Lockdown Protocol

Can Intel Core i5-14600KF + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER run Lockdown Protocol? Yes, the pairing clears the 60 FPS threshold at 1080p and 1440p across all tested presets, while 4K Ultra falls short at 39 FPS average. The benchmark data shows a strong CPU that ranks in the 90th percentile, paired with a GPU in the 65th percentile, creating a system where the graphics card becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The recorded average frame rates demonstrate that this combination is a reliable 1440p performer, with the ability to push high refresh rates at 1080p on lower settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best setting for 1080p gaming with this combo?

A: At 1920x1080, all settings are playable. The Ultra preset delivers an average of 82 FPS, which is the best visual preset that still clears the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Can this system handle 4K Ultra settings?

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate drops to 39 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The only playable 4K preset is Low, which averages 83 FPS.

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

A: The average frame rate drops from 175 FPS at Low to 82 FPS at Ultra, a reduction of 93 FPS. Medium sits between these at 125 FPS, while High averages 109 FPS.

Q: What is the frame time consistency at 1440p Medium?

A: The recorded minimum is 78 FPS and the maximum is 105 FPS, with an average of 91 FPS. This indicates a stable range well above the playable threshold.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 20282. The Intel Arc A750 is 1.5% higher, the Intel Arc B570 is 1.3% higher, and the RTX 3070 Mobile is 1.2% higher. The NVIDIA Quadro M4000M is 1% lower.

Q: What is the rank of this specific CPU and GPU combination among tested combos?

A: The combo ranks 2165 out of 3714 tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a clear division of labor between the Intel Core i5-14600KF and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER, with the GPU taking on increasing importance as resolution climbs. At 1920x1080, the CPU's strength is evident: the Low preset produces 175 FPS average, while the Ultra preset still manages 82 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 93 FPS, showing that even at the highest settings, the processor has enough headroom to feed the GPU effectively. The CPU, which ranks in the 90th percentile of all processors, is not the bottleneck at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates compress noticeably. The Low preset averages 129 FPS, a drop of 46 FPS from the 1080p Low result. The Ultra preset averages 60 FPS, which is exactly at the playable threshold, and represents a 22 FPS decline from the 1080p Ultra figure. This compression indicates the GPU is starting to assert its limits, as the same CPU cannot maintain the higher frame rates when pixel count increases. The Medium preset at 1440p averages 91 FPS with a minimum of 78 FPS, confirming that the GPU still has enough capacity for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the dominant constraint. The Low preset averages 83 FPS, which is a 46% reduction from the 1080p Low result of 175 FPS. The High preset drops to 51 FPS, and Ultra falls to 39 FPS, both below the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset at 4K averages 59 FPS, just one frame short of playable. This pattern shows a system where the RTX 2070 SUPER, despite being in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, cannot sustain high settings at 4K. The CPU's performance is largely irrelevant at this resolution because the GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are saturated by the pixel workload.

The scaling between presets also highlights the GPU's role. At 1080p, the jump from Low to Medium costs 50 FPS, while at 1440p the same jump costs 38 FPS, and at 4K it costs 24 FPS. This diminishing gap suggests that at lower resolutions, the CPU and GPU work together efficiently, but at 4K, the GPU's raw throughput limits the frame rate regardless of preset. For players targeting 60 FPS, the data shows that 1440p Ultra is the ceiling for this pairing, while 1080p offers substantial headroom for high refresh rate monitors.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals to the Intel Core i5-14600KF in the database provide context for its processing power. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900 scores 49228, which is 0.3% higher than the i5-14600KF's 49394 average. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G scores 49196, a 0.4% difference, while the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 scores 48995, 0.8% lower. The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 scores 49796, which is 0.8% higher. These deltas are all within one percentage point, meaning any of these processors would deliver nearly identical CPU-driven performance in Lockdown Protocol at lower resolutions where the CPU is the active component.

