Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 delivers a highly capable Lockdown Protocol experience, but the data reveals a system that shifts character dramatically depending on the settings and resolution selected. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 217.5 FPS, a figure that highlights the CPU’s strength in this FPS title. However, pushing the resolution to 4K with Ultra settings drops the average to 49.9 FPS, indicating a significant transfer of the performance bottleneck to the GPU. This analysis breaks down the measured results across the full matrix of resolutions and settings, interpreting what the numbers say about the interplay between the processor, graphics card, and the game’s engine demands.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and consistent pattern: as resolution increases, the average frame rate falls, and the magnitude of that fall is heavily influenced by the chosen graphics settings. At Low settings, the progression from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 sees the average FPS drop from 217.5 to 158.3, a reduction of 59.2 FPS. Moving further to 3840x2160 brings the average down to 100.7, a substantial 116.8 FPS decrease from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline at Low settings suggests that the GPU is being pushed harder at higher resolutions, even when the visual fidelity is minimal.

The scaling pattern under High settings is similarly pronounced, though the absolute numbers are lower. The average FPS at 1920x1080 is 133.5, which drops to 96.9 at 2560x1440 and then to 62.8 at 3840x2160. This represents a 70.7 FPS difference between the lowest and highest resolutions tested. The trend indicates that the RTX 3070’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and its 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are being taxed more heavily as pixel count increases, making the GPU the primary limiting component at 4K in this configuration.

Ultra settings exhibit the most dramatic scaling, with the average FPS falling from 98.8 at 1080p to 76.0 at 1440p, and finally to 49.9 at 4K. This 48.9 FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is the largest absolute decrease across any settings tier, reinforcing that the combination of high resolution and maximum visual quality places an overwhelming load on the graphics subsystem. The data indicates that while the i5-12600KF can maintain high frame rates at lower resolutions, the RTX 3070 becomes the definitive limiting factor when trying to sustain 60 FPS at 4K with Ultra settings, as the 49.9 average falls short of that threshold.

CPU Role

The i5-12600KF is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. Its benchmark results show strong multi-threaded capability, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23444 and a single-core score of 3309. In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU’s role is most apparent at the lower resolution and settings combinations, where the GPU has less work to do and the processor can feed frames more rapidly.

At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 217.5 FPS, a result that speaks to the CPU’s ability to handle the game’s logic and draw calls without becoming a bottleneck. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 7956 and the 8-thread score of 6128 indicate that the processor has ample headroom for the multi-threaded workloads typical of modern FPS games. However, the data also shows that this headroom is not fully utilized at higher resolutions, as the frame rate becomes increasingly constrained by the GPU.

Comparing the i5-12600KF to its nearest rivals, the benchmark data shows it is virtually identical to the Intel Core i9-10900K, with a deltaPct of 0 and an average benchmark score of 27827 versus 27829. It also sits close to the Intel Core i5-12600K, which has a deltaPct of -0.1 and a score of 27851. This suggests that the CPU is performing at the expected level for its class, and in Lockdown Protocol, its 10 cores and 16 threads are sufficient to support high frame rates, particularly at 1080p where the 217.5 FPS Low setting result demonstrates no significant processor limitation.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achieved by this combo in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 217.5, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K resolution?

A: It depends on the settings. At 4K with High settings, the average FPS is 62.8, which is above 60. With Ultra settings, the average drops to 49.9, which is below the 60 FPS target.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rival in terms of overall benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core i5-12600KF has an average benchmark score of 27827, which is identical to the Intel Core i9-10900K’s score of 27829, resulting in a deltaPct of 0.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between 1080p and 4K at Medium settings?

A: At Medium settings, the average FPS at 1920x1080 is 155.1, while at 3840x2160 it is 70.5, a difference of 84.6 FPS.

Q: What is the GPU’s percentile ranking compared to all tested GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 has a percentile of 72, meaning it performs better than 72% of all GPUs in the benchmark database.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 compare to the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT in average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 3070 has an average benchmark score of 28238, while the RX 6600 XT has a score of 27985, giving the RTX 3070 a deltaPct of 0.9 ahead.

How This Combo Ranks

In the comprehensive database of tested hardware combinations for Lockdown Protocol, the Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 pair ranks at position 762 out of a total of 1637 combos. This places the system in the upper-middle portion of the field, indicating that while it is not at the very top tier of performance, it is certainly above average for this game. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU, and the measured FPS data shows that the system is capable of providing a smooth experience at 1080p and 1440p across most settings.

The ranking is influenced by the GPU’s 72nd percentile standing and the CPU’s 84th percentile among all processors. The combination of a high-performing CPU and a solid mid-range GPU results in a system that can handle the game well, but the 4K Ultra performance, with an average of 49.9 FPS, is a limiting factor that prevents a higher overall rank. The 762nd position out of 1637 suggests that there are many faster combos, but also a significant number of slower ones, and the data indicates that this pairing is best suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1080p or 1440p rather than maximum settings at 4K.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is built on the Ampere architecture with a GA104 chip, featuring 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 96 raster operation pipelines. It has a base clock of 1500 MHz and a boost clock of 1725 MHz, with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The GPU’s compute capability is rated at 20.31 TFLOPS for FP32 operations, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4, and OpenGL 4.6. Its average benchmark score is 28238, placing it in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU’s role becomes more pronounced as resolution and settings increase. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 217.5 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to 49.9 FPS. This 167.6 FPS difference highlights how the RTX 3070’s memory bandwidth and compute resources are saturated by the higher pixel counts and more demanding visual effects. The GPU’s nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT, has a slightly lower average score of 27985, with a deltaPct of 0.9, indicating that the RTX 3070 holds a small but consistent performance advantage.

The data suggests that the RTX 3070 is the primary determinant of performance at 4K, where the CPU is less likely to be the bottleneck. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the average FPS of 62.8 is close to the 60 FPS target, but at Ultra, the 49.9 average indicates the GPU is struggling to keep up with the game’s maximum demands. The 8 GB VRAM capacity may also be a factor at 4K Ultra, as the higher texture and geometry loads can push memory usage towards the limit.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 217.5 at Low settings to 98.8 at Ultra settings. The Medium setting produces an average of 155.1 FPS, while High yields 133.5 FPS. These numbers show that at 1080p, the system is capable of very high frame rates, easily exceeding the refresh rate of most standard monitors, and even the Ultra setting stays above 90 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the averages drop but remain strong. Low settings produce 158.3 FPS, Medium yields 109.9 FPS, High is at 96.9 FPS, and Ultra falls to 76.0 FPS. This resolution appears to be the sweet spot for the combo, as even the most demanding setting maintains an average above 75 FPS, which is suitable for a high-refresh-rate 1440p monitor. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at each settings tier is consistent, with reductions of approximately 27% to 30% in average FPS.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes more variable. Low settings still deliver a playable 100.7 FPS, and Medium drops to 70.5 FPS. High settings produce 62.8 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS line, but Ultra brings the average down to 49.9 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 50.8 FPS, showing that the graphics card’s performance is heavily dependent on the visual load. The data indicates that for a locked 60 FPS experience at 4K, the user would need to stick with Medium settings or below, while High settings are borderline.