Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with Intel Core i7-14700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060

This combination of the Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 produces a playable but not dominant experience in Lockdown Protocol, with the measured data placing this pairing at rank 1,649 out of 3,714 tested combos. The CPU, a 20-core, 28-thread Raptor Lake Refresh part with a 3.40 GHz base clock and 5.60 GHz boost, sits in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU, a Blackwell 2.0 chip with 8 GB of GDDR7 memory, lands in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs. The benchmark results across four resolutions and four quality presets reveal a system that is consistently GPU-bound at higher settings, with the CPU's strong multi-threaded performance providing ample headroom at lower resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K brings 20 cores and 28 threads to the table, a configuration that excels in synthetic workloads but matters less in a fast-paced FPS like Lockdown Protocol. Its Raptor Lake-R architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process, delivers a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, with 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB of L2 cache per core. In the benchmark suite, this CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 33,440.5 and a single-core score of 2,160, along with a Geekbench multi-core score of 20,767 and a single-core score of 2,569. These numbers place it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 69,355.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the i7-14700K is essentially tied with the AMD EPYC 9115 (deltaPct of 0.1% higher), slightly behind the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (deltaPct of -0.2%), and trailing the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (deltaPct of -0.7%) and AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (deltaPct of -0.9%). The PassMark multi-thread score of 52,392 and single-thread score of 4,472 further confirm that this is a high-end desktop part, but in Lockdown Protocol, the frame rates at 1080p suggest the CPU is rarely the limiting factor. At 1920x1080 Low, the system reaches 201 FPS average, which is the highest measured result in the entire dataset and indicates that the CPU can feed the GPU well beyond typical display refresh rates. The 125 W TDP and dual-channel DDR4/DDR5 memory support are standard for this class, and the PCIe Gen 5 interface with 16 CPU lanes provides ample bandwidth for the GPU.

The integrated UHD Graphics 770 is present but irrelevant for gaming when a discrete GPU is installed. The CPU's 94th percentile ranking against all CPUs reinforces its position as a top-tier processor, yet the combo's overall in-game rank of 1,649 out of 3,714 shows that raw CPU power alone does not dictate Lockdown Protocol performance. The data suggests that at 1080p, where the CPU's single-thread performance matters most, the i7-14700K's 2,160 Cinebench R23 single-core score and 4,472 PassMark single-thread score are more than sufficient to keep the RTX 5060 busy, as evidenced by the 201 FPS Low preset result.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is the more constrained component in this pairing. Its GB206 chip, built on TSMC's 5 nm process with 21,900 million transistors, operates at a base clock of 2280 MHz and a boost clock of 2497 MHz. The 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a moderate amount for a 50-series card. With 3,840 shading units, 120 TMUs, 48 ROPs, 30 RT cores, and 120 tensor cores, the RTX 5060 delivers 19.18 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The GPU's percentile ranking of 72 against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 26,331, places it in the upper-midrange tier.

The nearest rivals for the RTX 5060 include the AMD Radeon 860M (deltaPct of -0.3%), NVIDIA GeForce MX550 (deltaPct of -0.3%), AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary (deltaPct of -0.8%), and AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT (deltaPct of 1.2%). These narrow deltas, all within 1.2%, indicate that the RTX 5060 performs similarly to these older or integrated-class parts in synthetic benchmarks, but the measured game data tells a more nuanced story. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3,628 and PassMark G3D score of 20,891 provide additional context, but in Lockdown Protocol, the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are the key specifications.

At 3840x2160 Ultra, the average FPS drops to 44, which is the lowest measured result in the dataset, highlighting the GPU's struggle with 4K at maximum settings. The 145 W TDP and 300 W suggested PSU are modest, and the PCIe 5.0 x8 interface is sufficient for this card. The RTX 5060's 72nd percentile ranking shows it is a capable mainstream GPU, but the 4K results indicate that it is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming in this title. The gap between the Low preset at 4K (95 FPS) and the Ultra preset at 4K (44 FPS) demonstrates how much headroom the GPU has when settings are reduced, and the 8 GB VRAM may become a constraint at 4K Ultra where texture demands increase.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, with the magnitude of the drop varying by settings preset. At Low settings, the system delivers 201 FPS at 1080p, 148 FPS at 1440p, and 95 FPS at 4K — a drop of 26.4% from 1080p to 1440p and a further 35.8% from 1440p to 4K. This steep decline at 4K indicates that the RTX 5060's 8 GB frame buffer and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth become increasingly stressed as pixel count quadruples from 1080p.

