Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with Intel Core i9-14900K + AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT

The pairing of Intel's 24-core Core i9-14900K with AMD's Radeon RX 6700 XT creates an interesting asymmetry in Lockdown Protocol: the CPU sits at the 95th percentile among all processors, while the GPU ranks at the 72nd percentile among all graphics cards. This gap suggests the RX 6700 XT will likely be the performance limiter in most scenarios, but the measured FPS data reveals a more nuanced story about how this combination behaves across resolutions and settings. The 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on the GPU, paired with a 192-bit bus and 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth, provides ample headroom for the game's data demands, while the CPU's 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 6.00 GHz boost clock work to keep frame pacing consistent.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable pattern as resolution increases, but the rate of decline tells an important story about the system's bottleneck characteristics. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 191 FPS, which drops to 140 FPS at 1440p Low (a 26.7% reduction), and then to 90 FPS at 4K Low (a 35.7% reduction from 1440p). This scaling behavior is classic GPU-limited performance — the CPU has plenty of headroom at lower resolutions, but the RX 6700 XT's pixel throughput becomes increasingly strained as the pixel count grows.

The Medium settings row provides the most complete data, with min and max FPS values recorded at every resolution. At 1080p Medium, the average is 135 FPS with a range of 115 to 156 FPS. Moving to 1440p Medium drops the average to 99 FPS (a 26.7% decline), with a range of 84 to 114 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 64 FPS, with a range of 54 to 74 FPS. The 35.4% drop from 1440p to 4K at Medium settings is slightly larger than the 26.7% drop from 1080p to 1440p, indicating that the GPU's memory bandwidth and shading capabilities are being pushed progressively harder as resolution climbs.

High settings tell a similar story: 118 FPS at 1080p, 87 FPS at 1440p (a 26.3% drop), and 56 FPS at 4K (a 35.6% drop from 1440p). The consistency of these percentage drops across settings suggests that Lockdown Protocol's rendering pipeline scales predictably with pixel count, and the RX 6700 XT's 13.21 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is the determining factor. The Ultra preset, which pushes the GPU hardest, shows the steepest absolute decline: 89 FPS at 1080p, 65 FPS at 1440p, and 42 FPS at 4K. The 52.8% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings confirms that this is where the GPU's 64 ROPs and 165.2 GPixel/s pixel rate become the limiting factor.

GPU Role

The Radeon RX 6700 XT, built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with a 7 nm process from TSMC, brings 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs to bear on Lockdown Protocol. Its game clock of 2424 MHz and boost clock of 2581 MHz, with a base clock of 2321 MHz, provide the raw compute throughput that drives the FPS numbers seen across all resolutions. The 12 GB of GDDR6 memory running at 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) delivers 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth over a 192-bit bus — a configuration that proves adequate for the game's textures and geometry at 1080p and 1440p, but begins to show strain at 4K Ultra where the average drops to 42 FPS.

The GPU's 40 ray tracing cores are present but do not appear to be a dominant factor in the measured results, as the FPS scaling pattern is consistent with traditional rasterization workloads. The 13.21 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 413.0 GTexel/s texture rate work in tandem to produce the 191 FPS peak at 1080p Low, but the Ultra preset at 4K demands more than the 165.2 GPixel/s pixel rate can deliver, resulting in the 42 FPS floor. The GPU's 230 W TDP and dual-slot form factor are consistent with its mid-to-high-end positioning, and the benchmark data shows it performing at the 72nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27425.

Nearest rival comparisons place the RX 6700 XT within a tight band of similarly performing cards: it matches the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile with a 0% deltaPct, sits 0.5% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090, trails the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 by 1.5%, and leads the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell by 1.1%. This positioning explains why the 4K Ultra result of 42 FPS is playable but not smooth — the GPU is operating near its compute and bandwidth limits, and the data suggests that users seeking higher 4K performance would need a card in a higher percentile bracket.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K brings 24 cores and 32 threads to the pairing, with a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz. This Raptor Lake Refresh processor, built on Intel's 10 nm process with a 257 mm² die size, delivers substantial single-threaded performance that is critical for FPS titles where frame pacing depends on the main game thread. The CPU's 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide low-latency access to frequently used game data, and the data shows this is more than sufficient for Lockdown Protocol's demands.

Looking at the measured FPS across all resolutions, the CPU's role becomes clear: it rarely constrains performance. At 1080p Low, the 191 FPS average demonstrates that the CPU can feed frames well above what the GPU can render at higher settings. The 6.00 GHz boost clock and 2262.5 single-core Cinebench R23 score (with a 2935 single-core Cinebench R20 score) indicate strong per-thread performance that keeps the game's logic and physics from becoming a bottleneck. The CPU's 95th percentile ranking among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 79097, places it in the top tier for gaming workloads.

The nearest rival data shows the i9-14900K is tightly clustered with other high-end processors: it sits 0.3% behind the Intel Core i9-14900KF, 0.6% behind the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, and 1.2% behind the AMD EPYC 7413, while leading the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 by 1.7%. This clustering suggests that any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical results in Lockdown Protocol, and the measured FPS differences across resolutions are almost entirely attributable to the GPU. The CPU's 125 W TDP and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory (dual-channel) provide flexibility for system builders, but the benchmark data indicates that the i9-14900K is never the limiting component in this game at any resolution tested.

FAQ

Q: Why does the FPS drop so much more from 1440p to 4K than from 1080p to 1440p?

