Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with Intel Core i5-12400F + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 produces a system that sits at the 3580th position out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the bottom 4% of all configurations. This is a pairing where the GPU's age and 4 GB VRAM capacity create significant bottlenecks, while the six-core processor with 12 threads and a 4.40 GHz boost clock provides more than enough computational headroom for this FPS title. The measured data reveals a system that can deliver playable frame rates at 1080p with optimized settings, but struggles severely at higher resolutions where the graphics card's limitations become the dominant factor.

Settings Recommendations

The measured frame rate data points clearly toward Low settings as the only viable preset for a consistently smooth experience in Lockdown Protocol. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 76 FPS, which is the only configuration across all resolutions and settings that achieves a frame rate comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset at 1080p produces 54 FPS on average with a minimum of 46 FPS and maximum of 62 FPS, which is playable but subject to noticeable dips during intense gameplay sequences. High settings at 1080p drop to 47 FPS average, while Ultra falls to 35 FPS, both of which are below the ideal smoothness standard for a fast-paced FPS.

For players who prioritize visual fidelity over raw frame rate, the Medium preset at 1080p represents the best compromise, offering a 54 FPS average that remains within striking distance of 60 FPS while providing improved visual quality over Low. The data shows that the jump from Low to Medium costs 22 FPS (from 76 to 54), a substantial 29% reduction, while the jump from Medium to High costs only 7 FPS (from 54 to 47), suggesting diminishing returns on quality investment at the higher end. The Ultra preset at 1080p at 35 FPS is difficult to recommend for an FPS title where reaction time matters, as the frame pacing would likely feel sluggish.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset yields 56 FPS average, which is marginally playable but below the 60 FPS target. Medium at 1440p produces 40 FPS average with a minimum of 34 FPS, indicating noticeable stutter potential. High and Ultra at 1440p at 35 and 26 FPS respectively are not recommended for competitive play. The 3840x2160 resolution is essentially unusable with this hardware, as even the Low preset only manages 36 FPS average, and the Medium preset shows a minimum of 22 FPS, which would make gameplay feel heavily compromised.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is the primary limiting factor in this configuration, and its specifications explain why the measured frame rates degrade so sharply as resolution increases. The GPU features 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus with 128.1 GB/s bandwidth, which is modest by modern standards. The TU117 chip operates at a base clock of 1485 MHz with a boost of 1665 MHz, delivering 2.984 TFLOPS of FP32 compute performance. These numbers place the GTX 1650 at the 40th percentile of all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 7472.

The nearest rivals to the GTX 1650 in the benchmark database include the AMD Radeon HD 8850M with a deltaPct of 0.3, the Intel UHD Graphics 750 with a deltaPct of 0.4, and the AMD Radeon R7 350 with a deltaPct of 0.6. The Intel Arc A310 is 1% ahead with a deltaPct of -1. This grouping indicates that the GTX 1650's raw compute performance is comparable to integrated graphics solutions and older mobile parts, which contextualizes its struggles in a modern FPS title like Lockdown Protocol.

The 4 GB VRAM capacity is particularly problematic when moving from 1080p to higher resolutions. At 2560x1440, the frame rate drops significantly across all settings, suggesting that the memory bandwidth and capacity are insufficient to handle the increased texture and geometry data. The 128.1 GB/s bandwidth becomes a bottleneck as resolution scaling demands more data throughput, and the 4 GB capacity likely forces texture streaming or compression that degrades performance. The GPU's 75 W TDP and lack of power connectors indicate it was designed for low-power systems, which limits its sustained performance capability in demanding scenes.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 3580 out of 3714 tested combinations places this system in the 96th percentile from the bottom, meaning only 134 other configurations perform worse in Lockdown Protocol. This ranking reflects the substantial gap between the GTX 1650's capabilities and what this game demands at higher settings. The Intel Core i5-12400F, however, is a much stronger component in isolation, ranking at the 73rd percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 19039.

The CPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database provide context for its strength: the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS matches it with a deltaPct of 0, the Intel Core 3 201E is 0.1% behind, the Intel Core i5-1335U is 0.3% ahead, and the AMD EPYC 7773X is 0.3% ahead. This grouping shows the i5-12400F performing at a level consistent with modern mid-range mobile and entry-level desktop processors, which is far above what the GPU pairing suggests.

The disparity between CPU capability and GPU capability is stark. The i5-12400F's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 12380 and single-core score of 1680 indicate a processor that can handle complex game logic and physics calculations without breaking a sweat. The PassMark multi-thread score of 19433 and single-thread score of 3481 reinforce this assessment. In contrast, the GTX 1650's PassMark G3D score of 7880 and DirectX 12 score of 35 suggest a graphics solution that is several generations behind the game's requirements. This combo ranking is therefore primarily a reflection of GPU inadequacy, not CPU weakness.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the full range of settings produces the following results: Low averages 76 FPS, Medium averages 54 FPS with a minimum of 46 and maximum of 62, High averages 47 FPS, and Ultra averages 35 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a consistent degradation, with each step up in quality costing roughly 20-25% in average frame rate. The Medium preset's documented minimum of 46 FPS and maximum of 62 FPS indicates a variance of 16 FPS, which could manifest as noticeable frame time inconsistency during fast movement or combat scenarios.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average frame rates drop to 56 FPS on Low, 40 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 34 and maximum of 46), 35 FPS on High, and 26 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset at this resolution shows a tighter variance of 12 FPS between minimum and maximum, but the lower average means that even the peak frame rate of 46 FPS would feel less smooth than the 1080p Medium experience. The 1440p Low preset at 56 FPS is the only configuration at this resolution that approaches playability, but it still falls short of the 60 FPS target.

