Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread desktop processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. It relies on a 9 MB shared L3 cache and supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s. In the context of Lockdown Protocol, an FPS title, this CPU’s six physical threads without Hyper-Threading place it near the median of all tested CPUs, as its percentileVsAllCpus score is 50. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 7969 and single-core score of 1125 indicate that while it is not a top-tier performer, it provides a balanced baseline for gaming. The nearest rival, the Intel Xeon E-2134, scores 2295 on the average benchmark, which is only 0.4% lower than the i5-9400’s average of 2305, showing that this CPU sits in a tightly contested performance bracket. For a game like Lockdown Protocol, which relies on consistent frame delivery, the i5-9400’s six cores are sufficient to avoid major bottlenecks, but the data suggests it is not the primary driver of high frame rates, especially at lower resolutions where the GPU becomes more influential.

The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT is a RDNA 2.0 architecture GPU based on the Navi 22 chip, manufactured on a 7 nm process. It features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 432.0 GB/s, and its boost clock reaches 2600 MHz. The GPU’s 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs contribute to a pixel rate of 166.4 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 416.0 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance at 13.31 TFLOPS. This card sits in the 79th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35327, placing it just ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 5600M by 0.2% and slightly behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 by 1.3%. In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU’s role is pronounced: the 12 GB VRAM and high memory bandwidth allow for smooth texture streaming and high-resolution rendering, but the performance scaling across resolutions reveals that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, while the CPU becomes more relevant at 1080p.

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

The i5-9400’s six cores and six threads operate at a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, providing a modest foundation for Lockdown Protocol. With a 65 W TDP and a 50th percentile ranking among all CPUs, this processor is an average performer, not a standout. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 7969 and single-core score of 1125 show that it can handle the game’s logic and AI, but its performance is not exceptional. The nearest rival, the Intel Core i3-10305, has an average score of 2300, which is 0.2% lower than the i5-9400’s 2305, indicating that this CPU is competitive with newer budget parts but does not offer a significant advantage.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU’s impact is most visible at 1080p and 1440p, where the GPU is not fully saturated. At 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 165.7 FPS, but this is likely CPU-bound, as the GPU has headroom to render more frames. The six-thread limit could cause occasional stutters in scenes with many enemies or physics calculations, but the benchmark data shows that the CPU does not prevent playable frame rates at any setting. The 42.7 GB/s memory bandwidth and dual-channel DDR4 support are adequate for this game, though they are not current-generation. Overall, the i5-9400 serves as a reliable mid-range CPU, but its age (end-of-life status) and lack of multi-threading mean it will be the bottleneck in CPU-intensive scenarios, especially if the GPU is upgraded.

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

The Radeon RX 6750 XT is the star of this pairing, with its 12 GB GDDR6 memory and 432.0 GB/s bandwidth ensuring that large textures and high-resolution assets load quickly. The GPU’s base clock of 2150 MHz and boost clock of 2600 MHz, along with a game clock of 2495 MHz, provide ample compute power for Lockdown Protocol’s fast-paced action. The 40 ray accelerators support DirectX 12 Ultimate, but the game’s performance suggests that rasterization is the primary workload. The GPU’s 79th percentile ranking and average benchmark score of 35327 place it ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 5600M by 0.2% and behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 by 1.3%, showing that it competes with high-end cards from previous generations.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU’s role is dominant at 4K, where the pixel count stresses the 166.4 GPixel/s fill rate. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 45.8, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor here. The 12 GB VRAM is not a constraint, as even at 4K Ultra, the game does not exceed this capacity, but the compute power is insufficient for high settings at this resolution. The GPU’s performance scales well with settings, as shown by the jump from 45.8 FPS at Ultra to 93.7 FPS at Low at 4K, which is a 104.6% increase, highlighting that the GPU is fully utilized and benefits from reduced graphical load.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT ranks 907th out of 1637 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the middle of the pack. This rank of 907 out of 1637 means that roughly 55% of tested systems perform better, while 45% perform worse. The rank reflects a balance between a mid-tier CPU and a high-tier GPU, where the CPU holds back the GPU in some scenarios but does not dominate the overall experience. The 50th percentile CPU ranking and 79th percentile GPU ranking suggest that the GPU is the stronger component, but the combo rank is dragged down by the CPU’s limitations. In comparison, systems with similar GPUs but newer CPUs would likely rank higher, as they would avoid CPU bottlenecks at lower resolutions. However, this combo is not a poor performer; it delivers playable frame rates in most scenarios, with the exception of 4K Ultra, which is beyond its capabilities.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system achieves 165.7 FPS on Low, 143.7 FPS on Medium, 124.1 FPS on High, and 92.3 FPS on Ultra. These numbers show that the CPU and GPU work well together at 1080p, with even Ultra settings maintaining above 90 FPS, which is smooth for an FPS game. At 2560x1440, the performance drops but remains solid: 146.7 FPS on Low, 103.9 FPS on Medium, 89.7 FPS on High, and 69.7 FPS on Ultra. The 1440p Ultra result is still playable, though it is approaching the 60 FPS threshold. At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the limiting factor: 93.7 FPS on Low, 64.4 FPS on Medium, 57.4 FPS on High, and 45.8 FPS on Ultra. The 4K High and Ultra results are below 60 FPS, which may require lowering settings for competitive play.

