Lockdown Protocol

# FAQ

Q: What is the highest preset the Intel Core i5-12400 and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT combo can run at 3840x2160 while staying above 60 FPS?

A: At 4K, the playable settings are High, Low, and Medium. The best playable preset is High, which delivers an average FPS of 69. Ultra at this resolution drops to 52 FPS, below the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Q: How does the Core i5-12400 compare to its closest rival in average benchmark score?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score is 18683, placing it in the 72nd percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rival is the AMD EPYC 7643 with an average score of 18697, a delta of -0.1%. The Intel Core i3-14100F is 0.9% behind with a score of 18519.

Q: What is the average FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 2560x1440?

A: At 1440p, Low settings produce an average of 172 FPS, while Ultra produces 80 FPS. This is a 92 FPS gap between the lowest and highest quality presets, representing a substantial performance range for this hardware combination.

Q: How much faster is the RX 7800 XT's nearest rival in GPU benchmark scores?

A: The RX 7800 XT has an average GPU benchmark score of 11627 and sits in the 51st percentile. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 leads the nearest rivals with 11680, a delta of -0.5%. The AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT is 1.8% behind at 11842, representing the largest gap among the listed rivals.

Q: Which resolution shows the smallest performance drop between Medium and High settings?

A: At 1920x1080, Medium averages 167 FPS and High averages 146 FPS, a 21 FPS difference. At 2560x1440, the gap is 15 FPS (122 versus 107). At 3840x2160, the difference is 10 FPS (79 versus 69). The 4K resolution shows the smallest absolute drop between these two presets.

Q: Does this combo rank in the top third of tested combinations for Lockdown Protocol?

A: The combination ranks 1235 out of 3714 tested combos, placing it in the top 33.3% of all configurations. This puts it above the median performer but not in the elite tier of hardware pairings.

# Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core i5-12400's average benchmark score of 18683 places it in a tight cluster of comparable CPUs. The AMD EPYC 7643 scores 18697, a delta of -0.1%, making it essentially interchangeable in terms of raw compute throughput for this game. The Intel Core i7-1355U trails by just 0.3% at 18730, while the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 is 0.7% ahead at 18811. On the other side, the Intel Core i3-14100F scores 18519, which is 0.9% lower. All of these processors would deliver nearly identical frame pacing in Lockdown Protocol, though the i5-12400's 6 cores and 12 threads with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz provide a specific balance of single-thread and multi-thread performance.

For the GPU, the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT's average score of 11627 puts it alongside some unexpected company. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 scores 11680, just 0.5% higher, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5500M is 0.9% lower at 11528. The NVIDIA Tesla K20c trails by 1.3% with 11479, and the AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT leads the pack at 11842, which is 1.8% above the RX 7800 XT. Despite the RX 7800 XT's modern RDNA 3.0 architecture with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 624.1 GB/s bandwidth, its benchmark profile aligns closely with these older or lower-tier cards in aggregate scoring. In practice, however, the RX 7800 XT's 37.32 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 60 RT cores would likely produce better real-world results in Lockdown Protocol than the raw average benchmark scores suggest, particularly at higher resolutions where memory bandwidth and rasterization throughput matter more.

# CPU and GPU Roles

The measured FPS data reveals how the balance between CPU and GPU shifts across resolutions and presets in Lockdown Protocol. At 1920x1080, the system achieves 235 FPS on Low settings and 109 FPS on Ultra. The relatively small gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution—126 FPS—indicates that the CPU has ample headroom to feed the GPU, and the RX 7800 XT is the primary bottleneck even at lower quality settings. The 6-core, 12-thread i5-12400 with its 72nd percentile CPU ranking handles the game's logic and draw calls without limiting frame output.

Moving to 2560x1440, the scaling pattern changes. Low settings produce 172 FPS, a 27% drop from the 1080p Low result. Ultra at 1440p yields 80 FPS, a 27% reduction from 1080p Ultra's 109 FPS. This consistent proportional decline suggests the GPU is becoming progressively more dominant as pixel count increases, while the CPU continues to deliver sufficient per-frame processing. The 12400's single-thread score of 910 in 3DMark and Cinebench R23 single-core result of 2257 indicate strong per-core performance that keeps pace with the GPU's output.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's role becomes even more pronounced. Low settings still manage 111 FPS, but Ultra drops to 52 FPS—below the playability threshold. The 69 FPS High result at 4K versus 107 FPS at 1440p High represents a 35% performance loss from resolution scaling alone. This steep decline confirms that the RX 7800 XT's 624.1 GB/s memory bandwidth and 233.3 GPixel/s pixel rate are the limiting factors at 4K, particularly on Ultra where the 96 ROPs and 3840 shading units are fully saturated. The CPU's contribution becomes negligible at this resolution, as evidenced by the fact that even Low settings cannot break 120 FPS, indicating the GPU is the sole constraint.

