Lockdown Protocol

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, this combination struggles across every preset. Low settings produce an average of 40 FPS, Medium drops to 29 FPS with a minimum of 24 FPS and a maximum of 33 FPS, High falls to 25 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 19 FPS. None of these averages approach the 60 FPS playability threshold, and even the best case, Low at 40 FPS, leaves substantial headroom missing.

Moving to 2560x1440, the picture improves but remains limited. Low settings reach an average of 62 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold by a narrow margin. Medium averages 44 FPS with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 51 FPS, High averages 39 FPS, and Ultra averages 29 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 18 FPS, indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor once settings rise past the minimum preset.

At 1920x1080, the combination becomes genuinely playable at multiple presets. Low settings deliver an average of 85 FPS, Medium averages exactly 60 FPS with a minimum of 51 FPS and a maximum of 69 FPS, High averages 53 FPS, and Ultra averages 40 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium costs 25 FPS, while the jump from Medium to High costs another 7 FPS. Ultra is 20 FPS below Medium, which shows a steep scaling penalty at the highest preset.

The recorded data shows a consistent pattern: every resolution step down from 4K to 1440p to 1080p yields a meaningful FPS gain at the same settings. For example, Low goes from 40 FPS at 4K to 62 FPS at 1440p to 85 FPS at 1080p. Medium goes from 29 FPS at 4K to 44 FPS at 1440p to 60 FPS at 1080p. High goes from 25 FPS at 4K to 39 FPS at 1440p to 53 FPS at 1080p. Ultra goes from 19 FPS at 4K to 29 FPS at 1440p to 40 FPS at 1080p.

CPU and GPU Roles

This game at these settings is overwhelmingly GPU-bound. The evidence is in the scaling between resolutions and presets. The Core i7-14700K has 20 cores, 28 threads, and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, placing it in the 94th percentile against all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, which scores 0.2% higher, and the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, which scores 0.7% higher. That level of CPU performance is far beyond what a Polaris-era GPU like the RX 580 can feed at higher resolutions.

The RX 580, by contrast, sits in the 53rd percentile against all GPUs, with nearest rivals including the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER at 0.4% higher and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile at 0.1% higher. Its 8 GB of GDDR5 memory and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for 1080p but become a bottleneck at 1440p and especially 4K, where the pixel throughput demand rises sharply.

Look at the FPS deltas between presets at a fixed resolution. At 1080p, Low averages 85 FPS, Medium averages 60 FPS, and High averages 53 FPS. The 25 FPS drop from Low to Medium is far larger than the 7 FPS drop from Medium to High, suggesting that the first preset step introduces shading and texture workloads that strain the RX 580. At 1440p, Low averages 62 FPS and Medium averages 44 FPS, an 18 FPS drop. At 4K, Low averages 40 FPS and Medium averages 29 FPS, only an 11 FPS drop because the GPU is already saturated at Low.

Resolution scaling tells the same story. Going from 1080p Low to 1440p Low costs 23 FPS, and going from 1440p Low to 4K Low costs another 22 FPS. These are large, consistent losses that track pixel count growth. If the CPU were the constraint, the FPS would stay flat across resolutions at the same preset. Instead, the data shows FPS falling steadily as resolution rises, which is the classic signature of a GPU-limited workload.

The CPU still matters for frame pacing and minimums, but the recorded minimums at Medium settings (51 FPS at 1080p, 38 FPS at 1440p, 24 FPS at 4K) are all well above what a weaker processor would deliver. The i7-14700K's single-thread performance, shown by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2160 and Geekbench single-core score of 2569, ensures that the RX 580 is the component that decides whether each preset hits 60 FPS.

At 4K, no preset is playable, and the gap between the best average (40 FPS at Low) and the threshold is 20 FPS. At 1440p, only Low clears the bar, and it does so by just 2 FPS. At 1080p, Low and Medium both clear 60 FPS, with Medium landing exactly at the threshold. This progression confirms that the GPU is the limiting factor at every resolution, with the CPU contributing enough headroom to never be the primary constraint.

FAQ

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

A: Yes. At 1920x1080, Low settings average 85 FPS and Medium settings average 60 FPS. Both presets meet or exceed the 60 FPS playability threshold. High averages 53 FPS and Ultra averages 40 FPS, so those presets fall short.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 1440p?

A: Low is the only playable preset at 2560x1440, averaging 62 FPS. Medium averages 44 FPS, High averages 39 FPS, and Ultra averages 29 FPS, so none of those clear the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Is 4K playable with this hardware?

