Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i7-14700F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 delivers a highly capable 1080p and 1440p gaming experience in Lockdown Protocol, but 4K gaming requires significant settings compromises. Benchmark data shows this combination achieves a playable average of 60 FPS or higher at every resolution, though only at Low settings for 3840x2160. The system comfortably handles the game at Higher presets for lower resolutions, with the 2560x1440 Ultra preset landing exactly at the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo demonstrates strong headroom across all presets. The Low preset delivers an average of 175 FPS, Medium achieves 124 FPS with a minimum of 106 and a maximum of 143, High reaches 109 FPS, and Ultra remains well above the playable threshold at 81 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a drop of 94 FPS, indicating that even the most demanding preset leaves substantial performance margin at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance remains robust but the gap between presets widens. The Low preset produces an average of 128 FPS, Medium hits 91 FPS with a 77 FPS minimum and 105 FPS maximum, and High delivers 80 FPS. The Ultra preset lands precisely at the 60 FPS playable threshold, making it the boundary case for maximum visual quality at this resolution. The transition from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 47 FPS at Ultra settings, showing the expected resolution scaling penalty.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes dramatically. The Ultra preset drops to 39 FPS, which falls well below the playable threshold. High settings manage 51 FPS, still short of 60 FPS. Medium achieves 59 FPS with a minimum of 50 and a maximum of 68, narrowly missing the playable mark on average. Only the Low preset delivers a playable 83 FPS average at 4K. The spread from Low to Ultra at this resolution is 44 FPS, and the gap between Medium and High is just 8 FPS, suggesting diminishing returns at the higher preset levels.

The minimum FPS data, available only for Medium presets, shows consistent frame pacing relative to averages. At 1080p Medium, the minimum of 106 FPS is 85% of the average; at 1440p Medium, the minimum of 77 FPS is 85% of the average; at 4K Medium, the minimum of 50 FPS is 85% of the average. This consistency suggests the system maintains stable frame delivery rather than experiencing sharp dips.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU sits in a tight performance cluster according to benchmark averages. The Intel Core i7-14700F has an average benchmark score of 53620, placing it just 0.2% below the Intel Xeon 6505P at 53701 and 0.3% above the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 at 53469. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X trails by 0.6% with a score of 53288, and the AMD EPYC 7313P is 0.8% behind at 53206. These deltas are all within 1%, meaning any of these processors would produce nearly identical frame rates in Lockdown Protocol, assuming the GPU remains the limiting factor.

On the GPU side, the AMD Radeon RX 9060 posts an average benchmark score of 16014, ranking at the 59th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, scores 16129, which is 0.7% higher. The AMD Radeon R9 370X scores 15862, 1% lower, and the AMD Radeon RX 7700 matches closely at 15852, also 1% below. The AMD Radeon Pro W5500 trails by 2.1% with a score of 15679. These small percentage differences translate to roughly 1-2 FPS at the measured settings, so users swapping between these GPUs would see negligible performance changes.

For a system builder considering alternatives, the performance envelope is narrow. The CPU's 91st percentile ranking among all CPUs means it outperforms the vast majority of processors, while the GPU's 59th percentile indicates mid-pack graphics performance. The combination's effective performance in Lockdown Protocol depends heavily on which component becomes the bottleneck at each resolution and preset.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Lockdown Protocol at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, which produce an average of 83 FPS. Medium settings average 59 FPS, narrowly missing the 60 FPS playable threshold, while High and Ultra average 51 FPS and 39 FPS respectively.

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

A: The Ultra preset achieves an average of exactly 60 FPS, making it the highest quality option that remains playable. All four presets at 2560x1440 meet the 60 FPS threshold, with Low at 128 FPS, Medium at 91 FPS, and High at 80 FPS.

