Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB combination produces a playable but constrained experience in Lockdown Protocol, with performance heavily dependent on resolution and graphics settings. The data shows a clear hierarchy where the GPU becomes the dominant bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the six-core CPU provides adequate baseline throughput. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across all settings and resolutions, interprets the ranking position, and offers practical settings guidance.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a Coffee Lake Refresh desktop processor with 6 physical cores and 6 threads. It operates at a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU’s cache layout includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 256 KB of L2 per core, and 9 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support is dual-channel DDR4 with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s.

Benchmark results for this processor place it at the 47th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2254. Its nearest rivals are closely matched: the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 scores 2259 (0.2% higher), the Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248 (0.3% lower), the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246 (0.4% lower), and the Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264 (0.4% higher). This indicates the i5-9400 sits in a tightly contested mid-range performance band.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU’s role is evident at 1080p where frame rates are highest. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo reaches 112 FPS average, which is the maximum measured across all configurations. This suggests that at lower resolutions, the six threads are sufficient to feed the GPU without major serial bottlenecks. However, the CPU’s 6-thread configuration without hyper-threading means that heavily threaded game logic could become limiting in dense scenarios, but the measured data does not indicate a hard CPU cap at the lower settings.

The boost clock of 4.10 GHz provides reasonable single-thread performance, which is often critical for FPS game logic. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 935 and multi-core score of 6629 confirm a balanced profile. Compared to the nearest rivals, the i5-9400 is statistically identical in average benchmark score, meaning any performance differences in Lockdown Protocol are more attributable to the GPU and settings than to CPU headroom.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB is an Ampere architecture GPU with 2048 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. It features 16 RT cores and 64 tensor cores. The chip is the GA107 built on an 8 nm process, with 8,700 million transistors on a 200 mm² die. Memory is 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The base clock is 1545 MHz with a boost clock of 1740 MHz, and the memory runs at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective).

The GPU’s percentile ranking is 50, placing it exactly at the median of all GPUs. The 4 GB VRAM capacity is the most critical constraint in Lockdown Protocol, as the game’s texture and geometry demands at higher presets likely exceed this allocation. This is reflected in the measured FPS: at 3840x2160 Ultra, the average drops to 25 FPS, while at 3840x2160 High it is 33 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium at 4K shows a modest drop from 53 FPS to 38 FPS, but the Ultra preset causes a severe falloff.

The memory bandwidth of 192.0 GB/s appears sufficient for the 128-bit bus at lower settings, but the combination of limited VRAM and bandwidth becomes a bottleneck at higher resolutions. The GPU’s pixel rate of 55.68 GPixel/s and texture rate of 111.4 GTexel/s are modest figures that align with the observed performance. At 1080p, the RTX 3050 4 GB provides 112 FPS on Low and 70 FPS on High, showing that the GPU can handle the game at standard HD resolutions when settings are not excessive.

The 4 GB VRAM is the primary weakness. At 1440p, the Ultra preset drops to 38 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 25 FPS, indicating that the GPU is either spilling VRAM or hitting a fill-rate ceiling. The measured data suggests that for smooth play, the GPU requires settings that stay within its memory envelope.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a clear scaling pattern across resolutions. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 112 at 1080p to 82 at 1440p, and then to 53 at 4K. This represents a 27% drop when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a 35% further drop from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is roughly consistent with pixel count increases, indicating that at Low settings, the GPU is the primary limiter.

At Medium settings, the averages are 80 FPS at 1080p, 59 FPS at 1440p, and 38 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 26% and 36% respectively, again showing GPU-bound behavior. At High settings, the averages are 70 FPS at 1080p, 51 FPS at 1440p, and 33 FPS at 4K, with drops of 27% and 35%. The consistency of these percentages across settings suggests that the limiting component is the GPU’s compute and memory throughput, not the CPU.

At Ultra settings, the averages are 52 FPS at 1080p, 38 FPS at 1440p, and 25 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 27%, and from 1440p to 4K is 34%. The Ultra preset at 4K produces a 25 FPS average, which is below playable thresholds for most users. This extreme falloff at 4K Ultra indicates that the 4 GB VRAM is exhausted, causing a severe performance penalty.

The resolution scaling data strongly suggests that the RTX 3050 4 GB is the limiting component across all settings. The CPU, with its 6 threads and 4.10 GHz boost, does not appear to create a bottleneck at any resolution, as the FPS drops are proportional to pixel counts. For 1080p and 1440p gaming, the GPU provides acceptable performance at Low and Medium settings, but 4K gaming is only viable at Low settings with 53 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB ranks 3269 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the lower 12% of all combinations tested, indicating that this hardware pairing is below average for this game. The percentile position is not favorable, especially considering the CPU’s 47th percentile and GPU’s 50th percentile standings individually.

