Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers a high-performance combination for Lockdown Protocol, with the data indicating a system capable of extreme frame rates at 1080p and smooth 4K gameplay. The benchmark results show this combo ranks in the 93rd percentile (rank 261 out of 3714 tested combos), placing it firmly in the top tier for this FPS title. The CPU's hybrid architecture and high boost clocks provide ample headroom for the GPU at lower resolutions, while the RTX 4080's substantial memory bandwidth and compute power become the primary driver of performance as resolution and settings increase.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and boosts up to 5.00 GHz, which is crucial for maintaining high frame rates in Lockdown Protocol's fast-paced gameplay. The chip features a 25 MB shared L3 cache and per-core L1 and L2 caches (80 KB and 1.25 MB per core, respectively), providing the low-latency data access that FPS titles require for consistent frame pacing.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU demonstrates strong multi-threaded performance with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 19784 and a Geekbench multicore score of 15790. Its single-core performance is equally impressive, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1850.5 and a 3DMark single-thread score of 1043. The PassMark multithread score of 34404 and single-thread score of 4013 further confirm its capability. The processor's 3DMark scores show scaling from 2065 in 2-thread tests to 9979 in max-thread tests, indicating efficient utilization of its 20 threads.

For Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p resolution, where the data shows the system achieving 315 FPS on Low settings. At this resolution, the GPU is not the primary bottleneck, and the i7-12700K's high boost clock of 5.00 GHz ensures the CPU can feed the RTX 4080 with enough data to maintain those frame rates. The processor's 84th percentile ranking vs all CPUs (avg benchmark score 35287) places it just 0.1% behind the Intel Core i5-13600T (avg score 35305) and 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i7-12700KF (avg score 35365), showing it is a near-top contender in its class.

At higher resolutions like 1440p and 4K, the CPU's influence diminishes as the GPU becomes the limiting factor. However, the i7-12700K's 20 threads prevent it from becoming a bottleneck even in demanding scenes, as evidenced by the consistent frame rate scaling from 1080p to 1440p across all settings. The processor's support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory through its dual-channel memory bus offers flexibility, though the data does not specify which memory type was used in these tests.

FAQ

Q: How does the Intel Core i7-12700K compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i7-12700K has an average benchmark score of 35287, which is 0.1% lower than the Intel Core i5-13600T (35305) and 0.2% lower than the Intel Core i7-12700KF (35365). It also trails the Intel Core i7-13700T (35403) by 0.3% and the Intel Core 5 213PE (35428) by 0.4%. These deltas are minimal, indicating performance parity among these four CPUs.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination ranks 261st out of 3714 tested combos for this game. This places it in the top 7% of all tested configurations, reflecting its high-end performance in this title.

Q: What is the maximum average FPS achievable at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080 resolution, the highest average FPS is 315, achieved with Low settings. The data shows a clear progression: 315 FPS at Low, 236 FPS at Medium, 206 FPS at High, and 155 FPS at Ultra.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER?

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54247, which is 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER (54209). This means the RTX 4080 is marginally ahead of the SUPER variant based on average scores, though the difference is negligible.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 sits in the 86th percentile vs all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54247. This indicates it outperforms roughly 86% of all GPUs in the benchmark database.

Q: Does the combo deliver playable frame rates at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings, the combo achieves an average of 73 FPS. This is above the 60 FPS threshold commonly considered acceptable for smooth gameplay, though it is the lowest average across all tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p, the combo delivers exceptionally high frame rates across all settings, with the average FPS ranging from 155 at Ultra to 315 at Low. This indicates that at 1080p, the CPU and GPU are both operating near their limits, with the system capable of exceeding 300 FPS when settings are reduced.

Moving to 1440p, there is a noticeable drop in performance. At Ultra settings, the average FPS falls from 155 at 1080p to 113 at 1440p, a decrease of 42 FPS (or about 27%). At Low settings, the drop is more dramatic: from 315 FPS at 1080p to 244 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 71 FPS (about 23%). This scaling suggests that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor at 1440p, though the CPU still has enough headroom to maintain high frame rates.

At 4K resolution, the performance drop becomes more pronounced. Ultra settings yield an average of 73 FPS, down from 113 at 1440p and 155 at 1080p. Low settings at 4K produce 157 FPS, compared to 244 at 1440p and 315 at 1080p. The percentage drops from 1080p to 4K are substantial: Ultra settings drop by 52.9%, High by 52.4%, Medium by 52.5%, and Low by 50.2%. This consistent ~50% reduction across all settings strongly indicates that the RTX 4080's GPU capabilities are the primary limiting factor at 4K, with the CPU playing a diminishing role.

The data also shows that the frame rate deltas between resolution steps are not linear. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS drops by roughly 23-27%, but from 1440p to 4K, the drop is larger at 35-37%. This non-linear scaling is typical of GPU-bound scenarios, where the pixel count increase from 1440p to 4K (2.25x) places significantly more stress on the GPU's rendering pipeline. The RTX 4080's memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s and 16 GB of GDDR6X memory are sufficient to handle 4K textures, but the raw compute power (48.74 TFLOPS FP32) becomes the bottleneck at this resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-12700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination achieves a rank of 261 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the 93rd percentile of all tested configurations, meaning it outperforms approximately 93% of all other CPU-GPU pairings in this game. This ranking is consistent with the high-end positioning of both components, as the CPU sits in the 84th percentile vs all CPUs and the GPU sits in the 86th percentile vs all GPUs.

