce an average of 72.8 FPS, which remains comfortably above the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drop is noticeable but still leaves the system in a strong position. Low settings average 115.9 FPS, representing a 27% reduction from the 1080p Low result. Medium settings average 82.1 FPS, while High settings produce 75.7 FPS. Ultra settings fall to 56.1 FPS, which dips below the 60 FPS threshold and indicates that the most demanding preset at 1440p is not playable with this hardware combination.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes dramatically. Low settings average 73.7 FPS, which is the only preset at this resolution that clears the 60 FPS bar. Medium settings average 57.1 FPS, just under the threshold, while High settings drop further to 48.9 FPS. Ultra settings produce the lowest measured result of 34 FPS, which would likely feel stuttery in a fast-paced FPS title. The gradient between settings at 4K is steep, suggesting the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at this resolution.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU benchmarks place the Intel Core i7-13700K in a tight cluster with several other processors. The AMD Ryzen 9 5900 scores 46971 on average, which is only 0.2% lower than the i7-13700K’s average benchmark score of 46881. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 scores 47022, representing a 0.3% delta. These differences are negligible, meaning systems built with those CPUs would exhibit nearly identical frame rates in Lockdown Protocol when paired with the same GPU.

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 shows an average benchmark score of 15171. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM scores 15199, which is 0.2% higher, making it a very close performance equivalent. The AMD Radeon 680M integrated graphics scores 15270, which is 0.7% higher, while the AMD Radeon Pro 560X scores 15082, which is 0.6% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti scores 15063, which is 0.7% lower. These figures suggest that users with any of these GPUs would need to use similar settings at each resolution to achieve comparable frame rates in Lockdown Protocol.

In terms of hardware hierarchy, the data indicates that the GPU sits at a 57th percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU sits at an 89th percentile among all CPUs. This asymmetry suggests the GPU is the more limiting component in this pairing for gaming workloads.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Lockdown Protocol at 1080p?

A: Yes, at 1920x1080 all four settings presets exceed the 60 FPS playable threshold. Ultra settings average 72.8 FPS, High averages 101.4 FPS, Medium averages 116.1 FPS, and Low averages 159.3 FPS.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 1440p?

A: High settings provide the best visual quality while maintaining a playable frame rate, averaging 75.7 FPS. Low and Medium settings also work, but Ultra settings fall short at 56.1 FPS.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with this case combination?

A: Yes, but only on Low settings. The system averages 73.7 FPS at 3840x2160 Low, while all other presets fall below the 60 FPS threshold. Medium produces 57.1 FPS, High produces 48.9 FPS, and Ultra produces 34 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i7-13700K is essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (0.2% slower), the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (0.3% faster), and the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX (0.5% faster). These deltas are negligible for gaming purposes.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its closest rivals?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7600 performs nearly identically to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM (0.2% higher), the AMD Radeon 680M (0.7% higher), and the AMD Radeon Pro 560X (0.6% lower). The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti is 0.7% lower.

Q: What does the combo rank indicate?

A: This combination ranks 2519 out of 3714 tested cases for Lockdown Protocol, meaning it performs better than roughly one-third of all tested cases. The ranking places it in the lower-middle range of all tested systems.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 2519 out of 3714 tested cases places this system in the 68th percentile of all cases tested for Lockdown Protocol. This means that approximately 68% of tested cases deliver higher frame rates, while 32% deliver lower frame rates. Given the GPU’s 57th percentile ranking among all GPUs, it is clear that the graphics card is the primary factor limiting the system’s overall standing. The CPU’s 89th percentile ranking indicates it is not the bottleneck, which is consistent with the measured FPS scaling across resolutions.

The rank suggests that the system is well-suited for 1080p gaming, where it can easily handle the game’s demands, but it falls behind in the 4K Ultra settings competition. The gap between the CPU and GPU performance percentiles reinforces the notion that the RX 7600 is the component to upgrade if higher resolution or settings are desired.

The Verdict

Based on the measured data, this PC can run Lockdown Protocol with playable frame rates at all three tested resolutions, but with specific settings limitations. At 3840x2160, only Low settings clear the 60 FPS threshold, with an average of 73.9 FPS. Medium, High, and Ultra all fail to reach playable frame rates. At 2560x1440, the system is playable on High (75.7 FPS), Medium (82.1 FPS), and Low (115.9 FPS), but not Ultra (56.1 FPS). At 1920x1080, all four presets produce playable results, with Ultra averaging 72.4 FPS.

The verdict is clear: this is a strong 1080p gaming machine for the game, a good 1440p machine with settings compromises, and a 4K system that requires a significant reduction in visual fidelity. The data suggests that for competitive play at high refresh rates, the 1080p resolution with High or Medium settings would be the sweet spot.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the best setting that maintains 60 FPS or above is Low, with an average of 73.7 FPS. This is the only preset that clears the threshold at 4K, and it does so with a comfortable 13.7 FPS margin above the playability standard.

At 2560x1440, the best setting is High, averaging 75.7 FPS. This provides a solid 15.7 FPS margin above the 60 FPS threshold, and it is notable that High settings at 1440p deliver similar performance to Low settings at 4K.

At 1920x1080, the best setting is Ultra, averaging 72.8 FPS. This is the most demanding preset, yet it still maintains a playable frame rate with a 12.8 FPS headroom. For players wanting maximum performance, Low settings at 1080p deliver a huge 159.3 FPS average, but Ultra is the most visually demanding preset that remains playable.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data shows that the performance scaling between resolutions and settings reflects a GPU-bound workload for this combination. At 1080p, the system is clearly GPU-limited, as the CPU has an 89th percentile ranking while the GPU has a 57th percentile. The 4K Ultra result of 34 FPS is only 47% of the 1080p Ultra result of 72.8 FPS, indicating that the GPU’s pixel throughput is the primary constraint at higher resolutions.

The performance differences between settings at each resolution further confirm the GPU’s role. At 1440p, the gap between Low (115.9 FPS) and Ultra (56.1 FPS) is 59.8 FPS, a factor of 2.1, which is a typical GPU-limited scaling pattern. The CPU’s 89th percentile ranking means it has ample headroom to feed the GPU at all tested configurations.

At 4K, the workload becomes even more GPU-bound, with the gap between Low (73.7 FPS) and Ultra (34 FPS) being 39.7 FPS. The fact that 4K Low still hits 73.7 FPS, while 4K Ultra drops to 34 FPS, highlights that the RX 7600’s 8 GB of VRAM and its fill rate are the defining constraints. Players looking to improve 4K performance would need to upgrade the GPU, whereas the CPU would remain sufficient across all resolutions.