Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER delivers a decisive performance profile in Lockdown Protocol, clearing the 60 FPS playable threshold at every resolution and preset combination tested. The measured data shows a system that scales predictably with resolution and settings, with the most demanding Ultra preset at 4K still producing an average of 64 FPS. This places the combo in the 582nd position out of 3,714 tested configurations, a top-tier result that signals substantial headroom for high-refresh-rate gaming at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the RTX 4070 SUPER sustains an average of 85 FPS on High settings, but the full picture requires examining the other presets. Low settings produce 137 FPS average, while Medium yields 97 FPS average with a minimum of 83 FPS and a maximum of 112 FPS. The most demanding Ultra preset drops to a 64 FPS average, which still clears the 60 FPS playability threshold. Interestingly, the data shows a non-linear scaling pattern: moving from Low to Medium costs 40 FPS, but moving from Medium to High costs only 12 FPS, while the jump from High to Ultra costs 21 FPS. This suggests the Ultra preset introduces a significant rendering load that High does not.

Stepping down to 2560x1440, the performance headroom expands considerably. Low settings reach 212 FPS average, Medium hits 151 FPS with a 128 FPS minimum and 173 FPS maximum, and High produces 132 FPS. Ultra at 1440p averages 99 FPS, which is more than 35 FPS above the 4K Ultra result, illustrating the resolution’s impact on the GPU’s workload. The spread between presets narrows here: the gap from Low to Medium is 61 FPS, while the gap from High to Ultra is 33 FPS. The minimum frame data for Medium at 1440p is 128 FPS, which remains far above the 60 FPS threshold, indicating consistent frame pacing.

At 1920x1080, the combo becomes almost overkill. Low settings average 290 FPS, Medium produces 206 FPS with a minimum of 175 FPS and a maximum of 237 FPS, High reaches 180 FPS, and Ultra sits at 135 FPS. No preset at 1080p dips anywhere near the playability threshold. The minimum recorded frame for Medium at 1080p is 175 FPS, which is higher than the average FPS for Ultra at 4K. The frame time consistency is equally strong, with the 237 FPS maximum for Medium showing tight variance. The data consistently shows that the RTX 4070 SUPER has substantial computational headroom at 1080p, likely saturating the refresh rate capabilities of most displays.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions reveals that the GPU is the dominant constraint at higher resolutions, while the CPU contributes more significantly at lower settings. The 12700K, with its 12 cores and 20 threads, provides a strong foundation, but the 4070 SUPER’s rendering capabilities define the frame rate ceilings. At 3840x2160, the average FPS drops from 137 on Low to 64 on Ultra, a 53% reduction. This is a larger relative drop than at 1080p, where the average FPS falls from 290 on Low to 135 on Ultra, a 53% reduction as well. The similarity in relative scaling suggests that the GPU workload scaling is consistent, but the absolute headroom at 1080p allows the CPU to feed frames more efficiently.

The resolution scaling is more telling. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at Ultra reduces the average FPS from 135 to 99, a 27% decrease. Moving from 1440p to 4K at Ultra reduces the average from 99 to 64, a 35% decrease. The larger drop at 4K indicates the GPU’s memory bandwidth and fill rate become the limiting factor. At 1440p Medium, the combo produces 151 FPS versus 206 FPS at 1080p Medium, a 27% difference. At Low settings, the difference is more pronounced: 212 FPS at 1440p versus 290 FPS at 1080p, a 27% gap. This consistency suggests the RTX 4070 SUPER scales linearly with pixel count, while the CPU’s 5.00 GHz boost clock and 3.60 GHz base clock maintain sufficient frame delivery.

The presets are where the CPU role becomes clearer. At 4K, the gap between Low and Medium is 40 FPS, but the gap between High and Ultra is 21 FPS. This indicates that the Ultra preset adds post-processing or shadow effects that are primarily GPU-bound. The CPU’s 25 MB shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache help maintain minimum frame rates, as evidenced by the 83 FPS minimum at 4K Medium. At 1080p, the same preset yields a 175 FPS minimum, showing the GPU is not the sole determinant of frame consistency.

