Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread desktop processor based on the Raptor Lake Refresh architecture, built on Intel’s 10 nm process node. It operates with a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, and its 33 MB of shared L3 cache provides ample headroom for high-refresh gaming workloads. In this Lockdown Protocol configuration, the CPU sits in the 94th percentile of all processors, with an average benchmark score of 54097. That places it just 0.6% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X (average score 54450) and 1.1% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D (average score 54681), while edging out the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 by 1.2% and the AMD EPYC 7313P by 1.7%. For a fast-paced FPS like Lockdown Protocol, that level of single-thread performance—seen in its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5003 and Geekbench single-core score of 2711—ensures the CPU is rarely the bottleneck when pushing frame rates at lower resolutions.

The processor’s multi-core muscle is equally robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35443 and a Passmark multithread score of 41765. That compute headroom is more than enough to handle background tasks and game logic simultaneously, but the measured FPS data in Lockdown Protocol suggests that the GPU becomes the limiting factor well before the i7-14700F’s threads are saturated. The chip’s 65 W TDP and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory make it a flexible pairing with the Radeon RX 6600, though the data does not isolate CPU-only performance; the combined results reflect a balanced pairing where the 14700F’s high boost clock keeps frame pacing consistent even when the GPU is under heavy load.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is an RDNA 2.0 graphics card built on TSMC’s 7 nm process, featuring 1792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units. Its base clock is 1626 MHz, with a game clock of 2044 MHz and a boost clock of 2491 MHz, and it carries 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The card's 8.928 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 28 ray accelerators are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the measured FPS data in Lockdown Protocol shows that at 4K, the GPU’s memory bus width and VRAM capacity begin to strain. The RX 6600 ranks in the 69th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25235, placing it effectively neck-and-neck with the AMD Radeon 890M (deltaPct 0), the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (deltaPct -0.2), and the AMD Radeon RX 6700M (deltaPct 0.2). It trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti by just 0.5%, indicating that this is a mid-range card that trades blows with its immediate rivals.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU’s role is dominant at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the card achieves 147.6 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, that number collapses to 30.2 FPS—a drop of roughly 79% that points squarely at the RX 6600’s 128-bit memory interface and 8 GB VRAM buffer. The card’s pixel rate of 159.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 279.0 GTexel/s are respectable for 1080p, but at 4K, the fill rate requirements of Lockdown Protocol’s environments overwhelm the GPU. The data shows a clear pattern: the RX 6600 is a competent 1080p performer, a playable 1440p option, and a sub-60 FPS experience at 4K except on Low settings, where it manages 70.3 FPS.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance curve as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 88.7 FPS at 1080p to 69 FPS at 1440p and then to 43.3 FPS at 4K. That represents a 22% drop from 1080p to 1440p, but a further 37% drop from 1440p to 4K, indicating that the GPU’s rendering load grows disproportionately at higher pixel counts. The Low settings preset tells a similar story: 147.6 FPS at 1080p, 107.5 FPS at 1440p, and 70.3 FPS at 4K. The 1080p-to-4K drop on Low is 52%, while on High it is 51%, suggesting that the resolution scaling penalty is relatively consistent across presets—but the absolute numbers show that only Low settings at 4K remain above 60 FPS.

This scaling behavior points to the GPU as the limiting component. At 1080p, the i7-14700F’s high boost clock (5.40 GHz) and strong single-thread scores (Cinebench R23 single-core 5003) allow the RX 6600 to stretch its legs, producing frame rates above 147 FPS on Low. By 4K, the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth (224.0 GB/s) are saturated, and the frame rate drops to 30.2 FPS on Ultra. The delta between Low and Ultra at each resolution is also telling: at 1080p, the gap is 77.3 FPS (147.6 vs 70.3), while at 4K, the gap narrows to 40.1 FPS (70.3 vs 30.2). That narrowing suggests that at 4K, even the lowest settings cannot fully relieve the GPU bottleneck, whereas at 1080p, the CPU has enough headroom to let the GPU scale with settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Lockdown Protocol with this combo for a smooth 60+ FPS experience?

A: The data shows that 1080p Medium (107.1 FPS) and 1080p High (88.7 FPS) both exceed 60 FPS, as does 1440p Low (107.5 FPS). For a locked 60 FPS, 1440p Medium (74.2 FPS) is also viable, but 4K only reaches 60 FPS on Low settings (70.3 FPS).

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

A: The i7-14700F scores 54097 on average, which is 0.6% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X (54450), 1.1% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D (54681), and 1.2% higher than the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 (53469). It also beats the AMD EPYC 7313P (53206) by 1.7%.

Q: Is the GPU a bottleneck at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes. The RX 6600 produces only 30.2 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is 57% lower than its 1080p Ultra result of 70.3 FPS. The GPU’s 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus are the primary constraints at that resolution.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings yield 147.6 FPS, while Ultra settings yield 70.3 FPS—a difference of 77.3 FPS. The GPU’s fill rate and shading units are more heavily taxed at Ultra, but the CPU keeps the frame rate playable.

Q: How does the RX 6600’s average benchmark score compare to the RTX 3060 Ti?

A: The RX 6600 has an average score of 25235, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has a score of 25120, meaning the RX 6600 is ahead by 0.5%. The two cards are effectively tied in synthetic performance.

Q: Does the CPU hold back the GPU at 1080p Low settings?

A: No. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 147.6 FPS, which is the highest average FPS in the dataset. The i7-14700F’s single-core performance (Cinebench R23 single-core 5003) is sufficient to feed the RX 6600 at that frame rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Intel Core i7-14700F and AMD Radeon RX 6600 combination delivers its strongest results. With Low settings, the average frame rate is 147.6 FPS, which is the peak across all resolutions and presets. Medium settings produce 107.1 FPS, High settings produce 88.7 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 70.3 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p is a 52.4% reduction in performance, indicating that the GPU’s shading units and texture units are heavily utilized at higher presets, but the CPU’s 5.40 GHz boost clock keeps frame pacing smooth.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average frame rates drop across the board. Low settings still provide a very playable 107.5 FPS, while Medium settings yield 74.2 FPS and High settings yield 69 FPS. Ultra settings fall to 53.2 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS threshold. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 54.3 FPS, slightly larger in absolute terms than at 1080p, but the percentage drop (50.5%) is similar. This resolution is a sweet spot for the combo: the GPU’s 224.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for most presets, and the CPU’s 20 cores handle the game logic without issue.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor. Low settings produce 70.3 FPS, which is still playable, but Medium settings drop to 47.3 FPS, High settings to 43.3 FPS, and Ultra settings to 30.2 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra at 4K is 40.1 FPS, which is a 57% reduction. The RX 6600’s 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are insufficient for the texture and geometry loads at 4K Ultra, while the i7-14700F’s multi-core scores (Cinebench R23 multi-core 35443) suggest the CPU is not the bottleneck. For players targeting 4K, only Low settings remain above 60 FPS; anything higher will require a GPU with more memory bandwidth and shading power.