Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT delivers a robust gaming experience in Lockdown Protocol, with performance scaling predictably across resolutions and presets. Measured data shows this combination handles 1080p and 1440p with ease, while 4K requires some settings compromises to stay fluid. The following analysis breaks down the exact frame rates, optimal settings, and component roles based solely on the measured results.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination produces exceptionally high frame rates across all presets. The Low preset reaches 217 FPS average, which is the highest measured figure in the entire dataset. Medium delivers 157.3 FPS, High drops to 134.7 FPS, and Ultra still maintains 100.2 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra represents a 54% reduction in average frame rate, yet even the most demanding preset at this resolution remains far above the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance curve shifts downward but remains strong. Low preset yields 163 FPS average, Medium produces 113.7 FPS, High achieves 100.9 FPS, and Ultra settles at 74.9 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 54.1%, slightly larger than at 1080p. Notably, the Ultra preset at 1440p still clears the 60 FPS threshold by nearly 15 FPS, indicating headroom for demanding scenes.

At 3840x2160, the performance picture changes more dramatically. Low preset delivers 105.2 FPS average, which is surprisingly high for 4K. Medium drops to 70.9 FPS, High reaches 64.9 FPS, and Ultra falls to 49.9 FPS — the only measured preset below the 60 FPS playability threshold. The spread from Low to Ultra at 4K is 55.3 FPS, or a 52.5% reduction. This data suggests the RX 7700 XT has sufficient bandwidth for 4K at lower settings but struggles with the most intensive visual effects.

No minimum or maximum frame rate data was captured for any resolution or preset, so the analysis relies exclusively on average FPS figures. The absence of min/max values means frame time consistency cannot be assessed directly, but the average figures provide a clear performance hierarchy across the twelve tested configurations.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the best choice, delivering 100.2 FPS average. This is the most demanding configuration tested at this resolution, and it still provides 40.2 FPS of headroom above the 60 FPS threshold. Players seeking maximum visual fidelity can enable every setting without concern.

For 2560x1440, Ultra remains the optimal selection with 74.9 FPS average. This preset clears the playability threshold by 14.9 FPS, offering a comfortable margin. The High preset at 100.9 FPS would be preferable for higher refresh rate displays, but Ultra provides the best visual quality while maintaining smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, High is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, achieving 64.9 FPS average. This represents a 4.9 FPS margin above the threshold — adequate but not generous. The Medium preset at 70.9 FPS offers more headroom with slightly reduced visual quality, while Low at 105.2 FPS provides the smoothest 4K experience. Ultra at 49.9 FPS falls below the playability threshold and should be avoided at this resolution.

The verdict data confirms these selections: 1080p and 1440p both list Ultra as the best settings, while 4K lists High at 64.9 FPS. The data indicates that the playable settings at 4K include High, Low, and Medium, but not Ultra.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets reveals how the CPU and GPU share the workload in Lockdown Protocol. At 1080p, the Low preset achieves 217 FPS while Ultra reaches 100.2 FPS, a difference of 116.8 FPS. This substantial gap indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor when visual settings increase, as the CPU has ample headroom at lower resolutions to feed the graphics card.

When moving from 1080p to 1440p at the same preset, the frame rate drops by a consistent margin. For Low, the drop is 54 FPS (217 to 163). For Medium, it is 43.6 FPS (157.3 to 113.7). For High, it is 33.8 FPS (134.7 to 100.9). For Ultra, it is 25.3 FPS (100.2 to 74.9). The diminishing absolute drops at higher presets suggest that the GPU becomes progressively more saturated as resolution increases.

The 4K results further illuminate this relationship. At Low settings, the 105.2 FPS average is only 57.8 FPS lower than the 1080p Low result, while the 4K Ultra at 49.9 FPS is 50.3 FPS lower than 1080p Ultra. The proportional drop from 1080p to 4K is largest at Low settings (51.6% reduction) and smallest at Ultra (50.2% reduction). This pattern indicates that resolution scaling primarily stresses the GPU, while preset changes also influence the CPU workload.

The Core i5-14600KF with its 14 cores and 20 threads provides sufficient processing power to avoid bottlenecking the RX 7700 XT at all tested resolutions. The data shows that even at 1080p Low with 217 FPS, the CPU can sustain frame delivery without becoming the primary constraint. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the dominant factor, as the frame rate drops align with the increased pixel count and shading demands rather than CPU limitations.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, at High settings the combination achieves 64.9 FPS average, which clears the 60 FPS threshold. Low and Medium presets also remain playable at 105.2 FPS and 70.9 FPS respectively. Ultra at 4K falls short at 49.9 FPS.

