Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol, a 2024 FPS title, presents an interesting case study for the Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 pairing. The measured data reveals a configuration that is highly capable at mainstream resolutions but begins to show its limitations as the pixel count climbs, offering a clear picture of where the balance of power lies within this specific system.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data suggests that the "High" preset offers the most compelling balance between visual fidelity and performance for this combo. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers an average of 132.5 FPS, which is a significant 30.3 FPS improvement over the Ultra preset's 102.2 FPS. This headroom is valuable in a fast-paced FPS, ensuring smoother frame pacing during intense firefights.

While the "Low" preset pushes the average to 215.2 FPS at 1080p, the visual compromise is substantial. The jump from Low to Medium (151.4 FPS) and then to High (132.5 FPS) represents a relatively small performance cost for a considerable gain in graphical quality. The data implies that the Ultra preset is the most demanding, and at 4K it drops to an average of 44.6 FPS, which is below the threshold for a consistently smooth competitive experience.

The most balanced approach for users with high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors is also the High preset, where the system achieves 98.6 FPS. This stays above the 60 FPS mark with a comfortable margin and provides a much better visual experience than the Medium preset's 111.4 FPS at that resolution. For those seeking the absolute maximum refresh rate at 1080p, the Medium preset is a viable option, offering 151.4 FPS while retaining more detail than the Low preset. Ultimately, the data positions High as the optimal choice, as it scales well across all three tested resolutions without incurring the steep performance penalty that comes with the Ultra settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate achievable with this hardware combination?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 215.2, which is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset. This indicates the system has substantial headroom when graphical demands are minimized.

Q: How does the system handle 4K gaming in Lockdown Protocol?

A: At 3840x2160, the performance is playable but not ideal for high refresh rates. The average FPS ranges from 44.6 on Ultra settings to 65.1 on High, and 102.8 on Low. The data suggests that 4K is only viable if the user is willing to significantly compromise on visual settings.

Q: Is there a significant performance gap between the High and Ultra presets?

A: Yes, the data shows a notable drop. At 1080p, the average FPS falls from 132.5 on High to 102.2 on Ultra, a decrease of 30.3 FPS. At 1440p, it drops from 98.6 to 72.3, and at 4K, it drops from 65.1 to 44.6. The cost of the Ultra preset is substantial across all resolutions.

Q: Which component is more likely to be the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: Given that the average FPS at 1080p is very high, even on the High preset (132.5 FPS), the data suggests that the CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is capable of feeding the GPU adequately at this resolution. The performance is likely more GPU-limited at higher resolutions.

Q: How does the frame rate scale from 1440p to 4K on the High preset?

A: On the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 98.6 FPS at 2560x1440 to 65.1 FPS at 3840x2160. This is a decrease of 33.5 FPS, or roughly a 34% reduction, which is a substantial penalty for the increase in pixel count.

Q: What is the system's overall ranking among tested combinations?

A: For Lockdown Protocol, this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 ranks 768 out of 1637 tested combos. This places it in the middle-to-upper portion of the performance spectrum, indicating it is a solid, but not top-tier, pairing for this game.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic pattern of resolution scaling, where the performance cost of additional pixels is not linear. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 on the High preset results in an average FPS drop from 132.5 to 98.6, a reduction of 33.9 FPS. This is a significant 25.6% decrease in performance for a 77% increase in pixel count.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is even more punishing. On the High preset, the average frame rate falls from 98.6 to 65.1, a 34% drop. This pattern strongly suggests that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, with its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 256-bit memory bus, becomes the primary limiting factor as the resolution increases. The data implies that the GPU is being pushed to its limits by the sheer number of pixels at 3840x2160.

