Lockdown Protocol

# How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12400F + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti combination ranks 1416th out of 1637 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the bottom half of the database. This is a modest ranking that reflects the GPU's age and mid-range positioning rather than any CPU deficiency. The combo sits at the 86th percentile from the bottom, meaning roughly 86% of tested combinations deliver higher average frame rates in this FPS title.

The data shows a system that can handle the game at acceptable levels for 1080p play but struggles significantly as resolution increases. With the GTX 1660 Ti averaging a benchmark score of 13925 and sitting at the 55th percentile among all GPUs, the overall combo ranking is dragged down by the graphics card's limitations. The CPU, by contrast, performs at the 77th percentile among all processors, indicating a substantial mismatch in capability between the two components.

# CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F provides 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. This Alder Lake-S architecture chip, built on Intel's 10 nm process, delivers strong multi-threaded performance that is more than sufficient for Lockdown Protocol's demands. The processor's 18 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5 give it flexibility, though the game's performance is not primarily limited by memory bandwidth.

Benchmark results confirm the CPU's capability. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16518 and single-core score of 2332 indicate a processor that can handle both heavily threaded workloads and the single-thread-sensitive portions of game logic. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 5895 and max-thread score of 5912 show consistent scaling across thread counts. The PassMark multi-thread score of 19433 and single-thread score of 3481 reinforce this picture.

The data suggests the CPU is rarely the bottleneck in Lockdown Protocol. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 123.2 FPS, and the fact that frame rates drop dramatically when settings rise to Ultra (58.3 FPS) points to GPU limitation rather than CPU constraint. The i5-12400F's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-8700K (0.1% faster average score) and AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS (0.7% slower), showing it sits in a competitive mid-range tier. The CPU's 77th percentile ranking versus all CPUs, combined with these measured results, indicates that upgrading the GPU would yield far larger performance gains than upgrading the processor.

# FAQ

Q: Is this combo playable at 1080p in Lockdown Protocol?

A: Yes, at 1080p the combo delivers 79.2 FPS on High settings and 123.2 FPS on Low settings, both comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play. Even Ultra settings produce 58.3 FPS, which is near-playable.

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

A: The i5-12400F scores within 0.1% of the Intel Core i7-8700K and 0.3% of the Intel Core i5-1335U in average benchmark scores. It is 0.7% slower than the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS and 1.3% faster than the AMD EPYC 7773X.

Q: What is the GPU's performance position?

A: The GTX 1660 Ti sits at the 55th percentile among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 13925. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 570X, scores 0.4% higher, while the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile is 0.8% slower.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at any settings?

A: The data shows the opposite. At 1440p Low, the combo achieves 88.4 FPS, identical to 1080p Medium (88.4 FPS), which indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU's strong single-thread score of 2332 in Cinebench R23 suggests it has headroom.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: 1080p is the most viable resolution. The combo delivers 79.2 FPS at High settings there, whereas at 1440p High it drops to 54 FPS and at 4K High it falls to 38.5 FPS.

Q: How does the GPU's memory configuration affect performance?

A: The GTX 1660 Ti has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth. This configuration appears sufficient for 1080p and 1440p in this game, but the 4K Ultra result of 29.9 FPS suggests memory bandwidth or capacity limits at higher resolutions.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo produces its strongest results. Low settings yield 123.2 FPS, Medium delivers 88.4 FPS, High reaches 79.2 FPS, and Ultra drops to 58.3 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 64.9 FPS, representing a 52.7% performance penalty for maximum visual quality.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates decline substantially. Low settings achieve 88.4 FPS, Medium produces 65.7 FPS, High reaches 54 FPS, and Ultra falls to 42.9 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at High settings is 25.2 FPS, a 31.8% reduction. At Ultra, the 1440p result is 15.4 FPS lower than 1080p, a 26.4% decline.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain playability. Low settings produce 58.6 FPS, Medium drops to 44.4 FPS, High falls to 38.5 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 29.9 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 28.7 FPS, a 49% performance gap that mirrors the 1080p scaling pattern.

# Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a system that is heavily GPU-bound. At High settings, the frame rate drops from 79.2 FPS at 1080p to 54 FPS at 1440p, then to 38.5 FPS at 4K. This represents a 31.8% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a further 28.7% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The pattern is consistent across settings: Low settings fall from 123.2 FPS to 88.4 FPS to 58.6 FPS across the three resolutions.

The scaling data indicates that the GTX 1660 Ti's pixel throughput is the primary constraint. The GPU's pixel rate of 84.96 GPixel/s and texture rate of 169.9 GTexel/s are insufficient for 4K rendering in this title. The fact that 1080p Medium and 1440p Low both produce exactly 88.4 FPS is particularly telling — the identical framerate suggests the GPU is hitting a similar utilization ceiling at both configurations, with resolution and settings trading off against each other.

The CPU's role in this scaling is minimal. If the processor were the bottleneck, we would expect frame rates to remain more constant across resolutions, as CPU load is largely resolution-independent. Instead, the significant drops at higher resolutions point squarely at the GPU as the limiting component. The CPU's 4.40 GHz boost clock and strong single-thread performance are not being fully utilized at 1440p and 4K, where the GPU is saturated.

# Settings Recommendations

For 1080p play, the High preset at 79.2 FPS offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. This frame rate is well above 60 FPS, providing smooth gameplay without requiring a drop to Medium (88.4 FPS) or Low (123.2 FPS). The Ultra preset at 58.3 FPS is marginally below the 60 FPS threshold, making High the recommended choice for consistent smoothness.

At 1440p, Medium settings at 65.7 FPS are the optimal choice. High drops to 54 FPS, which may introduce noticeable stutter in fast-paced FPS action, while Low at 88.4 FPS sacrifices too much visual fidelity for the extra headroom. Ultra at 42.9 FPS is not recommended for competitive play.

For 4K, the data suggests that only Low settings at 58.6 FPS are viable for near-60 FPS play. Medium at 44.4 FPS and High at 38.5 FPS fall into unplayable territory for an FPS title. Ultra at 29.9 FPS should be avoided. Given that 4K Low barely reaches playable territory, users with 4K displays should consider running the game at 1440p with Medium settings instead.

# GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, based on the TU116 chip on TSMC's 12 nm process, provides 6 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 192-bit bus and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth. Its base clock of 1500 MHz and boost clock of 1770 MHz deliver 5.437 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The GPU's 1536 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output processors are configured for 1080p and 1440p gaming rather than 4K.

Benchmark results show the GPU's mid-range positioning. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1061 and PassMark G3D score of 12871 place it near the GTX 680 (0.8% slower) and RX 570X (0.4% faster). The Geekbench OpenCL score of 60863 and Vulkan score of 58014 indicate decent compute capability for a card of this generation. The GPU's 55th percentile ranking among all GPUs reflects its age — it was released in February 2019 and is now marked as end-of-life.

The measured frame rates confirm that the GPU is the determining factor for this combo's performance in Lockdown Protocol. The consistent pattern of substantial FPS drops with higher settings and resolutions, combined with the CPU's strong relative performance, means that any upgrade path for this system should prioritize the graphics card. The GPU's 6 GB VRAM and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for 1080p and 1440p in this title, but the 4K results indicate that the card lacks the raw throughput for that resolution class.