Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 delivers a strong 1080p and 1440p experience in Lockdown Protocol, with the data showing all tested presets clearing the 60 FPS threshold at those resolutions. At 4K, the combination remains capable, though the Ultra preset dips below the playability line, making High the top playable setting.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS is High, which produces an average of 72 FPS. The data also shows that Low and Medium are playable at this resolution, with averages of 116 FPS and 82 FPS respectively, but High offers the best visual fidelity while still providing a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS floor. The Ultra preset falls to an average of 54 FPS, which does not meet the playability threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, the combination unlocks full visual freedom. The Ultra preset is the best choice, delivering an average of 84 FPS. Every setting tier is playable here: High averages 112 FPS, Medium averages 128 FPS, and Low reaches 180 FPS. The gap between Ultra and High is significant — a 28 FPS difference — but both remain well within playable territory.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is again the highest playable option, with an average of 114 FPS. This is the only resolution where the Ultra preset exceeds the 60 FPS threshold by a wide margin. Lower presets scale predictably: High averages 152 FPS, Medium averages 174 FPS, and Low peaks at 245 FPS. For users prioritizing maximum refresh rate consistency, the Low preset at 1080p offers nearly double the frame rate of Ultra.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a clear shift in component responsibility as resolution changes. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are extraordinarily high across all presets — from 114 FPS at Ultra to 245 FPS at Low — which indicates that the Intel Core i5-14600K is providing ample headroom for the Radeon RX 9070 to operate near its full potential. The CPU's 14 cores and 20 threads, combined with a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, prevent any meaningful bottleneck at this resolution, as evidenced by the 131 FPS spread between Low and Ultra settings.

At 2560x1440, the scaling pattern changes subtly. The difference between Low (180 FPS) and Ultra (84 FPS) is 96 FPS, a narrower gap than at 1080p, where the same settings differ by 131 FPS. This compression suggests the GPU is starting to take on a more dominant role, as the increased pixel count places additional load on the Radeon RX 9070's 3584 shading units. The GPU's 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 644.6 GB/s bandwidth become more relevant at this resolution.

The 3840x2160 results confirm the GPU as the primary constraint. Here, the spread between Low (116 FPS) and Ultra (54 FPS) is 62 FPS, and even the High preset drops to 72 FPS. The RX 9070's FP32 throughput of 36.13 TFLOPS is taxed heavily by 4K rendering, while the CPU's contribution diminishes. Notably, the CPU's benchmark percentile of 90 versus the GPU's 69 percentile suggests the processor has more relative headroom, and the 4K data reflects this imbalance — the GPU saturates before the CPU can push frame rates higher.

Measured FPS Breakdown

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: Average 116 FPS, no min/max recorded.
• Medium: Average 82 FPS, minimum 70 FPS, maximum 95 FPS.
• High: Average 72 FPS, no min/max recorded.
• Ultra: Average 54 FPS, no min/max recorded.

At 4K, the Medium preset shows the only available frame time data, with a minimum of 70 FPS that still clears the playability threshold. The jump from Medium to High costs 10 FPS on average, while the step from High to Ultra costs 18 FPS — a steeper penalty that pushes the combo below 60 FPS.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: Average 180 FPS, no min/max recorded.
• Medium: Average 128 FPS, minimum 109 FPS, maximum 147 FPS.
• High: Average 112 FPS, no min/max recorded.
• Ultra: Average 84 FPS, no min/max recorded.

The 1440p Medium preset provides the only full frame time dataset for this resolution, with a minimum of 109 FPS ensuring smooth performance even in demanding scenes. The difference between Medium and High is 16 FPS, while High to Ultra costs 28 FPS, making Ultra the first setting where the average drops below 100 FPS.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: Average 245 FPS, no min/max recorded.
• Medium: Average 174 FPS, minimum 148 FPS, maximum 200 FPS.
• High: Average 152 FPS, no min/max recorded.
• Ultra: Average 114 FPS, no min/max recorded.

At 1080p, the Medium preset shows a minimum of 148 FPS and a maximum of 200 FPS, a 52 FPS range that indicates some scene-to-scene variability but no risk of dropping near the 60 FPS threshold. Even the Ultra preset's average of 114 FPS leaves substantial headroom.

FAQ

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

A: No. The Ultra preset at 3840x2160 produces an average of 54 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playability threshold. The highest playable setting at 4K is High, averaging 72 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution to play this game with this hardware?

A: The data shows 2560x1440 offers the best balance, as the Ultra preset averages 84 FPS while maintaining full visual quality. At 1080p, Ultra averages 114 FPS, but the higher resolution provides a more immersive experience without sacrificing playability.

Q: How does the 4K Ultra performance compare to 1440p Ultra?

A: The 4K Ultra average of 54 FPS is 30 FPS lower than the 1440p Ultra average of 84 FPS. This represents a 35.7% drop in frame rate when moving from 1440p to 4K at the same settings.

Q: Is there a risk of frame drops below 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: The available data shows the Medium preset at 1440p has a minimum of 109 FPS, far above the 60 FPS threshold. While min/max data is not recorded for other 1440p presets, the averages for High (112 FPS) and Ultra (84 FPS) suggest adequate headroom.

Q: Which component is more likely to limit performance at 1080p?

A: The CPU's high percentile rank (90) and the GPU's lower rank (69) suggest the Radeon RX 9070 is the limiting factor at 1080p. However, the extremely high frame rates — up to 245 FPS at Low — indicate both components are performing well above playable levels.

Q: Does the combo meet the 60 FPS requirement at every resolution?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset fails to meet the threshold with 54 FPS. All other tested settings at 4K, 1440p, and 1080p exceed 60 FPS, with 1440p and 1080p clearing the threshold at every preset.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core i5-14600K's nearest rivals in the benchmark database show comparable overall performance. The Intel Xeon Gold 5318H scores nearly identically, just 0.2% lower. The AMD EPYC 4345P is 0.3% ahead, while the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX sits 0.7% higher. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 trails by 0.8%. In practice, any of these processors would deliver nearly indistinguishable frame rates in Lockdown Protocol, as the differences are well within measurement noise.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z is the closest match, scoring 0.6% higher than the RX 9070. The AMD Radeon RX 6800S is 0.8% behind, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile is 1.1% ahead. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER leads by 1.2%. These deltas are all under 2%, meaning users with any of these GPUs would see similar performance characteristics in this title, though the RX 9070's 16 GB memory capacity provides an advantage in memory-heavy scenes that these benchmark scores do not capture.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of Intel Core i5-14600K and AMD Radeon RX 9070 ranks 1099 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the 70.4th percentile of all configurations. This ranking reflects a system that is firmly in the upper tier of performance, though not at the very top. The CPU's strong benchmark standing (90th percentile) is partially offset by the GPU's more modest positioning (69th percentile), which explains why the combo does not break into the top quarter of results.

The ranking suggests that while this system handles Lockdown Protocol exceptionally well at 1080p and 1440p, there are roughly 1098 other tested combinations that achieve higher frame rates. Given that the data shows playable performance at every resolution except 4K Ultra, the rank is more a reflection of the GPU's mid-tier standing than any deficiency in the pairing. For users targeting high-refresh 1080p or smooth 1440p gaming, this combo sits in a comfortable position; for 4K enthusiasts, it remains usable with settings adjustments.