Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with Intel Core i7-14700K + AMD Radeon RX 9060

The Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 delivers a mid-pack experience in Lockdown Protocol, ranking 1647th out of 2828 tested combinations. The CPU sits in the 94th percentile among all processors, while the GPU lands in the 59th percentile, creating an asymmetric pairing where compute headroom vastly exceeds graphics throughput. This imbalance shapes every resolution and setting tier, with the GPU consistently acting as the performance ceiling across the board. The measured frame rates tell a clear story: this combo is viable for competitive play at 1080p, comfortable at 1440p with settings adjustments, and struggling to maintain playability at 4K except on the lowest preset.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, revealing a GPU-bound system at every resolution tier. At Low settings, the combo delivers 175 FPS at 1920x1080, 128 FPS at 2560x1440, and 83 FPS at 3840x2160 — a 52.6% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 35.2% drop from 1440p to 4K. This scaling pattern indicates the Radeon RX 9060's 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus are the limiting factors, as pixel throughput demands outpace the 288.0 GB/s bandwidth.

At Medium settings, the resolution scaling is slightly less punishing in relative terms: 124 FPS at 1080p, 91 FPS at 1440p, and 59 FPS at 4K. The 1080p-to-1440p drop is 26.6%, while the 1440p-to-4K drop is 35.2%. The High preset shows similar proportions: 109 FPS at 1080p, 80 FPS at 1440p, and 51 FPS at 4K, with a 26.6% drop between the first two resolutions and a 36.3% drop to 4K. Ultra settings compress the range further — 81 FPS at 1080p, 60 FPS at 1440p, and 39 FPS at 4K — where the 1080p-to-1440p decline is 25.9% and the 1440p-to-4K decline is 35.0%.

The consistent ~25% penalty from 1080p to 1440p and ~35% penalty from 1440p to 4K across presets indicates a purely GPU-bound scenario. The Intel Core i7-14700K, with its 20 cores and 28 threads boosting to 5.60 GHz, is never the bottleneck here; even at 1080p Low, the CPU has ample headroom to feed the GPU. The data suggests that Lockdown Protocol's rendering load scales predictably with pixel count, and the RX 9060's 1792 shading units and 64 ROPs determine the ceiling at each resolution. For players targeting high refresh rates, 1080p is the only resolution where the combo consistently exceeds 100 FPS across multiple presets.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of 4K gaming in Lockdown Protocol?

A: Barely, and only at Low settings. At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the average FPS is 83, which is playable. Medium drops to 59 FPS average with a 50 FPS minimum, High falls to 51 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 39 FPS. For smooth 4K gameplay, Low is the only viable preset.

Q: How does the Intel Core i7-14700K compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The i7-14700K's average benchmark score of 69355 places it within 0.1% of the AMD EPYC 9115 (69288), 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (69515), 0.7% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (69875), and 0.9% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (69996). These are near-identical scores, indicating performance parity at the top tier of desktop CPUs.

Q: What is the GPU's performance standing relative to its competitors?

A: The Radeon RX 9060's average benchmark score of 16014 sits 0.7% below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (16129), 1.0% above the AMD Radeon R9 370X (15862), 1.0% above the AMD Radeon RX 7700 (15852), and 2.1% above the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (15679). The GPU ranks in the 59th percentile among all graphics cards.

Q: Which resolution provides the best balance of frame rate and visual quality?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the combo achieves 80 FPS average, which is a reasonable balance. However, 1920x1080 with Medium settings delivers 124 FPS average with a 106 FPS minimum, offering a stronger competitive edge. The 1440p High preset is the highest visual quality tier that stays above 60 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU's 20-core configuration matter for this game?

A: The i7-14700K's 20 cores (with 28 threads) are far more than Lockdown Protocol appears to utilize, given the GPU-bound scaling observed. The CPU's single-core performance — 2160 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 4472 in Passmark single-thread — is the more relevant metric, though even that headroom is not stressed at lower resolutions.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking in this game?

A: The combination ranks 1647th out of 2828 tested combos, placing it in the 58.2nd percentile of all system pairings tested for Lockdown Protocol. This reflects the GPU's mid-range positioning rather than the CPU's top-tier standing.

How This Combo Ranks

With a combo rank of 1647 out of 2828 tested configurations, this pairing sits slightly above the median for Lockdown Protocol. The ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU's 59th percentile standing, as the Radeon RX 9060's average benchmark score of 16014 places it in the middle of the pack. The CPU's 94th percentile ranking does little to boost the combo because the game's frame rates are consistently GPU-bound across all measured resolutions and settings.

