Lockdown Protocol

Intel Core i7-12700KF and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX provide a high-refresh-rate foundation for Lockdown Protocol, with the data showing a strong balance between the 12-core Alder Lake processor and the RDNA 3 flagship. The measured frames per second (FPS) across resolutions and presets reveal a system that can push well past 200 FPS at 1080p, but the specific settings and resolution chosen will dictate whether the experience is silky-smooth or merely playable. This analysis breaks down the measured performance to identify the optimal configuration for this specific pairing.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data indicates that the High preset is the optimal choice for most users, offering a compelling blend of visual fidelity and performance. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers an average of 184.9 FPS, which is more than sufficient for a competitive FPS title. Moving up to 2560x1440, the High preset still maintains an excellent 134.6 FPS average, ensuring a fluid experience on high-refresh-rate QHD monitors. Even at the demanding 3840x2160 resolution, the High preset keeps the average above the 60 FPS threshold at 88.8 FPS, making it the only preset besides Low that achieves this at 4K.

For users with 1080p displays, the Low preset is the only option that truly maximizes the GPU’s potential, hitting an average of 301 FPS. This is ideal for esports-level play where every frame counts. However, the jump from Low to High at 1080p is a significant 116.1 FPS drop, but the High preset still provides a superb 184.9 FPS average. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, and while it produces a respectable 143.8 FPS at 1080p, the performance cost is steep compared to High. At 1440p, Ultra drops to 100.7 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 69 FPS. Given that the High preset offers such a high frame rate, the visual gains from Ultra are often not worth the significant performance penalty, especially in a fast-paced FPS where frame time consistency is critical. The Medium preset serves as a middle ground, but its 216.4 FPS at 1080p and 156.3 FPS at 1440p are not as compelling as the High preset’s higher visual quality for a relatively modest performance difference.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Lockdown Protocol?

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 3840x2160, the High preset achieves an average of 88.8 FPS, which is playable. For a more comfortable experience above 100 FPS, the Medium preset is required, yielding an average of 104.2 FPS.

Q: What is the best preset for maximum competitive performance at 1080p?

A: The Low preset is the clear winner for pure frame rate, delivering an average of 301 FPS at 1920x1080. This is significantly higher than the next preset, Medium, which achieves 216.4 FPS.

Q: How does the High preset at 1440p compare to the Ultra preset at 1080p?

A: The High preset at 2560x1440 produces an average of 134.6 FPS, while the Ultra preset at 1920x1080 produces a slightly higher 143.8 FPS. This suggests that the system is sufficiently powerful to run a higher resolution with slightly lower settings for a similar performance level.

Q: Is the RX 7900 XTX the limiting factor at lower resolutions?

A: The data suggests that at 1080p with Low settings, the CPU becomes more relevant, as the GPU is able to produce 301 FPS. However, the scaling from 1080p to 1440p indicates that the GPU is still the primary bottleneck across most settings, as FPS drops consistently.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 4K?

A: The difference is substantial. The Low preset at 3840x2160 achieves an average of 143.8 FPS, which is more than double the 69 FPS average of the Ultra preset at the same resolution.

Q: Does the combo rank well among all tested configurations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 205th out of 1637 tested combos, placing it in the top 12.5% of all configurations tested for Lockdown Protocol.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-12700KF and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX combination ranks 205th out of 1637 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol. This places the pairing in the upper echelon of tested systems, indicating that it is a high-performance configuration for this game. The CPU itself sits in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-14400 and the Intel Core i7-13800H, showing that the 12700KF is a top-tier processor. The GPU is in the 85th percentile of all GPUs, with its nearest rivals being the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti. The high rank reflects the synergy between these two components, which allows the system to deliver the high frame rates seen in the measured data. While it is not the absolute fastest combo tested, it is clearly ahead of a vast majority of systems, making it a formidable choice for high-refresh-rate gaming.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data reveals a consistent performance hierarchy across presets and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset leads with an average of 301 FPS, followed by Medium at 216.4 FPS, High at 184.9 FPS, and Ultra at 143.8 FPS. This shows a clear 157.2 FPS spread between the lowest and highest quality settings. At 2560x1440, the order remains the same, with Low achieving 218.6 FPS, Medium at 156.3 FPS, High at 134.6 FPS, and Ultra at 100.7 FPS. The performance drop from 1080p to 1440p is noticeable, but the High preset still comfortably exceeds 120 FPS. At 3840x2160, the scales tilt further. The Low preset is the only one to break past the 120 FPS mark, hitting 143.8 FPS. Medium follows at 104.2 FPS, High at 88.8 FPS, and Ultra drops to 69 FPS. The data shows that the High preset is the most balanced across all resolutions, providing a high frame rate without sacrificing too much visual quality. The Low preset is the performance king, but it is primarily suited for competitive play where maximum frame rate is the sole objective.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K illustrates the increasing load on the GPU. At the Low preset, the average FPS drops from 301 at 1080p to 218.6 at 1440p, a 27.4% decrease, and then to 143.8 at 4K, a further 34.2% decrease. This steep drop-off is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the RX 7900 XTX is working progressively harder to fill the increasing number of pixels. For the Ultra preset, the scaling is similar: 143.8 FPS at 1080p drops to 100.7 FPS at 1440p (a 30% decrease) and then to 69 FPS at 4K (a 31.5% decrease). The consistency of these percentage drops across different presets strongly suggests that the GPU is the primary performance limiter in this configuration. The CPU, an Intel Core i7-12700KF with its 12 cores and 20 threads, is powerful enough to feed the GPU at 1080p, as evidenced by the 301 FPS result on Low. However, as resolution increases, the GPU's rendering workload becomes the dominant factor, and the FPS scales down accordingly. This indicates that for 4K gaming, the user will need to rely on lower presets like Medium or High to maintain a playable frame rate, while for 1080p and 1440p, the system can handle the highest settings with ease.