At Medium settings, the pattern is similar but with slightly lower absolute numbers: 143 FPS at 1080p, 105 FPS at 1440p, and 68 FPS at 4K. The Medium preset also provides minimum and maximum FPS values, showing 121-164 FPS at 1080p, 89-120 FPS at 1440p, and 57-78 FPS at 4K. The high-end results at 4K Medium (78 FPS max) are still below the 1080p Low average of 201 FPS, reinforcing that resolution scaling has a greater impact than settings changes.

High settings produce 125 FPS at 1080p, 91 FPS at 1440p, and 59 FPS at 4K, while Ultra settings yield 94 FPS at 1080p, 69 FPS at 1440p, and 44 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration that falls below 60 FPS average, while the High preset at 4K (59 FPS) is just barely playable. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Ultra (94 to 69 FPS, a 26.6% drop) and from 1440p to 4K at Ultra (69 to 44 FPS, a 36.2% drop) mirrors the Low preset's pattern, suggesting that the GPU's rendering pipeline, not the CPU, is the limiting factor across all settings. The fact that 1080p Low (201 FPS) is more than double the 4K Ultra (44 FPS) underscores how resolution-bound this combination becomes at higher pixel densities.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 1,649 out of 3,714 tested combinations places this pairing in the 44.4th percentile of all tested combos, which is lower than the individual component rankings might suggest. The CPU's 94th percentile and GPU's 72nd percentile do not translate to an equally high combo ranking, indicating that Lockdown Protocol's performance profile is more dependent on GPU capabilities than CPU strength. This is consistent with the resolution scaling data, which shows the GPU becoming the bottleneck at 1440p and 4K.

The CPU's nearest rivals — the AMD EPYC 9115, Ryzen 9 7950X, Ryzen 9 7940HX, and Ryzen 7 9700F — all have average benchmark scores within 0.9% of the i7-14700K, suggesting that any of these CPUs paired with the RTX 5060 would produce similar results in this game. Similarly, the GPU's nearest rivals, including the Radeon 860M and RX 6750 XT, have average scores within 1.2% of the RTX 5060, implying that the measured FPS would be comparable with those cards. The combo's rank of 1,649 means that 2,065 other combinations (55.6% of the tested pool) perform better in Lockdown Protocol, which is a notable underperformance relative to the component-level percentiles.

The data indicates that this combo is competitive at 1080p, where it can achieve 125 FPS at High settings and 201 FPS at Low, but falls behind at higher resolutions. The 4K Ultra result of 44 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold that many players consider essential for a smooth FPS experience, and the 4K High result of 59 FPS is marginal. The 1440p results are more respectable, with High at 91 FPS and Medium at 105 FPS, but the Ultra preset at 69 FPS leaves little headroom for frame rate dips.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and frame rate preference. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 125 FPS average, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a good balance between visual quality and performance. The Medium preset at 1080p (143 FPS) offers a 14.4% improvement over High, but the visual difference may not justify the extra frames for most players. The Ultra preset at 1080p (94 FPS) is still playable but reduces the frame rate by 24.8% compared to High, making it a less appealing choice unless maximum visual fidelity is the priority.

At 2560x1440, the High preset's 91 FPS average is the sweet spot, providing smooth gameplay while maintaining decent visual quality. The Medium preset (105 FPS) is the best option for players who prioritize frame rate over visuals, while the Ultra preset (69 FPS) is playable but leaves less margin for demanding scenes. The Low preset at 1440p (148 FPS) is unnecessary for most users given the High preset's 91 FPS, but it could be useful for competitive play where maximum frame rate matters.

