Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with Intel Core i7-14700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB

The Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB produces a highly playable Lockdown Protocol experience across all tested resolutions, though the data reveals a system that shifts from CPU-bound at 1080p to firmly GPU-bound at 4K. With a combo rank of 1436 out of 3714 tested configurations, this pairing sits in the upper-middle tier of the database, delivering 219 FPS at 1080p Low and dropping to 48 FPS at 4K Ultra — a spread that tells a clear story about component balance in this FPS title.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i7-14700K is a 20-core, 28-thread processor built on Intel's Raptor Lake-R architecture. It runs at a base clock of 3.40 GHz and boosts up to 5.60 GHz, with a 33 MB shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache. This is a desktop part designed for Socket 1700, supporting both DDR4 and DDR5 memory across a dual-channel bus. The integrated UHD Graphics 770 is present but irrelevant for gaming with a discrete GPU installed.

In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU posts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 33440.5 and a single-core score of 2160. Its Geekbench results show 20767 multi-core and 2569 single-core. The PassMark multi-thread score of 52392 and single-thread score of 4472 reinforce the picture of a high-end processor. The CPU sits at the 94th percentile among all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 69355.

The nearest rivals in the database are remarkably close. The AMD EPYC 9115 scores 69288, a delta of just 0.1% — essentially a statistical tie. The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X scores 69515 (-0.2%), the Ryzen 9 7940HX scores 69875 (-0.7%), and the Ryzen 7 9700F scores 69996 (-0.9%). This means the i7-14700K is not the outright leader, but it is within 1% of four other processors, indicating that in CPU-bound scenarios, Lockdown Protocol performance will be nearly indistinguishable across these top-tier parts.

How does this translate to Lockdown Protocol? At 1080p Low, the CPU has room to push 219 FPS average. The high boost clock of 5.60 GHz and strong single-core performance (2160 in Cinebench R23) are what matter most in an FPS title, where game logic and physics often run on a few threads. The 20 cores and 28 threads are overkill for this game, but they ensure no thread bottlenecks even when the game engine spawns background tasks.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo achieves in Lockdown Protocol?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo reaches 219 FPS average. This is the highest recorded average across all tested resolution and settings combinations in the measured data.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The i7-14700K has an average benchmark score of 69355. Its closest rival, the AMD EPYC 9115, scores 69288, a delta of 0.1%. The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X is 0.2% behind at 69515, while the Ryzen 9 7940HX is 0.7% ahead at 69875 and the Ryzen 7 9700F is 0.9% ahead at 69996.

Q: Does the GPU outperform or underperform relative to its closest competitors?

A: The RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB scores 2913 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. The NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell SFF scores 2910 (0.1% behind), the RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB scores 2907 (0.2% behind), the Quadro P600 scores 2923 (0.3% ahead), and the RTX 4010 scores 2893 (0.7% behind). The GPU sits at the 19th percentile among all GPUs.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings produce 160 FPS average while Ultra produces 75 FPS average. This represents a drop of 85 FPS, or approximately 53% lower performance when moving from Low to Ultra.

Q: How much performance is lost going from 1080p to 4K at Medium settings?

A: At 1920x1080 Medium, the average is 155 FPS. At 3840x2160 Medium, the average drops to 74 FPS. This is a loss of 81 FPS, meaning 4K Medium runs at less than half the frame rate of 1080p Medium.

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

A: The combo ranks 1436 out of 3714 total tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the upper 38% of all configurations in the database.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured data shows a clear pattern of diminishing frame rates as resolution increases, but the rate of decline differs by settings preset. At Low settings, the progression is 219 FPS at 1080p, 160 FPS at 1440p, and 104 FPS at 4K. That is a 27% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 35% drop from 1440p to 4K. The total loss from 1080p to 4K is 115 FPS, or 52.5%.

At High settings, the progression is 136 FPS at 1080p, 99 FPS at 1440p, and 64 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 27% and 35% respectively — nearly identical ratios to Low settings. This consistency across presets is telling. When the frame rate scales almost linearly with resolution regardless of graphics quality, the limiting factor shifts predictably. At 1080p, the CPU's single-thread performance and the game's engine overhead are the primary constraints; the GPU has headroom to render more pixels. By 4K, the GPU's pixel throughput becomes the bottleneck.

The Ultra preset shows the steepest absolute decline: 102 FPS at 1080p, 75 FPS at 1440p, and 48 FPS at 4K. The 1080p-to-1440p drop is 26%, and the 1440p-to-4K drop is 36%. The fact that Ultra at 4K lands at 48 FPS — below the 60 FPS target many players consider playable — indicates that this combination cannot sustain high-refresh-rate gaming at maximum settings in 4K. The 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus of the RTX 4060 Ti are likely contributors, though the data does not isolate VRAM usage.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

With a rank of 1436 out of 3714 tested combos, this configuration sits in the 61st percentile — meaning roughly 61% of tested combos perform worse, and 39% perform better. This is a respectable position for a mid-range GPU paired with a high-end CPU. The rank reflects the balanced nature of the pairing: the i7-14700K provides ample CPU headroom, while the RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB limits absolute performance at higher resolutions.

