Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol, a 2024 FPS title, presents a demanding workload that scales significantly with resolution. When paired with the Intel Core i7-14700F and AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB, the benchmark data reveals a configuration where the graphics card is the primary constraint at higher resolutions, while the processor provides ample headroom at lower settings. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across resolutions and presets, contextualizes the GPU and CPU roles, and ranks this specific combination against the broader tested database.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable and steep decline as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the High settings preset, the average frame rate drops from 120 FPS at 1080p to 88 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 57 FPS at 4K. This represents a 26.7% performance hit when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 35.2% reduction when stepping up to 4K. The pattern is consistent across all presets, indicating that the rendering pipeline is heavily resolution-dependent.

The scaling behavior points directly to the GPU as the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB, with its 128-bit memory bus and 322.3 GB/s bandwidth, is being saturated as pixel count increases. At 1080p, the GPU has enough headroom to push frame rates well above 120 FPS on High settings, but the 4K Ultra preset (42 FPS) shows a dramatic 65% reduction from the 1080p Ultra result (90 FPS). This is characteristic of a graphics card that excels at lower resolutions but struggles to maintain playability at 4K with maximum detail.

Conversely, the CPU's role in resolution scaling is minimal. The Intel Core i7-14700F, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, maintains consistent performance regardless of resolution. The fact that the FPS drop is nearly uniform across all presets—from Low to Ultra—confirms that the GPU is the bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see a smaller delta between 1080p and 4K results, as lower resolutions place more relative stress on the processor. Instead, the data shows a clear GPU-bound scenario at 1440p and 4K, with the CPU comfortably keeping pace even at the lowest preset.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows provide clear guidance on which preset offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 120 FPS average, which is more than sufficient for a competitive FPS title. The Ultra preset at 90 FPS still provides a smooth experience, but the 25% reduction in frame rate compared to High is substantial given the marginal visual gains typically seen at that tier. For players prioritizing frame rate, Medium at 137 FPS is also a strong option, though High provides a better visual experience with only a 12.4% performance penalty.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is the clear sweet spot, delivering 88 FPS average. This is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and the visual upgrade over Medium (100 FPS) is significant. The Ultra preset at 66 FPS is playable but starts to dip into territory where fast-paced action might feel less responsive. Given the data, High at 1440p offers the best combination of image quality and frame rate for this GPU.

The 3840x2160 results are more constrained. The Medium preset, with an average of 65 FPS and a measured range of 55-75 FPS, is the only preset that consistently maintains playable frame rates. The High preset at 57 FPS is borderline, and the Ultra preset at 42 FPS falls below acceptable standards for an FPS. The Low preset at 91 FPS is viable for players who prioritize frame rate above all else, but the visual compromise is significant. For a balanced 4K experience, Medium is the recommended preset, as it provides the only configuration where the minimum FPS (55) stays above the 50 FPS threshold for acceptable smoothness.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB is the central component in this configuration's gaming performance. Based on the RDNA 4.0 architecture and the Navi 44 chip, this GPU features 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units. The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 322.3 GB/s, which is a critical specification for understanding the 4K performance limits observed.

The GPU's clock behavior is notable. The base clock is 1700 MHz, but the boost clock reaches 3130 MHz, with a game clock of 2530 MHz. This wide boost range allows the card to dynamically adjust its performance based on thermal and power headroom. The measured FPS data suggests that the card is boosting aggressively at lower resolutions, where it has thermal and power budget to spare, resulting in the high frame rates seen at 1080p.

However, the VRAM capacity and bandwidth become the bottleneck at higher resolutions. The 8 GB frame buffer is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p at most settings, but at 4K with Ultra settings, the memory bandwidth (322.3 GB/s) is insufficient to feed the 64 ROPs and 2048 shaders efficiently. This is evident in the 4K Ultra result of 42 FPS, which represents a 53% drop from the 1080p Ultra result. The GPU's 25.64 TFLOPS FP32 performance is adequate for the compute demands of the game, but the memory subsystem limits overall throughput at high pixel counts.

The GPU's benchmark score of 4093 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 places it in the 24th percentile of all GPUs, which aligns with its observed performance in Lockdown Protocol. It performs within 1.4% of the NVIDIA Quadro K2100M and 0.4% of the Intel HD Graphics 630 in that specific benchmark, though those comparisons are synthetic and do not reflect real-world gaming performance. In practice, the RX 9060 XT demonstrates it is a capable 1080p and 1440p card, with playable 4K performance only at reduced settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low averages 193 FPS, Medium averages 137 FPS with a range of 116-158 FPS, High averages 120 FPS, and Ultra averages 90 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 53.4% reduction in frame rate, which is substantial but expected given the increased visual complexity.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops noticeably. Low averages 141 FPS, Medium averages 100 FPS (85-116 FPS range), High averages 88 FPS, and Ultra averages 66 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra here is 53.2%, consistent with the 1080p scaling. However, the absolute numbers are significantly lower, with High and Ultra falling below the 100 FPS threshold that is often considered ideal for competitive gaming.

