Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 produces an extreme performance imbalance in Lockdown Protocol, yet the raw power of the GPU ensures that every tested preset at every resolution remains comfortably above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The data shows a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound, with the four-core i3-12100F acting as a limiting factor only at lower resolutions where frame rates climb into the upper 200s. This combination ranks 155th out of 3,714 tested combos for this game, placing it in the top 5% of all configurations, a position driven almost entirely by the RTX 4090's immense rendering capabilities.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that maintains an average frame rate at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which delivers 84.5 FPS. This is the highest visual quality setting in the game, and the system clears the 60 FPS threshold with a 24.5 FPS margin. The data indicates that even at 4K, the RTX 4090 has enough headroom to run the most intensive settings without dropping below the playable mark. High settings at this resolution produce 111.2 FPS, while Medium yields 121.7 FPS, and Low reaches 173 FPS, but the Ultra preset remains the recommended choice since it is both playable and visually superior.

Moving to 2560x1440, the best settings remain Ultra, with an average of 129.1 FPS. The performance scaling here shows that the GPU is not yet saturated, as the jump from 4K Ultra to 1440p Ultra represents a 53% increase in frame rate. The 1440p Ultra result more than doubles the 60 FPS threshold, making this resolution a sweet spot for high-refresh-rate monitors. High settings at 1440p produce 167.2 FPS, Medium reaches 194.5 FPS, and Low hits 243.6 FPS, but none of these lower presets are necessary for maintaining playability.

At 1920x1080, Ultra is again the best setting, averaging 175.1 FPS. This is a remarkable result for a 1080p resolution, indicating that the RTX 4090 is far from being challenged at this level. The gap between Ultra and High at 1080p is 55 FPS, with High producing 230.1 FPS, while Medium reaches 237.2 FPS and Low tops out at 270.5 FPS. The system's 1080p performance suggests that the CPU begins to play a more significant role at this resolution, as the frame rates exceed what the i3-12100F can consistently feed in certain scenes, but the averages remain exceptionally high.

CPU and GPU Roles

The RTX 4090 is unequivocally the dominant component in this pairing for Lockdown Protocol, but the degree of its dominance shifts across resolutions. At 4K, the GPU is heavily loaded, and the CPU's influence is minimal. The scaling between Low and Ultra at 3840x2160 shows a 51% performance drop (from 173 FPS to 84.5 FPS), which is a classic indication of GPU-side rendering pressure. The i3-12100F's four cores and eight threads are sufficient to keep the RTX 4090 fed at this resolution, as the GPU's raw throughput becomes the bottleneck before the CPU's single-threaded or multi-threaded limits are reached.

At 2560x1440, the GPU still dominates, but the CPU's role becomes more noticeable. The frame rate scaling from 4K to 1440p at Ultra settings is 53% (from 84.5 FPS to 129.1 FPS), which is less than the theoretical pixel-count difference of 2.25x. This indicates that while the GPU is doing less work per frame, the CPU is starting to limit the maximum achievable frame rate. The Low preset at 1440p hits 243.6 FPS, a figure that approaches the CPU's practical ceiling for this game, suggesting that further GPU power would not yield much higher numbers at this resolution.

At 1920x1080, the CPU becomes the primary limiting factor for very high frame rates. The difference between 1440p Low (243.6 FPS) and 1080p Low (270.5 FPS) is only 11%, despite a 78% reduction in pixel count. This compression of performance gains indicates that the i3-12100F's single-threaded performance, evidenced by its 3DMark single-thread score of 893 and Geekbench single-core score of 1932, is the bottleneck. The GPU's utilization is likely sub-optimal at 1080p Low, as the CPU cannot issue draw calls fast enough to keep the RTX 4090 fully occupied. Benchmark results confirm that the CPU's 3DMark 4-thread score of 2859 and 8-thread score of 4026 are adequate for maintaining 60 FPS but are not sufficient to unlock the RTX 4090's full potential at lower resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Lockdown Protocol at 4K with maximum settings?

A: Yes. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combination averages 84.5 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold. All four tested presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) at 4K are playable, with Low reaching 173 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for high-refresh-rate gaming with this combo?

A: At 2560x1440, Ultra settings produce 129.1 FPS, which is ideal for 120Hz or 144Hz monitors. At 1920x1080, Ultra reaches 175.1 FPS, suitable for 165Hz displays, but the CPU begins to limit frame rates above 240 FPS.

Q: Is the Intel Core i3-12100F a bottleneck for the RTX 4090 in this game?

