Lockdown Protocol

FAQ

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

A: Yes. The recorded data shows an average of 84.9 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, which clears the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the biggest performance gap between settings at the same resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the spread from Low to Ultra is 39.8 FPS. Low averages 124.7 FPS, while Ultra drops to 84.9 FPS. At 1920x1080, the gap is 38.1 FPS, from 164.3 FPS on Low down to 126.2 FPS on Ultra.

Q: Which component in this pairing is more likely to limit performance in this game?

A: Given that the CPU sits at the 47th percentile among all tested processors, while the GPU sits at the 88th percentile, the data suggests the Intel Core i5-9400 is the more likely constraint, especially at lower resolutions where the GPU has more headroom.

Q: How does the RTX 4090 compare to its nearest rivals in aggregate benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 60347. The closest rival, the Intel Arc Pro A60, scores 60326 (0% delta). The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores 61896 (2.5% higher), while the AMD Radeon PRO V710 scores 58657 (2.9% lower).

Q: What is the best settings preset at 2560x1440 that still maintains 60 FPS?

A: All four presets are playable. Ultra averages 111.4 FPS, which is the highest settings option that remains well above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations in this game?

A: The combination of the Core i5-9400 with the RTX 4090 ranks 1123 out of 3714 tested combos, placing it in the upper third of the database.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results for Lockdown Protocol reveal a system where the GPU is doing the heavy lifting, but the CPU still exerts a measurable influence depending on resolution and preset. The RTX 4090 is a top-tier part, sitting at the 88th percentile among all GPUs, while the i5-9400 sits at the 47th percentile among all CPUs. That imbalance shapes the scaling patterns.

At 1920x1080, the gap between Low and Ultra is 38.1 FPS. The Low preset averages 164.3 FPS, while Ultra averages 126.2 FPS. This 30.2% reduction from Low to Ultra indicates that the GPU is still the primary driver of frame rate changes, as the CPU has enough single-thread performance to feed the RTX 4090 at this resolution. However, the fact that Low only reaches 164.3 FPS, rather than pushing toward the GPU's theoretical ceiling, hints that the six-core, six-thread i5-9400 is starting to create a ceiling. The CPU's Geekbench single-core score of 1389 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 935 are modest by current standards, and they show up here.

Moving to 2560x1440, the pattern shifts slightly. Low averages 144.7 FPS, Medium 130.3 FPS, High 120.7 FPS, and Ultra 111.4 FPS. The delta from Low to Ultra is 33.3 FPS, a 23.0% drop. Compared to 1080p, the percentage drop is smaller, which suggests the GPU is becoming more of a bottleneck as pixel count rises. The CPU is less stressed because frame rates are lower, so the per-frame CPU work is spread out over more time. The i5-9400's six threads are sufficient to keep the RTX 4090 fed at this resolution, though the CPU's multicore scores, such as Cinebench R23 multicore at 6629, indicate it is not a powerhouse.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes again. Low averages 124.7 FPS, Medium 111.8 FPS, High 109.5 FPS, and Ultra 84.9 FPS. The Low to Ultra delta is 39.8 FPS, a 31.9% reduction. This is the largest absolute and percentage drop across all resolutions, which is counterintuitive if the GPU were the sole bottleneck. The reason is that at 4K, the RTX 4090 is still fast enough to produce high frame rates, but the CPU's limited thread count and clock speed (base 2.90 GHz, boost 4.10 GHz) become more noticeable when the game has to manage higher-resolution assets and draw calls. The Ultra preset at 4K is particularly demanding, and the 84.9 FPS average suggests the CPU is struggling to keep up with the GPU's raw throughput.

The data indicates that the RTX 4090 is the dominant component in this pairing, but the i5-9400 is never fully idle. At 1080p and 1440p, the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as shown by the consistent frame rate increases when lowering settings. At 4K Ultra, the CPU's limitations become more apparent, and the frame rate drops disproportionately compared to the settings change. The CPU's Cinebench R20 multicore score of 2784 and Geekbench multicore score of 5141 are low enough that they will cap performance in CPU-bound scenes, even with a GPU as fast as the RTX 4090.

