Lockdown Protocol

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for Lockdown Protocol with the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti spans three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the lowest preset measured delivers an average of 165.5 FPS, while the most demanding Ultra preset still holds an average of 94 FPS. Medium sits between at 138.5 FPS, and High reaches 119.5 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is roughly 71 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset imposes a meaningful load on the hardware, but the combination never falls below the 60 FPS playability threshold at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the same pattern emerges with lower absolute numbers. Low averages 146.7 FPS, Medium drops to 103.5 FPS, High comes in at 89.7 FPS, and Ultra lands at 67 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra here is about 79.7 FPS, slightly wider than at 1080p, which suggests that the resolution scaling interacts with the higher presets in a way that amplifies the performance cost. Even at Ultra, the average remains above the 60 FPS mark, though the margin is thinner than at lower resolutions.

At 3840x2160, the data shows a more pronounced strain. Low still delivers a comfortable 91.6 FPS average, and Medium manages 65.6 FPS. High is right at the edge of the playability threshold with 61.2 FPS, while Ultra falls to 43.1 FPS, which is clearly below the 60 FPS line. The step from Medium to High at 4K costs only about 4.4 FPS, whereas the step from High to Ultra costs 18.1 FPS, showing that the Ultra preset at this resolution carries a disproportionate performance penalty.

Across all three resolutions, the min and max FPS values were not recorded in the database, so the analysis relies solely on average frame rates. The absence of frame time variance data means the consistency of the experience cannot be quantified, but the averages provide a clear picture of where the hardware stands relative to the 60 FPS target.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS on average is the key metric. At 3840x2160, the best settings are High, which yields an average of 61.2 FPS. This is just barely above the threshold, leaving little headroom for demanding scenes, but it is technically playable. Low and Medium also clear the bar at 91.6 FPS and 65.6 FPS respectively, but High is the highest quality option that maintains the required frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are Ultra, with an average of 67 FPS. This is a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS line, and it means the user can enable the maximum quality preset without sacrificing playability. Low, Medium, and High all also perform above the threshold, but Ultra is the clear choice for visual fidelity at this resolution.

At 1920x1080, the best settings are also Ultra, averaging 94 FPS. This is the strongest result in the dataset, with a 34 FPS buffer over the minimum playable threshold. The combination of the full quality preset and a high frame rate makes 1080p the most forgiving resolution for this hardware pairing. The data indicates that the system is well suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming with maxed-out settings, while 4K requires a compromise down to High or Medium.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets reveals which component carries more weight in Lockdown Protocol. Comparing the same preset across resolutions, the performance drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent. For Ultra, the average falls from 94 FPS at 1080p to 67 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 27 FPS. From 1440p to 4K, Ultra drops from 67 FPS to 43.1 FPS, another 23.9 FPS loss. This steady degradation with increasing pixel count points to the GPU as the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, since the rendering load scales directly with pixel output.

The CPU role becomes clearer when looking at the Low preset. At 1080p Low, the average is 165.5 FPS, which is likely near the upper bound of what the Intel Core i5-9400 can feed to the GPU. At 1440p Low, the average drops to 146.7 FPS, and at 4K Low it falls to 91.6 FPS. The relatively small drop from 1080p to 1440p at Low suggests that the CPU is still able to keep the GPU busy, but the larger drop at 4K indicates that the GPU is now the limiting factor even on the lowest settings.

The preset scaling within a resolution further supports this interpretation. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra costs 71.5 FPS, while at 1440p the same preset change costs 79.7 FPS, and at 4K it costs 48.5 FPS. The diminishing absolute cost at 4K suggests that the GPU is already saturated and the additional shading work from Ultra presets produces less frame rate impact because the pixel throughput is already constrained. The CPU's six cores and six threads with a 2.90 GHz base clock and 4.10 GHz boost clock appear sufficient to drive high frame rates at lower resolutions, but the GPU becomes the dominant factor as resolution climbs.

The benchmark data for the CPU shows a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 6629 and a single-core score of 935, with a percentile rank of 47 against all CPUs. The GPU's PassMark G3D score is 20349 with a percentile rank of 59. These relative positions suggest that the GPU is slightly stronger in its own field than the CPU, which aligns with the observed scaling behavior where the GPU governs high-resolution performance while the CPU holds up well at lower resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Lockdown Protocol at 4K with high settings?

