Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER delivers a decisive performance victory in Lockdown Protocol, clearing the 60 FPS playable threshold at every resolution and preset combination tested. The data confirms this is a high-refresh-rate machine for this FPS title, with the most demanding Ultra preset still producing an average of 65.4 FPS at 4K, 107.2 FPS at 1440p, and 145.5 FPS at 1080p. No configuration in the measured results falls below the playable mark, making this combo a reliable choice for competitive and visually demanding play alike.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the benchmark results show a clear progression from Low to Ultra. The Low preset achieves an average of 144.9 FPS, which is more than double the playable threshold and indicates exceptional headroom for high-refresh 4K displays. Medium follows at 106.7 FPS, a 26.4% drop from Low, while High averages 90.1 FPS. The Ultra preset brings the average down to 65.4 FPS, which remains comfortably above the 60 FPS floor. The scaling here is significant: moving from Low to Ultra costs roughly 79.5 FPS on average, a 54.9% reduction in performance. The data shows no min or max FPS values were recorded for any preset, so the analysis relies solely on average frame rates, but the averages alone tell a story of consistent capability.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates escalate substantially. Low produces an average of 227.7 FPS, a 57.2% improvement over the same preset at 4K. Medium reaches 162.2 FPS, while High averages 141.6 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p delivers 107.2 FPS, which is 64% higher than the 4K Ultra result. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 120.5 FPS, indicating that the GPU is less constrained as pixel count drops. Notably, even the most demanding setting here nearly doubles the 60 FPS target, suggesting that players with 144Hz or 165Hz monitors can expect a smooth experience without compromising visual quality.

At 1920x1080, the combo becomes exceptionally fast. Low averages 307.6 FPS, a figure that approaches the limits of most high-refresh displays. Medium delivers 218.8 FPS, and High averages 192.7 FPS. Ultra at 1080p produces 145.5 FPS, which is still more than double the playable threshold. The resolution scaling from 1440p to 1080p is substantial: Ultra improves by 35.7%, while Low improves by 35.1%. The data indicates that at 1080p, the CPU and GPU combination is barely challenged, with even the heaviest preset leaving significant performance on the table for future-proofing or higher refresh rate monitors.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals that the GPU is the primary performance driver in Lockdown Protocol, particularly at higher resolutions. The scaling from 1440p to 4K shows a consistent performance penalty across all presets: Low drops from 227.7 to 144.9 FPS (a 36.4% reduction), Medium from 162.2 to 106.7 FPS (34.2% reduction), High from 141.6 to 90.1 FPS (36.4% reduction), and Ultra from 107.2 to 65.4 FPS (39.0% reduction). This near-uniform drop as pixel count increases points to the GPU being the bottleneck at 4K, as the render workload scales directly with resolution.

At 1080p, the CPU begins to assert its influence. The improvement from 1440p to 1080p is substantial but not proportional to the pixel count reduction (which would be 56% going from 1440p to 1080p). Ultra improves by 35.7%, High by 36.1%, Medium by 34.9%, and Low by 35.1%. The fact that these improvements are smaller than the theoretical pixel reduction suggests that the Intel Core i5-14600K, with its 14 cores and 20 threads, is starting to limit frame rates at lower resolutions. However, the CPU still delivers 307.6 FPS at Low 1080p, so this limitation is only apparent at extreme frame rates.

The preset scaling within each resolution further clarifies the roles. At 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra is 54.9%, indicating heavy GPU load. At 1440p, the same comparison shows a 52.9% difference, and at 1080p it narrows to 52.7%. This relatively consistent gap across resolutions suggests the settings themselves increase GPU workload similarly, but the absolute frame rates at 1080p demonstrate that the CPU can feed the GPU fast enough to maintain high averages. The data supports a conclusion that for this game and this combo, the graphics card is the dominant factor at 4K, while the processor becomes more relevant as resolution drops to 1080p and frame rates soar past 200 FPS.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset is the recommended choice, averaging 65.4 FPS. This is the most demanding setting that stays at or above the 60 FPS threshold, and it does so with a 9% margin. While High averages 90.1 FPS and Medium 106.7 FPS, Ultra offers the full visual experience without sacrificing playability. Players who prioritize frame rate over fidelity can opt for High to gain 24.7 FPS, but the data confirms Ultra is viable for 4K gaming.

At 2560x1440, Ultra is again the best selection, averaging 107.2 FPS. This is far above the 60 FPS target, providing a 78.7% margin. The gap between Ultra and High is 34.4 FPS, but since both presets clear the threshold with room to spare, choosing Ultra maximizes visual quality without meaningful risk of frame drops. Medium and Low offer even higher averages (162.2 and 227.7 FPS respectively), but they are unnecessary for smooth play at this resolution.

At 1920x1080, Ultra averages 145.5 FPS, making it the clear best choice. This preset not only clears 60 FPS but also supports high-refresh monitors up to 144Hz. The difference between Ultra and High is 47.2 FPS, but Ultra’s 145.5 FPS average ensures that even demanding scenes remain fluid. Low and Medium deliver 307.6 and 218.8 FPS respectively, which are useful only for players with 240Hz or faster displays; for the vast majority of 1080p users, Ultra is the optimal setting.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the Intel Core i5-14600K, the data shows a tight cluster of similar performing CPUs. The Intel Xeon Gold 5318H has an average benchmark score of 48698, which is a 0.2% difference from the i5-14600K’s 48618 average. This means the Xeon Gold would behave nearly identically in CPU-bound scenarios. The AMD EPYC 4345P trails by 0.3% with a score of 48470, while the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX is 0.7% behind at 48287. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is slightly ahead at 48995, a 0.8% margin. In Lockdown Protocol, any of these processors would deliver frame rates within a rounding error of the i5-14600K, so users upgrading from these parts should expect no measurable difference in this game.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER, the nearest rivals are closer in average score but vary in architecture. The NVIDIA Quadro M5000 scores 31206, a 0.4% difference, while the NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q scores 31220, also 0.4% off. The NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell leads with 31532, a 1.4% margin, and the NVIDIA TITAN RTX scores 31676, 1.9% higher. These deltas are small, but the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER’s 31087 average score means that in practice, the TITAN RTX might provide a few extra frames per second at 4K Ultra, while the Quadro M5000 would be slightly slower. However, the differences are within 2%, so the playable settings and overall experience would remain unchanged across these GPUs.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol at every resolution and setting combination tested. The verdict data confirms that all four presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable at 3840x2160, 2560x1440, and 1920x1080, with no configuration falling below the 60 FPS threshold. At 4K, the Ultra preset averages 65.4 FPS, which is the minimum performance you can expect from this combo at maximum settings. At 1440p, Ultra more than clears the bar with 107.2 FPS, and at 1080p it reaches 145.5 FPS. The data shows no scenario where this hardware struggles, making it a confident recommendation for Lockdown Protocol players who want high fidelity and high frame rates simultaneously.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER combination ranks 371st out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the top 10% of all configurations in the database, a strong showing that reflects the measured frame rates across all resolutions. The rank is based on the aggregate performance data, which includes the 4K Ultra result of 65.4 FPS and the 1080p Low result of 307.6 FPS. Given that the combo outperforms the vast majority of alternatives while maintaining playability at every preset, the 371st position confirms its balanced capabilities. While higher-ranked combos may offer more headroom at 4K, this pairing delivers a premium experience across the board, with no weak points in the resolution or settings matrix.