Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol, an FPS released in March 2024, presents a demanding workload for PC hardware. This analysis examines the performance of the Intel Core i7-14700F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER across a range of resolutions and settings. The data reveals a component pairing that scales predictably, with the GPU acting as the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the 20-core processor ensures headroom for high frame rates at 1080p.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and consistent scaling pattern as resolution increases, which is typical for a modern FPS title. At 1080p with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 191 FPS. Moving to 1440p, the average drops to 140 FPS, a 27% reduction. At 4K, the average falls further to 90 FPS, representing a 53% decrease from the 1080p result. This steep decline indicates that the rendering load is scaling heavily with pixel count, placing increasing stress on the GPU.

The pattern is even more pronounced when examining the Low settings preset. At 1080p Low, the system pushes 307 FPS on average, which is an extremely high frame rate. At 1440p Low, that number drops to 225 FPS, and at 4K Low, it falls to 145 FPS. The fact that the 4K Low average (145 FPS) is higher than the 1080p Ultra average (143 FPS) suggests that while the resolution increase is significant, the GPU still has substantial headroom when graphical effects are minimized.

This scaling behavior points to the GPU being the limiting component in this pairing. The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER, with its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 672.3 GB/s bandwidth, is clearly the primary determinant of frame rate at higher resolutions. The CPU, with its high multi-core performance, appears capable of feeding the GPU at 1080p, but as resolution climbs, the GPU's rendering workload becomes the dominant factor. The difference between 1080p and 4K is roughly 100 FPS across most settings, which is a substantial margin that confirms the rendering pipeline is heavily pixel-bound rather than geometry or physics-bound.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. Its performance profile, as shown by its benchmark scores, is robust. In Cinebench R23, it scores 35122 points in the multi-core test and 4958 points in the single-core test. These figures place it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is a high-end performer.

The processor's role in Lockdown Protocol becomes clear when examining the FPS data. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 307 FPS, a score that suggests the CPU is not a limiting factor at this resolution. The GPU is likely the bottleneck even at this low graphical load, as the CPU's single-thread performance (4958 in Cinebench R23) is sufficient to handle the game's game logic and draw calls. The nearest rival data shows that the i7-14700F performs comparably to the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X, with a delta of only 0.6%. This means the CPU is well-matched to other high-end desktop processors.

However, the CPU's contribution becomes more relevant when considering the minimum FPS data points. At 1080p Medium, the average FPS is 218, with a minimum of 186. At 1440p Medium, the average is 160 with a minimum of 136. These minimums are not drastically lower than the averages, which indicates that the processor is maintaining consistent frame pacing. If the CPU were struggling, the minimum FPS would be significantly lower, showing stutter or hitches. The data suggests that the i7-14700F's 20 cores and 28 threads provide ample processing power to prevent CPU-bound bottlenecks, even when the GPU is producing high frame counts.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 307 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the system perform at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo produces an average FPS of 68. This is the lowest average FPS in the measured data set.

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

A: The data suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck at 1080p. At Low settings, the system reaches 307 FPS, and even at Ultra settings, it maintains 143 FPS. The high single-core score of 4958 in Cinebench R23 supports this, indicating sufficient processing power.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Medium and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset yields an average of 160 FPS, while the Ultra preset yields 105 FPS. This represents a 55 FPS difference between the two settings presets.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all other tested combos?

A: This specific combination of the Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER ranks 398 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the top 11% of all configurations tested.

Q: Does the game have a large performance gap between Low and Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the gap is significant. At 1080p, Low settings achieve 307 FPS while Ultra achieves 143 FPS, a difference of 164 FPS. Similarly, at 4K, Low settings reach 145 FPS while Ultra drops to 68 FPS, a 77 FPS difference.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the system's capabilities across different resolutions and settings.

At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates exceptional performance. With Low settings, the average FPS is 307. Medium settings yield an average of 218 FPS, with a minimum of 186 FPS and a maximum of 251 FPS. High settings produce an average of 191 FPS. Ultra settings, the most demanding preset, still deliver a solid 143 FPS average.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance remains high. Low settings achieve an average of 225 FPS. Medium settings produce an average of 160 FPS, with a minimum of 136 FPS and a maximum of 184 FPS. High settings yield 140 FPS on average. Ultra settings drop to an average of 105 FPS, which is still comfortably playable on high refresh rate monitors.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly stressed. Low settings deliver an average of 145 FPS. Medium settings produce an average of 103 FPS, with a minimum of 88 FPS and a maximum of 119 FPS. High settings yield 90 FPS on average. Ultra settings are the most challenging, with an average of 68 FPS. This 4K data shows that for competitive play, Low or Medium settings are advisable, while for casual play, High settings remain viable.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER combination holds a rank of 398 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the top 11% of all tested configurations, indicating that it performs significantly better than the majority of systems in this game. Given the GPU's 76th percentile ranking among all GPUs and the CPU's 91st percentile ranking, this result is expected. The combo performs well relative to other high-end pairings.

The CPU's nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon 6505P (delta of -0.2%), the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 (delta of 0.3%), the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (delta of 0.6%), and the AMD EPYC 7313P (delta of 0.8%). These deltas are small, indicating that the i7-14700F's performance is closely matched to these other processors. This suggests that swapping the CPU for a similar-tier alternative would not yield a significant change in overall system performance in this game, as the GPU is likely the primary driver of the frame rate at most settings. The GPU's nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA TITAN RTX, have a delta of -1.9%, showing that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is a strong performer in its class.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimizing the gameplay experience. For competitive play, where high frame rates are critical, the Low settings preset at 1920x1080 offers the highest average FPS at 307. Even at 2560x1440, Low settings deliver 225 FPS, which is more than sufficient for high-refresh-rate competitive monitors. This preset minimizes graphical effects to maximize responsiveness.

For a balance between visual quality and performance, the High settings preset at 2560x1440 is a strong choice. It yields an average of 140 FPS, which is smooth for most players, while still providing enhanced visual fidelity over Medium settings. At 1920x1080, High settings produce 191 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate gaming without sacrificing too much visual detail.

For those prioritizing visual fidelity over frame rate, the Ultra preset at 2560x1440 is viable, with an average of 105 FPS. However, at 4K, Ultra settings drop to 68 FPS, which may be below the threshold for some players seeking a fluid experience. In this case, the Medium preset at 4K, with an average of 103 FPS and a minimum of 88 FPS, provides a better experience than High or Ultra, ensuring the frame rate stays above 60 FPS consistently. Overall, the data suggests that the optimal experience is either High settings at 1440p or Medium settings at 4K, depending on the player's preference for resolution versus graphical detail.