Lockdown Protocol

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, this combination is effectively out of playable territory across every preset. The highest recorded average is 36 FPS on Low settings, which is still far below the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings produce an average of 26 FPS with a minimum of 22 FPS and a maximum of 29 FPS, showing tight but low performance. High settings drop to 22 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 17 FPS. None of these results approach smooth gameplay, and even the best case, Low, is only slightly over half of the target frame rate.

Moving to 2560x1440, the situation improves but remains below 60 FPS for all presets. Low settings deliver the best average at 56 FPS, just 4 FPS short of the playable threshold. Medium settings average 40 FPS, with recorded minimum and maximum values of 34 FPS and 46 FPS respectively. High settings drop further to 35 FPS, while Ultra produces 26 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 16 FPS, which indicates that the visual quality jump from Low to Medium carries a substantial performance cost at this resolution.

At 1920x1080, the only preset that clears the 60 FPS threshold is Low, with an average of 76 FPS. Medium settings average 54 FPS, with a minimum of 46 FPS and a maximum of 62 FPS, meaning the average sits below the target even though the maximum occasionally reaches it. High settings average 47 FPS, and Ultra drops to 35 FPS. The scaling from Low to Medium is a 22 FPS loss, while Medium to High costs another 7 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 12 FPS. The data shows that 1080p Low is the only configuration in the entire measurement set that meets the 60 FPS standard.

The measured FPS values across all resolutions and presets show a consistent pattern: the GPU is the limiting factor, as the frame rate drops sharply with each step up in resolution and settings. The min/max data available for Medium presets at all three resolutions shows that frame pacing is relatively stable, with the spread between minimum and maximum being 7 FPS at 4K, 12 FPS at 1440p, and 16 FPS at 1080p. This suggests that while the average frame rate is low, the frame delivery is not erratic, which is a small consolation for a system that cannot maintain playable averages.

CPU and GPU Roles

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a high-end desktop processor with 14 cores, 20 threads, and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32544 and single-core score of 4594 place it in the 90th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 49394. In contrast, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 sits in the 40th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 7472. This massive disparity in relative standing is the primary reason the GPU dictates the performance envelope in Lockdown Protocol.

The CPU is not the bottleneck at any resolution in this game. Even at 1080p Low, where the CPU would typically be taxed most heavily due to lower GPU load, the frame rate of 76 FPS is still limited by the GTX 1650's raw compute capabilities. The GTX 1650 has 896 shading units, 56 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs, with a boost clock of 1665 MHz and an FP32 throughput of 2.984 TFLOPS. These specifications, combined with 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus delivering 128.1 GB/s of bandwidth, create a hard ceiling that the 14600KF cannot overcome.

The scaling between resolutions confirms the GPU-bound nature of this pairing. Moving from 1080p Low (76 FPS) to 1440p Low (56 FPS) is a 26% drop, and from 1440p Low to 4K Low (36 FPS) is a 36% drop. These are typical GPU-bound scaling patterns, where the CPU's ability to feed frames is not the constraint. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rate would remain more constant across resolutions, but the data shows a clear decline as pixel count increases.

Similarly, the settings scaling at each resolution reinforces the GPU bottleneck. At 1080p, going from Low to Ultra costs 41 FPS (76 to 35), which is a 54% reduction. At 1440p, the same comparison costs 30 FPS (56 to 26), and at 4K it costs 19 FPS (36 to 17). The percentage drops are consistent with GPU-bound rendering, where higher settings increase the shading and texture workload that the GTX 1650 must process.

The 14600KF's benchmarks suggest it could handle far more demanding workloads. Its Passmark multithread score of 38697 and Geekbench multi-core score of 17085 indicate a processor capable of driving much higher frame rates in less GPU-limited scenarios. In Lockdown Protocol, however, the GTX 1650 is the clear limiting factor at every resolution and preset combination measured. Players considering an upgrade should focus on the GPU first, as the CPU has ample headroom.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Lockdown Protocol at 1080p with playable frame rates?

A: Yes, but only on Low settings. The measured average at 1920x1080 Low is 76 FPS, which exceeds the 60 FPS playable threshold. Medium settings average 54 FPS, which is below the threshold.

Q: What is the best performance this combo can achieve at 1440p?

A: The highest average at 2560x1440 is 56 FPS on Low settings. This is 4 FPS short of the 60 FPS playable threshold, so no preset at this resolution is considered playable according to the database.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The GPU is the bottleneck. The Core i5-14600KF ranks in the 90th percentile among CPUs, while the GTX 1650 ranks in the 40th percentile among GPUs. The frame rate drops consistently with resolution and settings increases, which is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario.

