Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol Performance Analysis: Intel Core i7-14700KF + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB

This combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB produces a distinctive performance profile in Lockdown Protocol, one that shifts character dramatically depending on resolution and quality settings. The measured data across 12 distinct configuration points reveals a system capable of high refresh-rate play at 1080p, solid 1440p performance, and playable 4K results, though the margins between settings presets narrow as resolution climbs. The data indicates a pairing where the GPU becomes the primary constraint at higher resolutions, while the 20-core CPU provides ample headroom even at lower settings where frame rates climb toward 220 FPS.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K follows a clear pattern, with average FPS dropping by roughly half at each major resolution step for equivalent settings. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 136 FPS at 1920x1080 to 99 FPS at 2560x1440, then to 64 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 27% reduction moving to 1440p and a further 35% reduction moving to 4K, relative to the 1080p baseline. The Low preset shows an even steeper absolute decline, starting at 219 FPS in 1080p, dropping to 160 FPS at 1440p, and settling at 104 FPS in 4K.

The scaling pattern suggests that at 1080p, the system operates in a CPU-leaning territory at Low settings, where the 219 FPS figure indicates the GPU still has headroom to push further. By contrast, the 4K results at 48-104 FPS across the settings range point to the RTX 4060 Ti's 8 GB frame buffer and 288.0 GB/s memory bandwidth becoming the limiting factors. The gap between Low and Ultra settings narrows from 117 FPS at 1080p (219 vs 102) to 56 FPS at 4K (104 vs 48), indicating that the GPU is saturated by the pixel workload before the quality preset can fully scale. The Medium preset at 4K shows a 74 FPS average with a minimum of 62 FPS and a maximum of 85 FPS, demonstrating that even this mid-range setting keeps the frame rate above 60 FPS, while the Ultra preset at the same resolution falls to 48 FPS, below the 60 FPS threshold commonly associated with smooth play.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific CPU-GPU combination ranks 1436 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the 61st percentile of all tested systems. This mid-field ranking reflects the balanced nature of the hardware pairing; the RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB sits at the 19th percentile among all GPUs in the database, while the Core i7-14700KF ranks at the 94th percentile among CPUs. The divergence between the GPU's modest standing and the CPU's strong position explains why the combo does not climb higher in the overall rankings despite the processor's capabilities.

The combo rank suggests that in Lockdown Protocol, the GPU governs the final outcome more heavily than the CPU. The RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB with a delta of 0.2% and the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell SFF at 0.1%, indicating that the 8 GB memory configuration does not significantly handicap raw 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 performance. At 2913 points, the GPU's score sits within 0.3% of the Quadro P600's 2923 points, though that comparison reflects the synthetic benchmark's specific workload rather than gaming performance. The CPU, by contrast, outperforms the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X by 0.9% in average benchmark score, trailing the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K by 1%, positioning it as a top-tier processor that rarely limits frame rates in this title.

GPU Role

The RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB operates with a base clock of 2310 MHz and a boost clock of 2535 MHz, built on the AD106 chip with 4352 shading units, 136 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units. The 8 GB GDDR6 memory runs at 2250 MHz with an 18 Gbps effective data rate across a 128-bit bus, yielding 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. These specifications place the card firmly in the mid-range segment, and the measured results in Lockdown Protocol reflect that positioning. At 4K Ultra, the card produces 48 FPS, a figure that indicates the 8 GB VRAM buffer is likely being stressed by the combination of high-resolution textures and the game's scene complexity.

The memory configuration deserves particular attention: the 128-bit bus width and 8 GB capacity represent the most significant constraints at higher resolutions. The measured data shows a 54 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 4K (104 vs 48), while the same settings spread at 1080p produces a 117 FPS difference (219 vs 102). This compression of the settings range at 4K suggests that memory bandwidth, rather than raw compute throughput, becomes the limiting factor. The GPU's FP32 throughput of 22.06 TFLOPS and texture rate of 344.8 GTexel/s are sufficient for the game's rendering demands at lower resolutions, but the pixel rate of 121.7 GPixel/s struggles to keep pace with 4K's 8.3 million pixels per frame. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2913 points places the card in the 19th percentile among all GPUs, confirming its mid-range status relative to the broader hardware landscape.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its strongest performance across all settings. The Low preset achieves a 219 FPS average, which represents the highest measured frame rate in this dataset. Medium settings produce 155 FPS with a minimum of 132 FPS and a maximum of 179 FPS, while High settings reach 136 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 102 FPS, still comfortably above the 100 FPS threshold. This resolution is the only one where every settings preset exceeds 100 FPS on average, and the 117 FPS spread between Low and Ultra demonstrates the GPU's ability to scale with quality adjustments when pixel throughput is not the primary constraint.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but the settings spread narrows. Low settings deliver 160 FPS, Medium produces 114 FPS with a 97-131 FPS range, High achieves 99 FPS, and Ultra falls to 75 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra compresses to 85 FPS, indicating that the additional pixel count begins to tax the GPU's memory subsystem. The Medium preset's minimum of 97 FPS shows that even the lower bound stays near the 100 FPS mark, making this resolution viable for high refresh rate displays when settings are managed appropriately.

