Lockdown Protocol

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Lockdown Protocol with the Intel Core i9-14900K and AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT shows a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces 155.8 FPS average. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same preset drops that to 117.3 FPS, a reduction of roughly 25%. At 3840x2160, Low settings yield 76.2 FPS, which is about 51% below the 1080p figure. This scaling behavior is typical for a system where the RX 5700 XT is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions.

The gap between settings presets widens considerably at 4K. At 3840x2160, the spread from Low to Ultra is 42.1 FPS (76.2 down to 34.1). At 1440p, that same spread is 63.4 FPS (117.3 down to 53.9). At 1080p, the spread is 80 FPS (155.8 down to 75.8). The narrowing range at higher resolutions indicates that pixel throughput demands saturate the GPU's capabilities before settings complexity becomes the dominant cost. In practical terms, this means the RX 5700 XT's 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are being taxed heavily at 4K, where even Low settings cannot maintain a 60 FPS baseline.

Interestingly, the step from Medium to High at each resolution costs less than the step from Low to Medium. At 1080p, Low to Medium drops 46.2 FPS, while Medium to High drops only 9.8 FPS. This suggests that the Low preset is disproportionately lighter in this game, likely due to reduced draw distances or simplified shading workloads that interact poorly with the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The data indicates a system that can handle 1440p gaming comfortably at Medium or High settings, but 4K gaming will require significant compromises.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i9-14900K and AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT ranks 1250 out of 1637 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the database, which is unsurprising given the GPU's age relative to the CPU's modern flagship status. The i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread part with a boost clock of 6.00 GHz, placing it in the 97th percentile among all CPUs. The RX 5700 XT, in contrast, sits in the 68th percentile among GPUs. The pairing creates a significant imbalance where CPU headroom far exceeds what the GPU can utilize.

Looking at the GPU's nearest rivals, the RX 5700 XT's average benchmark score of 24731 is only 0.1% behind the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile (24763) and 0.3% ahead of the Intel Arc A350M (24647). It also edges out the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile by 0.6% and the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 by 0.9%. These narrow margins indicate that the RX 5700 XT performs competitively with those products in synthetic workloads, but the measured FPS in Lockdown Protocol reflects real-world gaming where the 8 GB VRAM and RDNA 1.0 feature set may hold it back.

For the CPU, the i9-14900K's average score of 79824 is 0.3% behind the AMD EPYC 7413 (80041) and 0.7% ahead of both the Intel Core i9-14900KF and Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF (79245 and 79240 respectively). It also leads the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K by 0.9%. The CPU is clearly not the bottleneck in this pairing; the data shows a system where the GPU dictates frame rates across all tested resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Lockdown Protocol at 4K smoothly?

A: At 3840x2160, the highest average FPS recorded is 76.2 on Low settings. Medium drops to 50.6, High to 44.9, and Ultra to 34.1. Only Low settings approach playable smoothness, and even that falls short of a locked 60 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for this pairing?

A: The data shows 2560x1440 on High settings delivers 73.7 FPS average, which is a solid balance. At 1080p, High settings hit 99.8 FPS, but the visual quality gain from 1440p may justify the lower frame rate for many users.

Q: How does the RX 5700 XT compare to its closest competitors?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is within 0.9% of four rival products. It trails the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile by 0.1%, leads the Intel Arc A350M by 0.3%, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile by 0.6%, and the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 by 0.9%.

Q: Is the i9-14900K holding back the RX 5700 XT?

A: No. The CPU ranks in the 97th percentile among all CPUs and outperforms its nearest rivals by up to 0.9%. The bottleneck is clearly the GPU, as evidenced by the sharp FPS drops when resolution increases.

Q: What settings preset should be avoided entirely?

A: Ultra settings at any resolution produce the lowest frame rates, with 34.1 FPS at 4K, 53.9 FPS at 1440p, and 75.8 FPS at 1080p. The 4K Ultra result is particularly poor and should be avoided.

Q: Does the CPU's 24-core configuration matter for this game?

A: The i9-14900K's 24 cores and 32 threads provide substantial headroom, but Lockdown Protocol's FPS figures are dictated by the GPU. The CPU's strength prevents it from becoming a limiting factor, but it does not translate to higher frame rates when the GPU is saturated.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest performance. Low settings produce 155.8 FPS average, Medium drops to 109.6, High to 99.8, and Ultra to 75.8. The gap between Low and Ultra is 80 FPS, showing significant scaling with settings complexity. Even at Ultra, the frame rate remains above 60 FPS, making 1080p the only resolution where every preset is playable.

At 2560x1440, performance takes a noticeable hit. Low settings average 117.3 FPS, Medium 80.7, High 73.7, and Ultra 53.9. The Medium and High results are within 7 FPS of each other, suggesting diminishing returns from the preset change. Ultra falls below 60 FPS, which may be a concern for competitive play. The data indicates that 1440p users should stick to High or Medium for consistent performance.

At 3840x2160, the RX 5700 XT struggles. Low settings yield 76.2 FPS, Medium 50.6, High 44.9, and Ultra 34.1. The drop from Low to Medium is 25.6 FPS, the largest single-step penalty in the entire dataset. This indicates that the Medium preset introduces rendering features that disproportionately burden the GPU at 4K. High and Ultra are both below 45 FPS, making them unsuitable for most users.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread processor based on Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration places the CPU in the 97th percentile among all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 79824.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU. The measured FPS scaling across resolutions follows a pattern consistent with GPU limitation: as pixel count increases, frame rates drop proportionally regardless of settings complexity. The i9-14900K's single-thread performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7040 and a Geekbench single-core score of 3064, provides ample processing power for game logic and draw calls. The multi-threaded capabilities, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 49872 and a Passmark multithread score of 58674, are largely unused in this title.

The CPU's nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 7413, which is 0.3% faster on average, and the Intel Core i9-14900KF, Core Ultra 7 265KF, and Core Ultra 7 265K, which are 0.7%, 0.7%, and 0.9% slower respectively. These margins are negligible in gaming scenarios, confirming that CPU choice has minimal impact on this specific pairing's Lockdown Protocol performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and frame rate preference. For 1080p users seeking maximum smoothness, Low settings at 155.8 FPS are ideal for high-refresh-rate displays. Those prioritizing visual quality can select Ultra at 75.8 FPS, which remains comfortably above 60 FPS.

At 1440p, the best balance between visual fidelity and performance is High settings at 73.7 FPS. Medium is nearly identical at 80.7 FPS, so users who prefer extra headroom for frame time consistency may opt for Medium. Ultra at 53.9 FPS is borderline, but may be acceptable for slower-paced gameplay.

At 4K, the situation is more constrained. Low settings at 76.2 FPS is the only preset that breaks 60 FPS, but it sacrifices significant visual quality. Medium at 50.6 FPS is playable for single-player experiences, while High and Ultra at 44.9 and 34.1 FPS respectively are difficult to recommend. The data suggests that 4K users should either accept Low settings or consider lowering the resolution to 1440p for a better experience.

The overall recommendation is to target 1440p with High settings as the default configuration for this combo. It provides the best compromise between the GPU's capabilities and the CPU's headroom, delivering 73.7 FPS without pushing into the diminishing returns of Ultra settings. For competitive play, 1080p with Low settings offers the highest frame rates and lowest input latency.