At 3840x2160, the Medium preset's 68 FPS average is the only settings level that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for 4K gaming. The High preset (59 FPS) is marginally below 60 FPS and may experience noticeable stuttering in intense moments, while the Ultra preset (44 FPS) is too demanding for this GPU. The Low preset at 4K (95 FPS) is viable but sacrifices significant visual quality. For the best experience across all resolutions, the High preset at 1080p or 1440p, or the Medium preset at 4K, offers the strongest combination of playability and visual fidelity.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system achieves its highest performance across all presets. The Low preset produces an average of 201 FPS, followed by Medium at 143 FPS (with minimum and maximum of 121 and 164 FPS), High at 125 FPS, and Ultra at 94 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 107 FPS, representing a 53.2% reduction in frame rate when maximizing settings.

At 2560x1440, the results scale down proportionally. Low settings deliver 148 FPS average, Medium produces 105 FPS (with a range of 89 to 120 FPS), High achieves 91 FPS, and Ultra drops to 69 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 79 FPS, a 53.4% reduction, which is nearly identical to the 1080p spread.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly. Low settings average 95 FPS, Medium averages 68 FPS (with a range of 57 to 78 FPS), High averages 59 FPS, and Ultra averages 44 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 51 FPS, a 53.7% reduction, consistent with the lower resolutions. The Medium preset at 4K has the only reported minimum FPS data (57 FPS) that stays above 50, while the High and Ultra presets at 4K fall below 60 FPS average, making them borderline for smooth gameplay.

The data shows a consistent pattern: each step up in quality settings reduces the average FPS by roughly 15-20% at any given resolution. The 1080p Low result of 201 FPS is the only measurement exceeding 200 FPS, and the 4K Ultra result of 44 FPS is the only measurement below 50 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p (143 FPS) and 1440p (105 FPS) provides the most balanced performance-to-quality ratio, while the High preset at 4K (59 FPS) is the most marginal playable configuration.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The measured data shows that 1920x1080 provides the highest frame rates, with Low at 201 FPS, Medium at 143 FPS, High at 125 FPS, and Ultra at 94 FPS. At 2560x1440, the results drop to 148 FPS Low, 105 FPS Medium, 91 FPS High, and 69 FPS Ultra. At 3840x2160, only the Medium preset (68 FPS) exceeds 60 FPS average, making 1080p or 1440p the recommended resolutions for consistent performance.

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

A: The i7-14700K has an average benchmark score of 69,355, which is 0.1% higher than the AMD EPYC 9115 (69,288), 0.2% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (69,515), 0.7% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (69,875), and 0.9% lower than the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (69,996). These differences are negligible in practical terms.

Q: Is the RTX 5060's 8 GB VRAM sufficient for 4K gaming?

A: The measured results indicate that the RTX 5060 struggles at 3840x2160 with higher settings. The Ultra preset averages 44 FPS and the High preset averages 59 FPS, both below or barely at the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset (68 FPS) and Low preset (95 FPS) are playable, but the 8 GB GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth appears to limit performance at 4K, particularly at Ultra settings.

Q: What settings preset gives the highest frame rate at each resolution?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset gives 201 FPS. At 2560x1440, Low gives 148 FPS. At 3840x2160, Low gives 95 FPS. For each resolution, the Low preset consistently provides the highest average FPS, with Medium being the next best option.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: This combination ranks 1,649 out of 3,714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the 44.4th percentile of all tested pairings. This is lower than the CPU's 94th percentile and the GPU's 72nd percentile, indicating that the game is more sensitive to GPU performance than CPU performance.

Q: What is the frame rate range for the Medium preset at different resolutions?

A: The Medium preset is the only settings level with reported minimum and maximum FPS values. At 1920x1080, the range is 121 to 164 FPS with an average of 143 FPS. At 2560x1440, the range is 89 to 120 FPS with an average of 105 FPS. At 3840x2160, the range is 57 to 78 FPS with an average of 68 FPS.