Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti delivers a performance profile in Lockdown Protocol that is heavily dependent on resolution and graphics preset. Benchmark data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p is fully playable at every tested setting, 1440p requires a step down from Ultra, and 4K demands Low settings to stay above the 60 FPS threshold. This combination of a mid-range 12th Gen processor and an Ampere-architecture GPU produces a balanced system where the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution increases, but the CPU still holds its own at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the data shows consistently high frame rates across all presets. The Ultra preset averages 76.2 FPS, which is 16.2 FPS above the playable threshold of 60 FPS. High settings improve this to an average of 98.5 FPS. Medium settings yield 111.2 FPS, while Low settings reach 161.1 FPS. The jump from Medium to Low represents a 49.9 FPS increase, indicating that the lower preset relieves significant pressure on the hardware. Even at the most demanding Ultra preset, the average FPS remains comfortably above 60, making 1080p the most versatile resolution for this combo.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales downward as expected. The Ultra preset drops to an average of 55.2 FPS, which falls 4.8 FPS short of the 60 FPS threshold. High settings recover to 69.6 FPS, Medium reaches 84 FPS, and Low produces 114.6 FPS. The gap between Ultra and High is 14.4 FPS, which is a substantial jump that makes High the sensible choice for 1440p gaming. The data shows that 1440p Ultra is the first preset where this combo fails to maintain 60 FPS, but the step down to High restores a comfortable margin above the threshold.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 3060 Ti starts to struggle with the higher pixel count. The Ultra preset averages just 34 FPS, which is 26 FPS below the playable threshold. High settings improve to 47.6 FPS but still fall 12.4 FPS short. Medium reaches 52.9 FPS, missing the 60 FPS mark by 7.1 FPS. Only the Low preset clears the threshold, achieving an average of 77.6 FPS. This represents a 25.6 FPS difference between Medium and Low, showing that the Low preset significantly reduces the rendering load. The 4K data reveals that this GPU is not designed for high-fidelity gaming at this resolution, but it can still deliver a playable experience with reduced settings.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Lockdown Protocol at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 76.2 FPS, which is 16.2 FPS above the 60 FPS playable threshold. This is the most demanding preset at this resolution, and it still clears the threshold with room to spare.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 1440p?

A: The data indicates that High settings at 2560x1440 produce an average of 69.6 FPS, which is the highest preset that stays above 60 FPS. Ultra at this resolution drops to 55.2 FPS, so High is the recommended choice for a smooth experience.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with this hardware?

A: Yes, but only with the Low preset. At 3840x2160, Low settings achieve an average of 77.6 FPS. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below 60 FPS, with averages of 52.9, 47.6, and 34 FPS respectively.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 98.5 at 1920x1080 to 47.6 at 3840x2160. This represents a 50.9 FPS decrease, which is a 51.7% reduction in frame rate. The data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Q: Does the Ultra preset ever outperform the playable threshold?

A: The Ultra preset only clears 60 FPS at 1920x1080, where it averages 76.2 FPS. At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 55.2 FPS, and at 3840x2160, it averages 34 FPS. The data suggests that Ultra is only viable at the lowest resolution.

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

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings average 114.6 FPS while Ultra averages 55.2 FPS. This is a 59.4 FPS difference, meaning the Low preset delivers over twice the frame rate of Ultra. The gap highlights the significant performance cost of the Ultra preset's visual enhancements.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which achieves an average of 76.2 FPS. This is the highest quality setting available, and the data confirms it remains playable with a 16.2 FPS margin above the threshold.

For 2560x1440, the best playable setting is High, producing an average of 69.6 FPS. This preset provides a 9.6 FPS margin above 60 FPS. While Ultra is visually superior, its 55.2 FPS average falls short of the playable threshold, so High is the optimal balance of quality and performance.

