Lockdown Protocol

This combo places the Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 in the 97th percentile of tested configurations for Lockdown Protocol, ranking 97th out of 3714 combos. That is a top-tier position, meaning this pairing outperforms roughly 97% of all recorded system builds in this specific game. The data shows a system that does not merely reach playable thresholds but obliterates them, with the only meaningful question being how much headroom you want at each resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The rank of 97 out of 3714 combos places this setup in the 97.4th percentile of all tested configurations. To put that in context, the CPU itself sits at the 90th percentile against all tested processors, while the GPU holds the 88th percentile against all tested graphics cards. The combination of a top-decile CPU and a near-top-decile GPU produces a synergy that lands the overall system in the upper 3% of all recorded combos. This is not a case of one component carrying the other; both are strong enough that the pairing boosts the entire build.

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals, the Intel Core i5-14600KF posts an average benchmark score of 49394, which is 0.3% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (averaging 49228) and 0.4% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (averaging 49196). It trails the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 by 0.8% (which scores 49796) and sits 0.8% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 (scoring 48995). These deltas are tiny—under one percent in every case—so the CPU is competitive with other high-end processors, though it does not dominate them. The GPU similarly shows tight competition: the RTX 4090's average benchmark score of 60347 is essentially tied with the Intel Arc Pro A60 (60326, 0% delta) and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (60140, 0.3% delta). It is 2.5% behind the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (61896) and 2.9% ahead of the AMD Radeon PRO V710 (58657). These rival scores are close enough that real-world game performance will hinge on driver optimization and specific workload characteristics, not raw synthetic numbers.

The practical takeaway from the rank data is that this combo is overkill for Lockdown Protocol at any resolution. The 97th percentile rank confirms that you are buying into the extreme high end of performance, and the measured FPS data backs that up with numbers that exceed 60 FPS by a wide margin at every tested setting.

CPU and GPU Roles

Lockdown Protocol shows a clear pattern where the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, but the CPU becomes more relevant as resolution drops. The measured FPS data reveals this scaling directly. At 3840x2160, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is 93 FPS (174 down to 81), which is a 53% performance drop purely from graphics load. At 2560x1440, that same Low-to-Ultra gap widens to 145 FPS (270 down to 125), a 54% drop. At 1920x1080, the gap becomes 164 FPS (335 down to 171), a 49% drop. The fact that the percentage drop stays relatively consistent across resolutions suggests that the GPU is handling the graphics settings scaling in a predictable manner, with the CPU keeping up at all times.

The resolution scaling itself tells a similar story. Moving from 1920x1080 Low (335 FPS) to 2560x1440 Low (270 FPS) is a 19% FPS loss, and then to 3840x2160 Low (174 FPS) is another 36% loss. At Ultra settings, the progression is 171 FPS at 1080p, 125 FPS at 1440p (27% loss), and 81 FPS at 4K (35% loss). These losses track closely with pixel count increases, which is the signature of a GPU-limited scenario. The CPU is not the constraining factor here; if it were, you would see FPS plateaus regardless of resolution, which is not the case.

That said, the CPU's role becomes visible in the ceiling at lower resolutions. At 1920x1080 Low, the system hits 335 FPS average, which is a very high number but still finite. The i5-14600KF, with its 14 cores and 20 threads, is clearly capable of feeding the RTX 4090 enough frames at 1080p, but the data suggests the GPU is still the limiting factor even at the lowest settings. The CPU's single-thread performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4594 and Geekbench single-core score of 2445, is strong enough to avoid bottlenecking this GPU in this title. The multi-core scores (32544 in Cinebench R23, 17085 in Geekbench) are more than sufficient for game logic and background tasks, but Lockdown Protocol is not a heavily threaded workload based on the FPS scaling pattern.

For practical purposes: at 4K, you are almost entirely GPU-bound, and the CPU choice matters little beyond having enough single-thread headroom. At 1440p and 1080p, the GPU still dominates, but the CPU's strong single-thread performance ensures you do not leave FPS on the table.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Lockdown Protocol at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 81 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS playable threshold by a 35% margin. The verdict data lists Ultra as playable at this resolution.

Q: What is the highest FPS this combo can achieve?

A: The maximum recorded average FPS is 335 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The highest measured max FPS is 301 at 1920x1080 Medium, though the average at that setting is 261 FPS.

Q: How much FPS do you lose going from 1080p to 4K at the same settings?

