Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i7-14700F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 delivers a solid, playable experience for Lockdown Protocol at 1080p and 1440p, but struggles at 4K Ultra. Benchmark data shows this combination ranks 2855 out of 3714 tested combos, placing it in the 23rd percentile of all systems tested for this game. The combo is a mid-pack performer, capable of hitting 60 FPS at 1080p on Ultra settings and 1440p on High, though 4K requires dropping to Low settings to maintain smooth frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 2855 out of 3714 tested systems places it in the lower-middle portion of the performance distribution for Lockdown Protocol. This positioning is driven primarily by the GPU's modest standing; the Radeon RX 6600 sits at the 63rd percentile among all GPUs, while the Intel Core i7-14700F is a much stronger component, ranking at the 91st percentile among all CPUs. The processor's average benchmark score of 53620 places it just 0.2% behind the Intel Xeon 6505P (53701) and 0.3% ahead of the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 (53469), with the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (53288) trailing by 0.6% and the AMD EPYC 7313P (53206) by 0.8%.

On the graphics side, the RX 6600's average benchmark score of 19036 is essentially tied with the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 (19030, 0% delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile (19049, -0.1%). The NVIDIA Tesla K20m (19089) sits 0.3% ahead, while the NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation (18954) is 0.4% behind. These near-identical scores highlight that the GPU is the limiting factor in this pairing, as its performance class is far below what the CPU can feed.

In practical terms for Lockdown Protocol, this rank means the system is positioned for 1080p and 1440p gaming rather than 4K. The measured frame rates confirm this: at 1080p Ultra the combo produces 70.3 FPS, at 1440p High it produces 69 FPS, but at 4K Ultra it drops to 30.2 FPS. The data indicates the CPU has ample headroom, as evidenced by the significant frame rate drops when resolution increases, which points to GPU-bound scenarios at higher settings.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Lockdown Protocol at 1080p with maximum settings?

A: Yes. At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the combo achieves an average of 70.3 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS playable threshold. This is the best playable setting at this resolution.

Q: What is the best setting for 1440p gaming?

A: At 2560x1440, High settings produce an average of 69 FPS, which is the most demanding preset that stays above 60 FPS. Medium settings deliver 74.2 FPS, and Low settings hit 107.5 FPS, but High offers the best visual quality while maintaining playability.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this hardware?

A: Only at Low settings. At 3840x2160, Low yields 70.3 FPS average, which is playable. However, Medium drops to 47.3 FPS, High to 43.3 FPS, and Ultra to 30.2 FPS, all below the 60 FPS threshold.

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

A: The Intel Core i7-14700F scores 53620 in average benchmarks, placing it 0.2% behind the Intel Xeon 6505P (53701), 0.3% ahead of the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 (53469), 0.6% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (53288), and 0.8% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7313P (53206).

Q: How does the GPU compare to similar graphics cards?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6600 scores 19036 on average, which is 0% different from the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 (19030), 0.1% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile (19049), 0.3% behind the NVIDIA Tesla K20m (19089), and 0.4% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation (18954).

Q: What frame rates can be expected at 1080p with different presets?

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings produce 147.6 FPS, Medium produces 107.1 FPS, High produces 88.7 FPS, and Ultra produces 70.3 FPS. All presets clear the 60 FPS threshold.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a clear shift in bottleneck behavior across resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080, the system is heavily CPU-bound at lower settings: Low settings produce 147.6 FPS, which is nearly double the 70.3 FPS seen at Ultra. This massive gap indicates that the CPU can push frame rates much higher, but the GPU struggles to keep up as settings increase. The 20-core, 28-thread i7-14700F with a 5.40 GHz boost clock has ample processing power, as shown by its 91st percentile ranking, so it is not the limiting factor at 1080p.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rate spread narrows considerably. Low settings yield 107.5 FPS, Medium 74.2 FPS, High 69 FPS, and Ultra 53.2 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 33.3 FPS, while the drop from High to Ultra is 15.8 FPS. This pattern suggests the GPU is becoming more influential, though the CPU still provides enough headroom to maintain high frame rates at Medium and High. The 1440p results are roughly 73% of the 1080p numbers at the same settings, indicating a moderate GPU load increase.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the dominant constraint. Low settings produce 70.3 FPS, but Medium drops to 47.3 FPS, High to 43.3 FPS, and Ultra to 30.2 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 40.1 FPS, showing that the RX 6600's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth cannot sustain high frame rates at 4K. The 4K Low result matches the 1080p Ultra result exactly at 70.3 FPS, suggesting that the GPU's pixel throughput is the limiting factor. The CPU's role diminishes at 4K, as even the strongest processor cannot compensate for the GPU's 8.928 TFLOPS compute capacity.

