Lockdown Protocol

FAQ

Q: What is the combo rank of the Intel Core i7-12700KF with the Intel Arc B570 in Lockdown Protocol?

A: This combination ranks 2,987 out of 3,714 tested combos in the game's database.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Core i7-12700KF has an average benchmark score of 35,365, placing it 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-13700T and 0.2% behind the Intel Core 5 213PE.

Q: What is the best average FPS achievable at 1080p with this setup?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 136 FPS, which is the highest recorded value across all tested settings and resolutions.

Q: Does the GPU's memory bandwidth change at different resolutions?

A: No, the memory bandwidth is fixed at 380.0 GB/s, but the measured FPS varies by resolution, indicating how the GPU's 10 GB VRAM and 160-bit bus interact with rendering load.

Q: What is the only resolution where the Ultra preset stays above 30 FPS?

A: At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 46 FPS, while at 3840x2160 it drops to 30 FPS. The 1920x1080 Ultra setting averages 63 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's thread count influence the game's performance?

A: The CPU has 12 cores and 20 threads, with a 3DMark max-thread score of 9,983, which supports the high average FPS seen at lower resolutions where CPU headroom matters more.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture and operates with a base and boost clock of 2500 MHz. Its memory subsystem consists of 10 GB of GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. The GPU has 2,304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units, with 18 ray tracing cores. Its measured benchmark scores include a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 result of 2,649 and a Passmark G3D score of 14,195, which places the GPU at the 65th percentile among all tested GPUs.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU's role is dominant across all measured settings. The data shows the FPS scales directly with the graphics preset, and the GPU's compute throughput of 11.52 TFLOPS FP32 defines the ceiling at higher settings. The memory bandwidth remains constant, but the rendering load at 4K Ultra pushes the average FPS to 30, which is exactly at the playability threshold. The GPU's 10 GB VRAM is sufficient to avoid capacity-related stutters in the measured rows, as evidenced by the consistent average FPS values without missing minimum or maximum data points for most settings.

The GPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals shows a tight grouping. The Arc B570's average benchmark score of 20,556 is 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile and 0.1% lower than the Intel Arc A750. This close proximity in synthetic scores translates to similar expectations for in-game FPS, though Lockdown Protocol's specific rendering paths favor the Arc B570's architectural strengths. The GPU's 380.0 GB/s bandwidth and 200.0 GPixel/s pixel rate are the key specs that drive the measured FPS, especially at 4K where fill rate becomes the primary constraint.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 2,987 out of 3,714 places this configuration in the lower 20% of all tested combinations for Lockdown Protocol. This ranking is driven primarily by the GPU's performance tier, since the CPU is in the 85th percentile for all processors. The gap between the CPU's high percentile and the combo's low rank indicates that the Arc B570 is the limiting factor in this pairing. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 136 FPS, which is comfortably above average, but the Ultra preset at the same resolution drops to 63 FPS, showing how the GPU's 11.52 TFLOPS FP32 throughput constrains maximum fidelity.

The data shows a clear progression across resolutions and settings. At 1440p High, the combo delivers 62 FPS, which is nearly identical to the 1080p Ultra result of 63 FPS, suggesting that the GPU is hitting a performance plateau that is independent of resolution at certain load levels. The ranking reflects this behavior: the combo performs best at lower settings where the CPU's 12 cores and 20 threads can keep the GPU fed, but it falls behind in high-fidelity scenarios. The 4K Ultra result of 30 FPS is the weakest measured point, and it anchors the combo's rank at the lower end of the distribution.

When compared to the CPU's nearest rivals, the combo's rank is consistent with expectations. The Core i7-12700KF's average benchmark score of 35,365 is nearly identical to the Core i7-13700T's 35,403, and both would produce similar combo rankings with the same GPU. The variation in the combo's rank is therefore attributable to the GPU's 65th percentile standing, not the CPU's processing capability.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal preset for this combo depends on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 136 FPS, which is ideal for competitive play where high frame rates matter more than visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 96 FPS offers a balanced experience with a minimum FPS of 82 and a maximum of 111, providing smooth gameplay with improved visuals. The High preset at 84 FPS remains playable, but the Ultra preset at 63 FPS sacrifices too much performance for marginal graphical gains.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 100 FPS, which is still excellent for fast-paced FPS action. The Medium preset at 71 FPS with a minimum of 60 FPS is the recommended choice for this resolution, as it maintains a consistent frame pacing that avoids dips below the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset at 62 FPS is borderline, while the Ultra preset at 46 FPS introduces noticeable slowdowns during intense scenes.

