Lockdown Protocol

FAQ

Q: Can the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 run Lockdown Protocol at 60 FPS?

A: Yes. The recorded data shows playable performance at 1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160, provided the right settings are selected. At 1080p, even Ultra settings clear the 60 FPS threshold with an average of 67.6 FPS.

Q: What is the best settings preset at 2560x1440 for this combo?

A: High is the best preset that stays at or above 60 FPS at 1440p, with an average of 68.2 FPS. Medium runs at 76.9 FPS, but High delivers the highest quality while still clearing the playability threshold.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its nearest rivals in overall GPU benchmark score?

A: The database shows the RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 15290, which places it 0.6% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM and 0.8% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7600. It is effectively tied with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 (0% delta) and the AMD Radeon 680M (0.1% ahead).

Q: Is the i5-9400 a strong performer relative to other CPUs?

A: The i5-9400 sits at the 47th percentile among all CPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score is 2254, which is within 0.4% of the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 and 0.3% below the Intel Core i7-10710U.

Q: What is the most demanding preset that stays above 60 FPS at 4K?

A: Low is the only setting at 3840x2160 that clears the threshold, with an average of 66.5 FPS. Medium drops to 50 FPS, and High falls to 43.3 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations for Lockdown Protocol?

A: The i5-9400 plus RTX 2060 combination ranks 2973 out of 3714 tested combos in the database for this game.

Best Settings per Resolution

The data shows clear scaling across resolutions for this pairing. At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS is Ultra, which delivers 67.6 FPS. Lower presets run faster: High at 87.3 FPS, Medium at 101 FPS, and Low at 145.7 FPS, but none of them are necessary to hit the playability threshold.

At 2560x1440, the most demanding playable preset is High, with an average of 68.2 FPS. Medium runs at 76.9 FPS and Low at 105.8 FPS, while Ultra drops below the threshold at 49.4 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the only preset that clears 60 FPS is Low, producing 66.5 FPS. Medium averages 50 FPS, High averages 43.3 FPS, and Ultra falls to 31.1 FPS.

The pattern is consistent: this combo has enough headroom at 1080p to run maxed out, but at 4K it requires dropping to the lowest preset to stay smooth.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the CPU side, the Intel Core i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254. The nearest rival is the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, which scores 2259, a delta of -0.2%, meaning the i7 is marginally ahead. The Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264, which is 0.4% higher than the i5-9400. On the other side, the Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248 (0.3% lower) and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246 (0.4% lower). In practical terms, all four of these CPUs should deliver nearly identical frame pacing in Lockdown Protocol, since the differences are within a fraction of a percent.

On the GPU side, the RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 15290. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 scores 15283, a 0% delta, making it statistically indistinguishable in aggregate benchmarks. The AMD Radeon 680M scores 15270, just 0.1% behind. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM scores 15199, 0.6% behind, and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 scores 15171, 0.8% behind. Any of these GPUs would produce very similar frame rates in Lockdown Protocol at the same settings and resolution, though the RTX 2060 holds a slight edge over all of them except the GTX 580.

For a user looking to replicate this system's performance, swapping the i5-9400 for any of its nearest rivals would shift results by less than half a percent, and swapping the RTX 2060 for any of its nearest rivals would shift results by less than one percent. That is well within run-to-run variance for a single benchmark pass.

The Verdict

The data confirms that this PC can run Lockdown Protocol with playable performance at every resolution tested, but the settings ceiling varies sharply.

At 1920x1080, the combo clears 60 FPS at every preset. Ultra averages 67.6 FPS, which is above the playability threshold, and the lower presets all run faster. This is the resolution where the system is fully comfortable.

At 2560x1440, the system remains playable on High, Medium, and Low. High averages 68.2 FPS, which is the best visual quality that still hits the threshold. Ultra drops to 49.4 FPS, so it is not recommended for smooth play.