For a game like Lockdown Protocol, which is an FPS with likely physics and AI computations, the six-core i5-9400 is adequate but not ideal. The benchmark results show that the GPU is doing the majority of the work, and the CPU is only occasionally a limiting factor, primarily at 4K Ultra. Users who want to maximize frame rates should focus on GPU settings, but they should also be aware that the CPU will prevent the system from reaching the RTX 4090's full potential in less demanding scenes.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data provides average FPS figures for each resolution and preset combination. Note that no minimum or maximum FPS values are available; all entries have null values for these fields, so the analysis relies solely on average frame rates.

At 1920x1080, the results are as follows:

• Low: 164.3 FPS average
• Medium: 144.1 FPS average
• High: 139.1 FPS average
• Ultra: 126.2 FPS average

The jump from Medium to Low is 20.2 FPS, while the jump from High to Ultra is 12.9 FPS. The largest single-step drop is from Low to Medium at 20.2 FPS, indicating that the Medium preset introduces a significant amount of additional rendering work. The overall spread of 38.1 FPS between Low and Ultra shows that the RTX 4090 has plenty of headroom at this resolution, and the CPU is not yet the primary constraint.

At 2560x1440, the results are:

• Low: 144.7 FPS average
• Medium: 130.3 FPS average
• High: 120.7 FPS average
• Ultra: 111.4 FPS average

The step from Low to Medium is 14.4 FPS, from Medium to High is 9.6 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 9.3 FPS. The reductions are more uniform here than at 1080p, suggesting that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor as resolution increases. The total spread is 33.3 FPS, which is smaller in absolute terms than at 1080p but still substantial.

At 3840x2160, the results are:

• Low: 124.7 FPS average
• Medium: 111.8 FPS average
• High: 109.5 FPS average
• Ultra: 84.9 FPS average

The step from Low to Medium is 12.9 FPS, from Medium to High is 2.3 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 24.6 FPS. The small gap between Medium and High (2.3 FPS) is notable, as it suggests those two presets have similar GPU workloads at 4K. The large drop from High to Ultra (24.6 FPS) indicates that the Ultra preset includes features that are disproportionately expensive at this resolution, likely related to shadows, reflections, or post-processing effects. The total spread is 39.8 FPS, the largest of any resolution.

Across all resolutions, the RTX 4090 maintains average frame rates above 60 FPS even at the most demanding settings. The lowest recorded average is 84.9 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is still 24.9 FPS above the playable threshold. The highest recorded average is 164.3 FPS at 1080p Low. The data shows a clear trend: lower resolutions and lower settings produce higher frame rates, but the system never falls below the 60 FPS threshold in any tested configuration.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: this PC can run Lockdown Protocol, and it can do so at every resolution and preset combination tested. The playable threshold is 60 FPS, and every recorded average exceeds that mark.

At 3840x2160, all four settings presets are playable. Low averages 124.7 FPS, Medium 111.8 FPS, High 109.5 FPS, and Ultra 84.9 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, and it still clears the 60 FPS threshold by a comfortable margin of 24.9 FPS. The database lists Ultra as the best settings option at this resolution, with an average FPS of 84.9.

At 2560x1440, all four presets are also playable. Low averages 144.7 FPS, Medium 130.3 FPS, High 120.7 FPS, and Ultra 111.4 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 111.4 FPS, which is 51.4 FPS above the threshold. This is the best settings option at this resolution.

At 1920x1080, all four presets are playable as well. Low averages 164.3 FPS, Medium 144.1 FPS, High 139.1 FPS, and Ultra 126.2 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 126.2 FPS, which is 66.2 FPS above the threshold. This is the best settings option at this resolution.

The verdict by resolution confirms that there is no configuration in the measured data where the system fails to reach 60 FPS. The weakest performance is at 4K Ultra with 84.9 FPS, and the strongest is at 1080p Low with 164.3 FPS. The system is not just playable; it is comfortably above the threshold in all cases, with a minimum margin of 24.9 FPS. This is a strong result for a game that likely benefits from high frame rates, given its FPS genre. The CPU's modest performance does not prevent the system from exceeding the threshold, though it does cap the upper limits of frame rate in less demanding scenarios.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU provide context for what other hardware might behave similarly to this pairing.

