Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol is a demanding FPS that scales heavily with resolution, and the Intel Core i5-13400F + AMD Radeon RX 7700 combination delivers a playable experience across the board, but with clear performance tiers. The data shows a system that is firmly GPU-limited at 4K, transitioning to a more balanced profile as resolution drops, with the CPU proving sufficient to feed the GPU at 1080p without becoming a major bottleneck. This pairing ranks in the 55th percentile of all tested combos, indicating it sits slightly above the median for performance in this specific title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a predictable and steep performance curve as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo produces an average of 124 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings, the average drops to 91 FPS, a 26.6% decrease. At 3840x2160, the average falls further to 59 FPS, representing a 52.4% reduction from the 1080p figure. This pattern strongly indicates that the AMD Radeon RX 7700 is the limiting component at higher resolutions; the pixel throughput demand outpaces what the GPU can render, causing the frame rate to scale almost inversely with the pixel count.

The scaling behavior changes dramatically when looking at lower settings. At Low settings, 1920x1080 yields 200 FPS, 2560x1440 yields 147 FPS, and 3840x2160 yields 95 FPS. The percentage drops between these steps are 26.5% and 35.4%, respectively. The fact that 4K Low still achieves 95 FPS, while 4K Ultra drops to 44 FPS, shows that the GPU’s raw compute is sufficient for lighter workloads, but its limits are quickly exposed as graphical complexity increases. The gap between the lowest and highest settings at 4K is 51 FPS, which is larger than the 31 FPS gap at 1080p, confirming that the GPU’s shading units and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints at high resolutions.

The Medium settings data provides additional insight into the scaling pattern. At 1920x1080 Medium, the average is 142 FPS with a minimum of 121 FPS and maximum of 163 FPS. At 2560x1440 Medium, the average is 104 FPS (min 88, max 120), and at 3840x2160 Medium, the average is 67 FPS (min 57, max 77). The consistency of the minimum frame rates relative to the averages suggests that the system does not suffer from severe stuttering; the bottleneck is steady throughput rather than intermittent spikes. This indicates that while the GPU is heavily loaded, it manages the workload in a consistent manner, which is a positive sign for gameplay smoothness.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F brings a 10-core, 16-thread configuration based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and manage game logic, and the benchmark results suggest it handles this task adequately. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22604 and single-core score of 3191 indicate strong computational throughput, which translates to sufficient headroom for the game’s CPU-bound scenarios. The PassMark single-thread score of 3634 further corroborates that per-core performance is robust enough to avoid holding back the GPU at lower resolutions.

At 1920x1080, the difference between Low and High settings is 76 FPS (200 vs 124), which is a substantial margin. This gap is primarily driven by the GPU’s workload, but the fact that the CPU can maintain 200 FPS at Low settings shows it is not a hard ceiling for frame rates. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 7314 and max-thread score of 7307 are nearly identical, indicating that the CPU’s performance scales well with thread utilization, but the game likely does not use all 16 threads to their full capacity. The 10-core layout, which includes performance and efficiency cores, provides a balanced mix that handles both high-frequency single-thread tasks and multi-threaded background workloads.

Comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals, the i5-13400F’s average benchmark score of 25292 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS (25284, deltaPct 0) and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800H (25201, deltaPct 0.4). It trails the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (25365, deltaPct -0.3) by a negligible margin. This clustering indicates that in synthetic benchmarks, the i5-13400F is squarely in the middle of its performance class, and this translates to Lockdown Protocol where it neither excels nor lags behind comparable processors. The CPU’s 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache provide adequate memory hierarchy for the game’s data access patterns, though the game is clearly more sensitive to GPU throughput than CPU cache latency.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-13400F and AMD Radeon RX 7700 combination ranks 1275 out of 2828 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the 55th percentile. This means that approximately 55% of all tested system configurations perform worse than this pairing, while 45% perform better. The rank is a composite measure that accounts for both CPU and GPU capabilities, and the data suggests that the combination is well-balanced but not exceptional. The GPU, which ranks in the 58th percentile against all GPUs, is the stronger component relative to its peer group, while the CPU sits in the 77th percentile, pulling the overall combo down slightly.

The ranking reflects that while the RX 7700 is a competent mid-range GPU, it is not a high-end part, and the i5-13400F, while solid, does not compensate for the GPU’s limitations at higher resolutions. The combo’s position in the middle of the pack is consistent with the measured FPS results, which show strong 1080p performance and adequate 1440p performance, but 4K results that require lowering settings to achieve playable frame rates. Compared to other combos that might pair the same GPU with a stronger CPU, the i5-13400F is unlikely to be the limiting factor, meaning the combo’s rank is primarily a function of the GPU’s capabilities.