This behavior confirms that the system is more balanced at 1080p, where the load is better distributed between the CPU and GPU. At 4K, the GPU's workload increases dramatically, and the frame rate becomes heavily dependent on its raw compute and memory bandwidth. The relatively smaller performance hit from increasing settings at lower resolutions, compared to the steep drop from increasing resolution, further supports the idea that pixel throughput is the main challenge for this GPU in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080: The data shows a clear hierarchy across the four settings presets. The Low preset achieves an average of 215.2 FPS, making it the only configuration to break the 200 FPS barrier. The Medium preset delivers 151.4 FPS, while the High preset provides a still-very-smooth 132.5 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with the average dropping to 102.2 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a total performance cost of 113 FPS, demonstrating the wide range of scalability in the game's graphics options at this resolution.

2560x1440: At this resolution, the performance envelope compresses. The Low preset averages 159.2 FPS, which is still excellent for competitive play. The Medium preset drops to 111.4 FPS, and the High preset follows closely behind at 98.6 FPS. The Ultra preset is the first to fall below the 100 FPS average mark, landing at 72.3 FPS. The difference between the Low and Ultra presets is 86.9 FPS, showing that while the system is still fast, it is beginning to feel the strain of the higher pixel count.

3840x2160: The 4K data shows a significant performance hit. The Low preset is the only one to provide a comfortably playable experience, with an average of 102.8 FPS. The High preset manages a playable 65.1 FPS, while Medium is slightly better at 71 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with the average FPS falling to 44.6, which is below the 60 FPS target for a smooth experience. This resolution clearly tests the limits of the RTX 3070, and the data indicates that users will need to make significant sacrifices in visual quality to maintain high frame rates.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Rocket Lake generation, with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14372 and a single-core score of 2029, indicate solid mainstream performance. In Lockdown Protocol, this CPU appears to provide a strong foundation for the system.

The high frame rates observed at 1080p, particularly the 215.2 FPS average on Low settings, suggest that the CPU is not a significant bottleneck at lower resolutions. The data implies that the 6-core configuration is sufficient to handle the game's processing demands, allowing the GPU to work at its full potential. The CPU's performance in this title is likely more about maintaining a high minimum frame rate and ensuring consistent frame pacing rather than being the primary driver of maximum FPS.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 75 against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17181, places it in a respectable position. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U and Intel Core i7-1260P, have nearly identical average scores, with deltas of just 0% and -0.2% respectively. This suggests that the i5-11400F's processing power is very much in line with other mid-range options, and its 12 threads are likely well-utilized in a modern, multithreaded game engine.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 holds a rank of 768 out of 1637 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the 47th percentile of all tested systems, meaning it performs better than nearly half of the configurations tested. This is a solid mid-pack result, indicating a well-balanced system that is not at the extreme high end but is far from being an entry-level performer.

This ranking suggests that while the hardware is capable, there are many other combinations that deliver higher average frame rates in this specific game. The components are neither top-tier, as evidenced by the CPU's 75th percentile and GPU's 72nd percentile standings, but they work together to provide a competent gaming experience. The mid-pack ranking is consistent with the idea that this is a high-mainstream or lower-enthusiast tier setup, which is effective for high-refresh-rate 1080p and solid 1440p gaming but will not top any chart for 4K performance.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is an Ampere-architecture GPU with a base clock of 1500 MHz and a boost clock of 1725 MHz. It is equipped with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The data strongly indicates that this GPU is the primary determinant of performance at higher resolutions in Lockdown Protocol.

The frame rate data shows a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, which is a hallmark of a GPU-limited scenario. The RTX 3070's 8 GB of VRAM, while sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, may be a limiting factor at 4K with higher texture quality settings. The steep drop from 98.6 FPS at 1440p High to 65.1 FPS at 4K High highlights the GPU's struggle to maintain performance as the pixel throughput demands increase.

The GPU's passmark G3D score of 22214 and its 72nd percentile ranking among all GPUs confirm its position as a strong mainstream performer. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT, has an average score of 27985, a delta of just 0.9%, showing that the RTX 3070 is closely matched with that competitor. In the context of Lockdown Protocol, the RTX 3070's 20.31 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 184 texture mapping units are more than adequate for high-detail 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the data suggests its 256-bit memory interface and 8 GB frame buffer are the bottlenecks when pushing towards 4K.