Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol, a 2024 FPS title, responds strongly to both CPU and GPU headroom, and the Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER demonstrates a broad performance envelope across the tested settings. The measured data reveals a component pairing that can comfortably target high refresh rates at 1440p, while 4K Ultra remains a demanding scenario. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS rows to identify the optimal configuration and the role each component plays in this specific game.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data for Lockdown Protocol indicates that the High preset offers the most balanced experience across all resolutions, effectively bridging the gap between visual fidelity and raw performance. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 191.7 FPS average, which is only 14% lower than the 222.3 FPS achieved at Low, yet it provides a substantial graphical upgrade over the Medium preset's 218.6 FPS. The performance cost of moving from High to Ultra is steep, with the average FPS dropping by 26% to 142 FPS at 1080p, a trend that holds across all resolutions.

For users with high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors, the High preset is the definitive choice. It produces a 140.3 FPS average, which is more than sufficient for smooth gameplay. While the Low preset reaches 222.3 FPS, the visual compromise is generally not worth the 37% performance gain in a fast-paced FPS where clarity matters. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 104.2 FPS, which is still playable but does not leverage the full potential of the hardware, making High the sweet spot.

At 4K, the situation becomes more nuanced. The High preset yields a 90.8 FPS average, which is a respectable result for 3840x2160 resolution. The Medium preset manages 103.2 FPS, but the step down in visual quality is more noticeable at this resolution. The Low preset at 145.1 FPS is the only setting that pushes past the 144Hz threshold at 4K, but it does so by sacrificing most of the game's visual detail. Conversely, the Ultra preset at 70.3 FPS is the only configuration that dips below 60 FPS, indicating that it is too demanding for consistent play. Therefore, High is recommended for its optimal trade-off, while Low serves as a competitive option for maximum frame rates.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is the primary driver of frame rates in Lockdown Protocol, especially as resolution and settings increase. The GPU's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides a 672.3 GB/s bandwidth, which is ample for this title's textures and assets at all tested resolutions. The data shows that the transition from Medium to High settings has a relatively small performance penalty (8-12% depending on resolution), suggesting the GPU has enough memory capacity to handle the increased load without hitting a capacity wall.

The GPU's clock speeds, with a base of 2340 MHz and a boost of 2610 MHz, are crucial for sustaining high FPS figures. The benchmark results indicate that the card is well-utilized across the board, as the FPS scaling from Low to Ultra is consistent and predictable. For instance, at 1080p, the difference between Low (307 FPS) and Ultra (142 FPS) is a 54% reduction, which aligns with the increasing shader and pixel workload. The GPU's performance percentile of 86 places it in the upper echelon of all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 48704 reflects its strong compute capabilities. In Lockdown Protocol, this translates to a card that can handle the game's most demanding presets without becoming the bottleneck until 4K Ultra.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and expected degradation in performance as resolution increases, but the rate of that degradation reveals the balance between the CPU and GPU. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 on the High preset results in a 27% drop in average FPS (from 191.7 to 140.3). This is a significant reduction, indicating that the GPU is becoming more heavily tasked at 1440p. However, the further step to 3840x2160 on the same preset yields a 35% drop (from 140.3 to 90.8), which is a larger proportional decrease.

This pattern suggests that while the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at lower resolutions, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER becomes the limiting factor as pixel count rises. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 307 FPS, a figure that is likely constrained by the CPU's single-thread performance. The i7-12700K's 3dmark_single_thread score of 1043 and passmark_single_thread score of 4013 show it is a strong performer, but even it cannot push beyond that threshold in this scenario. As resolution scales to 1440p and 4K, the GPU's workload increases, and the FPS drops proportionally, confirming that the graphics card is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Lockdown Protocol, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i7-12700K and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER holds a combo rank of 170 out of 1637 tested combos. This places the configuration in the top 10.4% of all systems tested, indicating a high level of overall performance. The rank reflects the synergy between the CPU's strong multi-threaded capabilities (cinebench_r23_multicore score of 29241) and the GPU's high-end rasterization performance.

The individual components also show strong standing relative to their peers. The CPU's percentile vs all CPUs is 89, and its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 and the Intel Core i7-13800H, show a deltaPct of -0.3% and 0.8% respectively, indicating the i7-12700K is essentially on par with these alternatives in synthetic benchmarks. The GPU's percentile vs all GPUs is 86, with a similar performance profile to the NVIDIA CMP 50HX (deltaPct -0.7%) and NVIDIA RTX A2000 (deltaPct 1.6%). The combination of two high-percentile components results in a system that is well-positioned to handle Lockdown Protocol's demands, as evidenced by its strong combo rank.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K plays a critical role in ensuring that the GPU is not starved of data, particularly at lower resolutions and settings. With 12 cores and 20 threads based on the Alder Lake architecture, the CPU provides substantial multi-threaded throughput for game logic and physics. Its boost clock of 5.00 GHz is a key asset for single-threaded tasks, which are often the bottleneck in FPS titles. The benchmark data shows that at 1080p Low, the system reaches 307 FPS, a figure that is likely near the CPU's limit for this game engine, given that the GPU is not fully utilized at this setting.

The CPU's L3 cache of 25 MB shared helps maintain low latency for frequently accessed data, which is beneficial in a fast-paced FPS environment. While the GPU dominates the performance scaling at higher resolutions, the CPU's role cannot be understated. The 3dmark_16_threads score of 9276 and passmark_multithread score of 34404 demonstrate that the i7-12700K can handle the game's background tasks without causing frame drops. In this configuration, the CPU is a capable partner that allows the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER to operate at its full potential, especially at 1440p and 4K where the graphics load is heavier.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured FPS data provides a detailed picture of performance across all settings.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 307 FPS average. This is the absolute maximum the system can achieve, likely limited by the CPU.
• Medium: 218.6 FPS average. A substantial drop from Low, but still extremely high.
• High: 191.7 FPS average. The recommended setting for a balance of quality and speed.
• Ultra: 142 FPS average. The most demanding preset, still providing a high refresh rate experience.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 222.3 FPS average. Remains above 200 FPS, showing the GPU still has headroom.
• Medium: 158.2 FPS average. A 29% reduction from Low, reflecting the increased GPU load.
• High: 140.3 FPS average. The sweet spot for 1440p gaming, comfortably above 120 FPS.
• Ultra: 104.2 FPS average. Dips below the 120 FPS threshold, but still very playable.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 145.1 FPS average. A surprisingly high result for 4K, showing the GPU's strength.
• Medium: 103.2 FPS average. The first setting to drop below 120 FPS at 4K.
• High: 90.8 FPS average. The recommended 4K setting, maintaining smooth gameplay.
• Ultra: 70.3 FPS average. The only configuration that struggles, approaching the 60 FPS baseline.

The data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p is CPU-bound at Low settings, while 4K is heavily GPU-bound across all presets. The 1440p High setting offers the best compromise, with a 140.3 FPS average that leverages both components effectively. The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER's 16 GB VRAM ensures no memory-related stutters even at 4K Ultra, but the 70.3 FPS result indicates that the card's raw compute power is the limiting factor at that extreme setting. Overall, this combination delivers a high-performance experience in Lockdown Protocol, with the data pointing to 1440p High as the optimal configuration for competitive and immersive play.