Lockdown Protocol

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

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread Raptor Lake-S desktop processor with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 30 MB of shared L3. This configuration sits in the 89th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46881.

Looking at the nearest rivals, the i7-13700K is essentially neck-and-neck with the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, trailing by just 0.2% in average score. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 is 0.3% ahead, while the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX and Intel Xeon w3-2535 are each 0.5% behind. This tight clustering suggests that in CPU-bound scenarios, this processor delivers performance firmly in the upper mid-range tier, without any single rival dominating.

The multi-threaded strength of this chip is notable in synthetic workloads. Cinebench R23 multicore yields 30745, while Geekbench multicore hits 19429. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 10717 and max-thread score of 12412 indicate that the core count scales well under heavy parallel loads. PassMark multithread reports 45887, with integer math at 154446 and floating-point math at 114867 — numbers that suggest strong sustained throughput for physics calculations and game logic.

For Lockdown Protocol, an FPS title, the relationship between CPU capability and actual frame rates is indirect but real. The game's measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 175 FPS average, which is the highest of any measured configuration. At 1080p Ultra, the average drops to 81 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at the same resolution — a 94 FPS difference — indicates that settings heavily influence the rendering pipeline, but the CPU's 16 cores and high boost clock provide enough headroom that even at Ultra settings, the frame rate remains well above playable thresholds.

The single-thread performance is also relevant. Cinebench R23 singlecore scores 2116, Geekbench singlecore hits 2529, and 3DMark single-thread scores 1136. These are not class-leading numbers — the 89th percentile placement confirms that — but they are sufficient to avoid bottlenecking the GPU in most scenarios. The PassMark single-thread score of 4333 reinforces this. What matters for Lockdown Protocol is that the CPU can feed frames fast enough, and the data suggests it does, particularly at lower resolutions where the GPU is less taxed.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is built on the Navi 44 chip with RDNA 4.0 architecture, fabricated on a 4 nm process by TSMC. It packs 1792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output pipelines, along with 28 ray tracing cores. The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Clock speeds are 1700 MHz base, 2400 MHz game, and 2990 MHz boost, with memory running at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective).

The RX 9060 sits in the 59th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 16014. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which is 0.7% ahead. The AMD Radeon R9 370X and RX 7700 are each 1% behind, and the Radeon Pro W5500 trails by 2.1%. This places the RX 9060 in a competitive mid-range position — capable of solid 1080p and 1440p gaming, but not a top-tier performer.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is a key constraint at higher resolutions. In Lockdown Protocol, the measured data shows 4K Ultra produces only 39 FPS average, while 4K High yields 51 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings — from 109 to 51 FPS — represents a 53% reduction. This is consistent with a GPU that is being pushed beyond its comfortable memory bandwidth envelope at 4K. The 288.0 GB/s bandwidth and 128-bit bus are modest figures, and 8 GB of VRAM can become a limiting factor when textures and geometry demands rise.

At 1080p, however, the RX 9060 demonstrates clear competence. The 175 FPS at Low settings and 109 FPS at High settings indicate that the GPU has ample headroom when resolution is kept moderate. The boost clock of 2990 MHz is high for an RDNA 4 part, and the 21.43 TFLOPS of FP32 performance provides substantial raw compute. The pixel rate of 191.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 334.9 GTexel/s are respectable for the class.

The GPU's benchmark scores correlate with these gaming results. PassMark G3D scores 17631, while 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 yields 3322. Geekbench OpenCL reports 88183, and Vulkan scores 39476. These are mid-range figures, consistent with the 59th percentile placement. The RX 9060 is not a flagship, but it is clearly capable of delivering high frame rates in a game like Lockdown Protocol when resolution and settings are chosen sensibly.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of resolution scaling. At High settings, the average frame rate moves from 109 FPS at 1080p to 80 FPS at 1440p, then to 51 FPS at 4K. That is a 27% drop from 1080p to 1440p, followed by a 36% drop from 1440p to 4K. The compounding reduction indicates that the GPU becomes progressively more constrained as pixel count rises.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more dramatic. The 175 FPS at 1080p falls to 128 FPS at 1440p (a 27% reduction) and then to 83 FPS at 4K (a 35% reduction from 1440p). The absolute numbers remain higher at Low settings, but the percentage losses are similar across settings tiers. This suggests that the scaling behavior is driven primarily by resolution, not by the complexity of the rendering path.

