Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER delivers a performance profile in Lockdown Protocol that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, but reveals a surprising CPU bottleneck at 1080p. The data shows this combination is a high-refresh-rate powerhouse at 1440p, yet the scaling from 1440p to 4K is steep, indicating that the RTX 4080 SUPER is the primary driver of frame rates in most scenarios.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and consistent pattern: frame rates drop dramatically as resolution increases, which is the signature of a GPU-limited workload. At Ultra settings, the average frame rate falls from 155 FPS at 1920x1080 to 112.9 FPS at 2560x1440—a 27% reduction. The drop from 1440p to 4K is even more severe, with the average falling to 73 FPS at 3840x2160, a further 35% decline. This steep scaling curve indicates that the RTX 4080 SUPER's rendering throughput, not the CPU, is the limiting factor at these settings.

The pattern holds across all quality presets. At High settings, the average drops from 206.7 FPS at 1080p to 148.6 FPS at 1440p, then to 95.5 FPS at 4K. Even at Low settings, where the CPU typically has more influence, the frame rate scales down from 273.5 FPS at 1080p to 240.4 FPS at 1440p and finally to 156.3 FPS at 4K. The fact that the Low preset at 4K (156.3 FPS) is still higher than the Ultra preset at 1080p (155 FPS) underscores that the GPU's pixel-pushing capabilities are the dominant constraint.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 118.5 FPS (273.5 vs 155). At 4K, that gap expands to 83.3 FPS (156.3 vs 73). This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so heavily loaded that reducing settings provides diminishing returns relative to the resolution overhead. For players targeting 4K, the data shows that even the High preset (95.5 FPS) is a more realistic target than Ultra (73 FPS), which falls below the 90 FPS threshold many competitive players consider playable.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F provides a solid foundation for this game, but its influence on the final frame rate is secondary to the GPU. The CPU features 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its benchmark scores, particularly the Cinebench R23 multicore result of 16518 and single-core score of 2332, indicate strong per-thread performance that is well-suited for a modern FPS title like Lockdown Protocol.

The data suggests that the CPU is not the bottleneck in most tested configurations. At 1080p Low settings, the system reaches 273.5 FPS, which is exceptionally high. The fact that the frame rate at 1080p Low (273.5 FPS) is nearly double the 4K Ultra result (73 FPS) implies that the CPU can feed the GPU far more frames than the GPU can render at higher resolutions. However, the scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings—a drop from 273.5 to 240.4 FPS—is only 12%, which is less than the 27% drop seen at Ultra settings. This suggests that at Low settings, the CPU begins to exert some influence, preventing the GPU from fully realizing its potential at 1080p.

The CPU's performance relative to its rivals is tight. The i5-12400F's average benchmark score of 19221 places it nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-8700K, which scores 19210 (a 0.1% delta). It also closely matches the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS at 19364 (0.7% behind) and the AMD EPYC 7773X at 18979 (1.3% ahead). This indicates that the i5-12400F is a balanced mid-range processor that won't hold back the RTX 4080 SUPER except in the most CPU-intensive, low-resolution scenarios.

Settings Recommendations

For players using this combination, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 1920x1080, the data shows that even the Ultra preset delivers 155 FPS, which is sufficient for most high-refresh-rate monitors. However, the Medium preset at 237.8 FPS and Low at 273.5 FPS unlock significantly higher frame rates, making them better choices for competitive play where maximum responsiveness is prioritized. The High preset at 206.7 FPS offers a strong middle ground.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 148.6 FPS is the sweet spot for a balanced experience, providing smooth gameplay that exceeds 144 Hz on many displays. The Medium preset at 174.1 FPS is even better for those seeking higher refresh rates, while the Ultra preset at 112.9 FPS still clears the 100 FPS bar. The Low preset at 240.4 FPS is available for esports-level responsiveness, but the visual compromise is likely unnecessary given the High preset's performance.

