Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol, a 2024 FPS title, exhibits demanding performance characteristics when paired with the Intel Core i7-12700K and AMD Radeon RX 570. The measured data reveals a configuration that is heavily constrained by the graphics card, particularly at higher resolutions and quality presets. This analysis breaks down the benchmark results to illustrate the specific performance envelope of this hardware combination.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent with a GPU-bound scenario. At the Low preset, the average frame rate falls from 77 FPS at 1920x1080 to 56 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 21 FPS. The decline continues to 36 FPS at 3840x2160, representing a 41 FPS difference from the 1080p baseline. This pattern indicates that the AMD Radeon RX 570's rendering throughput is the primary limiting factor as pixel count increases.

The scaling behavior becomes even more pronounced when examining the Medium preset. Here, the average FPS drops from 54 at 1080p to 40 at 1440p (a 14 FPS loss), and then further to 26 at 4K (another 14 FPS loss). The High preset follows a similar trajectory: 47 FPS at 1080p, 35 FPS at 1440p, and 22 FPS at 4K. The consistent ~20-25% performance penalty for each resolution step up strongly suggests that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are being saturated, rather than any CPU limitation.

Interestingly, the Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling. Starting at 36 FPS in 1080p, it drops to 26 FPS at 1440p and bottoms out at 17 FPS in 4K. The 1080p to 4K transition for Ultra represents a 52.8% reduction in average frame rate. This data confirms that the RX 570, with its 4 GB of GDDR5 memory and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth, cannot sustain playable performance at 4K regardless of settings. The resolution scaling analysis points to a clear conclusion: this combo is designed for 1080p gaming, with 1440p being a stretch goal for lower presets only.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is the definitive bottleneck in this configuration. Its Polaris 20 chip, built on a 14 nm process, features 2048 shading units and a 256-bit memory bus. The GPU's boost clock of 1244 MHz and memory clock of 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective) provide the raw throughput that directly impacts Lockdown Protocol's frame rates. The 4 GB VRAM capacity is a critical constraint; at 4K with Ultra settings, the average FPS collapses to 17, indicating that both memory capacity and bandwidth are overwhelmed.

The GPU's benchmark scores contextualize its position. It holds a 74th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 28766. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6800M, scores 28874, a delta of -0.4%, meaning the RX 570 is essentially performance-equivalent to that mobile part in synthetic tests. More tellingly, the RX 570 is only 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon R9 M295X and 1.2% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000, but 0.8% behind the AMD Radeon RX 470. This places the GPU in a narrow performance band, and Lockdown Protocol's measured FPS reflects this mid-range capability.

The data shows that the RX 570's 5.095 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is insufficient for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1440p or above. At 1080p, the GPU manages an average of 77 FPS on Low settings, which is respectable, but this drops to 47 FPS on High. The 4 GB memory is also a limiting factor; the difference between Low and Medium at 1080p is 23 FPS (77 vs 54), suggesting that texture and geometry data spill over into slower memory access patterns as quality increases. For a game like Lockdown Protocol, the GPU's role is clear: it provides playable frame rates only at 1080p, and even then, only with reduced settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal experience for this hardware combination is the Low preset at 1920x1080. This configuration delivers an average of 77 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded across all tested settings and resolutions. The data indicates that this is the only setup that approaches high-refresh-rate territory, and it does so without sacrificing the ability to respond quickly in a fast-paced FPS environment.

For users who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 offers a balanced compromise. With an average of 54 FPS and a minimum of 46 FPS, this setting remains playable, though it drops below the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset at 1080p, averaging 47 FPS, is marginally less smooth but still viable for single-player or slower-paced modes. However, the Ultra preset at 1080p, with its 36 FPS average, falls into a range where responsiveness may feel sluggish.

The data strongly advises against 1440p and 4K for any preset except Low. At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 56 FPS, which is playable, but Medium drops to 40 FPS and High to 35 FPS. At 3840x2160, even the Low preset only achieves 36 FPS, and Ultra falls to a stutter-prone 17 FPS. The recommendation is to stay at 1080p; for those who must use a higher resolution, Low settings are the only viable option, and even then, the experience will be below 60 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured frame rates provides a detailed picture of performance across the nine tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the Low preset leads with 77 FPS average. Medium follows at 54 FPS, with a recorded minimum of 46 FPS and maximum of 63 FPS. High achieves 47 FPS average, and Ultra trails at 36 FPS. These four data points demonstrate a clear linear degradation as settings increase, with a total drop of 41 FPS from Low to Ultra.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 56 FPS (Low), 40 FPS (Medium, with min/max of 34/46), 35 FPS (High), and 26 FPS (Ultra). The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 30 FPS, but the absolute numbers are lower. At 3840x2160, the performance is severely constrained: Low averages 36 FPS, Medium 26 FPS (with min/max of 22/30), High 22 FPS, and Ultra 17 FPS. The minimum FPS values for Medium presets (22 at 4K, 34 at 1440p, 46 at 1080p) indicate that frame pacing becomes inconsistent at higher resolutions, which can lead to noticeable hitches.

