Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol is a fast-paced FPS that demands high frame rates, and the combination of the Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D delivers exactly that. The data shows this pairing is exceptionally strong, with the RTX 5090 D providing massive headroom even at 4K, while the i7-14700F ensures the CPU never becomes a bottleneck. Across all tested settings, this combo produces frame rates that are not only playable but highly competitive, ranking in the top 1% of all tested configurations for this title.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial, but the absolute numbers remain high enough to make the game fully playable at every resolution. At 1080p with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 249 FPS. Moving to 1440p High, the average falls to 183 FPS, a 26.5% reduction. At 4K High, the average drops further to 118 FPS, which is 52.6% lower than the 1080p result. This scaling pattern indicates that while the GPU is heavily tasked at higher resolutions, the sheer power of the RTX 5090 D keeps the frame rates well above the 60 FPS threshold.

The most telling aspect of this scaling is that even at 4K Ultra, the average frame rate is 88 FPS. This is a demanding setting for any game, and achieving nearly 90 FPS suggests that the RTX 5090 D is the primary driver of performance. The gap between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution is significant. At 1080p, Low yields 335 FPS while Ultra yields 187 FPS, a difference of 148 FPS. At 1440p, the spread is from 295 FPS on Low to 137 FPS on Ultra. At 4K, the spread is from 190 FPS on Low to 88 FPS on Ultra. This wide range indicates that the GPU is scaling predictably with the workload, but the CPU is not the limiting factor, as even the lowest GPU-bound settings produce extremely high frame rates.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU begins to play a more significant role, as the difference between 1080p Low (335 FPS) and 1080p High (249 FPS) is 86 FPS, which is a larger relative drop than seen at higher resolutions. This indicates that the i7-14700F is capable of keeping up with the GPU's output at lower resolutions, but the GPU's workload is so light that the frame rate is still largely GPU-limited. The fact that 1080p Low produces 335 FPS, which is higher than any 1440p or 4K result, confirms that the CPU's 28 threads and 5.40 GHz boost clock are sufficient to feed the RTX 5090 D even in the most favorable conditions for the CPU.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the star of this configuration, and its specifications align perfectly with the measured results. With 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, the card has a memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. This is critical for Lockdown Protocol at high resolutions, as the game's textures and effects require substantial memory throughput. The 4K Medium result, which shows an average of 135 FPS with a minimum of 115 FPS, demonstrates that the GPU can maintain smooth performance even when memory bandwidth is stressed.

The GPU's clock speeds, with a base of 2017 MHz and a boost of 2407 MHz, are relatively modest compared to its massive compute resources. The card features 21,760 shading units, 680 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, which allow for a pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s. These figures explain why the card can push 118 FPS at 4K High and 187 FPS at 1080p Ultra. The GPU's FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS is a key indicator of its raw compute power, which is fully utilized in this game's rendering pipeline.

The RTX 5090 D's 92.2 billion transistors on a 750 mm² die are evidence of its complexity, and the benchmark results reflect this. In the PassMark G3D test, the GPU scores 44,065, placing it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, which has an average score of 78,940, a delta of -1.6% compared to the RTX 5090 D's average benchmark score of 77,712. This means the RTX 5090 D is actually slightly behind that mobile GPU in synthetic tests, yet in Lockdown Protocol, the desktop card's superior memory bandwidth and cooling headroom allow it to perform at the high levels seen in the measured FPS data. The GPU's role is clearly to provide maximum frame rates, and the data shows it succeeds, particularly at 1440p where it achieves 295 FPS on Low settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Lockdown Protocol with this combo?

A: The data shows that 1440p High provides an excellent balance, achieving 183 FPS average. For maximum smoothness, 1080p High delivers 249 FPS, while 4K High still remains very playable at 118 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 D compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5090 D has an average benchmark score of 77,712, which is 1.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT's score of 78,940. However, in this game, the RTX 5090 D's performance is high, indicating that synthetic scores do not fully capture gaming performance.

Q: Is the i7-14700F a bottleneck for the RTX 5090 D?

A: No. The CPU's 20 cores and 28 threads, along with a 5.40 GHz boost clock, are sufficient to avoid limiting the GPU. The 1080p Low result of 335 FPS shows the CPU can handle the game's logic and draw calls without bottlenecking the GPU.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 4K with the highest settings?

A: At 4K Ultra, the combo averages 88 FPS. This is a demanding setting, but the RTX 5090 D's 32 GB of VRAM and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth ensure it remains fluid and above the 60 FPS standard.

