Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER delivers a wide spread of performance in Lockdown Protocol, depending entirely on the resolution and quality preset selected. The recorded data shows a system capable of high refresh rates at 1080p, but one that requires significant settings compromises to remain fluid at 4K. The following analysis breaks down the measured FPS, identifies the optimal settings per resolution, and contextualizes the results against other hardware combinations in the database.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination performs strongly across all presets. The lowest recorded average is 82 FPS at Ultra settings, which remains well above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The Low preset produces an average of 175 FPS, High produces 109 FPS, and Medium produces 125 FPS. The Medium preset is the only 1080p setting with full min/max data, showing a minimum of 106 FPS and a maximum of 143 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 93 FPS, indicating that the GPU has ample headroom at this resolution, and even the most demanding settings leave substantial performance on the table.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS drops noticeably but remains playable at every preset. Low settings yield 129 FPS, High yields 80 FPS, and Medium yields 91 FPS with a recorded minimum of 78 FPS and maximum of 105 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, landing at exactly 60 FPS on average, which matches the playable threshold precisely. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is steep: Ultra drops from 82 FPS to 60 FPS, a reduction of 22 FPS, while Low drops from 175 FPS to 129 FPS, a reduction of 46 FPS. This suggests the GPU becomes a more significant constraint as pixel count rises.

At 3840x2160, performance becomes the primary concern. The Ultra preset produces only 39 FPS on average, which is far below the 60 FPS threshold. High settings fare better with 51 FPS, still below playable levels. Medium settings reach 59 FPS on average, with a minimum of 50 FPS and a maximum of 68 FPS, meaning the average just misses the playable mark even though some frames exceed it. The Low preset is the only 4K option that clears 60 FPS, delivering an average of 83 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at 4K is 44 FPS, and the data shows that each step up in quality carries a significant performance cost at this resolution.

Best Settings per Resolution

For players targeting a consistent 60 FPS or higher, the most demanding preset that remains at or above that threshold varies by resolution.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the best choice. It delivers an average of 82 FPS, which is 22 FPS above the playable threshold. Since all four presets clear 60 FPS at this resolution, there is no reason to sacrifice visual quality for performance.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset also qualifies as the best setting, but with a caveat. It produces an average of exactly 60 FPS, which meets the threshold but leaves no margin for demanding scenes. Players who prefer a safety buffer could opt for Medium at 91 FPS or High at 80 FPS, but strictly by the data, Ultra is the most demanding playable preset.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes dramatically. The Low preset is the only option that stays at or above 60 FPS, averaging 83 FPS. Medium comes close at 59 FPS, but its average falls just short, and its recorded minimum of 50 FPS confirms that frame pacing could be inconsistent. The verdict data lists Low as the best setting for 4K, with an average of 83 FPS, making it the clear recommendation for this resolution.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU and GPU each have nearby rivals in the database that would produce broadly similar results in this game.

The Intel Core i9-14900K sits at the 95th percentile among all tested CPUs. Its nearest rival is the Intel Core i9-14900KF, which scores 0.3% lower in aggregate benchmarks. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus is 0.6% lower, and the AMD EPYC 7413 is 1.2% lower. On the other side, the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 scores 1.7% higher. These deltas are small enough that in a GPU-bound title like Lockdown Protocol at higher resolutions, the choice among these CPUs would likely not produce a meaningful FPS difference. The 14900K's 24 cores and 32 threads, combined with a boost clock of 6.00 GHz, position it well above the demands of this game, so any of these alternatives would behave similarly.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER sits at the 65th percentile among all tested GPUs. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M, which scores 1% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile is 1.2% lower, the Intel Arc B570 is 1.3% lower, and the Intel Arc A750 is 1.5% lower. These are all close enough that swapping the RTX 2070 SUPER for any of them would result in nearly identical frame rates in Lockdown Protocol. The RTX 2070 SUPER has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, and its 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for this game, but the performance ceiling at 4K is the limiting factor regardless of which of these GPUs is installed.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, but only at Low settings. The measured average at 3840x2160 with Low settings is 83 FPS. Medium averages 59 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS threshold, and High averages 51 FPS while Ultra averages 39 FPS.

