Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti combination produces a severely constrained experience in Lockdown Protocol, ranking 1629 out of 1637 tested combos. The data shows a system that is almost entirely GPU-bound, with the CPU providing adequate single-thread performance but the graphics card struggling to maintain playable frame rates at any resolution above 1080p Low.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Alder Lake family, built on a 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, and the benchmarks indicate a well-rounded performer for its generation. In Cinebench R23, it scores 15935 in multi-core and 2249 in single-core tests, while its Passmark single-thread score of 3456 places it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs. These numbers suggest the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in Lockdown Protocol; its single-thread capabilities are more than sufficient for a modern FPS title.

The processor’s 18 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 per core provide solid memory latency characteristics, which typically benefit game logic and physics calculations. In 3DMark tests, the chip scores 910 in single-thread and 5890 in max-threads, showing a 6.5x scaling from single to full load—a healthy ratio for a 6-core part. Compared to its nearest rivals, the i5-12400 is statistically tied with the Intel Core i7-9700 (deltaPct of 0.1%) and the Intel Core i5-11600K (deltaPct of 0.4%), while slightly trailing the Core i7-8700 by 0.2%.

Given that the measured FPS in Lockdown Protocol drops by roughly 50% between 1080p and 4K at identical settings, the CPU’s headroom is evident. If the processor were the limiting factor, frame rates would stay relatively flat across resolutions. Instead, the decline strongly points to the GPU being saturated, leaving the i5-12400 with ample compute capacity to feed frames. The launch MSRP of $199 for this CPU reflects its mainstream positioning, but in this pairing, its potential is largely untapped.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is a Pascal-architecture GPU with 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 112.1 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock of 1291 MHz and boost clock of 1392 MHz drive 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The card’s raw compute throughput is 2.138 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, which is modest by contemporary standards. In Passmark G3D testing, it scores 6340, placing it in the 30th percentile of all GPUs—a clear indication of its entry-level status.

The 4 GB VRAM capacity is a critical constraint in Lockdown Protocol. At 1080p High, the card averages 39.1 FPS, but at 1080p Ultra, that falls to 30.4 FPS, suggesting that texture and shader complexity are overwhelming the memory subsystem and pixel throughput. The GPU’s nearest rivals include the GeForce 940M (deltaPct 0.4%) and the Radeon R7 240 (deltaPct 0.7%), which are similarly low-end parts. This positioning explains why the card struggles: it is competing with mobile and entry-level desktop silicon from a decade ago.

The GTX 1050 Ti’s 75 W TDP and lack of power connectors indicate it was designed for low-power builds, but that efficiency comes at the cost of performance headroom. In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU’s pixel rate of 44.54 GPixel/s and texture rate of 66.82 GTexel/s are simply insufficient for higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the card manages just 13.1 FPS, a number that is effectively unplayable. The benchmark data confirms that the GPU is the dominant bottleneck across all tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS scaling reveals a textbook GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 60.8 FPS, but at 1440p Low, it drops to 46.3 FPS, and at 4K Low, it falls to 30 FPS. This represents a 51% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings. At High settings, the drop is even steeper: from 39.1 FPS at 1080p to 27.5 FPS at 1440p and 19 FPS at 4K, a 51% decline as well.

The consistency of this scaling across settings is telling. At Medium, the frame rates go from 42.1 (1080p) to 30.7 (1440p) to 19.2 (4K), while at Ultra, they fall from 30.4 to 18.4 to 13.1. The proportional drops—roughly 27-28% from 1080p to 1440p and another 30-37% from 1440p to 4K—align with the increased pixel count that the GPU must render. If the CPU were the limiter, we would expect smaller deltas at higher resolutions, but the data shows the opposite.

The fact that 1080p Low is the only configuration to exceed 60 FPS—and barely at that—underscores how much the GPU is holding back the i5-12400. The CPU’s 3DMark single-thread score of 910 suggests it could handle much higher frame rates if paired with a stronger graphics card. The resolution scaling analysis confirms that any performance improvement would require addressing the GPU bottleneck first, as the CPU has no trouble keeping up with the frame generation workload.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This combination ranks 1629 out of 1637 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the bottom 0.5% of all configurations. This is a remarkably low position, driven almost entirely by the GTX 1050 Ti’s age and limited capabilities. The i5-12400’s 77th percentile CPU ranking does little to lift the overall combo, as the GPU’s 30th percentile score drags the system down.

To put this in context, the CPU alone benchmarks close to the Intel Core i7-9700 (deltaPct 0.1%) and above the Core i5-11600K (deltaPct 0.4%), yet the combo’s performance is constrained by a GPU that sits near the GeForce 930A in raw score (deltaPct 0%). This mismatch is stark: a modern 6-core processor paired with a GPU from 2016 results in a system that ranks in the bottom percentile. The data suggests that the combo is severely unbalanced, with the GPU being the clear limiting factor.

The rank of 1629 out of 1637 means that only 8 other tested combinations perform worse, likely those pairing this GPU with even older or weaker CPUs. For a game released in 2024, this hardware combination is woefully underpowered, and the benchmark results reflect that reality. The combo’s positioning is a warning for anyone considering pairing an older low-end GPU with a capable modern CPU—the GPU will always be the ceiling.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results, though they remain marginal. Low settings produce 60.8 FPS, which is the only playable average in the entire dataset. Medium settings drop to 42.1 FPS, High falls to 39.1 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 30.4 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra (30.4 FPS) is a 50% reduction, indicating that the GPU struggles significantly as visual quality increases.

At 2560x1440, performance degrades further. Low settings yield 46.3 FPS, which is still somewhat playable, but Medium drops to 30.7 FPS, High to 27.5 FPS, and Ultra to 18.4 FPS. The step from Low to Medium at 1440p (46.3 to 30.7 FPS) is a 34% loss, suggesting that medium-tier effects are particularly taxing on the GTX 1050 Ti’s limited shading units.

At 3840x2160, the combo is effectively unplayable across all settings. Low averages 30 FPS, which dips below the 30 FPS threshold for smooth motion. Medium scores 19.2 FPS, High scores 19 FPS, and Ultra scores 13.1 FPS. The difference between Medium and High at 4K is negligible (0.2 FPS), indicating that the GPU’s memory bandwidth of 112.1 GB/s is saturated, and further visual settings have little impact on an already overwhelmed renderer.

The overall pattern is clear: the GTX 1050 Ti cannot sustain frame rates above 60 FPS except at 1080p Low, and even then, it barely hits that mark. At any higher resolution or quality setting, the combo falls below 50 FPS, with 4K Ultra producing a slideshow-like 13.1 FPS. The data offers no configuration that balances visual fidelity with playability, making this combo suitable only for esports-style settings at 1080p with reduced graphical features.