Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT is a formidable desktop combination for Lockdown Protocol, delivering above 60 FPS at every tested resolution in most presets. The data shows a system that scales efficiently from 1080p Ultra at 100.2 FPS to 4K High at 65.7 FPS, with the only true failure point being 4K Ultra at 49.7 FPS. This pairing ranks in the 1382nd position out of 3714 tested combos, placing it in the upper echelon of configurations for this FPS title.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, at 4K the combo achieves 65.7 FPS on High settings, 75.5 FPS on Medium, and 105.9 FPS on Low. However, 4K Ultra drops to 49.7 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best settings preset at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which delivers 76.2 FPS. Lower presets yield even higher framerates: Medium at 116.3 FPS, High at 99.7 FPS, and Low at 160.1 FPS.

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

A: The Core i7-14700KF has an average benchmark score of 70163, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, 0.4% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, and 0.9% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X. It trails the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K by 1%.

Q: Which GPU rivals are closest in performance?

A: The RX 7700 XT's average benchmark score of 22549 places it 0.5% above the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile, 0.8% below the RTX 4060 Mobile, 1.5% below the RTX 2080, and 1.7% above the RX 5700.

Q: What is the playable threshold for this game?

A: The playable threshold is defined as 60 FPS. The verdict data shows that at 4K, the playable settings include High, Low, and Medium; at both 1440p and 1080p, all four presets (High, Low, Medium, Ultra) clear this threshold.

Q: Is 4K Ultra completely unplayable?

A: The 4K Ultra preset averages 49.7 FPS, which is 10.3 FPS below the 60 FPS threshold. While not smooth by the benchmark standard, dropping one step to High settings provides a substantial improvement to 65.7 FPS.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a clear pattern of GPU dominance in Lockdown Protocol, with resolution scaling impacting framerates more heavily than preset changes. At 1920x1080, the gap between Low and Ultra settings is 118.4 FPS (218.6 vs 100.2), indicating that the GPU is the primary bottleneck when pixel count is low. The CPU, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, is more than sufficient to feed the GPU at this resolution, as evidenced by the 218.6 FPS Low preset result.

Moving to 2560x1440, the scaling from Low to Ultra produces a range of 160.1 FPS down to 76.2 FPS. The performance drop from 1080p to 1440p at the same preset is consistent: High falls from 133.5 to 99.7 FPS (a 25.3% reduction), Medium from 155.9 to 116.3 FPS (25.4% reduction), and Ultra from 100.2 to 76.2 FPS (24% reduction). This uniform scaling suggests the GPU is still the dominant factor, though the CPU's role becomes slightly more relevant as framerates climb.

At 3840x2160, the GPU strain becomes pronounced. The Ultra preset collapses to 49.7 FPS, which is 34.8% lower than the 76.2 FPS at 1440p Ultra. Interestingly, the Low preset at 4K still manages 105.9 FPS, which is only 33.9% lower than the 160.1 FPS at 1440p Low. The 4K High preset at 65.7 FPS sits just above the 60 FPS threshold, while 4K Medium reaches 75.5 FPS. The data indicates that at 4K, the RX 7700 XT's 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and 432.0 GB/s bandwidth become limiting factors for the highest quality settings, whereas the CPU's 33 MB of L3 cache and high boost clock of 5.60 GHz maintain consistent performance across resolutions.

The pattern across all three resolutions shows that the GPU is the limiting component for this game. The CPU's percentile rank of 94 among all CPUs vastly exceeds the GPU's percentile rank of 67 among all GPUs, confirming that the RX 7700 XT is the bottleneck in this pairing. For players targeting high refresh rates at 1080p or 1440p, the GPU will determine the ceiling; for 4K gaming, only the lower presets remain viable.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers 100.2 FPS, which is the most demanding settings profile that clears the 60 FPS threshold. This provides a 40.2 FPS margin above the playable threshold, making it the recommended choice for full visual fidelity at this resolution. The High preset offers 133.5 FPS for those who prefer higher framerates, while Medium reaches 155.9 FPS and Low peaks at 218.6 FPS.

