Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with Intel Core i5-14600KF + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 delivers a high-refresh-rate Lockdown Protocol experience across all tested resolutions, with the combo ranking 65th out of 3,714 tested combinations. The CPU’s 14 cores and 20 threads, combined with the GPU’s 32 GB of GDDR7 memory, produce frame rates ranging from 335 FPS at 1080p Low to 83 FPS at 4K Ultra. This configuration sits in the 90th percentile for CPU performance and 92nd percentile for GPU performance among all tested parts, indicating a balanced pairing where neither component bottlenecks the other in most scenarios.

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

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake-R architecture, built on Intel’s 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The CPU’s cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, the processor scores 32,544 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 4,594 in single-core, with a Geekbench multi-core score of 17,085 and single-core score of 2,445. Its average benchmark score of 49,394 places it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU’s role becomes most apparent at lower resolutions and settings where the GPU is less taxed. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 335 FPS, indicating that the CPU can feed the RTX 5090 efficiently in this FPS title. The processor’s multi-threaded capabilities, demonstrated by a PassMark multithread score of 38,697, help maintain consistent frame pacing during intense firefights with multiple enemies and physics interactions. The single-core performance, reflected in a PassMark single-thread score of 4,273, is critical for the game’s main game-thread logic, which typically cannot leverage all 20 threads.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the CPU’s average benchmark score is 0.3% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (49,228) and 0.4% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (49,196). It also outperforms the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 (48,995) by 0.8%, while trailing the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 (49,796) by 0.8%. These narrow margins suggest that in CPU-bound scenarios, the i5-14600KF performs on par with these alternatives, with differences unlikely to produce noticeable FPS variations in Lockdown Protocol.

The processor supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory over a dual-channel bus, which provides flexibility for system builders. Its PCIe Gen 5 interface with 16 lanes from the CPU ensures sufficient bandwidth for the RTX 5090’s PCIe 5.0 x16 connection. The 24 MB of shared L3 cache is particularly relevant for game data that is frequently accessed, reducing latency in scenarios where the same assets are loaded repeatedly. With a launch MSRP of $294, this CPU positions itself as a high-core-count option for gaming systems, though pricing considerations are secondary to its measured performance in this analysis.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with the GB202 chip, manufactured on TSMC’s 5 nm process with 92,200 million transistors. It features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. The GPU’s base clock is 2017 MHz with a boost clock of 2407 MHz, and memory operates at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). With 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 raster output pipelines, the card is designed for extreme throughput. It also includes 170 RT cores and 680 tensor cores for ray tracing and AI workloads.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 5090 scores 18,355 in 3DMark Steel Nomad (DX12), 334,370 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 376,728 in Geekbench Vulkan. Its PassMark G3D score is 39,650, with a GPU compute score of 26,756. The average benchmark score of 79,842 places the GPU in the 92nd percentile of all graphics cards. Compared to its nearest rivals, the RTX 5090’s average score is 0.3% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79,605) and 0.6% higher than the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (79,396). It also leads the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78,940) by 1.1%, while trailing the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X (80,959) by 1.4%.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU’s massive memory capacity and bandwidth become evident at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the combo produces 83 FPS, while at 4K High it reaches 111 FPS, showing that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at this resolution. The 32 GB VRAM ensures that texture-heavy scenes at Ultra settings do not encounter memory-related stutters, a critical factor for an FPS where consistent frame delivery is paramount. The GPU’s 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 compute performance provides ample headroom for the game’s rendering effects, including particle systems and dynamic lighting.

The RTX 5090’s power requirements are substantial, with a 575 W TDP and a suggested PSU of 950 W, using a single 16-pin connector. Its dual-slot design (304 mm length, 137 mm height, 40 mm width) fits most standard cases. The card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, ensuring compatibility with modern game APIs. The 1.79 TB/s memory bandwidth is particularly beneficial for high-resolution textures, allowing the GPU to stream assets quickly without creating CPU-side bottlenecks.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear scaling pattern across resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo delivers 335 FPS, which drops to 276 FPS at 1440p Low and 178 FPS at 4K Low. This represents a 17.6% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a 46.9% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings. For High settings, the progression is 234 FPS at 1080p, 171 FPS at 1440p, and 111 FPS at 4K, reflecting a 26.9% drop to 1440p and a 52.6% drop to 4K. Medium settings show 268 FPS at 1080p, 196 FPS at 1440p, and 127 FPS at 4K, with corresponding reductions of 26.9% and 52.6%.

Ultra settings exhibit the steepest scaling: 175 FPS at 1080p, 128 FPS at 1440p, and 83 FPS at 4K, representing a 26.9% reduction to 1440p and a 52.6% reduction to 4K. The consistency of these percentage drops across settings suggests that the GPU is the scaling bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the FPS reduction from 1080p to 4K would be less pronounced, as the CPU workload remains relatively constant while the GPU workload increases with pixel count.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the system is partially CPU-bound, particularly at Low settings where 335 FPS approaches the practical limit for game logic in many FPS titles. As resolution increases, the GPU becomes the dominant constraint, with 4K Ultra producing 83 FPS — still playable but significantly below the 1440p and 1080p results. The 4K Medium measurement includes a min FPS of 108 and max of 146, showing some frame-time variance, whereas the 1440p Medium (min 167, max 226) and 1080p Medium (min 227, max 308) exhibit proportionally tighter ranges.

