Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol is a fast-paced FPS that stresses both the CPU's ability to feed the renderer and the GPU's raw throughput. This particular pairing, the Intel Core i3-12100F with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, presents a significant imbalance that becomes increasingly apparent as resolution and settings change. The data shows a system where the GPU is clearly the dominant force at higher resolutions, but the CPU's limited thread count creates a notable ceiling at 1080p. The benchmark results reveal a component pairing that behaves differently depending on the workload, shifting from a GPU-bound state at 4K to a more CPU-sensitive state at 1440p and 1080p.

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 based on the Alder Lake architecture. It operates with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, which are modest figures for modern gaming. Its L3 cache is 12 MB shared, and it supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 11,912 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1,681 in single-core, placing it in the 72nd percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 13,516 puts it nearly on par with the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX, which scores 13,534 (-0.1% delta).

In the context of Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's performance is best understood through its thread scaling. The 3DMark scores show a clear pattern: 4-thread score is 2,859, while the 8-thread score jumps to 4,026, and the max-thread score is 4,023. This indicates the game can use more than four threads, but the CPU's physical 4-core limit means performance gains plateau after 8 threads. The single-thread score of 893 in 3DMark and 1,681 in Cinebench R23 suggests per-core performance is adequate but not exceptional. The data implies that at lower resolutions, where the GPU can produce very high frame rates, the CPU's 4 cores become a bottleneck, preventing the system from achieving the full potential of the GPU.

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

Q: How does the Intel Core i3-12100F compare to its closest rival in CPU benchmarks?

A: The i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13,516, which is only 0.1% lower than the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX's score of 13,534. It is also 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i7-1250U and 0.6% ahead of the Intel Core i3-10105.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the average FPS drops from 258.4 on Low settings to 121.4 on Ultra settings. This represents a reduction of 137 FPS, or roughly 53% lower performance when moving to the highest preset.

Q: Does the RX 9070 XT perform better at higher resolutions relative to its rivals?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 39,647, which is 0.2% higher than the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile (39,568) and 0.1% lower than the AMD Radeon Pro 575 (39,703). These scores are based on synthetic tests, not game-specific performance.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to limit performance at 4K Ultra?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 57.0. Given that the GPU has a high benchmark score (39,647) and the CPU has a modest one (13,516), the data suggests the system is heavily GPU-bound at this resolution and preset, as the GPU is struggling to maintain high frame rates.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between 1080p and 4K on High settings?

A: On High settings, the average FPS at 1920x1080 is 161.1, while at 3840x2160 it drops to 73.6. This is a decrease of 87.5 FPS, or about 54%, when moving from 1080p to 4K.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: The combo of the Intel Core i3-12100F and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT ranks 458th out of 1,637 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the top 28% of all configurations.

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

The resolution scaling data reveals a classic pattern of GPU dominance. Starting at 1080p Low, the system achieves 258.4 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low, it drops to 191.2 FPS, and at 4K Low, it falls to 124.6 FPS. This shows a steady decline of 33.5 FPS from 1080p to 1440p, and another 66.6 FPS from 1440p to 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is approximately 52%. This significant reduction indicates that at Low settings, the GPU is the primary limiter, as the CPU has enough headroom to feed frames at lower resolutions.

On Ultra settings, the pattern shifts. At 1080p Ultra, the system hits 121.4 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 88.7 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it reaches 57.0 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 32.7 FPS, and from 1440p to 4K is 31.7 FPS. The relative decrease from 1080p to 4K is about 53%. While the absolute numbers are lower, the percentage drop is similar, which suggests that even at Ultra settings, the GPU remains the limiting factor. However, the smaller absolute delta at 4K Ultra (57 FPS) compared to 4K Low (124.6 FPS) indicates that the GPU is being pushed to its limits, and the CPU's 4 cores are less likely to be the bottleneck at this extreme configuration.

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

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS scales with settings intensity. Low settings yield 258.4 FPS, Medium yields 181.8 FPS, High yields 161.1 FPS, and Ultra yields 121.4 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 76.6 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 39.7 FPS, showing diminishing returns as settings increase.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 191.2 FPS on Low, 132.6 FPS on Medium, 115.6 FPS on High, and 88.7 FPS on Ultra. The drop from Low to Medium is 58.6 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 26.9 FPS. Compared to 1080p, each setting loses roughly 30-40 FPS, consistent with the increased pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 124.6 FPS on Low, 85.5 FPS on Medium, 73.6 FPS on High, and 57.0 FPS on Ultra. The drop from Low to Medium is 39.1 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 16.6 FPS. The absolute numbers are much lower, and the relative differences between settings compress, indicating the GPU is saturated. For instance, the difference between High and Ultra at 4K is only 16.6 FPS, whereas at 1080p it was 39.7 FPS.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is a high-end GPU with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock is 2970 MHz, with a game clock of 2400 MHz. The GPU has 4096 shading units and 128 ROPs, delivering a pixel rate of 380.2 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 760.3 GTexel/s. Its FP32 performance is 48.66 TFLOPS. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 26,795 in Passmark G3D and 72,60 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU's role is evident in the frame rate scaling. At 4K Ultra, the system only manages 57.0 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. This suggests that the GPU's raw power is insufficient for the most demanding settings at this resolution. However, at 1080p Low, the GPU achieves 258.4 FPS, indicating that it has ample headroom when the workload is lighter. The GPU's 16 GB VRAM is likely sufficient for this game, as the data does not show any VRAM-related stutters or frame drops. The high memory bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s helps maintain consistent performance across different resolutions, but the frame rate drops at 4K indicate that compute and fill-rate limits are being hit.

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

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal setting depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, the Low preset provides 258.4 FPS, which is far beyond what most displays can show. The Medium preset at 181.8 FPS is still exceptionally high and offers better visual quality. For a balanced experience, High at 161.1 FPS is recommended, as it maintains a very high frame rate while improving visuals. Ultra at 121.4 FPS is also viable for high-refresh-rate monitors, but the jump from High to Ultra costs 39.7 FPS.

At 1440p, the Low preset at 191.2 FPS is excellent, but Medium at 132.6 FPS is a strong choice for competitive play. High at 115.6 FPS is ideal for most users, as it stays above 100 FPS. Ultra at 88.7 FPS is playable but sacrifices smoothness for visual fidelity. The data suggests that High is the best compromise, as it retains a 115.6 FPS average without a significant visual penalty.

At 4K, the situation is more constrained. Low at 124.6 FPS is the only preset that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS. Medium at 85.5 FPS is also smooth, while High at 73.6 FPS is acceptable. Ultra at 57.0 FPS dips below 60 FPS, which can cause noticeable stuttering in a fast-paced FPS. For 4K gaming, Medium is the recommended preset, as it offers 85.5 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold and provides better visuals than Low. High is a viable alternative if the user can tolerate slightly lower frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT ranks 458th out of 1,637 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the upper 28% of all configurations, which is respectable but not top-tier. The ranking reflects the CPU's limitations; while the GPU is powerful, the 4-core CPU holds back overall performance, particularly at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the limiting factor. The data implies that a stronger CPU would allow the RX 9070 XT to achieve higher frame rates, especially at 1080p and 1440p, where the CPU's 4 cores become a bottleneck. The combo's rank of 458 suggests it outperforms many systems, but it is far from the top 100, which likely feature more balanced or higher-end CPUs paired with similar or better GPUs. The benchmark results indicate that users with this combo should prioritize higher resolutions or settings to shift the workload to the GPU, where it is most efficient, rather than trying to maximize FPS at 1080p, where the CPU limits performance.