At 3840x2160, the only playable option is Low, which averages 77.6 FPS. This preset clears the threshold by 17.6 FPS. Medium, High, and Ultra all fail to reach 60 FPS, so Low is the sole recommendation for 4K gaming with this combo.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core i5-12400F sits at the 73rd percentile among all CPUs tested, with an average benchmark score of 19,039. Its nearest rival is the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS, which scores 19,047 and shows a 0% deltaPct, indicating virtually identical performance. The Intel Core 3 201E scores 19,056 with a -0.1% deltaPct, meaning it is 0.1% slower. The Intel Core i5-1335U scores 18,982 with a 0.3% deltaPct, making it 0.3% faster. The AMD EPYC 7773X also scores 18,979 with a 0.3% deltaPct. These rivals suggest that a user upgrading from any of these CPUs would see negligible differences in Lockdown Protocol, as the performance gap is under 1% in all cases.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which ranks at the 59th percentile among GPUs with an average score of 16,129, the nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 9060 with a score of 16,014 and a 0.7% deltaPct. The AMD Radeon Pro 5600M scores 16,351 with a -1.4% deltaPct, meaning it is 1.4% faster. The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT scores 16,361 with a -1.4% deltaPct, also 1.4% faster. The AMD Radeon R9 370X scores 15,862 with a 1.7% deltaPct, making it 1.7% slower. These deltas are small enough that in-game FPS differences would be minimal, though the RX 5700 XT and Pro 5600M might offer a slight edge in GPU-bound scenarios at higher resolutions.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear shift in component importance depending on resolution. At 1920x1080, the CPU plays a more significant role because the GPU has fewer pixels to render. The FPS difference between Low (161.1) and Ultra (76.2) is 84.9 FPS, showing that the GPU still scales with settings, but the high Low-preset frame rate suggests the CPU can feed frames quickly. The i5-12400F's single-thread score of 909 in 3DMark and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1,680 indicate strong per-core performance, which helps at lower resolutions where draw calls are more frequent.

At 2560x1440, the GPU becomes more dominant. The FPS range narrows from 55.2 (Ultra) to 114.6 (Low), a 59.4 FPS spread. Compared to 1080p, the Low preset drops from 161.1 to 114.6 FPS, a 46.5 FPS decrease that is primarily GPU-driven. The CPU's multi-threaded score of 12,380 in Cinebench R23 suggests it has ample headroom, but the RTX 3060 Ti's 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth start to limit performance as pixel count increases.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is the overwhelming bottleneck. The FPS range is even narrower, from 34 (Ultra) to 77.6 (Low), a 43.6 FPS spread. The High preset at 4K (47.6 FPS) is nearly half the 1080p High score (98.5 FPS), a 50.9 FPS drop that cannot be attributed to the CPU. The GPU's 16.20 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 4864 shading units are simply insufficient for 4K Ultra. The CPU's role diminishes further, as the i5-12400F's 6 cores and 12 threads are not the limiting factor at this resolution. The data implies that users targeting 4K should prioritize GPU upgrades over CPU upgrades.

The Verdict

Yes, this PC can run Lockdown Protocol, but the playable range depends heavily on resolution. At 1920x1080, the combo clears 60 FPS at all four presets, with Ultra averaging 76.2 FPS and Low reaching 161.1 FPS. This is the most flexible resolution for this hardware. At 2560x1440, three of four presets are playable: High (69.6 FPS), Medium (84 FPS), and Low (114.6 FPS). The Ultra preset fails at 55.2 FPS, so users must avoid it. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset is playable, averaging 77.6 FPS. Medium (52.9), High (47.6), and Ultra (34) all fall below the 60 FPS threshold. The verdict is clear: this system is a solid 1080p and capable 1440p machine, but 4K requires significant graphical compromises.

How This Combo Ranks

Among all tested CPU-GPU combinations in Lockdown Protocol, this pairing ranks 2620 out of 3714 combos. This places it in the lower third of the database, indicating that while it can run the game, many other configurations deliver higher frame rates. The percentile ranking of the CPU (73rd) and GPU (59th) suggests the GPU is the weaker component, which aligns with the FPS data showing GPU limitations at higher resolutions. The rank implies that users with this combo are near the middle-bottom of the performance distribution, but the game's playability at 1080p and 1440p means the rank does not preclude a good experience. The gap between the CPU's higher percentile and the GPU's lower one explains why the system is more capable at 1080p, where CPU performance matters more, than at 4K, where the GPU becomes the deciding factor.