Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol is a 2024-released FPS that stresses the combination of an Intel Core i7-12700K and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060. The measured data reveals a system that is heavily balanced toward the GPU at higher resolutions but shows signs of CPU limitation at 1080p. This analysis examines the benchmark rows to understand how the components interact, where the bottlenecks reside, and what settings offer the optimal experience.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, indicating that the rendering load scales aggressively with pixel count. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 202.1 at 1920x1080 to 96.2 at 3840x2160, a reduction of over 52%. This halving of performance suggests a strong dependency on the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth, which are being saturated as resolution increases. The RTX 5060’s 448.0 GB/s bandwidth and 119.9 GPixel/s pixel rate become the limiting factors, as the data shows the GPU is the primary constraint at 4K.

Moving from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160, the High preset drops from 91.7 FPS to 60 FPS, a 34.5% decline. This is a sharper drop than the 1440p to 1080p transition, where High goes from 124.9 FPS to 91.7 FPS (a 26.6% decrease). The pattern implies that the GPU’s compute units, the 3840 shading units, are progressively overwhelmed. At 1080p, the frame rates are high enough that the CPU’s role becomes more significant. The Core i7-12700K, with its 12 cores and 20 threads, is capable, but the data suggests that at 1920x1080 Low, the 202.1 FPS figure is approaching the ceiling of what this CPU can feed to the GPU in this title.

The scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution shows a consistent cost for visual fidelity. At 4K, the jump from Low (96.2 FPS) to Ultra (45.9 FPS) represents a 52.3% performance penalty. This indicates that the Ultra preset introduces effects that heavily tax the GPU, likely related to ray tracing or advanced shading, which the 30 RT cores must process. The result is that the combo is only playable at 4K on the Low preset, while 1440p and 1080p offer more headroom for higher settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The benchmark database places this specific CPU-GPU pairing at rank 800 out of 1637 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol. This percentile placement, roughly in the middle of the pack, suggests that while the hardware is modern, it is not an outlier in terms of raw performance for this specific title. The RTX 5060 holds a percentile of 73 among all GPUs, while the Core i7-12700K sits at the 89th percentile among CPUs. This discrepancy is telling: the processor is more powerful relative to its peers than the graphics card is to its own competition.

The GPU’s nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT with a deltaPct of 0, meaning the RTX 5060 matches its average benchmark score almost exactly. Also present are the AMD Radeon RX 570 (deltaPct -0.2) and the NVIDIA Tesla M60 (deltaPct 0.5). These comparisons show that the RTX 5060 is positioned in a competitive segment where performance differences are within a fraction of a percent. For the CPU, the nearest rival is the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 with a deltaPct of -0.3, indicating the 12700K is slightly slower, while the Intel Core i7-13700T is 0.6% faster based on average scores.

The rank of 800 suggests that the combination is well-balanced but not exceptional in this game. The data implies that the GPU is the limiting factor for achieving higher ranks, as its 73rd percentile is lower than the CPU’s 89th. If a different GPU were paired with this CPU, the combo rank would likely improve, but with the RTX 5060, the system lands in the median tier of tested configurations. This is not a negative verdict, but rather a factual observation that the pairing achieves mid-pack standing in Lockdown Protocol.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS values across presets and resolutions allow for clear recommendations based on target frame rates. For a 60 FPS experience, the data shows that 4K High achieves exactly 60.0 FPS, making it a viable option for players with 60Hz displays who prioritize resolution. However, the 4K Medium preset at 68.1 FPS offers a slight buffer, and 4K Low at 96.2 FPS is the only 4K preset that provides a comfortable margin above 60.

At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers 91.7 FPS, which is suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 66.2 FPS, which is still playable but sacrifices the smoothness that the resolution can offer. For competitive play, 1440p Low at 145.2 FPS is the best option, providing a significant FPS advantage over High. The 1920x1080 resolution is where the combo shines for esports-style play. The Low preset hits 202.1 FPS, and even High achieves 124.9 FPS. Medium at 143.4 FPS offers a good balance between visual quality and speed.

The best experience per the measured rows appears to be 1440p High. This preset provides 91.7 FPS, which is well above 60, and the visual uplift from Low is substantial. The 1080p Medium preset at 143.4 FPS is also compelling for those who prefer maximum smoothness without dropping to the lowest settings. The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution unless the user accepts the frame rate penalty, as it consistently yields the lowest FPS in the dataset, including a 45.9 FPS dip at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The dataset provides a complete matrix of average FPS across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the results are: Low at 202.1 FPS, Medium at 143.4 FPS, High at 124.9 FPS, and Ultra at 93.7 FPS. This shows a clear degradation curve, with the difference between Low and Medium being 58.7 FPS, while the difference between High and Ultra is 31.2 FPS. The scaling is not linear, suggesting that the Ultra preset introduces disproportionately heavy effects.

