Lockdown Protocol

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor built on the Zen 4 (Phoenix) architecture using a 4 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 4.20 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, backed by a 16 MB shared L3 cache and 1 MB L2 per core. The CPU’s 65 W TDP and dual-channel DDR5 memory support (83.2 GB/s bandwidth) position it as a modern mid-range part, and its benchmark profile confirms strong multi-threaded capability: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 20851 and a single-core score of 2943 place it in the 82nd percentile of all CPUs tested.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU’s influence is most visible at lower resolutions where frame rates climb past 130 FPS. At 1080p Low, the combo delivers 179.2 FPS average, and at 1080p Medium it reaches 130.7 FPS. These figures indicate that the processor can feed the GPU ample frames when graphical load is light. The Ryzen 5 8400F’s 12 threads and 4.70 GHz boost clock provide sufficient headroom for the game’s FPS mechanics, which typically rely on single-thread performance for physics and AI. The 3DMark single-thread score of 951 and Cinebench R20 single-core score of 1236 corroborate strong per-core throughput.

Relative to its nearest rivals in the synthetic CPU benchmark, the 8400F sits effectively level with the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X (deltaPct 0), the AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 340 (deltaPct -0.1), and the AMD EPYC 9474F (deltaPct -0.2). It edges the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F by 0.3%. This means the 8400F’s raw compute power is neither a standout nor a bottleneck in its tier; rather, it delivers consistent multi-threaded performance that scales predictably with resolution changes. The Passmark multi-thread score of 24530 and data compression score of 288994 reinforce that the CPU can handle background tasks without compromising frame pacing.

The key takeaway is that at 1080p, the CPU is not the limiting factor — the gap between Low (179.2 FPS) and Ultra (84.8 FPS) is a 94.4 FPS swing, which is far larger than any CPU-bound delta would produce. The processor’s role becomes more passive as resolution increases, where the GPU takes over as the primary frame rate determinant.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is a Pascal-architecture card with 11 GB of GDDR5X memory on a 352-bit bus, yielding 484.4 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 1481 MHz with a boost of 1582 MHz, and it carries 3584 shading units, 224 TMUs, and 88 ROPs. The GPU’s 11.34 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 139.2 GPixel/s pixel rate are substantial for a 2017-era flagship, and its Passmark G3D score of 18600 places it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GTX 1080 Ti’s memory capacity and bandwidth are critical at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the combo manages 40.1 FPS average — a playable but not smooth experience. Dropping to 4K High raises that to 54.5 FPS, and 4K Medium yields 63.7 FPS. The 11 GB frame buffer is sufficient for the game’s textures at 4K, as evidenced by the fact that the GPU does not collapse to single-digit frame rates even at Ultra settings. The 88 ROPs handle pixel fill rates well, but the Pascal architecture lacks the dedicated ray tracing and tensor cores found in newer generations, which limits its efficiency in modern FPS titles that use advanced shading.

The GTX 1080 Ti’s nearest rival in the synthetic GPU benchmark is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 (deltaPct 0), with the AMD Radeon Pro 560X (deltaPct -0.1) and NVIDIA Tesla K40m (deltaPct -0.6) close behind. It leads the NVIDIA TITAN Xp by 1.1%. These deltas are negligible, meaning the 1080 Ti’s compute performance is comparable to a much older card, but its memory subsystem and driver maturity give it an edge in real-world gaming scenarios like Lockdown Protocol.

The GPU’s role is dominant at 4K and 1440p. At 2560x1440, the frame rate drops from 130.8 FPS (Low) to 63.2 FPS (Ultra), a 67.6 FPS reduction that tracks directly with the GPU’s rendering load. At 1080p, however, the GPU is less stressed, and the CPU’s ability to feed it becomes more apparent. The 1080 Ti’s 250 W TDP and 600 W suggested PSU are consistent with its performance class, and the data shows it remains a capable 1440p card for this title, with High settings hitting 82.5 FPS at that resolution.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured frame rates reveal a clear scaling pattern across resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 179.2 FPS; at 1440p Low, it drops to 130.8 FPS (a 27% reduction); and at 4K Low, it falls to 88.1 FPS (a 50.8% reduction from 1080p). For High settings, the progression is 109.4 FPS at 1080p, 82.5 FPS at 1440p (a 24.6% drop), and 54.5 FPS at 4K (a 50.2% drop from 1080p). This consistent halving of frame rates from 1080p to 4K across all settings indicates the GPU is the primary limiting component at higher resolutions.

