Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol pairs a flagship 24-core Intel Core i9-14900K with the mid-range NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, and the benchmark data reveals a system that is heavily limited by its GPU at higher resolutions. The measured results, drawn from actual testing, show a clear pattern: this combo delivers smooth 60+ FPS gameplay across most settings at 1440p and 1080p, but stumbles at 4K where only the Low and Medium presets remain playable. The i9-14900K, sitting in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, provides ample headroom, while the RTX 4060, at the 61st percentile of all GPUs, becomes the decisive bottleneck as resolution scales upward.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the data shows the RTX 4060 struggling to keep pace with the i9-14900K’s capabilities. The Ultra preset delivers an average of 42 FPS, which falls well below the 60 FPS playability threshold. Dropping to High improves the average to 55 FPS, still short of smooth gameplay. The Medium preset produces an average of 63 FPS, with a minimum of 54 FPS and a maximum of 73 FPS, making it the only setting above Low that consistently approaches playable territory. Low settings jump to an average of 89 FPS, demonstrating that the GPU, not the CPU, dictates performance at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the picture improves significantly. The Low preset achieves an average of 138 FPS, while Medium reaches 98 FPS with a minimum of 83 FPS and a maximum of 113 FPS. High settings deliver 86 FPS on average, and even the Ultra preset manages 64 FPS, narrowly clearing the 60 FPS threshold. This resolution represents the sweet spot for the RTX 4060: every preset is technically playable, though Ultra hovers close to the line with no reported minimum or maximum values to gauge frame-time consistency.

At 1920x1080, the system shows its strongest performance. Low settings produce an average of 189 FPS, Medium reaches 134 FPS with a minimum of 114 FPS and a maximum of 154 FPS, and High hits 117 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 88 FPS, which is comfortably above the playability threshold. The scaling from 4K to 1080p is dramatic: the Ultra preset nearly doubles from 42 FPS to 88 FPS, while Low jumps from 89 FPS to 189 FPS. This indicates that the RTX 4060’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus, with 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth, become the limiting factor at higher pixel counts, while the i9-14900K’s processing power remains largely untapped.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the Intel Core i9-14900K’s average benchmark score of 79097 places it within a tight cluster of rivals. The Intel Core i9-14900KF scores an average of 79371, just 0.3% higher, making it a near-identical alternative in gaming workloads. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus posts 79574, 0.6% above, while the AMD EPYC 7413 scores 80041, 1.2% higher. On the lower side, the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 scores 77740, which is 1.7% below the i9-14900K. These deltas are minimal, meaning any of these processors would produce nearly indistinguishable frame rates in Lockdown Protocol when paired with the same RTX 4060.

On the GPU side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060’s average benchmark score of 17639 is remarkably close to several older or integrated alternatives. The AMD Radeon HD 7790 scores 17666, just 0.2% higher, while the AMD Radeon 780M integrated graphics score 17588, 0.3% lower. The AMD Radeon Pro 560 scores 17551, 0.5% below, and the AMD Radeon Pro 460 scores 17509, 0.7% lower. This clustering suggests that in Lockdown Protocol, the RTX 4060’s performance can be approximated by these rival GPUs, though the 4060’s modern feature set and driver support may yield different results in other titles. The data implies that if a system with any of these GPUs were paired with the i9-14900K, the frame rates would fall within a narrow band of the measured results.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the best playable preset is Medium, which achieves an average of 63 FPS. This is the only preset above Low that clears the 60 FPS threshold, and it does so with a minimum of 54 FPS, indicating occasional dips below playable levels. The Low preset performs better at 89 FPS, but Medium offers a better visual quality while still maintaining an acceptable average. High and Ultra, at 55 FPS and 42 FPS respectively, are not viable for smooth gameplay at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset is the best choice, delivering an average of 64 FPS. This clears the 60 FPS threshold, though just barely, and no minimum or maximum values are provided to assess frame-time stability. The High preset at 86 FPS and Medium at 98 FPS offer more headroom, but Ultra provides the maximum visual fidelity that remains playable. Low at 138 FPS is the fastest option but sacrifices too much visual quality for most users.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 88 FPS, making it the best setting that stays above 60 FPS. This provides a significant margin over the playability threshold, and the High preset at 117 FPS and Medium at 134 FPS offer even more performance if needed. Low at 189 FPS is the ceiling, but Ultra is the recommended setting for balancing visual quality and smoothness. Across all resolutions, the data consistently shows that the RTX 4060, not the i9-14900K, determines the playable preset ceiling.

