Lockdown Protocol

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 secures the 21st position out of 1,637 tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol. That places this setup in the top 1.3% of all configurations evaluated, which is remarkable given the sheer breadth of hardware combinations in the database. The ranking reflects a blend of raw computational strength and graphics capability that few systems can match. What makes this particularly interesting is that the CPU alone sits at the 96th percentile against all processors, while the GPU holds the 91st percentile against all graphics cards — both are elite components, but their combined synergy produces a result that exceeds what either percentile would suggest individually.

The data implies that this pairing extracts near-maximum performance from the game engine. Among the nearest CPU rivals, the i7-14700KF shows a deltaPct of 0 against the i7-14700K, meaning they are statistically identical in average benchmark scores. It trails the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X by a negligible 0.4% and the Intel Xeon Platinum 8270 by 1.3%, while leading the AMD EPYC 9115 by 0.3%. These margins are within noise for real-world gaming, so the 21st rank is more attributable to the GPU's dominance than any CPU advantage. On the graphics side, the RTX 4090's nearest rivals — the Tesla T4, Tesla P40, Radeon Pro Vega 56, and Quadro P6000 — are all workstation or datacenter cards, not gaming GPUs. The RTX 4090 leads the Tesla P40 by 0.5% and the Quadro P6000 by 1.3%, but trails the Radeon Pro Vega 56 by 0.9% and the Tesla T4 by 0.4% in synthetic averages. This is curious: the RTX 4090 is clearly a gaming flagship, yet its synthetic benchmark scores hover near professional cards, suggesting that Lockdown Protocol's engine favors the specific architectural strengths of Ada Lovelace rather than raw compute throughput.

GPU Role

The RTX 4090 brings 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock runs at 1313 MHz with 21 Gbps effective speed, while the GPU core operates between a base of 2235 MHz and a boost of 2520 MHz. These specifications translate directly into the measured FPS results. At 4K Ultra, the combo still produces 80 average FPS, which is playable for most competitive scenarios. The frame rates scale almost linearly with settings at each resolution, indicating that the GPU's memory bandwidth is the primary constraint as resolution increases. The 1.01 TB/s bandwidth is critical here — Lockdown Protocol appears to be a game that benefits enormously from high memory throughput, as evidenced by the 173.9 FPS at 4K Low versus 106.1 FPS at 4K High. That is a 64% drop from Low to High at the same resolution, which points to shader complexity and texture bandwidth demands rather than core clock limitations.

The GPU's 16,384 shading units and 512 tensor cores are underutilized at lower settings; the data shows the bottleneck shifts from compute to memory as settings climb. At 1080p Low, the 352.8 FPS result suggests the GPU is nowhere near its limit, and the CPU begins to matter more. But at 4K Ultra, the 80 FPS figure aligns closely with what the memory subsystem can sustain given the pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s. Interestingly, the GPU's percentile rank of 91 indicates that while it is a top-tier card, it is not the absolute best in every synthetic test — yet in this game, it outperforms many configurations that might rank higher in generic benchmarks. This suggests Lockdown Protocol's engine is well-optimized for Ada Lovelace's specific feature set, including DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4 support.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1440p High yields 166.7 average FPS, which balances visual fidelity and smoothness. At 4K High, the average drops to 106.1 FPS, still playable but less fluid. For maximum competitive advantage, 1080p Low produces 352.8 FPS, far exceeding any display refresh rate.

Q: How does the RTX 4090 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 66,473. It leads the Tesla P40 by 0.5% and the Quadro P6000 by 1.3%, but trails the Radeon Pro Vega 56 by 0.9% and the Tesla T4 by 0.4%. These are marginal differences, yet in Lockdown Protocol the gaming performance is far superior to these workstation cards.

Q: Is the CPU holding back the GPU at any resolution?

A: At 1080p Low, the 352.8 FPS result indicates the GPU is not the limiting factor; the CPU's 20 cores and 28 threads with a 5.60 GHz boost clock are sufficient. However, the gap between 1080p Low and 4K Low (352.8 vs 173.9 FPS) shows the GPU becomes the constraint as resolution increases.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking and what does it mean?

A: The i7-14700KF ranks at the 96th percentile against all CPUs, meaning it outperforms 96% of processors. Its average benchmark score is 70,104, placing it in the same league as the i7-14700K (70,074) and AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (70,420).

Q: How does changing settings from Low to Ultra affect FPS at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, Low produces 268.3 FPS, Medium drops to 193.6 FPS, High yields 166.7 FPS, and Ultra falls to 126.7 FPS. The step from Low to Medium is the largest single drop at 27.8%, while subsequent steps are smaller.

Q: Does the GPU's 24 GB VRAM matter for this game?

A: Lockdown Protocol does not appear to be VRAM-constrained, as even at 4K Ultra the 80 FPS result is respectable. The 24 GB capacity is far beyond what this game requires, suggesting the memory bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s is more important than capacity.

Measured FPS Breakdown

Starting at 1080p, the combo delivers 352.8 FPS on Low settings, which is an extraordinary figure for any game. Medium settings yield 265.5 FPS, High produces 232.1 FPS, and Ultra drops to 171 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p is a 51.5% reduction, which is substantial but still leaves even Ultra well above 144 Hz displays. Moving to 1440p, the numbers are 268.3 FPS on Low, 193.6 FPS on Medium, 166.7 FPS on High, and 126.7 FPS on Ultra. The transition from 1080p to 1440p at the same settings costs roughly 24% performance for Low, 27% for Medium, 28% for High, and 26% for Ultra. These are consistent percentages, indicating a uniform scaling factor.

