Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol is a fast-paced FPS that stresses both the CPU and GPU depending on resolution and settings. This analysis covers the Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, using measured data from the benchmark database. The combo ranks 111th out of 3714 tested combinations in this game, placing it in the top 3% of all systems tested. The data shows a system that delivers high frame rates across all settings, but with clear scaling patterns that reveal where each component takes the lead.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a 10-core, 16-thread processor from the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The cache layout includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache. This processor supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory through a dual-channel memory bus, and it connects via PCIe Gen 4 with 20 lanes from the CPU.

Benchmark results show the i5-12600KF performing near the top of its class. In Cinebench R23, it scores 23391 in multi-core and 3302 in single-core. The 3DMark results tell a similar story: 7956 in the 16-thread test, 7952 in max-threads, and 1016 in single-thread. PassMark multi-thread score is 27575, with a single-thread score of 3925. The average benchmark score across all tests is 27799, placing it in the 79th percentile of all CPUs tested.

Looking at nearest rivals, the i5-12600KF sits within a tight band of performance. It is 0.3% behind the Intel Core i9-10900K and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, both scoring 27872 and 27896 respectively. It is 0.3% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE, which scores 27712. The AMD Ryzen 7 6800U scores 27887, putting the i5-12600KF 0.3% behind that part as well. These deltas are negligible, meaning the CPU's performance is effectively on par with these rivals in general compute workloads.

In Lockdown Protocol specifically, the CPU's 10 cores and 16 threads are sufficient to feed the RTX 4090 at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system hits 308 FPS average, which indicates the CPU is not the bottleneck there. The single-thread performance of 3302 in Cinebench R23 and 3925 in PassMark single-thread helps maintain high frame rates in a game that likely relies on strong per-core performance for game logic and physics. The 20 MB of L3 cache provides a decent buffer for frequently accessed data, though it is not as large as some high-end desktop parts.

The CPU's 79th percentile ranking means it outperforms most CPUs in the database, but it is not a top-tier part. In this pairing, the i5-12600KF is the weaker link compared to the GPU, but it is strong enough to avoid becoming a severe limitation except in the most CPU-bound scenarios, such as 1080p with low graphics settings where the GPU has less work to do.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the flagship of the GeForce 40-series, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using TSMC's 5 nm process. It features 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing 1.01 TB/s of memory bandwidth. The chip, AD102, contains 16384 shading units, 512 texture mapping units, and 176 raster output units. It also has 128 ray tracing cores and 512 tensor cores. The base clock is 2235 MHz with a boost clock of 2520 MHz, and memory runs at 1313 MHz with 21 Gbps effective speed.

The GPU's raw compute capabilities are substantial: 82.58 TFLOPS for both FP32 and FP16, with a pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 1,290.2 GTexel/s. The 450 W TDP requires a suggested 850 W power supply, and the card uses a triple-slot design with a single 16-pin power connector. It supports PCIe 4.0 x16 and outputs via 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a.

In benchmark tests, the RTX 4090 scores 38194 in PassMark G3D and 9223 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. The Geekbench OpenCL score is 255416, and Vulkan score is 271631. The average benchmark score is 60347, placing it in the 88th percentile of all GPUs. Nearest rivals show interesting comparisons: the Intel Arc Pro A60 matches it exactly with a 0% delta and a score of 60326, while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 is 0.3% behind at 60140. The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M is 2.5% ahead at 61896, and the AMD Radeon PRO V710 is 2.9% behind at 58657.

The 24 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for Lockdown Protocol at any resolution or setting. Even at 4K Ultra, the game will not come close to exhausting this memory pool. The 1.01 TB/s bandwidth ensures texture streaming and high-resolution assets are handled without stutter. The boost clock of 2520 MHz, combined with the massive shader count, allows the GPU to push extremely high frame rates, as evidenced by the measured results.

The RTX 4090's 88th percentile ranking confirms it is one of the fastest GPUs in the database. In this combo, the GPU is clearly the dominant component, capable of delivering playable frame rates at 4K Ultra (81 FPS average) and extremely high rates at lower resolutions. The GPU's performance headroom means that when frame rates drop at higher resolutions, it is likely due to the GPU's workload rather than CPU limitations.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 111th out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places the system in the top 2.99% of all configurations tested, which is an excellent result given the CPU is not a top-tier part.

The rank reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU. While the RTX 4090 is near the top of GPU charts, the i5-12600KF is a mid-range to upper-mid-range processor. The 111th rank suggests that a small number of combos outperform this one, likely those pairing the RTX 4090 with higher-end CPUs like the Core i9 or Ryzen 9 series. However, the delta between this combo and those ranked higher is likely small in terms of actual FPS, especially at higher resolutions where the GPU becomes the limiting factor.

