Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX delivers a consistently high-refresh-rate experience in Lockdown Protocol, but the performance curve reveals a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions and increasingly CPU-limited at 1080p. The data shows a clear and predictable scaling pattern: as resolution drops, frame rates climb steeply, but the gains between 1440p and 1080p are smaller than those between 4K and 1440p, indicating that the processor begins to assert its influence at lower pixel counts.

At 4K, the transition from Low to Ultra settings demonstrates the massive computational load placed on the graphics card. The Ultra preset yields an average of 64.6 FPS, while dropping to High improves that to 89.4 FPS. This is a significant jump, but the most dramatic shift occurs when moving to Medium, which produces 101.6 FPS, and then to Low, which skyrockets to 145.3 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra at 4K is over 80 FPS, confirming that the RX 7900 XTX is the primary bottleneck at this resolution, with the i5-14400F having ample headroom to feed the GPU.

Moving down to 2560x1440, the frame rates increase substantially across all presets, but the pattern shifts. The Low preset reaches 219 FPS, while Medium delivers 156.2 FPS and High sits at 137.9 FPS. The Ultra preset, at 104.5 FPS, is the only setting at this resolution that falls below the 144Hz threshold, suggesting that the combination of high pixel count and maximum graphical fidelity still taxes the GPU heavily. The scaling from 4K to 1440p is more pronounced than the scaling from 1440p to 1080p, a classic sign that the CPU is starting to play a larger role in limiting performance at the lower resolution.

At 1920x1080, the CPU's influence becomes unmistakable. The Low preset produces a remarkable 292.7 FPS, a figure that dwarfs the 4K Low result by more than double. However, the incremental gains from 1440p to 1080p are much smaller than those from 4K to 1440p. For instance, High settings move from 137.9 FPS at 1440p to 187.9 FPS at 1080p, which is a 50 FPS improvement, but the jump from 4K High to 1440p High is nearly the same magnitude. This compression of performance gains indicates that the i5-14400F, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, is nearing its practical limit for pushing extremely high frame rates in this title, even though it remains a capable partner for the GPU.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling analysis highlights a system that is exceptionally well-balanced for 1440p gaming, but which shows diminishing returns at 1080p due to CPU constraints. At 4K, the GPU is the clear limiting factor. The data shows that the RX 7900 XTX, with its 24 GB of GDDR6 memory and 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth, is fully occupied, as evidenced by the steep FPS drop when moving from Low to Ultra. Specifically, the 4K Low score of 145.3 FPS is more than double the 4K Ultra score of 64.6 FPS, a gap that underscores the GPU's workload at this resolution.

At 1440p, the balance shifts slightly. The GPU still dominates, but the CPU begins to contribute. The Low preset at 219 FPS suggests that the i5-14400F can comfortably drive high frame rates, but the gap between Low and Medium (156.2 FPS) is narrower than at 4K, implying that the CPU is no longer able to fully mask the GPU's workload differences. By the time we reach 1080p, the trend is clear: the Low preset at 292.7 FPS is impressive, but the difference between Low and Medium (216.6 FPS) and Medium to High (187.9 FPS) is shrinking, indicating that the processor is becoming the bottleneck. The 1080p Ultra score of 144 FPS is telling—it is only slightly higher than the 1440p Medium score of 156.2 FPS, which suggests that the CPU is preventing the GPU from stretching its legs at lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal experience for this combination depends heavily on the target display. For 4K displays, the High preset at 89.4 FPS is the sweet spot, offering a playable and smooth experience without the substantial performance hit of Ultra (64.6 FPS). The Medium preset at 101.6 FPS is also viable, but the visual fidelity trade-off may not be worth the modest 12 FPS gain over High. For 1440p, the Medium preset at 156.2 FPS provides an excellent balance, delivering well above the 144Hz refresh rate that many gamers target. The High preset at 137.9 FPS is also strong, but it falls just short of that 144 FPS mark, making Medium the more consistent choice for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 1080p, the data suggests that the High preset at 187.9 FPS is the most sensible choice. While the Low preset achieves a staggering 292.7 FPS, the jump from Low to Medium (216.6 FPS) is substantial, and the upgrade from Medium to High (187.9 FPS) still keeps the frame rate well above competitive thresholds. The Ultra preset at 144 FPS is technically playable, but it leaves performance on the table and does not fully utilize the hardware's potential. The data implies that the CPU becomes a limiting factor at this resolution, so pushing settings to High offers the best visual quality without sacrificing the high frame rates that the i5-14400F can deliver.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific configuration of the Intel Core i5-14400F and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX ranks 213 out of 1637 tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the top 13% of all tested systems, a strong showing that reflects the high-end nature of the GPU and the capable mid-range CPU. The rank is primarily driven by the GPU's exceptional performance, as the RX 7900 XTX sits in the 85th percentile of all GPUs, while the i5-14400F is in the 88th percentile of all CPUs. The combination of two above-average components results in a system that is well-suited for this fast-paced FPS title.

The ranking also indicates that there is room for improvement. Systems with more powerful CPUs, such as those with higher core counts or newer architectures, might achieve better frame rates at 1080p, where the i5-14400F shows signs of bottlenecking. However, the data suggests that this pairing is more than adequate for 1440p and 4K gaming, where the GPU is the primary driver of performance. The rank of 213 out of 1637 confirms the hardware's ability to deliver high frame rates, but it also reveals that the CPU is the weaker link in the chain, particularly at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at the system's capabilities across three resolutions and four settings presets. Beginning with 4K, the Ultra preset averages 64.6 FPS, which is the lowest score in the entire dataset. The High preset improves this to 89.4 FPS, while Medium reaches 101.6 FPS. The Low preset delivers the best 4K result at 145.3 FPS, showcasing the GPU's raw power when graphical demands are reduced.

At 1440p, the performance scales upward across the board. The Low preset produces 219 FPS, a massive increase over the 4K Low score. Medium follows at 156.2 FPS, High at 137.9 FPS, and Ultra at 104.5 FPS. The 1440p Low score of 219 FPS is particularly noteworthy, as it exceeds the 1080p Ultra score of 144 FPS, indicating that the CPU is not yet a major constraint at this resolution. At 1080p, the Low preset achieves 292.7 FPS, the highest score in the dataset. Medium delivers 216.6 FPS, High reaches 187.9 FPS, and Ultra settles at 144 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a steady decline, but even the lowest score at this resolution is highly playable.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX plays the dominant role in this pairing, and its specifications directly explain the benchmark results. The GPU features 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, providing a massive 960.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. This is crucial for Lockdown Protocol, which appears to be memory-sensitive at higher resolutions, as evidenced by the substantial FPS drops when moving from Low to Ultra at 4K. The GPU's base clock is 1929 MHz, with a boost clock of 2498 MHz and a game clock of 2365 MHz, allowing it to maintain high performance under sustained load. The 6144 shading units and 192 ROPs contribute to the card's ability to handle the game's rendering demands, while the 96 ray accelerators suggest it can also handle any ray-traced effects, though the data does not isolate this.

The GPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks, such as its 31,238 score in Passmark G3D and its position in the 85th percentile of all GPUs, confirms its high-end status. The measured FPS data aligns with this, showing that the card can push well over 200 FPS at 1080p on Low settings and maintain playable frame rates at 4K on Ultra. The GPU's 61.39 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power reflects its raw capability, and the 2x 8-pin power connectors and 750 W suggested PSU indicate that it is a power-hungry component, though the exact power draw is not part of the measured data. The GPU's role as the primary performance driver is clear, particularly at 4K, where the CPU has ample headroom to keep up.