Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol is a demanding FPS title, and the combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT proves to be a balanced pairing, though the GPU becomes the primary constraint at higher resolutions. The data reveals a system that delivers smooth performance at 1080p across all settings, remains very playable at 1440p with tuned expectations, and struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K. The measured results indicate that this combo ranks in the 29th percentile overall, placing it at 2630 out of 3714 tested combinations, which suggests that while it is not a top-tier performer, it occupies a solid mid-range position for this specific title.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear and expected drop in performance, but the rate of that drop tells a story about where the bottleneck lies. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 99 FPS at 1920x1080 to 72 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 27 FPS. Pushing further to 3840x2160, the average plummets to 47 FPS, which is a 52 FPS drop from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline indicates that the rendering load is scaling heavily with pixel count, a classic sign that the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT is the limiting factor at these resolutions.

The pattern is consistent across all settings presets. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 159 FPS at 1080p to 117 FPS at 1440p and further down to 75 FPS at 4K. This represents a 53% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K. At Medium settings, the drop is from 113 FPS to 83 FPS to 53 FPS, with the 4K result dipping below the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling, with average FPS falling from 74 at 1080p to 54 at 1440p and finally to 35 at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is less than half of the 1080p Ultra performance, underscoring the GPU's inability to handle the combined load of maximum detail and high pixel density.

The data suggests that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck here. The frame rate scaling is smooth and directly tied to resolution, which typically indicates that the graphics card is doing the heavy lifting. At 1080p, the i5-12400 has enough headroom to feed the GPU, as evidenced by the high frame rates. However, at 4K, the GPU's compute and memory bandwidth limits become exposed, making the resolution scaling a near-linear reflection of the pixel count increase. The i5-12400 can maintain the frame delivery, but the RX 6600 XT simply cannot render the frames fast enough to keep up with the increased workload.

Settings Recommendations

For players seeking the best balance between visual fidelity and performance, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 emerges as the sweet spot. The measured data shows an average of 83 FPS with a minimum of 70 FPS and a maximum of 95 FPS. This combination provides a smooth experience that is well above the 60 FPS threshold for competitive play, while still offering a substantial visual upgrade over the Low preset. The minimum FPS of 70 indicates that the frame pacing is stable, avoiding the noticeable hitches that can occur when the GPU is overworked.

At 1920x1080, the High preset is the recommended choice, delivering an average of 99 FPS. This is a significant improvement over the Medium preset's 113 FPS, but the High preset offers a better visual experience with only a 14 FPS penalty. The frame rate remains well above 60 FPS, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Ultra preset at 1080p, while achieving 74 FPS, provides diminishing returns in visual quality for the performance cost, and the Medium preset is a more reliable option for maintaining a high and stable frame rate.

For 4K gaming, the data indicates that the Low preset is the only viable option for a playable experience, with an average of 75 FPS. However, this comes at the cost of significant visual detail. The Medium preset at 4K drops to 53 FPS, which is below the ideal threshold for smooth gameplay in a fast-paced FPS. The High and Ultra presets at this resolution are not recommended, as the 47 FPS and 35 FPS averages respectively result in a noticeably less responsive and less fluid experience. The recommendation is to stick with 1440p Medium or 1080p High for the best overall experience, unless the user is willing to accept the visual compromises of the Low preset at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12400 and AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT combination holds a rank of 2630 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the 29th percentile. This ranking indicates that while it is not a high-end performer, it is by no means a weak one. The data suggests that this combo is positioned in the lower half of the performance spectrum for this game, which is a direct result of the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions. The combo's performance is heavily dependent on the resolution and settings used, and its rank reflects an average across all tested scenarios.

The GPU's percentile rank of 70 places it above the average of all GPUs, while the CPU's percentile rank of 72 is similarly respectable. However, the combo rank in the game is significantly lower than either component's individual percentile, which is a key insight. This suggests that the game is particularly demanding on the GPU, and the RX 6600 XT, while competent, is not powerful enough to push the combo into a higher overall ranking. The CPU is not holding the system back; the GPU's performance ceiling is what defines this combo's position in the ranking.

