Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with Intel Core i5-14600KF + AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT delivers a well-balanced 1080p and 1440p experience in Lockdown Protocol, with the data showing this combo ranks 874th out of 3,714 tested configurations. The CPU's 14 cores and 20 threads provide ample headroom for the game's logic, while the GPU's 16 GB of VRAM ensures texture-heavy scenes remain fluid. Measured results indicate the pairing sustains high frame rates across all tested presets, though the scaling patterns between resolutions reveal where each component assumes the primary workload.

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

The Intel Core i5-14600KF operates with 14 cores and 20 threads, split between performance and efficiency cores under the Raptor Lake architecture. Its base clock of 3.50 GHz can boost up to 5.30 GHz, which directly influences single-threaded responsiveness in Lockdown Protocol's frame pacing. The 24 MB of shared L3 cache, combined with 2 MB L2 per core, helps keep frequently accessed game data close to the execution units. Cinebench R23 results show a multi-core score of 32,544 and a single-core score of 4,594, indicating strong sustained throughput for a desktop processor.

In the context of Lockdown Protocol, an FPS title, the CPU's job involves handling game logic, physics, and AI tasks that often scale with core count. The 14-core configuration provides enough parallelism to avoid bottlenecks during intense firefights or large-scale map events. The boost clock of 5.30 GHz is particularly relevant for frame time consistency, as higher single-thread performance reduces the latency of critical game loop updates. PassMark single-thread results of 4,273 reinforce this, showing the processor excels at rapid sequential instructions.

The CPU sits at the 90th percentile among all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 49,394. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, scores 49,228, a mere 0.3% difference, placing the two effectively on par for synthetic workloads. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 trails by 0.8% with a score of 48,995, while the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 leads this group by 0.8% at 49,796. These margins are negligible in real-world gaming, meaning the i5-14600KF's performance class is well-established.

For Lockdown Protocol specifically, the measured FPS data suggests the CPU is not the limiting factor at any tested resolution. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 260 FPS average, which is far beyond what most displays can show. Even at 4K Ultra, where the GPU typically becomes the constraint, the CPU still feeds enough frames to achieve 57 FPS. The processor's ability to maintain high minimum frame rates in the 1440p Medium preset (115 FPS min) indicates it handles frame drops gracefully, likely due to the combination of high boost clocks and ample thread count.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with the Navi 48 chip, fabricated on a 4 nm process by TSMC. It carries 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s. The memory clock runs at 2518 MHz, effectively 20.1 Gbps, which provides substantial headroom for high-resolution textures and modern rendering techniques. The GPU's base clock of 1660 MHz boosts to 2970 MHz, with a game clock of 2400 MHz indicating sustained performance under load.

The shading units number 4,096, paired with 256 texture mapping units and 128 render output units. The 64 ray tracing cores support DirectX 12 Ultimate, enabling hardware-accelerated ray tracing if the game implements it. With a pixel rate of 380.2 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 760.3 GTexel/s, the card has the raw throughput to handle dense scenes. Floating-point performance stands at 48.66 TFLOPS for both FP32 and FP16, which benefits compute-heavy effects like ambient occlusion or dynamic lighting.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU's 16 GB VRAM capacity ensures that even the Ultra preset at 4K does not exceed memory limits, preventing texture streaming hitches. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra is 57 FPS average, which is still playable but shows the GPU working near its capacity. The RX 9070 XT's percentile ranking of 55 among all GPUs might seem modest, but this reflects a broad database of cards; its average benchmark score of 13,543 places it within 0.1% of the AMD Radeon HD 7770M (13,536) and 0.2% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 (13,515). These nearest rivals are older architectures, yet the score parity indicates the RX 9070 XT's synthetic benchmarks land in a crowded mid-range field.

However, for Lockdown Protocol, the real-world results tell a more favorable story. At 1440p High, the combo achieves 118 FPS, and at 1080p High it reaches 161 FPS, showing the GPU scales well with resolution reductions. The gap between Low and Ultra presets at each resolution demonstrates the GPU's ability to handle increased shading and post-processing loads without catastrophic frame drops. The 16 GB memory configuration is future-proofing, allowing the card to maintain performance as game assets become more detailed.

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

Analyzing the measured FPS across all resolutions and presets, the Medium setting emerges as the sweet spot for this combo. At 1080p Medium, the average FPS is 185, with a minimum of 157 and maximum of 212, providing a smooth experience with headroom for dips. The 1440p Medium preset yields 135 FPS average (minimum 115, maximum 156), which remains well above the 60 FPS threshold for competitive play. Even at 4K Medium, the average of 87 FPS (minimum 74, maximum 100) keeps the game fluid, making this the only preset that maintains playable frame rates at all three resolutions.

The High preset offers marginal visual improvements but comes at a measurable cost. At 1080p High, the average drops to 161 FPS, a 13% reduction from Medium, while 1440p High falls to 118 FPS (down 12.6%), and 4K High reaches only 76 FPS (down 12.6%). For players prioritizing frame rate consistency over subtle visual fidelity, Medium provides the better balance. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with 1080p Ultra at 121 FPS, 1440p Ultra at 89 FPS, and 4K Ultra at 57 FPS, which approaches the lower bound of playability at 4K.

