Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol, a 2024 FPS title, presents a demanding workload that scales significantly with resolution. At 1080p with Low settings, the combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT achieves an average of 281.9 FPS. This high frame rate indicates that at this resolution and setting level, the CPU is providing ample headroom, and the system is not severely limited by the processor. As the resolution increases to 1440p, the average FPS at Low settings drops to 207.8, which is a substantial 26.3% reduction from the 1080p result. This decline demonstrates the GPU beginning to take on a more significant role, as the number of pixels to render increases.

Moving to 4K at Low settings, the average FPS further falls to 131.3. This represents a 53.4% decrease from the 1080p Low result and a 36.8% decrease from the 1440p Low result. The scaling pattern is clear: the performance cost of each resolution step is significant. This behavior is typical of a system where the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. However, the game's settings also play a crucial role. At 1080p, the jump from Low to High settings reduces the average FPS from 281.9 to 173.5, a 38.5% performance hit. The difference between High and Ultra at 1080p is even more pronounced, with the average FPS dropping from 173.5 to 129.0, a 25.6% reduction. This indicates that while the CPU can handle the game's logic at high frame rates, the graphical fidelity settings heavily influence the final output.

At 4K, the impact of settings is equally dramatic. The average FPS at High is 82.3, but at Ultra it drops to 61.5. This 20.8 FPS difference between High and Ultra at 4K underscores the intense demand of the Ultra preset. The fact that the system still manages to push above 60 FPS at 4K Ultra confirms the raw power of the RX 7900 XT. The data suggests that the limiting component shifts from the CPU at 1080p Low to the GPU at 4K Ultra, with the GPU being the primary bottleneck in the most demanding scenarios. The performance drop from 1080p Low to 4K Ultra is a massive 78.2%, highlighting the extreme scaling of this title.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, featuring a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. This high core count and thread count are typical of a desktop processor designed for heavy multitasking and multi-threaded workloads. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44557 and single-core score of 6290 place it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, indicating top-tier performance. In the context of Lockdown Protocol, the game's performance at high frame rates, particularly at 1080p, suggests that this processor is not the bottleneck. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 281.9 FPS, a frame rate where CPU limitations often become apparent in other titles. Here, the i7-14700KF's strong single-core performance, evidenced by its 6290 Cinebench R23 single-core score, is sufficient to feed the GPU at these speeds.

The processor's performance is closely matched by its direct rival, the Intel Core i7-14700K, which has an average benchmark score of 70074 compared to the 14700KF's 70104, a negligible 0% delta. This near-identical performance means that in gaming scenarios, the two chips are virtually interchangeable. The i7-14700KF also holds a slight edge over the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X, which has an average score of 70420, a delta of -0.4%. This shows that in synthetic benchmarks, the Intel chip is not only competitive but also slightly ahead of a high-end AMD offering. With 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB of L2 cache per core, the processor has a substantial amount of fast memory to store frequently accessed game data, which can help reduce latency and improve frame pacing. The combination of high clock speeds and a large cache hierarchy is beneficial for a fast-paced FPS like Lockdown Protocol, where responsiveness is key.

The CPU's 125W TDP and support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory provide flexibility, but the benchmark results show that its primary strength is delivering high frame rates without being a limiting factor. The Passmark multi-thread score of 52425 further confirms its prowess in multi-threaded tasks, but for gaming, the single-thread performance is often more critical. The data indicates that the i7-14700KF is an excellent match for the RX 7900 XT, as it can easily keep up with the GPU's output at 1080p and 1440p, allowing the graphics card to be the primary determinant of performance at higher resolutions. The processor's ranking in the 96th percentile versus all CPUs reinforces that it is a premium part that will not hold back a high-end graphics card in most gaming scenarios.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 31 chip and features 20 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 320-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 800.0 GB/s. This large memory pool and high bandwidth are crucial for high-resolution gaming, as they allow the GPU to store and access large textures and frame buffers quickly. The GPU's boost clock is 2394 MHz, and it has a base clock of 1387 MHz, with a game clock of 2025 MHz. These clocks, combined with 5376 shading units and 192 ROPs, contribute to its raw rendering power. The GPU's performance is reflected in its Passmark G3D score of 29009 and its 82nd percentile ranking among all GPUs.

In Lockdown Protocol, the RX 7900 XT's role becomes increasingly dominant as the resolution and settings are increased. At 1080p Low, the GPU is not the bottleneck, as the system achieves 281.9 FPS. However, at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 61.5, showing that the GPU is now the limiting factor. The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K at High settings is particularly telling: the FPS drops from 173.5 to 82.3, a 52.6% reduction. This is a clear indication that the GPU's rendering capabilities are being taxed by the higher pixel count. The 20 GB of VRAM is unlikely to be a limiting factor in this title, as even at 4K Ultra, the game's textures and assets are likely well within this capacity. The GPU's 800.0 GB/s memory bandwidth ensures that data can be fed to the processing units efficiently.

The RX 7900 XT's nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile, which has an average score of 38349 compared to the 7900 XT's 38358, a 0% delta. This is a curious comparison, as the RTX 5080 Mobile is a laptop part, but the data shows they are statistically tied in average benchmark performance. The RX 7900 XT also outperforms the NVIDIA CMP 70HX, which has an average score of 38225, a delta of 0.3%. This shows that the 7900 XT is a high-performance part that competes well with other top-tier GPUs. The GPU's performance in Lockdown Protocol, especially the ability to maintain an average of 82.3 FPS at 4K High, demonstrates its capability as a premium 4K gaming solution. The fact that it can push past 60 FPS at 4K Ultra in a modern FPS is a strong indicator of its performance class.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with High settings?

A: The system achieves an average of 173.5 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings.

Q: How much of a performance drop occurs when moving from 1440p to 4K at High settings?

A: The average FPS drops from 126.3 at 2560x1440 to 82.3 at 3840x2160, which is a 34.8% decrease.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 61.5, indicating that the GPU is the primary limiting component at this resolution and quality level.

Q: How does this combo's performance at 1080p Low compare to 4K Ultra?

A: The average frame rate drops from 281.9 FPS at 1080p Low to 61.5 FPS at 4K Ultra, a significant 78.2% reduction in performance.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all tested GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs based on its average benchmark score.

Q: What is the CPU's single-core Cinebench R23 score?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700KF scores 6290 points in the Cinebench R23 single-core benchmark.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this pairing of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT ranks 324th out of 1637 total combos for Lockdown Protocol. This places the system in the top 20% of all tested configurations, indicating a very high level of performance. The rank is a composite score that takes into account the measured frame rates across all resolutions and settings. The data shows that this combo is well-suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1440p, where it achieves an average of 126.3 FPS at High settings, and is also capable of smooth 4K gaming, with an average of 82.3 FPS at High settings.

The high rank is a direct result of the synergy between the powerful CPU and GPU. The i7-14700KF, which sits in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, ensures that the GPU is fed with data efficiently at lower resolutions, while the RX 7900 XT, in the 82nd percentile of GPUs, provides the raw compute power needed for higher resolutions. The fact that this combo is in the 324th spot out of 1637 means that it outperforms the vast majority of systems in this game. This reflects the balanced nature of the components, as neither is a significant bottleneck at common gaming resolutions. For a user with a high-refresh-rate 1440p monitor, this combo would provide an excellent experience, and for 4K gaming, it offers a very playable performance level, especially when settings are adjusted from Ultra to High. The rank suggests that this is a top-tier configuration for Lockdown Protocol.