Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER presents a distinct split in performance for Lockdown Protocol. The CPU is a high-end desktop part with ample headroom, while the GPU is a mid-range Turing architecture card. The recorded data shows that the combination’s playability is almost entirely dictated by the graphics card’s workload at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s strength becomes evident at lower settings and resolutions.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160 (4K), the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS is Low. The measured average at this setting is 73.1 FPS. Moving up to Medium drops the average to 52.6 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playability threshold. High and Ultra presets at this resolution produce 50.2 FPS and 35.4 FPS respectively, both clearly below the target.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), the best playable preset is High, with an average of 75 FPS. The data indicates that Medium runs at 85.8 FPS, and Low runs at 114.8 FPS, but High offers the best visual quality while still clearing the 60 FPS bar. Ultra at this resolution averages 54.7 FPS, which is not playable by the database’s standard.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the most demanding preset that stays above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 73.8 FPS. This is the only resolution where the full Ultra preset is viable. High runs at 98 FPS, Medium at 113.9 FPS, and Low at 161 FPS. The GPU is the limiting factor here, as the CPU’s performance headroom is not fully utilized at this preset level.

CPU and GPU Roles

The recorded measurements show a clear pattern of GPU dominance at higher resolutions. At 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra presets is 37.7 FPS (from 73.1 down to 35.4), a massive 51.6% drop. This scaling indicates that the RTX 2060 SUPER is fully saturated by the pixel count and shading work, leaving the CPU largely idle. The CPU’s role at 4K is secondary; it only matters for maintaining the minimum frame pacing, but the average FPS is capped by the GPU’s rendering limits.

At 1440p, the GPU still leads, but the CPU begins to contribute. The spread from Low (114.8 FPS) to Ultra (54.7 FPS) is 60.1 FPS, a 52.4% reduction. The CPU’s 16 cores and 24 threads are not the bottleneck at this resolution; the GPU’s 7.181 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is the primary constraint. The CPU’s strong single-thread performance, as shown by a 3dmark_single_thread score of 1136, ensures that frame pacing remains stable, but the average FPS is still dictated by the graphics card.

At 1080p, the CPU’s influence becomes more visible. The jump from Low (161 FPS) to Ultra (73.8 FPS) is 87.2 FPS, a 54.2% reduction. However, the absolute FPS values are higher than at 1440p, indicating that the CPU can feed the GPU faster at lower resolutions. The CPU’s benchmark scores, such as a cinebench_r23_multicore score of 30745, suggest it is not a limiting factor even at 1080p Low. The data implies that the RTX 2060 SUPER is the bottleneck across all resolutions, but the CPU’s capability ensures that the GPU is never waiting for data, which is why the 1080p Low result reaches 161 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

3840x2160:

• Ultra: 35.4 FPS average
• High: 50.2 FPS average
• Medium: 52.6 FPS average
• Low: 73.1 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Ultra: 54.7 FPS average
• High: 75 FPS average
• Medium: 85.8 FPS average
• Low: 114.8 FPS average

1920x1080:

• Ultra: 73.8 FPS average
• High: 98 FPS average
• Medium: 113.9 FPS average
• Low: 161 FPS average

The database records only average FPS values; no minimum or maximum frame time data is available for this combination. The pattern across all resolutions is consistent: each step down in preset yields a significant FPS increase, with the largest absolute gains occurring at 1080p. The 4K Medium result of 52.6 FPS is notably close to the 4K High result of 50.2 FPS, suggesting that the GPU’s memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s becomes a limiting factor at these settings, rather than pure shading throughput.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU’s nearest rivals, based on average benchmark scores, include the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, which scores 46971 with a delta of -0.2% compared to the i7-13700K’s 46881. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 scores 47022 (-0.3%), the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX scores 46654 (+0.5%), and the Intel Xeon w3-2535 scores 46653 (+0.5%). All four processors are within 0.5% of the i7-13700K’s aggregate score, meaning any of them would produce nearly identical frame rates in Lockdown Protocol, assuming the same GPU and settings. In practice, the CPU is not the limiting factor, so swapping to any of these rivals would yield negligible FPS changes.

The GPU’s nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile (avg score 18159, -0.4% vs the RTX 2060 SUPER’s 18093), the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (18189, -0.5%), the AMD Radeon RX 460 (18373, -1.5%), and the Intel Arc A770M (18383, -1.6%). These scores are all within 1.6% of the RTX 2060 SUPER, indicating that they would deliver nearly identical average FPS in Lockdown Protocol. The RTX 3060 Mobile, being a laptop part, would likely have different thermal constraints, but its raw score is effectively the same. The RX 460, despite being an older architecture, shows a score slightly higher than the RTX 2060 SUPER, which is surprising but reflects the aggregate benchmark data rather than game-specific performance.

The Verdict

The database’s verdictByResolution data provides clear playability classifications. At 3840x2160, the only playable setting is Low, with an average of 73.1 FPS. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below 60 FPS, so 4K is only viable with significant visual compromises.

At 2560x1440, the playable settings are High (75 FPS), Low (114.8 FPS), and Medium (85.8 FPS). Ultra is not playable at 54.7 FPS. This resolution offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with High being the recommended preset.

At 1920x1080, all four presets are playable, including Ultra at 73.8 FPS. This is the only resolution where the user can enable the highest preset and still maintain a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold. The CPU’s high multi-threaded and single-threaded scores ensure that the system is not CPU-limited at any resolution, so the verdict is entirely dependent on the GPU’s output.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Lockdown Protocol at 4K with High settings?

A: No. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 High is 50.2, which is below the 60 FPS playability threshold. Only Low settings achieve playable performance at 4K, with an average of 73.1 FPS.

Q: What is the highest preset that maintains 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: The highest playable preset at 2560x1440 is High, with an average of 75 FPS. Ultra drops to 54.7 FPS and is not considered playable.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-13700K a bottleneck for the RTX 2060 SUPER in this game?

A: No. The data shows that the CPU’s benchmark scores, such as a cinebench_r23_multicore score of 30745 and a passmark_single_thread score of 4333, are far above what the GPU can feed. The FPS scaling between resolutions and presets indicates the GPU is the limiting factor.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to the RTX 3060 Mobile in this game?

A: The RTX 3060 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 18159, which is -0.4% relative to the RTX 2060 SUPER’s 18093. The recorded data suggests they would produce nearly identical average FPS in Lockdown Protocol, within a fraction of a percent.

Q: What is the best resolution to play at with this combo?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where Ultra settings are playable, with an average of 73.8 FPS. At 1440p, High is the best playable option at 75 FPS, while at 4K, only Low reaches 73.1 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU’s 16 cores matter for this game?

A: The CPU’s core count does not appear to be a factor in the measured FPS. The performance differences between presets are consistent with GPU-bound behavior, and the CPU’s 3dmark_max_threads score of 12412 suggests it has ample headroom for the game’s workload.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 2552 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the database’s tested configurations. The rank reflects the GPU’s mid-range standing, as the CPU is in the 89th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 62nd percentile among all GPUs. The combo’s rank is dragged down by the GPU’s inability to handle 4K or 1440p Ultra settings, but the CPU’s strength ensures that the system is never CPU-limited. The measured data indicates that this pairing is best suited for 1080p gaming with high or ultra presets, or 1440p with medium to high presets, and that the GPU is the component that would need an upgrade to improve the combo’s ranking.