Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 9070 combination ranks 1397th out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the upper half of the database. This position reflects a pairing where a current-generation GPU is held back by a six-threaded processor from 2018, yet the measured frame rates remain highly playable across all tested settings. The data indicates a system that delivers smooth 1080p performance, capable 1440p results, and surprisingly viable 4K output, though the bottleneck dynamics shift significantly depending on resolution and preset.

FAQ

Q: How does this combo rank against all other tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The combo ranks 1397th out of 3714 tested combos. This places it in the 62nd percentile of all tested configurations, indicating that while it is not a top-tier pairing, it outperforms a majority of systems in the database for this specific game.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: Benchmark results indicate the CPU is the primary constraint at 1080p. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS is 163, and at Ultra settings, it drops to 114. The relatively modest performance gap between Low and Ultra settings suggests the Intel Core i5-9400’s six cores and six threads are saturated before the Radeon RX 9070 can reach its full potential.

Q: What is the performance difference between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 High, the average FPS is 137. At 3840x2160 High, the average FPS drops to 72. This represents a 47% reduction in frame rate when moving from 1080p to 4K, indicating that the GPU becomes significantly more involved at higher resolutions.

Q: Which settings preset provides the highest minimum FPS at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset provides a minimum FPS of 109, which is higher than the minimums recorded for other presets. The Medium preset also shows a max FPS of 147, matching the average FPS of the Low preset at that resolution.

Q: How does the RX 9070 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RX 9070 has an average benchmark score of 23877. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6800S, scores 24063, which is 0.8% higher. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER scores 24170, which is 1.2% higher. Conversely, the RX 9070 is 0.6% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z and 1.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile.

Q: Does the CPU’s single-core performance support high frame rates in this FPS?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 scores 935 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 1389 in Geekbench single-core. While these scores are not exceptional, they are sufficient to drive average frame rates above 114 FPS at 1080p across all tested settings, suggesting adequate single-threaded performance for Lockdown Protocol.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, manufactured on a 14 nm process. It operates at a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, with a 9 MB shared L3 cache. The processor supports DDR4 memory on a dual-channel bus with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s. This configuration provides a solid foundation for gaming, but its lack of hyper-threading and relatively modest core count are evident in modern titles.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU’s role is most pronounced at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is 49 FPS (163 to 114), which shows that the processor is keeping pace with the GPU’s output to a degree, but the frame rate ceiling is reached at around 163 FPS. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multicore score of 6629 and Geekbench multicore score of 5141 place it in the 47th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is a mid-range performer by current standards.

The processor’s nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, which scores 2259 (0.2% higher), and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500, which scores 2246 (0.4% lower). This positions the i5-9400 as a competitive six-core part from its era, but the data shows it is the limiting component in this pairing at 1080p. The CPU’s boost clock of 4.10 GHz helps maintain responsiveness, but the six-thread limit becomes a constraint when the GPU is capable of rendering frames faster than the CPU can issue draw calls.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates range from 163 FPS at Low settings to 114 FPS at Ultra settings. The Medium preset averages 144 FPS with a minimum of 122 and a maximum of 165. The High preset averages 137 FPS. These numbers indicate that the system is well-suited for high-refresh-rate 1080p monitors, even at higher quality settings.

At 2560x1440, the results show a predictable decline. The Low preset averages 147 FPS, while the High preset averages 112 FPS. The Medium preset averages 128 FPS with a minimum of 109 and a maximum of 147. The Ultra preset drops to an average of 84 FPS. The 1440p results demonstrate that the system can handle high-quality gaming at this resolution, though Ultra settings require some compromise on frame rate.

At 3840x2160, the GPU takes on a larger share of the workload. The Low preset averages 116 FPS, which is surprisingly high for 4K, while the High preset averages 72 FPS. The Medium preset averages 82 FPS with a minimum of 70 and a maximum of 95. The Ultra preset drops to an average of 54 FPS. These 4K results show that the Radeon RX 9070’s 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 644.6 GB/s bandwidth provide enough headroom for playable frame rates even at the highest resolution, though Ultra settings push the system to its limits.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K reveals how the bottleneck shifts from the CPU to the GPU as resolution increases. At Low settings, the average FPS at 1080p is 163, at 1440p it is 147, and at 4K it is 116. This represents a 29% drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating that the CPU is still a significant constraint even at 4K, as the frame rate does not scale down as steeply as expected.

At High settings, the average FPS at 1080p is 137, at 1440p it is 112, and at 4K it is 72. This shows a 47% drop from 1080p to 4K, which is more substantial and points to the GPU becoming the dominant limiting factor. The Radeon RX 9070’s pixel rate of 322.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 564.5 GTexel/s are being taxed heavily at 4K High settings.

The Medium preset shows a similar pattern: 144 FPS at 1080p, 128 FPS at 1440p, and 82 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is 36%, which is steeper than the 11% drop from 1080p to 1440p. This suggests that the GPU begins to saturate at resolutions above 1440p, while the CPU maintains a relatively stable load. The data indicates that for optimal balance, users should target 1440p, where both components are utilized more evenly.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions. At 1080p, Medium averages 144 FPS with a minimum of 122, which ensures smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes. At 1440p, Medium averages 128 FPS with a minimum of 109, providing a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold. At 4K, Medium averages 82 FPS with a minimum of 70, which is still playable on most displays.

The High preset is a viable alternative for users who prioritize visual fidelity. At 1080p, High averages 137 FPS, which is only 7 FPS lower than Medium. At 1440p, High averages 112 FPS, and at 4K, it averages 72 FPS. The High preset offers a noticeable improvement in image quality without a drastic performance penalty, making it a strong recommendation for 1440p gaming.

The Ultra preset is only recommended for users with 1080p displays, where it averages 114 FPS. At 1440p, Ultra drops to 84 FPS, and at 4K, it falls to 54 FPS. The Low preset provides the highest frame rates, but the visual compromise is substantial. For most users, the Medium preset at 1440p or the High preset at 1080p will deliver the best overall experience, as these combinations keep frame rates above 100 FPS while maintaining acceptable graphics quality.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is based on the RDNA 4.0 architecture and the Navi 48 chip, manufactured on a 4 nm process at TSMC. It features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1330 MHz, a game clock of 2070 MHz, and a boost clock of 2520 MHz. With 3584 shading units, 224 TMUs, and 128 ROPs, the RX 9070 is a high-end graphics card capable of handling demanding workloads.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU’s role is most evident at higher resolutions and settings. The 4K Ultra preset averages 54 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target, indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor at this extreme configuration. However, the 4K Low preset averages 116 FPS, showing that the GPU can easily handle 4K when settings are reduced. The RX 9070’s performance in synthetic benchmarks, with a Passmark G3D score of 25381 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6290, places it in the 69th percentile of all GPUs.

The GPU’s nearest rivals in average benchmark score are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER, which scores 24170 (1.2% higher), and the AMD Radeon RX 6800S, which scores 24063 (0.8% higher). The RX 9070 also outperforms the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile by 1.1% and the GTX TITAN Z by 0.6%. These comparisons show that the RX 9070 is a competitive performer, though its strengths are best utilized when paired with a more powerful CPU to avoid bottlenecking at lower resolutions.