Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol is a fast-paced FPS that leans heavily on both CPU and GPU throughput, and the tested combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 delivers a strong, high-refresh-rate experience across most settings. The benchmark data shows a system that is capable of extreme frame rates at 1080p but begins to show its limits as resolution and graphical load scale up, making it a versatile pairing for competitive play and high-fidelity sessions alike.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor built on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. This configuration provides a solid blend of high single-thread performance for game logic and enough multi-threading headroom for background tasks and modern game engines. In synthetic tests, the chip scores 3,093 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 21,914 in multi-core, which places it in the 88th percentile among all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 32,508 puts it in a tight cluster with rivals like the Intel Core i7-12800H and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645, showing it trades blows within a 0.2% margin of those parts.

For Lockdown Protocol, the CPU’s role is most evident at lower resolutions and settings where the GPU is not the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system hits 280.7 FPS, which is a strong indicator that the i5-14400F’s boost clock and core count are sufficient to feed the RTX 5070 without holding it back. The processor’s 20 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support (DDR4/DDR5) help maintain consistent frame pacing, particularly in complex scenes where many entities are active. The data suggests that the CPU is not a limiting factor in this pairing for most practical scenarios, as even at 1440p Low the system achieves 205.8 FPS, indicating the processor can keep up with high-speed rendering demands. The 65 W TDP and locked multiplier mean it runs efficiently, but the boost behavior is what matters in-game, and the measured results confirm it handles the game’s threading model well.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is the dominant component in this configuration, featuring 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus with 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its Blackwell 2.0 architecture runs at a base clock of 2325 MHz and a boost of 2512 MHz, with 6144 shading units and 48 RT cores. In synthetic benchmarks, the GPU scores 29,137 in Passmark G3D and 5077 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 41,687 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090, which sits just 0.6% ahead, indicating the RTX 5070 offers comparable raw rasterization performance to that previous-generation flagship.

The GPU’s impact on Lockdown Protocol becomes clear when examining the frame rate scaling across settings. At 1080p, the RTX 5070 is rarely stressed, pushing 173.1 FPS on High and 128.7 FPS on Ultra. The 12 GB VRAM is ample for this title, as even at 4K Ultra the frame rate drops to 59.4 FPS, suggesting the memory capacity is not the constraint; rather, it is the compute load from the higher resolution and settings. The GPU’s 30.87 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 201.0 GPixel/s pixel rate are the key drivers here, and the data shows that the card scales predictably as resolution increases, with the most significant drop occurring when moving from 1440p to 4K at Ultra settings.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-14400F compare to its nearest rivals in overall CPU performance?

A: The i5-14400F has an average benchmark score of 32,508, which is essentially tied with the Intel Core i7-12800H (32,513, 0% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 (32,446, 0.2% delta). It sits slightly behind the AMD Ryzen 7 250 and Intel Core i7-13705H, both of which are 0.2% ahead.

Q: What is the GPU’s standing relative to other cards in the benchmark database?

A: The RTX 5070 ranks in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs. Its average score of 41,687 is 0.6% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 (41,441) and 0.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 (41,610), showing it performs at a level comparable to high-end previous-generation hardware.

Q: Can this system achieve 144 FPS at 1440p in Lockdown Protocol?

A: Yes, but only on lower settings. At 1440p Medium, the system hits 148.3 FPS, and on High it drops to 126.8 FPS. For a consistent 144 FPS experience, Medium settings are required at this resolution.

Q: What is the maximum frame rate recorded for this configuration?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 280.7 FPS at 1080p with Low settings. This indicates the CPU-GPU pairing is well-balanced for competitive play at reduced graphical fidelity.

Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 5070 have, and is it sufficient for 4K gaming?

A: The GPU has 12 GB of GDDR7 memory. At 4K Ultra, the system still delivers 59.4 FPS, so the VRAM capacity is not a limiting factor in this game, though performance is lower than at lower resolutions.

