Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol presents a demanding workload for the Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti combination. The measured data reveals a system where the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU shows its limits at lower settings. This analysis breaks down the performance metrics from the FACT PACK, interpreting what the FPS figures mean for players using this specific hardware pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial, confirming that Lockdown Protocol scales heavily with resolution. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 225 FPS at 1920x1080 to 165 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 60 FPS, and then to 106 FPS at 3840x2160, a further drop of 59 FPS. This indicates that at lower settings, the game is still highly responsive to resolution changes, but the scaling is not linear; the percentage drop from 1440p to 4K is larger than from 1080p to 1440p, suggesting the GPU is becoming increasingly strained.

At Medium settings, the same trend continues. The average FPS is 160 at 1080p, 117 at 1440p, and 76 at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is 43 FPS, while the gap between 1440p and 4K is 41 FPS, showing a consistent performance penalty per pixel increase. However, the 4K Medium result of 76 FPS, with a minimum of 64 FPS, shows that this setting is playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes.

High settings reveal a more pronounced bottleneck at 4K. The average FPS is 139 at 1080p, 102 at 1440p, and only 66 at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is 36 FPS, a significant 35% decrease from the 1440p figure. This pattern strongly suggests that at 4K High, the RTX 3070 Ti's 8 GB of memory and its compute resources are saturated, making the GPU the definitive limiting component. The transition from 1080p to 1440p at High settings shows a 37 FPS drop, which is a 27% reduction, less severe than the 4K drop.

Ultra settings present the most extreme case. The average FPS plummets to 49 at 4K, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. At 1080p Ultra, the system manages 105 FPS, but this falls to 77 FPS at 1440p. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is a 28 FPS drop, and from 1440p to 4K is another 28 FPS drop, showing a consistent and heavy penalty. The data indicates that Ultra settings at 4K are not viable for this combo, as the average frame rate falls below what is generally considered acceptable.

The frame time data for Medium settings provides additional insight. At 1080p Medium, the minimum FPS is 136 and the maximum is 184, a spread of 48 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the range is from 99 to 135 FPS, a spread of 36 FPS. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 64 and the maximum is 87, a spread of 23 FPS. This tightening of the frame time variance at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is working at a more consistent, albeit lower, level of utilization, whereas at lower resolutions, the CPU may be causing more variable frame pacing.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is the centerpiece of this system's gaming performance. Its specifications from the FACT PACK show a boost clock of 1770 MHz and a memory clock of 1188 MHz, which translates to 19 Gbps effective on 8 GB of GDDR6X memory. The memory is connected via a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 608.3 GB/s. These figures are critical in understanding the 4K performance.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is a notable factor. At 4K resolution with High or Ultra settings, the texture data and geometric complexity can easily exceed this limit. The measured data shows a significant drop at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS falls to 49. This is likely due to the GPU having to manage memory more aggressively, possibly swapping data, which severely impacts throughput. The 608.3 GB/s bandwidth is high, but it cannot compensate for a lack of capacity when the working set exceeds 8 GB.

The GPU's compute capabilities are substantial. With 6144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs, the RTX 3070 Ti is a powerful processor. The 21.75 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is a raw measure of its arithmetic throughput. In Lockdown Protocol, this compute power is what drives the high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 225 FPS, which reflects the GPU's ability to process frames quickly when not constrained by memory or CPU.

The benchmark results for the GPU place it in the 75th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29945. Its nearest rivals in the FACT PACK include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile, which scores 29928 with a deltaPct of 0.1, and the AMD Radeon RX 6800, which scores 30095 with a deltaPct of -0.5. This indicates that the RTX 3070 Ti's raw performance is essentially on par with these cards, despite being from an older generation. The deltaPct values show that the RTX 3070 Ti is only 0.1% faster than the RTX 5070 Mobile and 0.5% slower than the RX 6800, suggesting that its role in Lockdown Protocol is more about memory capacity and driver optimization than raw compute advantage.

The GPU's architecture, Ampere, supports DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, which are relevant for modern game engines. The pixel rate of 169.9 GPixel/s and texture rate of 339.8 GTexel/s are the theoretical limits for rasterization and texturing, which the game will utilize heavily. The data shows that the GPU can sustain high throughput at lower resolutions, but the 4K results indicate that the fill rate and memory bandwidth become the limiting factors.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F provides the processing foundation for this system. It has 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. The 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s are key specifications. The CPU is built on the Rocket Lake architecture and is manufactured on a 14 nm process.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is to manage game logic, physics, and AI, while also feeding the GPU with draw calls. The benchmark results show that the CPU scores 14340 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 2024 in single-core. These scores indicate a capable mid-range processor. The 3DMark results show a single-thread score of 868 and a max-thread score of 5652, highlighting that the CPU can handle both lightly and heavily threaded workloads.

The measured FPS data suggests that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 4K Medium, the average FPS is 76, which is lower than the 1440p Medium result of 117. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect the FPS to be similar across resolutions, as the CPU workload would not change significantly with resolution. Instead, the FPS scales with resolution, confirming that the GPU is the limiting component.

However, at 1080p Low, the system achieves 225 FPS. This is a very high frame rate that requires a substantial number of draw calls per second. The CPU's single-thread performance, as measured by the 3DMark single-thread score of 868 and the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2024, is sufficient to drive this. The data shows that at this setting, the system is likely balanced, with both CPU and GPU working near their limits.