Compared to other tested combos, this system is not in contention for high-refresh-rate 4K gaming or maximum settings at 1440p. The data shows that the combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can achieve high frame rates. The ranking reflects a system that is capable of delivering a good experience at lower resolutions but will require compromises at higher ones. The 29th percentile is a clear signal that for Lockdown Protocol, this hardware pairing is a mid-to-low-tier option, and users should temper their expectations accordingly.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured results show a wide range of performance across settings. The Low preset achieves an average of 159 FPS, offering the highest frame rate and best responsiveness. The Medium preset delivers an average of 113 FPS with a minimum of 96 FPS and a maximum of 130 FPS, providing a solid balance. The High preset averages 99 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 74 FPS. All of these results are above the 60 FPS threshold, making 1080p a very playable resolution for this combo, even at the highest settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops are noticeable. The Low preset averages 117 FPS, which is still excellent for competitive play. The Medium preset averages 83 FPS with a minimum of 70 FPS and a maximum of 95 FPS, remaining a strong option. The High preset averages 72 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 54 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p is the first setting where the average dips below 60 FPS, indicating that the GPU is starting to struggle with the increased pixel count and detail level.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become fully apparent. The Low preset averages 75 FPS, which is playable but requires significant visual sacrifices. The Medium preset averages 53 FPS with a minimum of 45 FPS and a maximum of 61 FPS, showing inconsistent frame delivery. The High preset averages 47 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 35 FPS. These results demonstrate that 4K gaming with this combo is only feasible at the lowest settings, and even then, the frame rate is not consistently smooth.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT is the defining component in this combo's performance. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s, which is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming but becomes a limiting factor at 4K. The GPU's high memory clock of 2000 MHz and 16 Gbps effective speed helps, but the bus width restricts the total data throughput. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU's role is to provide the raw rendering power, and its performance scales directly with resolution.

The GPU's clock speeds, with a base of 1968 MHz and a boost of 2589 MHz, are relatively high, allowing for strong compute performance. The 2048 shading units and 128 texture mapping units provide the necessary processing power for modern game effects. However, the 64 render output units (ROPs) are a potential bottleneck at high resolutions, as they handle the final pixel output. The pixel rate of 165.7 GPixel/s and texture rate of 331.4 GTexel/s are respectable figures, but they are not sufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K with demanding settings.

The GPU's performance in the benchmark data, with a percentile rank of 70, places it above average. However, its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti, which are older or less powerful cards. This context shows that while the RX 6600 XT is a capable mid-range GPU, it is not a high-end solution. For Lockdown Protocol, the GPU is the clear performance limiter, and its 8 GB of VRAM, while adequate for the tested settings, may not be enough for future titles or higher-quality textures at 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 plays a supporting role in this combo, providing enough processing power to avoid becoming a bottleneck. With 6 cores and 12 threads, it offers solid multi-threaded performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15989. Its single-core performance is also strong, with a score of 2257 in the same test. The CPU's boost clock of 4.40 GHz ensures that it can handle the game's logic and physics calculations without slowing down the GPU.

The CPU's benchmark results show it is a balanced performer, with a 3DMark max threads score of 5890 and a single-thread score of 910. Its percentile rank of 72 indicates it is better than the average CPU. The nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i3-14100F, show that the i5-12400 is a competitive mid-range option. The data from the measured FPS suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution, as the frame rates scale consistently with GPU load.

At 1080p, the CPU has enough headroom to push the GPU to its limits, as shown by the high frame rates. At 1440p and 4K, the CPU's role diminishes, as the GPU becomes the sole bottleneck. The CPU's 18 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support help with data access, but these are not the primary drivers of performance in this game. The i5-12400 is a capable partner for the RX 6600 XT, ensuring that the system is balanced and that the GPU's performance is fully utilized without being held back by the processor.