Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX delivers a comprehensive performance profile in Lockdown Protocol, with measured data showing that every preset at every tested resolution clears the 60 FPS playable threshold. The combination produces its strongest results at 1920x1080, where even the Ultra preset maintains an average of 140.1 FPS, while the most demanding configuration tested—3840x2160 Ultra—still holds an average of 69.9 FPS, indicating a system with substantial headroom across the board.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the scaling across presets is steep and consistent. The Low preset reaches an average of 302.2 FPS, which is the highest figure recorded for this combination in any configuration. Medium drops to 214 FPS, High settles at 186.4 FPS, and Ultra remains firmly above high-refresh territory at 140.1 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 162.1 FPS, representing a 53.6% reduction in average frame rate when moving from the least to the most demanding visual settings at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the same pattern holds but with lower absolute values. Low produces 223.6 FPS, Medium delivers 158.1 FPS, High reaches 139.2 FPS, and Ultra drops to 101.2 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra here is 122.4 FPS, a 54.7% decrease. Notably, the High preset at 1440p (139.2 FPS) nearly matches the Ultra preset at 1080p (140.1 FPS), suggesting that the resolution increase from 1080p to 1440p carries a similar performance cost to the preset jump from High to Ultra, at least within this range.

At 3840x2160, the performance envelope tightens considerably. Low averages 144.3 FPS, which is still very high for 4K gaming. Medium follows at 100.1 FPS, High at 91.3 FPS, and Ultra at 69.9 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra at this resolution is 74.4 FPS, a 51.6% reduction. The Ultra preset at 4K is the only tested configuration that falls below the 100 FPS mark, yet it remains 9.9 FPS above the 60 FPS playable threshold. No min or max FPS values were recorded in the data, so all analysis relies on average frame rates.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU’s nearest rivals, based on aggregate benchmark scores, include the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H, which scores 48698 against the i5-14600K’s average of 48618, a delta of -0.2%. The AMD EPYC 4345P is 0.3% behind at 48470, while the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX trails by 0.7% with 48287. On the other side, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 leads by 0.8% with a score of 48995. These four alternatives sit within a tight 1.5% band of the i5-14600K’s aggregate performance, meaning that swapping to any of them would produce nearly identical CPU-bound behavior in Lockdown Protocol. The Xeon Gold 5318H and Core Ultra 5 245 are technically the closest, with deltas of -0.2% and -0.8% respectively, but the practical difference in gaming frame rates would be negligible.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are more disparate in character. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB scores 19334, just 0.4% below the RX 7900 XTX’s 19410 average. The NVIDIA Quadro K5200 is 1% ahead at 19602, the AMD FirePro D300 leads by 1.2% with 19637, and the NVIDIA TITAN Xp trails by 1.2% at 19177. These deltas are all within 1.2%, but the hardware classes differ sharply: the GTX 1060 3 GB is a mainstream gaming card, while the Quadro K5200 and FirePro D300 are professional workstation parts. In practice, all four would deliver similar aggregate scores, but their real-world gaming behavior in Lockdown Protocol could diverge due to driver optimizations and architectural differences not captured by synthetic benchmarks.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data indicates that the GPU is the primary scaling factor when moving between presets at a fixed resolution. At 1920x1080, raising the preset from Low to Ultra reduces the average FPS from 302.2 to 140.1, a 53.6% drop. At 2560x1440, the same preset change reduces FPS from 223.6 to 101.2, a 54.7% drop. At 3840x2160, the reduction is from 144.3 to 69.9, a 51.6% drop. The consistency of these percentage reductions across resolutions suggests that the preset level primarily taxes the GPU, with the CPU maintaining enough headroom to avoid becoming a limiting factor even at the lowest settings.

Resolution scaling tells a different story. From 1080p Low to 1440p Low, the FPS drops from 302.2 to 223.6, a 26% reduction. From 1440p Low to 4K Low, the drop is from 223.6 to 144.3, a 35.5% reduction. The larger relative drop at higher resolutions indicates that 4K places significantly more load on the GPU, as expected. However, the CPU still has to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic; at 1080p Low, the system produces 302.2 FPS, which is likely near the CPU’s practical limit for this game engine. At 1440p Ultra, the system still manages 101.2 FPS, showing that the CPU is not yet a bottleneck even with the GPU working harder. The combination appears well balanced: the CPU can push high frame rates at lower resolutions, while the GPU scales effectively to handle increased pixel counts and visual fidelity.

The Verdict

The data shows that this PC can run Lockdown Protocol at all tested resolution and preset combinations, with every configuration exceeding the 60 FPS playable threshold. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 140.1 FPS, which is more than double the playable threshold and suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors. At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 101.2 FPS, still comfortably above 60 FPS and smooth for most displays. At 3840x2160, Ultra averages 69.9 FPS, which clears the threshold by 9.9 FPS but leaves less margin for demanding scenes. The verdict is straightforward: this system is fully playable at every tested setting, with the only caveat being that 4K Ultra is the closest to the edge, though it remains playable.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 140.1 FPS. There is no preset that falls below the threshold at this resolution, so the highest quality option is always viable.

At 2560x1440, Ultra is again the best choice, averaging 101.2 FPS. This is 41.2 FPS above the playable threshold, providing ample headroom for competitive play or recording. The Medium preset at 158.1 FPS and High at 139.2 FPS are also available for users seeking even higher frame rates, but Ultra remains the best balance of quality and speed.

At 3840x2160, Ultra is the most demanding preset that clears 60 FPS, with an average of 69.9 FPS. While this is playable, users targeting a locked 60 FPS with more consistency might prefer High at 91.3 FPS or Medium at 100.1 FPS, both of which offer a larger margin above the threshold. However, based strictly on the requirement of staying at or above 60 FPS, Ultra is the recommended setting at this resolution.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this CPU and GPU combination in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The highest average FPS is 302.2, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset.

Q: Does the system maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the 3840x2160 Ultra preset averages 69.9 FPS, which is 9.9 FPS above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p Low to 4K Ultra?

A: The average FPS drops from 302.2 at 1080p Low to 69.9 at 4K Ultra, a reduction of 232.3 FPS, representing a 76.9% decrease.

Q: Are there any settings at any resolution that fall below 60 FPS?

A: No. All 12 measured configurations—four presets at each of three resolutions—exceed the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: How does the i5-14600K compare to its closest CPU rival in aggregate benchmark score?

A: The Intel Xeon Gold 5318H scores 48698, which is 0.2% higher than the i5-14600K’s 48618, making them effectively equal in overall performance.

Q: What is the GPU’s percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX ranks in the 64th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19410.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14600K and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX combination ranks 476th out of 3714 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the top 12.8% of all configurations in the database. This is a strong showing, particularly given that the GPU’s percentile ranking against all GPUs is only 64th, while the CPU ranks in the 90th percentile against all CPUs. The discrepancy suggests that the CPU is the stronger component in this pairing, but the GPU still delivers sufficient performance to achieve high frame rates across all tested settings. The rank of 476 out of 3714 indicates that while many combinations outperform this setup, it sits well above the median and is capable of handling the game’s demands without compromise at any tested resolution or preset level.