Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with Intel Core i5-14600KF + AMD Radeon RX 7700

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 delivers a broadly capable Lockdown Protocol experience, with measured frame rates ranging from 44 FPS at 4K Ultra to 200 FPS at 1080p Low. The combination ranks 1275th out of 2828 tested combos in this game, placing it in the middle of the field — a position that reflects balanced but not exceptional performance. The CPU sits in the 90th percentile against all processors, while the GPU lands in the 58th percentile against all graphics cards, indicating that the processor has more headroom than the graphics subsystem in this pairing. Across the twelve measured configurations, the data shows consistent scaling patterns that reveal where this combo excels and where it struggles.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, pointing to the GPU as the primary limiter at higher resolutions. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 200 at 1080p to 147 at 1440p, then to 95 at 4K — a 52.5% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The Medium preset shows a similar trajectory: 142 FPS at 1080p, 104 at 1440p, and 67 at 4K, representing a 52.8% total decline. High settings follow the pattern with 124 FPS at 1080p, 91 at 1440p, and 59 at 4K, a 52.4% drop. Ultra settings produce the most dramatic scaling: 93 FPS at 1080p, 68 at 1440p, and 44 at 4K, a 52.7% reduction.

The consistency of these percentage drops — all hovering around 52-53% — indicates that resolution scaling is governed almost entirely by GPU workload. The 16 GB of VRAM and 624.1 GB/s memory bandwidth on the RX 7700 are sufficient to avoid memory bottlenecks even at 4K, as evidenced by the fact that the frame rate declines remain proportional to pixel count rather than collapsing due to capacity limits. The GPU's 25.18 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 236.1 GPixel/s pixel rate are the constraining factors at higher resolutions.

At 1080p, the picture changes subtly. The gap between Low (200 FPS) and Medium (142 FPS) is 58 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High (124 FPS) is 18 FPS, and High to Ultra (93 FPS) is 31 FPS. This nonlinear scaling suggests that at 1080p Low, the CPU begins to exert some influence — although the Core i5-14600KF with its 14 cores and 20 threads has ample headroom, the game's engine appears to cap performance around the 200 FPS mark regardless of further GPU headroom. The 5.30 GHz boost clock helps maintain high minimums, though the data shows only average FPS figures for most configurations, with min/max data available only for Medium settings.

The 4K Ultra result of 44 FPS is the weakest measured outcome, falling below the 60 FPS threshold that many players consider playable. Even at 4K High, the 59 FPS average is borderline. The data suggests that this combo is best suited to 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it delivers smooth performance across all settings, while 4K requires dropping to Low (95 FPS) or Medium (67 FPS) for acceptable frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data supports different optimal presets depending on the target resolution. At 1080p, the High preset delivers 124 FPS average, which is well above the threshold for competitive play in an FPS title. The jump from High to Ultra costs 31 FPS (from 124 to 93) — a 25% performance penalty — while the visual gains in a fast-paced shooter are typically marginal. For players prioritizing frame rate, Medium at 142 FPS offers a 14.5% improvement over High with likely minor visual trade-offs. Low at 200 FPS is the ceiling, but the visual compromise is substantial.

At 1440p, the Medium preset stands out as the sweet spot. It delivers 104 FPS average with a minimum of 88 FPS and maximum of 120 FPS, providing consistent performance that stays above 60 FPS even in demanding scenes. High at 91 FPS is also viable, but the 13 FPS difference between Medium and High may not justify the additional visual load. Ultra at 68 FPS dips below the ideal range for competitive play, while Low at 147 FPS is excessively conservative for the visual quality loss.

At 4K, the recommendations shift dramatically. Ultra at 44 FPS is not playable for most users, and High at 59 FPS is borderline. Medium at 67 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS provides the best balance — it stays mostly above 60 FPS and offers superior visual quality to Low. The Low preset at 95 FPS is the only configuration that provides comfortable headroom at 4K, but it sacrifices significant visual fidelity. For players who insist on 4K, Medium is the recommended compromise; for those who prioritize smoothness, dropping to 1440p High (91 FPS) or 1440p Medium (104 FPS) yields a better experience than any 4K setting except Low.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset shows the most consistent behavior, with min/max data available for every resolution: 121-163 FPS at 1080p, 88-120 FPS at 1440p, and 57-77 FPS at 4K. This consistency suggests that Medium is the most stable configuration for this combo, with the smallest variance between minimum and maximum frame times.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Lockdown Protocol at 60 FPS in 4K?

A: Yes, but only at Medium settings, which averages 67 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS. At High settings the average drops to 59 FPS, and at Ultra it falls to 44 FPS. Low settings at 4K produce 95 FPS, but require substantial visual compromises.

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU-GPU pairing?

A: The data shows 1440p as the optimal resolution. At Medium settings, it delivers 104 FPS average with an 88 FPS minimum, while High settings reach 91 FPS. This provides smooth performance without the CPU bottleneck seen at 1080p Low (200 FPS) or the GPU strain seen at 4K.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at 1080p?

A: Ultra averages 93 FPS versus High's 124 FPS — a 31 FPS or 25% reduction. The performance cost is significant for what is typically a marginal visual improvement in a fast-paced FPS. High is the better choice for maintaining high frame rates.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: At 1080p Low, the 200 FPS ceiling suggests CPU limitation, as the GPU has headroom to render more frames. At 1440p and 4K, the consistent 52% frame rate drop from resolution scaling indicates the GPU becomes the dominant constraint. The CPU's 90th percentile ranking versus the GPU's 58th percentile confirms this division.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p Ultra?

