Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT is a 20-core, 28-thread desktop platform built for high-refresh gaming. In Lockdown Protocol, this combo’s measured performance shows a clear tiered structure across resolutions: it delivers smooth frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but struggles to maintain 60 FPS at 4K on higher presets. The data indicates the GPU is the primary constraint at 4K, while the processor’s headroom becomes more relevant at lower resolutions.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the entire preset ladder clears the 60 FPS threshold. The most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 74 FPS. This leaves headroom for demanding scenes, though the data does not list minimum FPS for Ultra, so the floor is unmeasured.

At 2560x1440, the ceiling drops. The most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, averaging 72 FPS. Medium runs at 83 FPS and Low at 117 FPS, but Ultra falls to 54 FPS, which is below the playable threshold.

At 3840x2160, only Low remains playable, averaging 75 FPS. Medium drops to 53 FPS (with a minimum of 45 and maximum of 61), High averages 47 FPS, and Ultra sits at 35 FPS. For 4K, users must accept Low settings to keep frame rates above 60.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling data shows a shifting balance. At 3840x2160, the gap between Low and Ultra is 40 FPS (75 to 35), which is a 53% performance drop purely from raising settings — a strong indicator that the RX 6600 XT’s rendering pipeline is saturated. The GPU’s 8 GB GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus (256.0 GB/s bandwidth) likely becomes a limiting factor at this pixel count.

At 2560x1440, the spread narrows slightly: Low runs at 117 FPS, while Ultra runs at 54 FPS, a 54% reduction. The CPU’s role becomes more visible here, as the i7-14700KF’s high single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6235) can feed frames faster than the GPU can rasterize at lower settings. Medium (83 FPS) and High (72 FPS) show a gradual GPU-bound transition.

At 1920x1080, the pattern reverses. Low hits 159 FPS, while Ultra still manages 74 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra is 85 FPS (a 53% drop), but the absolute numbers suggest the CPU is not the bottleneck — even at Ultra, the i7-14700KF has ample headroom (multi-core Cinebench R23 score of 44167). The GPU’s 10.60 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 2048 shading units are the more likely ceiling, as evidenced by the fact that Ultra at 1080p (74 FPS) is nearly identical to High at 1440p (72 FPS), implying resolution scaling is more impactful than preset scaling.

In short: at 4K, the RX 6600 XT is the sole bottleneck. At 1440p, the GPU still dominates, but the CPU’s strength prevents any sub-60 dips on High. At 1080p, the processor is never the limiter — the data shows the combo is capable of 159 FPS on Low, which is far beyond the 60 FPS target.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Lockdown Protocol at 4K?

A: Only on Low settings. The measured average at 3840x2160 Low is 75 FPS. Medium drops to 53 FPS, High to 47 FPS, and Ultra to 35 FPS, so anything above Low falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

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

A: High is the highest playable preset, averaging 72 FPS. Medium runs at 83 FPS and Low at 117 FPS, but Ultra averages 54 FPS, which is unplayable by the 60 FPS standard.

Q: Does the RX 6600 XT bottleneck the i7-14700KF in this game?

A: Yes, particularly at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the combo averages 35 FPS, while at 1080p Low it hits 159 FPS — a 78% difference. The GPU’s 8 GB memory and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth appear insufficient for 4K Ultra, whereas the CPU’s 28 threads are never fully taxed, as shown by its 94th percentile ranking among all CPUs.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The only preset with a recorded minimum is Medium. At 1920x1080 Medium, the minimum is 96 FPS; at 2560x1440 Medium, it is 70 FPS; at 3840x2160 Medium, it is 45 FPS. No minimums are listed for Low, High, or Ultra presets.

Q: How does the i7-14700KF compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The i7-14700KF has an average benchmark score of 70163, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and 0.4% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX. It trails the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K by 1%.

Q: Is the RX 6600 XT a strong performer relative to other GPUs?

A: It ranks in the 70th percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 24442. That is 0.7% above the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 and 1.1% above the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER, but 0.8% below the Intel Arc A350M.

The Verdict

Yes, this PC can run Lockdown Protocol, but the experience varies sharply by resolution. At 1920x1080, every preset — Low, Medium, High, and Ultra — clears 60 FPS, with averages of 159, 113, 99, and 74 FPS respectively. This is the ideal resolution for this combo.

At 2560x1440, the system remains playable on Low, Medium, and High, with averages of 117, 83, and 72 FPS. Ultra is not viable, averaging 54 FPS.

At 3840x2160, only Low is playable, averaging 75 FPS. Medium (53 FPS), High (47 FPS), and Ultra (35 FPS) all fall short of the 60 FPS target.

The data supports a clear verdict: this is a 1080p and light 1440p machine. For 4K, users must compromise on visual fidelity to Low settings, which still provides a smooth average. The GPU is the limiting factor at high resolutions — its 70th-percentile ranking and 8 GB memory buffer are not designed for 4K Ultra. Conversely, the i7-14700KF’s 94th-percentile CPU ranking ensures it never holds the system back at any tested setting.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080:

• Low: avg 159 FPS
• Medium: avg 113 FPS, min 96, max 130
• High: avg 99 FPS
• Ultra: avg 74 FPS

2560x1440:

• Low: avg 117 FPS
• Medium: avg 83 FPS, min 70, max 95
• High: avg 72 FPS
• Ultra: avg 54 FPS

3840x2160:

• Low: avg 75 FPS
• Medium: avg 53 FPS, min 45, max 61
• High: avg 47 FPS
• Ultra: avg 35 FPS

The pattern is consistent: each resolution step down from 1080p to 1440p to 4K costs roughly 30-40% of average FPS on the same preset, with the exception of Low, which scales more gracefully (159 → 117 → 75 FPS).

How This Combo Ranks

Among all tested CPU-GPU combinations for Lockdown Protocol, this pairing ranks 2630 out of 3714 combos. That places it in the lower third of the database, which aligns with the measured results: the RX 6600 XT’s 70th-percentile GPU ranking and the i7-14700KF’s 94th-percentile CPU ranking create a mismatch where the processor significantly outclasses the graphics card.

The rank of 2630 indicates that while the CPU is near the top of the pile, the GPU holds the combo back in a game that scales heavily with resolution. The nearest GPU rivals — the GTX 1630 and RTX 2080 SUPER — have average scores within 1.1% of the RX 6600 XT, suggesting that swapping to a stronger GPU would yield disproportionate gains, whereas upgrading the CPU would have minimal impact on Lockdown Protocol’s frame rates. In practical terms, this combo is best suited for 1080p high-refresh play, where it ranks comfortably in the upper portion of the performance curve despite the overall low ranking.