At 4K, the results become more constrained: 173.9 FPS on Low, 124.8 FPS on Medium, 106.1 FPS on High, and 80 FPS on Ultra. The drop from 1440p to 4K is steep — approximately 35% for Low, 36% for Medium, 36% for High, and 37% for Ultra. This consistent ~36% reduction across all settings suggests the GPU's pixel throughput is the limiting factor, not the CPU or memory bandwidth. The pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,290.2 GTexel/s are being taxed heavily at 4K. The 80 FPS minimum at 4K Ultra is still above the 60 FPS console standard, but for a 240 Hz esports monitor, only 1080p Low or Medium truly saturate the display.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS progression from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear pattern. At Low settings, the combo drops from 352.8 FPS at 1080p to 268.3 FPS at 1440p (a 23.9% decrease) and then to 173.9 FPS at 4K (a 35.2% decrease from 1440p). At Ultra settings, the progression is 171 FPS to 126.7 FPS (25.9% decrease) and then to 80 FPS (36.9% decrease). The percentage drops are remarkably consistent across all settings, with the 4K transition always costing about 36% more performance than the 1440p step. This uniformity indicates that the limiting component scales predictably with pixel count — the GPU's shading units and ROPs (176) are processing more fragments per frame.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU's 5.60 GHz boost clock and 33 MB of shared L3 cache are sufficient to feed the GPU fully. The 352.8 FPS at 1080p Low is likely near the engine's frame rate ceiling, regardless of hardware. As resolution climbs, the GPU becomes the sole bottleneck; the CPU's contribution diminishes because the frame time is dominated by pixel shading rather than game logic or draw calls. This is typical for a well-optimized FPS engine. The 4K Ultra result of 80 FPS, while low relative to other settings, still represents a playable experience, and the 106.1 FPS at 4K High is a sweet spot for those wanting 4K with high refresh. The consistent scaling also implies that enabling DLSS (if supported) would yield even higher numbers, but that feature is not in the measured data.

Settings Recommendations

For competitive play, 1080p Low at 352.8 FPS is the clear choice — it removes any conceivable display refresh rate bottleneck and minimizes input latency. At 1440p, Low at 268.3 FPS is still excellent for esports, while Medium at 193.6 FPS offers a reasonable balance for those who want some visual fidelity without sacrificing fluidity. High at 1440p produces 166.7 FPS, which is ideal for 165 Hz monitors. For 4K, High at 106.1 FPS is the recommended setting for a smooth experience, as Ultra at 80 FPS may feel less responsive in fast-paced firefights. The data shows that Medium at 4K (124.8 FPS) provides a 17.6% improvement over High while likely having minimal visual difference in a game of this genre — the measured FPS gap between Medium and High at 4K is 18.7 FPS, and the jump from High to Ultra costs 26.1 FPS, which is the largest single settings penalty in the entire dataset.

The best overall experience per the measured rows is 1440p High at 166.7 FPS. This resolution provides a significant visual upgrade over 1080p while maintaining a frame rate that exceeds most high-refresh monitors. The 126.7 FPS at 1440p Ultra is also viable, but the 40 FPS difference between High and Ultra at this resolution (166.7 vs 126.7) suggests diminishing returns — the visual gains from Ultra are unlikely to justify the performance loss in a competitive shooter. At 1080p, Ultra at 171 FPS is surprisingly close to 1440p High, making 1080p Ultra a good option for those who prioritize frame rate over resolution. The data consistently shows that High settings offer the best balance of quality and performance across all three resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF brings 20 cores and 28 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. The 33 MB shared L3 cache and 2 MB L2 per core provide substantial on-die storage for game assets. In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role becomes evident at lower resolutions and settings. The 352.8 FPS at 1080p Low is only achievable because the CPU can feed the GPU with enough draw calls and game state updates. The multi-threaded performance, as measured by Cinebench R23 at 44,557, and single-thread performance at 6,290, directly supports the high frame rates observed. The CPU's 96th percentile ranking means it outperforms virtually all consumer processors, yet the nearest rivals — the i7-14700K with a deltaPct of 0 and the Ryzen 9 9950X at -0.4% — show that this is not a uniquely superior chip.

At 4K Ultra, the CPU's influence wanes; the 80 FPS result is primarily GPU-bound. However, the fact that 1080p Ultra (171 FPS) is only 171% of 4K Ultra (80 FPS) — while 1080p Low (352.8 FPS) is 203% of 4K Low (173.9 FPS) — suggests that at Ultra settings, even the GPU is not fully saturated at 1080p. The CPU's 20 cores are likely overkill for this game, but the high boost clock of 5.60 GHz is what matters for single-threaded game logic. The data shows that the CPU is never the bottleneck at any resolution above 1080p Low. The Geekbench multicore score of 19,287 and single-core of 2,972 further confirm that this CPU has ample headroom. Ultimately, the i7-14700KF is a top-tier companion for the RTX 4090, ensuring that the GPU is always the limiting factor, which is the ideal scenario for maximizing FPS.