Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with Intel Core i7-13700K + AMD Radeon RX 9070

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 delivers a high-performance Lockdown Protocol experience, ranking 1099th out of 3714 tested combinations. This places the combo in the top 30% of all tested systems, with the measured data showing that the pairing is well-balanced for the game's demands. The CPU's strong multi-threaded performance and the GPU's substantial memory bandwidth combine to produce playable frame rates even at 4K Ultra, though the most compelling experience sits at 1440p with High settings, where the system comfortably exceeds 100 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the combo's overall rank in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The Intel Core i7-13700K + AMD Radeon RX 9070 combination ranks 1099th out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the upper tier of all measured systems.

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

A: Yes, but with compromises. At 3840x2160, the system averages 72 FPS on High settings and 82 FPS on Medium, while Ultra drops to 54 FPS. For smooth 4K play, High settings are recommended over Ultra.

Q: What is the best resolution for maximum frame rates?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves 245 FPS average. Even at 2560x1440 with High settings, it maintains 112 FPS, making 1440p the sweet spot for high refresh-rate monitors.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Core i7-13700K scores 46881 average benchmark points, sitting within 0.5% of the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX and the Intel Xeon w3-2535, and roughly 0.3% behind the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RX 9070 averages 23877 benchmark points, placing it 1.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile and 1.2% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER, with a 0.6% margin over the GTX TITAN Z.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded in the measured data?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 70 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 with Medium settings. All other settings and resolutions show no reported min FPS, indicating consistent performance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K brings 16 cores and 24 threads to Lockdown Protocol, a configuration that allows the game to distribute its workload across multiple threads efficiently. The CPU's architecture, Raptor Lake-S on a 10 nm process, features a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, providing strong single-thread performance for game logic while the high core count handles background tasks and streaming. The 30 MB of shared L3 cache helps keep frequently accessed data close to the cores, reducing latency in gameplay scenarios.

Benchmark data shows the CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are robust: Cinebench R23 multicore scores 30745 points, while single-core scores 2116 points, indicating a balanced design. The 3DMark tests reveal scaling from 2262 points with 2 threads to 12412 points with maximum threads, demonstrating that the processor can leverage its full thread count when needed. In Lockdown Protocol, this translates to stable frame pacing, as the CPU rarely becomes a bottleneck even at high frame rates.

The CPU's 89th percentile ranking against all CPUs underscores its position as a top-tier processor. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, scores 46971 points, a delta of -0.2%, meaning the Core i7-13700K is essentially performance-equivalent to that chip. The 0.5% lead over the Ryzen 9 7845HX and Xeon w3-2535 shows that despite being a generation older, this CPU remains competitive with newer offerings. For Lockdown Protocol, the combination of high boost clocks and substantial thread count ensures that the CPU can feed the GPU with frames without introducing stutter, particularly at 1080p where the GPU is less stressed.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070, built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with a 4 nm process, contributes 16 GB of GDDR6 memory across a 256-bit bus, delivering 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is critical for Lockdown Protocol at higher resolutions, as the game's textures and geometry demand significant VRAM throughput. The GPU's boost clock of 2520 MHz and game clock of 2070 MHz provide ample compute power, with 3584 shading units and 128 ROPs handling pixel processing.

The GPU's benchmark scores show solid DirectX 12 performance with a Passmark G3D score of 25381, while its compute capability is demonstrated by a Geekbench OpenCL score of 131539. The 69th percentile ranking against all GPUs places it in the mid-to-upper range, though its nearest rivals include some older high-end cards. The RX 9070 sits 1.1% ahead of the RTX 3080 Mobile and 0.6% ahead of the GTX TITAN Z, while trailing the RX 6800S by 0.8% and the RTX 2080 SUPER by 1.2% in average benchmark scores.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU's role becomes increasingly important at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the system achieves 245 FPS on Low settings, which suggests the GPU is keeping pace with the CPU's frame output. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 54 FPS, indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor at extreme settings. The 16 GB VRAM capacity ensures that texture-heavy scenes at 4K do not cause memory swapping, which contributes to the stable minimum FPS of 70 recorded at 4K Medium. The GPU's 220 W TDP and PCIe 5.0 x16 interface allow it to fully utilize the CPU's Gen 5 lanes, minimizing data transfer bottlenecks.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on the optimal settings for this combination. At 1920x1080, the system delivers 245 FPS on Low, 174 FPS on Medium, 152 FPS on High, and 114 FPS on Ultra. At this resolution, even Ultra settings remain highly playable, but High offers a 33% frame rate increase over Ultra while likely providing near-equivalent visual quality in most scenes. For competitive play, Low settings at 1080p unlock the full refresh-rate potential of 240 Hz displays.

