Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 ranks 2,194th out of 3,714 tested combinations for Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the upper half of the database. This is a mid-pack ranking for a first-person shooter, suggesting the combo delivers consistent playable frame rates across most settings, though it does not reach the top tier of performance. The CPU sits in the 90th percentile among all processors, while the GPU is in the 59th percentile, indicating the pairing leans on a strong processor to support a mid-range graphics card.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 2,194 out of 3,714 tested combinations places it roughly in the 41st percentile of all tested systems. For a game like Lockdown Protocol, which is an FPS title, this ranking reflects a system that comfortably handles standard resolutions but falls short of extreme high-refresh-rate dominance. The CPU’s 90th percentile ranking against all processors suggests that this system’s strength lies in its processing headroom, while the GPU’s 59th percentile indicates a more modest graphics capability relative to the broader market.

In practical terms, the data shows that at 1920x1080, the combo achieves an average of 175 FPS on Low settings, which is a strong result for competitive play. However, at 3840x2160 on Ultra, the average drops to 39 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playability threshold. This spread demonstrates that the combo’s rank is driven more by its ability to perform well at lower resolutions and settings, rather than by pushing maximum detail at 4K. Compared to other tested combos, this system sits in the middle of the pack, offering a balanced experience rather than an extreme one.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest playable setting at 3840x2160?

A: At 4K, only the Low preset maintains an average above 60 FPS, delivering 83 FPS. The Medium preset falls short at 59 FPS, which is just below the playable threshold.

Q: Can this combo handle Ultra settings at 2560x1440?

A: Yes, at 2560x1440, the Ultra preset achieves an average of 60 FPS, which exactly meets the playability threshold. This makes Ultra the best playable setting at this resolution.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600KF has an average benchmark score of 49,394. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, scores 49,228, which is 0.3% lower. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G is 0.4% lower, and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is 0.8% lower, while the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 is 0.8% higher.

Q: What GPU performance level does the RX 9060 match?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9060 has an average benchmark score of 16,014. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, scores 16,129, which is 0.7% higher. The AMD Radeon R9 370X and RX 7700 are 1% lower, and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 is 2.1% lower.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 1920x1080?

A: At 1080p, the Ultra preset is playable with an average of 81 FPS, making it the best setting. All presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—exceed the 60 FPS threshold at this resolution.

Q: Does the combo ever drop below 60 FPS at 2560x1440?

A: No, at 1440p, all tested presets stay at or above 60 FPS on average. The lowest average is on Ultra at exactly 60 FPS, with Medium showing a minimum of 77 FPS in the recorded data.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Low, which achieves an average of 83 FPS. The Medium preset falls just short at 59 FPS, making Low the only playable option at 4K. For 2560x1440, Ultra is the best playable setting, delivering exactly 60 FPS on average; all lower presets exceed this, with High reaching 80 FPS, Medium at 91 FPS, and Low at 128 FPS. At 1920x1080, Ultra remains the best playable setting with an average of 81 FPS, while High hits 109 FPS, Medium reaches 124 FPS, and Low tops out at 175 FPS.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the CPU’s nearest rivals, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 has an average score of 49,228, which is 0.3% lower than the i5-14600KF’s 49,394. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G is 0.4% lower at 49,196, and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is 0.8% lower at 48,995. The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 is the only rival that scores higher, at 49,796, which is 0.8% above. These deltas are minimal, meaning a system with any of these CPUs would perform nearly identically in CPU-bound tasks for Lockdown Protocol.

For the GPU, the AMD Radeon RX 9060’s nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which scores 16,129, a 0.7% advantage. The AMD Radeon R9 370X and RX 7700 both score 15,862 and 15,852 respectively, each about 1% lower. The AMD Radeon Pro W5500 trails by 2.1% with a score of 15,679. These small percentage differences indicate that swapping to any of these GPUs would result in very similar frame rates, with the RTX 3060 Ti being the closest match in performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the measured results show a clear hierarchy: Low settings produce an average of 83 FPS, Medium drops to 59 FPS with a minimum of 50 and maximum of 68, High falls to 51 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 39 FPS. The step from Low to Medium is a 24 FPS reduction, while the drop from Medium to High is 8 FPS, and High to Ultra is another 12 FPS. At 2560x1440, Low averages 128 FPS, Medium hits 91 FPS with a range of 77 to 105, High reaches 80 FPS, and Ultra achieves 60 FPS. The scaling here shows a 37 FPS gap between Low and Medium, then 11 FPS between Medium and High, and 20 FPS between High and Ultra. At 1920x1080, Low averages 175 FPS, Medium reaches 124 FPS with a minimum of 106 and maximum of 143, High delivers 109 FPS, and Ultra maintains 81 FPS. The difference from Low to Medium is 51 FPS, from Medium to High is 15 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 28 FPS.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol with playable performance at all three tested resolutions, but the quality ceiling varies. At 1920x1080, every preset—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—clears the 60 FPS threshold, with Ultra averaging 81 FPS. At 2560x1440, all presets also clear 60 FPS, with Ultra hitting exactly 60 FPS on average, making it the best playable choice. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset achieves playable performance at 83 FPS; Medium falls to 59 FPS, just under the threshold, while High and Ultra are not viable at 51 and 39 FPS respectively. The data indicates that this system is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming with high or ultra settings, but 4K play is restricted to the lowest preset.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results reveal that the CPU plays a more significant role at lower resolutions, while the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the jump from Low to Ultra reduces the average FPS from 175 to 81, a 54% decrease, which indicates that the GPU handles most of the graphical load, but the CPU’s high single-thread performance—evidenced by its 4,594 Cinebench R23 single-core score—ensures high frame rates even at Low settings. At 2560x1440, the scaling is similar, with Low at 128 FPS and Ultra at 60 FPS, showing a 53% reduction, but the absolute numbers are lower, suggesting the GPU is beginning to bottleneck. At 3840x2160, the pattern reverses: Low averages 83 FPS and Ultra drops to 39 FPS, a 53% decrease, yet the absolute values are much lower, confirming that the GPU’s 8 GB memory and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are the primary constraints at 4K. The CPU’s 90th percentile ranking and high multi-core score of 32,544 in Cinebench R23 provide ample headroom, meaning that across all resolutions, the RX 9060’s performance is the deciding factor for playability, particularly at higher settings.