Lockdown Protocol

The pairing of the Intel Core i5-9400 with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT in Lockdown Protocol presents a study in balanced constraint, where the 1440p results suggest a system that is neither purely CPU-bound nor purely GPU-bound, but rather a combination that shifts its bottleneck depending on the resolution and settings applied. The measured data reveals a processor from the Coffee Lake era that still holds its own, paired with a modern RDNA 3 graphics card that has a significant amount of memory and processing power to draw upon. This analysis will break down how the FPS scales across resolutions, what the CPU and GPU each contribute, and where the optimal settings lie for this specific combination.

Resolution Scaling

The most telling data point for understanding the system's balance is the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K at the High preset. At 1920x1080, the combo produces an average of 104 FPS. Stepping up to 2560x1440, that number falls to 76 FPS, a noticeable 28 FPS decrease. The jump to 3840x2160 is even more punishing, dropping the average down to 49 FPS. This progression — from 104 to 76 to 49 — represents a 53% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K, a significant cost for the increase in pixel count.

This scaling curve indicates that the system is heavily influenced by the GPU's rendering load at higher resolutions. The RX 7600 XT's 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus are being tasked with more work as the resolution increases, directly impacting the frame rate. However, the scaling is not entirely linear, which hints that the CPU is still a contributing factor. For instance, at 1440p High, the 76 FPS average is still well above the 60 FPS threshold, but the drop to 49 FPS at 4K suggests the GPU is nearing its limit with this processor.

The data also shows that the scaling is heavily dependent on the settings preset. At the Low preset, the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is from 163 down to 79, which is a 51% reduction. This is remarkably similar to the percentage drop seen on High settings, suggesting that even when the graphical load is reduced, the system's performance ceiling is being hit by a combination of factors. The Low preset at 4K still manages 79 FPS, which is higher than the High preset at 1440p, showing that the settings have a more substantial impact on performance than the resolution alone in this particular configuration.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. Its benchmark scores position it in the 47th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2254. Compared to its nearest rivals, it sits in a tightly packed group; it is 0.2% slower than the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 and 0.4% slower than the Intel Core i3-10305, but 0.3% faster than the Intel Core i7-10710U and 0.4% faster than the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500. This indicates a processor that is competitive with its peers from a similar era, but not a standout performer.

In the context of Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 163 FPS, a high frame rate that is likely pushing against the CPU's ability to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The fact that the FPS drops significantly when moving to 1440p Low (123 FPS) and 4K Low (79 FPS) shows that the GPU becomes the limiting factor as the pixel count increases. The CPU's 6 threads and 9 MB of shared L3 cache are sufficient for the game's logic, but they do not provide the headroom for the GPU to run at its absolute maximum at 1080p.

The processor's single-core performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 935, is a crucial metric for a first-person shooter. The data suggests that the i5-9400's single-thread speed is adequate to maintain playable frame rates at 1440p and 4K, but it is the combination of the CPU's limits and the GPU's power that defines the overall experience. The system is not severely bottlenecked by the CPU at higher resolutions, but the data implies that a more modern processor would likely extract higher frame rates at 1080p, particularly on lower settings.

Settings Recommendations

Examining the measured FPS across the different presets reveals a clear hierarchy of performance. The Low preset is the fastest, yielding 163 FPS at 1080p, 123 FPS at 1440p, and 79 FPS at 4K. The Medium preset offers a substantial step up in visual quality for a noticeable performance cost, delivering 119 FPS at 1080p, 87 FPS at 1440p, and 56 FPS at 4K. The High preset is a further step down, with 104 FPS at 1080p, 76 FPS at 1440p, and 49 FPS at 4K. Finally, the Ultra preset is the most demanding, producing 78 FPS at 1080p, 57 FPS at 1440p, and 37 FPS at 4K.

For a competitive FPS experience where frame rate is paramount, the Low preset is the only option that consistently maintains average FPS above 144 at 1080p. However, for a more balanced visual and performance experience, the Medium preset stands out. At 1080p, it delivers 119 FPS, a 15 FPS drop from Low but a significant visual improvement. At 1440p, the Medium preset's 87 FPS average is excellent for a high-refresh-rate monitor, and even the minimum FPS of 74 is very playable. The Medium preset at 4K, with an average of 56 FPS and a minimum of 48 FPS, is borderline, but it is the highest preset that remains consistently playable at that resolution.

The High preset is a reasonable middle ground for users with 1440p monitors who cannot achieve the frame rates of Medium, but the data suggests that the visual jump from Medium to High is not worth the performance loss. The Ultra preset, while visually the most impressive, is only viable at 1080p, where it still manages a respectable 78 FPS average. Based on the data, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance across all three resolutions, providing a stable experience that takes advantage of the RX 7600 XT's capabilities without overburdening the i5-9400.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT holds a rank of 2405 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the lower half of all possible pairings, which is a significant data point. Given that the GPU alone sits in the 60th percentile of all GPUs, the ranking suggests that the CPU is holding the combo back in this specific game. The i5-9400's 47th percentile ranking, combined with its tight grouping with rivals like the i7-1068NG7 and i3-10305, indicates that it is a solid but unremarkable processor.

