Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti occupies the 422nd position out of 3,714 tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the top 12% of all configurations evaluated. This ranking reflects a pairing where a modest four-core processor is matched with a high-end Blackwell GPU, and the resulting frame rates suggest the system is well-balanced for this title despite the apparent core count disparity. The data indicates that the combination outperforms the vast majority of tested setups, with the ranking serving as a strong indicator that this pairing avoids severe bottlenecking at most settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 422 out of 3,714 tested configurations places this system firmly in the upper echelon of Lockdown Protocol results. This position means that approximately 89% of all tested hardware combinations produce lower average frame rates, which is a notable achievement given the CPU's position in the broader benchmark landscape. The Core i3-12100F holds a percentile rank of 68 among all CPUs, indicating it sits above the median processor in general compute performance, while the RTX 5070 Ti reaches the 86th percentile among all GPUs, showing it is a top-tier graphics solution. The gap between these two percentiles — 18 points — suggests the CPU is the weaker link in this pairing, yet the measured FPS data shows this does not cripple performance in Lockdown Protocol. The ranking also implies that many combinations with stronger CPUs and weaker GPUs fall below this pairing, as the game appears to leverage the GPU's substantial resources effectively. Notably, the CPU's average benchmark score of 13,494 places it within 0.3% of the Intel Core i5-9500 and within 1.1% of the Intel Core i7-1250U, indicating that its processing power is competitive with older mid-range and newer low-power parts. This context helps explain why the combo achieves such a high rank: the i3-12100F provides sufficient single-thread and multi-thread throughput for the game's engine, while the RTX 5070 Ti handles the graphical load with authority.

GPU Role

The RTX 5070 Ti brings 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 896.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is critical for Lockdown Protocol's high-resolution textures and particle effects. The GPU's base clock of 2295 MHz and boost clock of 2452 MHz, combined with 8,960 shading units and 280 texture mapping units, provide the raw compute necessary to drive the high frame rates observed in the measured data. Its 70 ray tracing cores and 280 tensor cores also equip the card for any advanced lighting or AI-enhanced features the game might employ, though the measured FPS values do not specify whether these are active. The GPU's FP32 throughput of 43.94 TFLOPS places it as a formidable performer, and its benchmark scores reflect this: a Passmark G3D score of 32,974 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6,604. The 5070 Ti's nearest rival in average benchmark score is the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64, with a delta of -0.1%, meaning they are statistically tied, while the RX 6900 XT sits 2% ahead and the RX 6800 XT trails by 3.1%. This performance envelope explains why the GPU can push 270 FPS at 1080p Low settings, as the data shows, with the card's 16 GB frame buffer ensuring that even Ultra settings at 4K do not exhaust memory capacity, as evidenced by the 69 FPS average at that configuration.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear scaling pattern across resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 270 FPS average, which drops to 230 FPS at 1440p Low and further to 148 FPS at 4K Low. This represents a 45% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating that the GPU is the primary driver of performance at lower graphical loads, as the CPU is able to feed frames quickly enough at 1080p. At High settings, the progression is 194 FPS at 1080p, 142 FPS at 1440p, and 92 FPS at 4K — a 53% drop from 1080p to 4K, showing that increased graphical complexity amplifies the GPU's workload. The Medium settings row provides additional insight: 223 FPS at 1080p, 163 FPS at 1440p, and 105 FPS at 4K, with the 1440p result showing a minimum of 139 FPS and maximum of 188 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Medium is a 27% reduction, while 1440p to 4K is a 36% reduction, suggesting that the jump to 4K places disproportionately more strain on the GPU. At Ultra settings, the numbers are 146 FPS at 1080p, 107 FPS at 1440p, and 69 FPS at 4K, with the 1080p to 4K drop being 53%, mirroring High settings. This consistent pattern — roughly a 45-53% performance loss from 1080p to 4K across all settings — indicates that the limiting component shifts from the CPU at 1080p to the GPU at 4K, but the CPU's ceiling is not severely constraining even at 1080p, given that 270 FPS is achieved at Low.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the Medium preset at any resolution offers the most balanced experience, as it provides substantial frame rates without the diminishing returns seen at Ultra. At 1080p, Medium delivers 223 FPS average with a minimum of 189 FPS, which is only 17% lower than Low's 270 FPS but offers noticeably better visual quality. At 1440p, Medium produces 163 FPS average with a minimum of 139 FPS, which is comfortably above 144 Hz refresh rates and only 29% below Low's 230 FPS. At 4K, Medium maintains 105 FPS average with a minimum of 90 FPS, which is playable on high-refresh 4K displays, and it is 29% faster than High's 92 FPS while being 52% faster than Ultra's 69 FPS. The Ultra preset, while visually superior, incurs a steep cost: at 4K it drops to 69 FPS, which is below the 90 FPS minimum seen in Medium, and at 1080p it achieves 146 FPS, which is still high but 35% slower than Medium. For users prioritizing smoothness, Low at 4K offers 148 FPS, which is 41% faster than Medium at that resolution, but the visual degradation may be significant. The data suggests that Medium is the sweet spot for this combo, as it leverages the GPU's 16 GB memory and high bandwidth without pushing the CPU into a bottleneck, and the minimum FPS figures at Medium (189 at 1080p, 139 at 1440p, 90 at 4K) show consistent frame pacing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 270 FPS on Low, 223 FPS on Medium with a minimum of 189 and maximum of 256, 194 FPS on High, and 146 FPS on Ultra. The spread from Low to Ultra is 124 FPS, representing a 46% reduction, which shows the game's settings have a significant impact at this resolution. At 2560x1440, the results are 230 FPS on Low, 163 FPS on Medium with a minimum of 139 and maximum of 188, 142 FPS on High, and 107 FPS on Ultra. The Low to Ultra spread here is 123 FPS, a 53% reduction, indicating that the GPU is becoming more stressed as pixel count rises. At 3840x2160, the data shows 148 FPS on Low, 105 FPS on Medium with a minimum of 90 and maximum of 121, 92 FPS on High, and 69 FPS on Ultra. The Low to Ultra spread is 79 FPS, a 53% reduction, with the Ultra preset dropping below 70 FPS, which is the most demanding configuration measured. The Medium presets across all resolutions provide the only rows with minimum and maximum values, suggesting these are the most stable configurations tested. The 4K Medium result of 105 FPS average with a 90 FPS minimum indicates that the system can hold above 90 FPS in most scenes, which is a strong result for this resolution. The 1440p Medium minimum of 139 FPS shows that the combo can maintain high frame rates even in demanding moments, while the 1080p Medium maximum of 256 FPS approaches the Low preset's 270 FPS ceiling.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The highest average FPS is 270, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is followed by 230 FPS at 2560x1440 Low and 223 FPS at 1920x1080 Medium.