The CPU's 12 threads are an advantage for modern games that use multiple cores. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 5619 is close to the max-thread score of 5652, indicating that the CPU scales well with additional threads. This is beneficial for Lockdown Protocol if it uses more than 6 cores for background tasks or simulation. The CPU's percentile rank of 71 against all CPUs shows it is better than average, but its nearest rivals in the FACT PACK, such as the AMD EPYC 7H12 with a deltaPct of 0.3, are in a similar performance tier, suggesting that the i5-11400F is not a standout performer but is adequate for this GPU.

The TDP of 65 W is low, which means the CPU does not generate excessive heat, allowing for a capable air cooler to maintain boost clocks. The boost clock of 4.40 GHz is a high frequency for a 6-core chip, which is crucial for the 225 FPS result at 1080p Low. The data indicates that the CPU can keep up with the GPU at lower resolutions, but as the resolution increases, the GPU's workload grows, and the CPU becomes less critical.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which settings to use for different priorities. For players targeting 60 FPS as a minimum, the data shows that 4K High is not viable, with an average of 66 FPS but no minimum FPS data. The 4K Medium setting, with an average of 76 FPS and a minimum of 64 FPS, is the safest option for 4K play. This setting provides a playable experience with a minimum FPS that is above 60, ensuring smooth gameplay in most situations.

At 1440p, the options are more flexible. The High setting achieves 102 FPS on average, and Medium achieves 117 FPS, with a minimum of 99 FPS. For a high-refresh-rate monitor, the Low setting at 165 FPS is ideal, but it may compromise visual quality. The Ultra setting at 77 FPS is also playable, but the High setting offers a better balance between visual fidelity and performance, as the 25 FPS difference between High and Medium is noticeable, while the 25 FPS difference between High and Ultra is less significant for the visual upgrade.

At 1080p, all settings are playable. The Low setting achieves 225 FPS, which is excellent for competitive play. The Medium setting at 160 FPS, with a minimum of 136 FPS, is a strong choice for a balanced experience. The High setting at 139 FPS is also good, but the jump to Ultra at 105 FPS is a significant drop of 34 FPS for potentially minimal visual gains.

The best experience per the measured rows depends on the player's hardware. For a standard 60 Hz display, 4K Medium is the recommended setting, as it provides a stable 60+ FPS experience. For a 144 Hz display, 1440p High is the sweet spot, offering a high average FPS with good visual quality. For a 240 Hz display, 1080p Low or Medium will be necessary to take full advantage of the refresh rate, with Medium being the better choice for visual quality without sacrificing too much performance.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Lockdown Protocol at 4K with high settings?

A: The data shows an average of 66 FPS at 4K High, but with no minimum FPS data, it is risky. The 4K Medium setting, with an average of 76 FPS and a minimum of 64 FPS, is a safer choice for a consistent experience.

Q: What is the best setting for competitive play?

A: At 1080p, the Low setting achieves 225 FPS, which is the highest measured. This provides the lowest latency and highest frame rate for competitive advantage.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1440p?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the bottleneck. The FPS scales from 165 FPS at Low to 77 FPS at Ultra, showing that the GPU's workload is the primary factor in performance changes.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 Ti compare to its direct rivals?

A: The average benchmark score is 29945. It is 0.1% faster than the GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile and 0.5% slower than the Radeon RX 6800, placing it in a tight performance band.

Q: Does the CPU limit the system at 1080p Low?

A: The 225 FPS result suggests the system is balanced. The CPU's single-thread score of 868 in 3DMark is sufficient to feed the GPU at this high frame rate.

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p Medium?

A: The average is 117 FPS, with a minimum of 99 FPS and a maximum of 135 FPS, making it a strong setting for high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data is taken directly from the FACT PACK for the Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: Average 225 FPS
• Medium: Average 160 FPS, Minimum 136 FPS, Maximum 184 FPS
• High: Average 139 FPS
• Ultra: Average 105 FPS

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: Average 165 FPS
• Medium: Average 117 FPS, Minimum 99 FPS, Maximum 135 FPS
• High: Average 102 FPS
• Ultra: Average 77 FPS

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: Average 106 FPS
• Medium: Average 76 FPS, Minimum 64 FPS, Maximum 87 FPS
• High: Average 66 FPS
• Ultra: Average 49 FPS

The data shows a clear hierarchy of performance. At each resolution, the frame rate drops as settings increase from Low to Ultra. The Medium settings are the only ones with complete min/max data, providing insight into frame time stability. The difference between the minimum and maximum FPS at 4K Medium is 23 FPS, which is the smallest spread, indicating more consistent frame pacing than at lower resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti combination is ranked 1324 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the 64th percentile of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms the majority of configurations.

The combo's rank is a result of the balance between the CPU and GPU. The CPU's 71st percentile ranking among all CPUs and the GPU's 75th percentile ranking among all GPUs suggest that neither component is a weak link. However, the combo ranking is slightly lower than either component's individual percentile, which could indicate that the pairing is not perfectly optimized for this specific game.

The nearest rivals for the CPU, such as the AMD EPYC 7H12 with a deltaPct of 0.3, and for the GPU, such as the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile with a deltaPct of 0.1, show that this combo is in a dense performance area. A small change in driver or game patch could shift the ranking significantly. The rank of 1324 out of 3714 indicates that while there are many faster systems, there are also a significant number of slower ones, making this a solid mid-to-high-range configuration for Lockdown Protocol. The data shows that this combo is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K being possible only at Medium settings or lower.