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

A: Ultra settings produce 74.9 FPS average, making it the most demanding preset that stays above 60 FPS. Lower presets provide higher frame rates, with Low reaching 163 FPS, but Ultra offers the best visual quality while remaining playable.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 1440p?

A: The frame rate reduction varies by preset. Low drops from 217 to 163 FPS (54 FPS loss), Medium from 157.3 to 113.7 FPS (43.6 FPS loss), High from 134.7 to 100.9 FPS (33.8 FPS loss), and Ultra from 100.2 to 74.9 FPS (25.3 FPS loss).

Q: Is the Ultra preset playable at any resolution?

A: Yes, Ultra is playable at both 1080p (100.2 FPS) and 1440p (74.9 FPS). At 4K, Ultra drops to 49.9 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Q: Which component has a larger impact on performance?

A: The GPU plays a larger role at higher resolutions and presets. Evidence includes the 52.5% frame rate reduction from Low to Ultra at 4K, compared to a 53.8% reduction at 1080p. The CPU maintains sufficient throughput across all configurations, as shown by the high frame rates at 1080p Low.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at Medium settings in 4K?

A: Medium settings at 3840x2160 produce 70.9 FPS average, which is 10.9 FPS above the playability threshold and 6 FPS higher than High settings at the same resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of Intel Core i5-14600KF and AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT ranks 1419 out of 3714 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the 38.2nd percentile of all tested configurations, meaning roughly 38% of tested combinations perform better. The ranking reflects the balanced nature of this pairing — the CPU is strong while the GPU is mid-range, resulting in above-average but not top-tier gaming performance.

The percentile rankings of the individual components support this assessment. The CPU sits at the 90th percentile among all CPUs, indicating it is a high-performing processor. The GPU ranks at the 67th percentile among all GPUs, placing it comfortably in the upper-middle tier. The combo rank being lower than the CPU percentile suggests the GPU constrains the overall gaming performance more than the processor.

Among the 3714 tested combinations, this rank indicates that many configurations with higher-end GPUs will outperform this setup in Lockdown Protocol. However, the measured frame rates show that this ranking does not translate to poor playability — the combination clears 60 FPS at every resolution with the appropriate preset selection.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol with strong performance across all three tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, every preset including Ultra clears 60 FPS, with the Ultra preset delivering 100.2 FPS average. This makes 1080p gaming entirely unrestricted in terms of visual settings.

At 2560x1440, the combination also runs every preset above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset achieves 74.9 FPS average, providing a comfortable margin above the playability threshold. Players at this resolution can enable maximum settings without sacrificing smoothness.

At 3840x2160, the verdict is more nuanced. The High preset at 64.9 FPS is the most demanding playable option, followed by Medium at 70.9 FPS and Low at 105.2 FPS. The Ultra preset at 49.9 FPS is not playable by the 60 FPS standard. For 4K gaming, High settings offer the best visual quality while maintaining playability, though the margin above 60 FPS is modest.

Overall, the verdict data confirms that this combination is fully capable for 1080p and 1440p gaming at maximum settings, and capable for 4K gaming with settings reduced to High or lower. The only configuration that fails the playability test is 4K Ultra.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core i5-14600KF provide context for CPU performance. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900 scores 0.3% higher on average, making it nearly identical in processing capability. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G is 0.4% higher, while the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is 0.8% higher. The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 scores 0.8% lower. These four processors would deliver effectively the same CPU-bound performance in Lockdown Protocol.

For the GPU, the closest competitors are all NVIDIA and older AMD models. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile scores 0.5% higher, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile scores 0.8% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 is 1.5% lower, and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 is 1.7% higher. These delta percentages indicate that all four alternatives would produce nearly identical frame rates in this game, with differences well within measurement noise.

A system using the Core i5-14600KF with any of these rival GPUs would behave similarly to the tested configuration, with frame rate differences of less than 2% in either direction. Similarly, pairing the RX 7700 XT with any of the rival CPUs would yield comparable results. The data suggests that this performance tier is well-populated with options that would deliver a nearly identical gaming experience in Lockdown Protocol.