Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT delivers a robust 1080p and 1440p experience in Lockdown Protocol, but the data reveals a sharp drop-off at 4K Ultra where frame rates fall below the 60 FPS playability threshold. Benchmark results show this combo is capable of high refresh rate gaming at lower resolutions, yet the most demanding settings at 3840x2160 require a reduction in quality to maintain smooth gameplay.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination produces excellent frame rates across all presets. The Ultra preset averages 100.2 FPS, while High settings reach 135.2 FPS. Medium jumps to 155.7 FPS, and Low peaks at 220.6 FPS. The scaling from Ultra to Low represents a 120.4 FPS difference, indicating the GPU has substantial headroom at this resolution even when pushed hard.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance remains strong but the gap between presets narrows in absolute terms. Ultra delivers an average of 73.5 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold comfortably. High settings produce 101.5 FPS, Medium reaches 116.2 FPS, and Low hits 160.2 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra here is 86.7 FPS, showing that resolution scaling reduces the absolute spread of settings.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes dramatically. Ultra drops to 46.5 FPS, falling below playable levels. High manages 61.9 FPS, barely crossing the 60 FPS line. Medium improves to 72.3 FPS, and Low reaches 105.1 FPS. The 4K results show a 58.6 FPS difference between the lowest and highest presets, with the Ultra preset clearly demanding more than this hardware can deliver at a smooth rate.

The data shows no min or max FPS values were recorded, so all analysis relies on average frame rates. The progression across resolutions follows expected patterns: each step down in resolution yields significant gains, with 1080p to 1440p showing roughly a 30-35% improvement at equivalent settings, and 1440p to 4K showing a similar relative drop.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between presets at each resolution reveals how workload shifts between the Intel Core i7-13700K and the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT. At 1920x1080, the CPU has more influence because the GPU can render frames quickly, making the processor's ability to feed draw calls and game logic more critical. The i7-13700K, with its 16 cores and 24 threads, provides substantial headroom here — the gap between Low and Ultra is 120.4 FPS, suggesting the GPU is the primary limiter even at lower settings.

At 2560x1440, the GPU begins to take a larger role as pixel fill rate demands increase. The spread between presets narrows to 86.7 FPS, indicating that the RX 7700 XT's 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and 432.0 GB/s bandwidth are becoming more significant factors. The CPU still has capacity to spare, but the rendering pipeline is increasingly GPU-bound.

The 3840x2160 results confirm that this resolution shifts the balance heavily toward the GPU. The RX 7700 XT's 35.17 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 244.2 GPixel/s pixel rate are stretched thin, especially at Ultra where the 46.5 FPS average shows the GPU struggling. The CPU's role diminishes at 4K, as the i7-13700K can prepare frames faster than the GPU can rasterize them. This is evident from the fact that even at Low settings, 4K still yields 105.1 FPS — the CPU is not the bottleneck; the GPU's raw throughput limits performance.

Preset scaling reinforces this interpretation. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra costs 120.4 FPS, while at 4K the same preset change costs 58.6 FPS. The smaller absolute drop at higher resolution indicates the GPU is already saturated, making additional graphical work less impactful on frame rate because the base performance is lower.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, with an average of 61.9 FPS. This is a narrow margin — only 1.9 FPS above the playable threshold. Medium provides more breathing room at 72.3 FPS, but High is technically playable according to the data. The Ultra preset at 46.5 FPS is not recommended for smooth gameplay.

For 2560x1440, the Ultra preset achieves 73.5 FPS, making it the best visual quality option that remains playable. This represents the full graphical experience without compromise. All four presets clear 60 FPS at this resolution, so users can choose based on preference rather than necessity.