For competitive players, the Low preset maximizes frame rates: 260 FPS at 1080p, 191 FPS at 1440p, and 123 FPS at 4K. This preset sacrifices visual detail but delivers the smoothest input response. The data suggests that Medium is the recommended default for most users, as it maintains high frame rates while retaining enough graphical quality to appreciate the game's environments. At 4K, Medium is the only preset that stays above 80 FPS average, making it the clear choice for 4K displays.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT ranks 874th out of 3,714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the top 23.5% of all configurations. This rank reflects the overall system capability, considering both CPU and GPU contributions. The 14-core processor and 16 GB graphics card form a pairing that excels in this game, with the CPU's high single-thread performance complementing the GPU's ample VRAM.

Given that the CPU ranks in the 90th percentile among all processors, the combo's mid-tier rank suggests the GPU is the more limiting factor in this specific title. The GPU's 55th percentile ranking among all GPUs indicates there are many faster cards, but the combination still achieves respectable frame rates. The nearest rival combos would likely involve similar-generation CPUs paired with slightly faster GPUs, pushing them higher up the rank list.

The rank of 874 also implies that a significant number of combos outperform this pairing, likely due to more powerful GPUs being paired with comparable CPUs. However, the measured FPS data shows this combo delivers playable performance even at 4K Ultra, which is not true for all systems ranked below it. The delta between the CPU's strong percentile (90) and the GPU's moderate percentile (55) highlights that upgrading the GPU would yield larger performance gains in Lockdown Protocol than upgrading the CPU.

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

Examining the FPS scaling across resolutions reveals the GPU as the primary constraint at higher settings. At High preset, the average FPS drops from 161 at 1080p to 118 at 1440p (a 26.7% reduction) and further to 76 at 4K (a 52.8% reduction from 1080p). This pattern indicates the GPU is increasingly stressed as pixel count rises, with the 4K resolution quadrupling the 1080p pixel count. The CPU's performance remains relatively constant, so the frame rate decline directly correlates with GPU workload.

At Medium preset, the scaling is similar: 185 FPS at 1080p drops to 135 at 1440p (27% lower) and 87 at 4K (53% lower). The consistency of these percentage drops across presets suggests the GPU is the dominant bottleneck, as the CPU can maintain its frame-feeding rate at all resolutions. The Low preset shows a steeper drop from 260 FPS at 1080p to 191 at 1440p (26.5% lower) and 123 at 4K (52.7% lower), confirming the trend.

The Ultra preset exhibits the largest absolute drop: 121 FPS at 1080p to 89 at 1440p (26.4% lower) and 57 at 4K (52.9% lower). This consistent ~26% drop from 1080p to 1440p and ~53% drop from 1080p to 4K across all presets strongly indicates the GPU is the limiting component. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the FPS to remain more constant across resolutions, especially at lower settings where GPU load is reduced. The data confirms that the RX 9070 XT is the performance ceiling for this combo, while the i5-14600KF provides sufficient headroom for future GPU upgrades.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Lockdown Protocol with this combo?

A: Based on the measured data, 1440p Medium offers the best balance, delivering 135 FPS average with a minimum of 115 FPS. This resolution provides better visual clarity than 1080p while maintaining frame rates well above the 60 FPS threshold. At 4K Medium, the average drops to 87 FPS, which is still playable but less headroom for demanding scenes.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600KF has an average benchmark score of 49,394, which is 0.3% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (49,228) and 0.8% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 (48,995). It trails the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 by 0.8%, which scores 49,796. These differences are minor and unlikely to affect in-game performance meaningfully.

Q: Does the GPU have enough VRAM for 4K gaming in Lockdown Protocol?

A: Yes, the 16 GB GDDR6 memory is sufficient. At 4K Ultra, the combo achieves 57 FPS average, and at 4K Medium it reaches 87 FPS. The 256-bit memory bus with 644.6 GB/s bandwidth provides ample throughput for high-resolution textures without memory-related stuttering.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the Low preset achieves 260 FPS average, while the Ultra preset delivers 121 FPS average. This represents a 139 FPS difference (a 53.5% reduction from Low to Ultra). The Medium preset sits in between at 185 FPS, showing the performance cost of higher graphical fidelity.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 874th out of 3,714 tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the top 23.5% of all systems. The CPU's 90th percentile ranking and the GPU's 55th percentile ranking indicate the GPU is the more limiting factor for this game.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 4K resolution?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K. The FPS drops from 1080p to 4K are consistent (approximately 53% reduction) across all presets, which is a classic sign of GPU limitation. The CPU's high single-thread performance (single-core score of 4,594 in Cinebench R23) ensures it can keep up with the GPU's demands at all resolutions.

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

1920x1080 (Full HD)

• Low: 260 FPS average
• Medium: 185 FPS average, 157 FPS minimum, 212 FPS maximum
• High: 161 FPS average
• Ultra: 121 FPS average

2560x1440 (Quad HD)

• Low: 191 FPS average
• Medium: 135 FPS average, 115 FPS minimum, 156 FPS maximum
• High: 118 FPS average
• Ultra: 89 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K Ultra HD)

• Low: 123 FPS average
• Medium: 87 FPS average, 74 FPS minimum, 100 FPS maximum
• High: 76 FPS average
• Ultra: 57 FPS average

The data shows a clear progression: each resolution step reduces FPS by roughly 27% from 1080p to 1440p and another 35-36% from 1440p to 4K. The Medium preset consistently provides the best balance of frame rate and visual quality, with the 1440p Medium configuration offering 135 FPS average and the 4K Medium configuration maintaining 87 FPS. Only the Low preset at 4K exceeds 120 FPS, while Ultra at 4K dips to 57 FPS, near the edge of playability. The minimum FPS figures for Medium presets (157 at 1080p, 115 at 1440p, 74 at 4K) indicate the combo handles frame drops well, keeping gameplay smooth even during intense scenes.