Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol shows a clear pattern with the Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER: the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, but the CPU still has significant headroom. At 1080p Low, the combo delivers 176.5 FPS, but this drops to 50.5 FPS at 4K High, indicating that the RTX 2070 SUPER is being pushed to its limits as pixel count increases. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is steep, and the 4K Ultra setting falls below the 60 FPS threshold, making this pairing best suited for high-refresh 1080p or solid 1440p gaming.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic GPU-bound scaling curve. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 176.5 FPS, which is an excellent result for competitive play. Moving to 1440p Low, the frame rate drops to 127.2 FPS—a 28% reduction—showing that the GPU is already starting to feel the load. At 4K Low, the average falls to 81.5 FPS, which is still playable but represents a 54% drop from the 1080p Low figure.

The scaling becomes more punishing at higher settings. At High settings, the combo goes from 111.4 FPS at 1080p to 79.8 FPS at 1440p (a 28% drop) and then to 50.5 FPS at 4K (a 55% drop from 1080p). Ultra settings show the steepest curve: 84.8 FPS at 1080p, 63.1 FPS at 1440p, and 41.4 FPS at 4K. This indicates that at 4K, the RTX 2070 SUPER is the limiting component, as the i7-14700F’s 20 cores and 28 threads are unlikely to be saturated at these frame rates.

The data also shows that the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens with resolution. At 1080p, the difference is 91.7 FPS (176.5 vs 84.8), but at 4K it narrows to 40.1 FPS (81.5 vs 41.4). This narrowing suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so heavily loaded that even dropping to Low settings cannot fully compensate for the pixel throughput required.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Lockdown Protocol at 4K smoothly?

A: Not at max settings. The 4K Ultra preset yields only 41.4 FPS average, which is below the standard 60 FPS target. At 4K Medium, the average rises to 57.5 FPS, and at 4K Low it reaches 81.5 FPS, so playable frame rates are possible but require dropping settings significantly.

Q: What is the best resolution for this pairing?

A: The data shows that 1440p is the sweet spot. At High settings, the combo delivers 79.8 FPS, which is smooth for most players, while 1080p High offers 111.4 FPS for those prioritizing frame rate over resolution. 4K is only viable at Low or Medium settings.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score is 22,206, placing it 0.5% behind the NVIDIA RTX A400 and 0.9% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z. It is 2.3% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile and 2.5% faster than the AMD Radeon RX 5700.

Q: Is the i7-14700F a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data does not indicate a CPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 176.5 FPS, which is a high frame rate. The CPU’s 5.40 GHz boost clock and 20 cores provide ample headroom, as evidenced by its 94th percentile ranking among all CPUs.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Medium and High settings?

A: At 1080p, Medium averages 127.8 FPS while High averages 111.4 FPS—a 16.4 FPS difference. At 1440p, the gap is 15.3 FPS (95.1 vs 79.8), and at 4K it narrows to 7.0 FPS (57.5 vs 50.5). The difference shrinks as resolution increases because the GPU becomes the limiting factor.

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

A: The combo ranks 1011th out of 1637 tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database. This ranking reflects the RTX 2070 SUPER’s 65th percentile performance among all GPUs.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. In the benchmark database, it holds a 94th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54,097. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X, which scores 54,450 (0.6% higher), and the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D at 54,681 (1.1% higher). The i7-14700F is also 1.2% ahead of the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 and 1.7% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7313P.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with frames, and the data shows it does so effectively. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 176.5 FPS, which is likely near the upper limit of what the GPU can output at that setting. The CPU’s high boost clock and multi-threading capabilities (28 threads) ensure that even in complex FPS scenes with many entities, the processor does not become the limiting factor. The 33 MB of shared L3 cache also helps with game data access, although the exact impact on this game cannot be isolated from the measured FPS data.

