Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol, a 2024 FPS title, presents a demanding workload where the pairing of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT demonstrates a clear performance hierarchy across its graphics presets. The measured data shows that the choice of settings is not merely a visual preference but a significant determinant of playable frame rates, particularly at higher resolutions where the GPU's load increases substantially. This analysis breaks down the benchmark results to provide actionable recommendations and contextualize the hardware's standing within the broader test pool.

Settings Recommendations

The optimal preset for this combination is heavily dependent on the target resolution and refresh rate, as the performance spread between the Low and Ultra presets is substantial. At 1920x1080, the data shows that the High preset, yielding an average of 118.2 FPS, offers the most balanced experience. This frame rate is sufficiently high to leverage high-refresh-rate monitors while maintaining a significant visual upgrade over the Low preset, which achieves 190.9 FPS but likely compromises visual fidelity for a marginal competitive edge. The Medium preset at 137.5 FPS is also viable, but High provides a better balance of visual quality and speed without the performance penalty of Ultra, which drops to 91.5 FPS.

Stepping up to 2560x1440, the Medium preset becomes the most compelling choice. It delivers an average of 99 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay and provides a more immersive visual experience than the High preset's 88.1 FPS. While the Low preset pushes performance to 138.3 FPS, the visual compromise is often too great for most players at this resolution. The Ultra preset's 66 FPS is playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes, making Medium the recommended setting for a consistent and visually satisfying experience.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck, and the data indicates that only the Low preset, with its 91.8 FPS average, provides a truly fluid experience. The Medium preset drops to 62.8 FPS, which is acceptable but not ideal for fast-paced action, while High (53.5 FPS) and Ultra (41.9 FPS) fall below the desired smoothness threshold for a competitive FPS. Therefore, for 4K play, Low settings are recommended to maintain high frame rates, with the understanding that visual detail will be significantly reduced. Ultimately, the data suggests prioritizing frame rate over fidelity for this title, especially as resolution increases.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT, with its 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus providing 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth, is the primary driver of performance in Lockdown Protocol at higher resolutions. The GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 77th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 33721. Its nearest rivals, the AMD Radeon RX 6800 and NVIDIA RTX A5000, are within a 1.3% performance margin, indicating that this card is positioned in a highly competitive performance tier. The GPU's boost clock of 2581 MHz and game clock of 2424 MHz are the active frequencies during gameplay, and the data shows their impact scales with resolution.

The transition from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 reveals the GPU's limitations. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 88.1 to 53.5, a significant 39% reduction, while at Low settings, it falls from 138.3 to 91.8. This demonstrates that the RX 6700 XT is the limiting factor at 4K, as the CPU's performance headroom cannot compensate for the increased pixel-pushing workload. The 12 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for this title even at Ultra settings, as the data does not indicate any memory-related performance anomalies, but the raw computational power of the Navi 22 chip is what caps performance at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

In the comprehensive database of tested hardware combinations for Lockdown Protocol, this pairing of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT holds the 929th rank out of 1637 combos. This places it in the middle of the performance distribution, indicating that while it is not a top-tier configuration, it is far from being underpowered. The ranking reflects the balanced nature of the components, where the CPU's high performance is tempered by the GPU's mid-range positioning. The CPU itself, scoring in the 96th percentile of all processors with an average benchmark score of 70104, is a top-tier performer, but the GPU's 77th percentile ranking pulls the combined score down.

The combo's rank is a direct consequence of the GPU being the bottleneck in most gaming scenarios. The Core i7-14700KF, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, provides ample processing power to feed the GPU, but the RX 6700 XT cannot fully utilize this capability in a graphically intensive title like Lockdown Protocol. This results in a system that is well-balanced for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where the GPU can keep pace with the CPU, but falls behind at 4K. The data suggests that users seeking a higher rank would need to pair this CPU with a more powerful GPU to unlock its full potential.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a granular view of performance across all resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates range from 190.9 FPS on Low to 91.5 FPS on Ultra. The High preset at 118.2 FPS and Medium at 137.5 FPS fill out the middle, showing a predictable scaling curve. The performance gap between Low and Ultra is a substantial 99.4 FPS, indicating that the GPU is the primary limiter even at this resolution, as the CPU can easily handle the frame generation.

At 2560x1440, the average frame rates are 138.3 FPS (Low), 99 FPS (Medium), 88.1 FPS (High), and 66 FPS (Ultra). The relative performance drop from Low to Ultra is 72.3 FPS, which is a similar percentage drop to 1080p, but the absolute numbers are lower, confirming the increased GPU load. The High preset's 88.1 FPS is notable as it remains above 60 FPS, making it a viable, if not optimal, choice for 1440p gaming.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates compress significantly: 91.8 FPS (Low), 62.8 FPS (Medium), 53.5 FPS (High), and 41.9 FPS (Ultra). The Ultra preset's average falls below the 60 FPS threshold, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay. The Low preset is the only option that provides a consistently high frame rate, while Medium is the only other preset that remains above 60 FPS. This data clearly shows that 4K gaming with this combo requires a significant sacrifice in visual settings to maintain playable performance.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling of performance from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 illustrates the GPU-bound nature of this configuration. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 118.2 at 1080p to 88.1 at 1440p, a 25.5% decrease, and then to 53.5 at 4K, a further 39.3% decrease from 1440p. This steep decline at 4K indicates that the RX 6700 XT is overwhelmed by the pixel count, and the CPU's performance becomes irrelevant at this point.

At Low settings, the scaling is more linear: 190.9 FPS at 1080p, 138.3 FPS at 1440p, and 91.8 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 27.6% and 33.6%, respectively, showing a slightly more gradual curve. This suggests that even with reduced graphical load, the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute units are still the limiting factor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a smaller performance gap between 1440p and 4K, as the CPU's frame generation capability would be the constraint. Instead, the data shows a clear GPU bottleneck, particularly at 4K, where the resolution scaling has a disproportionate impact on frame rates. This confirms that for users of this combo, lowering resolution is a more effective way to boost FPS than tweaking individual settings.