Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with Intel Core i3-12100F + AMD Radeon RX 9060

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 produces a balanced 1080p and 1440p gaming configuration for Lockdown Protocol, a 2024 FPS title. The combo ranks 1647th out of 2828 tested combinations in this game, placing it in the upper-middle tier of the database. The CPU, a 4-core/8-thread Alder Lake-S part with a 3.30 GHz base and 4.30 GHz boost clock, delivers strong single-thread performance, while the GPU, built on RDNA 4.0 with 8 GB GDDR6, provides the bulk of the rendering throughput. Benchmark data shows the system is capable of 175 FPS at 1080p Low, but drops to 39 FPS at 4K Ultra, indicating a clear shift in bottleneck behavior as resolution increases.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor from the Core 12th Gen lineup, built on the Alder Lake architecture using Intel's 10 nm process. It operates at a base clock of 3.30 GHz and reaches a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, with a TDP of 58 W. The CPU features 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 12 MB L3 cache. It supports dual-channel DDR4 and DDR5 memory and connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes. The processor's benchmark results include a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11860 and a single-core score of 1674, along with a Geekbench multi-core score of 7252 and single-core score of 1932.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role shifts depending on the resolution and settings. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 175 FPS, which is the highest measured result across all configurations. This high frame rate suggests that the 4-core CPU with its 4.30 GHz boost clock is sufficient to feed the GPU at lower resolutions, where the rendering load is lighter. The processor's single-thread performance, evidenced by a PassMark single-thread score of 3444, helps maintain high frame rates in a genre that often relies on consistent frame pacing. The 3DMark 4-thread score of 2859 indicates solid multi-thread scaling, which is relevant for a modern FPS that may use multiple cores for game logic, physics, and AI.

The CPU's percentile ranking stands at 68th among all tested CPUs, placing it above average but not at the top tier. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core 3 N355 with an average score of 13492 (0% delta), the Intel Core i5-9500 at 13452 (0.3% delta), and the Intel Core 5 120UL at 13594 (-0.7% delta). These comparisons show the i3-12100F is competitive with older 6-core parts, thanks to its higher clock speeds and newer architecture. However, in Lockdown Protocol, the CPU is rarely the sole limiting factor; the data indicates that at 1440p and 4K, the GPU becomes the primary constraint, as evidenced by the FPS scaling patterns discussed later.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the maximum average FPS this combo achieves in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 175 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the peak performance point for this combination, and it drops progressively as resolution and settings increase.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations in this game?

A: The Intel Core i3-12100F + AMD Radeon RX 9060 combo ranks 1647th out of 2828 tested combinations, placing it in the 58th percentile of all tested systems for Lockdown Protocol.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU act as the bottleneck at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 39, while at 1080p Ultra it is 81. The sharp drop with resolution increases indicates the GPU is the limiting component at 4K, as the CPU's performance headroom at lower resolutions is no longer sufficient to offset the GPU's rendering load.

Q: What is the difference in FPS between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings yield 128 FPS average, while Ultra settings yield 60 FPS average. This represents a 68 FPS difference, showing that settings changes have a substantial impact on performance at this resolution.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9060 has an average benchmark score of 16014, with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti at 16129 (-0.7% delta), the AMD Radeon R9 370X at 15862 (1% delta), and the AMD Radeon RX 7700 at 15852 (1% delta).

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

A: The lowest average FPS is 39 at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is the only configuration where the average drops below 50 FPS, indicating that 4K Ultra is not a viable target for this hardware combination.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

Examining the measured FPS across resolutions reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling. At 1080p Low, the combo delivers 175 FPS average. Moving to 1440p Low, the average drops to 128 FPS, a reduction of 47 FPS (approximately 27%). At 4K Low, the average further drops to 83 FPS, another 45 FPS reduction (approximately 35%). This scaling is consistent with a GPU that is increasingly stressed as pixel count rises, while the CPU maintains sufficient headroom at lower resolutions.

For Medium settings, the trend continues: 124 FPS at 1080p, 91 FPS at 1440p, and 59 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops from 1080p to 1440p (about 27%) and from 1440p to 4K (about 35%) are similar to the Low settings, reinforcing that the GPU is the primary limiter as resolution increases. High settings show 109 FPS at 1080p, 80 FPS at 1440p, and 51 FPS at 4K, with consistent relative drops. Ultra settings exhibit the steepest decline: 81 FPS at 1080p, 60 FPS at 1440p, and 39 FPS at 4K — a 52% reduction from 1080p to 4K.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the system is not fully GPU-bound, as the jump from Low to Ultra at this resolution (175 to 81 FPS) shows the GPU has significant headroom to handle increased settings. However, at 4K, even Low settings (83 FPS) cannot match the 1080p Low result, and Ultra settings fall to 39 FPS. This suggests that the CPU's 4 cores and 8 threads are adequate for Lockdown Protocol at lower resolutions, but the RX 9060's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus become the constraining factors at higher resolutions, particularly with heavier settings that demand more memory bandwidth and shading throughput.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and AMD Radeon RX 9060 achieves a rank of 1647 out of 2828 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places the system in the upper half of all configurations tested, though it is not among the top performers. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU's mid-tier processing power and the GPU's upper-mid-tier rendering capability.

