Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol Performance Analysis: Intel Core i5-12600KF + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060

This combination of the Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 delivers a playable experience across most settings in Lockdown Protocol, a 2024-released FPS title. The measured data shows the system ranking 1351 out of 1637 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the benchmark database. The RTX 2060, which sits at the 58th percentile of all GPUs, is the primary constraint at higher resolutions, while the i5-12600KF's strong multi-threaded performance (84th percentile among CPUs) ensures the processor is rarely the bottleneck.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark results reveal a clear hierarchy across the four tested presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 142.8 FPS, while Medium achieves 101.1 FPS, High reaches 92.8 FPS, and Ultra drops to 68.5 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium costs roughly 41 FPS, but the subsequent step to High only loses about 8 FPS more. This suggests that Medium provides the most balanced experience at 1080p, retaining 71% of the Low preset's performance while likely offering substantially better visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the pattern shifts. Low produces 105.3 FPS, Medium 78.2 FPS, High 66.3 FPS, and Ultra 52.7 FPS. The Medium preset here still holds above the 60 FPS threshold, making it the recommended choice for smooth gameplay at this resolution. High remains playable but approaches the edge of competitive viability, while Ultra falls below 60 FPS.

For 3840x2160, the situation changes dramatically. Low yields 66.9 FPS, Medium 51.6 FPS, High 41.9 FPS, and Ultra 32.1 FPS. Only the Low preset maintains a consistently playable frame rate at 4K. Players prioritizing visual quality over frame rate might accept Medium's 51.6 FPS, but the data indicates that 4K gaming with this combination requires significant graphical compromises.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 features 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its Turing architecture includes 1920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output pipelines, with 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores supporting hardware-accelerated ray tracing and DLSS. The GPU's boost clock reaches 1680 MHz, with a base clock of 1365 MHz, and the 12 nm chip contains 10,800 million transistors on a 445 mm² die.

The measured FPS data indicates that this GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases. At 1080p Ultra, the GPU produces 68.5 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it falls to 32.1 FPS — a reduction of over 53%. The gap between Low and Ultra presets also widens with resolution: at 1080p, Ultra delivers 48% of Low's performance, while at 4K, Ultra manages only 48% of Low's 66.9 FPS. This scaling behavior is consistent with a GPU that has sufficient memory bandwidth for moderate resolutions but struggles with the pixel throughput demands of 4K.

In the benchmark database, the RTX 2060 scores 16074 on average, placing it near the AMD Radeon RX 7600S (15996, 0.5% ahead) and slightly behind the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and Pro 5700 (both 16351, 1.7% ahead). The GPU's 58th percentile ranking among all GPUs reflects its mid-range positioning in the current landscape.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 1440p to 4K reveals how the system's performance degrades with increasing pixel counts. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 142.8 FPS at 1080p to 105.3 FPS at 1440p (a 26% reduction) and then to 66.9 FPS at 4K (a further 36% reduction from 1440p). The total drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is 53%.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is more severe. The system produces 68.5 FPS at 1080p, 52.7 FPS at 1440p (23% lower), and 32.1 FPS at 4K (39% lower than 1440p). The overall reduction from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra amounts to 53%, mirroring the Low preset's total scaling loss.

This consistent ~53% reduction across settings suggests that resolution scaling is primarily GPU-bound. The RTX 2060's 6 GB frame buffer and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth become increasingly inadequate as pixel count grows, particularly at Ultra settings where texture memory and fill rate demands peak. The i5-12600KF's high single-thread performance (1016 in 3DMark single-thread, 3309 in Cinebench R23 single-core) ensures that CPU-side bottlenecks do not compound the GPU's limitations at lower resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset for consistent 60+ FPS at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 delivers 78.2 FPS, which comfortably exceeds the 60 FPS threshold. High settings at 66.3 FPS also achieve this, but with less headroom for demanding scenes.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Lockdown Protocol?

A: Only at Low settings, where it produces 66.9 FPS. Medium drops to 51.6 FPS, High to 41.9 FPS, and Ultra to 32.1 FPS, making 4K gaming feasible only with significant visual compromises.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 16074 is essentially tied with the AMD Radeon RX 7600S (15996, 0.5% lower) and slightly behind the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and Pro 5700 (both 16351, 1.7% higher). The AMD Radeon Pro W5500 trails at 15786, 1.8% lower.

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

A: Low settings produce 142.8 FPS, while Ultra produces 68.5 FPS — a difference of 74.3 FPS. This means Ultra delivers only 48% of the Low preset's performance at 1080p.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck in this configuration?

A: The i5-12600KF's benchmark scores (23444 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, 3309 in single-core) place it at the 84th percentile of all CPUs. The data shows consistent GPU-bound scaling across resolutions, indicating the CPU does not limit performance in this title.

Q: How does the system rank among tested combinations for Lockdown Protocol?

A: This CPU/GPU combo ranks 1351 out of 1637 tested combinations, placing it in the lower third of the database. This reflects the RTX 2060's mid-range positioning rather than CPU limitations.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. Its hybrid design combines performance and efficiency cores, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. The CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration, and its 20 MB shared L3 cache, along with 1.25 MB L2 per core and 80 KB L1 per core, provides ample data storage for game workloads.

Benchmark results show strong multi-threaded capability: the CPU scores 23444 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 9846 in R20 multi-core, with a PassMark multi-thread score of 27575. Single-thread performance is equally robust, with 3309 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 3925 in PassMark single-thread. The 3DMark results demonstrate scaling from 1995 in the 2-thread test to 7956 in the 16-thread test, indicating efficient thread utilization across the core count.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role appears secondary to GPU limitations. At 1080p Low, where GPU load is lightest, the system hits 142.8 FPS — a figure that suggests the CPU can feed the GPU adequately at high frame rates. The processor's 84th percentile ranking places it near the Intel Core i9-10900K (27829 average score, 0% difference) and Intel Core i5-12600K (27851, -0.1%), while slightly ahead of the Intel Core i7-13700H (27716, 0.4%). This parity with newer and higher-tier processors confirms that the i5-12600KF provides ample headroom for this GPU pairing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce 142.8 FPS, which drops to 101.1 FPS at Medium — a 29% reduction. High settings yield 92.8 FPS, only 8% lower than Medium, while Ultra falls to 68.5 FPS, a 26% drop from High. The progression from Low to Ultra represents a total performance loss of 52%.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates scale down proportionally. Low achieves 105.3 FPS, Medium 78.2 FPS (26% lower), High 66.3 FPS (15% lower than Medium), and Ultra 52.7 FPS (21% lower than High). The total reduction from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 50%. Notably, the gap between High and Ultra narrows compared to 1080p, suggesting diminishing returns from the highest preset at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes heavily taxed. Low settings produce 66.9 FPS, which is the only preset to maintain playable frame rates. Medium drops to 51.6 FPS (23% lower), High to 41.9 FPS (19% lower than Medium), and Ultra to 32.1 FPS (23% lower than High). The cumulative loss from Low to Ultra at 4K is 52%, consistent with other resolutions.

Comparing across resolutions, the Low preset shows the least absolute drop from 1080p to 4K (75.9 FPS lost), while Medium loses 49.5 FPS, High loses 50.9 FPS, and Ultra loses 36.4 FPS. The Ultra preset's smaller absolute loss reflects its already-low baseline at 1080p, where the GPU is already near its limits. These measured results establish clear expectations for this hardware combination: 1080p gaming is viable at all presets, 1440p requires Medium or below for consistent 60+ FPS, and 4K demands Low settings for smooth gameplay.