Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT delivers a robust 1080p and 1440p experience in Lockdown Protocol, but struggles to maintain fluid frame rates at 4K Ultra settings. Benchmark data shows this combination ranks in the 60th percentile overall (1469 out of 3714 tested combos), placing it comfortably above average for this FPS title. The system clears the 60 FPS playability threshold at every resolution tested when using appropriate settings, with the most demanding configuration—4K Ultra—being the only preset that falls below this mark.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional performance across all presets. The Low preset produces an average of 217.3 FPS, while Medium achieves 152.7 FPS. High settings yield 134.2 FPS, and even the demanding Ultra preset maintains a strong 103.2 FPS average. These numbers indicate that the CPU-GPU pairing is never the bottleneck at this resolution, with all settings offering headroom well beyond the 60 FPS target.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance remains impressive but shows the expected scaling penalty. Low settings produce 160.3 FPS, which drops to 115 FPS at Medium. High settings deliver 98.4 FPS, while Ultra still manages a solid 75.5 FPS average. The gap between 1080p and 1440p performance is roughly 30-35% across presets, reflecting the increased pixel load on the GPU while the CPU maintains sufficient headroom.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates tell a different story. Low settings produce 105.2 FPS, Medium drops to 74.7 FPS, and High manages 64.4 FPS—all still playable. However, Ultra settings fall to 45.8 FPS, which sits well below the 60 FPS threshold. The 4K results show a dramatic scaling pattern: moving from Low to Ultra at this resolution costs roughly 56% of the average frame rate, whereas the same preset shift at 1080p only costs about 52%. This indicates the GPU becomes the limiting factor at 4K, especially with higher visual fidelity settings.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear division of labor between the Intel Core i7-12700K and the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT. At 1080p, the performance difference between Low and Ultra presets is substantial—from 217.3 FPS down to 103.2 FPS—which points to the GPU being the primary constraint even at this resolution. The CPU's 12 cores and 20 threads provide ample processing power, as evidenced by the high frame rates even at Low settings where the GPU workload is lighter.

At 1440p, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced. The scaling from Low to Ultra at this resolution (160.3 FPS to 75.5 FPS) shows a 53% reduction, nearly identical to the 1080p scaling. This consistency suggests the RX 7700 XT is the limiting factor across these two resolutions, with the CPU maintaining enough throughput to avoid becoming a bottleneck.

The 4K results reveal the GPU's dominance more starkly. The RX 7700 XT's 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and 432.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for High settings (64.4 FPS), but Ultra pushes the GPU past its comfort zone at 45.8 FPS. The CPU's role at 4K is largely passive—it feeds the GPU adequately, but the Radeon card simply cannot render Ultra settings at this resolution while maintaining 60 FPS. The transition from 1440p to 4K at Ultra settings costs roughly 39% of the average frame rate, confirming that resolution scaling is the dominant factor in this game.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals, the Intel Core i7-12700K's average benchmark score of 35287 places it within 0.5% of several comparable processors. The Intel Core i5-13600T scores 35305 (0.1% faster), while the Intel Core i7-12700KF achieves 35365 (0.2% faster). The Intel Core i7-13700T at 35403 is 0.3% ahead, and the Intel Core 5 213PE at 35428 leads by 0.4%. In practical terms, swapping to any of these CPUs would produce virtually identical frame rates in Lockdown Protocol, since the differences fall within measurement noise.

For the GPU, the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT's average score of 22549 sits near several NVIDIA and AMD alternatives. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile scores 22435 (0.5% slower), while the RTX 4060 Mobile reaches 22729 (0.8% faster). The desktop RTX 2080 scores 22895 (1.5% faster), and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 trails at 22170 (1.7% slower). These deltas are all under 2%, meaning any of these GPUs would deliver nearly indistinguishable performance in this game—players should expect frame rate variations of only 1-3 FPS depending on the specific preset and resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination ranks 1469th out of 3714 tested combos, placing it in the 60th percentile of all systems benchmarked for Lockdown Protocol. This position reflects a balanced pairing where neither component dramatically bottlenecks the other. The CPU's 84th percentile ranking among all processors and the GPU's 67th percentile among all graphics cards indicate that the system leans slightly more on CPU strength, but the measured game performance shows both components working in reasonable harmony.

The ranking becomes more meaningful when interpreting the measured FPS data. At 1080p Ultra, the system produces 103.2 FPS, which is well above what most tested combos achieve. At 1440p Ultra, the 75.5 FPS average still clears the playability threshold with margin. The 4K Ultra result of 45.8 FPS is the only configuration that falls below the 60 FPS target, and this is consistent with the system's overall percentile placement—solidly mid-pack but not among the top-tier 4K performers.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol at 60 FPS or higher across all tested resolutions, provided the settings are chosen appropriately. At 1920x1080, every preset from Low to Ultra clears the threshold, with Ultra delivering 103.2 FPS. At 2560x1440, all four presets also exceed 60 FPS, with Ultra reaching 75.5 FPS. At 3840x2160, Low (105.2 FPS), Medium (74.7 FPS), and High (64.4 FPS) all remain playable, but Ultra falls short at 45.8 FPS.

The verdict by resolution is clear: this combo is fully playable at 1080p and 1440p with maximum settings, and at 4K with High settings or lower. Players who prioritize 4K Ultra will need a more powerful GPU, but those targeting 1440p high-refresh-rate gameplay will find this system well-suited to the task.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that maintains 60 FPS or higher is High, which produces an average of 64.4 FPS. This leaves minimal headroom, so players should expect occasional dips below 60 FPS during intense scenes. Medium at 74.7 FPS offers more safety margin, while Low at 105.2 FPS provides the smoothest experience at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, Ultra is the best choice, delivering 75.5 FPS average. This provides a comfortable buffer above the 60 FPS threshold while offering maximum visual quality. Players seeking even higher frame rates can drop to High at 98.4 FPS or Medium at 115 FPS, but the Ultra preset remains the optimal balance of fidelity and performance.

At 1920x1080, Ultra is again the recommended setting, achieving 103.2 FPS. This leaves substantial headroom for maintaining smooth gameplay even in demanding combat scenarios. The gap between Ultra and High (134.2 FPS) is notable, but the Ultra preset's frame rate is high enough that most players will prefer the visual upgrade. For competitive play, the Low preset at 217.3 FPS offers maximum responsiveness, but the Ultra setting provides an excellent experience for standard play.