Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol, a 2024 FPS title, shows a clear performance scaling pattern when paired with the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. The measured data indicates that this combination is heavily GPU-bound at higher settings, while the CPU’s 10-core, 16-thread configuration provides ample headroom for high refresh rate gameplay at lower presets. The benchmark results, drawn from a large pool of 1,637 tested combinations, place this specific pairing at rank 35, which is a top-tier outcome.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Lockdown Protocol?

A: At 1920x1080, the combo achieves its highest frame rates, with an average of 291.9 FPS on Low settings and 173.9 FPS on Ultra. This makes 1080p the optimal resolution for maximizing refresh rate potential, as even the most demanding preset stays well above 144 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4090's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 66,473. Its closest competitor, the NVIDIA Tesla T4, scores 66,733, which is a 0.4% difference. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 is 0.9% higher, while the NVIDIA Quadro P6000 is 1.3% higher, showing the 4090 is statistically tied with these professional-grade cards.

Q: What is the FPS cost of moving from High to Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers 165.4 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 125.2 FPS. This represents a 40.2 FPS reduction for the visual fidelity gain, equating to a roughly 24% performance loss when enabling the highest quality options.

Q: Does the i5-14400F bottleneck the RTX 4090 in this game?

A: The data does not suggest a significant bottleneck. The CPU scores 21,914 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3,093 in single-core, placing it in the 88th percentile of all CPUs. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo reaches 291.9 FPS, indicating the processor can feed the GPU effectively for high framerates.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 35th out of 1,637 total combinations tested for Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the top 2.1% of all systems, reflecting a very strong overall performance tier.

Q: How does the i5-14400F's multi-threaded performance compare to its rivals?

A: The CPU’s average benchmark score is 32,508. The Intel Core i7-12800H scores 32,513, showing a 0% delta. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 is 0.2% higher, while the AMD Ryzen 7 250 and Intel Core i7-13705H are both 0.2% lower, indicating near-identical performance among these processors.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data suggests that the "High" preset offers the most balanced experience across all resolutions. At 3840x2160, High yields 107.8 FPS, which is solid for 4K gaming, while the jump to Ultra drops the framerate to 81.9 FPS, a 25.9 FPS penalty that may not justify the visual upgrade. At 2560x1440, High provides 165.4 FPS, comfortably exceeding 144 Hz refresh rates, whereas Ultra still holds at 125.2 FPS, which is acceptable but less fluid. The story is similar at 1920x1080, where High achieves 230.2 FPS versus Ultra's 173.9 FPS.

For users with high refresh rate monitors (144Hz or above), the High preset is the recommended starting point. It offers a substantial performance headroom over Medium at 1080p (230.2 vs 256.5 FPS) while retaining most of the visual quality. The Low preset is only advisable for competitive play at maximum framerates, as it pushes the combo to 291.9 FPS at 1080p and 263.3 FPS at 1440p, but the graphical sacrifices are significant. The Ultra preset should be reserved for scenarios where visual fidelity is the absolute priority, such as single-player immersion or screenshot purposes, as it still delivers playable framerates at all resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. Its architecture, Raptor Lake-R, is built on a 10 nm process and includes 20 MB of shared L3 cache. The multi-threaded performance is strong, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21,914 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 11,209. The single-thread score of 3,093 in Cinebench R23 and 2,333 in Geekbench indicates that per-core performance is also robust, which is crucial for game logic and physics.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions and settings. The framerate difference between 1080p Low (291.9 FPS) and 2160p Low (176.3 FPS) highlights that the CPU is capable of driving very high framerates, but the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The 88th percentile ranking among all CPUs suggests that this processor is well above average for gaming workloads. The data does not show a scenario where the CPU holds back the RTX 4090, as the framerates scale consistently with resolution changes, indicating the GPU is the primary bottleneck in most configurations.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 35 out of 1,637 combinations places this system in the upper echelon of tested hardware pairings for Lockdown Protocol. This ranking is likely driven by the exceptional GPU performance, as the RTX 4090 sits in the 91st percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 66,473. The CPU’s 88th percentile ranking also contributes positively, but the GPU is the dominant factor in determining the overall system performance in this title.

To contextualize this rank, consider that the top 35 combos represent the most powerful configurations available. The RTX 4090's nearest rivals, such as the Tesla T4 and Quadro P6000, are professional workstation cards that are not typically used in gaming PCs, reinforcing the 4090's position as a top-tier consumer gaming GPU. The i5-14400F, while not a flagship, provides sufficient performance to complement the 4090 without creating a noticeable imbalance. This rank of 35 suggests that users would need to pair the 4090 with a more powerful CPU, such as a higher-core-count or higher-clocked model, to see significant improvements in this specific game.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is a behemoth of a graphics card, featuring 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s. Its 16,384 shading units and 512 tensor cores are paired with a boost clock of 2520 MHz, enabling a raw FP32 performance of 82.58 TFLOPS. The card’s 128 RT cores and 176 ROPs ensure strong ray tracing and rasterization capabilities, respectively. With a TDP of 450 W and a triple-slot design, it is a power-hungry but immensely powerful component.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU's influence is most evident in the scaling between settings and resolutions. At 3840x2160, the framerate drops from 176.3 FPS on Low to 81.9 FPS on Ultra, a 94.4 FPS difference that underscores the GPU's workload at 4K. The 24 GB VRAM is unlikely to be a limiting factor in this game, as even the most demanding settings at 4K would struggle to exceed 16 GB, leaving ample headroom. The GPU’s 91st percentile ranking and its benchmark scores (e.g., 38,194 in Passmark G3D) confirm that it is one of the fastest cards available, which is reflected in the consistently high framerates across all tested configurations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest framerates. The Low preset averages 291.9 FPS, while Medium drops to 256.5 FPS, High to 230.2 FPS, and Ultra to 173.9 FPS. The step between Low and Medium is 35.4 FPS, while the drop from High to Ultra is 56.3 FPS, showing that the Ultra preset has a disproportionately high cost.

At 2560x1440, the framerates remain high but show a steeper decline. Low averages 263.3 FPS, Medium 195.6 FPS, High 165.4 FPS, and Ultra 125.2 FPS. The delta between Low and Medium is 67.7 FPS, indicating that the higher resolution amplifies the settings impact. The gap between High and Ultra is 40.2 FPS, which is a significant trade-off for the visual improvements.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. Low averages 176.3 FPS, Medium 124.2 FPS, High 107.8 FPS, and Ultra 81.9 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 94.4 FPS, the largest across all resolutions. Even at Low settings, the framerate drops below 200 FPS, which is a notable reduction compared to lower resolutions. The data shows that 4K gaming is feasible with this combo, but users should expect to use Medium or High presets to maintain a smooth 100+ FPS experience.