Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol, a 2024 FPS title, presents a demanding workload for the Intel Core i5-12600KF and AMD Radeon RX 570 combination. The measured data places this pairing at rank 1580 out of 1637 tested combos, indicating that while the system is functional, it operates near the bottom of the performance hierarchy for this specific game. The benchmark results show a configuration that is heavily constrained by its graphics processor, particularly at higher resolutions and settings, yet it still offers playable frame rates under the right conditions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best performance this combo achieves in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 79.4 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only configuration in the measured data that approaches high-refresh-rate territory.

Q: How does the RX 570 compare to its closest rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The RX 570's average benchmark score of 30158 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals. It is 0.2% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 and the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT, 0.6% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla M60, and 0.8% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck at 4K resolution?

A: The data strongly suggests the GPU is the limiting factor. At 3840x2160, the average frame rate drops to 23.1 FPS on High settings and 17.3 FPS on Ultra, indicating the RX 570 is unable to sustain playable performance due to the pixel throughput required.

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

A: At 1920x1080, moving from Low to Ultra settings results in a significant performance penalty. The average frame rate drops from 79.4 FPS on Low to 34.3 FPS on Ultra, a reduction of 45.1 FPS, showing that graphical fidelity comes at a steep cost for this GPU.

Q: Does the CPU's multi-threading capability appear to help in this game?

A: While the CPU has a high multi-threaded score of 23444 in Cinebench R23, the frame rates at 1440p and 4K are too low to suggest a CPU bottleneck. The performance scaling with resolution points to the GPU being the primary constraint, with the CPU's 10 cores and 16 threads likely providing sufficient headroom.

Q: What is the rank of this specific combination among all tested hardware combos?

A: The Intel Core i5-12600KF and AMD Radeon RX 570 combination ranks 1580 out of 1637 total combos for Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the bottom 4% of tested systems.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is the clear performance limiter in this configuration. Its specifications, featuring 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth, are simply not enough for the demands of Lockdown Protocol at higher resolutions. The GPU's 32 ROPs and 5.095 TFLOPS of FP32 compute are reflected in the measured frame rates, which show a consistent struggle as the resolution and settings increase.

The GPU's clock speeds, with a base of 1168 MHz and a boost of 1244 MHz, are modest by modern standards. This is evident in the performance scaling; at 1080p High, the card produces 50.1 FPS, but this is already a significant drop from the 79.4 FPS achieved on Low. The data illustrates a classic case of a GPU being overwhelmed by pixel count and shader complexity. At 4K Ultra, the average frame rate plummets to 17.3 FPS, which is essentially unplayable. The RX 570's 4 GB memory capacity likely also contributes to stuttering and low minimum frame rates in a modern FPS, though only average FPS data is available.

The GPU's percentile ranking sits at 74, which seems high given its performance here, but its average benchmark score of 30158 is competitive with much newer cards like the RTX 5060 and RX 7700 XT. This suggests that in synthetic benchmarks, the RX 570 holds its own, but the specific workload of Lockdown Protocol exposes its architectural age and memory limitations. The 150 W TDP and dual-slot design are typical for the era, but the performance ceiling is clearly defined by its Polaris 20 chip on the 14 nm process.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF provides a strong foundation that is largely wasted by the GPU in this pairing. With 10 cores and 16 threads, the CPU is well-equipped for modern gaming workloads. Its boost clock of 4.90 GHz and single-thread score of 3309 in Cinebench R23 indicate excellent per-core performance, which is crucial for FPS games. The 20 MB of shared L3 cache also helps with game logic and physics.

The benchmark data shows the CPU is not the primary bottleneck. At 1080p, where the GPU has less work to do, frame rates are higher, but they still don't reach the levels that would indicate a CPU limitation. For instance, the 79.4 FPS at 1080p Low is respectable, but the CPU could likely push much higher frame rates if the GPU were faster. The CPU's average benchmark score of 27827 places it in the 84th percentile of all CPUs, and it is statistically tied with the Intel Core i9-10900K (0% delta) and the Intel Core i5-12600K (-0.1% delta).

The 125 W TDP and Alder Lake architecture provide plenty of processing power. In this game, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and manage the game's simulation. Given that performance scales down significantly with resolution, from 50.1 FPS at 1080p High to 33.6 FPS at 1440p High, it is clear the GPU is saturated before the CPU's potential is reached. The i5-12600KF is a capable processor that is being held back by the RX 570.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates reveal a consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution and settings increase. At 1920x1080, the system offers the most flexibility. On Low settings, the average frame rate is 79.4 FPS, which is smooth for most players. Medium settings yield 52.5 FPS, and High settings produce 50.1 FPS. The Ultra preset, however, demands a heavy toll, reducing the average to 34.3 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the GPU begins to show its limits. The average frame rates drop to 54.2 FPS on Low, 39.8 FPS on Medium, 33.6 FPS on High, and 27.2 FPS on Ultra. None of these are ideal for a competitive FPS, but the Low setting remains playable. At 3840x2160, the RX 570 is overwhelmed. The average frame rates are 36.2 FPS on Low, 25.0 FPS on Medium, 23.1 FPS on High, and a dismal 17.3 FPS on Ultra.

The data shows that the gap between Low and Medium settings is substantial at every resolution, while the difference between Medium and High is smaller. This suggests that the Medium preset might be the sweet spot for visual quality versus performance, but only at 1080p. At 1440p, even Low settings (54.2 FPS) may feel inconsistent for a fast-paced shooter. The Ultra preset is consistently the worst performer, with a 57% performance drop from 1080p to 4K, from 34.3 FPS to 17.3 FPS.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and clearly demonstrates a GPU-bound scenario. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 50.1 FPS at 1920x1080 to 33.6 FPS at 2560x1440, and then to 23.1 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 53.9% reduction in performance when moving from 1080p to 4K. The scaling is consistent with a GPU that is limited by its shading units and memory bandwidth, rather than a CPU that would show a more flat performance curve.

The data indicates that the limiting component is the graphics card. When the resolution increases, the number of pixels to render quadruples from 1080p to 4K, and the RX 570 simply cannot keep up. The CPU, with its high multi-threaded score of 23444 in Cinebench R23, has ample headroom to process the game's logic at any resolution. The frame rate drops are directly proportional to the increase in pixel count, which is the hallmark of a GPU bottleneck.

At 1080p Low, the system achieves 79.4 FPS, which is close to the practical limit for the GPU. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar frame rates at 1440p and 4K, but that is not the case. The performance falls off a cliff at 4K, with even Low settings only reaching 36.2 FPS. This analysis confirms that for this game, the Intel Core i5-12600KF is more than sufficient, and any upgrade path would need to start with replacing the AMD Radeon RX 570.