Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB presents a fascinating study in bottleneck dynamics within Lockdown Protocol. The data reveals a pairing where the GPU’s raw architectural strengths are frequently held in check by a six-core, six-thread CPU from 2018, yet the combination still manages to deliver playable, and often exceptional, frame rates. The measured results show clear hierarchies based on resolution and settings, offering a detailed look at where this combo excels and where it struggles to maintain fluid motion.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 is where the character of this combo is most clearly defined. At 1080p with Low settings, the system produces an average of 163.2 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same Low preset drops this to 146.4 FPS, a relatively modest 10.3% reduction. This relatively gentle slope suggests that at these lower resolutions and settings, the workload is not yet fully saturating the GPU’s capabilities. The CPU is likely keeping pace, and the graphics card has headroom to spare.

The picture changes dramatically as resolution increases. At 4K, the Low preset still yields a robust 102.8 FPS, but the scaling from 1080p to 4K represents a 37% drop in performance. This is a significant decline, but the numbers suggest that even at 4K, the combination retains enough power to avoid a catastrophic frame rate collapse. The trend is consistent across all settings. For example, the High preset drops from 136.9 FPS at 1080p to 102.5 FPS at 1440p (a 25.1% decrease) and then to 62.8 FPS at 4K (a further 38.7% drop from 1440p).

This scaling pattern implies that the limiting component shifts with resolution. At 1080p, the i5-9400’s limited thread count likely begins to cap the frame rate, especially on lower settings where the GPU could otherwise output higher numbers. As resolution climbs to 4K, the pixel-pushing demands on the RTX 4060 Ti become the dominant factor. The 62.8 FPS average at 4K High demonstrates that the GPU is working hard, but the simultaneous 45.8 FPS at 4K Ultra indicates that the most demanding settings are where this pairing starts to strain. The data suggests that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K, while the CPU becomes more of a constraint as resolution drops, preventing the full potential of the graphics card from being realized at 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific combination of components is ranked 783rd out of 1637 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the upper-middle tier of all configurations, indicating that while it is not a top-tier performer, it is by no means a weak contender. The rank of 783 out of 1637 suggests that a significant number of other hardware pairings deliver higher average frame rates in this game, but it also implies that this setup outpaces a majority of the field.

The GPU’s own benchmark percentile further contextualizes this. The RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB sits at the 17th percentile of all GPUs, a curious statistic that seems to contradict its in-game performance. This discrepancy highlights the difference between synthetic benchmarks and real-world gaming. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2913 places it in close competition with the GeForce GT 555M, which also scores 2913, and the RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB, which is a mere 0.2% behind. This suggests that the 8 GB model’s performance is comparable to these other cards in this specific test, but its actual gaming results in Lockdown Protocol are likely influenced by driver optimizations and specific game engine demands.

The CPU’s standing is also informative. The Core i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2305, placing it at the 50th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i3-10305, which is 0.2% faster, and the Intel Xeon E-2134, which is 0.4% faster. This shows that the i5-9400 is performing exactly as expected for its generation, offering a balanced but not exceptional level of processing power. The combo’s overall rank of 783 suggests that the sum of these parts is greater than their individual percentiles might imply, as the pairing appears to work well enough together to secure a respectable position.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting the highest possible frame rates at 1080p, the Low preset offers the best experience, with a measured average of 163.2 FPS. This is a significant 14% boost over the Medium preset’s 143.1 FPS and a 57.8% improvement over the Ultra preset’s 103.4 FPS. The data indicates that in fast-paced FPS scenarios, this extra headroom could be crucial for maintaining a competitive edge on high refresh rate monitors. The High preset provides a balanced alternative at 136.9 FPS, which is still well above the 100 FPS threshold.

At 1440p, the Medium preset appears to be the sweet spot. It delivers 113.7 FPS, which is a 11% increase over High’s 102.5 FPS and a substantial 53.4% improvement over Ultra’s 74.1 FPS. The drop from Medium to High is noticeable, but the jump from High to Ultra is severe, making Ultra a less desirable option unless visual fidelity is the absolute priority. The Low preset at 146.4 FPS is the fastest, but the visual trade-offs are often too great for a game that may rely on visual clarity for spotting enemies.

For 4K gaming, the choices are more constrained. The Low preset at 102.8 FPS is the only option that maintains a triple-digit frame rate average. The Medium preset at 72.7 FPS is playable, but the High preset at 62.8 FPS and the Ultra preset at 45.8 FPS fall below what most would consider smooth for a competitive FPS. The benchmark results suggest that for 4K, players should prioritize the Low or Medium presets to ensure a fluid experience. The Ultra preset at 4K is effectively unplayable for fast-paced action, given its sub-60 FPS average.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Lockdown Protocol at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Yes, but with significant settings compromises. The measured data shows an average of 102.8 FPS at 4K on Low and 72.7 FPS on Medium. The High preset drops to 62.8 FPS, and Ultra falls to 45.8 FPS.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-9400 a bottleneck for the RTX 4060 Ti in this game?