Breaking down the ranking further, the combo's position suggests that while it is not the absolute top performer (the top 260 combos outperform it), it is well within the range of high-end gaming systems. The data shows that the CPU's nearest rivals score nearly identically, with deltas ranging from -0.1% to -0.4%, meaning the i7-12700K's performance is essentially tied with several other processors. Similarly, the GPU's nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, scores 0.1% lower on average, making this combo's performance nearly indistinguishable from a system with that GPU.

The rank of 261 indicates that this combo is well-suited for Lockdown Protocol at high refresh rates. The measured FPS at 1080p (206 FPS at High, 155 FPS at Ultra) and 1440p (151 FPS at High, 113 FPS at Ultra) are all above the typical 144 Hz refresh rate for gaming monitors, making this combo ideal for competitive play. At 4K, the combo still delivers playable frame rates, with 98 FPS at High and 73 FPS at Ultra, which is respectable for a game of this genre.

It is worth remembering the combo rank is based on measured data (dataIsMeasured: true), not simulated or extrapolated figures. This adds credibility to the ranking and the FPS measurements, as they reflect actual gameplay performance rather than theoretical estimates.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the primary driver of performance in Lockdown Protocol at higher resolutions and settings. This GPU, based on the Ada Lovelace architecture and manufactured on TSMC's 5 nm process, features 9728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, and 112 raster output units. It also includes 76 ray tracing cores and 304 tensor cores, though the game's FPS measurements do not specify whether ray tracing was enabled in these tests.

The GPU's memory configuration is substantial: 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clocks run at 1400 MHz (22.4 Gbps effective), which is sufficient for handling high-resolution textures and complex scenes in Lockdown Protocol. The GPU's boost clock of 2505 MHz (base clock 2205 MHz) allows it to maintain high compute throughput, with a pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 761.5 GTexel/s.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 4080 demonstrates its raw power with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6567, a Geekbench Vulkan score of 263779, and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 214739. The PassMark G3D score of 34457 and GPU Compute score of 20671 further substantiate its performance credentials. The GPU's average benchmark score of 54247 places it in the 86th percentile vs all GPUs.

The RTX 4080's role in Lockdown Protocol becomes increasingly dominant as resolution and settings increase. At 1080p, the CPU's high boost clock can keep up with the GPU, allowing the RTX 4080 to push frame rates up to 315 FPS at Low settings. At 1440p, the GPU's shading units and memory bandwidth are taxed more heavily, resulting in frame rates that are still high but noticeably lower. At 4K, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck, with frame rates dropping to 73 FPS at Ultra settings, indicating that the RTX 4080's compute power is the limiting factor.

The GPU's die size of 379 mm² and 45,900 million transistors provide a strong foundation for gaming performance, and its 320 W TDP is a reasonable power envelope for the performance delivered. The 16 GB VRAM ensures that even the most demanding textures at 4K will not exceed memory capacity, as evidenced by the playable frame rates at 4K Ultra settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo's performance across three resolutions and four settings levels. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves an average of 315 FPS at Low settings, 236 FPS at Medium (with a minimum of 201 and maximum of 272), 206 FPS at High, and 155 FPS at Ultra. The Medium setting data includes a minimum FPS of 201 and maximum of 272, indicating some frame time variance but overall consistent performance.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS decreases to 244 at Low, 173 at Medium (min 147, max 199), 151 at High, and 113 at Ultra. The Medium setting at 1440p shows a wider range between minimum and maximum FPS (147 to 199), suggesting more variability in frame times compared to 1080p. This could be due to more complex scenes or occasional CPU/GPU synchronization issues at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS further drops to 157 at Low, 112 at Medium (min 95, max 129), 98 at High, and 73 at Ultra. The Medium setting at 4K shows the largest gap between minimum (95) and maximum (129) FPS of all tested configurations, indicating that the GPU is being pushed harder and frame times are less consistent. However, even the minimum FPS of 95 at 4K Medium remains above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

The data reveals several key observations. First, the performance gap between Low and Ultra settings is significant at all resolutions: at 1080p, the difference is 160 FPS (315 vs 155); at 1440p, it is 131 FPS (244 vs 113); and at 4K, it is 84 FPS (157 vs 73). This indicates that the game's Ultra settings place a substantial load on the GPU, likely due to increased draw distance, particle effects, and shading complexity.

Second, the frame rate scaling from Low to Medium to High to Ultra is not uniform. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium reduces FPS by 79 (315 to 236), from Medium to High by 30 (236 to 206), and from High to Ultra by 51 (206 to 155). This non-linear pattern suggests that certain settings have a disproportionate impact on performance, with the Low to Medium transition being the most costly.

Third, the minimum FPS data available only for Medium settings across all resolutions shows that the combo maintains acceptable frame rates even in the most demanding moments. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 201 FPS; at 1440p Medium, it is 147 FPS; and at 4K Medium, it is 95 FPS. These minimums are all well above the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that the combo does not suffer from significant frame rate dips in this game.