Lockdown Protocol

The data for Lockdown Protocol with the Intel Core i5-10400F and AMD Radeon RX 6600 shows a configuration that is heavily influenced by the graphics card at higher resolutions, but which still offers a wide range of playable settings depending on the target display. The measured FPS across the three primary resolutions reveals a clear pattern of scaling that defines the system's capabilities.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 produces a significant drop in frame rates across all settings presets, indicating that the AMD Radeon RX 6600 becomes the primary limiting component as pixel count increases. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 147.8 FPS at 1080p to 108.6 FPS at 1440p, and then down to 70.4 FPS at 4K. This represents a reduction of approximately 52% from the lowest resolution to the highest, which is a substantial performance cost for the additional pixels.

The scaling pattern is even more pronounced at higher quality presets. With High settings, the average drops from 89.9 FPS at 1080p to 63.9 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 41.1 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset shows the steepest relative decline, moving from 66.2 FPS at 1080p down to 47.4 FPS at 1440p, and ultimately to 29.7 FPS at 4K. This behavior suggests that the GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and its 128-bit memory bus are being saturated by the higher resolution workloads, as the frame rate penalties grow disproportionately with each step up in resolution.

At 1080p, the system appears to have more headroom, with the CPU able to feed the GPU adequately at lower settings. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 81.6 FPS, which is a wide margin that shows the graphics card is doing most of the work. However, at 4K, that same gap narrows to 40.7 FPS, indicating that the GPU is struggling to maintain high output regardless of the quality preset. The data suggests that for 4K gaming, the RX 6600 is the bottleneck, while at 1080p, the combination is better balanced.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F provides 6 cores and 12 threads, running at a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. This Comet Lake processor has a 12 MB shared L3 cache and supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s. In the context of Lockdown Protocol, an FPS title, the CPU's role is to maintain a stable frame delivery, particularly at lower resolutions where the GPU has more capacity to render frames quickly.

Benchmark data for the i5-10400F shows a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 10297 and a single-core score of 1453. The single-thread performance is critical for game logic and draw call processing, and this processor's 3DMark single-thread score of 688 suggests it can handle the demands of this genre. The processor sits at the 73rd percentile among all CPUs tested, with an average benchmark score of 14168. Its nearest rival is the AMD EPYC 7552, which scores 14115, a delta of 0.4%, and the Intel Core i5-8500, which scores 14332, a delta of -1.1%.

At 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 147.8 FPS, which indicates that the CPU is not severely limiting performance in this scenario. The boost clock of 4.30 GHz allows for responsive single-threaded execution, which is typical for FPS games that rely on rapid input processing. However, at 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 29.7 FPS, a value that suggests the CPU has ample headroom left unused, as the GPU is unable to render frames fast enough to saturate the processor's capabilities.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain a high refresh rate?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system averages 147.8 FPS, which is suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors. Even at Medium settings, it maintains 103.6 FPS, showing that 1080p is the optimal resolution for performance-oriented play.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming?

A: The data shows 4K performance is limited. At High settings, the average is 41.1 FPS, and at Ultra it drops to 29.7 FPS. These values are playable for slower titles but may not be ideal for competitive FPS gameplay.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-10400F scores 14168 on average, which is 0.4% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7552 but 1.1% behind the Intel Core i5-8500. The AMD Ryzen 3 7320C is 0.8% ahead and the AMD Ryzen Embedded V2546 is 1.2% ahead.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 108.6 FPS, while Ultra averages 47.4 FPS. This is a difference of 61.2 FPS, showing the significant cost of higher quality settings.

Q: Is the GPU a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The GPU appears to be more capable at 1080p, as the frame rates scale from 66.2 FPS at Ultra to 147.8 FPS at Low. This wide range indicates the RX 6600 is the limiting factor, but it still delivers playable performance across all presets.

Q: How does the GPU's average benchmark score compare to its nearest rival?

A: The RX 6600 has an average benchmark score of 25235, which is essentially tied with the AMD Radeon 890M at 25246 (0% delta). It is 0.2% behind the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP and 0.5% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the system delivers 147.8 FPS on Low, 103.6 FPS on Medium, 89.9 FPS on High, and 66.2 FPS on Ultra. These numbers show a consistent progression where each quality tier costs approximately 15-25% of the previous frame rate, with the largest single drop occurring between Low and Medium.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 108.6 FPS on Low, 77.1 FPS on Medium, 63.9 FPS on High, and 47.4 FPS on Ultra. The scaling here is more linear, with the gap between Low and Ultra being 61.2 FPS. This resolution represents a sweet spot for the combo, as even High settings remain above 60 FPS, which is a common target for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, performance drops significantly: 70.4 FPS on Low, 47.8 FPS on Medium, 41.1 FPS on High, and 29.7 FPS on Ultra. Only the Low preset manages to stay above 60 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls below 30 FPS, which is generally considered the minimum for playable frame rates in fast-paced games. The data shows that 4K is only viable with the lowest quality settings for this configuration.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Lockdown Protocol, this particular pairing of the Intel Core i5-10400F and AMD Radeon RX 6600 ranks 1368 out of 1637 total combos. This places it in the lower portion of the ranking, but the position is relative to all tested systems, which includes much more powerful configurations. The rank of 1368 indicates that there are 269 combos that perform worse, suggesting that this system is not at the bottom of the pile.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 73rd among all processors is respectable, and the GPU's 69th percentile is similar. These percentile values indicate that both components are above average in their respective categories. The combination's lower rank in-game is likely due to the demanding nature of Lockdown Protocol at higher resolutions, where the RX 6600's 8 GB memory capacity and bandwidth become limiting factors. For a mid-range setup, the data shows it is capable of handling the game at 1080p and 1440p with reasonable settings, but it will struggle to compete with high-end systems at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user's display resolution and performance priorities. For 1920x1080, the High preset at 89.9 FPS offers a good balance between visual quality and smoothness, while the Medium preset at 103.6 FPS provides a higher frame rate with a modest reduction in fidelity. Players seeking maximum competitive advantage can use Low settings for 147.8 FPS, which is well above the threshold for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 2560x1440, the High preset achieves 63.9 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS target for most displays. The Medium preset at 77.1 FPS provides more headroom and is recommended for those who want to avoid frame drops during intense action sequences. The Low preset at 108.6 FPS is available for competitive play, but the visual compromise may be significant for some users.

For 3840x2160, only the Low preset at 70.4 FPS is recommended for a playable experience. The Medium preset at 47.8 FPS and High at 41.1 FPS may be acceptable for slower, more methodical gameplay, but they are not ideal for a fast-paced FPS. The Ultra preset at 29.7 FPS should be avoided for this game, as the frame rate is too low for responsive controls. The data suggests that 1440p Medium or High is the best overall experience for this combination, offering a strong balance of visual detail and performance.