Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT shows a clear and predictable scaling pattern in Lockdown Protocol, where the GPU becomes the dominant constraint as resolution climbs. At 1080p Low, the combo delivers 189.1 FPS, but dropping to 1440p Low reduces that to 139.3 FPS, a 26% decline. Moving to 4K Low yields 87.8 FPS, which is another 37% drop from 1440p. This steepening curve indicates that while the CPU can feed the GPU at lower resolutions, the RX 6700 XT's rendering throughput is what caps performance at higher pixel counts.

The trend is consistent across all settings. At High settings, the frame rate falls from 119.6 FPS at 1080p to 86 FPS at 1440p (a 28% reduction), and then to 55.5 FPS at 4K (a 35% reduction from 1440p). The Ultra preset shows the same pattern: 91.9 FPS at 1080p, 67.5 FPS at 1440p, and 40.7 FPS at 4K. These percentages illustrate that the scaling penalty between 1440p and 4K is consistently larger than the penalty between 1080p and 1440p, which is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. The data suggests that 1080p is where this combination is most balanced, with the CPU still having headroom, while 4K firmly places the bottleneck on the graphics card.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT is the primary performance limiter in Lockdown Protocol, particularly at 4K and at higher quality presets. The card's 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for the textures at these settings, but the compute throughput is what determines the frame rates. With a boost clock of 2581 MHz and a game clock of 2424 MHz, the card's raw shading power—2560 shading units and 64 ROPs—translates directly into the measured FPS deltas.

The benchmark data shows that shifting from Low to Ultra at 4K cuts performance from 87.8 FPS to 40.7 FPS, a 54% reduction. At 1080p, the same settings change moves from 189.1 FPS to 91.9 FPS, a 51% drop. This relatively consistent penalty across resolutions indicates that the GPU's fillrate and shading resources are being taxed proportionally by the quality presets. The card's 13.21 TFLOPS FP32 performance is the ceiling here; the i5-14600KF is not the limiting factor in these scenarios. Given that the GPU's benchmark percentile places it at 77 versus all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 33721 puts it within 0.7% of the AMD Radeon RX 6800, it is a mid-range part that will struggle to maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra, which the data confirms with a 40.7 FPS result.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF provides ample processing headroom for Lockdown Protocol, as evidenced by the FPS gains when resolution drops. With 14 cores and 20 threads, and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, this CPU is not the bottleneck in any of the measured rows. The multicore performance is strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 32889 and a Geekbench multicore score of 15636, placing it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs. Its single-thread performance, crucial for game logic and draw calls, is also high, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4643.

The evidence for CPU headroom is in the scaling data. At 1080p Low, the system produces 189.1 FPS, which is a high enough frame rate that most game logic threads would be saturated. Yet, when the GPU load is reduced by lowering resolution to 1080p from 1440p, the FPS jumps significantly across all presets—from 86 to 119.6 FPS at High, and from 102.6 to 136.8 FPS at Medium. This responsiveness to resolution changes confirms that the CPU can push far more frames than the GPU can render. The i5-14600KF's nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-14600K, is only 0.4% faster in average benchmark score, meaning this chip is effectively at the same performance level. The CPU's TDP of 125 W and socket LGA 1700 are standard, but the benchmark numbers show it is a high-end part that will not limit this GPU at 1080p or 1440p in this title.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Lockdown Protocol, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT ranks 922nd out of 1637 combos. This places it slightly below the median of all tested systems, which is a direct result of the GPU's mid-range standing. The CPU is a top-tier performer, but the GPU's percentile of 77 against all GPUs holds the combo back. In terms of pure component balance, the data suggests the CPU is overqualified for the GPU's capabilities in this game.

The ranking reflects the fact that while the i5-14600KF can easily feed the RX 6700 XT, the graphics card's absolute performance ceiling is what determines the final FPS. For context, the GPU's nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6800, scores an average benchmark of 33493, which is 0.7% higher than the 6700 XT's 33721, indicating the card is closely matched with that higher-tier part. However, the combo rank of 922/1637 shows that many other systems with stronger GPUs will outperform this setup in Lockdown Protocol, especially at 4K. The verdict is clear: this is a solid 1080p and capable 1440p machine, but it is not built for 4K Ultra gaming, and its rank reflects that reality.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves at 1080p?

A: The highest average FPS at 1080p is 189.1, achieved with the Low settings preset.

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: No. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 40.7, which is below the 60 FPS target.

Q: How much faster is the combo at 1080p compared to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the system runs at 119.6 FPS at 1080p versus 55.5 FPS at 4K, meaning it is more than twice as fast at 1080p.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck at 1440p Medium?

A: The GPU is the bottleneck. The CPU's performance is sufficient, as evidenced by the large FPS increase when moving from 1440p to 1080p, while the GPU's load scales with resolution.

Q: What is the combo's ranking among all tested systems in this game?

A: The combo ranks 922nd out of 1637 tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol.

Q: Does lowering the settings from Ultra to Low provide a larger FPS boost at 4K or 1080p?

A: The absolute FPS boost is larger at 1080p, going from 91.9 to 189.1 (a gain of 97.2 FPS). At 4K, the gain from Ultra to Low is 47.1 FPS, from 40.7 to 87.8.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured performance data for the Intel Core i5-14600KF and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT in Lockdown Protocol is as follows:

1920x1080

• Low: 189.1 FPS average
• Medium: 136.8 FPS average
• High: 119.6 FPS average
• Ultra: 91.9 FPS average

2560x1440

• Low: 139.3 FPS average
• Medium: 102.6 FPS average
• High: 86.0 FPS average
• Ultra: 67.5 FPS average

3840x2160

• Low: 87.8 FPS average
• Medium: 66.5 FPS average
• High: 55.5 FPS average
• Ultra: 40.7 FPS average

The data shows a consistent hierarchy: at each resolution, the Low preset provides the highest frame rate, and the Ultra preset provides the lowest. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows as resolution increases, from a 97.2 FPS difference at 1080p to a 47.1 FPS difference at 4K, indicating that the GPU is more heavily saturated at higher resolutions, reducing the relative impact of the quality preset.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience based on the measured data, the Medium preset at 1440p offers the most balanced performance. At 102.6 FPS, it provides a smooth and responsive experience that is well above the 60 FPS threshold, while still delivering a significant visual upgrade over Low settings. The High preset at 1440p, at 86 FPS, is also viable for gamers with 144Hz displays who prefer higher fidelity.

For users on 1080p monitors, the High preset at 119.6 FPS is the recommended choice, as it strikes an excellent balance between visual quality and frame rate, comfortably exceeding 100 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1080p, at 91.9 FPS, is also playable, but the marginal visual gains over High do not justify the 23% performance loss. At 4K, the data suggests that the Low preset (87.8 FPS) is the only playable option for competitive play, while Medium (66.5 FPS) is acceptable for slower-paced modes. The High preset at 4K, at 55.5 FPS, is borderline, and Ultra should be avoided entirely, as the 40.7 FPS average is below the playable threshold for an FPS title. Overall, the sweet spot for this combination is 1440p Medium or 1080p High, where the hardware is fully utilized without significant compromises.