Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol is a demanding FPS release, and the pairing of the Intel Core i9-14900K with the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT produces a playable but heavily GPU-bound experience across most settings. The data shows this combo ranks 831st out of 1637 tested configurations, placing it just above the median, with performance that scales predictably with resolution and graphical presets. The Radeon RX 6750 XT consistently acts as the limiting factor, while the i9-14900K's substantial core count and high boost clock ensure it never becomes a bottleneck in this title.

FAQ

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

A: The data indicates that 2560x1440 on High settings provides the best balance, delivering an average of 88.8 FPS. This is a significant improvement over 4K performance while still offering a high-quality visual experience.

Q: How does the combo perform at 1080p with the highest settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the combo achieves an average of 95.1 FPS. This demonstrates the GPU's capability to handle the game's demands at the most common resolution, though it is the lowest average at that resolution compared to other presets.

Q: Is the graphics card or the processor the main bottleneck in this game?

A: The benchmark results point squarely at the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT as the limiting component. The GPU's performance percentile is 79, and its closest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, which is only 1.3% faster on average. The CPU, with its 97th percentile ranking, is far more powerful relative to the GPU.

Q: Is a smooth 60 FPS experience achievable at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, only the Low preset (92.7 FPS) and Medium preset (70.1 FPS) clear the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset falls just short at 58.8 FPS, while the Ultra preset is not viable for smooth gameplay with an average of 42.4 FPS.

Q: How does the frame rate scale when lowering settings from Ultra to Low?

A: The performance scaling is substantial. At 1080p, the average frame rate jumps from 95.1 FPS on Ultra to 198.7 FPS on Low, a difference of over 100 FPS. This wide gap shows that the game's visual presets have a massive impact on the GPU load.

Q: Where does this specific CPU and GPU combination rank among all tested combos?

A: The combo holds the 831st position out of 1637 total tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol. This places the configuration in the middle of the pack, indicating that while it is not a top-tier performer, it is far from being an outlier at the bottom.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT is the primary driver of the frame rates in these results. Its 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth are sufficient for the game's assets at all tested resolutions. The GPU's clock speeds, with a base of 2150 MHz and a boost of 2600 MHz, contribute to its raw throughput, but the data suggests they are not enough to keep up with the demands of the highest settings at 4K.

The GPU's performance percentile of 79 places it in the upper fourth of all graphics cards, yet its nearest rivals in the database are revealing. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, a card from a different tier, is only 1.3% faster on average. This proximity shows that the RX 6750 XT is punching at a specific weight class, and Lockdown Protocol's rendering load is sufficient to push it to its limits. The scaling from Low to Ultra presets highlights this, as the GPU's workload increases dramatically with each step up in visual fidelity, directly translating to lower average frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, revealing a classic GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p High, the combo produces 123.9 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 High, the average falls to 88.8 FPS, a 28% reduction. Pushing to 3840x2160 High yields 58.8 FPS, a further 34% reduction from 1440p. This pattern holds across all settings, with the 4K Ultra preset (42.4 FPS) being the only configuration that drops below the 60 FPS threshold.

This scaling confirms the RX 6750 XT is the limiting component. The Intel Core i9-14900K, with its high Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 49872 and single-core score of 7040, is more than capable of feeding the GPU at any resolution. The percentage-based drops in frame rate are directly tied to the exponential increase in pixel count, which is a pure GPU workload. The CPU's role remains constant, while the GPU's rendering time increases, making the graphics card the clear bottleneck as resolution climbs.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 is the sweet spot, yielding an average of 101.5 FPS. This resolution provides a significant upgrade over 1080p, and the Medium preset offers a substantial performance headroom over High (88.8 FPS) and Ultra (70.5 FPS). At 1080p, the High preset is the recommended choice, delivering 123.9 FPS, which is an excellent experience for competitive play while maintaining good detail.

The Ultra preset is not recommended for this GPU. It drops the average frame rate to 95.1 FPS at 1080p and 70.5 FPS at 1440p, and at 4K it becomes unplayable at 42.4 FPS. The performance cost of the Ultra preset's extra effects is too high relative to the visual gains. For 4K displays, the Low preset (92.7 FPS) or Medium preset (70.1 FPS) are the only viable options, as the High preset's 58.8 FPS average is on the edge of playability.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested configurations, this CPU and GPU pairing is an average performer. With a rank of 831 out of 1637 combos, it sits just slightly above the midpoint of the database for Lockdown Protocol. This ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's performance cap. While the Intel Core i9-14900K is a top-tier processor, it is paired with a mid-range graphics card that cannot fully utilize the CPU's potential in this graphics-intensive FPS.

The combo's position is more reflective of the GPU's capabilities than the CPU's. The i9-14900K's benchmark scores place it in the 97th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79824. This is a massive processing resource that is simply not taxed by the game's requirements. The GPU, on the other hand, is in the 79th percentile, and its performance is the defining factor for the combo's mid-pack ranking.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080:

• Low: 198.7 FPS
• Medium: 143.1 FPS
• High: 123.9 FPS
• Ultra: 95.1 FPS

2560x1440:

• Low: 148.3 FPS
• Medium: 101.5 FPS
• High: 88.8 FPS
• Ultra: 70.5 FPS

3840x2160:

• Low: 92.7 FPS
• Medium: 70.1 FPS
• High: 58.8 FPS
• Ultra: 42.4 FPS

The data shows a clear and consistent hierarchy. At every resolution, the Low preset offers a massive performance lead, and the Ultra preset is the most demanding. The gap between Medium and High is smaller than the gap between High and Ultra, suggesting that the Ultra preset introduces a disproportionately heavy load on the GPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K serves as a high-performance foundation that is never the limiting factor in these tests. With 24 cores and 32 threads, and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz, its processing power is immense. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 49872 and single-core score of 7040 show that it is one of the most capable consumer CPUs available, a fact reinforced by its 97th percentile ranking among all processors.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is to manage game logic, physics, and draw calls, a task it performs with ease. The benchmark results indicate that even at the lowest resolution and settings, where the GPU is working the least, the CPU does not become a bottleneck. The frame rate at 1080p Low is 198.7 FPS, which is high, but it is not limited by the CPU. This suggests that the game is not heavily multi-threaded, but the i9-14900K's high single-core performance ensures it stays ahead of the GPU's demands, allowing the RX 6750 XT to be the definitive performance ceiling for this combo.