Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol presents a demanding scenario for the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 combination. The data reveals a system that is heavily constrained by the graphics card, particularly as resolution climbs. The measured frames per second (FPS) show a clear narrative: this pairing is viable for competitive play at 1080p, but it struggles to maintain fluidity at higher resolutions or with maximal visual settings. The benchmark results indicate that users must make deliberate compromises to achieve a playable experience.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 is stark and telling. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 45 FPS at 1080p to 34.3 FPS at 1440p, and then plummets to 22.8 FPS at 4K. This represents a decline of roughly 49% from 1080p to 4K. The pattern is even more pronounced at Low settings, where the drop is from 73.6 FPS at 1080p to 59.1 FPS at 1440p, and then to 39 FPS at 4K. The scaling suggests that the GTX 1650 is the primary limiting component. With only 4 GB of GDDR5 memory and a 128-bit memory bus providing 128.1 GB/s of bandwidth, the GPU is saturated by the increasing pixel count.

The data implies that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this scenario. The frame rate drops are consistent with a GPU-bound workload, as the i5-12400’s six Performance cores and 12 threads are likely capable of feeding frames faster than the GTX 1650 can render them. The 4K results, where even Low settings only produce 39 FPS, are below the threshold for smooth gameplay. This indicates that the 4K resolution is simply too demanding for this graphics card, regardless of the preset. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is less severe, suggesting that 1440p is a borderline case, while 1080p is the practical ceiling for this hardware in Lockdown Protocol.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows provide a clear hierarchy of performance across presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 73.6 FPS, which is ideal for fast-paced FPS action. Medium settings still achieve a respectable 52.4 FPS, offering a balance between visual fidelity and responsiveness. High settings produce 45 FPS, which is playable but not optimal for high-refresh-rate monitors. Ultra settings, however, drop to 33.4 FPS, which may feel sluggish in a competitive shooter.

For the best experience, the data suggests that the Low preset at 1080p is the most sensible choice for maximizing frame rate. The jump from Low to Medium costs over 20 FPS, a significant loss for a minor visual upgrade on a GPU with only 896 shading units. If visual quality is a priority, Medium at 1080p is the highest preset that maintains a frame rate above 50 FPS. At 2560x1440, the situation is more constrained. The Low preset averages 59.1 FPS, barely hitting the 60 FPS mark, while Medium drops to 41.2 FPS. Therefore, 1440p should only be considered with Low settings. The data strongly advises against 4K, as even Low settings fail to reach 40 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combo in Lockdown Protocol?

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1920x1080 is the optimal resolution. It is the only resolution where Low settings exceed 70 FPS, and Medium settings stay above 50 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: The data shows an average of 33.4 FPS at 1080p Ultra. This is below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay, so Ultra settings are not recommended for this hardware.

Q: How does the GTX 1650's 4 GB VRAM impact performance?

A: The 4 GB VRAM and 128.1 GB/s bandwidth are likely contributors to the steep FPS drop at higher resolutions. The benchmark results show a 49% decrease in FPS from 1080p to 4K at High settings, indicating the memory subsystem is overwhelmed.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12400 holding back the GTX 1650?

A: The data suggests not. The frame rates scale consistently with resolution, which is characteristic of a GPU bottleneck. The i5-12400's 12 threads and 18 MB of L3 cache appear sufficient for this workload.

Q: What is the difference in performance between Low and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings average 59.1 FPS, while High settings average 34.3 FPS. This is a difference of 24.8 FPS, or about 42% lower performance on High.

Q: What is the average FPS at 4K with Medium settings?

A: The measured average FPS for 3840x2160 with Medium settings is 23.8 FPS, which is not suitable for a competitive FPS game.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 combination ranks at 1591 out of 1637 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the bottom 3% of all tested configurations. This low ranking is not surprising given the GPU's age and specifications. The GTX 1650 is an end-of-life product with a percentile rank of 43 against all GPUs, meaning it performs better than only 43% of the database. Its average benchmark score of 8713 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA Quadro P2200, which has a deltaPct of 0.5.

The CPU, however, is a different story. The i5-12400 has a percentile rank of 77 against all CPUs, indicating it is a solid mid-range processor. Its average benchmark score of 19850 is essentially tied with the Intel Core i7-9700, which has a deltaPct of 0.1. This contrast highlights that the system's poor in-game ranking is almost entirely due to the GPU. The data implies that pairing this CPU with a stronger graphics card would yield a dramatically better result in Lockdown Protocol. The combo's rank is a reflection of the GPU's inability to keep pace with the CPU's potential.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is the defining component in this system's performance. Its Turing architecture, built on a 12 nm process, features 896 shading units and 32 ROPs. The core clock boosts up to 1665 MHz, providing a peak FP32 performance of 2.984 TFLOPS. However, the most critical specification is the memory: 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, yielding 128.1 GB/s bandwidth. This is a severe limitation for modern games.

The benchmark results show the GTX 1650's struggle clearly. The PassMark G3D score of 7880 and DirectX 12 score of 35 indicate a GPU that is now entry-level. The measured FPS in Lockdown Protocol confirms this. The 4K results are uniformly poor, with the Ultra preset only managing 18.6 FPS. Even at 1080p, the GPU cannot push past 73.6 FPS on Low. The data suggests that the GPU's fillrate and memory bandwidth are insufficient for high-resolution textures and post-processing effects. The 4 GB VRAM is likely a hard cap, causing performance to crater when the game's assets exceed this limit. The GPU is the clear bottleneck, and its end-of-life status suggests no future driver optimizations will change this.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset provides a comprehensive view of performance. At 1920x1080, the average FPS across settings is: Low 73.6, Medium 52.4, High 45.0, and Ultra 33.4. At 2560x1440, the numbers drop to: Low 59.1, Medium 41.2, High 34.3, and Ultra 25.7. At 3840x2160, the results are: Low 39.0, Medium 23.8, High 22.8, and Ultra 18.6.

These numbers reveal a consistent pattern. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 40.2 FPS, showing the massive cost of high settings. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings is a loss of 14.5 FPS, while the drop from 1440p to 4K at Low settings is a further 20.1 FPS loss. The most striking figure is the 4K Ultra result of 18.6 FPS, which is unplayable. The data shows that the gap between Medium and High is smaller than between Low and Medium at all resolutions, suggesting diminishing returns on visual quality for the performance cost. The 1440p Medium result of 41.2 FPS is the highest setting that can maintain a frame rate above 40 FPS outside of 1080p.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 provides the processing backbone for this system. It is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its 18 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR4/DDR5 memory make it a capable modern processor. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15935 and single-core score of 2249 illustrate its strength.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU appears to be more than sufficient. The benchmark data shows that the frame rate is consistently limited by the GPU, not the CPU. The i5-12400's PassMark multithread score of 18747 and 3DMark max threads score of 5890 indicate it can handle complex game logic and physics. The fact that the frame rates scale so predictably with resolution and settings, rather than fluctuating wildly, is evidence that the CPU is not being maxed out. The CPU's 77th percentile ranking versus all CPUs, compared to the GPU's 43rd percentile, reinforces the idea that the CPU is the stronger component. If the GPU were replaced with a more powerful model, the i5-12400 would likely be able to push frame rates significantly higher, as it has the headroom to do so. The data suggests that the CPU is not a limiting factor in this specific game.