Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER delivers a consistently high-performance experience in Lockdown Protocol, with measured average frame rates that clear the 60 FPS threshold at every tested resolution and settings combination. The data set includes 12 distinct configurations, spanning 1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160, across Low, Medium, High, and Ultra presets. Across all configurations, the combination ranks 571st out of 3,714 tested combos, placing it in the top 15.4% of all hardware pairings for this title. The measured results reveal a system that scales predictably with resolution and settings, offering headroom for high-refresh-rate monitors at 1440p and playable 4K performance even at the highest quality preset.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination produces outstanding frame rates that leverage the CPU's strong single-thread performance. On the Low preset, the average frame rate reaches 290.6 FPS, which is the highest measured value across the entire test matrix. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 206.1 FPS, a substantial 29% reduction that indicates the GPU begins to take on more load as settings increase. The High preset delivers 181.2 FPS, while the Ultra preset still maintains 136.4 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a total reduction of approximately 53%, with each settings tier costing a meaningful but manageable performance hit. The gap between Medium and High is only 24.9 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 44.8 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset introduces disproportionately heavier rendering workloads.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains exceptionally strong, with all presets comfortably exceeding the 60 FPS playability threshold. The Low preset averages 212.6 FPS, which is still higher than the 1080p Ultra result, demonstrating that the GPU has ample headroom at this resolution. Medium yields 152.3 FPS, High yields 132.4 FPS, and Ultra yields 101.5 FPS. The transition from Low to Ultra at 1440p represents a 52% performance drop, closely mirroring the scaling pattern observed at 1080p. The difference between High and Ultra at 1440p is 30.9 FPS, which is a smaller absolute gap than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is becoming the more significant bottleneck as pixel count increases.

At 3840x2160, the performance curve steepens, but the system still manages to stay above 60 FPS on every preset. The Low preset delivers 135.8 FPS, which is a 36% reduction compared to the 1440p Low result. Medium averages 100.2 FPS, High averages 84.7 FPS, and Ultra averages 61.8 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration across the entire test matrix that falls below 100 FPS, sitting just 1.8 FPS above the 60 FPS playability threshold. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K shows a 54% performance drop, which is consistent with the other resolutions. The gap between High and Ultra at 4K is 22.9 FPS, and the gap between Medium and High is 15.5 FPS, showing that each settings tier has a tangible impact on the final frame rate.

FAQ

Q: Can this system achieve 60 FPS at 4K with maximum settings?

A: Yes. At 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset, the measured average frame rate is 61.8 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS playability threshold by a narrow margin.

Q: What is the highest frame rate recorded for this combination?

A: The highest average frame rate is 290.6 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1440p to 4K at the same settings?

A: At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 132.4 FPS at 2560x1440 to 84.7 FPS at 3840x2160, a reduction of 47.7 FPS or approximately 36%.

Q: Is the Ultra preset at 1440p faster than the High preset at 1080p?

A: No. The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 averages 101.5 FPS, while the High preset at 1920x1080 averages 181.2 FPS. The 1080p High configuration is 79.7 FPS faster.

Q: Which resolution shows the smallest relative performance gap between Low and Ultra?

A: The scaling is similar across all resolutions, but the absolute gap is smallest at 3840x2160, where Low averages 135.8 FPS and Ultra averages 61.8 FPS, a difference of 74.0 FPS.

Q: Does the system maintain playable frame rates at all tested settings?

A: Yes, every one of the 12 tested resolution and settings combinations exceeds the 60 FPS threshold, with the lowest recorded average being 61.8 FPS at 4K Ultra.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance data indicates that the GPU becomes progressively more dominant as resolution increases, while the CPU's influence is most visible at lower resolutions and higher frame rates. At 1920x1080, the frame rates reach up to 290.6 FPS on Low settings, a range where the Intel Core i9-14900K's strong single-thread capabilities are likely providing the necessary headroom to feed the GPU. The 24-core, 32-thread processor, with its 6.00 GHz boost clock, is well-positioned to handle the game's logic and draw calls at such high frame rates. The measured scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a 154.2 FPS drop, which is the largest absolute reduction across all resolutions, suggesting that the GPU is being pushed harder as settings increase, but the CPU still manages to keep up.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates range from 212.6 FPS on Low to 101.5 FPS on Ultra. The relative performance drop from Low to Ultra is 52%, which is similar to the 53% drop seen at 1080p. However, the absolute frame rates are lower, indicating that the GPU is now the primary limiter. The RTX 4070 SUPER, with its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth, has to render more pixels, and the workload shifts increasingly toward the graphics card. The CPU's role becomes less critical, but it still provides enough performance to avoid bottlenecking the GPU at these frame rates.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's dominance is clear. The frame rates range from 135.8 FPS on Low to 61.8 FPS on Ultra. The Low preset at 4K is actually slower than the Ultra preset at 1440p (135.8 FPS vs. 101.5 FPS), which confirms that the additional pixel count is the dominant factor. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K shows a 74.0 FPS drop, which is smaller in absolute terms than at 1080p but still represents a 54% reduction. The CPU's impact is minimal at this resolution, as the GPU is working at its limits to maintain playable frame rates. The data suggests that the Core i9-14900K is more than sufficient for this game, and the RTX 4070 SUPER is the component that determines the final performance ceiling, especially at higher resolutions and settings.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the Intel Core i9-14900K has an average benchmark score of 79,097, which places it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs. The closest competitor is the Intel Core i9-14900KF with an average score of 79,371, a delta of -0.3%, meaning the 14900KF is essentially identical in performance. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus scores 79,574, a -0.6% delta, and the AMD EPYC 7413 scores 80,041, a -1.2% delta. These three alternatives would behave nearly identically to the 14900K in Lockdown Protocol, with performance differences well within the margin of measurement error. The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 scores 77,740, a +1.7% delta, indicating it is slightly slower but still in the same performance class.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 43,223, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rival is the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB with a score of 43,262, a -0.1% delta, which would deliver nearly identical frame rates in this game. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile scores 43,268, also a -0.1% delta, and the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 scores 43,301, a -0.2% delta. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile scores 43,667, a -1% delta, making it the closest competitor in terms of raw performance. All four of these GPUs would produce very similar results to the RTX 4070 SUPER in Lockdown Protocol, with expected frame rate differences of less than 2% across the board.

How This Combo Ranks

In the overall ranking for Lockdown Protocol, this combination of the Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER achieves a rank of 571 out of 3,714 tested combos. This places the system in the top 15.4% of all hardware pairings tested for this game. The high ranking is driven by the strong performance at lower resolutions, where the CPU's capabilities allow for extremely high frame rates, and the GPU's solid 4K performance ensures playability across the board. The rank of 571 indicates that while there are 570 combinations that perform better, the vast majority of systems tested (3,143 combos) deliver lower frame rates. The combination's percentile placement reflects a balanced pairing that excels at high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p gaming while still managing to handle 4K Ultra settings.

The Verdict

The data shows that this PC can run Lockdown Protocol with no issues at any tested resolution or settings preset. At 1920x1080, the system delivers average frame rates ranging from 136.4 FPS on Ultra to 290.6 FPS on Low, all far exceeding the 60 FPS playability threshold. At 2560x1440, the performance remains excellent, with the Ultra preset averaging 101.5 FPS and the Low preset reaching 212.6 FPS. At 3840x2160, the system still clears 60 FPS on every preset, with the Ultra preset averaging 61.8 FPS, which is just above the threshold. The verdict by resolution confirms that all settings are playable at all three resolutions, with no configuration falling below 60 FPS. The best settings at each resolution are the Ultra preset, as it provides the highest visual quality while maintaining playable frame rates.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which delivers an average frame rate of 136.4 FPS. This provides a significant cushion above the playability threshold, making it the recommended choice for maximum visual fidelity. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset also remains the best option, with an average frame rate of 101.5 FPS. This still offers a 41.5 FPS margin over the 60 FPS threshold, ensuring smooth gameplay even during intense action sequences. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset achieves an average frame rate of 61.8 FPS, which is just 1.8 FPS above the playability threshold. While this is technically playable, the narrow margin means that any minor performance fluctuation could drop the frame rate below 60 FPS. For a more comfortable experience at 4K, the High preset at 84.7 FPS or the Medium preset at 100.2 FPS would provide additional headroom, but the data confirms that Ultra is playable.