Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 produces a playable but resolution-sensitive experience in Lockdown Protocol, a 2024 FPS title. The measured frame rates reveal a system that is firmly GPU-limited at higher resolutions, while the CPU's strong multi-threaded performance provides headroom that only becomes evident at 1080p. The data spans four settings presets across three resolutions, with average FPS ranging from 32 at 4K Ultra to 145 at 1080p Low.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and consistent across all settings presets, indicating that the GPU is the primary limiting component at higher resolutions. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 145 at 1920x1080 to 106 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 39 frames, and then further to 69 at 3840x2160. This represents a 52% decrease from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, which is a substantial scaling penalty.

The Medium preset shows a similar pattern: 103 FPS at 1080p, 76 FPS at 1440p, and 49 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is 27 frames, while the gap between 1440p and 4K is also 27 frames, suggesting a roughly linear scaling penalty as pixel count increases. High settings follow the same trajectory, with 90 FPS at 1080p, 66 FPS at 1440p, and 43 FPS at 4K — a 24-frame difference between each resolution step.

Ultra settings exhibit the steepest absolute drop, starting at 67 FPS at 1080p, falling to 49 FPS at 1440p, and bottoming out at 32 FPS at 4K. The 35-frame difference between 1080p and 4K at Ultra is proportionally similar to the other presets, but the starting point is low enough that 4K Ultra becomes effectively unplayable. The data shows that the RTX 2060's 6 GB GDDR6 memory and 192-bit bus width, delivering 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth, are simply insufficient to maintain fluid frame rates at 4K with higher quality settings.

The scaling behavior suggests that at 1080p, the system is partially CPU-bound, particularly at Low settings where the 145 FPS average indicates the GPU can push frames quickly but the ceiling is still attainable. As resolution increases, the GPU's compute throughput — 6.451 TFLOPS FP32 and a texture rate of 201.6 GTexel/s — becomes the bottleneck, and the CPU's contribution diminishes. The fact that the Intel Core i7-13700K, with its 16 cores and 24 threads, sits at the 89th percentile among all CPUs, reinforces that the processor is not the limiting factor in this configuration.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks 2941 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the lower portion of the distribution. This ranking reflects the GPU's age and positioning rather than the CPU's capability, as the RTX 2060 sits at the 58th percentile among all GPUs. The GPU's average benchmark score of 15290 places it in a tight cluster with several rivals: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 scores 15283 (0% delta), the AMD Radeon 680M scores 15270 (0.1% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM scores 15199 (0.6% delta), and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 scores 15171 (0.8% delta).

The CPU side of this pairing is considerably stronger. The i7-13700K's average benchmark score of 46881 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals: the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 scores 46971 (-0.2% delta), the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 scores 47022 (-0.3% delta), the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX scores 46654 (0.5% delta), and the Intel Xeon w3-2535 scores 46653 (0.5% delta). The i7-13700K's percentile ranking of 89 versus the GPU's 58 percentile illustrates a clear mismatch in capability tiers.

Within Lockdown Protocol specifically, the combo rank of 2941 out of 3714 means roughly 79% of tested configurations outperform this pairing. The data indicates that the RTX 2060 holds this combination back significantly, particularly at 1440p and above where the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute resources are stretched. At 1080p, the combo performs more respectably, with even Ultra settings achieving 67 FPS, but the overall ranking reflects the full range of tested resolutions and settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 145, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is followed by 106 FPS at 2560x1440 Low and 103 FPS at 1920x1080 Medium.

Q: Can this system run Lockdown Protocol at 4K?

A: Yes, but only at lower settings presets. At 3840x2160, the combo achieves 69 FPS on Low, 49 FPS on Medium, and 43 FPS on High. Ultra settings drop to 32 FPS, which is below typical playability thresholds.

Q: How does the CPU's benchmark performance compare to the GPU's?

A: The Intel Core i7-13700K ranks at the 89th percentile among all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 46881, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks at the 58th percentile among GPUs with an average score of 15290. The CPU is in a much higher performance tier relative to its peers.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Medium and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium settings deliver 76 FPS average (with a minimum of 64 FPS and maximum of 87 FPS), while Ultra settings deliver 49 FPS average. This is a 27 FPS difference between the two presets.

Q: Does the RTX 2060 have enough VRAM for Lockdown Protocol?

A: The GPU features 6 GB of GDDR6 memory. The measured results show playable frame rates at 1080p across all settings, but 4K Ultra performance drops to 32 FPS, suggesting the memory capacity and bandwidth are limiting at the highest resolutions.

Q: How close is the RTX 2060's benchmark score to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 2060 scores 15290, which is within 0.8% of its nearest rivals: the GTX 580 at 15283, the Radeon 680M at 15270, the RTX 3050 OEM at 15199, and the Radeon RX 7600 at 15171. These deltas are all less than one percent.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 2060 and i7-13700K combination delivers its strongest results. Low settings produce an average of 145 FPS, making for an exceptionally smooth experience. Medium settings yield 103 FPS average, with a minimum of 88 FPS and maximum of 119 FPS, ensuring consistent frame pacing. High settings drop to 90 FPS average, while Ultra settings deliver 67 FPS. All four presets at 1080p remain above the 60 FPS threshold, making this resolution the most versatile for this pairing.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance curve steepens. Low settings still deliver a respectable 106 FPS average. Medium settings produce 76 FPS average, with a minimum of 64 FPS and maximum of 87 FPS, keeping gameplay fluid in most scenarios. High settings drop to 66 FPS average, which is still playable but closer to the edge. Ultra settings fall to 49 FPS average, dipping below the 60 FPS standard and indicating a compromised experience for demanding scenes.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become pronounced. Low settings manage 69 FPS average, which is playable but a significant drop from 1080p. Medium settings deliver 49 FPS average, with a minimum of 41 FPS and maximum of 56 FPS, meaning frame times will be inconsistent. High settings produce 43 FPS average, while Ultra settings bottom out at 32 FPS. The 4K results show that this combo is only suitable for Low settings at this resolution if smooth gameplay is a priority.

