Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti delivers a performance profile in Lockdown Protocol that is heavily dictated by resolution and settings. At 1080p, the combination produces very high frame rates, but the scaling to 4K reveals a significant drop that points to the GPU becoming the primary bottleneck at higher pixel counts. The data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p results are strong, 1440p remains highly playable, and 4K requires settings adjustments to maintain smooth gameplay.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a predictable yet pronounced scaling pattern from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 197.6 FPS, which drops to 181.5 FPS at 1440p and further to 150.2 FPS at 4K. This represents a 24% reduction from 1080p to 4K on Low settings, indicating that even at the lowest quality preset, the GPU is still managing the workload effectively but with diminishing returns as pixel count rises.

The scaling becomes steeper when moving to higher quality presets. On High settings, the frame rate falls from 164.7 FPS at 1080p to 143.6 FPS at 1440p, then drops sharply to 92.6 FPS at 4K. That is a 43.8% loss from 1080p to 4K on High, showing that the RTX 5070 Ti’s rendering load increases substantially with resolution when visual fidelity is prioritized. The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling: 148.1 FPS at 1080p, 111.8 FPS at 1440p, and just 70.1 FPS at 4K—a 52.7% drop from the lowest to highest resolution.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the frame rates across all settings are relatively close (ranging from 148.1 to 197.6 FPS), which suggests the CPU is not the limiting factor at this resolution. At 4K, the spread widens considerably (70.1 to 150.2 FPS), confirming that the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth become the dominant constraints. For players targeting 4K, the Low preset is the only option that maintains a frame rate above 150 FPS, while Medium drops to 105.5 FPS and High to 92.6 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Comet Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its benchmark results show a single-thread score of 688 in 3dmark, which is modest compared to modern processors, but its multi-thread performance (4,748 in 3dmark with 16 threads) provides adequate headroom for Lockdown Protocol. The CPU’s 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support at 42.7 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for this game’s requirements.

In the context of the measured FPS, the CPU’s role appears minimal at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low (197.6 FPS) and Ultra (148.1 FPS) is 49.5 FPS, which suggests the GPU is handling most of the rendering overhead. The CPU’s 73rd percentile ranking among all processors (with an average benchmark score of 14,168) places it in the upper mid-range, and its nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 7552, scores nearly identically at 14,115 (0.4% difference). This indicates that the i5-10400F is not a weak link for this game, but it also lacks the raw single-thread performance to push frame rates higher in CPU-bound scenarios.

The data shows that at 4K, the frame rate gap between Low and Ultra is 80.1 FPS (150.2 vs. 70.1), which is almost entirely GPU-driven. The CPU’s 6 cores and 12 threads are likely sufficient to feed the RTX 5070 Ti, as evidenced by the relatively consistent performance at 1080p across settings. However, the processor’s age (released in 2020) and its 14 nm process node mean it operates at a disadvantage compared to newer CPUs in terms of instructions per clock, though this does not manifest as a major issue in the measured results.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is the dominant component in this pairing, featuring 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus with 896.0 GB/s bandwidth. Its 8,960 shading units and 70 RT cores provide substantial compute power, with a boost clock of 2452 MHz and an FP32 throughput of 43.94 TFLOPS. The GPU’s 87th percentile ranking among all GPUs (average benchmark score 52,086) places it near the top tier, with its closest rival being the RTX 4080 at a 0% deltaPct.

The GPU’s memory capacity and bandwidth are critical for Lockdown Protocol at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 70.1 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play but still playable. The 16 GB VRAM is not likely to be a limiting factor, as even at Ultra settings, the game’s texture and geometry demands should fit within this allocation. The memory clock of 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective) contributes to the high bandwidth, which helps maintain frame rates at 4K.