A: No. The best 4K result is Low at 40 FPS, followed by Medium at 29 FPS, High at 25 FPS, and Ultra at 19 FPS. Every preset at 3840x2160 falls well below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the RX 580 compare to its closest rivals?

A: The RX 580's average benchmark score is 12928. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile scores 0.1% higher, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER scores 0.4% higher, and the AMD Radeon 740M scores 0.5% lower. The RX 580 is effectively in the same performance class as these GPUs.

Q: Does the Core i7-14700K hold the system back?

A: No. The i7-14700K ranks in the 94th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 69355. Its nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 9115, scores 0.1% higher, and the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X scores 0.2% higher. The FPS limits in this game come from the GPU, not the processor.

Q: What FPS can I expect at Medium settings across resolutions?

A: At 1080p Medium, the average is 60 FPS with a minimum of 51 FPS and a maximum of 69 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average is 44 FPS with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 51 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 29 FPS with a minimum of 24 FPS and a maximum of 33 FPS.

The Verdict

The verdict by resolution is clear. At 3840x2160, there are no playable settings. Every preset averages below 60 FPS, with the best being Low at 40 FPS. This PC cannot run Lockdown Protocol at 4K with playable performance.

At 2560x1440, the system is barely playable. The only preset that clears 60 FPS is Low, with an average of 62 FPS. That is 2 FPS above the threshold, so it works, but there is essentially no margin for demanding scenes. Medium at 44 FPS, High at 39 FPS, and Ultra at 29 FPS are all out of reach.

At 1920x1080, the system delivers solid playable performance. Low averages 85 FPS, which is smooth and comfortable. Medium averages exactly 60 FPS with a minimum of 51 FPS, so it clears the threshold on average but can dip below during heavy moments. High at 53 FPS and Ultra at 40 FPS are not recommended if you want to stay at or above 60 FPS consistently.

The practical takeaway: pair this combo with a 1080p monitor and stick to Low or Medium settings. If you have a 1440p display, Low is the only viable preset, and the 62 FPS average leaves little headroom. 4K is not an option for this game with these components.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Lockdown Protocol, this pairing of the Intel Core i7-14700K and AMD Radeon RX 580 ranks 3384 out of 3714 total combos. That places it in the lower portion of the ranking, which aligns with the measured FPS results: the RX 580 is an older, mid-range GPU, and the i7-14700K cannot compensate for the GPU's limits in this title.

The rank reflects the combination's overall standing, not just the CPU or GPU individually. The CPU is a top-tier part, ranking in the 94th percentile against all CPUs, while the GPU ranks in the 53rd percentile against all GPUs. The large gap between those two percentile positions explains why the combo ranks low despite having a strong processor. The GPU drags the overall result down.

For context, the RX 580's nearest GPU rivals are all within 0.6% of its average score, meaning the GPU is not an outlier; it is simply a mid-pack part. The i7-14700K's nearest rivals, including the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X and AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, are all within 0.9% of its score, meaning the CPU is performing as expected for its class. The low combo rank is therefore a product of the GPU's tier, not a pairing issue.

If you are comparing upgrades, the data suggests that replacing the RX 580 would move this combo up the ranking far more than swapping the CPU. The processor has headroom to feed a faster GPU, and the measured FPS at 1080p Low (85 FPS) shows the current GPU is already the limiting factor.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, no preset is playable. The most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS does not exist, so the recommendation is to avoid 4K entirely with this hardware.

At 2560x1440, the best playable preset is Low, with an average of 62 FPS. This is the only setting that clears the 60 FPS threshold, and it does so by just 2 FPS. If you want a buffer above 60 FPS, you would need to either drop resolution or upgrade the GPU.

At 1920x1080, the best playable preset that maximizes quality while staying at or above 60 FPS is Medium, with an average of 60 FPS and a minimum of 51 FPS. Low is also playable and delivers a much higher average of 85 FPS, so choose Low if you prefer smoother frame rates over visual fidelity. Medium is the highest preset that meets the 60 FPS average threshold, but note that the minimum of 51 FPS means occasional dips below 60 are possible in demanding scenes.

For the best experience, run 1080p with Low settings if you want consistent high frame rates, or 1080p with Medium if you want better visuals and can tolerate the occasional dip. At 1440p, lock to Low and accept the tight margin. At 4K, this combination cannot deliver playable performance at any preset.