Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol places the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti combination in a demanding position, as the benchmark data shows a system that is firmly constrained by its GPU. The measured frame rates across all resolutions and settings presets indicate that this hardware pairing is best suited for lower graphical fidelity to achieve acceptable playability, with performance dropping sharply as resolution and detail levels increase.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the combo reaches a consistently playable average frame rate. At this resolution, the average FPS ranges from 26.6 on Ultra to 62.8 on Low, whereas at 2560x1440 the best average is 47 FPS on Low, and at 3840x2160 the best average is just 28.8 FPS on Low.

Q: How does the GTX 1050 Ti compare to its closest rival, the GeForce 930A?

A: The GTX 1050 Ti has an average benchmark score of 5316, which is essentially identical to the GeForce 930A's score of 5317, showing a deltaPct of 0. This indicates that in synthetic benchmarks, the two GPUs perform at nearly the same level, though the game data shows the GTX 1050 Ti's real-world performance is heavily dependent on settings.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-9400 a bottleneck for the GTX 1050 Ti in this game?

A: The CPU's benchmark percentile is 50, and it has a boost clock of 4.10 GHz across 6 cores. While the processor is capable, the measured FPS data shows that performance drops dramatically with higher settings and resolutions, which points to the GPU as the primary limiting factor rather than the CPU.

Q: What setting preset provides the highest average FPS at 1920x1080?

A: The Low preset provides the highest average frame rate at 1920x1080, achieving 62.8 FPS. This is significantly higher than the Medium preset's 45.9 FPS and the High preset's 39.6 FPS, indicating that the Low preset is necessary for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested combinations in this game?

A: The combo ranks 1606 out of 1637 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 2% of all tested hardware pairings for Lockdown Protocol. This low rank reflects the significant performance limitations observed in the measured FPS data.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 2560x1440?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 47 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 22.2 FPS. This represents a reduction of over half the frame rate, showing that the Ultra preset is not viable at this resolution for this hardware.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear hierarchy of playable settings for this hardware combination. At 1920x1080, the Low preset is the only option that delivers a comfortable average frame rate of 62.8 FPS, which should provide a smooth experience in a fast-paced FPS. The Medium preset at 45.9 FPS is borderline playable, but the High preset at 39.6 FPS and Ultra at 26.6 FPS are likely to feel sluggish during intense gameplay moments.

Moving to 2560x1440, the situation becomes more restrictive. The Low preset yields 47 FPS, which is acceptable for competitive play, but the Medium preset drops to 34.4 FPS and High to 28.4 FPS, making these presets less suitable for maintaining responsiveness. The Ultra preset at 22.2 FPS is not recommended for any serious play.

At 3840x2160, all presets fail to reach a playable threshold. The Low preset achieves 28.8 FPS, Medium 20.6 FPS, High 17 FPS, and Ultra 16.6 FPS. None of these are viable for a first-person shooter. The best experience is achieved by using the Low preset at 1920x1080, which balances the hardware's capabilities with the game's demands.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 features 6 cores and 6 threads, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. This processor is built on the Coffee Lake architecture using a 14 nm process node, and it has a shared L3 cache of 9 MB. The CPU's average benchmark score is 2305, placing it at the 50th percentile of all CPUs, which indicates it is a mid-range performer.

In the context of Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data, but the benchmark results show that the GPU is the bottleneck. The FPS drops from 62.8 on Low to 26.6 on Ultra at 1920x1080, a change that is primarily driven by GPU load rather than CPU limitations. The CPU's boost clock of 4.10 GHz is sufficient to handle the game's logic, but the frame rates are capped by the GPU's rendering capabilities.

The nearest rivals to the i5-9400 include the Intel Core i3-10305 with an average score of 2300 and a deltaPct of 0.2, and the Intel Core i7-8809G with a score of 2319 and a deltaPct of -0.6. These comparisons show that the i5-9400 is a solid mid-range CPU, but its performance is not the deciding factor in this game's frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti ranks 1606 out of 1637 tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol. This places the combo in the bottom 2% of all tested hardware pairings, which is a very low position that reflects the significant performance limitations observed in the measured data.

This low rank is consistent with the GPU's overall standing, as the GTX 1050 Ti has a percentile of 30 among all GPUs and an average benchmark score of 5316. The GPU's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce 930A with a deltaPct of 0 and the AMD Radeon R7 240 with a deltaPct of 0.7, all of which are similarly low-performance parts.

The combo's rank suggests that it is only suitable for low-resolution, low-detail gaming. The data shows that even at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS of 62.8 is only slightly above the 60 FPS target, and any increase in settings or resolution quickly degrades performance to unplayable levels.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is the primary driver of performance in this combo, and the data shows it is severely limited. The GPU has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory with a 128-bit bus width and a bandwidth of 112.1 GB/s. Its base clock is 1291 MHz, with a boost clock of 1392 MHz, and it features 768 shading units.

The GPU's average benchmark score is 5316, with a percentile of 30 among all GPUs. Its closest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce 930A with a deltaPct of 0, and the AMD Radeon R7 240 with a deltaPct of 0.7. These rivals are all low-end parts, confirming that the GTX 1050 Ti is positioned at the entry level of the GPU market.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU's 4 GB VRAM and limited compute power are the main constraints. The FPS data shows a steep decline as settings increase: at 1920x1080, the average FPS drops from 62.8 on Low to 45.9 on Medium, then to 39.6 on High, and finally to 26.6 on Ultra. This pattern indicates that the GPU's processing units are overwhelmed by higher graphical loads, making the Low preset the only viable option for smooth gameplay.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the measured average FPS values are consistently low across all settings. The Low preset achieves 28.8 FPS, Medium 20.6 FPS, High 17 FPS, and Ultra 16.6 FPS. These numbers show that 4K resolution is not feasible for this combo, as even the lowest settings fail to reach 30 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance improves but remains limited. The Low preset reaches 47 FPS, which is the only playable option at this resolution. The Medium preset drops to 34.4 FPS, High to 28.4 FPS, and Ultra to 22.2 FPS, making these presets increasingly less suitable for a fast-paced FPS.

At 1920x1080, the data shows the best results for this combo. The Low preset achieves 62.8 FPS, providing a smooth experience. The Medium preset delivers 45.9 FPS, which is acceptable, while the High preset drops to 39.6 FPS and Ultra to 26.6 FPS. The progression from 62.8 FPS on Low to 26.6 FPS on Ultra demonstrates a clear trade-off between visual quality and performance, with the Low preset offering the most balanced experience for this hardware.