The CPU’s benchmark scores support its capability: it scores 35,443 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 5,003 in single-core, which are strong figures for a desktop processor. In PassMark, it achieves 41,765 in multithread and 4,261 in single-thread tests. These numbers indicate that the i7-14700F is more than capable of handling Lockdown Protocol’s CPU demands, especially when paired with a mid-range GPU like the RTX 2070 SUPER.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture across four resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves its highest frame rates: 176.5 FPS on Low, 127.8 FPS on Medium, 111.4 FPS on High, and 84.8 FPS on Ultra. These results indicate that the system can easily drive high-refresh-rate 1080p monitors even at High settings.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops but remains respectable. Low settings yield 127.2 FPS, Medium delivers 95.1 FPS, High produces 79.8 FPS, and Ultra falls to 63.1 FPS. The 1440p High result of 79.8 FPS is particularly notable, as it stays above the 60 FPS threshold while providing enhanced visual quality.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 2070 SUPER struggles with heavier presets. Low settings average 81.5 FPS, which is playable, but Medium drops to 57.5 FPS and High falls to 50.5 FPS. Ultra is the only preset that dips below 45 FPS, with an average of 41.4 FPS. For 4K gaming, users should stick to Low or Medium settings to maintain acceptable performance.

The data also reveals the scaling efficiency. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS drop across all settings is approximately 28%. From 1440p to 4K, the drop is more severe, averaging around 45% across presets. This confirms that the GPU’s 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 1440p but become strained at 4K.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is based on the Turing architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 1605 MHz with a boost clock of 1770 MHz, and it includes 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The GPU holds a 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 22,206.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU is the primary determinant of performance at higher resolutions. The benchmark data shows that the GPU’s 9.062 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming but falls short at 4K Ultra. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for this game, as no VRAM-related stuttering is apparent in the measured FPS data, but the raw compute power limits the Ultra preset at 4K.

The GPU’s nearest rivals help contextualize its performance. It is 0.5% slower than the NVIDIA RTX A400 (22,307 average score) and 0.9% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z (22,006). It trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile (22,729) by 2.3% but beats the AMD Radeon RX 5700 (21,670) by 2.5%. These margins are narrow, indicating that the RTX 2070 SUPER sits in a competitive mid-range tier.

The 4K Ultra result of 41.4 FPS is the clearest indicator of the GPU’s limits. To achieve 60 FPS at 4K, the settings must be reduced to Medium, which yields 57.5 FPS—still short of the target but close. At 1440p, the GPU is more comfortable, with High settings delivering 79.8 FPS and Ultra hitting 63.1 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user’s display resolution and frame rate goals. For 1080p users, the High preset is the best balance, delivering 111.4 FPS average while providing good visual quality. The Ultra preset at 84.8 FPS is also viable for those who prioritize image quality over raw speed, but the 26.6 FPS drop from High may not justify the visual gains.

For 1440p users, the High preset is again recommended, with 79.8 FPS average. This provides a smooth experience that is well above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset at 95.1 FPS is an alternative for competitive players who want higher frame rates, while Ultra at 63.1 FPS is playable but close to the minimum comfort level.

For 4K users, the Low preset is the only consistently smooth option, averaging 81.5 FPS. The Medium preset at 57.5 FPS is marginally playable, but the High preset at 50.5 FPS and Ultra at 41.4 FPS are below the ideal threshold. Given the steep performance drops at 4K, users with 4K displays should either accept Low settings or consider lowering the resolution to 1440p.

The data suggests that the Medium preset offers the best performance-per-visual-quality ratio at 1080p and 1440p, with frame rates of 127.8 and 95.1 respectively. However, the High preset is the best overall experience for most users, as it maintains high frame rates while offering a significant visual uplift over Medium.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database for Lockdown Protocol, this combination of the Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 1011th out of 1637 tested combos. This places it in the 38th percentile of all configurations, which is a below-average ranking but not a poor one. The ranking reflects the GPU’s mid-range position; the CPU is far more capable, with its 94th percentile standing among all CPUs.

The combo’s performance is limited by the RTX 2070 SUPER, which is an end-of-life product from 2019. The GPU’s 65th percentile ranking and average score of 22,206 are respectable for its age, but they are outpaced by newer mid-range cards. In contrast, the i7-14700F’s 20 cores and 28 threads provide a future-proof foundation that could support a faster GPU upgrade later.

The ranking also highlights the system’s strengths and weaknesses. At 1080p, the combo performs admirably, with frame rates exceeding 100 FPS on High settings. At 4K, it falls behind many newer configurations due to the GPU’s compute limitations. Users with this pairing should focus on 1080p or 1440p gaming to get the best experience, as the 4K results are only acceptable at Low or Medium settings.