Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 delivers a dominant performance profile in Lockdown Protocol, crushing the 60 FPS playability threshold at 1920x1080 and 2560x1440 across every tested preset. At 4K, the combination remains highly capable, though the Ultra preset dips slightly below the playable mark. Benchmark data shows this system ranks 649th out of 3714 tested hardware combinations, placing it in the top percentile of configurations for this FPS title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 5070 demonstrates exceptional headroom. The Low preset produces an average of 282.1 FPS, which is the highest recorded figure across all resolutions and settings. Moving to Medium drops the average to 198.1 FPS, while High maintains a robust 176.1 FPS. The Ultra preset still delivers 133 FPS on average, which is more than double the 60 FPS playability threshold. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a performance reduction of approximately 53%, yet even the most demanding setting leaves substantial performance in reserve for high-refresh-rate displays.

At 2560x1440, the system retains its strong positioning. Low settings yield an average of 206.8 FPS, while Medium produces 148.7 FPS. The High preset delivers 125.8 FPS, and Ultra remains comfortably playable at 93.7 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 27% performance at Low settings, but the Ultra preset sees a more significant drop of about 30%. Despite these reductions, every preset at this resolution clears the playable threshold by a wide margin.

The 3840x2160 results show where the hardware begins to feel the pressure. Low settings produce 136.1 FPS on average, which is still excellent for 4K gaming. Medium follows at 97.8 FPS, and High maintains a smooth 84.6 FPS. The Ultra preset, however, falls to 59.3 FPS on average, sitting just below the 60 FPS playability line. This represents a 56% performance loss from Low to Ultra at 4K, indicating that the most demanding settings exceed what this configuration can sustain at full 4K resolution.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Lockdown Protocol at 60 FPS on Ultra settings?

A: At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 133 FPS, and at 2560x1440 it averages 93.7 FPS, both well above the 60 FPS threshold. At 3840x2160, however, Ultra averages 59.3 FPS, which falls marginally below the playable mark.

Q: What is the best preset for 4K gaming with this hardware?

A: According to the measured data, High settings at 3840x2160 deliver the highest average FPS among playable presets, with 84.6 FPS. This is the optimal choice for 4K, as Ultra drops to 59.3 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 282.1 at 1920x1080 to 136.1 at 3840x2160, a reduction of roughly 52%. At Ultra settings, the drop is from 133 FPS to 59.3 FPS, representing a 55% decrease.

Q: Is the Ultra preset ever the best choice for this system?

A: Yes, at both 1920x1080 and 2560x1440, Ultra is listed as the best settings option, with average FPS of 133 and 93.7 respectively. It is only at 3840x2160 that Ultra becomes unplayable.

Q: How does this configuration rank among all tested hardware combinations?

A: The Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 combo ranks 649th out of 3714 tested combinations for Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the top 17.5% of all configurations.

Q: What is the maximum performance this system can achieve?

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 282.1, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This represents the peak output of this hardware combination in the measured data.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling patterns across resolutions reveal a primarily GPU-bound workload, with the CPU showing significant headroom. At 1920x1080 Low, the system produces 282.1 FPS, which is an extremely high frame rate that would stress any processor. The Intel Core i9-14900K, with its 24 cores, 32 threads, and boost clock of 6.00 GHz, provides ample processing power to feed the RTX 5070 at these frame rates. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39399.5 and single-core score of 2262.5 indicate strong overall capability, and the PassMark single-thread score of 4697 confirms excellent per-core performance for game logic.

As resolution increases, the GPU becomes the limiting factor. The transition from 1080p Low to 4K Low sees average FPS drop from 282.1 to 136.1, a 52% reduction that occurs despite identical CPU load. This pattern is consistent with GPU-bound rendering, where pixel throughput becomes the bottleneck. The RTX 5070’s 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for 4K textures but still requires the GPU to work harder at higher pixel counts.

The CPU’s role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions where frame rates exceed 200 FPS. At 1440p Low, the system hits 206.8 FPS, and at 1080p Low it reaches 282.1 FPS. These figures suggest the i9-14900K can maintain high instruction throughput without becoming a constraint. The CPU’s percentile ranking of 95 among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 79097, places it among the fastest desktop chips available, ensuring it does not bottleneck the GPU in this title.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core i9-14900KF is the closest CPU alternative, with an average benchmark score of 79371, which is a negligible 0.3% below the i9-14900K’s 79097. The KF variant lacks integrated graphics but otherwise offers nearly identical performance, making it a viable substitute for gaming builds where the iGPU is unnecessary. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus scores 79574, just 0.6% higher, while the AMD EPYC 7413 reaches 80041, 1.2% above. On the lower side, the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 scores 77740, which is 1.7% below the i9-14900K. These deltas are all within a narrow band, meaning any of these CPUs would deliver comparable frame rates in Lockdown Protocol.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are all AMD professional-grade cards, which is unusual for a gaming comparison. The AMD Radeon Pro 580 posts an average score of 40318, just 0.1% below the RTX 5070’s 40377. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 scores 40063, a 0.8% deficit, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 reaches 40870, which is 1.2% higher. The NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile scores 39568, representing a 2% gap. These workstation-oriented cards would likely deliver similar raw compute performance, but gamers should note that the RTX 5070’s architecture and driver optimization for DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4 may provide better real-world frame rates in this FPS title.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the most demanding option that remains playable, producing an average of 133 FPS. This setting provides the highest visual fidelity while still delivering more than double the 60 FPS threshold, making it the clear recommendation for 1080p displays.

For 2560x1440, Ultra is again the best choice, with an average of 93.7 FPS. This maintains the maximum quality settings while staying comfortably above the playable threshold, offering a smooth experience on 1440p monitors.

At 3840x2160, the High preset is the optimal selection, averaging 84.6 FPS. While this requires sacrificing Ultra settings, the performance gain is substantial: High is 42.7% faster than Ultra’s 59.3 FPS. The data indicates that High at 4K provides a better balance of visual quality and smoothness than pushing to Ultra.

The Verdict

This PC configuration can absolutely run Lockdown Protocol, and it does so with exceptional headroom at most settings. The verdict by resolution confirms that all four presets are playable at both 1920x1080 and 2560x1440, with the Ultra preset achieving 133 FPS and 93.7 FPS respectively. At 3840x2160, three of four presets remain playable, with High being the best option at 84.6 FPS. The only unplayable configuration is 4K Ultra, which falls marginally short at 59.3 FPS.

The data shows a system that is overkill for 1080p gaming, more than sufficient for 1440p, and highly capable at 4K with a modest settings adjustment. The RTX 5070’s 30.87 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and the i9-14900K’s top-tier CPU scores combine to deliver a gaming experience that rarely dips below high frame rates. For players prioritizing maximum frame rates, the 1080p Low preset at 282.1 FPS offers competitive-level responsiveness. For visual quality, 1440p Ultra at 93.7 FPS provides an excellent balance. Ultimately, this hardware clears the 60 FPS standard in 11 of 12 tested scenarios, with the single exception being a marginal miss at 4K Ultra.