Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol with an Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is a high-frequency pairing that scales predictably across resolutions. The data shows a system capable of pushing well past 200 FPS at 1080p on most settings, but the frame rate curve reveals where the GPU begins to flex its muscle and where the CPU’s 5.40 GHz boost clock keeps things moving.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for this combo shows a steep, consistent drop as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, which is the classic signature of a GPU-bound workload at higher pixel counts. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 340.9 FPS at 1920x1080 to 268.9 FPS at 2560x1440, a decline of roughly 21%, and then further to 176.1 FPS at 3840x2160, another 35% drop. This indicates that even with the RTX 4090’s massive 24 GB frame buffer and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth, pixel throughput becomes the limiting factor at 4K.

The pattern is even more pronounced at Ultra settings. The average FPS at 1080p Ultra is 174.3, which drops to 125.5 at 1440p (a 28% reduction) and then to 85.2 at 4K (a 32% reduction from 1440p). The scaling from 1440p to 4K is slightly steeper at Ultra than at Low, which suggests that the added shader complexity and texture detail at Ultra are taxing the GPU’s 16,384 shading units more heavily. At High settings, the gap between 1080p (231.5 FPS) and 1440p (169.1 FPS) is 27%, while the jump to 4K (108.3 FPS) costs another 36%.

The data strongly indicates that at 1080p and 1440p, the RTX 4090 is never fully saturated. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 166.6 FPS (from 340.9 down to 174.3), which shows that the CPU can feed the GPU enough frames to make settings changes highly visible. At 4K, the spread narrows to 90.9 FPS (from 176.1 Low to 85.2 Ultra), meaning the GPU is becoming the bottleneck and settings have less relative impact on the final frame rate.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K brings 16 cores and 24 threads with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz to this pairing. In Lockdown Protocol, an FPS title, the single-thread performance is critical, and the CPU’s 3dmark single-thread score of 1136 and Passmark single-thread score of 4333 support that. The high boost clock ensures that the RTX 4090 is kept fed at lower resolutions, which is why the 1080p Low average of 340.9 FPS is achievable.

The CPU’s multi-threaded headroom is also substantial, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 39000 and a Passmark multithread score of 45887. While Lockdown Protocol may not use all 24 threads, the presence of 30 MB of shared L3 cache helps with data locality, and the 3dmark 16-thread score of 10717 suggests that the CPU can handle heavy background loads without starving the game. The data shows that at 1080p, the CPU is the primary driver of frame rates; the difference between Low and Ultra is 166.6 FPS, which is far larger than the 4K difference of 90.9 FPS, implying that the CPU can push frames faster than the GPU can render at high settings.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the i7-13700K sits within a narrow band. It is 0.1% behind the Intel Core i7-13700KF and 0.3% ahead of the AMD EPYC 4364P in average benchmark score. The delta against the Intel Core i9-12900F is 0.4% in favor of the i7-13700K. These sub-1% differences mean that the CPU is not the differentiating factor in this combo; the GPU is doing the heavy lifting at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Lockdown Protocol at 4K Ultra smoothly?

A: The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 85.2. This is above the 60 FPS threshold but not by a wide margin, so expect some dips in heavy scenes.

Q: What is the best setting at 1440p for high refresh rates?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset yields 268.9 FPS, while High gives 169.1. For a 165 Hz monitor, High is sufficient, but Low is needed for 240 Hz displays.

Q: How much does lowering settings from Ultra to Low help at 1080p?

A: The average FPS jumps from 174.3 at Ultra to 340.9 at Low, a 95.5% increase. This shows that the CPU can handle the extra frames easily.

Q: Is the RTX 4090 the bottleneck at 4K?

A: Yes. The frame rate drop from 1440p High (169.1 FPS) to 4K High (108.3 FPS) is 36%, which is a typical GPU-bound scaling pattern.

Q: Does the CPU limit performance at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not a hard limit. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 340.9 FPS, and the i7-13700K’s high boost clock and single-thread scores indicate it can sustain such high frame rates.

Q: What is the performance difference between Medium and High at 1440p?

A: Medium averages 193.8 FPS, while High averages 169.1 FPS. The 24.7 FPS gap shows that Medium offers a meaningful boost if you need extra headroom.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combos for Lockdown Protocol, this configuration of Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 holds the 22nd position out of 1637 tested combinations. This places it in the top 1.3% of all tested setups, which is a strong result but not the absolute peak. The rank reflects that while the GPU is one of the fastest available—sitting at the 91st percentile compared to all GPUs—there are a handful of other CPU pairings that achieve slightly higher average frame rates.

The RTX 4090’s nearest rivals in the GPU benchmark list are professional and workstation cards like the NVIDIA Tesla T4 (0.4% higher average score) and the Quadro P6000 (1.3% higher), which are not typical gaming choices. This indicates that the RTX 4090 is near the top of the consumer gaming stack, and the 22nd rank is likely due to other combos using even more aggressive CPU overclocks or different memory configurations. The CPU’s 93rd percentile ranking versus all CPUs reinforces that this is a top-tier pairing. In practical terms, the 22nd rank out of 1637 means that only a tiny fraction of tested systems will outperform this one in Lockdown Protocol.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the dominant component in this combo, and its specifications explain the frame rates observed. With 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, the GPU has ample bandwidth (1.01 TB/s) to handle 4K textures without stutter. The boost clock of 2520 MHz, combined with 16,384 shading units, delivers the raw compute needed for high settings. The Passmark G3D score of 38194 and the 3dmark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 9223 confirm that this GPU is built for heavy rasterization loads.

At 1080p, the GPU is underutilized. The data shows that increasing settings from Low to Ultra at 1920x1080 only reduces the average FPS by 166.6, which implies that the CPU is the primary limiter. However, at 4K, the GPU’s workload increases significantly. The difference between Low (176.1 FPS) and Ultra (85.2 FPS) at 3840x2160 is 90.9 FPS, showing that the GPU’s shading units and ROPs (176) are being stressed. The pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,290.2 GTexel/s are high enough to sustain the 4K Ultra average of 85.2 FPS, but the data indicates that this is close to the practical ceiling for this settings level.

The GPU’s 450 W TDP and triple-slot cooler suggest it is designed for sustained high loads, and the measured FPS at 4K Medium (125.8 FPS) shows that there is headroom if you are willing to step down from Ultra. The RTX 4090 is end-of-life per production status, but its benchmark scores place it at the 91st percentile, meaning it still outperforms the vast majority of installed GPUs.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings average 340.9 FPS, Medium drops to 261.3, High yields 231.5, and Ultra bottoms out at 174.3. These numbers indicate that for competitive play, Low or Medium is ideal, while Ultra is still playable but leaves performance on the table. The gap between Low and Ultra is 166.6 FPS, which is the largest of any resolution, reinforcing the CPU’s ability to feed the GPU.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 268.9 FPS for Low, 193.8 for Medium, 169.1 for High, and 125.5 for Ultra. The scaling is more gradual here, with a 143.4 FPS difference between Low and Ultra. This resolution is a sweet spot for high refresh rate monitors, as even Ultra stays above 120 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates are 176.1 FPS for Low, 125.8 for Medium, 108.3 for High, and 85.2 for Ultra. The drop from Low to Ultra is 90.9 FPS, which is the smallest absolute difference across all resolutions. This confirms that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, and the RTX 4090’s 24 GB buffer is being exercised. For a 4K 120 Hz display, Low settings are required to hit the refresh ceiling, while Ultra will cap out around 85 FPS.