Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti delivers a compelling 1080p and 1440p experience in Lockdown Protocol, though the data reveals a clear shift in bottleneck behavior as resolution climbs. At 1920x1080, the average frame rate across all four settings ranges from 124.1 FPS on Ultra to 162.9 FPS on Low, indicating that the CPU is the primary limiting factor at this resolution. The spread between Low and Ultra settings is a modest 38.8 FPS, which suggests that the graphics card is not being fully utilized at the lower settings. Moving to 2560x1440, the average frame rates tighten to a span between 109.7 FPS on Ultra and 145.9 FPS on Low, showing that the GPU is beginning to take on more of the workload, but the CPU still exerts a significant influence on the ceiling. At 3840x2160, the dynamic flips decisively: the average drops to 72.8 FPS on Ultra and 90.3 FPS on High, while Low still produces a respectable 128.5 FPS. The performance gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 55.7 FPS, a much larger delta than at 1080p, which confirms that the RTX 5070 Ti becomes the dominant constraint at higher resolutions, with the i5-9400’s six cores and six threads proving sufficient to keep feeding it at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K is non-linear and heavily dependent on the chosen settings preset. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 136.8 at 1920x1080 to 120.7 at 2560x1440, a drop of 16.1 FPS, and then further to 90.3 at 3840x2160, another 30.4 FPS decline. This pattern indicates that the RTX 5070 Ti’s raw compute power, with its 43.94 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 896.0 GB/s memory bandwidth, is being progressively taxed as pixel count increases. The Low preset shows a different trajectory: 162.9 FPS at 1080p drops to 145.9 FPS at 1440p, a 17.0 FPS reduction, and then to 128.5 FPS at 4K, a 17.4 FPS decline. This relatively flat curve at Low settings suggests that the CPU is still a limiting factor even at 4K, as the reduced graphical load does not allow the GPU to stretch its legs fully. The Ultra preset, by contrast, shows the most severe scaling: 124.1 FPS at 1080p, 109.7 FPS at 1440p, and 72.8 FPS at 4K. The 51.3 FPS gap between 1440p and 4K on Ultra is the largest of any preset, highlighting that the most demanding settings place an outsized burden on the GPU’s 16 GB of GDDR7 memory and 96 ROPs. For a 1440p monitor, the High preset at 120.7 FPS is the sweet spot, while 4K users will need to drop to Medium or Low to maintain a playable frame rate above 100 FPS.

GPU Role

The RTX 5070 Ti is a formidable piece of silicon, sitting in the 87th percentile of all GPUs according to benchmark aggregations, with an average benchmark score of 52086. Its closest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, which scores a nearly identical 52085 with a deltaPct of 0, and the AMD Radeon RX 7700S at 52505, which is 0.8% faster. This positioning means the 5070 Ti is a top-tier card for Lockdown Protocol, and its 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus provides a 896.0 GB/s bandwidth that is more than adequate for the game’s textures. The card’s base clock is 2295 MHz with a boost clock of 2452 MHz, and it features 8960 shading units, 280 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. In practice, these specifications translate to a card that can handle 4K High settings at 90.3 FPS, but the measured data shows that the i5-9400 can become a bottleneck at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the 162.9 FPS result is likely constrained by the CPU’s 6 cores and 6 threads, as the GPU’s 43.94 TFLOPS of compute is not fully engaged. The card’s 70 RT cores and 280 tensor cores also contribute to its overall capability, though Lockdown Protocol does not appear to be a ray-tracing-heavy title based on the measured FPS. The launch MSRP is 749 USD, and the card is built on TSMC’s 5 nm process with a transistor count of 45,600 million on a 378 mm² die, making it a dense and efficient design.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimal settings at each resolution. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset still delivers a strong 124.1 FPS, so there is little reason to sacrifice visual fidelity unless targeting a 144 Hz or higher refresh rate monitor. For 144 Hz displays, the Medium preset at 144.6 FPS is a better choice than High at 136.8 FPS, as it provides a 7.8 FPS headroom while presumably reducing some graphical effects. At 2560x1440, the High preset at 120.7 FPS is the recommended choice, as it balances visual quality with a frame rate that exceeds 120 FPS, which is ideal for competitive play. The Ultra preset at 109.7 FPS is still playable but offers diminishing returns for the 11.0 FPS loss compared to High. At 3840x2160, the situation changes drastically: the High preset at 90.3 FPS is borderline for a 60 Hz display, but the Medium preset at 108.8 FPS provides a much smoother experience with only a modest visual downgrade. The Low preset at 128.5 FPS is the only way to approach 144 Hz at 4K, but the visual compromise may be too severe for most users. The data suggests that the sweet spot for this combination is 1440p High, where the RTX 5070 Ti is utilized effectively without being held back by the i5-9400.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS dataset for the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti in Lockdown Protocol is as follows. At 1920x1080, the Low preset produces an average of 162.9 FPS, the Medium preset produces 144.6 FPS, the High preset produces 136.8 FPS, and the Ultra preset produces 124.1 FPS. This creates a performance hierarchy where each step up in settings costs between 7.8 and 18.3 FPS. At 2560x1440, the averages are 145.9 FPS for Low, 131.7 FPS for Medium, 120.7 FPS for High, and 109.7 FPS for Ultra. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is relatively mild, with the Low preset dropping by 17.0 FPS and the Ultra preset dropping by 14.4 FPS, indicating that the GPU has reserve capacity at this resolution. At 3840x2160, the averages are 128.5 FPS for Low, 108.8 FPS for Medium, 90.3 FPS for High, and 72.8 FPS for Ultra. The 4K results show a much steeper drop-off, with the High preset falling by 30.4 FPS from its 1440p counterpart and the Ultra preset falling by 36.9 FPS. The overall combo rank for this CPU-GPU pair in the game is 588 out of 1637 combinations, placing it in the upper third of all tested configurations. The data is measured, not simulated, which adds confidence to these results, and the benchmark scores for the CPU (Cinebench R23 multicore score of 7969) and GPU (3DMark Steel Nomad score of 6604) provide context for the system’s overall capability.