For context, the CPU itself ranks in the 68th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU ranks in the 59th percentile among all GPUs. This slight mismatch suggests the GPU is the slightly weaker link in this pairing, which is consistent with the resolution scaling data showing GPU-bound behavior at higher resolutions. The combo's rank of 1647 indicates that many other systems with higher-end CPUs or GPUs outperform it, but it also means it beats a substantial number of configurations, likely those with older or less capable components.

The nearest GPU rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, has a delta of -0.7% in average benchmark score, meaning the RX 9060 is slightly behind in raw GPU compute but very close in overall performance. This near-parity suggests that in Lockdown Protocol, the combo's rank is more influenced by the CPU-GPU interaction than by the GPU alone. The CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core 3 N355, is essentially tied in average score, yet the i3-12100F's higher boost clock and better single-thread performance may give it an edge in FPS titles that favor strong per-core performance.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture using TSMC's 4 nm process, with a Navi 44 chip and 29,700 million transistors. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 1700 MHz, a game clock of 2400 MHz, and a boost clock of 2990 MHz, with memory running at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective). The card includes 1792 shading units, 112 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and 28 RT cores, delivering 21.43 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and a pixel rate of 191.4 GPixel/s.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are likely limiting factors at 4K resolutions. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra is 39, which is near the playability threshold but not smooth for a fast-paced FPS. The GPU's 288.0 GB/s bandwidth may struggle with high-resolution textures and effects, explaining the significant FPS drop from 1440p Ultra (60 FPS) to 4K Ultra (39 FPS). At 1080p, the GPU has ample bandwidth and compute to handle all settings, with the lowest average being 81 FPS at Ultra, which is still well above playable levels.

The GPU's benchmark results include a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3322, a Geekbench OpenCL score of 88183, and a PassMark G3D score of 17631. Its percentile ranking of 59th among all GPUs places it slightly below the CPU's 68th percentile, reinforcing that the GPU is the weaker component in this pairing. The nearest rival, the RTX 3060 Ti, is only 0.7% faster in average benchmark score, making the RX 9060 a competitive option in its class, but the game's FPS results show that the GPU's performance ceiling is reached at 4K with high settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160) and four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra). At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 175 (Low) to 81 (Ultra). Medium settings yield 124 FPS average with a minimum of 106 and maximum of 143, while High settings produce 109 FPS average. The 1080p results show a smooth scaling from Low to Ultra, with each step up in settings reducing performance by roughly 20-30 FPS, except for the jump from High (109) to Ultra (81), which is a 28 FPS drop.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS ranges from 128 (Low) to 60 (Ultra). Medium settings average 91 FPS with a minimum of 77 and maximum of 105, while High settings average 80 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across settings: Low goes from 175 to 128, Medium from 124 to 91, High from 109 to 80, and Ultra from 81 to 60. This represents a reduction of approximately 27-29% across all settings, indicating a uniform scaling penalty from the increased pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 83 (Low) to 39 (Ultra). Medium settings average 59 FPS with a minimum of 50 and maximum of 68, while High settings average 51 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K is steeper: Low goes from 128 to 83, Medium from 91 to 59, High from 80 to 51, and Ultra from 60 to 39. This represents a reduction of 35% for Low, 35% for Medium, 36% for High, and 35% for Ultra, showing that the GPU's performance ceiling is hit uniformly at 4K regardless of settings.

The minimum FPS data is only available for Medium settings at each resolution: 106 at 1080p, 77 at 1440p, and 50 at 4K. These minimums are about 15% below the average in each case, suggesting relatively consistent frame delivery without severe stuttering, which is important for an FPS where frame time spikes can be detrimental to gameplay.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

For a smooth Lockdown Protocol experience, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, all settings presets deliver playable frame rates, with the lowest average being 81 FPS at Ultra. The High preset at 109 FPS average offers a good balance between visual fidelity and performance, while the Medium preset at 124 FPS provides additional headroom for competitive play. For players with high refresh rate monitors, the Low preset at 175 FPS is the only configuration that can fully utilize a 144Hz or higher display, but Medium at 124 FPS is still suitable for 120Hz panels.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 80 FPS average is the best choice for a balanced experience, offering solid visual quality while maintaining frame rates above 60. The Medium preset at 91 FPS is preferable for those prioritizing smoothness, and the Low preset at 128 FPS is ideal for competitive settings where maximum frame rate is critical. The Ultra preset at 60 FPS average is right at the threshold of playability for an FPS, but the lack of headroom means any demanding scene could cause drops below 60, making it a less safe recommendation.

At 3840x2160, the Medium preset at 59 FPS average is the only setting that stays above 50 FPS, making it the recommended choice for 4K play. The Low preset at 83 FPS offers significantly better performance but with reduced visual quality, which may be acceptable for players who prefer frame rate over graphics. The High preset at 51 FPS and Ultra at 39 FPS are not recommended for competitive play, as the frame rates dip below the 60 FPS threshold and could result in a less responsive experience in a fast-paced FPS. The Medium preset's minimum FPS of 50 indicates occasional drops, but the average of 59 suggests it is the most viable 4K option among the tested presets.