The GPU's nearest rivals show a similar clustering. The NVIDIA Quadro M4000M scores 20480, which is 1% higher than the RTX 2070 SUPER's 20282 average. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile scores 20534, 1.2% higher, and the Intel Arc B570 scores 20556, also 1.3% higher. The Intel Arc A750 scores 20582, 1.5% higher. All four alternatives sit within 1.5% of the RTX 2070 SUPER, so a system equipped with any of these graphics cards would produce nearly indistinguishable frame rates in this game. This is particularly relevant at 4K, where the GPU is the limiting factor and a swap to one of these rivals would not meaningfully change the verdict.

The data indicates that the i5-14600KF has more headroom than the GPU. Since the CPU's rivals are all within 0.8% of its score, upgrading the processor alone would not change the frame rates at 1440p or 4K, where the RTX 2070 SUPER is the constraint. Conversely, the GPU's rivals are within 1.5%, so replacing the RTX 2070 SUPER with any of these alternatives would also yield similar results. The combination's rank of 2165 out of 3714 reflects this mid-tier positioning, where neither component is exceptional but both work together to clear 60 FPS at mainstream resolutions.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol, but the experience depends heavily on resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the system clears 60 FPS on every preset, with the Ultra preset averaging 82 FPS. This makes 1080p the most flexible resolution, allowing players to choose between maximum visual fidelity at 82 FPS or competitive frame rates at 175 FPS on Low. The 1440p results also clear the threshold, with Ultra averaging exactly 60 FPS, High at 80 FPS, Medium at 91 FPS, and Low at 129 FPS. The database classifies all four 1440p presets as playable.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes. The only playable setting is Low, which averages 83 FPS. Medium falls one frame short at 59 FPS, High averages 51 FPS, and Ultra averages 39 FPS. The verdict data confirms that 4K is limited to Low settings for a consistent 60 FPS experience. Players with 4K displays should either lower the resolution or accept reduced visual quality. The data shows that the best 4K setting is Low, with an average of 83 FPS, which still provides a smooth experience but sacrifices the graphical features that Ultra would offer.

The playable threshold is set at 60 FPS, and the system meets or exceeds this at 1080p and 1440p across all tested presets. The 1440p Ultra result of exactly 60 FPS is the narrowest margin, but it is still playable. For those seeking the highest settings, 1440p is the practical ceiling, while 1080p provides a buffer for demanding scenes. The measured data does not include minimum frame rates for most presets, so the 1440p Medium minimum of 78 FPS is the only recorded low point, and it remains comfortably above the threshold.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 175 FPS, the highest recorded result for this system. Medium averages 125 FPS with a minimum of 106 FPS and a maximum of 143 FPS. High averages 109 FPS, and Ultra averages 82 FPS. The 1080p results show a clear gradient, with every preset maintaining a substantial margin above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 129 FPS, while Medium averages 91 FPS with a minimum of 78 FPS and a maximum of 105 FPS. High averages 80 FPS, and Ultra averages 60 FPS. The 1440p Medium range is the only preset in the entire dataset with both minimum and maximum values recorded, and the 78 FPS minimum indicates that even the worst frame times stay above the playable threshold.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 83 FPS, the only 4K result above 60 FPS. Medium averages 59 FPS with a minimum of 50 FPS and a maximum of 68 FPS, meaning it dips below the threshold during intense scenes. High averages 51 FPS, and Ultra averages 39 FPS. The 4K Medium minimum of 50 FPS confirms that this preset cannot guarantee a smooth experience, despite the average being close to the threshold.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER combination ranks 2165 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places the pairing in the 58th percentile of all combinations in the database, meaning roughly 42% of tested systems perform worse. The rank reflects the balance between a strong CPU and a mid-tier GPU; the i5-14600KF sits in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, while the RTX 2070 SUPER sits in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. The combination's overall position is dragged down by the GPU, which is the limiting component at resolutions above 1080p.

The CPU's benchmark performance, with an average score of 49394, is higher than its nearest rivals by margins of 0.3% to 0.8%. The GPU's average score of 20282 is slightly lower than its nearest rivals, which are 1% to 1.5% faster. This asymmetry means the combo rank is more representative of the GPU's tier than the CPU's. In practice, the system delivers playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K results show the GPU's limits. The rank of 2165 out of 3714 is consistent with a system that excels at mainstream resolutions but cannot handle 4K Ultra, and the data indicates that any GPU upgrade within the same performance class would not substantially change this ranking.