FAQ

Q: Is the RTX 5070 Ti a good match for the i5-9400 in this game?

A: The data shows a capable pairing, especially at 1440p and 4K, where the GPU is the primary driver of performance. The combo ranks 588th out of 1637 tested combinations, and the GPU’s 87th percentile ranking outweighs the CPU’s 50th percentile, meaning the GPU is the stronger component. At 1080p, the CPU can limit performance, as evidenced by the small FPS spread between Low and Ultra settings.

Q: What is the best resolution for this setup?

A: Based on the measured FPS, 2560x1440 offers the best balance, with the High preset delivering 120.7 FPS. This is above the 120 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay and allows the RTX 5070 Ti to be fully utilized. At 1080p, the CPU holds the GPU back, and at 4K, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, especially on Ultra settings.

Q: How does the RTX 5070 Ti compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 4080?

A: The RTX 5070 Ti has an average benchmark score of 52086, while the RTX 4080 scores 52085, a deltaPct of 0, meaning they are statistically identical in overall performance. In Lockdown Protocol, the 5070 Ti’s 16 GB of GDDR7 memory and 896.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for the game’s demands, and the measured FPS figures reflect a high-end experience.

Q: Should I use the Ultra preset at 1440p?

A: The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 produces 109.7 FPS, which is playable but 11.0 FPS slower than the High preset at 120.7 FPS. Given that the visual difference between High and Ultra is often subtle in fast-paced FPS games, the High preset is the better choice for maintaining a higher frame rate, unless you prioritize maximum visual fidelity.

Q: Why does the FPS drop so much from 1440p to 4K on Ultra settings?

A: The Ultra preset at 3840x2160 yields 72.8 FPS, a 36.9 FPS drop from the 1440p Ultra result of 109.7 FPS. This is because 4K Ultra requires the GPU to process four times the pixels of 1080p, and the RTX 5070 Ti’s 96 ROPs and 43.94 TFLOPS of compute are pushed to their limits. The CPU is less of a factor at this resolution, as the GPU work dominates the frame time.

Q: Can this system achieve 144 FPS at 1080p?

A: Yes, but only on the Low preset, which averages 162.9 FPS. The Medium preset at 144.6 FPS is also above 144 FPS, but the High and Ultra presets fall short at 136.8 FPS and 124.1 FPS, respectively. For a 144 Hz monitor, Medium settings are the highest you can use while staying above the refresh rate, and the CPU’s six cores appear to cap performance at around 163 FPS in this game.