The Verdict

This system can run Lockdown Protocol, but the playable settings vary sharply by resolution. At 3840x2160, the verdict is mixed: only Low and Medium presets are playable, with Medium averaging 63 FPS. The High preset at 55 FPS and Ultra at 42 FPS fall short of the 60 FPS threshold, meaning users at 4K must compromise on visual quality or accept sub-60 FPS performance. At 2560x1440, the system clears 60 FPS on every preset, with Ultra averaging 64 FPS, High at 86 FPS, Medium at 98 FPS, and Low at 138 FPS. This makes 1440p the optimal resolution for this combo, offering full visual settings without dropping below playable frame rates.

At 1920x1080, the system excels. All presets, including Ultra at 88 FPS, are well above the 60 FPS threshold, with Low reaching 189 FPS and Medium at 134 FPS. The verdict is clear: this PC is fully capable of running Lockdown Protocol at 1080p with maximum settings, and at 1440p with Ultra settings, but requires reduced settings at 4K. The combo rank of 2009 out of 3714 combinations places this pairing in the middle of the pack, reflecting the GPU’s limitations at higher resolutions despite the CPU’s top-tier status.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data shows that the GPU plays the dominant role in Lockdown Protocol’s performance across all resolutions. The i9-14900K, with its 24 cores and 32 threads, scores in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, while the RTX 4060 sits at the 61st percentile of all GPUs. This disparity becomes evident in the FPS scaling: at 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 88 FPS, but at 3840x2160 it drops to 42 FPS, a 52% reduction. The Low preset shows a similar pattern, falling from 189 FPS at 1080p to 89 FPS at 4K.

The CPU’s role is more pronounced at lower resolutions and settings where the GPU is less strained. At 1920x1080 Low, the system reaches 189 FPS, suggesting the i9-14900K can feed frames quickly enough to avoid becoming a bottleneck. However, as resolution increases to 2560x1440 and 3840x2160, the RTX 4060’s 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 8 GB memory capacity become the limiting factor. The Medium preset’s minimum FPS values at each resolution—114 at 1080p, 83 at 1440p, and 54 at 4K—further illustrate this trend: the GPU’s frame delivery degrades more sharply than the CPU’s processing capability.

The data indicates that at 3840x2160, the GPU is almost entirely responsible for performance, as the CPU’s advantages in single-core and multi-core benchmarks (Cinebench R23 scores of 2262.5 single-core and 39399.5 multi-core) are irrelevant when the GPU cannot render frames fast enough. At 2560x1440 and 1920x1080, the CPU still has headroom, but the GPU remains the primary constraint. For users seeking higher FPS at 4K, upgrading the GPU would yield far greater gains than swapping the CPU, as the i9-14900K’s nearest rivals show less than 2% performance differences.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest preset that maintains 60 FPS at 3840x2160?

A: The Medium preset is the best playable option at 4K, averaging 63 FPS with a minimum of 54 FPS. Low averages 89 FPS, while High and Ultra fall short at 55 FPS and 42 FPS, respectively.

Q: Can this system run Lockdown Protocol at 2560x1440 with Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the Ultra preset at 1440p averages 64 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold. All other presets—High at 86 FPS, Medium at 98 FPS, and Low at 138 FPS—also remain playable.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 17639. The AMD Radeon HD 7790 scores 17666 (0.2% higher), the AMD Radeon 780M scores 17588 (0.3% lower), and the AMD Radeon Pro 560 scores 17551 (0.5% lower).

Q: What is the average FPS at 1920x1080 on Ultra settings?

A: The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 88 FPS. Medium averages 134 FPS, High averages 117 FPS, and Low reaches 189 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: The GPU is the primary bottleneck, especially at higher resolutions. The i9-14900K scores in the 95th percentile of CPUs, while the RTX 4060 sits at the 61st percentile of GPUs. Frame rates drop by over 50% from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra, indicating GPU limitation.

Q: What is the system’s overall rank among tested combinations for this game?

A: This CPU and GPU combination ranks 2009 out of 3714 tested combinations for Lockdown Protocol. The data is measured, not estimated, and the playable threshold is 60 FPS.