CPU and GPU Roles

At 3840x2160, the GPU is the dominant component. The data shows 137 FPS on Low versus 64 FPS on Ultra, a 73 FPS spread that is almost entirely attributable to the GPU’s shading units and texture units. The RTX 4070 SUPER’s 7168 shading units and 224 texture mapping units produce 554.4 GTexel/s, which is the key factor at this resolution. The CPU’s role is limited to providing enough single-thread performance to avoid bottlenecking, which the 12700K’s 1,043 3DMark single-thread score and 1,850 Cinebench R23 single-core score indicate it does.

At 2560x1440, the balance shifts slightly toward the CPU. The average FPS on High (132) versus Ultra (99) shows a 33 FPS drop, which is smaller than the 21 FPS gap at 4K between the same presets. This suggests the CPU can better feed the GPU at 1440p, with the 12700K’s multi-threaded score of 9,979 in 3DMark max threads providing ample processing power for game logic and draw calls. The 16-thread score of 9,276 indicates the CPU can handle the 12-core/20-thread load without falling behind, but the GPU’s 504.2 GB/s memory bandwidth becomes the limiting factor at Ultra settings.

At 1920x1080, the CPU becomes the primary constraint, though it does not limit the system below playable levels. The 290 FPS on Low versus 135 FPS on Ultra shows a 155 FPS spread, but the CPU’s 20 threads are not fully utilized at 1080p. The single-thread performance of the 12700K, measured by its 2,308 Geekbench single-core score and 4,013 Passmark single-thread score, is sufficient for the game’s physics and netcode. The GPU’s 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 192-bit bus width are more than adequate for 1080p, so the CPU’s 20 threads and 25 MB L3 cache are the primary drivers of the 135 FPS average on Ultra.

The data indicates the CPU is more relevant at lower resolutions and higher FPS targets. At 1080p Low, the 290 FPS average is a CPU-bound result, as the GPU is not stressed. At 4K Ultra, the 64 FPS average is purely GPU-bound, with the RTX 4070 SUPER’s 80 ROPS and 35.48 TFLOPS of FP32 performance determining the render rate. The 12700K’s 125 W TDP and 10 nm process node are not limiting factors for this game, but the CPU is still a necessary component for maintaining the minimum FPS numbers, such as the 83 FPS floor at 4K Medium.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, Ultra settings are the most demanding preset that remains at or above 60 FPS. The measured average is 64 FPS, which is 4 FPS above the playability threshold. This preset provides the highest visual quality without dropping below the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset offers a higher average of 97 FPS with a minimum of 83 FPS, but Ultra is the better choice for maximizing visual fidelity while staying at 64 FPS. The Low preset at 137 FPS and High at 85 FPS are also playable, but Ultra is the highest tier available.

At 2560x1440, Ultra settings yield an average of 99 FPS, which is 39 FPS above the threshold. This preset is the most demanding option, but the 99 FPS average provides smooth gameplay with headroom for display refresh rates. The Medium preset at 151 FPS is also viable, but Ultra at 99 FPS is the best balance of visual quality and performance, as it exceeds the 60 FPS target by a substantial margin. The High preset at 132 FPS is another option, but Ultra’s 99 FPS average is still comfortably above the threshold.

At 1920x1080, Ultra settings produce an average of 135 FPS, which is 75 FPS above the playability threshold. This is the highest preset and the best choice for this resolution, as the system has enough headroom to run the game at maximum settings without any frame rate concerns. The Low preset at 290 FPS and Medium at 206 FPS are higher, but Ultra’s 135 FPS is more than sufficient for a 60 Hz display and still offers excellent performance for a 144 Hz monitor. The Ultra preset at 1080p is the recommended setting for this combo.

How This Combo Ranks

This combo ranks 582nd out of 3,714 tested configurations in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the top 15.7% of all tested combos, which is a strong result for a mid-range CPU paired with a high-end GPU. The rank reflects the system’s ability to maintain high average frame rates across all resolutions, with no preset dropping below the 60 FPS threshold. The CPU’s 84th percentile ranking among all CPUs and the GPU’s 83rd percentile ranking among all GPUs contribute to this combined performance, but the game-specific rank is the most relevant metric for this analysis.

