Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with Intel Core i3-12100F + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti

This combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti lands near the bottom of the performance ladder for Lockdown Protocol, ranking 1609 out of 1637 tested combos. The pairing sits in the 2nd percentile of all tested configurations, meaning the vast majority of systems deliver higher frame rates in this FPS title. The data shows a system that can produce playable results only at 1080p with reduced settings, and even then it struggles to maintain smooth performance in demanding scenes.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1609 out of 1637 places it firmly in the lower tier of all tested configurations for Lockdown Protocol. Only 28 combinations perform worse, which puts this system in the bottom 2% of the test pool. This ranking reflects the fundamental imbalance between the CPU and GPU in this pairing — the processor is capable, but the graphics card becomes the limiting factor in nearly every scenario.

The Intel Core i3-12100F itself performs respectably in synthetic benchmarks, with an average benchmark score of 13516 and a percentile ranking of 72 against all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX with a score of 13534 (just 0.1% higher) and the Intel Core i7-7700K at 13280 (1.8% lower). This indicates the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in most gaming workloads.

However, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti tells a different story. With an average benchmark score of 5316 and a percentile ranking of just 30 against all GPUs, the graphics card sits in the lower third of the performance spectrum. Its closest competitors are the NVIDIA GeForce 930A (5317, 0% difference) and the NVIDIA GeForce 940M (5297, 0.4% higher). In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU's limitations are exposed immediately, and the combination's overall ranking reflects this hardware ceiling.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is built on the Pascal architecture with the GP107 chip, manufactured on a 14 nm process at Samsung. It ships with 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 112.1 GB/s of bandwidth. The card's base clock runs at 1291 MHz with a boost clock of 1392 MHz, while memory operates at 1752 MHz (7 Gbps effective).

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU's 4 GB VRAM capacity and modest bandwidth become the defining constraints. The card has 768 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 32 render output units, producing a pixel rate of 44.54 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 66.82 GTexel/s. Its FP32 performance of 2.138 TFLOPS places it well below modern gaming demands, and the benchmark data confirms this: the GPU scores just 26 in Passmark's DirectX 12 test and 45 in DirectX 11.

The GPU's 30th percentile ranking against all GPUs means it outperforms only a minority of graphics cards ever tested. Its nearest rivals in aggregate score include the AMD Radeon R7 240 (5280, 0.7% lower) and the AMD Radeon R7 M445 (5361, 0.8% higher). With a 75 W TDP and no power connectors required, this is a low-power card, but that efficiency does not translate into Lockdown Protocol performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for this combo at 1080p?

A: The data shows Low settings at 1080p delivers 61.6 FPS average, which is the only settings level that breaks 60 FPS. Medium produces 42.6 FPS, High drops to 40.4 FPS, and Ultra falls to 27.4 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle 1440p gaming in Lockdown Protocol?

A: At 2560x1440, the best result is 47 FPS on Low settings. Medium drops to 31 FPS, High to 27.4 FPS, and Ultra to 21.7 FPS. Playable frame rates are only achievable at Low settings.

Q: How does the GTX 1050 Ti compare to its closest GPU rivals?

A: The GTX 1050 Ti scores 5316 on average, essentially tied with the NVIDIA GeForce 930A at 5317 (0% difference) and the NVIDIA GeForce 940M at 5297 (0.4% higher). The AMD Radeon R7 M445 is slightly ahead at 5361 (0.8% higher).

Q: Is 4K resolution viable with this hardware?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the highest average FPS is 30.2 on Low settings. Medium produces 23.5 FPS, High drops to 17.2 FPS, and Ultra falls to 17 FPS — all well below playable thresholds.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The i3-12100F scores 13516 on average, 0.1% below the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX at 13534 and 0.4% below the Intel Core i7-1250U at 13462. It outperforms the Intel Core i3-10105 by 0.6% and the Intel Core i7-7700K by 1.8%.

Q: What is the biggest performance gap between settings at 1080p?

A: The gap between Low (61.6 FPS) and Ultra (27.4 FPS) is 34.2 FPS, representing a 55.5% drop. The difference between Medium (42.6 FPS) and High (40.4 FPS) is much smaller at just 2.2 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its most usable results. Low settings produce an average of 61.6 FPS, which is the only configuration in the entire dataset to exceed 60 FPS. Medium settings drop to 42.6 FPS, while High settings yield 40.4 FPS. Ultra settings fall to 27.4 FPS, making high-fidelity 1080p gaming impractical.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance degrades substantially. Low settings average 47 FPS, which remains playable but below the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings produce 31 FPS, High settings drop to 27.4 FPS, and Ultra settings bottom out at 21.7 FPS. The step from Low to Medium at 1440p costs 16 FPS, which is a significant jump.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly overwhelmed. Low settings average 30.2 FPS, barely maintaining playability. Medium settings fall to 23.5 FPS, High settings produce 17.2 FPS, and Ultra settings deliver just 17 FPS. These results are consistently below acceptable gaming standards, confirming that 4K is not a viable resolution for this hardware.

The performance gap between settings presets widens at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 34.2 FPS. At 1440p, the difference narrows to 25.3 FPS. At 4K, the difference shrinks to just 13.2 FPS, indicating that at higher resolutions the GPU is so saturated that settings changes have less relative impact.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals the GPU-bound nature of this system. At Low settings, performance falls from 61.6 FPS at 1080p to 47 FPS at 1440p (a 23.7% decrease) and further to 30.2 FPS at 4K (a 51% decrease from 1080p). This scaling pattern is consistent with a GPU that is the primary bottleneck.

At Medium settings, the progression is 42.6 FPS (1080p) to 31 FPS (1440p) to 23.5 FPS (4K). The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 27.2%, while the drop from 1080p to 4K is 44.8%. At High settings, the numbers are 40.4 FPS, 27.4 FPS, and 17.2 FPS respectively, representing a 32.2% decrease to 1440p and a 57.4% decrease to 4K.

Ultra settings show the most dramatic scaling: 27.4 FPS at 1080p, 21.7 FPS at 1440p (20.8% decrease), and 17 FPS at 4K (38% decrease from 1080p). The less severe percentage drop at Ultra settings indicates that even at 1080p, the GPU is already heavily loaded, so additional resolution has relatively less impact.

The resolution scaling data strongly indicates the GTX 1050 Ti is the limiting component. The CPU's strong synthetic performance — ranking in the 72nd percentile — cannot compensate for the GPU's 30th percentile standing. The i3-12100F's 4 cores and 8 threads with a boost clock of 4.30 GHz provide sufficient processing power, but the GPU's 4 GB VRAM and 112.1 GB/s bandwidth create a hard ceiling. For Lockdown Protocol, this combination delivers acceptable performance only at 1080p Low, with all other configurations falling short of smooth, consistent frame rates.