For 3840x2160, the Low preset at 64 FPS is the only option that provides a smooth experience. The Medium preset at 46 FPS (minimum 39, maximum 52) is playable but may feel inconsistent, while the High preset at 40 FPS and the Ultra preset at 30 FPS are best avoided for competitive play. The data indicates that the combo's GPU is not sufficient for high-fidelity 4K gaming, so users should prioritize the Low or Medium presets at this resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combo's performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 136 FPS, which is the highest recorded value. The Medium preset averages 96 FPS with a minimum of 82 and a maximum of 111. The High preset averages 84 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 63 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a performance drop of 73 FPS, or approximately 54% from the peak.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 100 FPS, representing a 26% decrease from the 1080p Low result. The Medium preset averages 71 FPS (minimum 60, maximum 81), which is a 26% drop from the 1080p Medium result. The High preset averages 62 FPS, a 26% decrease from the 1080p High result. The Ultra preset averages 46 FPS, a 27% decrease from the 1080p Ultra result. This consistent 26-27% scaling across all settings indicates that the resolution increase from 1080p to 1440p imposes a uniform load increase on the GPU.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 64 FPS, which is a 36% decrease from the 1440p Low result. The Medium preset averages 46 FPS (minimum 39, maximum 52), a 35% decrease from the 1440p Medium result. The High preset averages 40 FPS, a 35% decrease from the 1440p High result. The Ultra preset averages 30 FPS, a 35% decrease from the 1440p Ultra result. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is less steep than from 1080p to 1440p, suggesting that the GPU is becoming increasingly bottlenecked at higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a 12-core, 20-thread processor from the Alder Lake-S architecture, fabricated on Intel's 10 nm process node. Its base clock is 3.60 GHz with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, and it has 25 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU's benchmark results show strong multithreaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 28,838 and a Geekbench multicore score of 14,367. The Passmark multithread score of 34,092 and the 3DMark max-thread score of 9,983 indicate that the CPU can handle heavily threaded workloads without issue.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 136 FPS, which is likely CPU-bound since the GPU has less work to do at lower settings. The CPU's single-thread performance, as measured by a 3DMark single-thread score of 1,043 and a Passmark single-thread score of 3,984, is sufficient to drive high frame rates in this game. The CPU's 20 threads provide ample headroom for background tasks and game logic that cannot be offloaded to the GPU.

The CPU's 85th percentile ranking among all processors further confirms that it is not the limiting factor in this combo. The nearest rivals, including the Core i7-13700T and Core i5-13600T, have nearly identical average scores, and the performance deltas are within 0.2%. This means that swapping the CPU for a similar-tier processor would have minimal impact on Lockdown Protocol's measured FPS.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the limiting component in this combo. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 136 FPS; at 1440p Low, it drops to 100 FPS (a 26% decrease); and at 4K Low, it drops to 64 FPS (a 36% decrease from 1440p). This scaling pattern is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario, where the CPU has enough headroom to maintain frame rates but the GPU's rendering throughput becomes the bottleneck as pixel count increases.

The data shows that the GPU's pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s are the primary constraints at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the GPU can process the pixel workload quickly enough to achieve 136 FPS, but at 4K, the same workload requires four times the pixel output, dropping the frame rate to 64 FPS on the Low preset. The 35% decrease from 1440p to 4K across all settings indicates that the GPU is scaling predictably with resolution, with no sudden cliffs that would suggest memory bandwidth limitations.

The Ultra preset exhibits the most pronounced scaling, dropping from 63 FPS at 1080p to 46 FPS at 1440p and then to 30 FPS at 4K. This represents a total decrease of 52% from the 1080p Ultra result. The Medium preset shows a similar pattern, going from 96 FPS at 1080p to 71 FPS at 1440p and 46 FPS at 4K. The consistent scaling across all presets confirms that the GPU is the limiting component, as the CPU's performance remains constant regardless of resolution.