Q: What is the difference in performance between the RTX 5070 and the RTX 3090 according to benchmark data?

A: The RTX 5070 scores 41,687 on average, while the RTX 3090 scores 41,441. This means the RTX 5070 is effectively 0.6% faster than the RTX 3090 in aggregate benchmark results.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of how this system performs across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1080p, the system is clearly GPU-bound only at the highest settings, with frame rates ranging from a minimum of 128.7 FPS on Ultra to a maximum of 280.7 FPS on Low. The Medium preset delivers exactly 200 FPS, while High sits at 173.1 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the RTX 5070 has significant headroom, and the i5-14400F is able to keep up with the GPU’s output without creating a bottleneck.

Moving to 1440p, the frame rates remain high but begin to show the GPU working harder. Low settings produce 205.8 FPS, Medium drops to 148.3 FPS, and High falls to 126.8 FPS. Ultra is the only setting that dips below 100 FPS at this resolution, landing at 97.9 FPS. This suggests that 1440p is the sweet spot for high-refresh-rate monitors, as Medium and High both exceed 120 FPS, which is ideal for fast-paced FPS gameplay.

At 4K, the GPU is fully utilized, and the frame rates reflect the increased pixel count. Low settings yield 131.1 FPS, which is still very playable, but Medium drops to 95.1 FPS, High to 85.8 FPS, and Ultra falls to 59.4 FPS. The 4K results show a clear scaling pattern where the GPU’s compute resources are the primary constraint, and the CPU’s role diminishes as resolution increases.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The resolution scaling behavior reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 280.7 FPS at 1080p to 205.8 FPS at 1440p (a 26.7% decrease) and then to 131.1 FPS at 4K (a 53.3% decrease from 1440p). This pattern shows that the RTX 5070 is the limiting component even at Low settings, as the CPU is capable of pushing beyond these frame rates, evidenced by the 1080p result breaking the 280 FPS barrier.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is more dramatic. The system goes from 128.7 FPS at 1080p to 97.9 FPS at 1440p (a 23.9% drop) and then to 59.4 FPS at 4K (a 39.3% drop from 1440p). The percentage decrease from 1440p to 4K is slightly smaller than at Low settings, which indicates that the GPU is hitting a more consistent performance ceiling as the resolution increases. The data suggests that the i5-14400F is not the bottleneck at any resolution, as the frame rates are consistently high at 1080p where CPU load is typically greatest. The limiting component is clearly the RTX 5070, particularly at 4K where even Low settings cannot maintain the same high frame rates seen at lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

For competitive play, the data strongly favors 1080p with Low or Medium settings. Low delivers 280.7 FPS, which is far beyond the refresh rate of most monitors, while Medium offers 200 FPS, still providing a massive headroom above 144 Hz displays. The High preset at 1080p hits 173.1 FPS, which is also excellent, but the jump from Medium to High costs 26.9 FPS, which may not be worth the visual improvement for players prioritizing smoothness.

At 1440p, the best balance of visual quality and performance is the Medium preset, which delivers 148.3 FPS. This allows for a smooth experience on high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors while maintaining a higher level of graphical fidelity than Low. High at 126.8 FPS is also viable for 120 Hz displays, but Medium provides a safer margin above the 144 FPS threshold. Ultra at 1440p drops to 97.9 FPS, which is acceptable for 100 Hz monitors but not ideal for competitive play.

For 4K gaming, the options are more constrained. Low settings at 131.1 FPS is the only preset that exceeds 100 FPS, making it the recommended choice for players who prioritize frame rate at this resolution. Medium at 95.1 FPS is playable, but High at 85.8 FPS and Ultra at 59.4 FPS are better suited for slower-paced games or players who value graphics over responsiveness. The overall recommendation is to use Medium at 1440p for the best combination of visuals and performance, as it delivers 148.3 FPS while maintaining a high level of graphical detail.