# The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol at all three tested resolutions, but the playable preset ceiling varies significantly. At 1920x1080, the system clears the 60 FPS threshold on every preset: Low averages 235 FPS, Medium 167 FPS, High 146 FPS, and Ultra 109 FPS. The 2560x1440 results are equally playable across the board, with Ultra achieving 80 FPS and Low reaching 172 FPS. At 3840x2160, the situation becomes more restrictive: High is the best playable setting at 69 FPS, Medium runs at 79 FPS, and Low at 111 FPS, but Ultra falls to 52 FPS—below the 60 FPS playability threshold.

For users prioritizing visual fidelity, the sweet spot is 2560x1440 with Ultra settings, delivering 80 FPS with no frame drops reported in the min FPS data. At 1920x1080, Ultra pushes to 109 FPS, providing a comfortable margin above the threshold and room for higher refresh rate displays. The 4K Ultra preset is the only configuration in the entire test matrix that fails to hit 60 FPS, so those with 4K displays should stick to High or Medium settings for a smooth experience.

# Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that maintains at least 60 FPS is High, with an average of 69 FPS. This provides a 9 FPS margin above the playability threshold, which is sufficient for most gamers but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. Medium at this resolution offers 79 FPS, giving a more comfortable buffer, while Low reaches 111 FPS for maximum performance.

For 2560x1440, Ultra is the best playable setting, delivering 80 FPS. This is the highest quality preset that stays above 60 FPS, and it does so with a 20 FPS margin. The 1440p Medium setting runs at 122 FPS, and High at 107 FPS, both offering additional performance headroom if desired.

At 1920x1080, Ultra is the clear choice, averaging 109 FPS. This leaves 49 FPS of headroom above the threshold, making it suitable for 100 Hz displays. High runs at 146 FPS, Medium at 167 FPS, and Low at 235 FPS, but Ultra provides the best visual experience while still maintaining excellent frame rates.

# How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT ranks 1235 out of 3714 tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the 66.7th percentile of all configurations. This ranking reflects the combination's strong 1080p and 1440p performance, but its 4K Ultra limitation of 52 FPS prevents a higher placement. The GPU's 51st percentile ranking among all GPUs is the weaker link in this pairing; the CPU's 72nd percentile ranking indicates that the processor has more headroom relative to its peers than the graphics card does relative to its own class.

The 3714 tested combos span a wide range of hardware, and this mid-tier placement suggests that many faster GPU configurations—particularly those with higher benchmark scores than the RX 7800 XT's 11627 average—would pull ahead in 4K scenarios. However, the 1235 rank also demonstrates that this combination outperforms the majority of tested systems, making it a solid mid-range choice for Lockdown Protocol at 1080p and 1440p gaming.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

3840x2160:

• Ultra: 52 FPS average, no min or max FPS recorded
• High: 69 FPS average, no min or max FPS recorded
• Medium: 79 FPS average, with a minimum of 67 FPS and maximum of 91 FPS
• Low: 111 FPS average, no min or max FPS recorded

2560x1440:

• Ultra: 80 FPS average, no min or max FPS recorded
• High: 107 FPS average, no min or max FPS recorded
• Medium: 122 FPS average, with a minimum of 104 FPS and maximum of 141 FPS
• Low: 172 FPS average, no min or max FPS recorded

1920x1080:

• Ultra: 109 FPS average, no min or max FPS recorded
• High: 146 FPS average, no min or max FPS recorded
• Medium: 167 FPS average, with a minimum of 142 FPS and maximum of 192 FPS
• Low: 235 FPS average, no min or max FPS recorded

The Medium preset is the only setting where min and max FPS data were captured across all resolutions, providing the most detailed picture of frame pacing. At 4K Medium, the 67 FPS minimum stays above the playability threshold, though it approaches the boundary. The 1440p Medium minimum of 104 FPS offers substantial headroom, while the 1080p Medium minimum of 142 FPS ensures consistent performance even during demanding sequences. The lack of min/max data for other presets limits full frame-time analysis, but the average FPS figures alone provide a reliable assessment of this combo's capabilities.