Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is a high-end combination that delivers a very strong performance profile in Lockdown Protocol. Benchmark data indicates the system handles the title with ease at most settings, with the only exception being the most demanding preset at 4K resolution. The measured FPS results show a clear scaling pattern across resolutions, with the combo ranking in the top quartile of all tested configurations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the system demonstrates a clear performance hierarchy across the four settings presets. The Low preset delivers an average of 122 FPS, which is already well above the 60 FPS playability threshold. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 87 FPS with a minimum of 74 FPS and a maximum of 100 FPS, showing that the frame pacing remains consistent even with the increased load. High settings produce an average of 76 FPS, which is still comfortably playable. The Ultra preset is the only configuration at this resolution that falls below the 60 FPS threshold, with an average of 57 FPS. The data suggests that the jump from High to Ultra represents a significant increase in rendering complexity, as the average frame rate drops by 19 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the system shows much more headroom. The Low preset reaches an average of 190 FPS, which is 55.3% higher than the 122 FPS seen at the same settings in 4K. Medium settings produce an average of 135 FPS with a minimum of 115 FPS and a maximum of 155 FPS, indicating that even the minimum frame rate stays far above the playability threshold. High settings average 118 FPS, while Ultra settings still manage a robust 88 FPS. This resolution appears to be the sweet spot for this combination, as even the most demanding preset remains well clear of the 60 FPS floor.

At 1920x1080, the system is clearly CPU-bound in many scenarios. The Low preset produces an average of 259 FPS, which is the highest recorded figure in the entire dataset. Medium settings average 184 FPS with a minimum of 156 FPS and a maximum of 211 FPS. High settings deliver 161 FPS, while Ultra settings still maintain an average of 120 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 1080p is substantial, with the High preset improving from 118 FPS to 161 FPS, a 36.4% increase. This pattern suggests the system has significant performance reserves at 1080p, making it suitable for high-refresh-rate displays.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-12700KF + RTX 3080 Ti combo capable of running Lockdown Protocol at 4K Ultra settings?

A: No. The Ultra preset at 3840x2160 produces an average of 57 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playability threshold. The best playable setting at this resolution is High, which averages 76 FPS.

Q: What is the highest quality preset that maintains 60 FPS at 2560x1440?

A: The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 averages 88 FPS, which is well above the threshold. All four settings presets at this resolution are playable, making it the most versatile resolution for this hardware.

Q: How does the combo's benchmark performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score is 35365, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-13700T (35403, -0.1%), the Intel Core 5 213PE (35428, -0.2%), and the Intel Core i5-13600T (35305, 0.2%). The GPU's average score of 41187 is 0.8% lower than the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 (40870) and 2% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 (40377).

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking among tested configurations in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The combo ranks 936th out of 3714 tested combinations, placing it in the 74.8th percentile of all tested systems. This indicates it outperforms roughly three-quarters of all tested configurations.

Q: Does the system experience frame drops below 60 FPS at any playable setting?

A: The data does not indicate any minimum FPS values below 60 for playable settings. The lowest recorded minimum is 74 FPS at 4K Medium settings, while the 1440p and 1080p Medium presets show minimums of 115 FPS and 156 FPS respectively.

Q: How does the system's performance scale when moving from 4K to 1440p?

A: The performance increase varies by preset. At Medium settings, the average FPS improves from 87 to 135, a 55.2% increase. At High settings, the average improves from 76 to 118, a 55.3% increase. The Low preset shows a 55.7% improvement from 122 to 190 FPS.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals in benchmark performance are all Intel parts with nearly identical average scores. The Intel Core i7-13700T scores 35403, which is just 0.1% above the i7-12700KF's 35365. The Intel Core 5 213PE scores 35428, a 0.2% advantage. The Intel Core i5-13600T scores 35305, which is 0.2% lower. The Intel Core i7-12700K scores 35287, also 0.2% lower. Any of these CPUs would deliver essentially identical performance in Lockdown Protocol, as the differences are within measurement noise.

The GPU's nearest rivals present a more interesting picture. The AMD Radeon Pro 5300 scores 40870, which is 0.8% lower than the RTX 3080 Ti's 41187. The NVIDIA Tesla M40 24 GB scores 41707, which is 1.2% higher. The NVIDIA Tesla M40 scores 41897, 1.7% higher. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 scores 40377, which is 2% lower. While the Tesla cards are not consumer gaming products, their benchmark scores suggest they would provide comparable raw compute performance in this title, though driver support and gaming optimizations may differ.