At 2560x1440, Ultra settings remain the best choice, averaging 76.2 FPS. This is 16.2 FPS above the threshold, offering a comfortable buffer for demanding scenes. The High preset at 99.7 FPS and Medium at 116.3 FPS provide alternatives for competitive play, while Low at 160.1 FPS is suitable for maximum responsiveness.

At 3840x2160, the best playable preset is High, which achieves 65.7 FPS. This is 5.7 FPS above the threshold, leaving a modest margin that could dip below 60 FPS in intense combat sequences. Medium at 75.5 FPS offers more headroom, while Low at 105.9 FPS is the safest option for consistent performance. The Ultra preset at 49.7 FPS is not recommended, as it falls 10.3 FPS short of the playable threshold.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals in benchmark performance are all within a 1% margin of the Core i7-14700KF's average score of 70163. The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F scores 69996 (0.2% lower), the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX scores 69875 (0.4% lower), and the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X scores 69515 (0.9% lower). The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is the only rival that outperforms it, with a score of 70879 (1% higher). Any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical framerates in Lockdown Protocol, given that the GPU is the bottleneck in this configuration.

On the GPU side, the RX 7700 XT's average score of 22549 is closely matched by several alternatives. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile scores 22435 (0.5% lower), the RTX 4060 Mobile scores 22729 (0.8% higher), the RTX 2080 scores 22895 (1.5% higher), and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 scores 22170 (1.7% lower). These deltas are negligible in real-world gaming, meaning users with any of these GPUs would experience similar performance in Lockdown Protocol at the tested settings. The RTX 2080 and RTX 4060 Mobile would offer slightly higher framerates, while the RX 5700 would trail by a small margin.

For the full combo, the rank of 1382 out of 3714 tested combinations places this system in the 37.2nd percentile of all tested configurations. This suggests that while the Core i7-14700KF and RX 7700 XT are well-matched, there are 1381 combinations that perform better in this game, likely featuring higher-tier GPUs that alleviate the bottleneck observed at 4K Ultra settings.

The Verdict

This PC can definitively run Lockdown Protocol at playable framerates across all tested resolution and preset combinations, with one exception. At 1920x1080, all four presets clear the 60 FPS threshold, ranging from 100.2 FPS on Ultra to 218.6 FPS on Low. The 1440p results are equally strong, with Ultra at 76.2 FPS being the most demanding playable option, followed by High at 99.7 FPS, Medium at 116.3 FPS, and Low at 160.1 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system maintains playability on three of four presets: High at 65.7 FPS, Medium at 75.5 FPS, and Low at 105.9 FPS. The 4K Ultra preset at 49.7 FPS is the only configuration that fails to meet the 60 FPS standard. The verdict data confirms that High is the best 4K setting, providing the highest visual quality while staying above the threshold. For players who prioritize smoothness over fidelity at 4K, the Medium preset offers a safer 15.5 FPS margin above the threshold.

The combination of the Core i7-14700KF and RX 7700 XT is well-suited for this game, delivering strong performance at 1080p and 1440p with headroom to spare. The 4K experience is playable but requires settings adjustments to maintain consistent framerates.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700KF and AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT combination ranks 1382 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the top 37.2% of all configurations tested. This ranking reflects the GPU's percentile position of 67 among all GPUs, which is the limiting factor in this pairing. The CPU's strong percentile rank of 94 among all CPUs confirms that the processor is not holding back performance.

The rank suggests that most of the 1381 combinations above this system feature more powerful GPUs, as the CPU is already near the top of the performance hierarchy. The measured FPS data supports this assessment: the system achieves excellent framerates at 1080p and 1440p, with the only weakness appearing at 4K Ultra. For a mid-range GPU paired with a high-end CPU, this ranking is respectable, and the system should handle Lockdown Protocol smoothly at most settings. The 3714 total combos tested indicates a broad dataset, and this system's position in the upper third demonstrates its capability for this FPS title.