The data implies that the combo's rank is not a reflection of the GPU's capabilities, but rather the system's overall balance. The RX 7600 XT is a capable card, but it is being paired with a processor that is several generations old. In a game like Lockdown Protocol, which appears to be sensitive to CPU performance given the high frame rates at 1080p Low, this pairing results in a mid-pack ranking. The 3714 total combos tested means that there is a wide range of hardware configurations, and this specific pairing falls into the lower 35% of all results.

This ranking does not mean the experience is poor; the measured FPS shows that the system can deliver playable frame rates at 1440p and even 4K on medium settings. However, it does suggest that users looking for the absolute maximum performance in this game would need to pair the RX 7600 XT with a more powerful processor to unlock its full potential. The data indicates that the system is balanced at 1440p, but at 1080p, the CPU is the primary constraint, preventing the combo from climbing higher in the rankings.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT is a modern graphics card built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, featuring 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. Its benchmark scores are strong, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2348 and a Passmark G3D score of 17132, placing it in the 60th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, which it trails by 0.7%, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690, which it leads by 0.3%.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU's role is clearly defined by the resolution scaling. The significant drop in FPS from 1080p to 4K demonstrates that the GPU is the primary driver of performance at higher resolutions. The card's boost clock of 2755 MHz and game clock of 2470 MHz are high, but the 128-bit memory bus is a limiting factor when pushing large amounts of pixel data. The 16 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for this game, preventing any texture-related stuttering, but the memory bandwidth is what dictates the performance ceiling at 4K.

The data suggests that the RX 7600 XT is a strong performer at 1440p, where it can maintain high frame rates on Medium and High settings. The card's 22.57 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is ample for this title, but the game's engine appears to be sensitive to memory bandwidth, given the steep drop-off in performance at 4K. The GPU is not the bottleneck at 1080p, as evidenced by the 163 FPS on Low, but it becomes the main limiting factor as resolution increases, which is the expected behavior for a mid-range graphics card.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 2560x1440 is the sweet spot. At Medium settings, it delivers an average of 87 FPS, which is high enough for smooth gameplay, while the 1080p results are often CPU-limited and the 4K results drop below 60 FPS on most presets.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-9400 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The data shows it is a very competitive mid-range CPU. It is 0.3% faster than the Intel Core i7-10710U and 0.4% faster than the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500, but it is 0.2% slower than the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 and 0.4% slower than the Intel Core i3-10305.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this system?

A: It depends on the resolution. At 1080p, the CPU is the primary limiter, as shown by the high FPS on Low settings (163 FPS). At 4K, the GPU is the clear bottleneck, with the FPS dropping to 79 on Low and 37 on Ultra. At 1440p, the system is balanced.

Q: How much VRAM does the RX 7600 XT have, and is it sufficient?

A: The RX 7600 XT has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory. This is more than enough for Lockdown Protocol, and the data shows no indication of VRAM-related performance issues at any resolution or setting.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: The difference is substantial. The Low preset achieves an average of 123 FPS, while the Ultra preset only achieves 57 FPS. This is a 66 FPS difference, showing a significant performance cost for the highest visual quality.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all tested configurations?

A: This specific pairing of the i5-9400 and RX 7600 XT ranks 2405th out of 3714 tested combos. This places it in the lower half of all results, indicating that there are many faster combinations, but the measured FPS shows it is still capable of a good experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data represents the exact average FPS measured for this specific combination of hardware in Lockdown Protocol.

At 3840x2160 (4K):

• Ultra: Average FPS is 37.
• High: Average FPS is 49.
• Medium: Average FPS is 56, with a minimum of 48 and a maximum of 65.
• Low: Average FPS is 79.

At 2560x1440 (1440p):

• Ultra: Average FPS is 57.
• High: Average FPS is 76.
• Medium: Average FPS is 87, with a minimum of 74 and a maximum of 100.
• Low: Average FPS is 123.

At 1920x1080 (1080p):

• Ultra: Average FPS is 78.
• High: Average FPS is 104.
• Medium: Average FPS is 119, with a minimum of 101 and a maximum of 136.
• Low: Average FPS is 163.

The data clearly shows a linear progression of performance across the settings presets, with Low being the fastest and Ultra being the slowest. The 1440p Medium result, with an average of 87 FPS and a minimum of 74 FPS, is the most balanced option for a consistent experience. The 1080p Low result of 163 FPS is the highest measured, but it comes at the cost of visual fidelity. The 4K results are the most demanding, with only the Low preset exceeding 60 FPS average.