Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT presents a compelling mid-range combination for Lockdown Protocol, a 2024 FPS title. The measured data shows this system handles the game with substantial headroom across most configurations, though the Ultra preset at 4K pushes the hardware to its limits. The i5-14400F, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, lands in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, while the RX 7800 XT with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory sits at the 51st percentile of all GPUs, indicating a system where the processor is relatively stronger than the graphics card in synthetic benchmarks. The actual game performance, however, tells a more nuanced story that favors the GPU in this specific title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination delivers exceptional frame rates that far exceed the 60 FPS playability threshold. The Low preset produces an average of 233.4 FPS, which represents the highest measured output in the entire dataset. Moving up the quality ladder, the Medium preset averages 165 FPS, High averages 145.7 FPS, and even the demanding Ultra preset maintains an average of 111.5 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a 121.9 FPS drop, which translates to a 52.2% reduction in average frame rate, but every setting remains comfortably above the playable threshold with significant margin.

The 2560x1440 resolution demonstrates equally strong performance with a narrower spread between presets. The Low preset achieves 173.4 FPS, while Medium delivers 121.1 FPS, and High reaches 104.2 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p produces an average of 79.4 FPS, which still clears the 60 FPS threshold by nearly 20 frames. The drop from Low to Ultra at this resolution is 94 FPS, representing a 54.2% decrease. Notably, the Ultra preset at 1440p performs better than the High preset at 4K, suggesting that resolution scaling has a more pronounced impact on frame rates than preset selection within this range.

At 3840x2160, the performance picture shifts dramatically. The Low preset maintains a robust 112.6 FPS average, and the Medium preset delivers 79.3 FPS. The High preset still manages a playable 70.4 FPS average. However, the Ultra preset at 4K drops to an average of 51 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playability threshold by 9 frames. This represents the only configuration in the entire dataset that fails to maintain playable performance. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K shows a 61.6 FPS reduction, a 54.7% decrease that mirrors the relative drops seen at lower resolutions but starts from a lower baseline.

The data reveals a consistent pattern: the gap between Low and Ultra presets remains proportionally similar across all three resolutions, but the absolute frame rates scale down significantly as resolution increases. The 1080p Ultra average of 111.5 FPS is nearly identical to the 4K Low average of 112.6 FPS, highlighting that resolution and preset levels trade off almost equally in this title. The min and max FPS values are not available in the dataset, so the analysis relies solely on average frame rates, which still provide a clear picture of the system's capability.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Lockdown Protocol at 4K with maximum settings?

A: No. The Ultra preset at 3840x2160 produces an average of 51 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playability threshold. The highest playable setting at 4K is High, which averages 70.4 FPS.

Q: What is the best setting for 1440p gaming?

A: The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 averages 79.4 FPS, which is the highest quality setting that remains above the 60 FPS threshold. All four presets at this resolution are playable, with Low averaging 173.4 FPS, Medium 121.1 FPS, and High 104.2 FPS.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare between 1080p and 1440p?

A: At 1920x1080 Ultra, the average FPS is 111.5, while at 2560x1440 Ultra it drops to 79.4. This represents a 32.1 FPS reduction, or a 28.8% decrease, when moving from 1080p to 1440p at the same preset.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to bottleneck this game?

A: The CPU's 83rd percentile ranking versus the GPU's 51st percentile suggests the processor is the stronger component, but the frame rates scale heavily with resolution, indicating the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The 4K Ultra drop below 60 FPS points to GPU saturation.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Medium settings at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 112.6 FPS while Medium averages 79.3 FPS. The difference is 33.3 FPS, meaning the Medium preset delivers roughly 70.4% of the Low preset's frame rate.

Q: Does the system ever drop below 60 FPS in any tested configuration?

A: Yes, only in one configuration: the Ultra preset at 3840x2160, which averages 51 FPS. All other 11 tested combinations of resolution and preset maintain averages above 60 FPS.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions reveals which component drives Lockdown Protocol's frame rates. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates across all presets range from 111.5 to 233.4 FPS, with the CPU likely providing sufficient headroom for the GPU to operate near its maximum output. The CPU's strong synthetic scores — including a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 21645 and a Passmark multithread score of 25470 — suggest it can feed frames quickly at lower resolutions where GPU load is lighter.

As resolution increases to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop across all presets, but the relative ordering remains unchanged. The average reduction from 1080p to 1440p across presets is approximately 30-40%, which aligns with the increased pixel count. This scaling indicates the GPU's rendering workload grows predictably with resolution, while the CPU maintains its ability to supply data. The RX 7800 XT's 624.1 GB/s memory bandwidth and 37.32 TFLOPS FP32 performance become more relevant as pixel count rises.