The scaling between settings is consistent across resolutions. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra reduces FPS by 44.3%, while at 4K, the reduction is 51.1%, showing that the GPU’s workload increases disproportionately at higher resolutions. The data also shows that the gap between Low and High settings is smaller at 1080p (33.5% drop) than at 4K (38.7% drop), indicating that the GPU is more stressed at 4K. For a practical recommendation, this combo is best suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming, where it can handle High settings comfortably, while 4K requires Low or Medium settings for smooth frame rates.

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

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and reveals the bottleneck. At High settings, the system delivers 124.1 FPS at 1080p, 89.7 FPS at 1440p, and 57.4 FPS at 4K. This represents a 27.7% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 53.7% drop from 1080p to 4K. The scaling is not linear, as the pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K, but the FPS does not drop by 75%, indicating that the GPU is not the only factor. The CPU’s role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions, where the i5-9400’s six threads limit the frame rate. For instance, at 1080p Low, the system hits 165.7 FPS, which is likely CPU-bound, as the GPU could render more frames if the CPU allowed it. At 4K, the GPU is fully saturated, and the FPS drops to 93.7 FPS on Low, which is a 43.5% reduction from 1080p Low, showing that the GPU is now the primary limiter.

The data suggests that the i5-9400 is the bottleneck at 1080p, while the RX 6750 XT becomes the bottleneck at 4K. At 1440p, the two components are more balanced, with the system delivering 146.7 FPS on Low and 69.7 FPS on Ultra. This balance is why the combo ranks in the middle of the pack; it is not optimized for any specific resolution but offers a reasonable experience across the board. For players targeting 4K, the GPU’s 12 GB VRAM is sufficient, but its compute power is not enough for High settings, so a more powerful GPU would be needed. For players targeting 1080p, the CPU’s six threads limit the maximum FPS, so a newer CPU with more threads would provide a better experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings for this combo in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The data shows that 1440p High settings, achieving 89.7 FPS, provides a good balance between visual quality and smoothness. At 1080p Ultra, the system hits 92.3 FPS, which is also playable, but 4K requires Low settings (93.7 FPS) or Medium (64.4 FPS) for acceptable performance.

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

A: The bottleneck shifts with resolution. At 1080p, the CPU is the limiting factor, as shown by the 165.7 FPS cap on Low settings, while at 4K, the GPU is the bottleneck, with 45.8 FPS on Ultra. At 1440p, the system is more balanced.

Q: How does this GPU compare to its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080?

A: The RX 6750 XT has an average benchmark score of 35327, which is 1.3% lower than the RTX 3080’s score of 35787. This means the RTX 3080 is slightly faster, but the difference is small enough that the RX 6750 XT remains competitive.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Lockdown Protocol?

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. At 4K Low, it achieves 93.7 FPS, and at 4K Medium, it hits 64.4 FPS. At 4K High, the frame rate drops to 57.4 FPS, and at Ultra, it falls to 45.8 FPS, which may be too low for competitive play.

Q: How does the CPU’s performance compare to the Intel Core i3-10305?

A: The i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2305, which is 0.2% higher than the i3-10305’s 2300. This indicates that the two CPUs are essentially equivalent in performance, making the i5-9400 a viable option despite its older architecture.

Q: What is the GPU’s memory bandwidth and how does it affect gameplay?

A: The RX 6750 XT has a memory bandwidth of 432.0 GB/s, which ensures that textures and assets load quickly. This is sufficient for Lockdown Protocol, as the 12 GB VRAM is not a constraint at any resolution, even 4K Ultra.