Lockdown Protocol

FAQ

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-14400F compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-14400F posts an average benchmark score of 32508, placing it at the 88th percentile of all CPUs. Its closest competitor is the Intel Core i7-12800H with an average score of 32513, a delta of 0%. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 trails by 0.2%, while the AMD Ryzen 7 250 and Intel Core i7-13705H are each 0.2% ahead.

Q: What is the GPU's standing relative to other graphics cards in its class?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 holds an average benchmark score of 16074, placing it at the 58th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 7600S, which scores 15996 (0.5% behind), while the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 scores 16351 (1.7% ahead).

Q: Which resolution and settings combination yields the highest average FPS?

A: The best measured result is at 1920x1080 with Low settings, producing an average of 146.4 FPS. The same resolution at Medium delivers 104.3 FPS, while High settings yield 88.4 FPS and Ultra drops to 68.6 FPS.

Q: Can this combination handle 4K gaming?

A: At 3840x2160, the RTX 2060 struggles. Low settings deliver 69.2 FPS, but Medium falls to 48 FPS, High to 44.8 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 31 FPS. Only the Low preset approaches a consistently playable experience at 4K.

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance compare to its multi-thread capability?

A: The i5-14400F scores 3093 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 21914 in multi-core, showing a very strong single-thread showing relative to its multi-thread result. In Geekbench, it scores 2333 single-core and 11209 multi-core, reinforcing that single-core efficiency is a highlight for this chip.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration, and does it matter for this game?

A: The RTX 2060 comes with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The 6 GB capacity is a limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings, as the FPS drops sharply when moving from Low to Ultra at 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on Raptor Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, with 20 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration provides ample headroom for gaming workloads, where single-core performance often dictates frame pacing.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is evident from the scaling patterns. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 146.4 FPS, a figure that suggests the processor is not the primary constraint at lower graphics loads. The i5-14400F's single-thread score of 3093 in Cinebench R23 and 2333 in Geekbench indicate strong per-core throughput, which helps maintain high frame rates when the GPU is not saturated.

The 10-core layout with 16 threads also handles background tasks and game logic without bottlenecking. However, the data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 31, far below any CPU-limited threshold. This indicates that while the CPU is capable, it is the GPU that becomes the limiting factor as resolution and settings increase. The CPU's percentile rank of 88 versus the GPU's 58 confirms this hierarchy.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is built on the Turing architecture with a TU106 chip, featuring 1920 shading units, 30 RT cores, and 240 tensor cores. It operates at a base clock of 1365 MHz and a boost clock of 1680 MHz, with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus providing 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is modest by modern standards, and the 6 GB capacity becomes a critical factor in Lockdown Protocol at high resolutions.

The GPU's benchmark results show a PassMark G3D score of 14111 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1242. These place it at the 58th percentile, with rivals like the AMD Radeon RX 7600S (15996) and AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (16351) in close proximity. The RTX 2060's FP32 performance of 6.451 TFLOPS and pixel rate of 80.64 GPixel/s are adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the 4K Ultra result of 31 FPS indicates the GPU is overwhelmed at that workload.

The VRAM limitation is particularly evident when comparing 1080p Low (146.4 FPS) to 4K Ultra (31 FPS). The 6 GB frame buffer fills quickly at higher settings, causing the performance cliff. The GPU's 12 nm process node and 160 W TDP also suggest thermal constraints that could affect sustained performance, though the measured data does not include frame time variance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 2060 delivers 146.4 FPS on Low, 104.3 FPS on Medium, 88.4 FPS on High, and 68.6 FPS on Ultra. These numbers show a clear progression: dropping from Low to Ultra reduces performance by 53.1%, but even Ultra remains playable at 1080p.

Moving to 2560x1440, the results are 104.1 FPS on Low, 77.3 FPS on Medium, 63.8 FPS on High, and 53.1 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 49% at this resolution, indicating the GPU is becoming the dominant bottleneck. High settings still maintain above 60 FPS, which is a solid target for competitive play.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes dramatically. Low settings produce 69.2 FPS, but Medium drops to 48 FPS, High to 44.8 FPS, and Ultra falls to 31 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 55.2%, but more importantly, only Low achieves a consistently smooth experience. The 4K results show the GPU's memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s is insufficient for Ultra settings, as the 6 GB VRAM becomes saturated.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals where the bottleneck lies. At Low settings, the FPS drops from 146.4 at 1080p to 104.1 at 1440p (a 28.9% reduction) and then to 69.2 at 4K (a further 33.5% reduction). This steady decline suggests the GPU is the limiting component, as the CPU has sufficient headroom to push higher frame rates if the GPU could keep up.

At Ultra settings, the drop is more severe: 68.6 FPS at 1080p, 53.1 at 1440p (22.6% reduction), and 31 at 4K (41.6% reduction). The accelerating loss at 4K points to VRAM capacity and memory bandwidth constraints, not just raw compute. The RTX 2060's 6 GB frame buffer is likely spilling over at 4K Ultra, causing the sharp performance collapse.

Comparing the Low and Ultra curves, the delta between them grows from 77.8 FPS at 1080p to 38.2 FPS at 4K. This indicates that at lower resolutions, the CPU can still feed the GPU adequately, but at 4K, the GPU's limitations dominate. For players targeting higher resolutions, the data suggests that reducing settings from Ultra to High or Medium provides more headroom than dropping resolution alone.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p gameplay, the data shows that High settings at 88.4 FPS offer the best balance of visual quality and performance, while Ultra at 68.6 FPS is still playable for those who prioritize image fidelity. Low at 146.4 FPS is excessive for most displays, though it could benefit high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 1440p, High settings at 63.8 FPS is the sweet spot, providing a smooth experience close to the 60 FPS target. Medium at 77.3 FPS is a solid alternative for extra headroom, while Ultra at 53.1 FPS may be acceptable for slower-paced play but risks noticeable stutter in fast action.

For 4K, the recommendation is clear: stick to Low settings at 69.2 FPS. Medium at 48 FPS and High at 44.8 FPS are below the threshold for fluid gameplay, and Ultra at 31 FPS is not viable. The 6 GB VRAM limitation makes 4K Ultra impossible for this GPU, so players should either accept Low at 4K or drop to 1440p for better visuals.

Overall, the i5-14400F + RTX 2060 combo is best suited for 1080p High or 1440p Medium/High. The CPU's 88th percentile ranking ensures it will not hold back the GPU in most scenarios, but the GPU's 58th percentile standing means users should temper expectations at higher resolutions. For competitive play, 1080p Low at 146.4 FPS gives maximum responsiveness, while 1440p High at 63.8 FPS provides a better visual experience without sacrificing playability.