Lockdown Protocol

Intel Core i5-12400F paired with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti presents a balanced mid-range combination for Lockdown Protocol, a fast-paced FPS released in March 2024. The measured data shows that this combo can handle the game well at mainstream resolutions, with 1080p delivering smooth performance across most presets and 1440p offering solid results on medium settings. At 4K, however, the hardware falls short of the 60 FPS threshold regardless of quality level.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded FPS data for this combination covers three resolutions and four quality presets. All measurements are average frame rates, with no minimum or maximum values recorded in the database.

At 1920x1080, the results are strong across the board. Low settings produce an average of 123.2 FPS, which is nearly double the 60 FPS playable threshold. Medium settings deliver 88.4 FPS average, maintaining a comfortable margin above the threshold. High settings achieve 79.2 FPS average, still well above the 60 FPS line. Ultra settings drop to 58.3 FPS average, just under the playable threshold, indicating that the most demanding preset at 1080p is borderline but nearly playable.

At 2560x1440, performance scales down noticeably but remains playable on moderate presets. Low settings yield 88.4 FPS average, a 28% reduction compared to 1080p Low. Medium settings produce 65.7 FPS average, clearing the 60 FPS threshold with a small margin of 5.7 FPS. High settings fall to 54 FPS average, below the threshold. Ultra settings drop further to 42.9 FPS average, which is roughly 54% of the 1080p Ultra figure.

At 3840x2160, the combination struggles across all presets. Low settings generate 58.6 FPS average, just missing the 60 FPS mark by 1.4 FPS. Medium settings produce 44.4 FPS average, a significant drop from 1440p Medium. High settings deliver 38.5 FPS average, and Ultra settings fall to 29.9 FPS average. None of the 4K presets reach the playable threshold.

The scaling pattern across resolutions shows consistent behavior. Moving from 1080p to 1440p reduces frame rates by roughly 25% to 35% depending on the preset. Moving from 1440p to 4K reduces frame rates by another 30% to 35%. The largest absolute drop occurs between 1440p and 4K on Medium settings, where the average falls from 65.7 FPS to 44.4 FPS, a decline of 21.3 FPS.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data suggests that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution increases, while the CPU maintains sufficient headroom across all tested configurations. The Intel Core i5-12400F, with 6 cores and 12 threads, boosts up to 4.40 GHz, and the database shows a 73rd percentile ranking among all CPUs. The GTX 1660 Ti, in contrast, ranks at the 41st percentile among all GPUs, indicating a relatively weaker position in the overall hardware landscape.

At 1080p, the gap between Low and Medium settings is 34.8 FPS (123.2 to 88.4), while the gap between Medium and High is 9.2 FPS (88.4 to 79.2). This pattern indicates that the GPU handles lower presets with ease, but the performance difference narrows as settings rise, suggesting that the GPU is increasingly taxed by higher quality levels. The CPU, with its strong single-thread score of 909 in 3DMark single-thread and 1680 in Cinebench R23 single-core, is unlikely to be the limiting factor at this resolution.

At 1440p, the performance drops are more pronounced. Low to Medium yields a 22.7 FPS decrease (88.4 to 65.7), Medium to High yields an 11.7 FPS decrease (65.7 to 54), and High to Ultra yields an 11.1 FPS decrease (54 to 42.9). The consistent reductions across presets point to GPU-bound behavior, where each quality increase adds comparable load on the graphics card.

At 4K, the GPU is clearly the dominant constraint. The difference between Low and Medium is 14.2 FPS (58.6 to 44.4), Medium to High is 5.9 FPS (44.4 to 38.5), and High to Ultra is 8.6 FPS (38.5 to 29.9). The frame rates at 4K are all below 60 FPS, and the scaling shows that even Low settings cannot achieve playable performance. The CPU's role diminishes further at this resolution, as the GPU's pixel throughput and memory bandwidth become the decisive factors.

The GTX 1660 Ti's specifications support this interpretation. With 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, 288.0 GB/s bandwidth, and 5.437 TFLOPS FP32 performance, the card is designed for 1080p gaming in its era. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1061 places it well below modern GPUs, and the database's 41st percentile ranking confirms its mid-range status. The CPU, by contrast, shows robust multi-threaded performance with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 12380 and a PassMark multi-thread score of 19433, indicating it can feed the GPU adequately at lower resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Lockdown Protocol at 1920x1080 with high settings?

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 1080p High is 79.2, which exceeds the 60 FPS playable threshold by 19.2 FPS. The database lists 1080p High as a playable setting, with 1080p High being the best playable preset overall.

Q: What is the best 1440p preset for this hardware?

A: Medium is the best playable option at 2560x1440, producing 65.7 FPS average. Low also clears the threshold at 88.4 FPS, but Medium offers higher visual quality while still maintaining playable frame rates. High and Ultra both fall below 60 FPS at 54 and 42.9 respectively.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with this combination?

A: No. All four presets at 3840x2160 fail to reach 60 FPS. Low comes closest at 58.6 FPS, but the database lists no playable settings at 4K, meaning this resolution is not viable for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the CPU compare to similar processors in the database?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400F sits at the 73rd percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS with an average score of 19047 (0% difference), the Intel Core 3 201E at 19056 (0.1% higher), and the Intel Core i5-1335U at 18982 (0.3% lower). The variations are minimal, all within 0.3%.

