Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol, a 2024 FPS title, exhibits a distinct performance profile when paired with the Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. The measured data reveals a configuration where the graphics card is the primary constraint, with the processor providing ample headroom. This analysis examines the resolution scaling, competitive standing, and practical settings for this combination.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, a clear indicator of GPU-bound operation. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 161.5 FPS at 1920x1080 to 116.1 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 45.4 FPS, and then further down to 74.8 FPS at 3840x2160. This pattern shows a 53.7% decrease in performance from 1080p to 4K, which is typical for a graphics card in this class when pixel count quadruples.

The scaling becomes even more pronounced as settings increase. At High settings, the transition from 1080p to 1440p drops the average from 99.1 FPS to 72.4 FPS, and 4K High yields only 48.4 FPS. The most demanding preset, Ultra, pushes the card to its limits: 71.7 FPS at 1080p, 56.7 FPS at 1440p, and a marginal 35 FPS at 4K. These numbers suggest that the CPU is not the bottleneck; the consistent frame rate degradation across resolutions is a hallmark of GPU saturation, with the i7-14700K's 20 cores and 28 threads remaining largely underutilized in this title.

The data points to a classic scenario: the RTX 3060 Ti's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but the sheer pixel throughput demanded by 4K overwhelms the card's 16.20 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. The gap between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution is also telling. At 1080p, the difference is 89.8 FPS (161.5 vs 71.7), while at 4K, it narrows to 39.8 FPS (74.8 vs 35.0). This compression at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU's shading units and ROPs, rather than memory bandwidth, are the limiting factor.

How This Combo Ranks

In the global benchmark database, this specific combination holds a rank of 1161 out of 1637 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the 29th percentile of all systems, meaning roughly 71% of tested configurations deliver higher average frame rates. The ranking is a function of the GPU's position in the market; the RTX 3060 Ti sits at the 69th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25120.

Comparing the GPU to its nearest rivals provides context. The RTX 3060 Ti's nearest competitor, the AMD Radeon RX 6700M, has an average score of 25180, a delta of -0.2%, indicating near-identical synthetic performance. Similarly, the AMD Radeon RX 6600 and AMD Radeon 890M trail by 0.5%, with scores of 25235 and 25246, respectively. These margins are within noise, suggesting that the RTX 3060 Ti is positioned at a performance tier that is heavily contested, and any of these cards would produce similar results in Lockdown Protocol.

On the CPU side, the Intel Core i7-14700K is a high-end part, ranking in the 96th percentile of all processors with an average benchmark score of 70074. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-14700KF, achieves a score of 70104 with a delta of 0%, confirming that the two are effectively identical in performance. The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X scores 70420, which is -0.5% relative to the i7-14700K, while the AMD EPYC 9115 is 0.3% lower at 69887. This CPU is clearly not the limiting factor in this combo; its performance headroom is substantial, and the rank of 1161 is overwhelmingly determined by the GPU's capabilities.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the most balanced experience for this combo is achieved at Medium settings for 1440p and 1080p. At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 113.7, which is 14.6% higher than High settings (99.1 FPS) and 58.8% higher than Ultra (71.7 FPS). This preset offers a significant performance buffer while maintaining a visual quality that is a clear step above Low (161.5 FPS). For 2560x1440, Medium provides 85.2 FPS, which is a playable frame rate for a fast-paced FPS, and it is 17.7% faster than High (72.4 FPS) and 50.3% faster than Ultra (56.7 FPS).

For 4K gaming, the data suggests that even Low settings (74.8 FPS) are preferable to Medium (54.9 FPS) or High (48.4 FPS). The 35 FPS average at Ultra is not competitive for an FPS title, and the jump from Ultra to Low represents a 113.7% performance increase. However, 4K Ultra is the only preset that dips below the 60 FPS threshold, making it unsuitable for serious play. The recommendation is to target 1440p with Medium settings as the sweet spot, as it delivers a frame rate that is 51.6% higher than the 4K High result while using a resolution that is more forgiving of the GPU's 8 GB memory capacity.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The full dataset shows a clear hierarchy. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 161.5 (Low) to 71.7 (Ultra), with Medium at 113.7 and High at 99.1. The gap between Low and Medium is 47.8 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is 14.6 FPS, and High to Ultra is 27.4 FPS. This non-linear progression indicates that the High preset is a poor compromise at 1080p, offering only a 15.1% improvement over Ultra while sacrificing 14.6% compared to Medium.

At 2560x1440, the spread is tighter: Low yields 116.1 FPS, Medium 85.2 FPS, High 72.4 FPS, and Ultra 56.7 FPS. The percentage drops from Low to Medium (26.6%), Medium to High (15.0%), and High to Ultra (21.7%) are all significant, but the absolute values remain playable down to High. The 4K results are the most constrained: 74.8 (Low), 54.9 (Medium), 48.4 (High), and 35.0 (Ultra). Here, only Low maintains a frame rate above 70 FPS, and every other preset falls below the 60 FPS target that is standard for competitive shooters.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, built on the Ampere architecture with a GA104 chip, is the decisive component in this configuration. Its 4864 shading units and 152 TMUs are tasked with rendering Lockdown Protocol's environments, and the data shows they are insufficient for high-refresh 4K gaming. The card's boost clock of 1665 MHz and base clock of 1410 MHz are modest by modern standards, but the 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is adequate for 1080p and 1440p.

The GPU's performance percentile of 69 and average benchmark score of 25120 place it in the mid-range tier, consistent with its measured FPS results. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2626 and Passmark G3D score of 20349 corroborate the in-game data, showing a card that is capable but not exceptional. The RTX 3060 Ti's 38 RT cores and 152 tensor cores offer hardware ray tracing support, but the measured frame rates at Ultra settings suggest that enabling such features would require a further reduction in resolution or settings. The 200 W TDP and 550 W suggested PSU are typical for this class, but the end-of-life production status indicates that this card is nearing the end of its relevance for new AAA titles at high presets.

For Lockdown Protocol, the GPU is the clear bottleneck. The CPU's performance, ranked in the 96th percentile with an average benchmark score of 70074, provides a stable platform, but the RTX 3060 Ti's 16.20 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 133.2 GPixel/s pixel rate are the ceiling. The data indicates that users should prioritize resolution scaling and preset selection over CPU upgrades, as the i7-14700K is more than sufficient for this workload. The 4K Ultra result of 35 FPS is a stark illustration of the GPU's limits, while the 1080p Low result of 161.5 FPS shows that the card can still deliver high frame rates when the pixel load is reduced.