The rank of 582 out of 3,714 means the combo outperforms 3,132 other configurations, but it is not in the top tier. The RTX 4070 SUPER’s 83rd percentile among GPUs indicates it is a high-end card, but the CPU’s 84th percentile is slightly lower, suggesting the CPU is a minor limiting factor in the best possible configurations. However, the measured FPS data shows that this combo is not bottlenecked at any resolution, so the rank is largely a function of the GPU’s overall performance compared to more powerful cards like the RTX 4090.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the Intel Core i5-13600T has an average score of 35,305, which is 0.1% lower than the i7-12700K’s 35,287. This delta is negligible, so the i5-13600T would produce nearly identical FPS in Lockdown Protocol at the same GPU settings. The Intel Core i7-12700KF has an average score of 35,365, 0.2% lower, and the Intel Core 5 213PE scores 35,428, 0.4% lower. These CPUs differ by less than 0.5% in synthetic benchmarks, meaning in-game frame rates would be within the margin of error. The Intel Core i7-13700T has a score of 35,403, 0.3% lower, also a close match.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB has an average score of 43,262, which is 0.1% higher than the RTX 4070 SUPER’s 43,223. This is a direct alternative, though the Quadro is a workstation card with different driver optimizations. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile has a score of 43,268, 0.1% higher, but as a mobile part, its in-game performance may vary due to power limits. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile scores 43,667, which is 1.0% higher, indicating it would deliver slightly better FPS in this game. The NVIDIA RTX Quadro M6000 scores 43,301, 0.2% higher, also a close alternative.

The delta percentages for both CPU and GPU rivals are all below 1.0%, which means any of these alternatives would produce FPS values within a few frames of the i7-12700K + RTX 4070 SUPER combo. The CPU rivals in particular, with deltas of -0.1% to -0.4%, would not change the measured performance in Lockdown Protocol in a meaningful way.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo achieves an average of 64 FPS, which is 4 FPS above the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Q: Does this combo maintain 60 FPS at all resolutions?

A: Yes. The data shows playable settings are available at every resolution: 4K Ultra averages 64 FPS, 1440p Ultra averages 99 FPS, and 1080p Ultra averages 135 FPS.

Q: What is the highest FPS recorded?

A: The highest average FPS is 290, at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The highest maximum FPS recorded is 237, at 1080p with Medium settings.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rival?

A: The i7-12700K has an average benchmark score of 35,287, which is 0.1% lower than the Intel Core i5-13600T’s score of 35,305. This difference is negligible in real-world gaming.

Q: What is the GPU’s closest performance alternative?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB has an average score of 43,262, which is 0.1% higher than the RTX 4070 SUPER’s score of 43,223, making it a direct performance match.

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

A:** The minimum FPS is 128, with an average of 151 and a maximum of 173 at 2560x1440 with Medium settings.

The Verdict

This combo can run Lockdown Protocol at 60 FPS or higher across all tested resolutions and presets. The data shows that every single resolution and settings combination produces an average FPS above the 60 FPS threshold. At 1080p, the lowest average FPS is 135 on Ultra, which is 75 FPS above the threshold. At 1440p, the lowest is 99 FPS on Ultra, a 39 FPS margin. At 4K, the lowest is 64 FPS on Ultra, a 4 FPS margin. The worst-case scenario is 4K Ultra, which is still playable, but only barely.

The RTX 4070 SUPER’s 12 GB of GDDR6X memory is sufficient for the game’s demands at all resolutions, and the i7-12700K’s 20 threads provide enough CPU headroom to avoid bottlenecking the GPU. The data indicates that a 60 FPS experience is achievable at 4K Ultra, but if the game updates or the resolution increases, the performance may drop below the threshold. For 1440p and 1080p, the system has significant headroom, making it suitable for high-refresh-rate displays. The 582nd rank out of 3,714 combos confirms this is a high-performance configuration, but the 4K Ultra margin of 4 FPS is a limitation for future-proofing.