For gaming purposes, the RTX 5070 is the most relevant rival. Its 2% lower average benchmark score suggests it would produce frame rates approximately 2% lower than the RTX 3080 Ti in the same system. In practical terms, this means the 5070 would likely achieve roughly 75 FPS at 4K High instead of 76 FPS, and 86 FPS at 1440p Ultra instead of 88 FPS — differences that are imperceptible in real-world gameplay.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 936 out of 3714 tested configurations places it in the 74.8th percentile of all tested systems. This means it outperforms approximately 74.8% of all tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol. The ranking reflects the balanced nature of this pairing, where the CPU's 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs and the GPU's 83rd percentile ranking among all GPUs combine to produce a system that sits comfortably in the upper quarter of tested configurations.

The ranking also indicates that there are 936 configurations that perform better, which likely include systems with newer generation hardware or more specialized components. However, the data shows that this combo is far from the bottom of the pack, and its performance is sufficient for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1440p and smooth 4K gaming at High settings. The fact that the combo ranks higher than the individual component percentiles might suggest that these two components work particularly well together in this specific game, or that the game is not particularly demanding on either component.

The Verdict

The verdict is clear: this PC can run Lockdown Protocol at 60 FPS or higher at all resolutions except for 4K Ultra settings. At 3840x2160, the playable settings are High (76 FPS), Low (122 FPS), and Medium (87 FPS), but Ultra falls short at 57 FPS. At 2560x1440, all four settings presets are playable, with Ultra averaging 88 FPS and Low reaching 190 FPS. At 1920x1080, all settings are playable as well, with Ultra averaging 120 FPS and Low reaching 259 FPS.

The best settings per resolution are as follows: at 4K, the best playable setting is High with an average of 76 FPS; at 1440p, the best setting is Ultra with an average of 88 FPS; at 1080p, the best setting is also Ultra with an average of 120 FPS. For players targeting 60 FPS as the minimum acceptable performance, this system provides significant headroom at 1440p and 1080p, and only requires dropping from Ultra to High at 4K.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, which delivers an average of 76 FPS. The Medium preset provides a higher average of 87 FPS but is technically less demanding, so High is the recommended choice for maximum visual quality while maintaining playability. The Ultra preset's 57 FPS average makes it unplayable by the defined threshold.

At 2560x1440, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which delivers an average of 88 FPS. This is the optimal balance of visual quality and performance at this resolution. The High preset delivers 118 FPS for players with higher refresh rate monitors, while Medium delivers 135 FPS and Low delivers 190 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is also Ultra, with an average of 120 FPS. This resolution provides the most performance headroom, making it suitable for 144Hz or even 240Hz displays at lower settings. The Ultra preset's 120 FPS average is already sufficient for high-refresh-rate monitors, while the Low preset's 259 FPS average suggests the system is heavily CPU-bound at this resolution.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals interesting scaling patterns that indicate which component is the bottleneck at each resolution. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. The performance difference between Low (122 FPS) and Ultra (57 FPS) is 65 FPS, showing that the GPU's rendering workload heavily influences frame rates. The CPU's role is less pronounced, as the 12-core/20-thread i7-12700KF provides ample processing power for the game's logic at this resolution.

At 1440p, the balance shifts slightly. The difference between Low (190 FPS) and Ultra (88 FPS) is 102 FPS, which is a larger absolute gap than at 4K. This suggests that while the GPU still plays a significant role, the CPU's ability to feed frames becomes more important as the resolution decreases. The fact that Low settings at 1440p (190 FPS) is 55.7% higher than Low at 4K (122 FPS) indicates that the GPU has more headroom at lower resolutions, but the CPU can keep up with the increased frame rate demand.

At 1080p, the CPU becomes the dominant factor. The Low preset's 259 FPS is the highest in the dataset, and the scaling from 1440p Low (190 FPS) to 1080p Low (259 FPS) represents a 36.3% increase. This suggests that at 1080p, the GPU is not fully utilized at lower settings, and the CPU's single-thread performance is the primary constraint. The i7-12700KF's 3DMark single-thread score of 1043 and passmark single-thread score of 3984 indicate strong single-core performance, but the game's engine appears to have a ceiling around 259 FPS with this CPU.

The GPU's role is most evident at 4K Ultra, where the 57 FPS average shows the RTX 3080 Ti's limits under maximum load. The GPU's passmark g3d score of 26896 and 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 5077 place it in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs, but the 4K Ultra preset still exceeds its capabilities. At 1440p and below, the GPU has sufficient headroom, and the CPU's performance becomes the more significant factor in determining maximum frame rates.