Q: How does the RTX 5070 Ti compare to its nearest rival in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 5070 Ti has an average benchmark score of 49,957, which is 0.1% lower than the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64's 50,001, making them statistically equivalent. The RX 6900 XT is 2% faster, and the RX 6800 XT is 3.1% slower.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The 4K Ultra row does not include a minimum FPS value in the data, but the average is 69 FPS. The 4K Medium row shows a minimum of 90 FPS, which is the lowest minimum recorded at 4K across all settings.

Q: How much faster is the 1080p Low preset compared to 4K Low?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 270 FPS, while at 4K Low it achieves 148 FPS. This represents a 45% reduction in performance when moving from 1080p to 4K at Low settings.

Q: Where does this combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: This combination ranks 422nd out of 3,714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the top 11.4% of all configurations. This ranking is supported by the GPU's 86th percentile position among all GPUs.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Medium and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, Medium produces 163 FPS average, while Ultra produces 107 FPS average. This is a 56 FPS difference, meaning Ultra is 34% slower than Medium at this resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F contributes 4 cores and 8 threads, running at a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, with 12 MB of shared L3 cache. Its benchmark scores show a single-thread rating of 3,444 in Passmark and 1,674 in Cinebench R23 single-core, which are strong for a quad-core part. The multi-threaded results are 14,015 in Passmark and 11,860 in Cinebench R23, indicating that the CPU's processing power is sufficient for Lockdown Protocol's engine. The CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core 3 N355, has a nearly identical average score with a 0% delta, while the Core i5-9500 is 0.3% slower and the Core 5 120UL is 0.7% faster. In the measured FPS data, the CPU's role becomes apparent at 1080p Low, where the combo hits 270 FPS — this high frame rate suggests the i3-12100F is not bottlenecking the GPU at lower resolutions and settings. However, at 4K Ultra, the 69 FPS result is likely GPU-limited, as the CPU has less work per frame relative to the GPU's rendering load. The fact that the 1080p Low to 4K Low drop is 45% (from 270 to 148 FPS) indicates that the GPU is scaling as expected with resolution, and the CPU maintains its frame-feeding capability. The CPU's 68th percentile ranking among all CPUs, combined with its 4-core/8-thread configuration, means it is adequate for this game, but users should note that the 3,714 tested combos include many with more powerful CPUs, and the 422nd rank suggests this pairing is competitive without being top-tier. The data shows no evidence of CPU-induced stuttering, as the minimum FPS values at Medium settings (189 at 1080p, 139 at 1440p, 90 at 4K) are all well above playable thresholds.