Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with Intel Core i5-12600KF + AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT delivers a broadly playable Lockdown Protocol experience across all tested resolutions, though the data reveals a clear GPU-bound ceiling at 4K and a CPU-bound plateau at 1080p. With measured average frame rates ranging from 52 FPS at 4K Ultra to 235 FPS at 1080p Low, this combo ranks in the 66.7th percentile of all 3,714 tested combinations, placing it firmly in the upper third of systems evaluated for this title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable but steep decline as resolution increases, with the gap between presets widening considerably at higher pixel counts. At 1080p, the spread between Low and Ultra settings is 126 FPS (235 vs 109), while at 4K that same spread narrows to 59 FPS (111 vs 52). This compression indicates that the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT becomes the primary limiting factor as resolution climbs, with the CPU's headroom being progressively absorbed by the GPU's rendering workload.

The most telling comparison comes from the Medium preset, which is the only setting with complete min/max data at every resolution. At 1080p Medium, the combo averages 167 FPS with a minimum of 142 FPS, while at 1440p Medium it drops to 122 FPS (minimum 104), and at 4K Medium it falls further to 79 FPS (minimum 67). The 1080p-to-1440p drop of 45 FPS represents a 26.9% reduction, while the 1440p-to-4K drop of 43 FPS is a 35.2% reduction. The larger percentage loss at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU's pixel throughput is the binding constraint.

Looking at High settings, the 4K result of 69 FPS versus the 1440p result of 107 FPS shows a 38 FPS decline (35.5%), while the 1440p-to-1080p transition from 107 to 146 FPS is a 39 FPS gain (36.4%). These nearly symmetric percentage drops suggest a well-balanced scaling curve where each resolution step imposes a similar relative load on the Radeon RX 7800 XT's 96 ROPs and 256-bit memory interface. The GPU's 624.1 GB/s memory bandwidth and 233.3 GPixel/s pixel rate appear to be the architectural features driving this behavior.

At 4K Ultra, the combo drops to 52 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold typically targeted for smooth gameplay. The gap between 4K High (69 FPS) and 4K Ultra (52 FPS) is 17 FPS, or 24.6%, indicating that the Ultra preset's additional graphical demands exact a heavy toll at this resolution. Conversely, the jump from 4K Medium (79 FPS) to 4K Low (111 FPS) is 32 FPS, showing that dropping to Low recovers substantial performance when pushing maximum pixel counts.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF brings 10 cores and 16 threads across its Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. The CPU's benchmark profile shows strong multi-threaded capability with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23,391 and a single-core score of 3,302, placing it in the 79th percentile among all tested CPUs. This hybrid configuration, combining performance and efficiency cores, appears well-suited to Lockdown Protocol's demands at lower resolutions.

The 1080p data reveals where the CPU's influence is most pronounced. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 235 FPS, which is 63 FPS higher than 1440p Low (172 FPS) and 124 FPS higher than 4K Low (111 FPS). The massive headroom at 1080p Low suggests that the CPU's 16 threads are capable of feeding frames far faster than the GPU can render them at higher resolutions. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 7,956 and max-thread score of 7,952 indicate near-linear scaling up to 16 threads, which is beneficial for a modern FPS that can utilize multiple cores for game logic and physics.

However, the CPU's single-thread performance is also relevant. With a 3DMark single-thread score of 1,016 and a PassMark single-thread score of 3,925, the i5-12600KF shows solid per-core strength that prevents bottlenecking in lightly threaded scenarios. The Geekbench single-core score of 2,157 and multi-core score of 12,137 further corroborate this balance. The 10-core, 16-thread configuration with 20 MB of shared L3 cache provides ample resources for both background tasks and the game's primary thread.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the i5-12600KF's average benchmark score of 27,799 sits within 0.3% of the Intel Core i9-10900K (27,872) and AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D (27,896), while slightly ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE (27,712) by 0.3%. This tight clustering indicates that the i5-12600KF offers competitive CPU performance for this gaming workload, though the data shows that the GPU is the dominant factor in Lockdown Protocol's frame rate at 1440p and above.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for maintaining 60+ FPS with this combo?

A: All tested settings at 1080p and 1440p exceed 60 FPS on average, with the lowest 1440p result being 80 FPS at Ultra. At 4K, only Low (111 FPS), Medium (79 FPS), and High (69 FPS) clear 60 FPS, while Ultra drops to 52 FPS.

Q: How does the i5-12600KF compare to the Ryzen 7 5800X3D in this system?

A: The Intel Core i5-12600KF has an average benchmark score of 27,799, which is 0.3% lower than the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D's 27,896. This negligible difference means the CPU choice has minimal impact on Lockdown Protocol performance relative to the GPU.

Q: Is the RX 7800 XT a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the GPU is not the primary bottleneck at 1080p Low, where the combo reaches 235 FPS. However, at 1080p Ultra (109 FPS), the GPU's rendering load becomes more significant, and the CPU's headroom is less utilized.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1440p Medium with this hardware?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the combo averages 122 FPS, with a minimum of 104 FPS and a maximum of 141 FPS. This provides a smooth experience with a comfortable margin above typical refresh rate targets.