The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values across all three resolutions, providing insight into frame consistency. At 1080p Medium, the range spans 88 to 119 FPS; at 1440p Medium, 64 to 87 FPS; and at 4K Medium, 41 to 56 FPS. The narrowing range at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is consistently saturated, reducing variance but also lowering the average.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process. It features a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a 30 MB shared L3 cache. The CPU's benchmark results demonstrate substantial multi-threaded capability: Cinebench R23 multicore scores 30745, Passmark multithread scores 45887, and Geekbench multicore scores 19429. Single-thread performance is also strong, with Cinebench R23 singlecore at 2116 and Passmark singlethread at 4333.

In Lockdown Protocol, a competitive FPS title, the CPU's role is primarily to maintain high frame rates at lower resolutions and lower settings presets. The data supports this: at 1080p Low, the system reaches 145 FPS, which is a high enough frame rate that the GPU is still the primary driver, but the CPU's strong single-thread performance (3dmark single_thread score of 1136) ensures it does not bottleneck the GPU. The 3dmark 2_threads score of 2262 further indicates robust dual-thread performance, which is relevant for games that rely on a few primary threads.

The CPU's 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs places it well above the GPU's 58th percentile, meaning the processor has significant headroom that is not fully utilized in this pairing. The i7-13700K's 16 cores and 24 threads are more than adequate for Lockdown Protocol's demands, and the CPU's performance is unlikely to be the limiting factor at any tested resolution or settings combination. The processor's TDP of 125 W and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory provide flexibility, though the measured data does not differentiate between memory types.

The CPU's nearest rivals in benchmark scores — the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375, AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX, and Intel Xeon w3-2535 — all score within 0.5% of the i7-13700K, confirming that this processor performs at the top tier of its class. For Lockdown Protocol specifically, the CPU's contribution is to ensure that frame rates at 1080p remain high and that even at 1440p, the GPU is the sole bottleneck.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, all four presets exceed 60 FPS, with Low at 145 FPS, Medium at 103 FPS, High at 90 FPS, and Ultra at 67 FPS. For players prioritizing visual quality while maintaining smooth gameplay, High settings at 1080p offer a strong balance, delivering 90 FPS average. Ultra settings remain viable at 67 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold, though it leaves less headroom for demanding scenes.

At 2560x1440, the recommendation shifts to Medium settings, which deliver 76 FPS average with a minimum of 64 FPS. This is the highest settings preset that maintains an average above 70 FPS at this resolution. High settings at 66 FPS are also playable but closer to the boundary, with less margin for frame drops. Low settings at 106 FPS provide the smoothest experience but sacrifice visual fidelity. Ultra settings at 49 FPS are not recommended for competitive play, as the frame rate falls below the 60 FPS standard.

At 3840x2160, Low settings are the only viable option for smooth gameplay, delivering 69 FPS average. Medium settings at 49 FPS may be acceptable for less demanding players, but the minimum of 41 FPS suggests noticeable stuttering in busy scenes. High and Ultra settings at 43 FPS and 32 FPS respectively are not recommended for any gameplay that requires responsiveness. The data clearly indicates that 4K is not this combo's strength, and users should either lower the resolution or accept reduced settings.

The Medium preset offers the most consistent frame pacing across all resolutions, as evidenced by the recorded minimum and maximum values. At 1080p Medium, the 88-119 FPS range provides a stable experience; at 1440p Medium, the 64-87 FPS range remains within playable territory; and at 4K Medium, the 41-56 FPS range shows the GPU's limits. For a balanced experience across multiple resolutions, Medium settings provide the best compromise between visual quality and performance.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, based on the Turing architecture and TU106 chip, is the primary determinant of performance in Lockdown Protocol for this pairing. The GPU features 1920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units, with 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores. Its base clock of 1365 MHz boosts to 1680 MHz, and the 6 GB of GDDR6 memory operates at 1750 MHz with a 192-bit bus, yielding 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

The GPU's benchmark results place it at the 58th percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 15290. Its closest competitors — the GTX 580, Radeon 680M, RTX 3050 OEM, and Radeon RX 7600 — all score within 0.8%, indicating that the RTX 2060 remains competitive with a narrow band of GPUs. However, the 3dmark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1242 and Passmark G3D score of 14111 show that the GPU is not designed for high-end 4K rendering.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU's 6 GB VRAM and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are the limiting factors at higher resolutions. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a consistent drop of roughly 50%, which aligns with the GPU's compute and memory constraints. At 1080p, the GPU can deliver high frame rates, but as pixel count increases, the shading units and memory bandwidth become saturated. The GPU's pixel rate of 80.64 GPixel/s and texture rate of 201.6 GTexel/s are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p at moderate settings but fall short at 4K with higher presets.

The RTX 2060's end-of-life production status and 2019 release date explain its positioning relative to the i7-13700K, which was released in 2022. The GPU's 12 nm process node and 10,800 million transistors, while respectable for its era, are outdated compared to the CPU's 10 nm process. The 160 W TDP and dual-slot design are modest by modern standards, but the GPU's performance ceiling is what matters most for Lockdown Protocol: the data shows it can handle 1080p and 1440p competently, but 4K gaming requires significant compromises in settings to maintain playable frame rates.