A: The data shows the CPU becomes a limiting factor at 1080p and lower settings. The frame rate increase from 1440p Low (243.6 FPS) to 1080p Low (270.5 FPS) is only 11%, indicating the CPU's multi-threaded performance, as reflected in its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11860, caps the maximum achievable FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: This combination ranks 155th out of 3,714 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the top 4.2% of all configurations. Its average benchmark score of 60,347 is driven by the GPU's PassMark G3D score of 38,194.

Q: What are the frame rate differences between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings average 243.6 FPS, while Ultra averages 129.1 FPS. The difference is 114.5 FPS, or a 47% performance reduction for maximum visual fidelity.

Q: Is the RTX 4090's end-of-life production status a concern for this game?

A: No. The GPU remains a top-tier performer, with a 88th percentile ranking among all GPUs. Its 24 GB GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth ensure it handles Lockdown Protocol's requirements with substantial headroom.

The Verdict

The data clearly indicates that this PC can run Lockdown Protocol at every tested resolution and preset. The verdictByResolution field confirms that all three resolutions (3840x2160, 2560x1440, and 1920x1080) are playable at all four settings (Low, Medium, High, Ultra), with the best settings being Ultra at each resolution. At 4K, the system delivers 84.5 FPS on Ultra, well above the 60 FPS threshold. At 1440p, Ultra produces 129.1 FPS, and at 1080p, Ultra reaches 175.1 FPS. The weakest performance point is 4K Ultra at 84.5 FPS, which still provides a smooth experience on 60Hz displays and is sufficiently fast for most VRR monitors. The lowest average frame rate recorded across all tests is 84.5 FPS, meaning there is never a moment where the system dips below playable standards in the measured scenarios. This is a definitive yes: the system runs the game flawlessly at maximum settings across all resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the measured average frame rates are as follows: Low settings produce 173 FPS, Medium reaches 121.7 FPS, High delivers 111.2 FPS, and Ultra averages 84.5 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra represents a 51% reduction in performance, which is a substantial cost for the higher visual fidelity. The 4K results show that the RTX 4090's 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 443.5 GPixel/s pixel rate are more than adequate for this game, with even the most demanding preset maintaining a 24.5 FPS margin above the playable threshold.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates increase markedly: Low averages 243.6 FPS, Medium reaches 194.5 FPS, High produces 167.2 FPS, and Ultra delivers 129.1 FPS. The performance difference between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 114.5 FPS, or 47%. This resolution shows the best balance between visual quality and frame rate, as Ultra still clears 120 FPS, making it suitable for high-refresh-rate gaming without compromising on settings.

At 1920x1080, the measurements are: Low averages 270.5 FPS, Medium reaches 237.2 FPS, High produces 230.1 FPS, and Ultra delivers 175.1 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 95.4 FPS, or 35%, which is smaller than at higher resolutions. This compression indicates CPU limitations, as the i3-12100F's 3DMark single-thread score of 893 and PassMark single-thread score of 3444 are not sufficient to drive the RTX 4090 to its absolute limits at 1080p. The 1080p Low result of 270.5 FPS is the highest measured frame rate in the entire dataset, but it is constrained by the CPU's threading capabilities.

How This Combo Ranks

This configuration ranks 155th out of 3,714 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the top 4.2% of all systems benchmarked. The combo's average benchmark score of 60,347 is nearly identical to the nearest rival, the Intel Arc Pro A60, which scores 60,326 with a deltaPct of 0. This equivalence in synthetic benchmarks is notable, as the RTX 4090's PassMark G3D score of 38,194 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 271,631 are far higher than typical workstation GPUs, yet the average scores align due to the CPU's lower contribution. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 trails by 0.3% (60,140), while the AMD Radeon PRO V710 is 2.9% behind (58,657). The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M is 2.5% ahead (61,896), representing the closest competitor above this combo.

The CPU's own ranking provides context: the i3-12100F sits in the 68th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13,494. Its nearest CPU rivals include the Intel Core 3 N355 at 13,492 (0% delta), the Intel Core i5-9500 at 13,452 (0.3% ahead), and the Intel Core i7-1250U at 13,351 (1.1% behind). These figures show that the CPU is a mid-range part, while the GPU is a top-tier component (88th percentile). The combination's high game rank is therefore attributable to the RTX 4090's dominance, which compensates for the i3-12100F's more modest processing power. In Lockdown Protocol, the data suggests that the GPU is responsible for the overwhelming majority of the performance, and the CPU's role is relegated to ensuring the frame rate does not drop below the playable threshold, which it consistently achieves.