Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol presents an interesting case study in how a modern FPS scales across resolutions and settings when powered by the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060. The measured frame rates reveal a configuration that is capable of high refresh rates at 1080p but begins to show its limits as pixel count increases, with the data suggesting distinct bottlenecks at different points in the resolution spectrum.

Resolution Scaling, how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured data shows a clear and predictable performance degradation as resolution increases, but the rate of that decline tells a revealing story about which component is under the most strain. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces an average of 117 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same settings drops this to 86 FPS, a reduction of 31 frames, or roughly 26.5%. Stepping up to 4K at High settings further reduces the average to 55 FPS, another 31-frame drop, representing a 36% decrease from the 1440p figure.

This scaling pattern is significant. The near-linear frame loss between 1080p and 1440p, and again between 1440p and 4K, suggests that the RTX 4060 is becoming the primary limiting factor as resolution climbs. The GPU is having to render an increasing number of pixels, and its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 272.0 GB/s bandwidth is being pushed harder. The data implies that at 1080p, the system is likely more balanced, with the CPU able to feed the GPU adequately, but by 4K, the GPU's workload is so heavy that it dictates the final frame rate.

The gap between the lowest and highest settings widens with resolution, further confirming the GPU's role. At 1080p, the difference between Low (189 FPS) and Ultra (88 FPS) is 101 FPS. At 1440p, that gap shrinks to 74 FPS (138 FPS on Low versus 64 FPS on Ultra). At 4K, the gap is 47 FPS (89 FPS on Low versus 42 FPS on Ultra). This compression of the settings-based performance spread at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU's raw throughput, rather than its ability to handle specific graphical features, is what matters most at 4K.

CPU Role, cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. Its benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 22604 and a single-core score of 3191. This places it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25292. The data suggests this CPU provides a solid foundation for gaming, and its performance is closely matched by rivals like the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D, which have deltaPct values of 0 and -0.3 respectively.

In the context of Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role appears to be most critical at lower resolutions where the GPU is not as saturated. The fact that the combo achieves 189 FPS on Low settings at 1080p and 138 FPS at 1440p on Low indicates that the processor is capable of delivering high frame rates. The 16 threads might help with background tasks and game logic, but the game's performance scaling suggests it is not heavily reliant on extreme multi-core scaling. The 3DMark scores show a significant jump from 2 threads (1880) to 4 threads (3459) and 8 threads (5591), but the max threads score of 7307 is only slightly higher than the 16-thread score of 7314, suggesting diminishing returns beyond 8 cores for many workloads.

The data implies that the i5-13400F is not the bottleneck at 4K, as the frame rates are more dependent on the resolution and settings. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the 88 FPS average is likely a combination of both CPU and GPU load, but the CPU's single-thread performance, evidenced by a 3DMark single-thread score of 960 and a Geekbench single-core score of 1996, should be sufficient for the game's logic. The CPU's 20 MB of shared L3 cache is also a healthy amount for a gaming processor.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate achieved by this combo in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 189 at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its closest rivals in terms of overall benchmark score?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 17639. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon HD 7790, scores 17666, which is a deltaPct of -0.2, meaning they are essentially tied. The AMD Radeon 780M is 0.3% behind, and the AMD Radeon Pro 560 is 0.5% behind.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves an average of 138 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves 64 FPS. This represents a performance drop of 74 FPS when switching to the highest quality settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the limiting factor at 4K resolution?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary limiting factor at 3840x2160. The frame rates scale significantly with the settings preset, from 89 FPS on Low to 42 FPS on Ultra, indicating the RTX 4060's rendering workload is the dominant constraint.

Q: Does the i5-13400F's performance stand out compared to other CPUs in its class?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score of 25292 places it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS, has an average score of 25284, which is a 0% deltaPct, showing they perform nearly identically in aggregate benchmarks.

Q: What is the lowest average frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest average frame rate is 42 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 with the Ultra settings preset.

How This Combo Ranks, use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i5-13400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is ranked 2009 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the 54th percentile of all tested systems, indicating it performs better than a slight majority of configurations but is not a top-tier performer. This mid-pack ranking is consistent with the hardware's individual standings, where the CPU is in the 77th percentile and the GPU is in the 61st percentile.