Ultra settings tell a starker story. From 81 FPS at 1080p, the frame rate drops to 60 FPS at 1440p (a 26% reduction) and then to 39 FPS at 4K (a 35% reduction from 1440p). The 4K Ultra result is the lowest of any measured configuration, and the 39 FPS average is below the threshold many players would consider smooth for an FPS title.

What does this pattern indicate about the limiting component? At 1080p, the CPU's role is more prominent — the i7-13700K's strength helps push frame rates to 175 FPS at Low settings. As resolution increases, the GPU takes over as the binding constraint. The RX 9060's 8 GB VRAM and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are likely contributors to the steep 4K penalties. The 39 FPS at 4K Ultra is not a GPU compute limitation per se — the 21.43 TFLOPS should handle the raw shading — but rather a memory capacity and bandwidth issue.

The Medium settings data provides additional insight. At 1080p Medium, the average is 124 FPS with a minimum of 106 and maximum of 143. At 1440p Medium, the average is 91 FPS with a minimum of 77 and maximum of 105. At 4K Medium, the average is 59 FPS with a minimum of 50 and maximum of 68. The minimum-to-maximum spread grows from 37 FPS at 1080p to 28 FPS at 1440p to 18 FPS at 4K. This tightening of the spread at higher resolutions is typical of GPU-bound scenarios, where frame times become more consistent as the render pipeline saturates.

The data clearly shows that 1080p and 1440p are the sweet spots for this combination. The 4K results are playable at Low and Medium settings, but the Ultra preset falls below what most FPS players would accept. The limiting component at 4K is unambiguously the GPU, while at 1080p the CPU's headroom allows the GPU to express more of its capability.

# FAQ

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

A: The measured data shows 1080p yields the highest frame rates across all settings, with 175 FPS at Low and 109 FPS at High. At 1440p, High settings still produce 80 FPS, which is playable. 4K is the weakest option, with only 51 FPS at High and 39 FPS at Ultra.

Q: How does the RX 9060 compare to its nearest GPU rival?

A: The RX 9060 has an average benchmark score of 16014, placing it 0.7% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. It is 1% ahead of both the AMD Radeon R9 370X and the AMD Radeon RX 7700, and 2.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W5500.

Q: Is the i7-13700K a bottleneck for the RX 9060?

A: At 1080p, the CPU's performance is sufficient to avoid bottlenecking — the combo reaches 175 FPS at Low settings. At higher resolutions, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, as shown by the steep frame rate drops from 1440p to 4K. The CPU's 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs supports this interpretation.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows 91 FPS average at 1440p Medium, with a minimum of 77 FPS and a maximum of 105 FPS. This is a smooth experience for an FPS title, with the minimum staying above common refresh rate thresholds.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM on the RX 9060 affect 4K performance?

A: The data suggests yes. At 4K Ultra, the combo produces only 39 FPS, and at 4K High it reaches 51 FPS. The 128-bit memory bus and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are modest figures that likely contribute to the significant scaling penalties at 4K resolution.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 1647 out of 2828 tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the upper-middle range of all combos, consistent with the CPU's 89th percentile and GPU's 59th percentile positions.

# How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-13700K + AMD Radeon RX 9060 combination ranks 1647 out of 2828 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it at approximately the 58th percentile of all combinations — a solidly mid-range position. The ranking reflects the asymmetry between the CPU and GPU performance tiers: the i7-13700K is a strong processor in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, while the RX 9060 is more modestly positioned in the 59th percentile of GPUs.

The implication is that this combo is CPU-heavy relative to its GPU. The processor has more headroom than the graphics card can fully utilize, particularly at higher resolutions. At 1080p, this imbalance is less noticeable because the GPU is capable enough to render frames quickly. At 4K, however, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor, and the combo's ranking reflects this constraint.

Comparing to the nearest CPU rivals, the i7-13700K is nearly identical in average score to the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (0.2% behind) and AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (0.3% behind). It edges out the Ryzen 9 7845HX and Xeon w3-2535 by 0.5%. This means that swapping the CPU for any of these alternatives would produce negligible differences in Lockdown Protocol performance, as the GPU would remain the bottleneck in most scenarios.