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

A: The Ultra preset is the most demanding option that stays at or above 60 FPS, averaging exactly 60 FPS at 2560x1440. Medium and High average 91 FPS and 80 FPS respectively, offering more headroom.

Q: How much faster is 1080p Low compared to 4K Ultra?

A: The 1920x1080 Low preset averages 175 FPS, while the 3840x2160 Ultra preset averages 39 FPS. This is a difference of 136 FPS between the least and most demanding configurations tested.

Q: Does the Medium preset at 4K ever hit 60 FPS?

A: The average at 3840x2160 Medium is 59 FPS, with a recorded maximum of 68 FPS and a minimum of 50 FPS. Some individual frames exceed 60 FPS, but the average falls just short of the playable threshold.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to bottleneck in this game?

A: The recorded data shows the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the CPU can push the RTX 2070 SUPER to 175 FPS on Low settings, but at 4K Ultra the same combination drops to 39 FPS, indicating the GPU cannot sustain the workload at higher pixel counts.

Q: What is the best 1080p setting for maximum visual quality?

A: The Ultra preset at 1920x1080 averages 82 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. Since all 1080p presets clear 60 FPS, Ultra offers the highest quality without sacrificing playability.

CPU and GPU Roles

The division of labor between the Intel Core i9-14900K and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER becomes clear when examining the scaling across resolutions and presets.

At 1920x1080, the CPU is doing most of the heavy lifting. The Low preset reaches 175 FPS, which is a very high frame rate for any GPU, and the fact that Ultra still manages 82 FPS suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU consistently. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 93 FPS, and the CPU's strong single-thread performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2262.5, helps maintain high frame rates even as the GPU load increases.

At 2560x1440, the balance shifts toward the GPU. The Ultra preset averages exactly 60 FPS, and the Medium preset's minimum of 78 FPS shows that frame times are still consistent. The drop from 1080p Ultra to 1440p Ultra is 22 FPS, while the drop from 1080p Low to 1440p Low is 46 FPS. This disproportionate scaling indicates that the GPU is starting to become the primary constraint, though the CPU still has enough headroom to avoid causing stutter.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck. The Ultra preset averages 39 FPS, and even High only reaches 51 FPS. The CPU's role diminishes because the GPU simply cannot render enough frames to keep up with the CPU's output. The fact that Low at 4K produces 83 FPS while Medium produces 59 FPS, a difference of 24 FPS for one settings tier, shows that the GPU's fill rate and bandwidth, 448.0 GB/s, are the limiting factors. The CPU, which ranks in the 95th percentile of all tested CPUs, is not the constraint at any resolution in this game.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i9-14900K and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 2165th out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the database, which is consistent with the GPU's 65th percentile ranking. The CPU is a top-tier part, but the GPU holds the combination back, particularly at higher resolutions.

The ranking reflects the fact that the RTX 2070 SUPER, while still a capable card, is not in the same class as modern high-end GPUs. The 4K Ultra result of 39 FPS is the primary drag on the combo's overall standing. At 1080p, the combo performs admirably, but the database ranking weights all tested resolutions, and the 4K results pull the average down. Players using this combination should expect a solid 1080p experience and a playable 1440p experience, but 4K gaming will require Low settings to maintain 60 FPS.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol, but the experience depends heavily on the target resolution and settings.

At 1920x1080, the combination is fully capable. The Ultra preset averages 82 FPS, and even the most demanding settings stay well above the 60 FPS playable threshold. Players can enjoy maximum quality without concern.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages exactly 60 FPS, meeting the playable threshold but leaving no margin. Medium and High provide more comfortable headroom at 91 FPS and 80 FPS respectively, making them safer choices for competitive play where frame consistency matters.

At 3840x2160, only the Low preset is playable, averaging 83 FPS. Medium falls just short at 59 FPS, and High and Ultra are not viable options at 51 FPS and 39 FPS. The data indicates that 4K gaming is possible with this combination, but only with significant visual compromises. For the best balance of quality and performance, 1440p with Medium or High settings is the recommended target.