At 2560x1440, the values are: Low at 145.2 FPS, Medium at 103.8 FPS, High at 91.7 FPS, and Ultra at 66.2 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 41.4 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 25.5 FPS. The pattern persists, with each preset tier adding a consistent load. At 3840x2160, the figures are: Low at 96.2 FPS, Medium at 68.1 FPS, High at 60.0 FPS, and Ultra at 45.9 FPS. Here, the gaps are 28.1 FPS between Low and Medium, and 14.1 FPS between High and Ultra.

Comparing the same preset across resolutions, the Low preset shows a decline from 202.1 to 145.2 to 96.2 FPS as resolution increases. This represents a 28.1% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 33.7% drop from 1440p to 4K. The High preset declines from 124.9 to 91.7 to 60.0 FPS, which is a 26.6% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 34.6% drop from 1440p to 4K. The Ultra preset shows the steepest relative decline at 4K, going from 93.7 to 66.2 to 45.9 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a GB206 chip manufactured on a 5 nm process. It features 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The memory clock is listed at 1750 MHz with 28 Gbps effective speed. The base clock is 2280 MHz, with a boost clock of 2497 MHz. These specifications directly influence the measured results.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is a critical factor at 4K resolution. The data shows that the Ultra preset at 3840x2160 drops to 45.9 FPS, which is likely due to the memory being fully utilized, forcing the GPU to manage texture data more slowly. The 128-bit bus width is narrow, but the GDDR7 speed compensates, and the 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for 1440p High, which achieves 91.7 FPS. The GPU’s 19.18 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is a measure of its raw shader throughput, and the scaling from Low to High at 1440p (145.2 to 91.7 FPS) shows that this compute is being taxed by the higher settings.

The RTX 5060’s 30 RT cores are likely responsible for the significant performance hit when moving from High to Ultra. The Ultra preset is the only one that drops below the 60 FPS threshold at 1440p (66.2 FPS) and falls to 45.9 FPS at 4K. The boost clock of 2497 MHz is the maximum speed, but sustained loads may not reach this, depending on thermals and power limits. The GPU’s 145 W TDP and 300 W suggested PSU indicate a power-efficient design, but the data does not show thermal throttling, as the FPS values are consistent with what the clocks suggest.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12-core, 20-thread processor from the Alder Lake-S family, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. It has 25 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory. The CPU’s single-thread performance, as measured by Geekbench at 2561, is strong, which is important for a game like Lockdown Protocol that relies on a main game thread.

The data suggests that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at 4K, as the FPS drops are consistent with GPU load. However, at 1080p Low, the 202.1 FPS result is high enough that the CPU’s ability to process draw calls and game logic becomes a limiting factor. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 29241 shows the CPU’s multi-threaded capability, but the game may not utilize all 20 threads effectively. The 3dmark single-thread score of 1043 is a more relevant indicator for this scenario.

The 12 cores are a mix of performance and efficiency cores, but the game likely uses the performance cores primarily. The boost clock of 5.00 GHz is the ceiling, and the data shows that the CPU can feed the GPU sufficiently at lower resolutions to achieve 202.1 FPS. The percentile of 89 among all CPUs indicates that this processor is in the top tier, but the combo rank of 800 shows that the GPU is the limiting factor in achieving a higher ranking. If a faster GPU were used, the CPU would likely support higher frame rates at 1080p, but the current pairing is balanced enough to avoid severe stuttering, as there are no min FPS values reported.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve a smooth 60 FPS experience?

A: The data shows that 4K High achieves exactly 60.0 FPS, making it the highest resolution that can hit the 60 FPS target on the High preset. For a more consistent frame rate, 1440p High delivers 91.7 FPS, and 1080p Ultra reaches 93.7 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 5060 compare to its nearest rival in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 5060 has an average benchmark score of 30109, and its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT with a deltaPct of 0, meaning their average scores are effectively identical. The NVIDIA Tesla M60 is 0.5% faster, while the AMD Radeon RX 570 is 0.2% slower.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary limit at 4K, where the FPS drops significantly with higher settings. At 1080p Low, the 202.1 FPS result suggests the CPU is more involved. The CPU’s 89th percentile versus the GPU’s 73rd percentile supports that the GPU holds back the combo from a higher rank.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 145.2 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 66.2 FPS. This represents a performance penalty of 79.0 FPS, or roughly 54.4% lower performance when using the Ultra preset.

Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 5060 have, and does it affect 4K performance?

A: The RTX 5060 has 8 GB of GDDR7 memory. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 45.9, which is the lowest measured value in the dataset. This suggests the 8 GB capacity is a limiting factor at the highest resolution and settings, as the GPU struggles to maintain performance.

Q: Where does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 combination ranks 800th out of 1637 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the middle of the database, indicating a balanced but not top-tier setup for this specific game.