Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT delivers a solid 1080p and 1440p experience in Lockdown Protocol, but the data shows that 4K Ultra is a stretch too far for this combination. The measured FPS reveals a system where the GPU is the primary constraint at higher resolutions, while the CPU provides ample headroom to push high frame rates when the graphics load is reduced. This combo ranks in the 832nd position out of 1637 tested combinations, placing it just above the midpoint of the database.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K produces a steep performance cliff that clearly identifies the graphics card as the limiting factor. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 121.7 FPS at 1920x1080 to 89.4 FPS at 2560x1440, then falls further to 59.3 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 51% reduction in frame rate when moving from 1080p to 4K, which is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. The data indicates that the RX 6750 XT simply runs out of pixel-pushing capability as the resolution increases.

The scaling pattern becomes even more telling when examining the Low settings results. At 1920x1080 Low, the combo achieves 198.1 FPS, which drops to 150 FPS at 1440p and 94.7 FPS at 4K. The fact that even at Low settings the 4K frame rate is less than half of the 1080p figure proves that the rendering load is overwhelming the GPU regardless of the graphical complexity. The CPU is not the bottleneck here; the 12-core i7-12700KF has plenty of headroom to feed frames at these rates.

Interestingly, the gap between resolutions narrows at Ultra settings. The 1080p Ultra result of 92.9 FPS falls to 69.4 FPS at 1440p and 45.3 FPS at 4K. This tighter spread suggests that at the highest settings, both the CPU and GPU are working harder, but the GPU is still the dominant constraint. For players targeting 4K, the data suggests that Medium settings at 67.5 FPS is the practical ceiling, while High settings at 59.3 FPS is borderline playable.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with a 7 nm process from TSMC. It packs 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2150 MHz with a boost clock of 2600 MHz, and a game clock of 2495 MHz. These specifications are reflected in the benchmark results, where the card scores 20700 in Passmark G3D and 80 in Passmark DirectX 12 tests.

The memory configuration is particularly relevant for Lockdown Protocol. The 12 GB capacity is sufficient for high-resolution textures, but the 192-bit bus width limits memory bandwidth compared to wider implementations. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the combo manages only 45.3 FPS, which suggests the card is simultaneously struggling with both compute throughput and memory bandwidth. The 40 ray tracing cores and 2560 shading units provide the raw compute, but the 64 ROPs appear to be a limiting factor at high pixel counts.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 79 against all GPUs puts it in the upper-middle tier. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 5600M with a deltaPct of 0.2, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 at a deltaPct of -1.3. This means the RX 6750 XT is roughly 1.3% behind the RTX 3080 in average benchmark score, which is a surprisingly small gap given the generational difference. The 13.31 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 416.0 GTexel/s texture rate are competitive figures for this class.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF provides 12 cores and 20 threads from the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This processor is clearly not the limiting factor in Lockdown Protocol, as evidenced by the high frame rates achieved at lower resolutions. The 25 MB of shared L3 cache and the dual-channel DDR4/DDR5 memory support give it ample bandwidth for feeding the GPU.

The CPU's benchmark scores are strong across the board. It achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 28979 and a single-core score of 4091, placing it in the 89th percentile against all CPUs. The Passmark multithread score of 34092 and single-thread score of 3984 further confirm its capability. The 3DMark results show excellent scaling from 2065 in the 2-thread test to 9983 in the max-thread test, indicating that all 20 threads are being utilized effectively.

When compared to its nearest rivals, the i7-12700KF holds its own. It is only 0.1% behind the Intel Core i5-14400 and 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core i5-13600T in average benchmark score. The Core i7-13800H is 0.2% ahead, and the Core i9-12900HX is 0.2% behind. This clustering suggests that the 12700KF sits right in the sweet spot of performance for modern gaming workloads, providing enough single-thread speed for high-FPS scenarios and enough multi-thread power for background tasks.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the i7-12700KF and RX 6750 XT achieves a rank of 832 out of 1637 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the 51st percentile of all combinations, which is remarkably close to the median. The data suggests that while this pairing is competent, it does not stand out as a particularly high-performing combination for this specific game.

The ranking is somewhat surprising given the individual component strengths. The CPU is in the 89th percentile and the GPU is in the 79th percentile, yet the combined result lands almost exactly in the middle of the pack. This indicates that Lockdown Protocol may be more sensitive to other factors, such as memory speed or storage performance, than to raw CPU and GPU power alone. The deltaPct values from the nearest rivals suggest that small performance differences are common at this tier.

The practical implication is that this combo will deliver smooth gameplay at 1080p and 1440p, but it will not top any leaderboards. The 4K results, where the average FPS falls below 60 at High settings, are the clear weak point. Players seeking higher 4K performance would need to look at combinations that rank significantly higher, potentially with more powerful GPUs.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers playable frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 198.1 FPS, Medium achieves 140.2 FPS, High reaches 121.7 FPS, and Ultra drops to 92.9 FPS. These numbers indicate that 1080p is well within the capability of this hardware, with even the most demanding settings remaining above 90 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the results remain strong but show the expected decline. Low settings average 150 FPS, Medium hits 105 FPS, High manages 89.4 FPS, and Ultra falls to 69.4 FPS. The 1440p High result is particularly noteworthy as it stays above the 60 FPS threshold that many players consider the minimum for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops become more pronounced. Low settings achieve 94.7 FPS, which is still playable, but Medium drops to 67.5 FPS and High falls to 59.3 FPS. Ultra settings produce an average of only 45.3 FPS, which is below the smoothness threshold for fast-paced FPS games. The data clearly shows that 4K gaming with this combo requires either Low or Medium settings to maintain acceptable frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 and 2560x1440 are the sweet spots. At 1080p, the combo achieves over 90 FPS even at Ultra settings, while at 1440p it stays above 69 FPS across all settings. The 4K results are only playable at Low settings.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: At 3840x2160, the measured FPS is 94.7 at Low, 67.5 at Medium, 59.3 at High, and 45.3 at Ultra. The Medium setting provides a playable experience, but Ultra is not viable for competitive play.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 3080?

A: The RX 6750 XT has an average benchmark score of 35327, which is 1.3% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080's score of 35787. This is a small performance gap in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck for this game?

A: No, the data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The i7-12700KF delivers 198.1 FPS at 1080p Low settings, showing it can feed frames well above what the GPU can render at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the CPU's ranking relative to other processors?

A: The i7-12700KF is in the 89th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35355. It is 0.1% ahead of the i5-14400 and 0.2% behind the i7-13800H.

Q: What is the GPU's ranking relative to other graphics cards?

A: The RX 6750 XT is in the 79th percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35327. It is 0.2% ahead of the RX 5600M and 0.9% ahead of the AMD Radeon 880M in the benchmark rankings.