Q: How does the GTX 1650 compare to its nearest rivals in raw GPU benchmarks?

A: The GTX 1650 has an average benchmark score of 7472. The AMD Radeon HD 8850M scores 7447 (0.3% lower), the Intel UHD Graphics 750 scores 7441 (0.4% lower), and the AMD Radeon R7 350 scores 7425 (0.6% lower). The Intel Arc A310 scores 7550, which is 1% higher.

Q: What is the frame pacing like on Medium settings?

A: The recorded min/max values on Medium settings show a spread of 7 FPS at 4K (22 to 29), 12 FPS at 1440p (34 to 46), and 16 FPS at 1080p (46 to 62). The frame delivery is consistent, but the averages are below playable levels except at no resolution.

Q: Does the 14600KF have enough CPU performance for this game?

A: Yes. The 14600KF has a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32544 and a single-core score of 4594, placing it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 with a score of 49228 (0.3% higher), the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G at 49196 (0.4% higher), and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 at 48995 (0.8% higher). The only rival above it is the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 at 49796 (0.8% higher). CPU performance is not the constraint in this game.

The Verdict

The database verdict is clear: this system cannot run Lockdown Protocol at 60 FPS at any resolution above 1080p. At 3840x2160, no settings preset achieves a playable frame rate, with the best case being 36 FPS on Low. At 2560x1440, the same is true, with Low settings reaching only 56 FPS. The only playable configuration in the entire measurement set is 1920x1080 with Low settings, which delivers an average of 76 FPS.

For players with a 1080p monitor, the system can run the game, but only with the lowest visual preset. The 76 FPS average provides enough headroom to avoid major frame drops, and the absence of min/max data for Low settings suggests the frame delivery is stable enough to not warrant separate recording. However, there is no room for higher settings at this resolution.

For 1440p and 4K displays, this combination is not viable for 60 FPS gameplay. The closest result is 1440p Low at 56 FPS, which is below the playable threshold. Players with these monitors would need to either lower their expectations significantly or consider a GPU upgrade, as the CPU is not the limiting factor.

The verdict by resolution from the database is unambiguous: 3840x2160 has no playable settings, 2560x1440 has no playable settings, and 1920x1080 has Low as the only playable preset with an average of 76 FPS.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, there is no preset that maintains 60 FPS. The highest average is 36 FPS on Low, which is 24 FPS below the threshold. Medium settings at 26 FPS, High at 22 FPS, and Ultra at 17 FPS are all further from playable. The database records no best settings for this resolution because none qualify.

At 2560x1440, the same applies. Low settings produce the highest average at 56 FPS, but this is still below the 60 FPS playable threshold. Medium averages 40 FPS, High averages 35 FPS, and Ultra averages 26 FPS. No preset at this resolution meets the requirement, so the database lists no best settings.

At 1920x1080, Low settings are the only preset that clears the 60 FPS threshold, with an average of 76 FPS. This is the best settings choice at this resolution. Medium settings average 54 FPS, which is below the threshold, and High and Ultra are further behind at 47 FPS and 35 FPS respectively. Players who want to use this system for Lockdown Protocol should run 1080p Low to stay above the 60 FPS target, as it is the only configuration that does so.

The most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS across all resolutions is therefore 1920x1080 Low at 76 FPS. No other resolution or preset combination in the measured data reaches the 60 FPS threshold.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 ranks 3580 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. That places it in the bottom 4% of all systems tested, which is consistent with the measured frame rates showing playability only at 1080p Low.

The ranking reflects the severe mismatch between the CPU and GPU. The 14600KF is a top-tier processor, ranking in the 90th percentile among all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 49394. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 at 49228 (0.3% lower), the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G at 49196 (0.4% lower), and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 at 48995 (0.8% lower). The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 at 49796 is the only rival in the list that scores higher, by 0.8%.

The GTX 1650, by contrast, ranks in the 40th percentile among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 7472. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon HD 8850M at 7447 (0.3% lower), the Intel UHD Graphics 750 at 7441 (0.4% lower), the AMD Radeon R7 350 at 7425 (0.6% lower), and the Intel Arc A310 at 7550 (1% higher). The GPU is the anchor dragging this combo down to the 3580th position.

The rank of 3580 out of 3714 means that 134 tested combinations performed worse, while 3579 performed better. This is a bottom-tier result for Lockdown Protocol, driven entirely by the GTX 1650's limited capabilities. The 14600KF's strong CPU benchmarks cannot compensate for the GPU's low compute throughput, small memory bandwidth, and 4 GB VRAM capacity. For any player considering this system, the data indicates that the GPU should be the first component replaced to improve Lockdown Protocol performance.