Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with Intel Core i7-12700KF + AMD Radeon RX 9070

This combination of an Intel Core i7-12700KF and an AMD Radeon RX 9070 sits at rank 531 out of 1637 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the upper third of all systems evaluated. The pairing leverages a 12-core Alder Lake processor with a 16 GB RDNA 4.0 graphics card, and the measured frame rates reveal a system that handles the FPS title with room to spare at most settings, though the Ultra preset at 4K pushes it to the edge of playability. Benchmark data shows a clear hierarchy across resolutions and presets, with the CPU and GPU each taking turns as the limiting factor depending on the workload.

How This Combo Ranks

The rank of 531 out of 1637 tested combinations indicates this setup outperforms roughly two-thirds of all recorded systems in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in a solid mid-to-upper tier, though not among the elite configurations that dominate the top 100. The CPU's percentile versus all processors stands at 89, while the GPU sits at 79, suggesting the processor carries slightly more relative strength within this pairing. When examining the measured results, the system achieves 247.7 FPS at 1080p Low, which is an exceptional figure for competitive play, but drops to 52.7 FPS at 4K Ultra, showing that the GPU becomes a significant constraint at higher visual loads. The rank reflects a balanced setup that excels at lower resolutions and settings but cannot maintain high frame rates at maximum quality in 4K. Compared to other combos in the database, this system's position suggests it is well-suited for high-refresh-rate 1080p gaming and capable 1440p play, with 4K reserved for less demanding presets.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF brings 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. Its 25 MB shared L3 cache and support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory make it a versatile processor for gaming workloads. In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's single-thread performance is critical for frame pacing, and the Geekbench single-core score of 2526, along with a 3DMark single-thread score of 1043, indicates strong per-core capability that supports high frame rates at lower resolutions. The multi-threaded performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 28979 and a Passmark multi-thread score of 34092, ensures the processor can handle background tasks and game logic without bottlenecking the GPU. At 1080p with Low settings, the system reaches 247.7 FPS, and the CPU's performance is likely the primary driver of this figure, as the GPU has ample headroom at such low graphical demand. The processor's 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs reinforces its capability, though its nearest rivals—the Intel Core i5-14400, Core i7-13800H, Core i9-12900HX, and Core i5-13600T—all score within 0.3% of each other in average benchmark scores, showing that this CPU sits in a tightly contested performance band.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070, built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with the Navi 48 chip, provides 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock of 2520 MHz and game clock of 2070 MHz, combined with 3584 shading units, deliver substantial raw compute power. The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6290 and Passmark G3D score of 25381 demonstrate its capability in modern game workloads. In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU becomes increasingly important as resolution and settings rise. At 4K Ultra, the system drops to 52.7 FPS, indicating the GPU is the limiting component at this extreme, with the 16 GB VRAM likely fully utilized. The GPU's 79th percentile ranking places it slightly below the CPU's relative standing, and its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA A2 and Quadro GV100, with score differences of 0.2-0.8%. The 36.13 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 322.6 GPixel/s pixel rate suggest the card can handle demanding scenes, but the 4K Ultra results show that even this powerful GPU struggles with Lockdown Protocol's maximum settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers 247.7 FPS on Low, 176.1 FPS on Medium, 150.9 FPS on High, and 115.3 FPS on Ultra. These figures show a smooth progression, with Low providing a massive 115% advantage over Ultra. The 1440p results are 183.1 FPS on Low, 126.4 FPS on Medium, 109.6 FPS on High, and 85.7 FPS on Ultra. At this resolution, the gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 114%, indicating a more balanced workload between CPU and GPU. Moving to 4K, the system achieves 117.8 FPS on Low, 81.1 FPS on Medium, 69.3 FPS on High, and 52.7 FPS on Ultra. The 4K Ultra figure is the only measured result below 60 FPS, suggesting that this preset is the threshold for playability. The data reveals that at 1080p, even Ultra maintains 115.3 FPS, which is excellent for smooth gameplay, while 4K requires dropping to Low to achieve triple-digit frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K follows a clear pattern that reveals the system's bottleneck characteristics. At Low settings, the transition from 1080p (247.7 FPS) to 1440p (183.1 FPS) represents a 26.1% decrease, and further to 4K (117.8 FPS) a 52.4% total drop. This substantial scaling indicates that at Low settings, the CPU is the primary limiter, as the GPU has enough headroom to render frames quickly but the processor cannot feed it faster. For Medium settings, the drop from 1080p (176.1 FPS) to 4K (81.1 FPS) is a 53.9% reduction, showing a similar pattern. At High settings, the 1080p result of 150.9 FPS falls to 109.6 FPS at 1440p (27.4% drop) and 69.3 FPS at 4K (54.1% total drop), suggesting the GPU begins to take a more significant role. Ultra settings show the most dramatic scaling, with 115.3 FPS at 1080p dropping to 85.7 FPS at 1440p (25.7% drop) and 52.7 FPS at 4K (54.3% total drop). The consistent ~54% reduction from 1080p to 4K across all settings indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the CPU constrains performance at lower resolutions where frame rates exceed the processor's capacity to issue draw calls.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1440p offers the best balance, with 85.7 FPS at Ultra and 183.1 FPS at Low, providing good visual quality while maintaining smooth frame rates across all settings.

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

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K Low, it achieves 117.8 FPS, and at 4K High, 69.3 FPS, but 4K Ultra drops to 52.7 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Core i7-12700KF has an average benchmark score of 35355, which is 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14400, 0.2% behind the Intel Core i7-13800H, and 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core i5-13600T.

Q: What GPU score does the RX 9070 achieve in DirectX 12?

A: The Passmark DirectX 12 score is 74, while the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 6290, indicating strong modern API performance.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low (247.7 FPS), the CPU is the limiting factor, as the GPU has sufficient headroom but the processor cannot generate frames faster. The CPU's 3DMark max-thread score of 9983 and single-thread score of 1043 support this conclusion.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested systems?

A: This combination ranks 531 out of 1637 tested combos, placing it in the upper third of all systems evaluated for Lockdown Protocol.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data suggests prioritizing 1440p High as the optimal configuration, delivering 109.6 FPS with a strong balance of visual quality and performance. This setting provides a significant improvement over 4K High (69.3 FPS) while maintaining frame rates well above the 60 FPS threshold. For competitive play where frame rate is paramount, 1080p Low at 247.7 FPS offers the highest possible responsiveness, ideal for fast-paced FPS action. At 4K, Medium settings (81.1 FPS) provide the best playable experience, as Ultra drops below 60 FPS at 52.7 FPS and High barely exceeds it at 69.3 FPS. The 1440p Medium option (126.4 FPS) serves as a middle ground for those seeking both quality and speed, while 1080p Ultra (115.3 FPS) is the highest preset that maintains triple-digit frame rates. Users with high-refresh-rate 1080p monitors can comfortably use Ultra settings, while 4K display owners should stick to Medium or lower to ensure smooth gameplay.