Lockdown Protocol

The pairing of an Intel Core i9-14900K with an AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT is an unusual balance: a flagship CPU sitting in the 95th percentile of all processors in the database, driving a graphics card that landed in the 59th percentile and is now end-of-life. For Lockdown Protocol, the recorded data shows this asymmetry matters little at lower resolutions and a great deal at higher ones. The game is playable, decisively so at 1080p and 1440p, but 4K is where the RX 5700 XT runs out of headroom.

Measured FPS Breakdown

All figures below are measured averages from the database, captured at three resolutions across four presets.

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 155.8 FPS on Low, 109.6 FPS on Medium, 99.8 FPS on High, and 75.8 FPS on Ultra. Even the most demanding preset clears the 60 FPS playable threshold by a comfortable margin, and Low settings push into esports territory well beyond triple digits.

At 2560x1440, the numbers settle to 117.3 FPS on Low, 80.7 FPS on Medium, 73.7 FPS on High, and 53.9 FPS on Ultra. Three of the four presets remain above 60 FPS; Ultra falls roughly six frames short of the threshold and lands in a zone that most players would find uneven for a fast-paced FPS.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes sharply: 76.2 FPS on Low, 50.6 FPS on Medium, 44.9 FPS on High, and 34.1 FPS on Ultra. Only the Low preset stays above 60 FPS at 4K, and the drop from Low to Ultra spans more than half the frame rate. Minimum and maximum frame rates were not recorded for these runs, so the averages are the sole basis for judgment here.

The scaling between presets is instructive. At every resolution, moving from Low to Ultra roughly halves the frame rate, which indicates the visual quality steps in Lockdown Protocol carry a heavy GPU cost rather than a trivial one.

FAQ

Q: Can the i9-14900K + RX 5700 XT run Lockdown Protocol at 60 FPS?

A: Yes, at 1080p on every preset including Ultra (75.8 FPS), at 1440p on Low, Medium, and High (117.3, 80.7, and 73.7 FPS respectively), and at 4K on Low only (76.2 FPS).

Q: What is the best-looking setting this combo can hold above 60 FPS at 4K?

A: Low, at 76.2 FPS. Medium at 4K averages 50.6 FPS, below the playable threshold.

Q: How close is 1440p Ultra to being playable?

A: It averages 53.9 FPS, about six frames short of the 60 FPS threshold. High at 1440p is the better choice at 73.7 FPS.

Q: How fast is this setup at 1080p with settings turned down?

A: Low at 1920x1080 averages 155.8 FPS, the highest figure recorded for this combo in the game.

Q: Does the CPU hold this pairing back?

A: No. The Core i9-14900K sits in the 95th percentile of all CPUs in the database with an average benchmark score of 79097, effectively matching rivals such as the Intel Core i9-14900KF (within 0.3 percent) and the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (within 0.6 percent). The RX 5700 XT is the limiting component.

Q: Where does the RX 5700 XT rank among GPUs?

A: It sits in the 59th percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 16361, statistically level with cards like the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and the AMD Radeon PRO W7500.

CPU and GPU Roles

This game, on this hardware, is GPU-bound at every tested resolution. The evidence is in the resolution scaling: 1080p Low at 155.8 FPS falls to 76.2 FPS at 4K Low, a drop of more than half when the pixel count quadruples. If the CPU were the constraint, frame rates would stay comparatively flat as resolution rises, because the processor's workload barely changes with pixel count. Instead, the frame rate collapses in proportion to the added GPU load.

The Core i9-14900K gives the game everything it could ask for. With 24 cores, 32 threads, and a 6.00 GHz boost clock, plus a single-thread Passmark score of 4697 and a Geekbench single-core result of 2655, it removes any CPU ceiling. Its nearest rivals in the database, the i9-14900KF and the Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, sit within a fraction of a percent of its average score, and none of that difference is visible in Lockdown Protocol's frame rates.

The preset scaling tells the same story from another angle. At 1080p, moving from High to Ultra costs 24 FPS (99.8 to 75.8), purely a graphics-side penalty. The RX 5700 XT, with 2560 shading units, 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, and 448 GB/s of memory bandwidth, handles the game well at 1080p and 1440p but shows its limits once 4K's demands meet the heavier presets.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database's recorded runs of Lockdown Protocol, this pairing ranks 2725 out of 3714 tested combinations. That places it in the back third of tested hardware for this specific game, a direct consequence of the RX 5700 XT's position rather than the processor's. A card in the 59th GPU percentile paired with a CPU in the 95th CPU percentile produces a combo pulled toward the lower rank by its weaker half.

Context from the GPU's rivals makes the point concrete: the RX 5700 XT's average score of 16361 is within 0.1 percent of the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and within 0.3 percent of the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell's recorded score of 16408 in this comparison set, so swapping to any of those statistically similar cards would change little in Lockdown Protocol. The CPU side, by contrast, offers no upgrade path that matters for this title, since the i9-14900K already matches or beats its nearest rivals by the slimmest of margins.

The Verdict

Yes, this PC can run Lockdown Protocol, with clear qualifications by resolution.

At 1920x1080, the verdict is unqualified: every preset from Low to Ultra averages above 60 FPS, topping out at 155.8 FPS on Low and holding 75.8 FPS on Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the verdict is positive with one exception: Low (117.3 FPS), Medium (80.7 FPS), and High (73.7 FPS) all clear the threshold, while Ultra at 53.9 FPS does not.

At 3840x2160, the verdict is cautious: only Low, at 76.2 FPS, is playable. Medium (50.6 FPS), High (44.9 FPS), and Ultra (34.1 FPS) all fall short of 60 FPS and would deliver a compromised experience in a genre where frame consistency matters.

In short, treat 1440p High as this combo's sweet spot: strong visual quality with a solid margin above the threshold.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, averaging 75.8 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, averaging 73.7 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Low, averaging 76.2 FPS.

The pattern is consistent: each step up in resolution forces one step down in preset to stay playable, and 4K is the only resolution where that step lands on the bottom rung. Players wanting richer visuals at 4K would need a stronger GPU than the RX 5700 XT, since the Core i9-14900K already provides more processing power than Lockdown Protocol can use.