A: Yes, at 3840x2160 with High settings, the average FPS is 61.2, which clears the 60 FPS playability threshold. Medium also works at 65.6 FPS, but Ultra drops to 43.1 FPS and is not recommended for 4K.

Q: What is the best quality preset for 1440p gaming?

A: At 2560x1440, Ultra is the best option, delivering an average of 67 FPS. This is the highest preset available and it remains above the 60 FPS threshold, so no quality trade-off is needed.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254, which is within 0.4% of the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 and 0.3% of the Intel Core i7-10710U. It trails the Intel Core i3-10305 by 0.4% and the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 by 0.2%.

Q: Is the RTX 3060 Ti significantly faster than its closest GPU competitors?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti has an average benchmark score of 16129. The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is 0.7% slower, the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M is 1.4% faster, the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT is 1.4% faster, and the AMD Radeon R9 370X is 1.7% slower. The differences are small, indicating near-parity among these cards.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 94. This provides a 34 FPS buffer over the playability threshold, making it a very comfortable experience for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Q: Does the system meet the 60 FPS target at every resolution?

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average is 43.1 FPS, which falls short. All other resolution and preset combinations in the measured data stay at or above 60 FPS, including 4K High at 61.2 FPS.

The Verdict

The recorded data confirms that this combination can run Lockdown Protocol at the playable threshold of 60 FPS across most settings. At 1920x1080, every preset from Low to Ultra clears the bar, with Ultra averaging 94 FPS and Low reaching 165.5 FPS. The system is fully capable at this resolution, and the high frame rates suggest it can handle competitive play without issue.

At 2560x1440, the verdict is equally positive. Ultra averages 67 FPS, which is above the threshold, and all other presets perform better. The margin at Ultra is modest but sufficient, and users who prefer maximum visual quality at 1440p will not need to compromise. At 3840x2160, the verdict is conditional. High settings average 61.2 FPS, which is playable, and Medium at 65.6 FPS also works. Ultra, however, drops to 43.1 FPS and is not viable for smooth gameplay. The system can handle 4K, but only with settings reduced to High or Medium.

Overall, the data indicates that this hardware pairing is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming with maximum quality presets. For 4K, users must accept a quality reduction to stay above 60 FPS. The verdict by resolution is clear: 1080p and 1440p are fully playable at Ultra, while 4K requires High for the best balance of visuals and performance.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Lockdown Protocol, this setup holds a rank of 1928 out of 3714 recorded combos. This places it in the upper half of all tested systems, though not near the top. The percentile position reflects the mid-range nature of the components: the CPU sits at the 47th percentile against all CPUs, and the GPU at the 59th percentile against all GPUs. The rank suggests that while the system delivers playable performance at most settings, there are many faster combinations that achieve higher frame rates, particularly at 4K where the Ultra preset struggles.

The ranking also implies that the bottleneck is more pronounced at higher resolutions, as the GPU's mid-pack standing limits 4K performance. At 1080p and 1440p, the rank would likely be more favorable due to the strong frame rates recorded, but the overall rank is dragged down by the 4K Ultra result. Users upgrading from this setup would see the most benefit in GPU-heavy scenarios, such as 4K gaming or high-refresh-rate 1440p.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals to the Intel Core i5-9400 in the database include the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, which has an average score of 2259 and is 0.2% slower than the i5-9400. The Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248, making it 0.3% faster. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, also 0.3% faster, and the Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264, which is 0.4% slower. These CPUs would likely produce similar frame rates in Lockdown Protocol, as their synthetic benchmark scores are within a narrow band of 18 points.

For the GPU, the AMD Radeon RX 9060 has an average score of 16014, which is 0.7% lower than the RTX 3060 Ti. The AMD Radeon Pro 5600M scores 16351, 1.4% higher, and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT scores 16361, also 1.4% higher. The AMD Radeon R9 370X scores 15862, which is 1.7% lower. These cards would behave very similarly in terms of frame rates, with the RX 5700 XT and Pro 5600M offering a slight edge and the RX 9060 and R9 370X trailing by small margins.

Combining these near-equivalent components would produce a system with performance characteristics nearly identical to the i5-9400 and RTX 3060 Ti pairing. A user with a Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 or Core i7-10710U paired with an RX 5700 XT could expect the same general FPS ranges, particularly in the mid-resolution presets where the GPU dominates. The differences would be within a few frames per second, not enough to change the playability verdict at any resolution.