A: The data shows consistent percentage drops of roughly 26-27% from 1080p to 1440p, but 35-36% drops from 1440p to 4K across Low, Medium, and High settings. This larger decline indicates the RX 6700 XT's 384.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 13.21 TFLOPS of compute are progressively overwhelmed as pixel count increases, with the 64 ROPs becoming the limiting factor at 4K.

Q: Can this combo achieve 144 FPS at 1080p?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where the measured average is 191 FPS. At Medium settings the average drops to 135 FPS, which is below 144 FPS, and at High settings it falls to 118 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 89 FPS, so users targeting 144 FPS must use Low or accept a lower frame rate at higher settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The data clearly indicates the GPU is the limiting component. The i9-14900K ranks at the 95th percentile among CPUs with an average benchmark score of 79097, while the RX 6700 XT ranks at the 72nd percentile with an average score of 27425. The FPS scaling pattern across resolutions follows GPU-limited behavior, with the CPU's 6.00 GHz boost clock providing ample headroom.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming on this combo?

A: At 1440p, the Medium preset delivers 99 FPS on average with a range of 84 to 114 FPS, which provides a good balance of visual quality and smoothness. High settings drop to 87 FPS, while Ultra falls to 65 FPS. For competitive play, Low settings at 1440p produce 140 FPS, which may be preferable for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Q: How does the Ultra preset at 4K compare to the Medium preset at 4K?

A: The Ultra preset at 4K averages 42 FPS, which is a 34.4% reduction from the Medium preset's 64 FPS average. The Medium preset also has a recorded minimum of 54 FPS and maximum of 74 FPS, providing a smoother experience. The data suggests Ultra at 4K is only suitable for slower-paced gameplay or screen captures.

Q: Where does this combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: This combination ranks 1950 out of 3714 tested combos, placing it in the 52.5th percentile (above the median). The CPU's high performance is offset by the GPU's mid-range positioning, resulting in a combo that is capable but not top-tier, particularly at 4K where the GPU's limitations are most evident.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1080p (1920x1080):

• Low: 191 FPS average
• Medium: 135 FPS average (115 min, 156 max)
• High: 118 FPS average
• Ultra: 89 FPS average

1440p (2560x1440):

• Low: 140 FPS average
• Medium: 99 FPS average (84 min, 114 max)
• High: 87 FPS average
• Ultra: 65 FPS average

4K (3840x2160):

• Low: 90 FPS average
• Medium: 64 FPS average (54 min, 74 max)
• High: 56 FPS average
• Ultra: 42 FPS average

The Medium settings rows are the only ones with complete min/max data, providing insight into frame pacing. At 1080p Medium, the 41 FPS spread between min and max (115 to 156) represents a 35.7% variance, which is significant but manageable. At 1440p Medium, the spread narrows to 30 FPS (84 to 114), a 35.7% variance that mirrors the 1080p pattern. At 4K Medium, the spread is 20 FPS (54 to 74), also a 37% variance — suggesting that frame time consistency scales proportionally with resolution, and the GPU's workload remains evenly distributed across the frame buffer.

Settings Recommendations

For users prioritizing high refresh rates at 1080p, the Low preset delivers 191 FPS, which exceeds the refresh rate of most 144Hz and 165Hz monitors. However, the Medium preset at 135 FPS (115-156 FPS range) provides a better balance of visual quality and performance, staying above 60 FPS even at the recorded minimum. The High preset at 118 FPS is also viable for 120Hz displays, while Ultra at 89 FPS remains playable for less competitive modes.

At 1440p, the Medium preset at 99 FPS (84-114 FPS range) is the recommended choice for most users, as it offers smooth gameplay on 100Hz+ monitors while maintaining decent visual fidelity. The Low preset at 140 FPS is ideal for competitive play where frame rate takes precedence over graphics, and the High preset at 87 FPS is acceptable for users with 90Hz or 100Hz displays. The Ultra preset at 65 FPS is borderline for fast-paced gameplay, and the data suggests it should be reserved for less demanding scenarios or users who prioritize image quality over smoothness.

At 4K, the Medium preset at 64 FPS (54-74 FPS range) is the only setting that consistently maintains playable frame rates above 60 FPS on average. The Low preset at 90 FPS provides the smoothest 4K experience but sacrifices visual quality, while High at 56 FPS and Ultra at 42 FPS fall below the 60 FPS threshold. For 4K gaming, Medium is the recommended preset, with Low as a fallback for users who prefer higher frame rates. The data indicates that Ultra at 4K should be avoided for serious gameplay, as the 42 FPS average is likely to feel sluggish in a fast-paced FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of the Intel Core i9-14900K and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT ranks 1950 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it just above the median of all configurations. The rank reflects the significant gap between the CPU's top-tier performance (95th percentile, average benchmark score 79097) and the GPU's mid-range performance (72nd percentile, average benchmark score 27425). In practical terms, this means the combo is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the GPU's limitations become apparent at 4K, particularly at Ultra settings where the 42 FPS average falls well below competitive standards.

The combo's position in the rankings is heavily influenced by the GPU's performance ceiling. The RX 6700 XT's nearest rivals — all within 1.5% of its average benchmark score — represent the performance tier this combo occupies. The CPU's nearest rivals show similarly tight clustering, with the i9-14900K within 1.7% of four other high-end processors. This data suggests that swapping the CPU for a comparable model would have minimal impact on Lockdown Protocol performance, while upgrading the GPU would yield significant FPS gains across all resolutions, particularly at 4K where the GPU is the clear bottleneck. The measured FPS data supports this interpretation, with the combo delivering 191 FPS at 1080p Low but only 42 FPS at 4K Ultra — a range that highlights the GPU's dominant role in determining the overall gaming experience.