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

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9060 scores 16014 on average benchmarks, which is 0.7% below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. It outperforms the AMD Radeon R9 370X and AMD Radeon RX 7700 by 1% each, and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 by 2.1%.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data indicates the CPU provides ample headroom. At 1920x1080 Low settings, the system reaches 175 FPS, and the frame rate scales predictably across presets. The CPU's average benchmark score of 53620 places it in the 91st percentile, suggesting it is not limiting performance at this resolution.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p Medium settings?

A: The average is 91 FPS, with a minimum of 77 FPS and a maximum of 105 FPS. This provides comfortable headroom above the 60 FPS playable threshold even during demanding scenes.

Q: Does the system maintain stable frame pacing?

A: For the Medium preset at all three resolutions, the minimum FPS consistently sits at 85% of the average. This pattern indicates stable frame delivery without significant stuttering or frame time spikes.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol across all tested resolutions, but the playable settings vary significantly. At 1920x1080, every preset from Low to Ultra clears the 60 FPS threshold, with Ultra averaging 81 FPS. At 2560x1440, all presets also remain playable, with Ultra hitting exactly 60 FPS on average. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset achieves a playable average of 83 FPS; Medium falls one FPS short at 59, and High and Ultra drop to 51 and 39 FPS respectively.

The verdict data confirms that 1080p and 1440p gaming are fully supported with no compromises needed. For 4K, users must select Low settings to maintain smooth gameplay. The 60 FPS playable threshold is met or exceeded in 9 out of 12 tested configurations, with the three failures all occurring at 4K resolution.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, delivering an average of 81 FPS. This provides a 21 FPS margin over the playable threshold, allowing for some frame rate fluctuation without dropping below 60.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset achieves an average of exactly 60 FPS, making it the highest quality option that remains playable. The margin is zero, so users seeking additional headroom might prefer High at 80 FPS or Medium at 91 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the only playable option is Low, which produces an average of 83 FPS. This is the maximum quality preset at this resolution, and it still provides a comfortable 23 FPS margin above the threshold.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific CPU-GPU combination ranks 2194 out of 3714 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the 41st percentile of all tested systems. This mid-pack ranking reflects the GPU's 59th percentile positioning, which limits overall performance despite the CPU's strong 91st percentile showing. The ranking suggests that while this system handles the game well at 1080p and 1440p, there are many faster configurations available, particularly those with higher-tier GPUs.

The gap between the CPU and GPU performance percentiles indicates that the graphics card is the limiting factor for this combination. Users seeking higher 4K performance would benefit more from a GPU upgrade than a CPU upgrade, as the processor already outperforms the vast majority of alternatives.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance data reveals distinct scaling patterns that clarify each component's role. Across all resolutions, the CPU maintains consistent performance headroom. The i7-14700F's strong single-thread and multi-thread scores, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35122 and a single-core score of 4958, suggest it can feed the GPU effectively even at high frame rates.

At 1920x1080, the GPU becomes the primary constraint at higher presets. The drop from Low at 175 FPS to Ultra at 81 FPS represents a 54% performance reduction, which aligns with the GPU's mid-tier positioning. The CPU has sufficient headroom to push well beyond these numbers, as evidenced by the 175 FPS Low preset result.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a 31% reduction at Ultra settings, from 81 to 60 FPS. This is consistent with the increased pixel count of 78%, indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU's role remains largely unchanged, as the frame rate drop tracks the GPU's workload increase.

At 4K, the GPU's limitations become stark. The Ultra preset drops to 39 FPS, a 52% reduction from the 1440p Ultra result. The CPU continues to provide ample performance, as the Low preset still achieves 83 FPS, proving the processor is not constraining even at the highest resolution tested.

The resolution scaling data shows that the GPU's role grows proportionally with pixel count. At 1080p, the GPU handles the rendering workload with room to spare; at 1440p, it operates near its limits at Ultra; at 4K, it falls short at all but the lowest preset. The CPU maintains consistent performance across all resolutions, indicating it is never the bottleneck in this configuration.