Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX delivers exceptional performance in Lockdown Protocol, clearing the 60 FPS threshold at every resolution and preset combination tested. At 4K Ultra, the combo still manages 64.6 FPS, while at 1080p Ultra it reaches 144 FPS, indicating this system is built for high-refresh-rate play without compromise. The data shows a hardware pairing that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet the CPU keeps pace admirably at lower settings where frame rates exceed 290 FPS.

FAQ

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

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 64.6, which sits above the 60 FPS playable threshold. All four tested presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are flagged as playable at 4K.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset delivers 104.5 FPS on average, making it the most demanding option that still comfortably exceeds 60 FPS. Lower presets yield even higher frame rates, with Low reaching 219 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 7900 XTX compare to its nearest rival in raw GPU benchmarks?

A: The RX 7900 XTX has an average benchmark score of 19410, placing it 0.4% above the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB (19334) and 1.2% ahead of the NVIDIA TITAN Xp (19177). It trails the AMD FirePro D300 by 1.2%.

Q: Is the Core i5-14400F a bottleneck at 1080p Low settings?

A: The data shows 292.7 FPS at 1920x1080 Low, suggesting the CPU is not a limiting factor. The i5-14400F scores 21645 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3055 in single-core, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs.

Q: Which component matters more at 4K resolution?

A: The GPU dominates. Moving from 1080p Ultra (144 FPS) to 4K Ultra (64.6 FPS) shows a 55% drop in performance, which is characteristic of GPU-bound workloads. The CPU's role diminishes as resolution increases.

Q: What is this combo's rank among all tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 509th out of 3714 tested combinations for Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the top 14% of all configs evaluated.

CPU and GPU Roles

The division of labor between the Intel Core i5-14400F and the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX shifts dramatically across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the CPU has a more prominent role. The jump from Low (292.7 FPS) to Medium (216.6 FPS) represents a 26% performance drop, while High (187.9 FPS) and Ultra (144 FPS) show further scaling. This pattern indicates that at lower resolutions, the CPU is feeding frames fast enough to expose the GPU's limits, but even the most demanding 1080p preset stays well above the 60 FPS threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, the GPU begins to take center stage. The scaling from Low (219 FPS) to Ultra (104.5 FPS) shows a 52% reduction, which is steeper than the 1080p drop of 51% between Low and Ultra. The i5-14400F's 10 cores and 16 threads, with a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, provide enough headroom that the GPU becomes the primary constraint. The data confirms this: at 1440p Medium, the combo still produces 156.2 FPS, suggesting the graphics card is doing the heavy lifting.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is unequivocally the dominant component. The RX 7900 XTX's 24 GB of GDDR6 memory and 960.0 GB/s bandwidth are taxed heavily, with Ultra dropping to 64.6 FPS. The scaling from Low (145.3 FPS) to Ultra (64.6 FPS) represents a 55% reduction, the largest of any resolution. The CPU's contribution is minimal here; the i5-14400F's single-thread performance (307 in Cinebench R15 single-core) is more than sufficient to keep up with the GPU's output at 4K.

Preset scaling also reveals the GPU's architecture. The RX 7900 XTX, based on RDNA 3.0 with 6144 shading units and 96 RT cores, shows diminishing returns as settings increase. At 1080p, each preset step costs roughly 30-40 FPS, while at 4K the cost between Medium (101.6 FPS) and High (89.4 FPS) is only 12 FPS, and between High and Ultra (64.6 FPS) it's 25 FPS. This suggests the GPU's compute resources are being saturated at higher resolutions, making the CPU increasingly irrelevant.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest CPU rivals to the i5-14400F offer nearly identical compute performance, with deltas under 1%. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U (avg score 32233) is just 0.1% slower, while the Intel Core i9-11900 (32226) trails by 0.2%. The AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS (32354) is 0.2% faster, and the Intel Core i7-12800H (32121) is 0.5% slower. In gaming, these differences are negligible; a user swapping to any of these CPUs would see virtually identical frame rates in Lockdown Protocol.