The ranking is likely dragged down by the GPU's modest standing. The RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB sits at the 19th percentile among all GPUs in the database, far below the CPU's 94th percentile. This mismatch suggests that many combos ranked above this one use more powerful GPUs, even if their CPUs are weaker. In an FPS like Lockdown Protocol, where frame rates above 144 FPS are achievable at 1080p, the CPU matters, but the GPU ultimately determines the ceiling at higher resolutions.

The data shows that this combo's best performance is at 1080p Low (219 FPS) and its worst is at 4K Ultra (48 FPS). The rank of 1436 suggests that while the combo is not a top-tier performer, it is far from the bottom. For context, the CPU's nearest rivals are all within 0.9% in average score, meaning the CPU choice is not what separates this combo from those ranked nearby — the GPU is the differentiating factor.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured data provides four presets at each of three resolutions. At 1080p, the choice depends on the player's refresh rate. Low settings deliver 219 FPS, Medium delivers 155 FPS, High delivers 136 FPS, and Ultra delivers 102 FPS. For a 144 Hz monitor, High settings at 136 FPS are nearly sufficient, but Medium at 155 FPS offers a comfortable margin. For a 240 Hz monitor, Low at 219 FPS is the only preset that approaches the refresh rate, though it falls short of 240.

At 1440p, the situation tightens. Low produces 160 FPS, Medium 114 FPS, High 99 FPS, and Ultra 75 FPS. For 144 Hz gaming, Low is the only preset that exceeds the target, and it does so with headroom. Medium at 114 FPS is playable but not at high refresh rates. High at 99 FPS is smooth for 60 Hz displays but leaves performance on the table for faster panels.

At 4K, no preset reaches 60 FPS on average except Low, which hits 104 FPS. Medium averages 74 FPS, High averages 64 FPS, and Ultra averages 48 FPS. The data suggests that 4K gaming with this combo is viable only at Low or Medium settings, and even then, the frame pacing may suffer in demanding scenes. The Medium preset at 4K has a recorded min FPS of 62 and max of 85, indicating some variance.

The best overall experience per the measured rows is 1080p Medium at 155 FPS average, with a min of 132 and max of 179. This preset balances visual quality with high frame rates, staying above 144 FPS on average while providing a playable minimum. Alternatively, 1440p Low at 160 FPS offers similar performance with higher resolution, making it the best choice for players who prioritize sharpness over visual effects.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the full range of presets shows this combo's strength. Low settings produce 219 FPS average. Medium settings produce 155 FPS average, with a minimum of 132 FPS and a maximum of 179 FPS. High settings produce 136 FPS average. Ultra settings produce 102 FPS average. The spread from Low to Ultra is 117 FPS, which means the preset choice has a massive impact at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the numbers scale down proportionally. Low settings deliver 160 FPS average. Medium settings deliver 114 FPS average, with a minimum of 97 FPS and a maximum of 131 FPS. High settings deliver 99 FPS average. Ultra settings deliver 75 FPS average. The spread from Low to Ultra is 85 FPS, showing that the GPU begins to constrain performance more at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the dominant factor. Low settings still manage 104 FPS average. Medium settings drop to 74 FPS average, with a minimum of 62 FPS and a maximum of 85 FPS. High settings fall to 64 FPS average. Ultra settings bottom out at 48 FPS average. The spread from Low to Ultra is 56 FPS, which is smaller in absolute terms but represents a 54% performance penalty for Ultra over Low.

Only the Medium preset has recorded minimum and maximum FPS values across all three resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the range is 132 to 179 FPS. At 1440p Medium, it is 97 to 131 FPS. At 4K Medium, it is 62 to 85 FPS. This data indicates that the Medium preset maintains relatively stable frame delivery, with the minimum always staying above 60 FPS even at 4K.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB is built on the AD106 chip using TSMC's 5 nm process, featuring 22,900 million transistors on a 188 mm² die. It operates at a base clock of 2310 MHz and a boost clock of 2535 MHz, with memory running at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective). The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory sits on a 128-bit bus, providing 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has 4352 shading units, 136 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units, along with 34 ray tracing cores and 136 tensor cores.

In the only available GPU benchmark, 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the card scores 2913. This places it at the 19th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all within 0.7% in score: the RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell SFF at 2910 (0.1% behind), the RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB at 2907 (0.2% behind), the Quadro P600 at 2923 (0.3% ahead), and the RTX 4010 at 2893 (0.7% behind). The fact that the 16 GB version of the same GPU scores nearly identically suggests that VRAM capacity is not the primary differentiator in this benchmark.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU's role becomes evident in the resolution scaling data. At 1080p, the GPU can render frames quickly enough that the CPU's 5.60 GHz boost clock and strong single-core performance set the pace. At 4K, the GPU's 288.0 GB/s bandwidth and 128-bit bus become limiting factors, as evidenced by the 48 FPS average at Ultra settings. The 8 GB VRAM capacity may also constrain texture loading at 4K Ultra, though the measured data does not capture VRAM usage directly.

The GPU's pixel rate of 121.7 GPixel/s and texture rate of 344.8 GTexel/s are respectable for a mid-range card, but they are not sufficient for 4K Ultra gaming in this title. The FP32 performance of 22.06 TFLOPS indicates solid compute capability, yet the game's rendering demands at 4K outpace what this card can deliver at high quality settings. The data suggests that players should either drop to 1440p for high-refresh-rate play or accept lower presets at 4K to maintain playable frame rates.