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

A: The combination ranks 1,235th out of 3,714 tested combos, placing it in the 66.7th percentile. This means roughly two-thirds of tested systems perform worse, while one-third perform better.

Q: Does the RX 7800 XT's benchmark score align with its in-game performance?

A: The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 24,176 and 51st percentile ranking among all GPUs suggest mid-range standing, yet the measured FPS in Lockdown Protocol are strong at 1080p and 1440p, indicating the game favors this GPU architecture.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates across all presets. Low settings produce an average of 235 FPS, Medium averages 167 FPS with a minimum of 142 and maximum of 192, High averages 146 FPS, and Ultra averages 109 FPS. The 1080p results show a clear progression where each preset step costs roughly 21-40 FPS, with the largest single drop occurring between Medium and High at 21 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong but show the expected resolution penalty. Low averages 172 FPS, Medium averages 122 FPS (minimum 104, maximum 141), High averages 107 FPS, and Ultra averages 80 FPS. The 1440p Medium result of 122 FPS represents a 26.9% reduction from 1080p Medium's 167 FPS, while 1440p Ultra at 80 FPS is 26.6% lower than 1080p Ultra's 109 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limits become apparent. Low averages 111 FPS, Medium averages 79 FPS (minimum 67, maximum 91), High averages 69 FPS, and Ultra drops to 52 FPS. The 4K Low result of 111 FPS is notable because it exceeds the 1440p High result of 107 FPS, demonstrating that lowering settings at 4K can recover performance comparable to higher settings at a lower resolution. The 4K Ultra result of 52 FPS is the only measured average below 60 FPS across the entire dataset, making it the sole configuration where the combo fails to meet the standard smoothness threshold.

The Medium preset provides the most complete data, with min/max values at all three resolutions. At 1080p, the range from 142 to 192 FPS shows a 50 FPS spread, at 1440p the range from 104 to 141 FPS shows a 37 FPS spread, and at 4K the range from 67 to 91 FPS shows a 24 FPS spread. The narrowing range at higher resolutions indicates that frame time consistency improves as the GPU becomes more uniformly loaded, reducing the variance caused by CPU-side spikes.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1,235 out of 3,714 tested combinations places it in the 66.7th percentile of all systems evaluated for Lockdown Protocol. This means 2,479 tested combos perform worse, while 1,234 perform better. The ranking reflects a system that delivers solid, above-average performance without reaching the top tier of hardware configurations.

The CPU's individual standing, at the 79th percentile among all CPUs, is notably higher than the GPU's 51st percentile ranking among all GPUs. This discrepancy suggests that the Radeon RX 7800 XT, despite its strong absolute performance in this game, is the component that holds the combo back from a higher overall rank. The GPU's average benchmark score of 11,627 places it in close competition with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 (11,680, 0.5% faster) and the AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT (11,842, 1.8% faster), while the AMD Radeon Pro 5500M trails by 0.9%.

The CPU's nearest rival comparisons show a different story. The i5-12600KF's average score of 27,799 is essentially tied with the Intel Core i9-10900K (27,872, 0.3% slower) and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D (27,896, 0.3% slower), while marginally ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE (27,712, 0.3% faster). This parity indicates that the CPU is not the limiting factor in the combo's ranking.

Given the GPU's 51st percentile standing versus the CPU's 79th percentile, the system's 66.7th percentile overall rank makes sense—it lands between the two component rankings, weighted by the game's GPU-intensive nature at higher resolutions. At 1080p, where the CPU plays a larger role, the combo's performance likely punches above its overall rank, while at 4K, the GPU's limitations pull it closer to the 51st percentile mark.

Settings Recommendations

For 4K displays, the Medium preset at 79 FPS average (67 minimum) represents the best balance of visual quality and smoothness, as it clears the 60 FPS threshold with a reasonable margin. The High preset at 69 FPS is also viable, but the 10 FPS average improvement from Medium to High comes at the cost of the 12 FPS drop from Low to Medium. The Ultra preset at 52 FPS should be avoided at 4K, as it falls below the playable threshold.

At 1440p, the High preset at 107 FPS offers the best experience for users prioritizing visual fidelity, as it maintains triple-digit frame rates while providing superior image quality over Medium's 122 FPS. The Ultra preset at 80 FPS remains playable and may be preferred by users with high-refresh-rate displays who value consistency over peak frame counts. The Low preset at 172 FPS is excessive for most displays and offers diminishing returns.

For 1080p, the Ultra preset at 109 FPS delivers a fully playable experience with maximum visual settings, making it the recommended choice for users with standard 60Hz or 144Hz monitors. The Medium preset at 167 FPS is ideal for competitive players seeking higher refresh rates, while the Low preset at 235 FPS is only necessary for 240Hz displays where every frame matters. The High preset at 146 FPS sits between these options and provides a solid middle ground for users who want strong visuals without sacrificing too much speed.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset consistently provides the most balanced experience, with the only complete min/max data showing stable frame delivery at every resolution tested. The minimum frame rates at Medium—142 FPS at 1080p, 104 FPS at 1440p, and 67 FPS at 4K—all remain above their respective playability thresholds, making Medium the safest recommendation for users who prioritize consistent performance over absolute visual quality.