For the GPU, the rival landscape is more varied. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB (avg score 19334) is 0.4% slower, while the NVIDIA Quadro K5200 (19602) is 1% faster. The AMD FirePro D300 (19637) leads by 1.2%, and the NVIDIA TITAN Xp (19177) is 1.2% slower. Despite the RX 7900 XTX's end-of-life production status, its 64th percentile ranking among all GPUs means it outperforms the vast majority of installed graphics cards. A system with any of these near-equivalent components would exhibit similar fps characteristics, though the RX 7900 XTX's 24 GB VRAM gives it a unique advantage in texture-heavy scenes.

It's worth noting the GPU's nearest rivals are older architectures. The TITAN Xp, for instance, lacks the RX 7900 XTX's ray tracing hardware and newer API support (DirectX 12 Ultimate vs. the older card's feature set). The benchmark deltas are small, but the RX 7900 XTX's 61.39 TFLOPS FP32 compute and 959.2 GTexel/s texture rate provide headroom for future titles.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the i5-14400F and RX 7900 XTX ranks 509th out of 3714 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the 86th percentile of all configurations. This is a strong showing, especially considering the CPU's 83rd percentile ranking among all processors and the GPU's 64th percentile among all graphics cards. The rank suggests that the pairing is well-balanced for this game, with neither component dragging the other down.

The discrepancy between the GPU's lower percentile (64th) and the combo's higher rank (86th percentile) indicates that the system's overall performance is lifted by the CPU's strong single-threaded capabilities. In a game like Lockdown Protocol, which shows significant FPS scaling across presets, the i5-14400F's 3055 Cinebench R23 single-core score ensures that frame pacing remains consistent even at high frame rates. The rank also implies that many of the 3714 tested combos feature either weaker CPUs or GPUs, and this pairing's balance is a key strength.

At 4K Ultra, the combo's 64.6 FPS is just 7.7% above the playable threshold, which is a narrow margin. However, the rank data shows that the combo outperforms 86% of all tested systems, suggesting that most configs would struggle to match this at the same settings. The 1440p and 1080p results are more decisive, with the combo delivering 104.5 and 144 FPS respectively at Ultra, reinforcing its high standing.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol at every resolution and preset tested, with all twelve combinations clearing the 60 FPS threshold. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset delivers 64.6 FPS, which is playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. The High preset at 89.4 FPS offers a more comfortable margin, while Medium (101.6 FPS) and Low (145.3 FPS) provide increasingly smooth experiences.

At 2560x1440, the system is decisively playable at all settings. Ultra produces 104.5 FPS, High reaches 137.9 FPS, Medium hits 156.2 FPS, and Low tops out at 219 FPS. These numbers indicate that 1440p is the sweet spot for high-refresh-rate monitors, with the Ultra preset easily sustaining 100+ FPS.

The 1920x1080 results are exceptional. The Ultra preset averages 144 FPS, which is perfect for 144Hz displays, while High (187.9 FPS) and Medium (216.6 FPS) suit 240Hz panels. The Low preset's 292.7 FPS is among the highest figures recorded for this game, showing the system's potential for esports-level responsiveness. For players prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity, the 1080p Low setting is the clear choice.

Best Settings per Resolution

3840x2160: The most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 64.6 FPS. This is the only 4K preset that scrapes past the threshold, so players seeking a buffer should consider High (89.4 FPS) or Medium (101.6 FPS).

2560x1440: Ultra is the best choice, delivering 104.5 FPS. This provides a 42% margin above the playable threshold, making it safe for most gameplay scenarios. High (137.9 FPS) is available for those who want extra smoothness, but Ultra's visual quality is worth the minor frame rate trade-off.

1920x1080: Ultra again leads with 144 FPS, which exactly matches the refresh rate of many gaming monitors. This preset offers the best visual fidelity while keeping the average frame rate at a level that most 1080p displays can fully utilize. For 240Hz displays, High (187.9 FPS) or Medium (216.6 FPS) are better suited, but Ultra remains the most balanced setting.