Q: How does the GPU compare to similar graphics cards in the database?

A: The GTX 1660 Ti ranks at the 41st percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon 540 with an average score of 7673 (0.7% lower), the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 at 7580 (1.9% lower), the AMD Radeon R7 250 at 7557 (2.2% lower), and the Intel Arc A310 at 7550 (2.3% lower). All are within a few percentage points of the GTX 1660 Ti.

Q: What is the overall ranking of this combo among tested configurations for Lockdown Protocol?

A: This combination ranks 3121 out of 3714 tested combos, placing it in the lower 16% of all configurations. This reflects the GPU's modest standing rather than the CPU, which ranks higher relative to its peers.

The Verdict

The question of whether this PC can run Lockdown Protocol depends entirely on the target resolution and preset. At 1920x1080, the answer is a clear yes for most settings. The database confirms playable performance on High (79.2 FPS), Low (123.2 FPS), and Medium (88.4 FPS). Ultra at 58.3 FPS falls just short of the 60 FPS threshold, so players seeking maximum quality at 1080p would need to accept a near-miss or drop to High. The best playable setting at 1080p is High, delivering 79.2 FPS, which provides both visual fidelity and a comfortable frame rate cushion.

At 2560x1440, the verdict is conditional. Low and Medium both clear the 60 FPS mark, with Medium being the best playable setting at 65.7 FPS. This means 1440p gaming is viable, but only with reduced quality settings. High at 54 FPS and Ultra at 42.9 FPS are not playable under the 60 FPS standard. For users with 1440p monitors, Medium offers the best balance, though the margin above the threshold is slim at just 5.7 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the verdict is negative. No settings reach 60 FPS, and even Low tops out at 58.6 FPS, which is 1.4 FPS short of the threshold. The database lists zero playable settings at 4K, meaning this resolution is effectively off-limits for smooth gameplay with this hardware.

In practical terms, this combination is a solid 1080p machine for Lockdown Protocol, a capable 1440p machine with moderate settings, and unsuitable for 4K. The 6 GB VRAM and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth of the GTX 1660 Ti are adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but the card's compute throughput of 5.437 TFLOPS limits its ability to handle the higher pixel counts and shading demands of 4K. The CPU, meanwhile, demonstrates it is not the limiting factor at any resolution, given its strong single-thread and multi-thread benchmark scores.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the Intel Core i5-12400F has near-identical performance to several other processors in the database. The AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS shows a 0% difference in average benchmark score (19047 vs 19039), making it effectively interchangeable in terms of CPU-bound workloads. The Intel Core 3 201E scores 19056, just 0.1% higher, and the Intel Core i5-1335U and AMD EPYC 7773X both sit within 0.3% of the i5-12400F. These alternatives would produce essentially the same frame rates in Lockdown Protocol, assuming the GPU remains the bottleneck.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are closely clustered. The AMD Radeon 540 scores 7673, which is 0.7% lower than the GTX 1660 Ti's 7723 average. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 at 7580 is 1.9% lower, the AMD Radeon R7 250 at 7557 is 2.2% lower, and the Intel Arc A310 at 7550 is 2.3% lower. These differences are minor enough that swapping to any of these cards would yield similar FPS results in Lockdown Protocol, with variations likely within a few frames per second at each resolution and preset.

The practical implication is that users with any of these rival components can expect comparable gameplay experiences. A build with the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS instead of the Core i5-12400F would show virtually identical CPU performance, while a GPU swap to the Radeon 540 would bring a negligible performance penalty. The combination's overall ranking of 3121 out of 3714 reflects the GPU's position in the lower half of the hardware spectrum, so nearby GPU alternatives would likely place this combo in a similar rank.

How This Combo Ranks

The database places this specific CPU-GPU pairing at rank 3121 out of 3714 tested combinations for Lockdown Protocol. This puts it in the bottom 16% of all configurations, a position driven primarily by the GTX 1660 Ti's modest performance profile. The GPU's 41st percentile ranking among all GPUs contrasts sharply with the CPU's 73rd percentile, creating an imbalance where the graphics card limits overall system performance.

The rank reflects the measured FPS data rather than theoretical specifications. At 1080p, the combo performs adequately, with most presets exceeding 60 FPS, but at higher resolutions the frame rates drop quickly. The 4K results, all below 60 FPS, drag the overall ranking down compared to configurations with stronger GPUs that can maintain playable frame rates across more resolution-preset combinations.

The CPU's contribution to the rank is less significant. Its nearest rivals all score within 0.3% in average benchmarks, meaning CPU choice has minimal impact on the final ranking for this game. The GPU, however, has a wider performance gap to its rivals, with the closest alternative (Radeon 540) being 0.7% slower and others up to 2.3% slower, which keeps this combo competitive within its immediate peer group.

For the 3714 configurations tested, this rank means the combo sits below the median but above the bottom tier. The 1080p playability on High settings is a redeeming factor, as many lower-ranked combos likely fail to reach 60 FPS even at 1080p Low. The 1440p Medium capability further distinguishes it from weaker configurations, even though 4K remains out of reach. Users considering this hardware should target 1080p as the primary gaming resolution, with 1440p available as a secondary option on reduced settings.