The 3840x2160 results confirm the GPU's dominant role at high resolutions. The Ultra preset's drop to 51 FPS — 28.4 FPS below the High preset's 70.4 FPS — suggests the GPU's compute resources are exhausted by the combination of 4K pixel count and Ultra-quality effects. The CPU's performance remains constant across resolutions, so the frame rate decline from 1080p to 4K is almost entirely attributable to GPU workload. The data implies that at 1080p, the system may be partially CPU-bound at Low settings (233.4 FPS), but the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck at 4K Ultra.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals, based on average benchmark scores, include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U with a delta of 0.1%, the Intel Core i9-11900 at 0.2%, the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS at -0.2%, and the Intel Core i7-12800H at 0.5%. These processors would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Lockdown Protocol, as their benchmark scores fall within a narrow 0.7% range of the i5-14400F. The i9-11900 and i7-12800H are particularly interesting alternatives because they represent older Intel architectures that still match the i5-14400F's performance in this game.

On the GPU side, the nearest rivals present a more varied picture. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 has an average score delta of -0.5%, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5500M is 0.9% higher, the NVIDIA Tesla K20c is 1.3% higher, and the AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT is -1.8% lower. These deltas suggest that the RX 7800 XT's benchmark performance is closely matched by significantly older or lower-tier cards, which is surprising given the 7800 XT's 16 GB memory and RDNA 3.0 architecture. In practical terms, users with a GTX 1660 or RX 6500 XT might expect similar average frame rates in Lockdown Protocol, though the 7800 XT's higher memory capacity could provide advantages in other titles.

The discrepancy between the GPU's 51st percentile ranking and its nearest rivals — many of which are older or lower-tier models — indicates that the synthetic benchmark average of 11627 may not fully capture the RX 7800 XT's capabilities in modern FPS games. The measured FPS data shows strong performance at 1080p and 1440p, suggesting the card's real-world gaming performance exceeds what its benchmark percentile implies.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the best choice, delivering an average of 111.5 FPS. This is the most demanding setting that stays above the 60 FPS threshold, and it provides a 32.1 FPS buffer above the 1440p Ultra average. The High preset at 1080p averages 145.7 FPS, but Ultra offers the maximum visual quality without sacrificing playability.

For 2560x1440, the Ultra preset remains the optimal selection with an average of 79.4 FPS. This provides a 19.4 FPS margin above the 60 FPS threshold, which is comfortable for most gaming scenarios. The High preset at this resolution averages 104.2 FPS, but the extra visual fidelity of Ultra is worth the 24.8 FPS reduction since the frame rate still remains well above playable levels.

At 3840x2160, the High preset is the recommended setting, averaging 70.4 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, with a 10.4 FPS margin. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 51 FPS, which fails the playability threshold. The Medium preset at 4K averages 79.3 FPS, but High provides better visual quality while still maintaining a playable frame rate. Users prioritizing smoothness might choose Medium for its 8.9 FPS advantage, but High offers the best balance of quality and performance.

The Verdict

This system can run Lockdown Protocol effectively across most configurations. At 1920x1080, all four presets clear the 60 FPS threshold, with Ultra averaging 111.5 FPS. The 2560x1440 resolution also sees all presets above 60 FPS, with Ultra at 79.4 FPS. At 3840x2160, the High, Medium, and Low presets are playable, with High averaging 70.4 FPS, Medium 79.3 FPS, and Low 112.6 FPS. The sole failure is the Ultra preset at 4K, which averages 51 FPS — 9 frames below the playability threshold.

The verdict data confirms this analysis: at 3840x2160, the playable settings are High, Low, and Medium, with High being the best at 70.4 FPS. At 2560x1440, all four presets are playable, with Ultra as the best at 79.4 FPS. At 1920x1080, all presets are playable, with Ultra as the best at 111.5 FPS. Users with 4K displays should stick to High settings or below, while 1440p and 1080p users can max out the game without concern.

How This Combo Ranks

Among all tested combinations in the benchmark database, this Intel Core i5-14400F + AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT pairing ranks 1262 out of 3714 combos. This places the system in the 66th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning roughly one-third of tested systems perform better in this game. The rank reflects the combination's strong 1080p and 1440p performance but is held back by the 4K Ultra failure. Given that the CPU ranks in the 83rd percentile and the GPU in the 51st percentile, the overall combo rank of 1262 suggests the GPU's lower percentile drags down the system's standing. However, the measured FPS data indicates that for most users playing at 1080p or 1440p, this combination delivers excellent performance that exceeds the playability threshold by a wide margin.