Lockdown Protocol

FAQ

Q: What is the combination rank of the Intel Core i9-14900K with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 in Lockdown Protocol?

A: This combo ranks 1709 out of 3714 tested combinations in the game, placing it in the upper half of all configurations tested.

Q: How much VRAM does the AMD Radeon RX 7700 have, and what memory type is used?

A: The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s.

Q: What are the core and thread counts of the Intel Core i9-14900K?

A: The processor has 24 cores and 32 threads, with a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz.

Q: What is the delta percentage between the Intel Core i9-14900K and its closest rival, the Core i9-14900KF?

A: The Core i9-14900KF has an average benchmark score that is 0.3% higher than the Core i9-14900K, as indicated by a deltaPct of -0.3 for the 14900K relative to the rival.

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p Ultra settings for this combination?

A: At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the measured average FPS is 93.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all graphics cards?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7700 sits in the 58th percentile among all GPUs, based on its average benchmark score.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture using the Navi 32 chip on a 5 nm process from TSMC. Its memory subsystem is substantial: 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus yields 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth, a figure that proves crucial in Lockdown Protocol's high-resolution scenarios. The GPU's base clock is 1900 MHz, with a game clock of 2041 MHz and a boost clock of 2459 MHz. Memory operates at 2438 MHz, or 19.5 Gbps effective.

A quick look at the GPU's compute capabilities shows 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. The 40 ray-tracing cores support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), so the hardware is ready for advanced rendering features. The measured FP32 performance is 25.18 TFLOPS, with FP16 also at 25.18 TFLOPS (1:1). The pixel rate is 236.1 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 393.4 GTexel/s.

Benchmark results contextualize this GPU. It scores 2865 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12cas, and in Passmark it records 20974 in G3D and 10963 in GPU compute. The GPU's overall average benchmark score is 15852, placing it in the 58th percentile. The nearest rival is the AMD Radeon R9 370X, which scores 15862, a delta of -0.1%. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti scores 16129, putting it 1.7% ahead. The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is 1% ahead at 16014, while the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 trails by 1.1% at 15679.

For Lockdown Protocol, the GPU appears to be the limiting factor at higher settings and resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 44, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. At 1080p Low, the same GPU produces 200 FPS showing headroom when the load is reduced. The 16 GB VRAM buffer prevents capacity-related stutters, but the raw compute throughput constrains performance at the most demanding settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i9-14900K and AMD Radeon RX 7700 achieves a rank of 1709 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places the configuration in the top 46% of all tested systemstonship. The CPU is a top-tier part, sitting in the 95th percentile among all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 79097. The GPU is more mid-range, sitting at the 58th percentile.

The pairing is therefore imbalanced in favor of the CPU. The i9-14900K's Cinebench R23 multicore score is 39399.5 and single-core is 2262.5ebb. Geekbench results show 21697 multicore and 2655 single-core. These are strong numbers that will not bottleneck most GPUs. However, the RX 7700's Passmark G3D score of 20974 is moderate, and in games like Lockdown Protocol, the GPU carries the rendering load.

The rank of 1709 reflects this imbalance. The combo is not near the top, which would require a more powerful GPU. It is also not near the bottom, because the CPU prevents any serious CPU-bound bottlenecks and the GPU handles 1080p and 1440p well. The data shows a system that is well-suited for high-refresh 1080p gaming and playable 1440p, but it falls short of 4K Ultra. The percentile gap between CPU (95th) and GPU (58th) is telling: the GPU is the weaker link in this pairing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four settings levels, providing a clear picture of the combo's capabilities.

At 1920x1080, the results are strong across the board. Low settings produce an average of 200 FPS. Medium settings yield 142 FPS, with a minimum of 121 and maximum of 163. High settings average 124 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 93 FPS. All of these are above 60 FPS, and the Low and Medium results are well above 120 FPS, ideal for high-refresh monitors.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages decline as expected. Low settings produce 147 FPS. Medium settings average 104 FPS, with a range of 88 to 120. High settings average 91 FPS. Ultra settings average 68 FPS. The 1440p results remain playable at all settings, with Ultra still above 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes. Low settings average 95 FPS, which is playable. Medium settings average 67 FPS, with a minimum of 57 and maximum of 77. High settings average 59 FPS. Ultra settings average 44 FPS. The 4K results show that the GPU struggles at the highest settings, with Ultra falling below 45 FPS and High barely above 60 FPS.