The scaling data indicates that the i7-14700F is never the bottleneck in this game. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35122 and single-core score of 4958 place it well above what Lockdown Protocol requires. Instead, the RX 6600's performance tier, which sits at the 63rd percentile among GPUs, defines the system's ceiling. This is evident in the fact that 4K Low matches 1080p Ultra frame rates, pointing to the GPU's fill rate as the common constraint.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol, but the experience depends heavily on resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) clear the 60 FPS threshold, with Ultra delivering 70.3 FPS and Low reaching 147.6 FPS. At 2560x1440, three presets are playable: High at 69 FPS, Medium at 74.2 FPS, and Low at 107.5 FPS; Ultra falls short at 53.2 FPS. At 3840x2160, only Low is playable, achieving 70.3 FPS, while Medium (47.3 FPS), High (43.3 FPS), and Ultra (30.2 FPS) all miss the mark.

The verdict data confirms that the system's best playable setting at 4K is Low, with an average of 70.3 FPS. At 1440p, the best playable setting is High at 69 FPS. At 1080p, the best playable setting is Ultra at 70.3 FPS. For gamers prioritizing visual fidelity, 1080p Ultra is the sweet spot, while 1440p High offers a balanced experience. 4K gaming is technically possible but requires significant compromises to maintain smooth frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the frame rates are as follows: Low settings produce an average of 70.3 FPS, Medium produces 47.3 FPS, High produces 43.3 FPS, and Ultra produces 30.2 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 23 FPS, while the gap between Medium and Ultra is 17.1 FPS, showing diminishing returns as settings increase.

At 2560x1440, Low settings deliver 107.5 FPS, Medium delivers 74.2 FPS, High delivers 69 FPS, and Ultra delivers 53.2 FPS. The step from Low to Medium is 33.3 FPS, from Medium to High is 5.2 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 15.8 FPS. The small difference between Medium and High suggests that these presets impose similar GPU loads, while Ultra introduces a significant jump in demand.

At 1920x1080, Low settings reach 147.6 FPS, Medium reaches 107.1 FPS, High reaches 88.7 FPS, and Ultra reaches 70.3 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium is 40.5 FPS, between Medium and High is 18.4 FPS, and between High and Ultra is 18.4 FPS. The consistent 18.4 FPS drops from Medium onward indicate a linear scaling of GPU workload at this resolution.

Across all resolutions, the pattern is consistent: frame rates drop as settings increase, with the steepest declines occurring at 4K. The 1080p Ultra result of 70.3 FPS is identical to the 4K Low result, reinforcing that the GPU's capabilities are the primary constraint at higher resolutions.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the only preset that maintains at least 60 FPS is Low, with an average of 70.3 FPS. This is the recommended setting for 4K, as Medium (47.3 FPS), High (43.3 FPS), and Ultra (30.2 FPS) all fall below the playable threshold.

At 2560x1440, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, with an average of 69 FPS. This provides the best visual quality among playable options, while Medium (74.2 FPS) and Low (107.5 FPS) are also viable but offer reduced graphical fidelity. Ultra is not recommended, as it drops to 53.2 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 70.3 FPS. This allows for maximum settings at full HD, with High (88.7 FPS), Medium (107.1 FPS), and Low (147.6 FPS) also available for higher frame rates if desired. The system comfortably handles all presets at this resolution, making 1080p the ideal target for this hardware combination.