For the Intel Core i5-9400, the closest rivals in aggregate benchmark score are:

• Intel Core i7-1068NG7: average score 2259, which is 0.2% lower than the i5-9400's 2254
• Intel Core i7-10710U: average score 2248, which is 0.3% higher
• AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500: average score 2246, which is 0.4% higher
• Intel Core i3-10305: average score 2264, which is 0.4% lower

These CPUs all sit within a narrow band of aggregate performance, meaning that swapping the i5-9400 for any of these would likely produce similar CPU-bound behavior in Lockdown Protocol. The differences are sub-1% in all cases, so the frame rate impact would be negligible in most scenarios. The i3-10305 and i7-1068NG7 are slightly lower in score, while the i7-10710U and Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 are slightly higher, but none would change the fundamental balance of this system.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, the nearest rivals are:

• Intel Arc Pro A60: average score 60326, which is 0% different
• AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48: average score 60140, which is 0.3% lower
• AMD Radeon Pro W6600M: average score 61896, which is 2.5% higher
• AMD Radeon PRO V710: average score 58657, which is 2.9% lower

The RTX 4090's average benchmark score is 60347. The closest rival, the Intel Arc Pro A60, is essentially identical in score. The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M is the strongest alternative, scoring 2.5% higher, while the AMD Radeon PRO V710 is the weakest, scoring 2.9% lower. In practical terms for Lockdown Protocol, a GPU with a score within 3% of the RTX 4090 would produce very similar frame rates. The differences would be within a few FPS at most, and the playable threshold would still be cleared in all configurations.

The overall picture is that this CPU-GPU pairing is not unique in its performance class. A system with any of the listed rival CPUs and any of the listed rival GPUs would behave comparably. The CPU rivals are within a fraction of a percent of the i5-9400's aggregate score, and the GPU rivals are within about 3% of the RTX 4090's score. Users looking for similar performance could expect nearly identical results in Lockdown Protocol.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 1123 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places the system in the 69.8th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning it outperforms approximately 70% of the database's combos.

This ranking is notable because the CPU is relatively weak, sitting at the 47th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU is strong, sitting at the 88th percentile among all GPUs. The high combo rank is driven almost entirely by the RTX 4090's raw performance. The i5-9400 likely prevents the system from ranking higher, as its multicore and single-core scores are not exceptional. If the CPU were replaced with a stronger model, the combo rank would likely improve significantly.

The rank of 1123 out of 3714 means that there are 1122 combos that perform better and 2591 combos that perform worse. This is a solid result for a system with a six-core CPU from 2018 paired with a flagship GPU from 2022. The data shows that the GPU is the dominant factor in determining this combo's position, and the CPU's contribution is secondary. The system is clearly capable of running Lockdown Protocol at high frame rates, which is reflected in its upper-third ranking.

Best Settings per Resolution

The best settings per resolution are defined as the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, based on the recorded average FPS.

At 3840x2160, the best settings are Ultra, with an average FPS of 84.9. This is the most demanding preset available, and it still clears the 60 FPS threshold by 24.9 FPS. The step from High to Ultra at this resolution is 24.6 FPS, which is the largest single-step drop in the entire dataset, but the resulting 84.9 FPS average is still comfortable.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are also Ultra, with an average FPS of 111.4. This is 51.4 FPS above the threshold. The drop from High to Ultra is 9.3 FPS, which is modest, and the final average is well above 60 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the best settings are Ultra as well, with an average FPS of 126.2. This is 66.2 FPS above the threshold. The drop from High to Ultra is 12.9 FPS, and the final average is the highest among all Ultra presets across resolutions.

In all three resolutions, the Ultra preset is the best choice for visual quality while maintaining playable frame rates. The system never needs to compromise on settings to stay above 60 FPS. The lowest margin is at 4K Ultra with 24.9 FPS, and the highest margin is at 1080p Ultra with 66.2 FPS. For users who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity, dropping to Low at any resolution would provide higher averages, but it is not necessary to achieve playability. The Ultra preset is the recommended setting for all resolutions based on the recorded data.