The discrepancy between CPU and GPU percentiles — 94 versus 59 — creates a system where the i7-14700K's 33440.5 Cinebench R23 multi-core score and 20767 Geekbench multi-core score are largely irrelevant to Lockdown Protocol's performance. The data shows that even at 1080p Low (175 FPS), where CPU load would be highest relative to GPU load, the system does not exhibit CPU bottlenecks. The 1647th rank reflects a GPU that delivers playable but not exceptional frame rates, and the CPU's power is effectively wasted in this particular game title.

Comparatively, the GPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks — the RTX 3060 Ti at 16129 and the RX 7700 at 15852 — would likely produce similar in-game results, given the sub-1% score differences. The combo's rank is therefore representative of a mid-range GPU experience, not a high-end one, despite the flagship-class CPU.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data suggests that the optimal experience depends on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers 124 FPS average with a 106 FPS minimum and 143 FPS maximum, providing a smooth and responsive experience that exceeds the refresh rate of most standard monitors. The High preset at 109 FPS average is also viable, but the 15 FPS difference between Medium and High at 1080p favors Medium for competitive play where frame consistency matters more than visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 80 FPS average is the best choice for players with 144 Hz displays who prefer visual quality, though the Medium preset at 91 FPS average offers a more comfortable margin above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 60 FPS average is borderline, and the Low preset at 128 FPS is the choice for esports-focused players who prioritize maximum frame rates.

For 4K, the Low preset at 83 FPS average is the only recommended option. Medium at 59 FPS average dips below the 60 FPS threshold, and High at 51 FPS or Ultra at 39 FPS are not suitable for fast-paced FPS gameplay. The data indicates that 4K gaming with this combo requires accepting significant visual compromises, making 1440p the practical ceiling for a balanced experience.

The Medium preset stands out as the sweet spot across all resolutions: it offers the best FPS-to-visual-quality ratio, with 124 FPS at 1080p, 91 FPS at 1440p, and 59 FPS at 4K. Players who own 1440p 144 Hz monitors should select Medium for the best blend of smoothness and detail, while 1080p players can afford to use High or Ultra without dropping below 81 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the full settings range shows a clear hierarchy. Low settings produce 175 FPS average, Medium delivers 124 FPS with a 106 FPS minimum and 143 FPS maximum, High reaches 109 FPS, and Ultra drops to 81 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 94 FPS, representing a 53.7% reduction in frame rate when maxing out visual quality. The Medium preset's 106 FPS minimum is notable for maintaining frame consistency during intense combat sequences, while the High and Ultra presets lack reported minimums, suggesting less predictable performance.

At 2560x1440, the numbers scale down proportionally. Low hits 128 FPS, Medium averages 91 FPS with a 77 FPS minimum and 105 FPS maximum, High achieves 80 FPS, and Ultra lands at 60 FPS. The 1440p Medium preset's 77 FPS minimum is still above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, but the 14 FPS gap between minimum and maximum indicates some frame pacing variability. The Ultra preset's 60 FPS average sits right at the edge of playability, with no minimum reported to confirm stability.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become pronounced. Low produces 83 FPS, Medium averages 59 FPS with a 50 FPS minimum and 68 FPS maximum, High falls to 51 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 39 FPS. The 4K Medium preset's 50 FPS minimum would be noticeable in fast-paced FPS action, causing potential stutter during firefights. The 39 FPS Ultra result is the lowest measured across all configurations, confirming that 4K Ultra is not a realistic option for this hardware combination.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process node. It features a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, with a 33 MB shared L3 cache and 2 MB L2 cache per core. Its benchmark results are exceptional: 33440.5 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, 2160 in single-core, 20767 in Geekbench multi-core, and 4472 in Passmark single-thread. The CPU's 94th percentile ranking among all processors confirms its position near the top of the desktop hierarchy.

However, in Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is minimal. The measured FPS scaling across resolutions — with consistent ~25-35% drops from 1080p to 4K — indicates the GPU is the sole performance limiter. The i7-14700K's 20 cores and 28 threads are far beyond what this game requires, and even its single-core performance, which is more relevant for FPS titles, is not stressed. The 5.60 GHz boost clock provides ample headroom for frame generation and game logic, but the Radeon RX 9060's 1792 shading units and 64 ROPs cannot keep pace with the CPU's output capability.

The CPU's synthetic benchmark scores — including 695234 in Passmark data compression, 182876 in integer math, and 52392 in Passmark multithread — are irrelevant to Lockdown Protocol's performance. The nearest CPU rivals, all within 0.9% of the i7-14700K's average score, would produce identical in-game results because the bottleneck is entirely on the GPU side. For players considering this combo, the data suggests that a less powerful CPU paired with a stronger GPU would yield better Lockdown Protocol performance, as the current configuration wastes the i7-14700K's capabilities on a mid-range graphics card.