A: The measured average is 68 FPS. This is playable but below the 90+ FPS range that competitive FPS players typically prefer. Medium (104 FPS) or High (91 FPS) at 1440p provide better performance for competitive play.

Q: Does the 16 GB VRAM matter for this game?

A: The 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on the RX 7700, paired with a 256-bit bus and 624.1 GB/s bandwidth, prevents memory capacity from being a bottleneck even at 4K Ultra. The frame rate declines from resolution scaling are proportional to pixel count, not memory pressure, indicating adequate VRAM headroom.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates across all presets. Low settings average 200 FPS, representing the absolute ceiling for this configuration. Medium settings average 142 FPS with a minimum of 121 FPS and maximum of 163 FPS, providing a wide margin above refresh rate standards. High settings average 124 FPS, maintaining excellent smoothness. Ultra settings average 93 FPS, which remains competitive but shows a notable drop from High.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but begins to show GPU strain. Low settings average 147 FPS, still exceptionally high. Medium settings average 104 FPS with a minimum of 88 FPS and maximum of 120 FPS, offering consistent performance that rarely dips below 90 FPS. High settings average 91 FPS, which is adequate for most displays. Ultra settings average 68 FPS, dipping below the 90 FPS threshold that competitive players often target.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. Low settings average 95 FPS, which is surprisingly playable given the 4K resolution. Medium settings average 67 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS and maximum of 77 FPS, providing playable but not ideal performance. High settings average 59 FPS, hovering right at the edge of the 60 FPS standard. Ultra settings average 44 FPS, which falls below acceptable playability for most users.

The Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data across all three resolutions, allowing for a variance analysis: at 1080p the range is 42 FPS (121 to 163), at 1440p it is 32 FPS (88 to 120), and at 4K it is 20 FPS (57 to 77). The narrowing range at higher resolutions indicates that GPU-bound scenarios produce more consistent frame times, while CPU involvement at lower resolutions introduces greater variance.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 1275th out of 2828 tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the 55th percentile of all tested systems. This middle-of-the-pack positioning is consistent with the individual component rankings: the Core i5-14600KF sits in the 90th percentile against all CPUs, while the RX 7700 sits in the 58th percentile against all GPUs. The combo's overall rank is dragged down by the GPU's relatively modest standing, despite the CPU's strong performance.

The CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, which scores 0.3% higher in average benchmark score, and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G at 0.4% higher. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is 0.8% ahead, while the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 trails by 0.8%. These tiny deltas — all within 1% — indicate that the Core i5-14600KF is competitively positioned in its segment, with no single rival holding a decisive advantage.

The GPU's nearest rivals show more variation. The AMD Radeon R9 370X scores 0.1% lower, making it essentially equivalent. The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is 1% higher, the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 is 1.1% lower, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is 1.7% higher. The RX 7700's benchmark position is tightly clustered with these cards, suggesting that in Lockdown Protocol, the GPU's performance class is well-established and the 1275th combo rank reflects this mid-tier positioning.

Within the context of the 2828 tested combos, the 1275th rank means this system outperforms roughly 55% of tested configurations while trailing 45%. For a 14-core, 20-thread CPU paired with a 16 GB GPU, this is a reasonable outcome. The rank does not indicate any fundamental incompatibility or severe bottleneck — rather, it reflects a balanced mid-range system that delivers solid but not top-tier performance in this game.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF brings substantial processing power to this pairing, with 14 cores and 20 threads running at base clocks of 3.50 GHz and boost clocks up to 5.30 GHz. The 24 MB of shared L3 cache, supplemented by 2 MB L2 per core and 80 KB L1 per core, provides ample on-die storage for game data. The CPU's synthetic benchmark scores are robust: Cinebench R23 multicore reaches 32,544, single-core 4,594; Geekbench multicore hits 17,085, single-core 2,445; and Passmark multithread scores 38,697 with single-thread at 4,273.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p Low, where the 200 FPS average suggests a performance ceiling imposed by the processor or game engine rather than the GPU. The 14-core configuration with 20 threads is more than sufficient for a modern FPS, and the 5.30 GHz boost clock ensures strong single-thread performance for game logic and physics. The CPU's 90th percentile ranking against all processors confirms its capability.

The data indicates that the CPU is rarely the limiting factor in this combo except at the lowest resolution and settings. At 1080p Medium, the 142 FPS result still leaves headroom, and only at 1080p Low does the system appear to hit a processor-imposed wall. The CPU's Passmark physics score of 2,449 and data compression score of 485,140 suggest strong computational throughput, while the integer math score of 125,982 and floating point score of 93,048 indicate balanced arithmetic capabilities.

The CPU's memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5, with dual-channel architecture, provides flexibility for system builders. The 10 nm process node and 257 mm² die size from Intel's Raptor Lake architecture represent a mature design. The 125 W TDP is modest for a 14-core processor, and the unlocked multiplier allows for overclocking headroom, though the stock performance already delivers strong results in this game. The CPU's launch MSRP is $294, and its nearest rivals all score within 1% in average benchmarks, indicating that this processor is well-positioned in its performance class without any single competitor dominating it.