The rank of 3269 out of 3714 means that 445 combos performed worse, but the vast majority of tested systems outperform this pairing. This low rank is primarily driven by the GPU’s 4 GB VRAM limitation, which becomes a severe handicap at higher settings and resolutions. The CPU is mid-pack, but the GPU’s memory capacity prevents this combo from competing with systems that have larger VRAM buffers.

The combo’s rank relative to its individual components suggests that the GPU is the bottleneck. The i5-9400 is a capable mid-range processor, but the RTX 3050 4 GB cannot leverage the CPU’s full potential in Lockdown Protocol due to memory constraints. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (112 FPS) shows that the CPU can feed the GPU adequately, but the GPU’s ceiling is reached at around 112 FPS, which is the maximum across all configurations.

For context, the combo’s rank of 3269 out of 3714 indicates that this pairing is suited for 1080p gaming at lower settings, but it falls behind in higher resolution scenarios. The data shows that at 1440p High, the average is 51 FPS, which is borderline playable, while at 4K any setting above Low results in averages below 40 FPS. This rank reflects a system that is adequate for esports-style play at 1080p but struggles with demanding settings.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and frame rate preference. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 112 FPS average, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset provides 80 FPS, which is also smooth and offers better visual fidelity. The High preset at 70 FPS is playable but starts to show diminishing returns. The Ultra preset at 52 FPS is the least favorable at 1080p, as the visual improvement does not justify the 30% drop from Low.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset gives 82 FPS, which is excellent for a 1440p panel. The Medium preset at 59 FPS is acceptable for most players, but the High preset at 51 FPS may feel less fluid. The Ultra preset at 38 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold and should be avoided. For 1440p gaming, the Low or Medium presets are the best balance of performance and quality.

At 3840x2160, only the Low preset at 53 FPS is close to playable. The Medium preset at 38 FPS and High at 33 FPS are not suitable for fast-paced FPS gameplay. The Ultra preset at 25 FPS is essentially unplayable. For 4K, the recommendation is to use the Low preset if a consistent frame rate is required, but the experience will be compromised.

The best overall experience per the measured rows is at 1920x1080 with the Medium preset, offering 80 FPS average with min FPS of 68 and max FPS of 92. This provides a smooth frame rate with moderate visual quality. For players prioritizing frame rate above all, the Low preset at 112 FPS is the top choice. For visual quality at playable frame rates, 1440p Low at 82 FPS is a strong alternative.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

*Q: What is the maximum average FPS this combo achieves in Lockdown Protocol?*

A: The maximum average FPS is 112, measured at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: What is the minimum average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The minimum average FPS is 25, measured at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-9400 compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-1068NG7?

A: The i7-1068NG7 has an average benchmark score of 2259, which is 0.2% higher than the i5-9400’s score of 2254.

*Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol?*

A: The combo ranks 3269 out of 3714 tested combinations.

Q: At which resolution and settings does the combo achieve exactly 59 FPS average?

A: The combo achieves 59 FPS average at 2560x1440 resolution with Medium settings, with a minimum of 50 FPS and maximum of 67 FPS.

Q: What is the boost clock of the Intel Core i5-9400?

A: The boost clock is 4.10 GHz, while the base clock is 2.90 GHz.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data is organized below by resolution, showing the average, minimum, and maximum FPS for each settings preset.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: Average 112 FPS (no min/max recorded)
• Medium: Average 80 FPS, minimum 68 FPS, maximum 92 FPS
• High: Average 70 FPS (no min/max recorded)
• Ultra: Average 52 FPS (no min/max recorded)

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: Average 82 FPS (no min/max recorded)
• Medium: Average 59 FPS, minimum 50 FPS, maximum 67 FPS
• High: Average 51 FPS (no min/max recorded)
• Ultra: Average 38 FPS (no min/max recorded)

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: Average 53 FPS (no min/max recorded)
• Medium: Average 38 FPS, minimum 32 FPS, maximum 43 FPS
• High: Average 33 FPS (no min/max recorded)
• Ultra: Average 25 FPS (no min/max recorded)

The data shows that only the Medium preset across all resolutions includes measured minimum and maximum values, providing a range of frame times. At 1080p Medium, the range is 68 to 92 FPS, indicating a 24 FPS spread. At 1440p Medium, the range is 50 to 67 FPS, a 17 FPS spread. At 4K Medium, the range is 32 to 43 FPS, an 11 FPS spread. This tighter range at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is more consistently loaded, whereas at 1080p the frame times vary more, possibly due to CPU involvement or driver overhead.

The averages across settings at each resolution show a consistent pattern: Low gives the highest FPS, followed by Medium, then High, with Ultra being the lowest. The gap between Low and Ultra is 60 FPS at 1080p (112 to 52), 44 FPS at 1440p (82 to 38), and 28 FPS at 4K (53 to 25). This diminishing absolute gap at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is reaching a performance floor where settings changes have less impact.