At 3840x2160, the performance is constrained further. Low averages 91 FPS, Medium averages 65 FPS (55-75 FPS range), High averages 57 FPS, and Ultra averages 42 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra here is 53.8%, showing a consistent pattern across resolutions. The Medium preset's minimum FPS of 55 is the only configuration at 4K that stays above the 50 FPS threshold for acceptable smoothness, making it the only viable preset for 4K gaming with this combination.

The data shows that the FPS reduction from 1080p to 4K is consistent across presets, at approximately 53% for each settings tier. This uniformity confirms that the GPU is the sole bottleneck, as the CPU's performance is not affected by resolution changes. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is the likely culprit, as it becomes insufficient at 4K with higher detail levels, causing the GPU to struggle with memory bandwidth demands.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700F and AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB ranks 1897 out of 3714 tested configurations for Lockdown Protocol. This places the combo in the 48.9th percentile, meaning it performs better than roughly half of all tested combinations but worse than the other half. This mid-pack ranking is consistent with the GPU's 24th percentile performance among all GPUs, which drags down the overall position despite the CPU's strong showing.

The CPU's performance is notably strong. The Intel Core i7-14700F achieves an average benchmark score of 53620, placing it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon 6505P (53701, 0.2% faster), Intel Xeon Phi 7290 (53469, 0.3% slower), AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (53288, 0.6% slower), and AMD EPYC 7313P (53206, 0.8% slower). This indicates the CPU is well above average, but the GPU's limitations prevent the combo from ranking higher.

The GPU's benchmark score of 4093 places it in the 24th percentile, with nearest rivals including the NVIDIA Quadro K2100M (4151, 1.4% faster), Intel HD Graphics 630 (4075, 0.4% slower), NVIDIA GeForce GT 755M (4033, 1.5% slower), and AMD Radeon R5 M330 (4170, 1.8% faster). These comparisons highlight the GPU's modest position in the overall hierarchy, despite its modern architecture. The combo's mid-pack ranking in Lockdown Protocol reflects this imbalance, where a high-performing CPU is paired with a mid-range GPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F plays a supporting but essential role in this configuration. With 20 cores (based on the Raptor Lake architecture) and 28 threads, this processor provides substantial parallel processing capability. The base clock of 2.10 GHz and boost clock of 5.40 GHz allow it to handle both single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads effectively. The 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide sufficient data locality for gaming workloads.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations. The benchmark results show that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution or preset. At 1080p Low, where the GPU has the least work to do, the CPU still manages to deliver 193 FPS, indicating it has significant headroom. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35122 and single-core score of 4958 confirm the CPU's strong performance, though these synthetic benchmarks are not directly indicative of gaming performance.

The CPU's 91st percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 53620, places it in the top tier of processors. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X, is only 0.6% slower, showing that the i7-14700F is competitive with high-end alternatives. However, this CPU performance does not translate to a higher combo ranking because the GPU is the limiting factor. In situations where the CPU would be the bottleneck—such as at very high frame rates with a more powerful GPU—this processor would demonstrate its full potential. For this specific GPU pairing, the CPU's role is to ensure consistent frame delivery, which it does admirably.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 at High settings provides the best balance, with an average of 88 FPS. At 1080p, the combo exceeds 120 FPS on High, but 1440p offers a significantly better visual experience while maintaining smooth frame rates.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: The measured data indicates that 4K is playable only at Medium settings, which averages 65 FPS with a minimum of 55 FPS. The High preset at 57 FPS is borderline, and Ultra at 42 FPS is not recommended for a smooth experience.

Q: How does the GPU's VRAM affect performance?

A: The 8 GB GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 322.3 GB/s bandwidth. At 4K Ultra, this becomes the limiting factor, causing a 53% FPS drop from 1080p Ultra. The VRAM capacity is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p but constrains 4K performance.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck in this configuration?

A: No. The Intel Core i7-14700F, with 20 cores and a 5.40 GHz boost clock, is not a limiting factor. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent across all presets, indicating the GPU is the sole bottleneck.

Q: What is the combo's ranking among tested configurations?

A: This combination ranks 1897 out of 3714 tested combos, placing it in the 48.9th percentile. The CPU ranks in the 91st percentile, but the GPU's 24th percentile performance drags down the overall position.

Q: Which settings preset offers the best frame rate consistency?

A: The Medium preset provides the most consistent results, with measured ranges of 116-158 FPS at 1080p, 85-116 FPS at 1440p, and 55-75 FPS at 4K. This indicates the most stable frame delivery across all resolutions.