Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Lockdown Protocol, with the data showing that every preset at every tested resolution remains far above the 60 FPS playability threshold. The benchmark results indicate a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s 6-core/12-thread configuration proves sufficient to feed the flagship GPU even at 1080p, resulting in a combination that never dips below 84 FPS in any tested configuration.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured performance data for this combo shows a clear hierarchy across resolutions and presets. At 4K (3840x2160), the RTX 5090 asserts its dominance, with the Low preset producing an average of 180.2 FPS. Moving up the quality ladder, Medium yields 129.5 FPS, High delivers 110.4 FPS, and the Ultra preset still maintains a robust 84 FPS average. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K represents a drop of approximately 53%, which underscores the substantial GPU workload increase at this resolution.

At 1440p (2560x1440), the frame rates climb significantly. The Low preset achieves 246.8 FPS, while Medium reaches 199 FPS. High settings produce 173.3 FPS, and Ultra remains exceptionally smooth at 130.8 FPS. The transition from 4K Ultra to 1440p Ultra yields a 55.7% performance uplift, demonstrating that resolution scaling is a primary factor for this GPU-bound scenario.

The 1080p (1920x1080) results show the upper ceiling of this pairing. Low settings hit 271.3 FPS, Medium reaches 241 FPS, and High delivers 232.9 FPS. Even the most demanding Ultra preset at 1080p sustains 175.5 FPS. Interestingly, the gap between Medium and High at 1080p is only 8.1 FPS, suggesting that the High preset is particularly well-optimized or that the CPU begins to impose a limit at these extreme frame rates. The data shows that from 1440p Ultra to 1080p Ultra, the frame rate increases by 34.2%, a smaller jump than the 55.7% observed between 4K and 1440p, hinting at diminishing returns as resolution drops.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Examining the nearestRivals data provides context for how this specific CPU and GPU compare to other hardware in the database. The Intel Core i5-12400F has an average benchmark score of 19039, placing it in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs. Its closest competitor is the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS with an average score of 19047, representing a negligible 0% deltaPct difference. The Intel Core 3 201E scores 19056 (-0.1% delta), while the Intel Core i5-1335U achieves 18982 (+0.3% delta). The AMD EPYC 7773X also lands nearby at 18979 (+0.3% delta). For gaming purposes, these rival CPUs would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Lockdown Protocol when paired with the same GPU, as the performance deltas are all within one-third of a percent.

On the GPU side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 holds an average benchmark score of 79842, ranking in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, scores 79605 with a 0.3% deltaPct, meaning it would perform almost indistinguishably in this game. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB follows at 79396 (+0.6%), and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT reaches 78940 (+1.1%). The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X slightly outperforms the RTX 5090 in this metric at 80959 (-1.4% delta), though the margin is minor. Users seeking similar behavior to this combo would find that swapping the i5-12400F for a Ryzen 5 7535HS or swapping the RTX 5090 for a Tesla P100 16 GB would yield virtually identical average FPS in Lockdown Protocol, based on the aggregate benchmark scores.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a clear shift in bottleneck behavior across resolutions. At 4K, the GPU is unequivocally the limiting factor. The frame rate scales dramatically with preset changes, dropping from 180.2 FPS on Low to 84 FPS on Ultra, a 53.4% reduction. This indicates that the RTX 5090's workload dominates the performance equation, while the i5-12400F has ample headroom.

At 1440p, the balance begins to shift. The Low preset reaches 246.8 FPS, which suggests the CPU is starting to become more relevant, as the GPU can render frames faster than the processor can feed it. However, the Ultra preset still holds at 130.8 FPS, indicating that the GPU remains the primary constraint under heavy graphical loads.

The 1080p results most clearly illustrate the CPU's growing role. The Low preset hits 271.3 FPS, and the gap between Medium (241 FPS) and High (232.9 FPS) narrows to just 3.4%, whereas at 4K the same preset transition yields a 14.8% difference. This compression of frame rates at lower resolutions suggests the i5-12400F's 6-core/12-thread architecture becomes a more significant factor. The data shows that from 1080p Low to 4K Low, performance drops by 33.6%, but from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra, it drops by 52.1%. This asymmetric scaling confirms that the GPU's workload scales more steeply with resolution at higher presets, while the CPU's contribution becomes relatively more important at 1080p with lower graphical settings.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K with maximum settings?

A: Yes. The Ultra preset at 3840x2160 produces an average of 84 FPS, which is 40% above the 60 FPS playable threshold. All four presets at 4K (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable.

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this pairing?

A: The maximum measured average is 271.3 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. The lowest recorded average is 84 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: How does the i5-12400F compare to its closest CPU rival?

A: The nearest rival is the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS, which has an average benchmark score of 19047 versus the i5-12400F's 19039, a 0% deltaPct difference. Performance in Lockdown Protocol would be effectively identical.

Q: Is the RTX 5090 significantly faster than its nearest GPU rival?

A: The closest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, scores 79605 compared to the RTX 5090's 79842, a 0.3% deltaPct advantage for the 5090. This is a negligible margin in real-world gaming.

Q: At which resolution does the CPU start to limit performance?

A: The data indicates the CPU becomes more relevant at 1920x1080, where the difference between Medium and High presets shrinks to 8.1 FPS (241 vs 232.9). At 4K, the same preset transition shows a 19.1 FPS difference (129.5 vs 110.4), confirming the GPU is the main constraint there.

Q: What rank does this combo hold among all tested systems?

A: This combination ranks 131st out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the top 3.5% of all systems in the database.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination holds a rank of 131 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places the system in the 96.5th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning it outperforms the vast majority of systems in the database. The ranking reflects the GPU's exceptional strength, as the RTX 5090 sits in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU's 73rd percentile standing is comparatively modest. Despite the CPU being a mid-range part, the GPU's raw power carries the combo to near the top of the leaderboard. The data shows that this pairing is capable of delivering high-refresh-rate gameplay even at 4K Ultra, which is a significant achievement. For context, the gap between this combo and the top-ranked systems likely stems from CPUs with higher single-thread performance, as the 1080p results suggest the i5-12400F begins to limit the RTX 5090's potential at lower resolutions.

Best Settings per Resolution

The verdictByResolution data identifies the most demanding preset that remains at or above 60 FPS for each resolution. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset is playable with an average of 84 FPS, making it the best settings choice. This provides a comfortable 40% margin above the playability threshold while delivering maximum visual quality. At 2560x1440, Ultra settings achieve 130.8 FPS, offering more than double the required frame rate and making it the optimal choice for high-refresh-rate monitors. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset maintains 175.5 FPS, which is nearly three times the playability threshold. In all three resolutions, the Ultra preset is the recommended setting, as the data confirms that this combo has sufficient headroom to run the game at maximum quality without approaching the 60 FPS floor. The wide margins also indicate that users could enable additional graphical features or higher internal resolutions without risking playability, though the exact impact of such options is not covered in the measured data.