Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Lockdown Protocol across all tested resolutions and presets. Measured data shows the combination never drops below 83 FPS average even at the most demanding settings, placing it in the 85th percentile of all 3,714 tested combos for this title. The following analysis breaks down the measured performance, component roles, and optimal settings based strictly on the benchmark data.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160 (4K), the combination produces playable frame rates at every preset. The Low preset averages 178 FPS, while Medium drops to 127 FPS with a minimum of 108 FPS and a maximum of 146 FPS. High settings yield 111 FPS average, and the Ultra preset, the most demanding, still maintains an average of 83 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 95 FPS, indicating that the visual quality scaling has a substantial impact on performance at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440 (1440p), performance improves significantly across all presets. Low settings reach 276 FPS average, while Medium produces 196 FPS with a minimum of 167 FPS and a maximum of 226 FPS. High settings deliver 171 FPS, and Ultra maintains a strong 128 FPS average. The delta between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 148 FPS, showing that the performance cost of Ultra settings remains consistent but the absolute headroom is much higher than at 4K.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the frame rates become exceptionally high. The Low preset averages 308 FPS, while Medium hits 268 FPS with a minimum of 227 FPS and a maximum of 308 FPS. High settings produce 234 FPS, and Ultra still delivers 175 FPS average. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 133 FPS, slightly narrower than at 1440p, which suggests the CPU is starting to become a limiting factor at lower resolutions.

The data reveals consistent scaling patterns. At 4K, the RTX 5090 is clearly the dominant component, as evidenced by the steep performance drop when moving from Low to Ultra. At 1080p, the frame rates across presets compress somewhat, indicating that the i5-12600KF's capabilities are being approached even with this flagship GPU.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results show a clear shift in component responsibility as resolution changes. At 3840x2160, the GPU is the primary performance driver. The RTX 5090's workload increases dramatically with each preset step, with the average FPS dropping from 178 at Low to 83 at Ultra, a 53% reduction. This steep scaling is typical of GPU-bound scenarios where the graphics card is saturated.

At 2560x1440, the balance begins to shift. The frame rates are substantially higher than at 4K, with Ultra averaging 128 FPS compared to 83 FPS at 4K. This 54% improvement indicates that the GPU is less constrained at 1440p, but the CPU is still providing enough throughput to avoid becoming the bottleneck. The Medium preset's minimum of 167 FPS at 1440p versus 108 FPS at 4K further confirms the GPU's reduced workload.

At 1920x1080, the CPU's role becomes more prominent. The average FPS at Ultra is 175, which is only a 37% improvement over the 128 FPS at 1440p Ultra. This smaller scaling factor suggests that the i5-12600KF is approaching its limits in feeding the RTX 5090. The Low preset at 1080p averages 308 FPS, while at 1440p it averages 276 FPS, a modest 12% difference that would be much larger if the GPU were still the limiting factor.

The Medium preset data provides additional insight. At 1080p, Medium averages 268 FPS with a minimum of 227 FPS, while at 1440p it averages 196 FPS with a minimum of 167 FPS. The minimum frame rates scale more proportionally than the averages, suggesting that the CPU handles the frame pacing consistently even when the GPU load changes. Overall, the RTX 5090 dominates at 4K, while the i5-12600KF becomes an increasingly relevant partner at 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 85th out of 3,714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places the system in the top 2.3% of all configurations tested for this game, indicating that it delivers near-top-tier performance. The data shows that this pairing is well-balanced for the game's demands, though the rank also suggests that a small number of other combinations achieve higher frame rates.

The CPU's percentile versus all CPUs is 79, meaning the i5-12600KF outperforms 79% of all processors in the benchmark database. Its average benchmark score of 27,799 places it very close to several rivals. The Intel Core i9-10900K scores 27,872 with a delta of -0.3%, meaning the i9-10900K is essentially identical in performance. The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D scores 27,896 with a -0.3% delta, also matching the i5-12600KF. The AMD Ryzen 7 6800U and AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE score 27,887 and 27,712 respectively, with deltas of -0.3% and 0.3%. These negligible differences indicate that the CPU is not the differentiator in this system's ranking.

The GPU's percentile versus all GPUs is 92, placing the RTX 5090 above 92% of all graphics cards tested. Its average benchmark score of 79,842 is closely matched by several rivals, including the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB with 79,605 (delta 0.3%), the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB with 79,396 (delta 0.6%), the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT with 78,940 (delta 1.1%), and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X with 80,959 (delta -1.4%). The RTX 5090's high percentile and the tight clustering of rival scores suggest that the GPU provides the majority of this combo's gaming performance.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Lockdown Protocol at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the measured data shows an average of 83 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, which exceeds the 60 FPS playable threshold.

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

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 308 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 compare to its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB?

A: The RTX 5090 has an average benchmark score of 79,842, while the Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB scores 79,605, a delta of 0.3%. They are nearly identical in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at 1080p?

A: The data suggests partial CPU limitation at 1080p. The frame rate improvement from 1440p to 1080p is smaller than the improvement from 4K to 1440p, indicating the i5-12600KF is nearing its throughput limit.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 1440p Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings is 167 FPS, with an average of 196 FPS and a maximum of 226 FPS.

Q: How many total combos were tested for this game?

A: The combination ranks 85th out of 3,714 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which achieves an average of 83 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold, and no preset at this resolution falls below playable levels.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset also remains the best option, delivering an average of 128 FPS. This provides substantial headroom above the 60 FPS threshold, allowing for a smooth experience even during demanding scenes.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset achieves an average of 175 FPS, which is nearly three times the 60 FPS threshold. This makes Ultra the clear recommendation at 1080p, as the performance headroom is more than sufficient for high refresh rate displays.

The data shows that for all three tested resolutions, there is no need to compromise on visual quality. The system can run Ultra settings at every resolution while maintaining frame rates far above the playable threshold. The largest performance cost comes from the 4K Ultra preset, which still maintains an 83 FPS average.

The Verdict

The Intel Core i5-12600KF with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 can run Lockdown Protocol with outstanding performance. The verdict data confirms that all four settings presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable at every tested resolution. At 3840x2160, the best settings are Ultra with an average of 83 FPS. At 2560x1440, Ultra delivers 128 FPS, and at 1920x1080, Ultra reaches 175 FPS.

This system clears the 60 FPS threshold by a wide margin in all scenarios. The minimum FPS recorded across all tests is 108 FPS, which occurs at 4K Medium settings, still comfortably above playable levels. The only consideration is that at 1080p, the CPU begins to limit the GPU's potential, but this does not impact playability. For users with high refresh rate monitors, the frame rates at 1440p and 1080p are sufficient to take advantage of 120Hz or 144Hz displays, while 4K Ultra remains smooth at 83 FPS.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals to the Intel Core i5-12600KF are all within a 0.3% performance delta. The Intel Core i9-10900K and AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D both score slightly higher with a -0.3% delta, meaning they are effectively identical in benchmark performance. The AMD Ryzen 7 6800U also matches at -0.3%, while the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE scores slightly lower at 0.3% delta. Any of these processors would behave similarly in Lockdown Protocol, as the CPU's impact on this game's frame rates is minimal at higher resolutions.

For the GPU, the closest alternatives are the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB with a 0.3% delta and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB with a 0.6% delta, both scoring lower than the RTX 5090. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT is 1.1% slower, while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X is 1.4% faster according to the delta values. These differences are small enough that users would not notice a meaningful performance gap in actual gameplay. However, the RTX 5090's 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and newer architecture provide advantages that the synthetic scores do not fully capture, though the benchmark data shows these rivals are close in raw compute performance.