The RTX 5070 Ti’s performance scaling across settings is consistent with its architecture. At 1080p, the GPU achieves 197.6 FPS on Low, indicating it is not fully utilized at this resolution. At 4K, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck, as shown by the steep drop to 150.2 FPS on Low and 92.6 FPS on High. The 4K Ultra result of 70.1 FPS represents a 64.5% reduction from 1080p Low, which is substantial but expected given the pixel count increase from 2.07 million to 8.29 million.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti ranks 356th out of 1,637 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the top 21.8% of all configurations. This ranking reflects a system that is well above average but not at the absolute top tier, as the CPU’s mid-range performance holds back the GPU’s potential in certain scenarios.

The rank suggests that while the RTX 5070 Ti is a high-end GPU (87th percentile), the i5-10400F’s 73rd percentile ranking creates a slight imbalance. In CPU-light scenes, the combo performs admirably, but in situations where the game’s logic or physics are demanding, the older processor may limit frame rates. The rank of 356 out of 1,637 indicates that there are 355 combos with better overall performance, likely featuring newer CPUs with higher single-thread scores.

For context, the CPU’s nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 7552 (0.4% higher score) and the Intel Core i5-8500 (1.1% lower score), which shows that the i5-10400F sits in a competitive mid-range segment. The GPU’s nearest rival, the RTX 4080, matches its average benchmark score exactly, confirming that the RTX 5070 Ti is a top-tier performer. However, the combo rank of 356 suggests that pairing this GPU with a stronger CPU would yield better overall results in Lockdown Protocol.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the results are: Low 197.6 FPS, Medium 176.3 FPS, High 164.7 FPS, and Ultra 148.1 FPS. These figures show a smooth degradation as settings increase, with a 49.5 FPS difference between Low and Ultra, representing a 25% reduction.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates are: Low 181.5 FPS, Medium 159.8 FPS, High 143.6 FPS, and Ultra 111.8 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra widens to 69.7 FPS (a 38.4% reduction), indicating that the GPU is working harder at this resolution. The 1440p results remain highly playable, with even Ultra exceeding 110 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly: Low 150.2 FPS, Medium 105.5 FPS, High 92.6 FPS, and Ultra 70.1 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 80.1 FPS (a 53.3% reduction), which highlights the GPU’s limitations at 4K. Only the Low preset maintains a frame rate above 150 FPS, while Medium stays above 100 FPS, but High and Ultra fall below 100 FPS.

Comparing across resolutions, the 1080p Low result of 197.6 FPS is 31.6% higher than the 4K Low result of 150.2 FPS. The 1440p Ultra result of 111.8 FPS is 59.5% higher than the 4K Ultra result of 70.1 FPS, showing that the GPU’s performance scales predictably with pixel count.

Settings Recommendations

For players using this combo, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, the Ultra preset delivers 148.1 FPS, which is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate common on many monitors, making it the best choice for visual quality without sacrificing smoothness. The Medium preset at 176.3 FPS offers a good balance for those prioritizing higher frame rates, but the jump to Ultra only costs 28.2 FPS, which is acceptable for most users.

At 1440p, the High preset at 143.6 FPS is the recommended choice, as it provides excellent visual fidelity while maintaining a frame rate that exceeds 140 FPS. The Ultra preset at 111.8 FPS is still playable and may be preferred for those who value image quality over raw speed. For competitive play, the Medium preset at 159.8 FPS offers a significant boost over High without a major visual penalty.

At 4K, the Low preset at 150.2 FPS is the only option that delivers high refresh rates, making it the clear recommendation for players with 144 Hz or higher displays. The Medium preset at 105.5 FPS is suitable for 60 Hz monitors, while the High preset at 92.6 FPS provides a good balance for those who want higher quality but can tolerate frame rates below 100 FPS. The Ultra preset at 70.1 FPS should be avoided unless the player prioritizes image quality over performance, as it dips below the 60 FPS threshold in demanding scenes.

The data suggests that this combo is best suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming, where it can achieve high frame rates with the Ultra preset. At 4K, the Low or Medium presets are recommended to maintain playable performance. The RTX 5070 Ti’s 16 GB VRAM and high bandwidth ensure that texture quality remains high even at lower presets, so the visual impact of dropping from Ultra to Medium is less severe than the frame rate impact would suggest.