At 3840x2160, the performance levels off considerably. Low settings yield 104 FPS, Medium produces 74 FPS with a 62-85 FPS range, High drops to 64 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 48 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra narrows to 56 FPS, the smallest of any resolution tested. Only the Low preset maintains an average above 100 FPS at 4K, while Medium and High stay above the 60 FPS playability threshold. The Ultra preset's 48 FPS average falls short of smooth gameplay standards, and the Medium preset's 62 FPS minimum indicates occasional dips that could be noticeable during intense action sequences.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to use for competitive play?

A: The 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings produces a 219 FPS average, which provides the highest frame rate headroom for competitive scenarios. Even at Medium settings, the 155 FPS average with a 132 FPS minimum ensures consistent performance.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gameplay?

A: Yes, but with limitations. At 4K Medium settings, the system delivers a 74 FPS average with a 62 FPS minimum, which is playable. High settings at 4K produce 64 FPS average, while Ultra falls to 48 FPS, below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the 8 GB VRAM capacity affect performance?

A: The 8 GB frame buffer appears to constrain performance at higher resolutions. The settings spread at 4K narrows to 56 FPS between Low and Ultra, compared to 117 FPS at 1080p, indicating that memory capacity or bandwidth becomes a limiting factor as resolution increases.

Q: What is the expected frame rate at 1440p High settings?

A: The measured data shows a 99 FPS average at 2560x1440 with High settings. This is slightly below the 100 FPS mark but remains smooth for most gameplay scenarios.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more responsible for limiting performance?

A: The GPU is the primary limiter. The RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB ranks at the 19th percentile among GPUs, while the Core i7-14700KF ranks at the 94th percentile among CPUs. At 1080p Low settings, the 219 FPS result suggests the CPU is not the bottleneck.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at each resolution?

A: At 1080p, Ultra produces 102 FPS versus 136 FPS for High, a 34 FPS difference. At 1440p, the gap narrows to 24 FPS (75 vs 99). At 4K, the difference shrinks to 16 FPS (48 vs 64), showing diminishing returns from Ultra settings at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting the highest possible frame rates, the 1080p Low preset at 219 FPS represents the peak performance configuration, suitable for high refresh rate monitors and competitive play. The 1440p Medium preset at 114 FPS offers a strong balance between visual quality and performance, with a 97 FPS minimum ensuring minimal dips during intense moments. For 4K displays, the Medium preset at 74 FPS is the recommended choice, as it maintains an average above 60 FPS while providing a 62 FPS minimum; the High preset at 64 FPS is viable but leaves less margin for demanding scenes. The Ultra preset consistently underperforms relative to the visual uplift it provides: at 4K it delivers 48 FPS, below the playability threshold, and at 1440p it produces 75 FPS, which many players would find insufficient for fast-paced FPS action. The measured data indicates that Medium settings offer the best experience across all resolutions, as this preset maintains frame rates within 20% of the Low preset's performance while providing substantially enhanced visual fidelity. At 1080p Medium, the 155 FPS average and 132 FPS minimum provide a smooth experience even on 144 Hz displays, making this the optimal configuration for most users.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF brings substantial processing power to this combination, featuring 20 cores and 28 threads with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. The processor's 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample capacity for game data, while its support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory allows flexible system configuration. The CPU's benchmark results demonstrate its high-end positioning: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44167 and single-core score of 6235, a Geekbench multi-core score of 21462, and a Passmark multithread score of 52425. These figures place the processor at the 94th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 70163.

The CPU's nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X at 69515 (0.9% slower), the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX at 69875 (0.4% slower), and the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F at 69996 (0.2% slower). The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K leads the group at 70879, a 1% advantage over the i7-14700KF. This competitive positioning means the CPU is unlikely to bottleneck the GPU in Lockdown Protocol. The measured data supports this conclusion: at 1080p Low settings, the system reaches 219 FPS, a frame rate that would strain many CPUs, yet the 20-core processor handles it without issue. The 125 W TDP and unlocked multiplier allow for further performance tuning, though the stock configuration already provides sufficient headroom for this game. The CPU's 94th percentile ranking versus the GPU's 19th percentile ranking confirms that the processor operates well within its capabilities while the graphics card approaches its limits at higher resolutions.