The fact that this combo still ranks 111th out of 3714 means it outperforms 3603 other combinations. Many of those will include weaker GPUs, but some will include similar or stronger CPUs with less powerful graphics cards. The data suggests that the i5-12600KF does not significantly hold back the RTX 4090 in this game, or the rank would be lower. The measured FPS numbers confirm this, as the system delivers over 100 FPS at 4K High and over 300 FPS at 1080p Low.

This ranking is a useful reference for builders considering this pairing. It shows that the i5-12600KF is a viable match for the RTX 4090 in Lockdown Protocol, though those seeking the absolute maximum frame rates might consider a stronger CPU. The 111th rank out of 3714 is a strong showing, and the system is clearly capable of high-refresh-rate gaming at 1440p and smooth 4K gameplay.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four settings levels, with averages and some min/max values recorded.

At 1920x1080, the system delivers extremely high frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 308 FPS. Medium settings average 261 FPS, with a minimum of 222 and maximum of 301. High settings average 228 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 171 FPS average. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system has more than enough performance for any high-refresh-rate monitor, even at Ultra settings. The gap between Low and Ultra is 137 FPS, showing the impact of graphics settings on performance.

Moving to 2560x1440, frame rates remain high but show a more pronounced drop. Low settings average 270 FPS, which is 38 FPS lower than at 1080p. Medium settings average 192 FPS, with a minimum of 163 and maximum of 220. High settings average 167 FPS. Ultra settings average 125 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 145 FPS, slightly larger than at 1080p. The 1440p results show that the system can easily handle high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming, with Ultra still exceeding 120 FPS.

At 3840x2160, frame rates drop further but remain playable. Low settings average 174 FPS. Medium settings average 124 FPS, with a minimum of 105 and maximum of 142. High settings average 108 FPS. Ultra settings average 81 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 93 FPS, which is smaller than at lower resolutions. This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is more heavily loaded, and the relative impact of settings changes is reduced.

The min/max data for Medium settings shows consistent frame times across resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the range is 222 to 301 FPS, a spread of 79 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the range is 163 to 220 FPS, a spread of 57 FPS. At 4K Medium, the range is 105 to 142 FPS, a spread of 37 FPS. This tightening of the range at higher resolutions indicates that frame pacing becomes more consistent as the GPU becomes the bottleneck.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals which component is limiting performance at each resolution. At Low settings, the system goes from 308 FPS at 1080p to 270 FPS at 1440p to 174 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 38 FPS (12.3% decrease), while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 96 FPS (35.6% decrease). This pattern indicates that at Low settings, the CPU is still able to feed the GPU adequately at 1080p and 1440p, but the GPU workload at 4K becomes significantly heavier.

At High settings, the scaling is different. The system goes from 228 FPS at 1080p to 167 FPS at 1440p to 108 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 61 FPS (26.8% decrease), and the drop from 1440p to 4K is 59 FPS (35.3% decrease). The more even distribution of performance loss suggests that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor at each resolution step, but the CPU is still contributing at lower resolutions.

Ultra settings show the most significant scaling. From 171 FPS at 1080p to 125 FPS at 1440p to 81 FPS at 4K, the drops are 46 FPS (26.9%) and 44 FPS (35.2%) respectively. The consistent percentage drops indicate that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at Ultra settings across all resolutions.

The overall pattern suggests that at 1080p, the CPU has enough headroom to push high frame rates, but the RTX 4090 is capable of even more than 308 FPS at Low settings if the CPU could keep up. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, as frame rates drop to levels that align with the GPU's rendering capabilities. The 4K Ultra result of 81 FPS is a strong indicator that the RTX 4090 is doing the heavy lifting at that resolution, and the CPU's role is diminished.

For builders, this means the i5-12600KF is adequate for 4K gaming with the RTX 4090, as the GPU will be the bottleneck. At 1080p and 1440p, the CPU becomes more relevant, and those seeking maximum frame rates at these resolutions might benefit from a stronger processor. However, the measured results show that even at 1080p, the system delivers over 300 FPS at Low settings, which is beyond the refresh rate of most monitors.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The system averages 81 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, which is playable for a fast-paced FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D?

A: The i5-12600KF is 0.3% behind the Ryzen 7 5800X3D in average benchmark score, with scores of 27799 and 27896 respectively.

Q: Is the RTX 4090 the limiting factor at 1080p Low settings?

A: No, at 1080p Low the system reaches 308 FPS average, which suggests the CPU is limiting performance since the GPU is capable of higher frame rates.

Q: What is the combo's ranking among all tested systems in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The combo ranks 111th out of 3714 tested combinations, placing it in the top 3% of all systems.

Q: Does the 24 GB VRAM of the RTX 4090 matter for this game?

A: The 24 GB VRAM is far more than Lockdown Protocol requires at any resolution or setting, so it will not be a limiting factor.

Q: What is the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 228 at 1080p to 167 at 1440p to 108 at 4K, a total decrease of 120 FPS from 1080p to 4K.