Lockdown Protocol

The benchmark data for Lockdown Protocol, captured with an Intel Core i5-14400F and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT, reveals a configuration that is well-suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1440p and capable of smooth 4K experiences. The measured frame rates across resolutions and presets provide a clear picture of the system's behavior, highlighting the balance between the CPU's processing power and the GPU's rendering muscle. This analysis breaks down the optimal settings, the roles of each component, and how this specific combination stacks up against the broader database of tested hardware.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data indicates that the High preset offers the most balanced experience for this hardware combination across all tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers an average of 145.7 FPS, which is a substantial 34.2 FPS higher than the Ultra preset’s 111.5 FPS, while still providing a significant visual upgrade over the Medium preset's 165 FPS. The performance cost of moving from High to Ultra is steep, representing a 23.5% reduction in frame rate, a trade-off that is rarely worthwhile for the marginal visual gains in a fast-paced FPS.

At 2560x1440, the High preset maintains an excellent average of 104.2 FPS, firmly in the territory of high-refresh-rate monitors. This is a 24.8 FPS advantage over Ultra (79.4 FPS) and only 16.9 FPS behind Medium (121.1 FPS). For users prioritizing a competitive edge with high frame rates, the Medium preset at 1440p becomes a viable alternative, as it pushes the average to 121.1 FPS, which is ideal for 120Hz displays. However, the visual fidelity difference between Medium and High is often more noticeable than between High and Ultra, making High the recommended starting point.

For 4K gaming at 3840x2160, the Medium preset is the most sensible choice. The High preset yields 70.4 FPS, which is playable, but the Medium preset’s 79.3 FPS provides a more comfortable buffer above the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 51 FPS, which is below the preferred smoothness for an FPS title. The Low preset at 4K (112.6 FPS) is an option for maximum performance, but the visual compromise is substantial. The data clearly shows that High and Medium presets are the "sweet spots" for this combo, with the choice depending on the user's resolution and refresh rate priorities.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is the primary driver of frame rates in this configuration, particularly at higher resolutions and settings. With 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, the card provides a substantial memory bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s. This memory capacity is a critical asset for Lockdown Protocol, as it allows the GPU to handle high-resolution textures and complex scenes without becoming a bottleneck. The GPU's 60 ray accelerators and 96 ROPs also contribute to its overall rendering capability, though the game's performance is more directly tied to the shader throughput.

The GPU's clock behavior is a key factor in its performance scaling. The card has a base clock of 1295 MHz and a game clock of 2124 MHz, which boosts up to 2430 MHz under load. This aggressive boost behavior explains why the GPU is able to maintain high frame rates even at 4K. The data shows that the RX 7800 XT scales well with resolution; for instance, moving from 1080p High (145.7 FPS) to 1440p High (104.2 FPS) results in a 28.5% drop, and then to 4K High (70.4 FPS) a further 32.4% drop. This scaling pattern is typical for a high-end GPU where the increase in pixel count directly impacts the fill rate.

The GPU's compute power, measured at 37.32 TFLOPS FP32, is sufficient to handle the game's demands. The benchmark results show that the RX 7800 XT is not the limiting factor at 1080p, where the CPU becomes more relevant. However, as resolution increases, the GPU's workload grows, and its performance becomes the dominant factor in determining the final frame rate. The 76th percentile ranking of this GPU against all others in the database confirms its position as a high-performing component, capable of delivering a strong experience in this title.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, provides a solid foundation for gaming. Its boost clock of 4.70 GHz ensures strong single-threaded performance, which is crucial for game logic and physics. The CPU's architecture, Raptor Lake, is built for high-frequency operation, and the benchmark scores reflect this, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3093. This level of single-thread performance is more than adequate to keep up with the RX 7800 XT at lower resolutions.

However, the data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU's role is more significant. The difference in frame rates between the Low (233.4 FPS) and Ultra (111.5 FPS) presets at 1080p is stark, but even at the Low preset, the system is not hitting its theoretical maximum. The CPU's multi-threaded performance, as evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21914, ensures that background tasks and game threads are handled without stuttering. The 20 MB of shared L3 cache helps reduce memory latency, which is beneficial for the game's data access patterns.

The CPU is not the primary bottleneck in this system at higher resolutions. This is evidenced by the fact that frame rates scale down consistently as resolution increases, regardless of the preset. For example, at Medium settings, the FPS drops from 165 at 1080p to 121.1 at 1440p and then to 79.3 at 4K. This scaling indicates that the GPU is being fully utilized at these higher resolutions. The CPU’s performance is sufficient to feed the GPU with data, preventing it from idling. The i5-14400F’s 88th percentile ranking against all CPUs further confirms that it is a capable partner for this GPU, offering a balanced pairing for this game.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of 1637 tested combinations, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-14400F and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT achieves a combo rank of 612. This places it in the upper-middle tier of all tested systems, indicating that it is a very capable configuration for Lockdown Protocol. The rank reflects the combined performance of both components, and the data shows that this system is well-balanced, with neither component severely limiting the other in this game.

The CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks provide context for its performance. The Intel Core i7-12800H scores nearly identically (32513), with a delta of 0%, while the AMD Ryzen 7 250 is a mere 0.2% faster. This suggests that the i5-14400F offers performance on par with several higher-tier mobile and desktop chips, which reflects its efficiency. The GPU, on the other hand, is surrounded by older or specialized hardware in its benchmark rankings, such as the AMD FirePro S9300 X2 (0.2% faster) and the NVIDIA P104-100 (0.4% faster), highlighting that the RX 7800 XT is a modern, high-performance part.

The combo's rank of 612 out of 1637 (top 37%) is a strong result. It indicates that this system will deliver a high-quality experience in Lockdown Protocol, outperforming the majority of other configurations. The balance between the CPU and GPU is optimal, as the system is not held back by a weak link. This is a configuration that can be recommended for users seeking high frame rates at 1440p and solid performance at 4K, without the need for flagship components.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K is the clearest indicator of where the bottleneck lies in this system. At the Low preset, the average frame rate drops from 233.4 FPS at 1080p to 173.4 FPS at 1440p (a 25.7% decrease) and then to 112.6 FPS at 4K (a 35.1% decrease from 1440p). This consistent and significant drop with each resolution increase points to the GPU being the primary limiting factor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, as the CPU's workload would not increase as much as the GPU's.

The scaling at the Ultra preset tells a similar story. The system produces 111.5 FPS at 1080p, 79.4 FPS at 1440p, and 51 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 28.8% and 35.8% respectively, which are even more pronounced than at the Low preset. This indicates that at Ultra settings, the GPU is working even harder, and its performance ceiling is being reached. The RX 7800 XT, while powerful, is not capable of maintaining high frame rates at 4K with the most demanding settings.

This scaling behavior confirms that for this game, the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is the component that determines the overall performance envelope. The CPU's role is to ensure that it can provide enough data to the GPU, and it does so effectively, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p. As resolution increases, the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth become the deciding factors. The result is a system that excels at 1080p and 1440p, offering a smooth and responsive experience, while at 4K, users will need to adjust settings to the Medium or High presets to achieve comfortable frame rates.