The ranking suggests that while this combo is competent, there are many other pairings that yield higher frame rates in this specific game. The fact that the GPU is only in the 61st percentile of all GPUs and its nearest rivals include integrated graphics like the AMD Radeon 780M highlights that the RTX 4060, while capable, is not at the upper echelon of graphics cards. The combo's rank is likely held back by the GPU's performance at higher resolutions, as the CPU is comparatively stronger. For a game like Lockdown Protocol, which appears to scale well with GPU power, the combo's ranking reflects the 4060's mid-range position in the market.

GPU Role, VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the 5 nm Ada Lovelace architecture with 18,900 million transistors. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock is 2460 MHz, and it has 3072 shading units. The GPU's PassMark G3D score is 19545, and its average benchmark score is 17639, putting it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU's performance is directly tied to the resolution and settings. The 8 GB VRAM appears sufficient for the game's needs at these tested settings, as there is no data indicating a memory capacity bottleneck. However, the 128-bit memory bus and the resulting 272.0 GB/s bandwidth could be a limiting factor at 4K, where the demand for texture data and memory throughput is highest. This is reflected in the 4K performance, where the drop from High to Ultra settings (55 FPS to 42 FPS) is a 23.6% reduction, suggesting the GPU is struggling to maintain frame rates with the most demanding presets.

The GPU's clock speeds and shader count are more relevant at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the combo can push 189 FPS on Low settings, which indicates the GPU is capable of high throughput when the pixel load is low. The transition from Medium to High at 1080p (134 to 117 FPS) shows a 12.7% drop, while the jump to Ultra (88 FPS) is a 24.8% drop from High. This pattern suggests that the GPU's raw compute power is the main driver of performance at 1080p, with the memory bandwidth becoming more of a factor as the resolution increases.

Measured FPS Breakdown, resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the measurements show a clear hierarchy of presets. The Low setting yields an average of 189 FPS. Medium produces 134 FPS, with a minimum of 114 and a maximum of 154. High averages 117 FPS, and Ultra drops to 88 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 101 FPS, demonstrating the significant impact of settings on frame rate at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down. Low averages 138 FPS. Medium averages 98 FPS, with a minimum of 83 and a maximum of 113. High averages 86 FPS, and Ultra averages 64 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra here is 74 FPS. At 3840x2160, the averages are considerably lower. Low achieves 89 FPS. Medium averages 63 FPS, with a minimum of 54 and a maximum of 73. High averages 55 FPS, and Ultra averages 42 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 47 FPS.

The data reveals that the Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 114 and the maximum is 154. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 83 and the maximum is 113. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 54 and the maximum is 73. This suggests that the Medium preset provides a more stable frame time experience relative to the other presets, which only have average FPS values recorded.

Settings Recommendations, which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, the High preset at 117 FPS appears to offer an excellent balance, providing a significantly higher frame rate than Ultra's 88 FPS while still maintaining a high level of visual fidelity. For players with high refresh rate monitors, the Low preset at 189 FPS is the only way to fully utilize a 165Hz or 240Hz display, but it comes at the cost of visual quality. The Medium preset at 134 FPS is a strong middle ground, offering a substantial boost over High with presumably minimal visual degradation.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 86 FPS is a solid choice for a smooth experience on a 60Hz to 100Hz monitor. The Ultra preset at 64 FPS is playable but may feel less fluid in fast-paced FPS action. The Low preset at 138 FPS is ideal for competitive play where frame rate is prioritized over visuals. The Medium preset at 98 FPS provides a good compromise and has a stable frame rate range of 83 to 113 FPS, making it a safe recommendation for consistent performance.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more challenging. The High preset at 55 FPS is the highest quality setting that stays above 60 FPS, although it does fall short of that target. The Medium preset at 63 FPS is the only preset that averages above 60 FPS, making it the best recommendation for a playable 4K experience. The Low preset at 89 FPS is the best for performance, but the visual sacrifice may be too great for some. The Ultra preset at 42 FPS should be avoided if a smooth frame rate is a priority. The data suggests that for the best overall experience on this combo, the Medium preset at 1080p or 1440p offers the most balanced combination of performance and stability, with its recorded min/max values indicating a more predictable frame pacing.