A: At Low settings, FPS drops from 335 at 1080p to 174 at 4K, a 48% reduction. At Ultra settings, FPS drops from 171 at 1080p to 81 at 4K, a 53% reduction. The percentage loss is similar across settings, indicating consistent GPU scaling.

Q: Is the RTX 4090 overkill for this game?

A: The data shows every resolution and preset combination exceeds 60 FPS, with even the most demanding 4K Ultra setting hitting 81 FPS. The lowest recorded average is 81 FPS, so yes, this GPU provides far more performance than Lockdown Protocol demands.

Q: Does the i5-14600KF bottleneck the RTX 4090?

A: The data does not indicate a CPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 335 FPS, and the FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K follows pixel-count expectations, which is characteristic of GPU-limited performance. The CPU's Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4594 places it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, providing ample headroom.

Q: What is the minimum FPS at 1440p Medium?

A: The measured minimum FPS at 2560x1440 Medium is 163 FPS, with an average of 192 FPS and a maximum of 220 FPS. Even the minimum is nearly three times the 60 FPS playable threshold.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol at every resolution and preset combination tested, with no exceptions. The verdict data lists all four settings—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—as playable at all three resolutions: 3840x2160, 2560x1440, and 1920x1080. The playable threshold is 60 FPS, and the lowest average FPS recorded across the entire test matrix is 81 FPS at 4K Ultra. Every other configuration yields more than that.

At 1920x1080, the system averages 171 FPS at Ultra, which is 185% above the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 125 FPS, and at 3840x2160, Ultra averages 81 FPS. The verdict recommends Ultra as the best settings at every resolution, with the average FPS at those settings being 171, 125, and 81 respectively. There is no scenario where this combo fails to deliver smooth, playable performance. The only consideration is whether you prefer higher FPS on a high-refresh monitor or maximum visual fidelity at 4K; the hardware supports both.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The full measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four settings each, providing a complete picture of performance scaling.

At 3840x2160: Low settings average 174 FPS. Medium settings average 124 FPS, with a minimum of 105 and a maximum of 142. High settings average 108 FPS. Ultra settings average 81 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 93 FPS, and the medium setting shows a 37 FPS range between min and max, indicating some frame-time variance but nothing that would cause perceptible stutter at these high averages.

At 2560x1440: Low settings average 270 FPS. Medium settings average 192 FPS, with a minimum of 163 and a maximum of 220. High settings average 167 FPS. Ultra settings average 125 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra spread is 145 FPS, and the Medium min-max range is 57 FPS. The step from Medium to High is a 25 FPS drop, while High to Ultra is a 42 FPS drop, showing that Ultra is notably more demanding than High.

At 1920x1080: Low settings average 335 FPS. Medium settings average 261 FPS, with a minimum of 222 and a maximum of 301. High settings average 228 FPS. Ultra settings average 171 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra spread is 164 FPS, the largest of any resolution. The Medium min-max range is 79 FPS, which is the widest variance recorded, but even the minimum of 222 FPS is well above playable.

The data shows a consistent pattern: Medium settings have the only recorded min/max values, suggesting that the test methodology captures frame times more thoroughly at that preset. The other settings report only averages, so the min/max data for Medium serves as a useful proxy for frame-time stability. At all resolutions, the Medium minimum FPS (105 at 4K, 163 at 1440p, 222 at 1080p) stays far above 60 FPS, indicating that even the worst-case frame dips do not approach the playable threshold.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the best settings that stay at or above 60 FPS are Ultra, which averages 81 FPS. This is the most demanding configuration tested at 4K, and it still clears the threshold by 21 FPS. If you want more headroom, High settings average 108 FPS, but Ultra is listed as the best settings in the verdict data.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are also Ultra, averaging 125 FPS. This gives you 65 FPS of headroom above the 60 FPS threshold, which is comfortable for a high-refresh 1440p monitor. The step down to High averages 167 FPS, but the Ultra preset is the recommended choice per the verdict.

At 1920x1080, the best settings are Ultra, averaging 171 FPS. This is 111 FPS above the playable threshold, making it ideal for 144Hz or 165Hz displays. The High preset averages 228 FPS, which would suit a 240Hz monitor, but the verdict data specifies Ultra as the best settings at this resolution.

In all three cases, the verdict designates Ultra as the best settings, and the measured FPS confirms that this combo has enough performance to run the game at maximum quality without compromising the 60 FPS target. The practical advice is straightforward: enable Ultra at whatever resolution you play, and you will get smooth performance with substantial headroom.