Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 delivers a robust 1080p and 1440p experience in Lockdown Protocol, with 4K playability limited to High settings and below. The measured data shows this combination sits comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold at most configurations, though the Ultra preset at 4K falls short. The CPU ranks in the 94th percentile among all tested processors, while the GPU sits in the 68th percentile, indicating a balanced pairing where the graphics card is the primary constraint at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest playable preset at 3840x2160?

A: The High preset is the best playable option at 4K, delivering an average of 74.3 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 53.2 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: Can this combo handle 1440p at maximum settings?

A: Yes. The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 achieves an average of 88.1 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold. All four presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable at this resolution.

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

A: The i7-14700KF has an average benchmark score of 70163, placing it 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and 0.4% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX. It trails the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K by 1%, which scores 70879.

Q: What is the GPU’s benchmark standing relative to other graphics cards?

A: The RTX 3080 has an average benchmark score of 23172, putting it in the 68th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA P106-100, scores 23249, which is 0.3% higher.

Q: Is the 4K Low preset significantly faster than the High preset?

A: Yes. At 3840x2160, the Low preset produces an average of 117.7 FPS, which is 58.4% higher than the High preset’s 74.3 FPS. This indicates a substantial GPU load reduction when lowering settings.

Q: How many tested combinations does this pairing outperform?

A: The combo ranks 1018 out of 3714 tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol, meaning it sits in the top 27.4% of all CPU-GPU pairings tested for this game.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data indicates that the GPU is the dominant performance factor at 3840x2160, with settings changes producing dramatic FPS swings. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 53.2, while dropping to Low raises it to 117.7—a 121% performance increase. This suggests the RTX 3080 becomes the bottleneck under heavy pixel-pushing workloads, and the i7-14700KF’s 20 cores and 28 threads provide ample headroom.

At 2560x1440, the scaling between presets shows a more moderate GPU influence. The spread from Ultra (88.1 FPS) to Low (182.6 FPS) is still large, but the CPU begins to assert more presence as the resolution drops. The transition from 1440p to 1080p further shifts the balance toward the processor. At 1920x1080, the Low preset reaches 248.6 FPS, which is 36% higher than the 1440p Low result of 182.6 FPS. This indicates that the i7-14700KF can feed the RTX 3080 efficiently at lower resolutions, where the GPU’s raw compute is less stressed.

The CPU’s strong multi-threaded performance—evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 44167 and PassMark multithread score of 52425—ensures that frame pacing remains consistent even when the GPU is tasked with higher resolutions. The measured data shows no scenario where the CPU becomes the limiting factor, as even the most demanding GPU configuration (4K Ultra) still achieves over 53 FPS. The GPU’s 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth are likely sufficient for the game’s asset streaming, as the 4K High preset maintains 74.3 FPS without apparent stuttering.

Across all resolutions, the scaling pattern reveals that the GPU’s role intensifies with resolution, while the CPU maintains a steady baseline. The 1080p Ultra result of 116.9 FPS versus the 1440p Ultra result of 88.1 FPS shows a 32.7% drop, attributable to increased pixel count. The 4K Ultra result of 53.2 FPS represents another 39.6% drop from 1440p, reinforcing that the RTX 3080’s limits are reached at 4K maximum settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the RTX 3080 and i7-14700KF produce the following average frame rates: Low preset runs at 117.7 FPS, Medium at 82.8 FPS, High at 74.3 FPS, and Ultra at 53.2 FPS. The gap between Medium and High is 8.5 FPS, while the drop from High to Ultra is 21.1 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset imposes a significant additional load. No minimum or maximum FPS values were recorded, so the analysis relies solely on averages.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales more favorably: Low delivers 182.6 FPS, Medium 132.6 FPS, High 115.7 FPS, and Ultra 88.1 FPS. The step from Medium to High costs 16.9 FPS, while High to Ultra costs 27.6 FPS. All presets exceed the 60 FPS playable threshold by a comfortable margin, with even the most demanding Ultra setting maintaining an 88.1 FPS average.

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates: Low reaches 248.6 FPS, Medium 177.7 FPS, High 153.5 FPS, and Ultra 116.9 FPS. The relative performance gap between Medium and High is 24.2 FPS, while High to Ultra drops by 36.6 FPS. The 1080p Low result of 248.6 FPS is the highest across all tested configurations, demonstrating the CPU’s ability to drive high frame rates when the GPU is not resolution-bound.