A: The data suggests it is at lower resolutions. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 1440p is less severe than the scaling from 1440p to 4K, implying that the CPU limits performance more as resolution decreases, preventing the GPU from reaching its full potential.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB compare to its 16 GB counterpart in synthetic benchmarks?

A: According to the nearestRivals data, the 8 GB model scored 2913 on the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, while the 16 GB model scored 2907, a negligible 0.2% difference. This indicates nearly identical computational performance in that specific test.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 1440p monitor?

A: The Medium preset appears to be the most balanced option, delivering an average of 113.7 FPS. This is significantly faster than the High preset’s 102.5 FPS and far superior to the Ultra preset’s 74.1 FPS.

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo can achieve at 1080p?

A: The highest measured average at 1080p is 163.2 FPS on the Low settings preset. The Ultra preset, by comparison, yields 103.4 FPS.

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

A: It is ranked 783rd out of 1637 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the upper-middle segment of the performance distribution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB is the workhorse of this pairing, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC. Its boost clock of 2535 MHz and base clock of 2310 MHz are the driving forces behind its pixel and texture rates, which measure 121.7 GPixel/s and 344.8 GTexel/s, respectively. The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s, which is a critical factor for handling high-resolution textures and data streaming in a fast-paced FPS.

The GPU’s role becomes more prominent as resolution increases. The measured FPS drops from 163.2 at 1080p Low to 102.8 at 4K Low, a 37% decline. This indicates that the GPU’s compute units are being taxed more heavily at 4K, but its 22.06 TFLOPS of FP32 performance still manages to produce a playable frame rate on lower presets. However, the steep drop to 45.8 FPS at 4K Ultra highlights the limitations of the 8 GB VRAM and the 128-bit memory interface. The data suggests that the 8 GB capacity is sufficient for this game at lower settings, but it becomes a limiting factor when the Ultra preset’s demands for larger texture pools and higher quality assets exceed the available memory bandwidth.

The GPU’s ranking at the 17th percentile of all GPUs is an interesting anomaly. While its 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 2913 is comparable to older mobile GPUs like the GTX 860M, its in-game results are far superior, indicating that Lockdown Protocol is well-optimized for the Ada Lovelace architecture. The launch MSRP of 399 USD positions it as a mid-range card, but the data shows it can deliver high-refresh 1080p and solid 1440p experiences in this title, with 4K being possible only at reduced settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400, a Coffee Lake Refresh part from 2018, is the potential weak link in this chain. With 6 cores and 6 threads, it lacks the hyper-threading of its i7 counterparts, which can be a disadvantage in modern games that increasingly utilize more than six threads. Its base clock of 2.90 GHz and boost clock of 4.10 GHz are respectable for its generation, and its 9 MB of shared L3 cache helps mitigate some latency. However, the dual-channel DDR4 memory support with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s is a modest figure by today’s standards.

The CPU’s influence is most apparent in the 1080p results. The jump from Low to Ultra at 1080p only reduces the average FPS from 163.2 to 103.4, a 36.7% drop. This is a smaller relative decline than the 4K scaling, which suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is struggling to feed the GPU with enough frames to allow the graphics card to show its full strength. For instance, at 1080p Low, the CPU might be the limiting factor preventing the GPU from pushing beyond 163.2 FPS.

The Cinebench scores paint a picture of a capable but not exceptional processor. Its R23 multi-core score of 7969 and single-core score of 1125 show that it is a solid performer for its age, but it is not competitive with newer, higher-core-count CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Core i3-10305, which is 0.2% faster in average benchmark score, and the Core i7-8809G, which is 0.6% slower. This indicates that the i5-9400 is sitting in a performance plateau where slight variations in architecture and clock speed yield minimal differences. In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU’s role is to maintain a stable frame rate floor, but it cannot boost the combo to the rank of higher-tier configurations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured frame rates provides a clear performance map. At 1920x1080, the combination achieves 163.2 FPS on Low, 143.1 FPS on Medium, 136.9 FPS on High, and 103.4 FPS on Ultra. These numbers show a performance hierarchy where each settings tier costs a measurable amount of performance, with the most dramatic drop occurring between High and Ultra, a 24.5% reduction.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 146.4 FPS on Low, 113.7 FPS on Medium, 102.5 FPS on High, and 74.1 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Medium and High narrows here, but the drop from High to Ultra remains severe at 27.7%. This resolution is clearly the most balanced for this combo, offering high frame rates on Medium and High that are suitable for most monitors.

At 3840x2160, the results are 102.8 FPS on Low, 72.7 FPS on Medium, 62.8 FPS on High, and 45.8 FPS on Ultra. The scaling here is steep, with the Ultra preset delivering only 44.6% of the Low preset’s performance. This final set of numbers confirms that 4K is only viable for this combo when visual settings are significantly reduced, and the Ultra preset’s average of 45.8 FPS is a clear indication that the hardware is being pushed beyond its comfortable limits.