Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol is an early-access FPS that stresses raw frame throughput, and the tested pairing of the Intel Core i5-12600KF with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT produces a widely varied experience depending on resolution and quality preset. The data shows a system capable of high refresh rates at 1080p but one that requires careful settings management to maintain playability at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU/GPU combo in Lockdown Protocol?

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1920x1080 is the only resolution where all four tested presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) exceed 60 FPS on average. The 2560x1440 results are playable at Medium and High, while 3840x2160 only reaches a usable average on the Low preset.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-12600KF compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score of 27799 places it within a narrow band of its nearest rivals. It is 0.3% behind the Intel Core i9-10900K (27872), 0.3% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D (27896), and 0.3% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE (27712). Performance is effectively neck-and-neck.

Q: Is the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT's 16 GB of VRAM a factor in this game?

A: The GPU has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 128-bit bus and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth. While the data does not directly measure VRAM usage, the substantial frame rate drops at 3840x2160 suggest that memory bandwidth or capacity may become a limiting factor at that resolution.

Q: Which settings preset offers the most balanced experience at 2560x1440?

A: The Medium preset provides the best balance, with an average of 87 FPS and a minimum of 74 FPS. This is significantly smoother than the High preset's 76 average, while the Low preset's 123 FPS average comes at a visual quality cost that the Medium preset mitigates.

Q: How does this specific combo rank among all tested systems for Lockdown Protocol?

A: This combination of CPU and GPU ranks 2360 out of 3714 tested combos, placing it in the lower half of all configurations measured for this game. The percentile standing of the individual components (CPU at 79th percentile, GPU at 60th percentile) does not translate to a top-tier gaming rank.

Q: What is the difference in FPS between Low and Ultra settings at 1920x1080?

A: The difference is substantial. The Low preset delivers an average of 167 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to an average of 78 FPS. This represents a 89 FPS gap, indicating that the Ultra preset more than doubles the rendering load compared to Low.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data points to a clear hierarchy depending on the target display. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset is the optimal choice, delivering an average of 119 FPS with a minimum of 101 FPS. This provides a smooth experience for competitive play while retaining more visual fidelity than Low. The High preset at 104 FPS average is also viable, but the Medium preset's minimum frame rate of 101 FPS offers a more consistent frame pacing.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is again the recommended starting point, with an average of 87 FPS and a minimum of 74 FPS. The High preset's 76 FPS average is borderline for high-refresh-rate displays, and the minimum frame rate is not listed, making the Medium preset the safer choice for maintaining fluidity. The Low preset at 123 FPS is the option for maximum competitive responsiveness, but the visual compromise is significant.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more constrained. The Low preset is the only one that achieves a playable average frame rate at 79 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 56 FPS, and High falls to 49 FPS, with Ultra at 37 FPS. For 4K gaming, the Low preset is the only viable option, and even then, the experience will not be as smooth as at lower resolutions. The measured data suggests users should prioritize either 1080p or 1440p for this combination.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a 10-core, 16-thread processor from the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. Its synthetic benchmark performance shows strong multi-threaded capability, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 23391 and a single-core score of 3302. The 3DMark scores indicate scaling from 1995 in 2-thread tests to 7956 in 16-thread tests, suggesting the processor can handle heavy workloads.

However, in Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU. The frame rate deltas between settings presets at a given resolution are far larger than what CPU-bound scenarios would typically produce. For instance, at 1920x1080, the jump from Low to Ultra costs 89 FPS on average, a change driven by the GPU's rendering load. The CPU's high single-thread performance, evidenced by a PassMark single-thread score of 3925, is sufficient to keep up with the GPU in most scenarios.

The processor's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support (DDR4, DDR5) provide a solid foundation. Its percentile rank of 79 among all CPUs indicates it is a well-above-average processor, but the combo rank of 2360 out of 3714 suggests that in this specific game, the CPU is not the limiting factor. The data implies that the i5-12600KF provides ample headroom, and the observed performance is primarily dictated by the graphics card.

How This Combo Ranks

The combined performance of the Intel Core i5-12600KF and AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT in Lockdown Protocol is ranked 2360 out of 3714 tested combinations. This places the pairing in the 36th percentile of all tested systems, meaning a majority of other configurations deliver higher frame rates. This is a notable underperformance relative to the individual component percentiles, with the CPU at the 79th percentile and the GPU at the 60th percentile.

This discrepancy suggests that the pairing may not be optimal for this specific title. The CPU's strong benchmark scores are not fully utilized, while the GPU's performance characteristics appear to hold the system back. The GPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, which scores 17208 (0.7% higher), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690, which scores 17037 (0.3% lower). These margins are small, but in a game like Lockdown Protocol, they can translate to tangible frame rate differences.

The rank indicates that users with this combo will experience frame rates below the median for the game. While not unplayable at lower resolutions, the system will not deliver the high-refresh-rate performance that competitive FPS players often seek. The data suggests that other combinations, potentially with a more balanced CPU-GPU pairing, achieve better results in this title.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT is the primary driver of frame rate in Lockdown Protocol. It features a Navi 33 chip on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, with a boost clock of 2755 MHz and a game clock of 2470 MHz. The 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's synthetic benchmarks show a PassMark G3D score of 17132 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2348.

The GPU's performance scaling across resolutions and presets is clear. At 1920x1080, the average frame rate drops from 167 FPS on Low to 78 FPS on Ultra. At 2560x1440, the range is from 123 FPS on Low to 57 FPS on Ultra. At 3840x2160, the range narrows to 79 FPS on Low and 37 FPS on Ultra, indicating that the GPU is nearing its limits at this resolution.

The 16 GB VRAM capacity is a significant feature, but the frame rate data suggests that memory bandwidth may be the constraining factor at higher resolutions. The 288.0 GB/s bandwidth is modest for the pixel throughput required at 4K. The GPU's 60th percentile rank among all GPUs and its average benchmark score of 17083 place it in the mid-range tier, which aligns with the observed performance in this game. The data indicates that the GPU is the bottleneck in this system, particularly at resolutions above 1080p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the data shows a clear performance hierarchy. The Low preset achieves an average of 167 FPS. The Medium preset delivers 119 FPS on average, with a minimum of 101 FPS and a maximum of 136 FPS. The High preset averages 104 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 78 FPS. The step from Medium to High incurs a 15 FPS drop, while High to Ultra incurs a 26 FPS drop.

At 2560x1440, the average frame rates are as follows: Low preset at 123 FPS, Medium preset at 87 FPS (with a minimum of 74 FPS and maximum of 100 FPS), High preset at 76 FPS, and Ultra preset at 57 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 36 FPS, and between Medium and High is 11 FPS. The Ultra preset is the first to drop below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly. The Low preset averages 79 FPS. The Medium preset averages 56 FPS, with a minimum of 48 FPS and maximum of 65 FPS. The High preset averages 49 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 37 FPS. Only the Low preset maintains an average above the 60 FPS mark, and the Medium preset's minimum of 48 FPS indicates noticeable stuttering during intense scenes. The data shows a consistent pattern of the Ultra preset being reserved for lower resolutions, while Low becomes the only playable option at 4K.