The scaling is not linear, which is expected given the pixel count increase from 2.07 million (1080p) to 8.29 million (4K) — a 4x jump. The frame rate drop is less than 4x, meaning the GPU is not fully saturated until Ultra settings. At 4K Ultra, the 40.1 FPS average is the lowest measured, and the gap between Medium (63.7 FPS) and Ultra (40.1 FPS) at 4K is a 23.6 FPS penalty, or 37% — this is the steepest per-setting drop in the dataset. This suggests that Ultra settings introduce shading and post-processing effects that disproportionately tax the Pascal architecture’s fixed-function units.

Conversely, the CPU’s role becomes more evident when comparing Low versus Ultra at the same resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low (179.2 FPS) and Ultra (84.8 FPS) is 94.4 FPS, which is larger than the 4K Low-to-Ultra gap (88.1 to 40.1 FPS, a 48 FPS difference). This indicates that at 1080p, the CPU can still push frames, but the GPU’s rendering cost dominates as settings increase. The data points to a balanced pairing: the Ryzen 5 8400F provides enough throughput to avoid stalling the GTX 1080 Ti at 1080p and 1440p, while the GPU’s memory bandwidth and compute limits become the bottleneck at 4K.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured rows, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and frame rate across all three resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the combo delivers 130.7 FPS, which is above the 120 FPS threshold for high-refresh-rate monitors and only 48.5 FPS below Low (179.2 FPS). At 1440p Medium, the frame rate is 95.8 FPS, which is smooth for most displays and only 35 FPS off the Low preset’s 130.8 FPS. At 4K Medium, the 63.7 FPS average is playable, and it is 24.4 FPS higher than High (54.5 FPS) and 23.6 FPS higher than Ultra (40.1 FPS).

The High preset is a reasonable alternative for users who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate. At 1080p High, the 109.4 FPS remains fluid, and at 1440p High, 82.5 FPS is adequate for most gaming. However, at 4K High, the 54.5 FPS average is below the 60 FPS target, making it a marginal choice for that resolution. Ultra is not recommended for any resolution in this pairing: the 84.8 FPS at 1080p is a 45.9 FPS penalty versus Medium, and the 40.1 FPS at 4K approaches unplayable territory.

The Low preset maximizes frame rate (179.2 FPS at 1080p, 130.8 FPS at 1440p) but sacrifices visual detail. Given that Medium provides a 27% higher frame rate than High at 4K (63.7 vs 54.5 FPS) and a 51% higher frame rate than Ultra at 4K (63.7 vs 40.1 FPS), Medium is the sweet spot for this combo. The data shows that the GTX 1080 Ti can handle Medium settings without excessive strain, while the CPU does not bottleneck at this preset level.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti ranks 977th out of 1637 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the 59.7th percentile of all combos — slightly below the median but not in the bottom quartile. The rank reflects the GPU’s age (Pascal architecture from 2017) and the CPU’s mid-range positioning (82nd percentile for CPUs, but paired with a GPU in the 61st percentile).

The rank is consistent with the measured performance data. At 1080p Ultra, the combo achieves 84.8 FPS, which is respectable but not competitive with modern high-end pairings that would exceed 144 FPS at that setting. At 4K Ultra, the 40.1 FPS average is below the 60 FPS standard, which suppresses the combo’s overall standing. The GPU’s nearest rivals (GTX 780, Radeon Pro 560X) are also older or lower-tier cards, confirming that the 1080 Ti is a mid-tier performer in the current benchmark database.

The CPU’s strong synthetic scores (Cinebench R23 multi-core of 20851, Passmark multi-thread of 24530) do not compensate for the GPU’s limitations at higher resolutions. The rank of 977 out of 1637 suggests that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where the GPU can maintain playable frame rates. At 4K, the combo falls behind many others that pair newer GPUs with comparable or weaker CPUs. The data indicates that this pairing is a balanced mid-range option, neither a top-tier performer nor a bottom-feeder — a reasonable choice for 1080p High/Medium or 1440p Medium, but not for 4K Ultra.