Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB delivers a solid 1080p and 1440p experience in Lockdown Protocol, but the data indicates a clear shift in system bottleneck as resolution climbs. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 197.9 FPS, which drops to 120.9 FPS at High and 94 FPS at Ultra. Moving to 2560x1440, the average at Low falls to 142.9 FPS, while High yields 91.7 FPS and Ultra drops to 68.8 FPS. At 3840x2160, the impact becomes more pronounced: Low averages 91.8 FPS, High drops to 57.7 FPS, and Ultra falls to 41.9 FPS. The scaling from 1080p Low to 4K Low represents a 53.6% reduction in frame rate, while the same resolution jump on Ultra settings results in a 55.4% drop. This pattern suggests that the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, particularly as settings increase.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates reveal a consistent and predictable scaling curve across the three tested resolutions. At 1080p, the system demonstrates headroom, with Low settings exceeding 197 FPS and Medium reaching 141.5 FPS, indicating that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU adequately at this resolution. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 103.9 FPS, which is the largest absolute spread seen across all resolutions. This wide margin indicates that the GPU's workload is the dominant variable at 1080p, as the CPU has enough headroom to maintain high frame rates even when graphical demand increases.

At 1440p, the frame rates compress slightly, with Low hitting 142.9 FPS and Ultra reaching 68.8 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra here is 74.1 FPS, a narrower margin than at 1080p. This compression suggests that the GPU is beginning to approach its throughput limits, as the additional pixel count at 1440p increases the per-frame workload. The 1080p to 1440p scaling at High settings shows a 24.2% reduction in average FPS, from 120.9 to 91.7. This is a substantial hit that points toward the GPU's memory bandwidth and processing capacity becoming more relevant.

At 4K, the scaling curve flattens further, with Low at 91.8 FPS and Ultra at 41.9 FPS, a difference of 49.9 FPS. The 1440p to 4K transition at Medium settings results in a 33.4% drop, from 101.4 to 67.5 FPS. The data indicates that at 4K Ultra, the system is heavily GPU-bound, as the 41.9 FPS average falls below the 60 FPS threshold commonly targeted for smooth gameplay. The 1080p Ultra result of 94 FPS versus the 4K Ultra result of 41.9 FPS shows a 55.4% decrease, which is nearly identical to the percentage drop seen on Low settings. This consistency suggests that the scaling factor is primarily resolution-driven rather than settings-driven, confirming that the RX 9060 XT's 8 GB memory buffer and 128-bit bus are the constraining factors at higher pixel counts.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination ranks 864th out of 1637 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the 52.8th percentile of all tested configurations. This mid-pack ranking indicates that while the system delivers playable frame rates at most settings, it does not excel relative to other pairings in the database. The CPU alone, the Intel Core i5-11400F, holds a percentile rank of 75 among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17181. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U with a score of 17189 (a delta of 0%), the Intel Core i7-1260P at 17212 (a delta of -0.2%), and the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U at 17215 (a delta of -0.2%). These tiny deltas indicate that the i5-11400F is essentially performance-equivalent to these other processors in synthetic benchmarks, yet the overall combo rank of 864 suggests that the GPU pairing or game-specific optimization holds the system back from a higher position.

The GPU's percentile rank of 50 among all GPUs places it exactly at the median, which aligns with the combo's mid-pack ranking. The data shows that the RX 9060 XT is a balanced performer, but it does not have the headroom to push the combo into the upper quartile of tested systems. The disparity between the CPU's 75th percentile and the GPU's 50th percentile suggests that the graphics card is the limiting factor in this pairing. In a game like Lockdown Protocol, which is an FPS title with demanding visual effects, the GPU's role becomes more critical as resolution increases, and the mid-pack ranking reflects this dynamic.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with a Navi 44 chip manufactured on a 4 nm process. Its base clock is 1700 MHz, with a game clock of 2530 MHz and a boost clock of 3130 MHz. The memory operates at 2518 MHz, effective to 20.1 Gbps, across a 128-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 322.3 GB/s. These specifications are relevant to the measured frame rates, as the 8 GB memory capacity and 128-bit bus width become potential bottlenecks at 4K resolutions where texture data and frame buffers consume significant memory.

