Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol is a fast-paced FPS that rewards high frame rates, and this pairing of an Intel Core i5-14400F with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 delivers exactly that. The benchmark data shows a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, but still has enough CPU headroom to push very high frame rates at 1080p. This analysis breaks down where the bottlenecks lie and which settings offer the best experience.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and tells a clear story about system balance. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 237.5 at 1920x1080 to 174 at 2560x1440, and then down to 113 at 3840x2160. That is a 52.4% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K, which is a significant hit that points directly at the GPU as the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions.

The pattern is consistent across all settings presets. With Low settings, the drop is even more dramatic in absolute terms: 290.5 FPS at 1080p, 261.4 at 1440p, and 180 at 4K. The 4K result is only 62% of the 1080p number, showing that the RTX 5090 is working hard to fill those extra pixels. At Medium, the figures are 258.6, 199.8, and 126.4 respectively, while Ultra settings show 179.8, 133.9, and 85.3.

The interesting part is the scaling from 1440p to 4K. At High settings, that transition costs 61 FPS, while the 1080p to 1440p step costs 63.5 FPS. This near-linear scaling suggests the GPU is the bottleneck throughout, with no sudden cliff where the CPU starts to hold things back. The data indicates that resolution scaling in Lockdown Protocol is predictable and GPU-dominated, meaning players with high-refresh 1440p monitors will see a massive benefit over 4K, but even 4K remains very playable.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F brings 10 cores and 16 threads to the table, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. In synthetic benchmarks, this chip scores 21914 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3093 in single-core, placing it in the 88th percentile of all CPUs. Those results suggest a strong mid-range processor that can handle modern game engines without breaking a sweat.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role becomes apparent when looking at the 1080p Low setting result of 290.5 FPS. At that resolution with minimal graphical load, the engine is still able to push nearly 300 frames, which means the i5-14400F is not a limiting factor even in the most CPU-intensive scenario tested. The single-core performance, evidenced by the 3723 Passmark single-thread score, is sufficient to keep up with the game's physics and game logic at these extreme frame rates.

However, the CPU does show its limits when compared to the GPU's raw power. The gap between 1080p Low (290.5 FPS) and 1080p High (237.5 FPS) is only 53 FPS, while the gap between 4K Low (180 FPS) and 4K High (113 FPS) is 67 FPS. This indicates that at 1080p, the CPU is starting to become more relevant, as the GPU has more headroom than the processor can feed. The data suggests that the i5-14400F is well-matched for this game at 1440p and 4K, but at 1080p with lower settings, it is the component that prevents the frame rate from going even higher.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is a monster of a graphics card, with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock of 2407 MHz and 21760 shading units give it a Passmark G3D score of 39650, placing it in the 94th percentile of all GPUs. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 14411 confirms its top-tier status.

This GPU is clearly the star of the show in Lockdown Protocol. The benchmark results show it delivering playable frame rates even at 4K Ultra, where it manages 85.3 FPS. The 32 GB VRAM is more than enough for this title, and the data shows no signs of memory-related stuttering or frame drops, even at the highest settings. The GPU's performance scaling is remarkably consistent: from 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS drop across all settings is roughly 28%, and from 1440p to 4K, it's another 36% reduction.

The RTX 5090's compute power is what drives these numbers. With a FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS and a texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s, it has ample resources to handle the visual effects in Lockdown Protocol. The data indicates that this card is overkill for 1080p gaming in this title, as it reaches 290.5 FPS on Low settings, but it provides a smooth experience at 4K, which is rare for FPS games. The GPU's headroom means that players can prioritize visual quality without sacrificing competitive frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the i5-14400F and RTX 5090 ranks 26th out of 1637 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. That puts it in the top 1.6% of all systems tested, which is an exceptional result for a mid-range CPU paired with a flagship GPU.

The ranking suggests that the i5-14400F does not hold back the RTX 5090 significantly in this game. While a more powerful CPU might allow for slightly higher frame rates at 1080p, the overall experience is dominated by the GPU's capabilities. The combo rank of 26 out of 1637 indicates that the system is performing near the top of the charts, and the CPU's 88th percentile performance is not dragging down the GPU's 94th percentile standing.

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals, the i5-14400F is essentially tied with the Intel Core i7-12800H and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645, with delta percentages of 0% and 0.2% respectively. This shows that the CPU is performing exactly as expected for its class. The GPU's nearest rival, the RTX 5090 D, is only 0.1% faster, meaning the card is running at its expected performance level. This combination is well-balanced for Lockdown Protocol, with no single component drastically underperforming relative to its peers.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The full dataset provides a clear picture of performance across all resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are 290.5 on Low, 258.6 on Medium, 237.5 on High, and 179.8 on Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra is 110.7 FPS, which is a substantial difference that highlights how much graphical settings impact performance at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the numbers drop to 261.4 on Low, 199.8 on Medium, 174 on High, and 133.9 on Ultra. The spread between Low and Ultra narrows to 127.5 FPS, but the absolute values are still very high. At 1440p, even Ultra settings provide over 130 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh monitors.

At 3840x2160, the results are 180 on Low, 126.4 on Medium, 113 on High, and 85.3 on Ultra. This is the only resolution where Ultra settings dip below 90 FPS, but it's still very playable. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is a 94.7 FPS drop, showing that the GPU has to work significantly harder for those extra visual effects.

The data reveals a consistent pattern: each settings tier costs roughly 15-20% of the frame rate, regardless of resolution. This makes it easy to predict performance when adjusting settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the best experience for competitive play is the Low preset, which delivers 290.5 FPS at 1080p and 180 FPS at 4K. The low graphical load ensures maximum responsiveness and minimal input lag, which is critical for a fast-paced FPS. The frame rate advantage over High settings is substantial: 53 FPS at 1080p, 87.4 FPS at 1440p, and 67 FPS at 4K.

For players who prefer visual quality over raw frame rates, the High preset offers a good balance. It maintains 237.5 FPS at 1080p and 113 FPS at 4K, which is more than enough for smooth gameplay on most monitors. The Medium preset is a middle ground, providing 258.6 FPS at 1080p and 126.4 FPS at 4K, but the visual difference between Medium and High is often worth the slight frame rate cost.

The Ultra preset is only recommended for players with 4K displays who prioritize graphics over performance. At 85.3 FPS, it's still playable, but the 27.7 FPS drop from High to Ultra at 4K is significant. The data suggests that High settings provide the best overall experience, as the frame rate remains high enough for competitive play while the visual fidelity is noticeably better than Low or Medium. For esports-focused players, Low is the clear choice, but for most others, High strikes the right balance.