Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti pairing delivers a solid 1080p and 1440p experience in Lockdown Protocol, but the data shows that 4K gaming requires significant graphical compromises. This combination is well-balanced for high-refresh-rate esports-style play at standard resolutions, though the GPU becomes the limiting factor as pixel count increases. The CPU’s strong multi-threaded performance ensures it won’t bottleneck the system in this FPS title.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core i7-13700K sits close to several AMD and Intel rivals in overall processing power. The AMD Ryzen 9 5900 is nearly identical, scoring 46971 against the i7-13700K’s 46881 average, a negligible -0.2% difference. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 trails by just -0.3% with a score of 47022, while the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX and Intel Xeon w3-2535 both come in at 0.5% behind with scores of 46654 and 46653 respectively. In practical terms, swapping the i7-13700K for any of these processors would result in virtually indistinguishable frame rates in Lockdown Protocol, as the game’s performance ceiling at most settings is dictated by the GPU rather than the CPU.

On the graphics side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti’s nearest rivals show a tight cluster of performance. The AMD Radeon RX 9060 scores 16014, which is 0.7% higher than the RTX 3060 Ti’s 16129 average. The AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT both outperform it by 1.4%, scoring 16351 and 16361 respectively. The AMD Radeon R9 370X lags behind by 1.7% with a score of 15862. These delta values are small enough that users upgrading from any of these cards to the RTX 3060 Ti would see only marginal gains, and the choice between them should be based on features like ray tracing support or driver preferences rather than raw rasterization performance.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a clear pattern: the RTX 3060 Ti is the primary performance driver in Lockdown Protocol, with the i7-13700K providing ample headroom. At 1080p, the gap between Low and Ultra settings is substantial, moving from 159.9 FPS down to 75 FPS. This 84.9 FPS spread indicates that the GPU is fully utilized as settings increase, since the CPU can easily feed frames at these rates. The i7-13700K’s 16 cores and 24 threads, combined with a 30 MB L3 cache, ensure that even the most demanding scenes won’t create a CPU bottleneck.

Scaling to 1440p, the same pattern holds. Low settings deliver 117 FPS, while Ultra drops to 56 FPS. The 61 FPS delta between presets shows that resolution increases compound the GPU load. At 4K, the GPU strain becomes extreme: Low settings produce 78.1 FPS, but Medium falls to 56.5 FPS, High manages only 46.3 FPS, and Ultra collapses to 32.5 FPS. The i7-13700K’s performance remains constant across resolutions, confirming that the RTX 3060 Ti’s 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are the limiting factors at higher pixel counts. The CPU’s percentile ranking at 89 among all CPUs, versus the GPU’s 59 percentile among GPUs, further supports this interpretation.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers excellent performance across all presets. Low settings average 159.9 FPS, which is well above any high-refresh-rate monitor’s capability. Medium settings drop to 113.2 FPS, still offering a smooth experience. High settings produce 101.3 FPS, and even Ultra maintains a playable 75 FPS average. The step from Medium to High costs roughly 12 FPS, while the jump from High to Ultra costs another 26 FPS, showing diminishing returns at the highest preset.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance remains strong but the Ultra preset falls below the 60 FPS threshold. Low settings average 117 FPS, providing a competitive advantage for fast-paced play. Medium settings deliver 80.4 FPS, and High settings manage 73.1 FPS. Ultra drops to exactly 56 FPS, which is technically playable but misses the 60 FPS target. The difference between Low and Medium is 36.6 FPS, while the gap from Medium to High is just 7.3 FPS, indicating that Medium is the sweet spot for visual quality relative to framerate.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable framerates except at the lowest settings. Low settings average 78.1 FPS, which is surprising given the resolution. Medium settings fall to 56.5 FPS, High drops to 46.3 FPS, and Ultra produces just 32.5 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is nearly half the 1080p Ultra figure, demonstrating the GPU’s bandwidth and compute limits. The lack of min and max FPS data in the measurements means the analysis relies solely on averages, but the patterns are consistent across resolutions.

The Verdict

According to the verdict by resolution, this PC can run Lockdown Protocol at 60 FPS or higher under specific conditions. At 1920x1080, all four presets clear the 60 FPS threshold, with the Ultra setting achieving 75 FPS. This makes 1080p the ideal resolution for this combo, allowing users to max out settings without concern.

At 2560x1440, three of four presets remain playable: Low at 117 FPS, Medium at 80.4 FPS, and High at 73.1 FPS. The Ultra preset falls short at 56 FPS, so users seeking maximum visual fidelity at 1440p should expect to drop below the 60 FPS target. The recommended approach is High settings, which balances visual quality with a comfortable margin above the playable threshold.

At 3840x2160, only Low settings achieve 60 FPS, posting 78.1 FPS. Medium and High both fail to reach the target, and Ultra is far off at 32.5 FPS. The data suggests that 4K is not a realistic option for this GPU unless users are willing to accept significant visual compromises. The i7-13700K has no trouble feeding frames at any resolution, but the RTX 3060 Ti’s 8 GB VRAM and 256-bit memory bus cap out at 4K Low.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific CPU and GPU combination ranks 2546 out of 3714 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the database, which is expected given the GPU’s mid-range positioning. The RTX 3060 Ti’s 59th percentile ranking among all GPUs pulls the overall combo down, despite the i7-13700K’s strong 89th percentile CPU ranking. The data indicates that users with this combo are likely GPU-limited in most scenarios, meaning a GPU upgrade would yield larger framerate gains than a CPU swap.

The rank of 2546 out of 3714 represents roughly the 31st percentile of tested configurations. This is not a top-tier setup, but it is far from the bottom. The combo’s performance is constrained by the GPU’s 16.20 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 253.1 GTexel/s texture rate. For a game like Lockdown Protocol, which appears to scale heavily with GPU settings based on the measured FPS deltas, this rank is a direct reflection of the RTX 3060 Ti’s capabilities rather than any CPU deficiency.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which achieves an average of 75 FPS. This allows users to enable every graphical feature without sacrificing smoothness. The 15 FPS margin above the threshold provides some headroom for demanding scenes, although users with 144 Hz or higher monitors may prefer High settings at 101.3 FPS for a more responsive feel.

For 2560x1440, High settings are the optimal choice, delivering 73.1 FPS. This preset provides most of the visual benefits of Ultra while maintaining a 13.1 FPS buffer above the 60 FPS target. Medium settings at 80.4 FPS are also viable for users who prioritize framerate over visual fidelity, but High represents the best balance. The Ultra preset at 56 FPS should be avoided unless users are willing to tolerate occasional dips below 60 FPS.

For 3840x2160, Low settings are the only option that clears the 60 FPS threshold, averaging 78.1 FPS. This is a notable achievement for a 4K resolution, but it comes at the cost of most visual enhancements. Medium settings at 56.5 FPS are close to playable but miss the target by 3.5 FPS. Users with adaptive sync monitors might find Medium acceptable, but strict 60 FPS adherence requires Low settings. The 4K experience is clearly not this combo’s strength, and the data recommends sticking to 1440p or below for the best experience.