The data also reveals that the jump from 1080p to 1440p has a more significant impact than the jump from 1440p to 4K in relative terms. For example, on Low settings, the percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is 27.3%, while from 1440p to 4K it is 35.7%. This non-linear scaling suggests that the GPU's memory subsystem is the primary constraint, as bandwidth requirements grow faster than pixel count alone.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this CPU/GPU combo?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 77, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low preset. This is the only configuration that exceeds 60 FPS in the tested data.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this hardware?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the best average FPS is 36 on Low settings, which drops to 17 FPS on Ultra. These frame rates are below acceptable playability thresholds for an FPS game.

Q: How does the RX 570 compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 570 has an average benchmark score of 28766. Its closest competitor, the AMD Radeon RX 6800M, scores 28874, a difference of -0.4%. The RX 570 is also 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon R9 M295X.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 77 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 36 FPS. This represents a 41 FPS difference, or a 53.2% reduction in average frame rate.

Q: Does the CPU limit performance in any tested configuration?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The consistent FPS drops across resolutions and settings suggest that the Intel Core i7-12700K's processing power is sufficient, as the frame rate scales directly with GPU workload.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded in the entire dataset?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 22, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with the Medium preset. The average FPS for this configuration is 26.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K serves as the supporting component in this pairing, and the benchmark data shows it is not the bottleneck. With 12 cores and 20 threads, this Alder Lake-S processor features a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. Its 25 MB of shared L3 cache and support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory provide ample headroom for feeding the RX 570 with draw calls and game logic.

The CPU's benchmark scores reinforce its capability. It holds an 84th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35287. In Cinebench R23, it scores 19784 in multi-core and 1850.5 in single-core tests. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-13600T, scores 35305, a negligible delta of -0.1%. This places the i7-12700K in a performance tier where it can handle the most demanding CPU-bound scenarios in Lockdown Protocol without breaking a sweat.

The measured FPS data confirms that the CPU is not the limiting factor. If the CPU were the constraint, we would expect to see similar frame rates across different resolutions at the same settings. Instead, the FPS drops dramatically as resolution increases (e.g., 77 FPS at 1080p Low vs. 36 FPS at 4K Low), which is the signature of a GPU bottleneck. The i7-12700K's high single-thread performance (1850.5 in Cinebench R23 single-core) is particularly relevant for an FPS game, where per-frame processing is critical. The data shows that the CPU can maintain high frame rates in less demanding visual settings, with the 77 FPS result at 1080p Low being proof of its processing power.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Lockdown Protocol, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i7-12700K and AMD Radeon RX 570 holds a rank of 3544 out of 3714 total combos. This places it in the 4.6th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning that 95.4% of other hardware combinations perform better in this game. The data clearly indicates that while the CPU is a high-end part (84th percentile overall), the GPU's mid-range standing (74th percentile) drags the combined performance down significantly.

The combo rank of 3544 is a direct reflection of the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions. Given that the RX 570 is an end-of-life product from 2017, its performance in a 2024 FPS title is expected to be modest. The data shows that this combination is best suited for 1080p gaming at Low settings, where it can achieve 77 FPS. At any other resolution or setting, the frame rates fall below 60 FPS, which is the typical threshold for smooth gameplay in competitive shooters.

The rank also contextualizes the GPU's position relative to its synthetic benchmark rivals. The RX 570's average benchmark score of 28766 is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the RX 6800M (28874, -0.4% delta), yet in Lockdown Protocol, this level of performance results in a bottom-tier ranking. This suggests that the game is particularly demanding on GPU resources, and the 4 GB VRAM capacity of the RX 570 is a severe disadvantage. For users with this hardware, the data advises staying within the 1080p Low preset to maximize playability, as any attempt to increase quality or resolution will result in frame rates that are not competitive for an FPS title.