The data indicates that the combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p. At 1080p, even Ultra settings maintain a playable 93 FPS. At 1440p, Ultra drops to 68 FPS, still playable. At 4K, only Low and Medium settings provide a comfortable experience. The frame time consistency, where measured, shows reasonable ranges: at 1080p Medium, the spread from 121 to 163 FPS is moderate; at 1440p Medium, 88 to 120; at 4K Medium, 57 to 77.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K reveals how the system scales under increasing pixel load. At High settings, the average FPS goes from 124 at 1080p to 91 at 1440p to 59 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 33 FPS, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 32 FPS. This is a fairly linear degradation, suggesting the GPU is the primary constraint.

At Low settings, the scaling is different. The averages are 200 at 1080p, 147 at 1440p, and 95 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 53 FPS, and from 1440p to 4K is 52 FPS. The percentage drop is larger at lower settings, which indicates that as the GPU is less stressed, the CPU matters more, but the overall trend remains GPU-limited.

At Medium settings, the averages are 142, 104, and 67 FPS for 1080p, 1440p, and 4K respectively. At Ultra settings, the averages are 93, 68, and 44. The Ultra scaling shows the steepest relative decline: 93 to 68 is a 26.9% drop, and 68 to 44 is a 35.3% drop. The game becomes increasingly GPU-bound at higher settings and resolutions.

The limiting component is clearly the AMD Radeon RX 7700. The CPU, with its 24 cores and 32 threads, is more than capable of feeding the GPU at all resolutions. The data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the CPU load would be highest, the system produces 200 FPS, which is a high frame rate but not an outlier that would suggest CPU limitation. The GPU's 58th percentile ranking reinforces this conclusion. The 4K Ultra result of 44 FPS is a clear sign that the GPU's 25.18 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is insufficient for the most demanding settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and frame rate.

For 1080p, the best experience is at Medium or High settings. Medium yields 142 FPS average, which is smooth and leaves headroom. High yields 124 FPS, also excellent. Ultra at 93 FPS is perfectly playable and offers the best visual quality. The data shows that even Ultra does not force a compromise at this resolution. For competitive play, Low at 200 FPS is the choice, but for a balanced experience, High is recommended.

For 1440p, High settings provide 91 FPS, which is good. Ultra at 68 FPS is also playable and offers the best visuals. The difference between High and Ultra is 23 FPS, so users with high-refresh 1440p monitors may prefer High. For those prioritizing visual fidelity over frame rate, Ultra is acceptable. Medium at 104 FPS is a strong middle ground, but High offers a better balance of quality and speed.

For 4K, the options narrow. Low settings produce 95 FPS, which is smooth. Medium settings produce 67 FPS, which is playable. High settings produce 59 FPS, which is borderline. Ultra at 44 FPS is not recommended for a smooth experience. The best experience at 4K is Medium settings, which balances visual quality with a playable frame rate. Low settings are the safer choice for consistent performance.

Overall, the data suggests that this combo is best used at 1080p or 1440p with High settings. At these resolutions, the system delivers high frame rates without sacrificing much visual quality. At 4K, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, and users must drop to Medium or Low settings to maintain playable performance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a flagship desktop processor from Intel's Core 14th Gen series, based on the Raptor Lake architecture on a 10 nm process. It has 24 cores and 32 threads, with 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. The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory on a dual-channel bus, and it includes UHD Graphics 770 integrated graphics.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i9-14900K performs strongly. Cinebench R23 multicore score is 39399.5, and single-core is 2262.5. Cinebench R20 scores are 20793 multicore and 2935 single-core. Geekbench results are 21697 multicore and 2655 single-core. Passmark multithread score is 58674, and single-thread is 4697. The CPU's average benchmark score is 79097, placing it in the 95th percentile among all CPUs.

The nearest rivals show the CPU's position. The Core i9-14900KF scores 79371, a 0.3% difference. The Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus scores 79574, a 0.6% difference. The AMD EPYC 7413 scores 80041, a 1.2% difference. The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 scores 77740, which is 1.7% lower. The i9-14900K is essentially at parity with its closest rivals, with differences under 2%.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this combo. At 1080p Low, the system produces 200 FPS, which is a high frame rate that requires a strong CPU to maintain. The i9-14900K's single-thread performance, as indicated by the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2262.5, is sufficient for this task. The 32 threads also provide ample headroom for background tasks and streaming.

The CPU's high cache sizes and clock speeds ensure that it can keep up with the GPU's demands at all tested settings. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (44 FPS) is far below what the CPU could deliver, confirming that the GPU is the bottleneck. The CPU's 95th percentile ranking versus the GPU's 58th percentile shows the pairing's imbalance. Users could upgrade the GPU to a higher-tier model without needing to change the CPU, as the i9-14900K has ample performance reserve.