The deltaPct values for the GPU’s nearest rivals show that the RX 7700 is closely matched with the AMD Radeon R9 370X (deltaPct -0.1) and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (deltaPct 1.1), while trailing the AMD Radeon RX 9060 (deltaPct -1) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (deltaPct -1.7) by small margins. This tight grouping in synthetic benchmarks suggests that the RX 7700’s real-world performance in Lockdown Protocol is likely representative of its class, and the combo’s rank is not an outlier but rather a predictable outcome of pairing this specific CPU and GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the system’s capabilities across three resolutions and four settings levels. At 1920x1080, the system achieves excellent performance across the board. Low settings produce an average of 200 FPS, which is more than sufficient for any high-refresh-rate monitor. Medium settings yield 142 FPS (min 121, max 163), High settings produce 124 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 93 FPS. All of these figures are above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and even the Ultra setting maintains a playable frame rate.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the expected decline. Low settings produce 147 FPS, which is still very high. Medium settings average 104 FPS (min 88, max 120), High settings average 91 FPS, and Ultra settings average 68 FPS. The Ultra setting at 1440p is the first point where the frame rate approaches the lower boundary of what is considered ideal for competitive FPS play, though it remains above 60 FPS. The 1440p Medium setting, with a minimum of 88 FPS, offers a good balance of visual quality and performance for users who prioritize frame rate stability.

At 3840x2160, the system’s limitations become apparent. Low settings produce 95 FPS, which is playable but not high-refresh-rate territory. Medium settings average 67 FPS (min 57, max 77), which dips below 60 FPS at the minimum. High settings average 59 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS target, and Ultra settings average 44 FPS, which is not smooth for a fast-paced FPS. The data indicates that 4K gaming is only viable with this combo when using Low to Medium settings, and even then, users should expect occasional frame rate dips below the 60 FPS threshold.

The complete FPS breakdown is as follows:

• 1920x1080: Low 200, Medium 142 (121-163), High 124, Ultra 93
• 2560x1440: Low 147, Medium 104 (88-120), High 91, Ultra 68
• 3840x2160: Low 95, Medium 67 (57-77), High 59, Ultra 44

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is the dominant factor in this combo’s gaming performance. Built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with a 5 nm process, the GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s. This memory configuration is generous for the price point and is particularly beneficial at higher resolutions where frame buffer demands increase. The 16 GB capacity ensures that the game will not run out of video memory even at 4K Ultra settings, which is a common issue with lower-capacity cards.

The GPU’s clock speeds, with a base of 1900 MHz and a boost of 2459 MHz, contribute to its compute performance. The FP32 throughput of 25.18 TFLOPS and texture rate of 393.4 GTexel/s are respectable figures that drive the measured FPS. The 2560 shading units and 160 texture mapping units are the primary execution resources, and the data shows they are fully utilized at 4K, causing the frame rate to drop to 44 FPS at Ultra settings. The 96 ROPs handle pixel output, and the pixel rate of 236.1 GPixel/s is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p but becomes a limiting factor at 4K.

The GPU’s benchmark scores reflect its mid-range positioning. The PassMark G3D score of 20974 and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2865 place it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals, including the Radeon R9 370X and Radeon RX 9060, show that the RX 7700 is competitive within its segment but not class-leading. The GPU’s DirectX 12 support and 12 Ultimate API compatibility ensure it can handle the latest rendering techniques, but the hardware’s raw throughput is the determining factor in Lockdown Protocol, where the frame rate scales predictably with resolution and settings.

The GPU’s thermal and power characteristics, with a TDP of 200 W and a suggested PSU of 550 W, indicate it is a mid-range power consumer. The dual-slot design and 267 mm length make it compatible with most standard cases. The presence of 40 ray tracing cores suggests that future titles with heavy RT workloads may stress the GPU further, but in Lockdown Protocol, the data shows no indication that RT is a significant factor, as the performance is consistent with traditional rasterization workloads.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Lockdown Protocol with this combo?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the optimal resolution, with all settings producing average FPS above 90. At 2560x1440, High and Ultra settings remain above 68 FPS, but 4K requires Medium or Low settings to stay near 60 FPS.

Q: Can this system achieve 144 FPS in Lockdown Protocol?

A: Yes, but only at 1920x1080 with Low settings, where the average is 200 FPS. At 1920x1080 Medium, the average is 142 FPS, which falls slightly short of 144 FPS. At 2560x1440, only Low settings exceed 144 FPS with an average of 147 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: At 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, as frame rates drop significantly with higher settings. At 1080p, the CPU is less of a constraint, evidenced by the 200 FPS result at Low settings, which indicates the CPU can feed the GPU effectively.

Q: How does the RX 7700 compare to the RTX 3060 Ti in this game?

A: The GPU benchmark data shows the RX 7700 has an average score of 15852, while the RTX 3060 Ti has an average score of 16129 with a deltaPct of -1.7, indicating the RTX 3060 Ti is slightly faster in synthetic benchmarks, which likely translates to a small FPS advantage in Lockdown Protocol.

Q: Is 16 GB of VRAM necessary for this game?

A: The data confirms the RX 7700 has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, and the measured FPS at 4K Ultra (44 FPS) suggests that memory capacity is not a bottleneck, as the frame rate is limited by compute throughput rather than memory capacity.

Q: What settings should I use for a smooth 60 FPS experience at 1440p?

A: For 2560x1440, the data shows that Ultra settings produce an average of 68 FPS, which is above 60 FPS. High settings produce 91 FPS, providing additional headroom. Medium settings offer 104 FPS with a minimum of 88 FPS, ensuring no drops below 60 FPS.