At 3840x2160, the system narrowly stays playable on Low with 66.5 FPS. Medium dips to 50 FPS, High to 43.3 FPS, and Ultra to 31.1 FPS. For 4K users, the experience is limited to the lowest preset.

Overall, the verdict is positive. The i5-9400 and RTX 2060 combination is a capable 1080p system for Lockdown Protocol, a solid 1440p system on High, and a marginal 4K system on Low. The 60 FPS threshold is met at all three resolutions, but only with appropriate settings selection.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results reveal how the workload shifts across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the frame rates scale steeply with preset quality: Low produces 145.7 FPS, Medium drops to 101 FPS, High to 87.3 FPS, and Ultra to 67.6 FPS. This wide spread indicates that the GPU is the primary limiter at 1080p, since lowering graphics settings directly translates into large frame rate gains. The CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU even at the highest preset, as evidenced by the fact that Ultra still clears 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the same pattern holds but with lower absolute numbers. Low runs at 105.8 FPS, Medium at 76.9 FPS, High at 68.2 FPS, and Ultra at 49.4 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 28.9 FPS, while the drop from High to Ultra is 18.8 FPS. The GPU is still the dominant factor, as the pixel count increase from 1080p to 1440p reduces frame rates across the board, and the RTX 2060's rendering load scales accordingly.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the overwhelming bottleneck. Low averages 66.5 FPS, but Medium falls to 50 FPS, a 16.5 FPS loss from a single preset step. High drops to 43.3 FPS, and Ultra to 31.1 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 35.4 FPS, which is larger than the entire playable range at 1080p. This steep degradation confirms that the RTX 2060 cannot sustain high-quality rendering at 4K, and the CPU's role is diminished because the GPU is saturated.

Comparing across resolutions at the same preset reinforces the conclusion. At High, the system goes from 87.3 FPS at 1080p to 68.2 FPS at 1440p to 43.3 FPS at 4K. At Ultra, it goes from 67.6 FPS at 1080p to 49.4 FPS at 1440p to 31.1 FPS at 4K. The consistent downward trend as resolution increases points squarely at the GPU as the limiting component. The i5-9400's six cores and six threads are sufficient to avoid CPU-bound behavior in this game, since even the lowest preset at 1080p reaches 145.7 FPS, which is well beyond what most displays can show.

In short, the GPU is the deciding factor at every resolution. The CPU matters only insofar as it must keep up, and the data shows it does without issue. Users upgrading this system for Lockdown Protocol should prioritize the graphics card first.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks 2973 out of 3714 tested combinations in the database for Lockdown Protocol. That places this combo in the bottom 20% of all tested systems.

This ranking reflects the age of both components. The CPU has a percentile of 47 among all CPUs, meaning it sits just below the median, and the GPU has a percentile of 58 among all GPUs. Neither component is a top-tier performer by modern standards, and the combination lands in the lower quartile of tested combos for this game.

However, the rank should be interpreted with context. The database includes a wide range of hardware, from entry-level integrated graphics to flagship multi-GPU setups. A rank of 2973 out of 3714 means there are roughly 741 combos that perform worse. The measured frame rates confirm that this system is far from unplayable: it clears 60 FPS at all three resolutions with the right settings, and it can run Ultra at 1080p.

The gap between this combo and the top of the ranking is substantial, but the practical impact depends on the user's display and expectations. For a 1080p monitor at 60 Hz, this system is effectively maxed out with headroom to spare. For a 1440p high-refresh display, it will hold 60 FPS on High but cannot push beyond that. For 4K, it is limited to Low settings.

The ranking also suggests that users with similarly scored components, such as the i7-1068NG7 or the RX 7600, would land in a very close position, since the aggregate benchmark differences are under 1%. The combo's rank is a function of both components, and either one could be upgraded to move the needle substantially. Swapping the GPU for a higher-tier card would likely produce the largest gain, given that the GPU is the bottleneck in this game at higher resolutions.