The GPU's nearest rival, the RTX 3060 Ti, is only 0.7% ahead in average score. This suggests that the RX 9060's performance in this game is representative of its class — neither a standout nor a laggard. The 1647 ranking out of 2828 combos indicates that many combinations with stronger GPUs or more balanced pairings achieve higher frame rates, particularly at 4K.

The data shows that this combo's ranking is driven more by GPU limitations than CPU deficiencies. The i7-13700K is a high-performing processor that could support a much faster graphics card. If the goal is to maximize Lockdown Protocol performance, upgrading the GPU would yield greater benefits than upgrading the CPU.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080 resolution, the combo delivers its strongest results. Low settings produce an average of 175 FPS, which is the highest of any measured configuration. High settings yield 109 FPS, Medium settings produce 124 FPS (minimum 106, maximum 143), and Ultra settings drop to 81 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 94 FPS, indicating that settings have a substantial impact at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates scale down predictably. Low settings average 128 FPS, High settings average 80 FPS, Medium settings average 91 FPS (minimum 77, maximum 105), and Ultra settings average 60 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at each settings tier is roughly 27% for Low, 27% for High, 27% for Medium, and 26% for Ultra. This consistency suggests resolution scaling is the dominant factor.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become apparent. Low settings average 83 FPS, High settings average 51 FPS, Medium settings average 59 FPS (minimum 50, maximum 68), and Ultra settings average 39 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the lowest of all measurements, and even the Medium settings minimum of 50 FPS is below the 60 FPS target many players prefer.

The Medium settings rows provide the most complete data, with minimum and maximum values at all three resolutions. At 1080p, the range is 106 to 143 FPS; at 1440p, the range is 77 to 105 FPS; at 4K, the range is 50 to 68 FPS. The minimum values at 1080p and 1440p are both above 60 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay even during demanding scenes. The 4K minimum of 50 FPS is borderline but still playable.

The data shows that the combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming. At these resolutions, even Ultra settings maintain frame rates above 60 FPS (81 FPS at 1080p, 60 FPS at 1440p). At 4K, only Low settings exceed 60 FPS, with Medium coming close at 59 FPS. The 4K High and Ultra results are best avoided for competitive play.

# Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate.

At 1080p, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. The 124 FPS average with a minimum of 106 FPS ensures consistently smooth gameplay, and the maximum of 143 FPS indicates headroom for demanding scenes. The High preset at 109 FPS is also excellent, but Medium's higher minimum makes it the safer choice for maintaining a stable frame rate. Ultra at 81 FPS is playable, but the 43 FPS gap between Medium and Ultra suggests diminishing returns on visual fidelity.

At 1440p, the Medium preset is again the recommended choice. The 91 FPS average with a 77 FPS minimum keeps gameplay fluid, and the 105 FPS maximum shows that the combo can handle bursts of activity. High settings at 80 FPS are acceptable, but the minimum frame rate is not measured for High, making Medium the more reliable option. Ultra at 60 FPS is right at the threshold — playable, but with less margin for frame time spikes.

At 4K, the situation is more constrained. The Low preset at 83 FPS is the only option that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS, but the visual quality trade-off is significant. Medium at 59 FPS average (50 FPS minimum) is a reasonable compromise if visual fidelity is prioritized over competitive performance. High at 51 FPS and Ultra at 39 FPS are not recommended for an FPS title, as the frame rates drop below the level where aiming and reaction times are reliable.

For players who prioritize competitive performance, the 1080p Low preset at 175 FPS is the best choice. This maximizes frame rate and minimizes input latency, which is critical in a fast-paced FPS. For players who prioritize visual quality while maintaining playability, 1440p Medium at 91 FPS is the sweet spot. The combination of resolution and settings delivers a sharp image without sacrificing smoothness.

The data does not support using the Ultra preset at any resolution for this combo. At 1080p, Ultra achieves 81 FPS, which is acceptable but not ideal for competitive play. At 1440p, Ultra hits exactly 60 FPS, leaving no headroom. At 4K, Ultra drops to 39 FPS, which is below the playability threshold for most players. The Medium preset consistently offers the best balance across all resolutions, making it the recommended default setting for Lockdown Protocol with this hardware combination.