At 1920x1080, Ultra delivers 100.2 FPS, which is the best settings option and well above the threshold. The 1080p Ultra experience provides a 40.2 FPS buffer over the minimum playable rate, ensuring consistent performance even in demanding scenes. The i7-13700K's strong single-thread performance, reflected in its 2116 Cinebench R23 single-core score, helps maintain frame pacing at high refresh rates.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 shows a delta of -0.2% in average benchmark score, meaning it performs nearly identically to the i7-13700K. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 is 0.3% lower, while the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX and Intel Xeon w3-2535 are each 0.5% higher. These processors would yield virtually indistinguishable frame rates in Lockdown Protocol, as the game's performance at the tested presets is not heavily CPU-bound at higher resolutions.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile is 0.5% faster than the RX 7700 XT in average benchmark score. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile is 0.8% slower, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 is 1.5% slower, and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 is 1.7% faster. These small deltas suggest that swapping the GPU for any of these alternatives would result in frame rate differences of roughly 1-2 FPS at most settings, assuming the CPU remains constant.

The combination of the i7-13700K with any of these rival GPUs would produce nearly identical results. For example, pairing the i7-13700K with an RTX 4060 Mobile might yield approximately 0.8 FPS less at 1080p Ultra, while the RTX 5060 Mobile could add about 0.5 FPS. These differences are within measurement noise and would not change the overall verdict for any resolution or preset.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-13700K and AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT combo ranks 1462 out of 3714 tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the 60.6th percentile — better than roughly 60% of all tested systems. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU's strong multi-threaded performance (30745 in Cinebench R23 multi-core) and the GPU's mid-range positioning (22547 in Passmark G3D).

The CPU's 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates it is a high-end processor, while the GPU's 67th percentile shows it is a solid mid-range option. The combination's overall rank of 1462 suggests that better-performing combos typically pair this CPU with stronger GPUs, or use faster GPUs with mid-range CPUs. The data implies that the GPU is the limiting factor for this combo's ranking, as the CPU has substantial headroom.

In the context of the measured FPS, the rank makes sense. At 4K Ultra, the combo falls below 60 FPS, which many higher-ranked combinations would likely exceed. At 1080p and 1440p, the combo performs well, but the rank is dragged down by the 4K Ultra result. Users targeting 1080p or 1440p gaming will find this combo performs above its overall rank suggests.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol at all tested resolutions, but with important caveats. At 1920x1080, every preset including Ultra exceeds 60 FPS, with the lowest option (Ultra) averaging 100.2 FPS. The verdict is clear: fully playable at maximum settings.

At 2560x1440, all four presets also clear 60 FPS. Ultra runs at 73.5 FPS, providing a comfortable margin above the threshold. This resolution offers the best balance of visual quality and performance for this combo.

At 3840x2160, the verdict is mixed. High settings achieve 61.9 FPS, barely clearing the 60 FPS threshold. Medium runs at 72.3 FPS and Low at 105.1 FPS, but Ultra drops to 46.5 FPS, which is not playable. Users with 4K displays should stick to High or Medium settings for smooth gameplay. The data indicates that 4K Ultra is the only configuration that fails to meet the playability standard.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Lockdown Protocol at 4K Ultra settings?

A: No. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 46.5 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The highest playable 4K preset is High at 61.9 FPS.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 averages 73.5 FPS, making it the most demanding option that stays above 60 FPS. All four presets at this resolution are playable.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems for this game?

A: It ranks 1462 out of 3714 total combinations, placing it in the upper 60th percentile. The CPU ranks in the 89th percentile among CPUs, while the GPU ranks in the 67th percentile among GPUs.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for 1080p performance?

A: At 1920x1080, the GPU is the primary factor, as evidenced by the 120.4 FPS spread between Low and Ultra presets. The i7-13700K's strong single-thread score of 2116 in Cinebench R23 ensures the CPU does not bottleneck the GPU.

Q: What GPU alternatives perform similarly to the RX 7700 XT?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile is 0.5% faster, the RTX 4060 Mobile is 0.8% slower, and the RTX 2080 is 1.5% slower in average benchmark scores. The AMD Radeon RX 5700 is 1.7% faster.

Q: Does the combo maintain 60 FPS at 1080p Ultra in all cases?

A: The measured average at 1080p Ultra is 100.2 FPS, which is well above 60 FPS. The data shows a 40.2 FPS buffer over the threshold, indicating consistent playability at this setting.