Q: How much faster is 1080p compared to 4K for this game?

A: At High settings, 1080p achieves 249 FPS, while 4K achieves 118 FPS. This represents a 52.6% reduction in frame rate when moving to 4K, which is a typical scaling for a GPU-bound title.

Q: Does the GPU's memory size matter for this game?

A: Yes. The 32 GB of GDDR7 memory is more than sufficient for Lockdown Protocol, ensuring that even at 4K Ultra, there is no memory-related stuttering. The 4K Medium minimum FPS of 115 indicates stable memory performance.

How This Combo Ranks

In Lockdown Protocol, this combination of the Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 22nd out of 3,714 tested combinations. This places it in the top 0.6% of all systems, which is an exceptional result. The ranking is a direct reflection of the measured FPS data, which shows the combo outperforming the vast majority of other configurations at all resolutions and settings. The high rank is particularly noteworthy given that the GPU's synthetic benchmark score is not the absolute highest, yet its gaming performance in this specific title is outstanding.

The i7-14700F's own benchmark ranking supports the combo's success. The CPU holds a 91st percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 53,620. Its nearest rival, the Intel Xeon 6505P, has an average score of 53,701, a delta of -0.2%, meaning the i7-14700F is virtually tied with that server chip. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is also close, with a score of 53,288, a delta of 0.6%. These tiny differences in synthetic scores do not translate to notable differences in Lockdown Protocol, where the combo's rank is driven primarily by the GPU's ability to render frames quickly.

The fact that this combo ranks 22nd out of 3,714 reflects the balance of the two components. The RTX 5090 D provides the raw graphics power, while the i7-14700F ensures that the CPU side does not introduce any frame pacing issues. For a game like Lockdown Protocol, which relies on quick reactions, this ranking means the system is in the top tier for competitive play.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F plays a crucial supporting role in this configuration. With 20 cores and 28 threads, it provides ample parallel processing capability for the game's AI, physics, and networking tasks. The CPU's base clock of 2.10 GHz and boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a TDP of 65 W, allow it to deliver high single-threaded performance when needed. The PassMark single-thread score of 4,257 and the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4,958 confirm that the CPU is more than capable of handling the game's primary thread.

The CPU's cache hierarchy, including 33 MB of shared L3 cache, is beneficial for game performance. This large cache helps reduce memory latency, which is critical in a fast-paced FPS where every millisecond counts. The i7-14700F's memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5, with a dual-channel bus, allows for flexible system configurations, though the data does not specify which memory type was used for these tests. The CPU's PCIe Gen 5 support with 16 lanes ensures that the RTX 5090 D can communicate at full bandwidth, avoiding any interface bottlenecks.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data as quickly as possible. The 1080p Low result of 335 FPS is a clear indicator that the CPU is not the limiting factor, as this frame rate is high enough to stress even the most powerful CPUs. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 35,122 shows that the CPU can handle demanding workloads, and its 91st percentile ranking among all CPUs means it is a top-tier processor for gaming. The data suggests that the i7-14700F provides a stable platform for the RTX 5090 D, allowing the GPU to perform at its full potential.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional results. On Low settings, the average FPS is 335, which is the highest recorded in the entire dataset. Medium settings yield 285 FPS, with a minimum of 243 FPS and a maximum of 328 FPS. High settings produce 249 FPS, while Ultra settings still achieve 187 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system is capable of driving high-refresh-rate monitors to their limits, even at the highest visual quality.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains very strong. Low settings produce 295 FPS, which is only 40 FPS lower than the 1080p Low result. Medium settings yield 209 FPS, with a minimum of 178 FPS and a maximum of 241 FPS. High settings achieve 183 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 137 FPS. The 1440p results show a more pronounced scaling with settings, but even at Ultra, the frame rate is well above the 100 FPS mark, making this resolution an excellent choice for competitive play.

At 3840x2160, the combo still delivers high frame rates, though the gap between settings widens. Low settings produce 190 FPS, while Medium settings average 135 FPS, with a minimum of 115 FPS and a maximum of 155 FPS. High settings yield 118 FPS, and Ultra settings average 88 FPS. The 4K results are impressive, particularly the Low setting's 190 FPS, which shows that the RTX 5090 D has enough headroom to handle 4K at high refresh rates. Overall, the data shows a clear progression: the system is fastest at 1080p, slightly slower at 1440p, and still very capable at 4K, with all settings producing playable frame rates.