Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i5-14600KF and Intel Arc B570 combination delivers a playable experience in Lockdown Protocol, but the margin of comfort depends heavily on the resolution and detail preset. At 1080p, this setup is largely untroubled, with all presets clearing the 60 FPS playable threshold. At 1440p, the pairing remains strong, though the Ultra preset drops below the line. At 4K, only the Low preset is playable, and the Ultra preset falls to a slideshow-like 30 FPS average. The data indicates that the Arc B570 is the primary scaling factor at higher resolutions, while the CPU headroom of the i5-14600KF becomes more relevant at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of diminishing returns as resolution increases and settings are pushed higher. At 1920x1080, the combo produces its strongest results. The Low preset averages 136 FPS, which is substantially higher than the Medium preset's 96 FPS (with a minimum of 82 FPS and maximum of 111 FPS). The High preset drops to 84 FPS, and the Ultra preset still maintains an average of 63 FPS. This means that even at the highest quality settings, the system consistently stays above the 60 FPS playable threshold, offering a smooth experience for fast-paced FPS gameplay.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance cost of higher resolution becomes evident. The Low preset still delivers a very high 100 FPS average. The Medium preset averages 71 FPS, with a minimum of 60 FPS and a maximum of 81 FPS, indicating that it can hold the playable line but may dip right at the threshold under load. The High preset averages 62 FPS, which is still playable but leaves less headroom. The Ultra preset, however, falls to an average of 46 FPS, which is below the playable threshold and would result in noticeable stuttering during intense combat.

At 3840x2160, the Arc B570 is clearly strained. The Low preset is the only option that maintains playability, averaging 64 FPS. The Medium preset drops to an average of 46 FPS, with a minimum of 39 FPS and a maximum of 52 FPS, highlighting significant frame time inconsistency. The High preset averages 40 FPS, and the Ultra preset bottoms out at 30 FPS. These numbers indicate that 4K gaming is only feasible with the lowest graphical settings, and even then, the average frame rate is close to the threshold, suggesting potential dips below 60 FPS in demanding scenes.

How This Combo Ranks

The data places this specific CPU-GPU combination at rank 2987 out of 3714 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol. This ranking places the setup in the lower half of all tested configurations, which is a direct consequence of the Arc B570's position in the GPU hierarchy rather than a limitation of the i5-14600KF. The CPU itself is in the 90th percentile against all CPUs, while the GPU is only in the 65th percentile against all GPUs. This discrepancy confirms that the GPU is the bottleneck for this game, and the overall combo rank is dragged down by the graphics card's performance ceiling.

The rank is a global figure, but the per-resolution data shows that the combo's competitiveness changes with the workload. At 1080p, where the CPU has more influence, the system performs well, with the Ultra preset achieving 63 FPS which is above the playable threshold. The rank does not reflect this strength at lower resolutions. Instead, it is an average of all resolutions and settings, and the poor 4K performance, where the Ultra preset only reaches 30 FPS, significantly lowers the overall position. In essence, this combo is a strong 1080p performer that struggles to maintain that status at higher resolutions, which is why its overall rank is moderate.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the Intel Core i5-14600KF is closely matched by several rivals. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900 has an average benchmark score that is 0.3% higher, making it effectively a performance equivalent. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G is 0.4% higher, and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is 0.8% higher. The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 is 0.8% lower. These deltas are all within a single percentage point, meaning that swapping the i5-14600KF for any of these CPUs would result in virtually identical frame rates in Lockdown Protocol when paired with the same GPU. The choice between them would come down to platform features and price, not gaming performance.

On the GPU side, the Intel Arc B570 has a set of rivals that are also very close in average score. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile is 0.1% higher, while the Intel Arc A750 is 0.1% lower. The NVIDIA Quadro M4000M is 0.4% higher, and the AMD Radeon R9 M390X is 0.5% lower. These margins are negligible, so a system with the i5-14600KF paired with any of these GPUs would produce nearly identical FPS numbers to the Arc B570 in this game. This suggests that the measured FPS data for this combo is representative of a broad group of mid-range graphics solutions. Notably, the Arc A750, a previous-generation Intel part, performs almost exactly the same as the newer Arc B570, indicating that the generational uplift is minimal for this specific title.

The Verdict

The verdict data is clear: this PC can run Lockdown Protocol at 60 FPS, but only under specific conditions. At 1920x1080, all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable, with the Ultra preset averaging 63 FPS. This is the resolution where the system offers a definitive "yes" to the question of playability at maximum quality. At 2560x1440, the High preset is the best playable option, averaging 62 FPS. The Ultra preset is not playable here, as it drops to 46 FPS. At 3840x2160, the only playable setting is Low, which averages 64 FPS. The High, Medium, and Ultra presets all fall below the 60 FPS threshold.

Therefore, the answer to whether this PC can run the game is nuanced. For a 1080p monitor, it is a confident yes, even at the highest settings. For a 1440p monitor, it is a conditional yes, requiring users to stick to High settings or lower for a smooth experience. For a 4K monitor, it is only a marginal yes, and only at the lowest settings, where the average frame rate is barely above the threshold. The system is not a 4K gaming rig for this title, but it is a very capable 1080p and a solid 1440p machine.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data shows a clear division of labor between the CPU and GPU at different resolutions. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are high across all presets, from 136 FPS at Low to 63 FPS at Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra is 73 FPS, which indicates that the GPU is doing more work as settings increase, but the CPU is still feeding it enough data to maintain high frame rates. The i5-14600KF's strong single-threaded performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4594, is sufficient to avoid bottlenecking the Arc B570 at this resolution.

As the resolution increases to 2560x1440, the GPU becomes the limiting factor. The frame rate at Low (100 FPS) is lower than at 1080p Low (136 FPS), showing that the GPU is already starting to struggle with the additional pixel count. The Ultra preset at 1440p (46 FPS) is significantly lower than at 1080p Ultra (63 FPS). This 17 FPS drop is entirely due to the GPU's rendering load. The CPU's role is diminished here, as it has more time to prepare frames while the GPU is busy. At 3840x2160, the GPU is completely saturated. The Ultra preset's 30 FPS average is a clear sign that the Arc B570's 10 GB of GDDR6 memory and 380.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the demands of 4K high-detail rendering. The CPU's performance is largely irrelevant at this resolution; the frame rate is dictated almost entirely by the GPU's pixel and texture throughput.

Best Settings per Resolution

The data provides a definitive answer for the best playable settings at each resolution. For 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average FPS of 63. This is the ideal configuration for users with a 1080p monitor who want the best visual quality without sacrificing smoothness.

For 2560x1440, the best playable preset is High, which averages 62 FPS. While the Medium preset also clears the threshold with 71 FPS, High offers a better visual experience while still maintaining a playable frame rate. The Ultra preset is not viable at this resolution, as its 46 FPS average falls short of the 60 FPS playable threshold.

For 3840x2160, the best playable preset is Low, with an average of 64 FPS. This is the only option that provides a playable experience at 4K. The Medium preset's 46 FPS average is too low, and the High and Ultra presets are even worse. Users with a 4K display will have to make significant visual sacrifices to achieve smooth gameplay, and even then, the 64 FPS average leaves little room for frame rate drops in complex scenes.