At 2560x1440, the sweet spot is clearly High settings, which produce 112 FPS average. Medium settings yield 128 FPS with a minimum of 109 FPS, while Ultra drops to 84 FPS. The jump from Medium to High costs only 16 FPS but likely provides significant visual improvements. Ultra at 1440p remains playable at 84 FPS, but the 28 FPS drop from High makes it less attractive unless visual fidelity is the primary concern.

At 3840x2160, High settings deliver 72 FPS, which is the recommended choice for 4K gaming. Medium settings produce 82 FPS with a minimum of 70 FPS, offering a smoother experience if frame rate consistency is valued over visual quality. Ultra at 4K averages 54 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold that many players consider the minimum for smooth gameplay. Low settings at 4K reach 116 FPS, but the visual compromise is substantial. For the best overall experience across all resolutions, High settings provide the most balanced trade-off between frame rate and image quality, with 1440p High being the standout configuration for this combo.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 1099 out of 3714 tested combinations places this system in the 70th percentile of all tested hardware pairings in Lockdown Protocol. This is a strong showing, considering that the database includes a wide range of configurations from budget to enthusiast levels. The ranking reflects the balanced nature of the Core i7-13700K and RX 9070 pairing, where neither component severely bottlenecks the other in this game.

The CPU's position relative to its rivals—within 0.5% of the Ryzen 9 7845HX and Xeon w3-2535, and nearly identical to the Ryzen 9 5900—ensures that the processor is not holding back the GPU in most scenarios. Similarly, the GPU's performance, while not class-leading, is sufficient to leverage the CPU's capabilities. The 1.1% lead over the RTX 3080 Mobile and the narrow 1.2% deficit to the RTX 2080 SUPER show that the RX 9070 competes with previous-generation flagship mobile GPUs, which is a reasonable expectation for a desktop card in this tier.

The measured FPS data reinforces the ranking. At 1080p High, the system produces 152 FPS, which would satisfy most high-refresh-rate monitors. At 1440p High, 112 FPS is well above the 60 FPS standard, and even at 4K High, 72 FPS is playable. This consistency across resolutions indicates that the combo scales well with increasing graphical demands, a hallmark of a well-matched CPU-GPU pairing. The 4K Ultra result of 54 FPS is the only configuration that falls short of smooth gameplay, but this is expected given the extreme settings, and the ranking reflects the overall versatility rather than peak performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data spans three resolutions and four settings levels, providing a comprehensive view of the combo's performance in Lockdown Protocol.

At 1920x1080, the system achieves its highest frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 245 FPS, which is exceptional for competitive play. Medium settings yield 174 FPS average, with a minimum of 148 FPS and a maximum of 200 FPS, ensuring consistent performance even in demanding scenes. High settings deliver 152 FPS average, while Ultra settings drop to 114 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 131 FPS difference, highlighting the significant impact of settings on performance at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong but reflect the increased pixel count. Low settings average 180 FPS, a 27% reduction from 1080p Low. Medium settings produce 128 FPS average, with a minimum of 109 FPS and a maximum of 147 FPS, providing a smooth experience with headroom for dips. High settings average 112 FPS, which is still well above the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra settings drop to 84 FPS, which is playable but noticeably less smooth than the lower settings. The 96 FPS gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p indicates that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the system's performance is more constrained. Low settings average 116 FPS, which is acceptable for 4K gaming. Medium settings produce 82 FPS average, with a minimum of 70 FPS and a maximum of 95 FPS, offering a stable experience that stays above 60 FPS. High settings average 72 FPS, which is the recommended setting for 4K. Ultra settings drop to 54 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold and may result in noticeable stuttering in fast-paced action. The 62 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 4K shows that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at this resolution, with the CPU's performance being sufficient to support even the highest frame rates.

The minimum FPS data is only available for Medium settings across all resolutions: 148 FPS at 1080p, 109 FPS at 1440p, and 70 FPS at 4K. These values indicate that the system maintains stable frame rates without significant drops, even when the average FPS is high. The absence of min FPS data for other settings suggests either unmeasured variance or that the minimums were not recorded, but the available data points to consistent performance. Overall, the measured FPS breakdown shows a system that is capable of delivering smooth gameplay at 1080p and 1440p with high settings, and acceptable performance at 4K with medium to high settings.