Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol, a 2024-released FPS, presents an unusually straightforward hardware demand profile for the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination. The measured data indicates that this pairing is not merely capable, but overwhelmingly so, pushing average frame rates well beyond the 60 FPS playability threshold at every tested resolution and preset. The analysis below breaks down the specific performance characteristics, comparative standing, and optimal configuration for this hardware set.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core i5-14400F, based on aggregate benchmark scores, are a cluster of mobile and desktop processors with highly comparable average scores. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U sits effectively at parity with an avgScore of 32233 against the i5-14400F's 32279, a deltaPct of just 0.1%. The Intel Core i9-11900 is similarly close at 32226 (0.2% delta), while the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS trails by a negligible 0.2% with a score of 32354. The Intel Core i7-12800H completes the group at 32121, 0.5% behind. In practical terms, swapping the i5-14400F for any of these processors would produce nearly identical CPU-bound behavior in Lockdown Protocol, as their aggregate compute potential is within the margin of error.

On the graphics side, the RTX 5090 D's nearest rivals are a more dispersed set. The AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT is the closest at 76904 avgScore, a deltaPct of 1.1% behind the 5090 D's 77712. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT actually scores higher at 78940, putting it 1.6% ahead. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (79396, -2.1%) and 16 GB (79605, -2.4%) variants are further ahead in raw compute benchmarks. These deltas, while larger than the CPU side, remain small enough that in a game like Lockdown Protocol, where the GPU is demonstrably not the limiting factor, users would experience no perceptible difference between these cards and the RTX 5090 D.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions and presets reveals an extreme GPU-bound scenario at lower settings, which inverts to a more balanced load at higher resolutions. At 1920x1080 Low, the combo produces 291 FPS average. Dropping to 1920x1080 Ultra yields 187 FPS, a reduction of 104 FPS. This 35.7% drop from Low to Ultra at 1080p indicates that the GPU is being pushed harder by the Ultra preset, but the CPU is still feeding it enough data to maintain a very high frame rate.

The picture changes when resolution is the variable. At 2560x1440 Ultra, the average is 137 FPS. At 3840x2160 Ultra, it falls to 88 FPS. This 49 FPS drop from 1440p to 4K at the same Ultra preset is a 35.7% decrease, showing that the GPU's rendering workload is the dominant factor at higher pixel counts. However, the CPU's role becomes more visible when comparing Low presets: 1920x1080 Low hits 291 FPS, 2560x1440 Low hits 263 FPS, and 3840x2160 Low hits 190 FPS. The 1080p to 1440p delta at Low is just 28 FPS, while 1440p to 4K at Low is a 73 FPS drop. This disproportionate scaling at Low settings suggests the CPU is comfortably keeping up at 1080p and 1440p, but the sheer pixel-fill demands at 4K begin to limit the GPU even at Low.

The data supports a clear conclusion: the RTX 5090 D is the performance pivot at 4K, while the i5-14400F is more than sufficient at all tested configurations. The CPU's 83rd percentile standing among all CPUs and the GPU's 92nd percentile among all GPUs indicate that neither component is a weak link, but the GPU's benchmark percentile is higher, aligning with the observation that GPU load scales more steeply with resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. The Low preset averages 291 FPS. Medium averages 256 FPS with a minimum of 218 and a maximum of 295. High averages 245 FPS. Ultra averages 187 FPS. All four presets clear the 60 FPS threshold by a substantial margin, with the gap between Low and Ultra being 104 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show the expected decline. Low averages 263 FPS. Medium averages 209 FPS, with min/max readings of 178 and 241. High averages 183 FPS. Ultra averages 137 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra here is 126 FPS, wider than at 1080p due to the increased pixel count amplifying the GPU workload difference between presets.

At 3840x2160, the most demanding resolution, the numbers are still well above playable. Low averages 190 FPS. Medium averages 135 FPS, with a minimum of 115 and a maximum of 155. High averages 118 FPS. Ultra averages 88 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra delta expands to 102 FPS, and notably, even the lowest recorded frame (115 FPS at Medium) is nearly double the 60 FPS playability threshold. No measured frame rate at any preset or resolution falls below 88 FPS.

The Verdict

This PC configuration can run Lockdown Protocol with complete authority. The verdict data lists every settings preset at every resolution as playable. At 3840x2160, the playable settings include High, Low, Medium, and Ultra, with the best average FPS at Ultra being 88. At 2560x1440, all four presets again qualify, with Ultra averaging 137 FPS. At 1920x1080, Ultra averages 187 FPS. The playable threshold is set at 60 FPS, and the lowest average FPS across the entire measured matrix is 88 FPS at 4K Ultra. There is no scenario in the data where this combo fails to clear 60 FPS, and in fact, it never drops below 115 FPS even at the demanding 4K Medium preset's minimum reading.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for 4K gaming with this combo?

A: At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset is the best choice, delivering an average of 88 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at the same settings?

A: At the Ultra preset, the average FPS drops from 187 at 1920x1080 to 137 at 2560x1440, and then to 88 at 3840x2160, a total reduction of 99 FPS from 1080p to 4K.

Q: Does this combo ever drop below 60 FPS in Lockdown Protocol?

A: No. The lowest average FPS recorded is 88 FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra. The only min FPS values provided are 115 at 4K Medium, 178 at 1440p Medium, and 218 at 1080p Medium, all well above 60.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 D compare to its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT?

A: The RTX 5090 D has an average benchmark score of 77712, which is 1.1% higher than the RX 6650M XT's 76904, indicating a slight but measurable performance edge in aggregate compute.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-14400F a bottleneck for this GPU in this game?

A: The data does not indicate a CPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 291 FPS, and the CPU's 83rd percentile benchmark standing suggests it is sufficient to feed the RTX 5090 D across all tested settings and resolutions.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS this combo produces at 1440p?

A: The lowest average at 2560x1440 is 137 FPS, achieved at the Ultra preset. This is more than double the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that maintains 60 FPS or higher is Ultra, which averages 88 FPS. Lower presets also work, but Ultra offers the highest visual fidelity without sacrificing playability.

At 2560x1440, Ultra is again the optimal preset, averaging 137 FPS. This provides a significant visual upgrade over High (183 FPS) or Medium (209 FPS) while still leaving a 77 FPS headroom above the playable threshold.

At 1920x1080, Ultra averages 187 FPS, making it the clear choice for maximum quality. The gap between Ultra and the next lower preset, High at 245 FPS, is 58 FPS, but the Ultra setting still delivers over three times the minimum playable frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks

Among all 3714 tested hardware combinations in Lockdown Protocol, this pairing of Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D holds the 57th rank. This places it in the top 1.5% of all recorded configurations, which is consistent with the measured frame rates: the combo never drops below 88 FPS average at any resolution or preset, and at 1080p Low it reaches 291 FPS. The top-tier ranking reflects not only the GPU's high 92nd percentile standing but also the CPU's ability to sustain high frame rates without becoming a limiting factor, as evidenced by the 291 FPS result at 1080p Low, which is a CPU-sensitive workload. The 57th position out of 3714 indicates that while a few more powerful combinations exist, this system is positioned near the apex of tested performance for Lockdown Protocol.