The data shows a consistent pattern: each resolution step down from 4K to 1440p to 1080p yields roughly a 50-60% improvement in average FPS across matching presets. For instance, 4K High (74.3 FPS) improves to 1440p High (115.7 FPS), a 55.7% gain, and then to 1080p High (153.5 FPS), a 32.7% gain. This suggests diminishing returns as resolution decreases, with the CPU’s influence plateauing at 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combination ranks 1018 out of 3714 tested configurations in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the upper third of all pairings. This rank reflects the GPU’s mid-tier standing (68th percentile) combined with the CPU’s high-tier standing (94th percentile), resulting in a system that is neither top-tier nor entry-level for this title.

Relative to the GPU’s nearest rivals, the RTX 3080’s average benchmark score of 23172 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA P106-100 (23249, 0.3% higher) and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 (23250, 0.3% higher). However, the RTX 3080 outperforms the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (23273, 0.4% higher) and the AMD Radeon R9 M290X (23276, 0.4% higher). These negligible differences suggest that swapping to any of these GPUs would yield near-identical frame rates in this game.

On the CPU side, the i7-14700KF’s average benchmark score of 70163 is within 1% of its nearest rivals. The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (69996) is 0.2% slower, the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (69875) is 0.4% slower, and the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (69515) is 0.9% slower. Only the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K (70879) beats it, by 1%. This indicates that CPU choice among these four options would have minimal impact on Lockdown Protocol performance.

The combination’s rank of 1018/3714 suggests that while the pairing is capable, it is not optimized for maximum performance in this specific game. Given that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K and the CPU has significant headroom, upgrading the graphics card would likely improve the rank more than a CPU swap.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol at playable frame rates across most configurations. At 3840x2160, the High, Medium, and Low presets all clear the 60 FPS threshold, with High delivering 74.3 FPS as the best playable option. The Ultra preset at 4K fails to reach 60 FPS, averaging 53.2 FPS, so it is not recommended for smooth gameplay.

At 2560x1440, all four presets are playable, with Ultra achieving 88.1 FPS. This makes 1440p the sweet spot for this combo, allowing maximum visual fidelity without sacrificing fluidity. The 1920x1080 resolution offers even higher headroom, with Ultra running at 116.9 FPS and Low reaching 248.6 FPS, ensuring that any competitive or high-refresh-rate scenario is well covered.

The verdict is clear: the system is fully playable at 1080p and 1440p with all settings, and at 4K with High settings or lower. The 60 FPS playable threshold is met with margin in all but one configuration (4K Ultra). Gamers prioritizing resolution should stick to High at 4K, while those favoring frame rate can push to 1440p Ultra or 1080p Ultra with ease.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, which produces an average of 74.3 FPS. Choosing High over Medium (82.8 FPS) sacrifices 8.5 FPS but provides better visual quality, while avoiding the 53.2 FPS Ultra preset that falls below the threshold.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are Ultra, delivering 88.1 FPS. This provides the highest visual fidelity while maintaining a comfortable 28.1 FPS margin above the 60 FPS threshold. The next step down, High, runs at 115.7 FPS but offers no benefit over Ultra in terms of playability.

At 1920x1080, Ultra is also the best choice, achieving 116.9 FPS. This leaves a 56.9 FPS buffer over the playable threshold, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Low preset at 248.6 FPS is available for competitive play, but Ultra provides the best balance of visuals and performance.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (average score 69996, 0.2% slower) and AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (69875, 0.4% slower) would behave nearly identically in Lockdown Protocol. The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (69515, 0.9% slower) also falls within a 1% performance band, meaning any of these processors would deliver comparable frame rates when paired with the RTX 3080. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K (70879, 1% faster) offers a marginal improvement but is unlikely to be perceptible in this GPU-bound scenario.

On the GPU side, the nearest rivals show essentially identical performance: the NVIDIA P106-100 (23249, 0.3% faster), AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 (23250, 0.3% faster), AMD Radeon RX 6600M (23273, 0.4% faster), and AMD Radeon R9 M290X (23276, 0.4% faster) all fall within a 0.4% delta. Swapping the RTX 3080 for any of these would result in nearly indistinguishable frame rates in this game, though their feature sets and driver support may differ.

Given the GPU’s dominance at higher resolutions, users seeking similar performance could opt for any of these CPU rivals without changing their in-game experience. However, the RTX 3080’s 10 GB memory capacity and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth are likely more relevant to 4K performance than the benchmark scores alone suggest, so users should consider the specific workload when evaluating alternatives.