The scaling pattern suggests that for competitive play at high refresh rates, 1080p or 1440p are the preferred resolutions, with the system capable of exceeding 170 FPS at High settings in both. For 4K gaming, the experience remains smooth at Low (178 FPS) and Medium (127 FPS), but Ultra settings (83 FPS) may require a display with adaptive sync to maintain perceived smoothness given the lower frame rate.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS achievable with this combo?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 335 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. At 2560x1440 Low, the average is 276 FPS, and at 3840x2160 Low, it is 178 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival 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 0.4% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (49,196). It trails the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 (49,796) by 0.8%.

Q: What is the GPU’s performance percentile among all tested graphics cards?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79,842. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, scores 79,605, a 0.3% difference.

Q: Does the combo maintain high FPS at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the combo achieves 178 FPS on Low, 127 FPS on Medium, 111 FPS on High, and 83 FPS on Ultra settings. The Medium setting shows a min FPS of 108 and max of 146.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested system configurations in this game?

A: The combo ranks 65th out of 3,714 tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the top 2% of all configurations.

Q: What is the FPS difference between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 234 at 1920x1080 to 171 at 2560x1440 and 111 at 3840x2160. This represents a 52.6% reduction from 1080p to 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 achieves a rank of 65 out of 3,714 tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol. This places the configuration in the top 1.8% of all tested system pairings, indicating exceptional performance for this game. The rank reflects the combined capabilities of both components, with the CPU’s 90th percentile performance and the GPU’s 92nd percentile performance working together to deliver high frame rates.

The rank is particularly impressive given that the CPU is not a flagship model — it is a Core i5 part competing against systems with higher-tier processors. The GPU’s 32 GB of VRAM and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth likely contribute significantly to the ranking, as Lockdown Protocol’s texture and memory demands are well-served by this configuration. The 65th position out of 3,714 suggests that only 64 other combinations deliver higher measured performance, which may include systems with more powerful CPUs or overclocked configurations.

The rank also indicates that this pairing is well-balanced for the game. If the CPU were significantly weaker, the rank would be lower due to CPU bottlenecks at lower resolutions. Conversely, if the GPU were underpowered, the rank would suffer at higher resolutions. The data shows consistent performance scaling across all settings, reinforcing that this combo extracts near-maximum performance from both components in Lockdown Protocol.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p displays with 240 Hz or higher refresh rates, Medium settings (268 FPS) provide the best balance of visual quality and frame rate, as the difference between Medium and High (234 FPS) is 34 FPS, while Low (335 FPS) sacrifices visual fidelity for an additional 67 FPS over Medium)Skip. For 1440p displays at 165 Hz or 180 Hz, High settings (171 FPS) are recommended, as they exceed the refresh rate while maintaining better visual quality than Medium (196 FPS) only by 25 FPS. At 4K with 120 Hz displays, Medium settings (127 FPS) deliver the smoothest experience, with High (111 FPS) still playable but closer to the refresh rate threshold.

For competitive play where maximum frame rate is prioritized, Low settings at 1080p (335 FPS) or 1440p (276 FPS) are the best choices, providing the lowest input latency and highest frame pacing. Ultra settings are only viable at 1080p (175 FPS) and 1440p (128 FPS) for users with high-refresh-rate displays, but at 4K (83 FPS), the visual gains do not justify the frame rate reduction. The Medium settings at each resolution represent the sweet spot for most users, offering a substantial visual improvement over Low while maintaining frame rates well above 120 FPS at all resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers the following average FPS: Low settings achieve 335 FPS, Medium settings achieve 268 FPS with a minimum of 227 and maximum of 308, High settings achieve 234 FPS, and Ultra settings achieve 175 FPS. The 1080p results show the largest spread between settings, with a 160 FPS difference between Low and Ultra, indicating that the CPU is capable of driving high frame rates when the GPU is not heavily loaded.

At 2560x1440, the measured average FPS values are: Low at 276 FPS, Medium at 196 FPS with a minimum of 167 and maximum of 226, High at 171 FPS, and Ultra at 128 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 148 FPS, slightly narrower than at 1080p, as the GPU begins to take on more workload. The Medium setting’s frame range (167-226) shows a 59 FPS variance, which is proportionally similar to the 1080p Medium variance.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS values are: Low at 178 FPS, Medium at 127 FPS with a minimum of 108 and maximum of 146, High at 111 FPS, and Ultra at 83 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 95 FPS, the smallest of the three resolutions, confirming that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K. The Medium setting’s frame range (108-146) represents a 38 FPS variance, which is tighter in absolute terms than lower resolutions but remains proportionally similar.

The data shows a consistent pattern: as resolution increases, the absolute FPS values decrease, and the relative difference between settings narrows. This is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, where the rendering workload scales with pixel count. The 4K Medium measurement is the only one with both min and max FPS recorded across all resolutions, providing a fuller picture of frame delivery at that setting.