At 3840x2160, the measured results are: Low averages 36 FPS, Medium averages 26 FPS with a minimum of 22 and maximum of 29, High averages 22 FPS, and Ultra averages 17 FPS. The 4K Medium preset's minimum of 22 FPS is particularly telling, as it suggests that even brief dips in frame rate would make gameplay feel choppy and unresponsive. The Ultra preset at 17 FPS is effectively a slideshow, and the 36 FPS Low preset is the only 4K configuration that could be considered marginally playable, though still below the threshold for comfortable FPS gameplay.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate degradation from 1080p to 1440p to 4K reveals the GPU bottleneck clearly. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 76 FPS at 1080p to 56 FPS at 1440p (a 26% reduction) and then to 36 FPS at 4K (a further 36% reduction from 1440p). This scaling pattern is consistent with a GPU that is heavily constrained by pixel throughput and memory bandwidth, as the 4 GB VRAM and 128.1 GB/s bandwidth become increasingly inadequate as the pixel count rises.

At Medium settings, the progression from 54 FPS at 1080p to 40 FPS at 1440p (a 26% reduction) and then to 26 FPS at 4K (a 35% reduction from 1440p) shows a similar pattern. The High settings show 47 FPS at 1080p, 35 FPS at 1440p (a 26% reduction), and 22 FPS at 4K (a 37% reduction from 1440p). Ultra settings follow the same trend: 35 FPS at 1080p, 26 FPS at 1440p (a 26% reduction), and 17 FPS at 4K (a 35% reduction from 1440p).

The consistency of these percentage reductions across all settings is telling. The roughly 26% drop from 1080p to 1440p and the additional 35-37% drop from 1440p to 4K indicate that the limiting factor is not the game's settings but rather the GPU's fundamental ability to process pixels. The CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads running at up to 4.40 GHz, is not the constraint here; if it were, the frame rate drops would be less consistent across different settings at the same resolution. Instead, the data suggests that the GTX 1650 is saturated even at 1080p Low, and every resolution increase exacerbates the GPU's inability to keep pace.

FAQ

Q: Is this system capable of running Lockdown Protocol at 60 FPS?

A: Only at 1080p with the Low preset does the average frame rate reach 76 FPS. All other settings and resolutions fall below 60 FPS, with the Medium preset at 1080p being the closest at 54 FPS average.

Q: What is the best resolution for this hardware in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The 1920x1080 resolution is the only one where any settings preset achieves an average above 60 FPS. At 1440p, the best result is 56 FPS on Low, and at 4K, the best is 36 FPS on Low.

Q: How does the GTX 1650 compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The GTX 1650 has an average benchmark score of 7472, with the AMD Radeon HD 8850M at 7447 (0.3% deltaPct), Intel UHD Graphics 750 at 7441 (0.4% deltaPct), AMD Radeon R7 350 at 7425 (0.6% deltaPct), and Intel Arc A310 at 7550 (-1% deltaPct).

Q: Does increasing the resolution from 1080p to 1440p have a consistent impact on FPS?

A: Yes, across all settings (Low, Medium, High, Ultra), the average frame rate drops by approximately 26% when moving from 1080p to 1440p, indicating a consistent GPU bottleneck.

Q: What is the CPU's benchmark performance relative to all processors?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400F ranks at the 73rd percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 19039, placing it in the upper quarter of processors tested.

Q: Which settings preset shows the largest frame rate variance?

A: The Medium preset at 1080p shows a variance of 16 FPS between minimum (46) and maximum (62), while the Medium preset at 1440p shows a variance of 12 FPS between minimum (34) and maximum (46).

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F contributes significantly less to the performance bottleneck in Lockdown Protocol than the GPU, as evidenced by its strong benchmark scores relative to the graphics card. The processor features 6 cores and 12 threads with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, built on the Alder Lake architecture using Intel's 10 nm process. The 18 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 cache per core provide ample data storage for game logic, while the dual-channel memory bus supports both DDR4 and DDR5 modules.

The CPU's benchmark performance places it at the 73rd percentile of all processors, with notable scores including a Cinebench R23 multi-core result of 12380 and single-core result of 1680. The Geekbench multi-core score of 9472 and single-core score of 1964 further demonstrate balanced performance across both multi-threaded and single-threaded workloads. The PassMark multi-thread score of 19433 and single-thread score of 3481 confirm that this processor can handle the demands of a modern FPS game's AI, physics, and game logic without becoming a limiting factor.

In the context of Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is likely to be supportive rather than restrictive. The measured frame rates show a consistent pattern of GPU-bound performance, where the graphics card's capabilities dictate the achievable frame rate at each resolution and settings combination. The 3DMark scores for the CPU, including 5895 for 16 threads and 909 for single-thread, indicate that even the most demanding game scenarios would not stress this processor to its limits. The nearest CPU rivals, including the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS and Intel Core i5-1335U, show that this processor performs at a level expected of modern mid-range hardware, making it a solid foundation that is currently held back by its GPU pairing.

The data suggests that upgrading the GPU would yield substantial improvements in Lockdown Protocol performance, as the CPU has ample headroom to support a more capable graphics card. The current combo's rank of 3580 out of 3714 is primarily a result of the GTX 1650's limitations, and the processor's 73rd percentile ranking indicates it is not the weak link in this system.