For 4K gaming, the recommendations shift dramatically. The Ultra preset at 73 FPS is playable but not ideal for fast-paced FPS action. The High preset at 95.5 FPS is the best balance, offering a substantial visual upgrade over Medium while staying above 90 FPS. The Medium preset at 113.4 FPS is the best choice for players who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity at this resolution. The Low preset at 156.3 FPS is viable for competitive play, but the resolution is the primary driver of clarity at 4K, so reducing settings to Low may negate the benefits of the higher resolution.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Lockdown Protocol at 4K 120 FPS?*

A: No. The best 4K result is the Low preset at 156.3 FPS, but the High preset drops to 95.5 FPS and Ultra to 73 FPS. To exceed 120 FPS at 4K, only the Low preset is sufficient.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combination?

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 273.5, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low settings preset.

Q: How does the i5-12400F compare to the i7-8700K in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-12400F scores 19221 on average, while the i7-8700K scores 19210, a delta of 0.1%—they are effectively tied in performance.

Q: Is the RTX 4080 SUPER the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low settings, the 273.5 FPS result suggests the CPU is limiting, as the GPU should be able to render more frames. At higher settings, the GPU becomes the bottleneck.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Medium and Ultra at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset averages 174.1 FPS, while Ultra averages 112.9 FPS, a difference of 61.2 FPS in favor of Medium.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: This combination ranks 118th out of 1637 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the top 7.2% of all tested systems.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications explain the measured results. The GPU features 10240 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 112 ROPs, with a boost clock of 2550 MHz. Its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s. These specifications are reflected in the GPU's benchmark scores, including a Passmark G3D score of 34245 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6600.

The GPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals is notable. The RTX 4080 SUPER's average benchmark score of 53610 is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (53489) and 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (53414). It maintains a 2.1% lead over the AMD Radeon RX 7700S (52505) and a 2.9% lead over the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (52086). This competitive positioning is consistent with the measured FPS data, which shows the GPU delivering high frame rates across all resolutions.

The GPU's memory capacity of 16 GB is more than sufficient for Lockdown Protocol at any settings, as evidenced by the fact that the 4K Ultra preset still achieves 73 FPS. The data suggests that the GPU's raw compute power, not memory capacity, is the limiting factor at 4K. The GPU's FP32 performance of 52.22 TFLOPS and texture rate of 816.0 GTexel/s are the key metrics driving the high frame rates seen at 1440p and below.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset provides a comprehensive view of performance across resolutions and settings.

At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are as follows:

• Low: 273.5 FPS
• Medium: 237.8 FPS
• High: 206.7 FPS
• Ultra: 155 FPS

At 2560x1440, the average frame rates decrease:

• Low: 240.4 FPS
• Medium: 174.1 FPS
• High: 148.6 FPS
• Ultra: 112.9 FPS

At 3840x2160, the average frame rates are the lowest:

• Low: 156.3 FPS
• Medium: 113.4 FPS
• High: 95.5 FPS
• Ultra: 73 FPS

The data shows a consistent ordering across all resolutions: Low > Medium > High > Ultra. The largest absolute drop between presets occurs at 1080p, where moving from Low to Ultra costs 118.5 FPS. At 4K, the same preset change costs 83.3 FPS. The relative drop from High to Ultra is significant at all resolutions, representing a 25% decrease at 1080p (from 206.7 to 155), a 24% decrease at 1440p (from 148.6 to 112.9), and a 23.6% decrease at 4K (from 95.5 to 73).

How This Combo Ranks

In the context of all tested configurations for Lockdown Protocol, this combination of the Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER holds a rank of 118 out of 1637 combos. This places it in the 92.8th percentile of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms the vast majority of configurations in this game.

The rank is impressive given that the i5-12400F is a mid-range CPU. The result indicates that the RTX 4080 SUPER is able to compensate for the CPU's modest positioning relative to top-tier processors. The GPU's strong benchmark scores—ranking in the 88th percentile among all GPUs—are the primary reason for this high overall ranking. The CPU, ranking in the 77th percentile among all CPUs, provides a sufficient foundation without becoming a significant liability.

The gap between this combo's rank and the theoretical maximum is explained by the CPU's performance ceiling, which becomes apparent at 1080p Low settings where the frame rate tops out at 273.5 FPS. In games less demanding than Lockdown Protocol, this CPU could bottleneck the GPU further, but in this specific title, the combination achieves a top-tier ranking that will satisfy most high-end gaming needs.