The GPU's pixel rate is 200.3 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 400.6 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is 25.64 TFLOPS, with FP16 at 51.28 TFLOPS (2:1). These figures indicate a mid-range GPU that can handle 1080p and 1440p gaming comfortably but struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K with Ultra settings. The 4K Ultra result of 41.9 FPS is particularly telling, as it falls well below the 60 FPS target, and the 4K High result of 57.7 FPS barely misses that threshold. The data suggests that the GPU's 8 GB memory is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the combination of higher resolution and Ultra settings likely exceeds the memory buffer's comfortable capacity, causing the frame rate to drop.

The RT cores, numbering 32, and the support for DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4 indicate that the GPU is capable of handling modern rendering features, but the measured frame rates do not include ray tracing tests. The 150 W TDP and the 1x 8-pin power connector suggest a power-efficient design, but the PCIe 5.0 x16 interface does not necessarily provide a performance advantage over PCIe 4.0 for this game. The GPU's 2048 shading units and 64 ROPs are consistent with its mid-range positioning, and the data shows that the card performs as expected: strong at 1080p, adequate at 1440p, and progressively weaker at 4K.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain a 60+ FPS average?

A: At 1440p High, the combo averages 91.7 FPS, and at 4K Low, it averages 91.8 FPS. The 4K Medium setting drops to 67.5 FPS, which is still above 60 FPS, but 4K High falls to 57.7 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

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

A: The Intel Core i5-11400F has an average benchmark score of 17181, which is within 0.2% of the Intel Core i7-1260P (17212) and the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U (17215). It is essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, which scores 17189.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p Ultra and 4K Ultra?

A: The 1080p Ultra average is 94 FPS, while the 4K Ultra average is 41.9 FPS, representing a 55.4% reduction in performance.

Q: Does the GPU have enough memory for 4K gaming in this title?

A: The 8 GB memory is sufficient for 4K Low (91.8 FPS) and 4K Medium (67.5 FPS), but 4K High drops to 57.7 FPS and 4K Ultra to 41.9 FPS, indicating that the memory buffer is likely a limiting factor at higher settings.

Q: What is the combo's ranking among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 864th out of 1637 tested combos, placing it in the 52.8th percentile of all tested systems.

Q: What is the scaling pattern from 1080p to 1440p at Medium settings?

A: The 1080p Medium average is 141.5 FPS, and the 1440p Medium average is 101.4 FPS, representing a 28.3% reduction in performance.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimal settings based on resolution. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers an average of 120.9 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target and provides a smooth experience. The Ultra preset at 1080p yields 94 FPS, which is still playable but offers diminishing returns over High. The Low preset at 1080p reaches 197.9 FPS, which is ideal for competitive play where maximum frame rates are prioritized over visual fidelity. For most users at 1080p, High represents the best balance, as it offers a 26.9 FPS improvement over Ultra while maintaining a substantial margin above 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 91.7 FPS, which is the recommended choice for a balanced experience. The Medium preset at 101.4 FPS is also viable, but the jump to High provides better visual quality with only a 9.7 FPS reduction. The Ultra preset at 68.8 FPS is playable but approaches the lower limit of comfort for fast-paced FPS gameplay. The Low preset at 142.9 FPS is suitable for competitive play, but the visual trade-off may be too severe for some users. For 1440p, High is the recommended preset, as it stays above 90 FPS and provides a good visual experience.

At 3840x2160, the data shows that only Low and Medium settings are viable for a smooth experience. The Low preset averages 91.8 FPS, which is excellent for 4K, while the Medium preset at 67.5 FPS is still above 60 FPS and offers better visual quality. The High preset at 57.7 FPS is borderline, and the Ultra preset at 41.9 FPS is too low for comfortable gameplay. For 4K, Medium is the recommended preset, as it provides a 25.8% improvement in frame rate over High while maintaining a 67.5 FPS average. The Low preset is recommended for users who prioritize frame rate stability over visual fidelity, as it delivers 91.8 FPS with a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold.