Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers a high-refresh-rate experience across all tested resolutions in Lockdown Protocol, with every preset at every resolution clearing the 60 FPS playability threshold by a substantial margin. Benchmark data shows this combo ranks 205th out of 3,714 tested configurations, placing it in the top percentile of systems capable of running this title.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 4K (3840x2160), the most demanding preset that holds 60 FPS is Ultra, which averages 73 FPS. This is the highest visual quality setting available, and the fact that it clears the playable threshold means users can max out the game at this resolution without compromise. The High preset averages 98 FPS, Medium averages 112 FPS, and Low averages 157 FPS, showing that even at 4K, there is headroom to spare. The minimum frame rate recorded at Medium is 95 FPS, which remains well above the 60 FPS floor, indicating consistent performance under load.

At 1440p (2560x1440), the Ultra preset averages 113 FPS, making it the recommended choice for users seeking the best visuals without sacrificing smoothness. High averages 151 FPS, Medium averages 173 FPS, and Low averages 244 FPS. The minimum frame rate at Medium is 147 FPS, demonstrating that even momentary dips stay far above the playable threshold. This resolution offers a strong balance between visual fidelity and raw frame rate, with the Ultra preset delivering nearly double the 60 FPS minimum.

At 1080p (1920x1080), the Ultra preset averages 155 FPS, which is the best settings choice at this resolution. High averages 206 FPS, Medium averages 236 FPS, and Low averages 333 FPS. The minimum frame rate at Medium is 201 FPS, meaning that even the most demanding scenes render far above any competitive or casual play requirement. For users with high-refresh-rate monitors, this resolution is where the combo truly shines, as even the Ultra preset provides enough frames to drive a 144 Hz display comfortably.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions reveals a clear pattern: the GPU becomes the dominant constraint as resolution increases, while the CPU provides sufficient headroom at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low (333 FPS) and Ultra (155 FPS) is 178 FPS, a 115% drop purely from increased graphics load. This suggests the RTX 4080 is the primary bottleneck at this resolution, as the CPU is capable of feeding frames at a rate far exceeding what the GPU can render with higher settings. The Core i9-14900K, with its 24 cores and 32 threads, is clearly not limiting performance at 1080p, as evidenced by the massive frame rates achieved even at High and Ultra settings.

Moving to 1440p, the gap between Low (244 FPS) and Ultra (113 FPS) narrows to 131 FPS, or a 116% reduction. The proportional drop is similar to 1080p, but the absolute frame rates are lower, indicating that the GPU is working harder to fill more pixels. The CPU still has headroom, as the 244 FPS Low setting shows the processor can push frames well beyond what most displays can show. At this resolution, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, but the CPU remains capable of supporting high frame rates without becoming a constraint.

At 4K, the gap between Low (157 FPS) and Ultra (73 FPS) shrinks to 84 FPS, a 115% reduction from the Low baseline. The absolute numbers are much lower than at lower resolutions, confirming that the GPU is heavily loaded at 4K. The Ultra preset at 73 FPS still clears the 60 FPS threshold, but the margin is thinner than at other resolutions. This indicates that while the GPU is the dominant factor at 4K, the CPU's strong single-threaded performance (evidenced by its 2,265.5 Cinebench R23 single-core score) ensures that frame pacing remains consistent without CPU-induced stutters.

The data shows that the CPU's role is most critical at 1080p, where high frame rates demand rapid draw call processing, while the GPU's role grows proportionally with resolution. At 4K, the RTX 4080's 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 716.8 GB/s of memory bandwidth are the primary drivers of the 73 FPS Ultra result. The CPU's 125 W TDP and 6.00 GHz boost clock provide ample compute for game logic, but the GPU's raw throughput ultimately dictates the ceiling at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Lockdown Protocol at 60 FPS on Ultra settings at 4K?

A: Yes. Benchmark data shows the Ultra preset at 3840x2160 averages 73 FPS, which is 13 FPS above the 60 FPS playable threshold. All four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) at 4K exceed 60 FPS.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 averages 113 FPS, making it the best choice for maximum visual quality while staying well above 60 FPS. The Medium preset averages 173 FPS with a minimum of 147 FPS, offering a large safety margin for competitive play.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER?

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54,247, while the RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54,209, a delta of 0.1%. This means the two GPUs perform nearly identically in synthetic tests, with the regular 4080 holding a marginal edge.

Q: Does the Core i9-14900K bottleneck the RTX 4080 at any resolution?

A: No. At 1080p, the Low preset reaches 333 FPS, indicating the CPU can feed frames far faster than the GPU can render them at lower resolutions. Even at 4K Ultra, the 73 FPS result shows no CPU-induced frame pacing issues, as the CPU's 95th percentile ranking among all CPUs provides ample headroom.

Q: What is the frame rate at 1080p Medium settings?

A: The Medium preset at 1920x1080 averages 236 FPS, with a minimum of 201 FPS and a maximum of 272 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold and suitable for high-refresh-rate displays.

Q: How many tested combinations does this setup rank above?

A: This combo ranks 205th out of 3,714 tested configurations, meaning it outperforms approximately 3,509 other combinations in Lockdown Protocol. The rank places it in the top 5.5% of all tested systems.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol exceptionally well at every resolution and preset combination tested. The verdict data confirms that at 3840x2160, all four settings presets are playable, with Ultra averaging 73 FPS. At 2560x1440, the same is true, with Ultra averaging 113 FPS. At 1920x1080, Ultra averages 155 FPS. In every case, the most demanding preset clears the 60 FPS threshold, meaning users can enable maximum visual quality without any performance compromises.

The 4K Ultra result of 73 FPS is the only scenario where the system approaches the playable limit, but it still exceeds it by a comfortable margin. This indicates that the RTX 4080, despite being end-of-life in production status, remains a formidable GPU for this title. The Core i9-14900K, with its 95th percentile ranking among all CPUs, ensures that the system never becomes CPU-bound in a way that impacts frame rates. For competitive players seeking maximum frame rates at 1080p, the Low preset's 333 FPS and Medium preset's 236 FPS provide exceptional responsiveness, while 1440p users can enjoy Ultra at 113 FPS with high confidence in consistent performance.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Core i9-14900K's nearest rivals in benchmark scores include the Intel Core i9-14900KF, which scores 79,371 versus the 14900K's 79,097, a delta of -0.3% (the 14900K is 0.3% slower). The Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus scores 79,574, with the 14900K trailing by 0.6%. The AMD EPYC 7413 scores 80,041, putting the 14900K 1.2% behind. The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 scores 77,740, with the 14900K leading by 1.7%. In practical gaming terms, these deltas are negligible, meaning users with any of these CPUs would see nearly identical frame rates in Lockdown Protocol.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54,209 versus the 4080's 54,247, a delta of 0.1% (the 4080 is 0.1% faster). The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54,828, with the 4080 trailing by 1.1%. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55,698, putting the 4080 2.6% behind. The AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55,757, with the 4080 2.7% slower. These differences are within the margin of error for real-world gaming, so users with these alternative GPUs should expect similar performance in Lockdown Protocol, with the 4080 and 4080 SUPER being virtually interchangeable.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 205th out of 3,714 tested configurations in Lockdown Protocol. This places the system in the top 5.5% of all tested combinations, reflecting the high-end nature of both components. The rank is driven primarily by the GPU's strong performance at 4K, where the RTX 4080 delivers 73 FPS on Ultra, and by the CPU's ability to sustain high frame rates at lower resolutions. The 95th percentile ranking of the CPU and 86th percentile ranking of the GPU among their respective categories contribute to this strong overall position. For context, the 3,714 tested combos include entry-level systems that fail to reach 60 FPS at any resolution, whereas this setup exceeds 60 FPS at every preset and resolution, including the most demanding 4K Ultra configuration. The rank indicates that users can expect this system to outperform the vast majority of tested hardware in this game, with only a small fraction of combos (likely those featuring flagship GPUs like the RTX 4090 or newer generations) achieving higher frame rates.