Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with Intel Core i9-14900K + AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT delivers a compelling Lockdown Protocol experience, with measured data showing solid frame rates across all tested resolution and settings combinations. This pairing ranks 625th out of 1,637 tested combos, placing it in the upper-middle tier of the database. The 14900K sits in the 97th percentile among all CPUs, while the RX 7800 XT lands in the 76th percentile among all GPUs, suggesting a system where the processor's relative strength exceeds the graphics card's, a dynamic that becomes evident when analyzing resolution scaling behavior.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K brings substantial processing resources to Lockdown Protocol, featuring 24 cores and 32 threads built on the Raptor Lake architecture. Its base clock of 3.20 GHz can boost up to 6.00 GHz, and the processor carries 36 MB of shared L3 cache alongside 2 MB of L2 cache per core. For an FPS title like Lockdown Protocol, the single-thread performance is particularly relevant, and the data reflects this: the CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7,040 and a multi-core score of 49,872.

The processor's standing relative to its closest competitors is remarkably tight. The nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 7413, posts an average benchmark score of 80,041, putting the 14900K just 0.3% behind. The Intel Core i9-14900KF and Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF both trail by 0.7%, while the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is 0.9% behind. This clustering suggests that in CPU-bound scenarios, Lockdown Protocol performance would be nearly indistinguishable across these processors. The 14900K's PassMark single-thread score of 4,697 and multi-thread score of 58,674 indicate strong headroom for game logic and AI computations, even at lower resolutions where the CPU's influence on frame rates is most pronounced.

At 1080p with Low settings, the system reaches 233.1 FPS, a figure that likely approaches the CPU's practical limit for this title. The fact that dropping from High to Low settings at 1080p yields a 62.6% FPS increase (from 143.5 to 233.1) suggests the CPU can feed frames at a very high rate when graphical load is minimized. The 14900K's Geekbench multi-core score of 20,370 and single-core score of 3,064 further reinforce its capability to handle the game's background tasks, though Lockdown Protocol's requirements may not fully exploit all 24 cores.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT, built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 32 chip, provides 16 GB of GDDR6 memory across a 256-bit bus, delivering 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock reaches 2,430 MHz, with a game clock of 2,124 MHz and a base clock of 1,295 MHz. The GPU's 3,840 shading units, 240 texture mapping units, and 96 raster operation pipelines give it substantial throughput for rasterization-heavy titles like Lockdown Protocol.

The GPU's benchmark positioning shows it clustered with some unexpected rivals. The AMD FirePro S9300 X2 scores 32,540, just 0.2% behind the RX 7800 XT, while the NVIDIA P104-100 leads by 0.4% and the NVIDIA T600 Mobile leads by 0.7%. The AMD FirePro S10000 trails by 0.7%. This grouping, combined with the GPU's 76th percentile ranking, indicates the RX 7800 XT is a capable mid-to-upper tier graphics solution, though not at the absolute top of the performance hierarchy.

The memory configuration deserves attention. With 16 GB of VRAM and 256-bit bus width, the RX 7800 XT has both capacity and bandwidth to handle high-resolution textures and effects. At 4K Ultra settings, the system still manages 54.7 FPS, suggesting the GPU's bandwidth and compute resources are adequate for the most demanding preset. The 37.32 TFLOPS FP32 performance provides raw compute headroom, while the 233.3 GPixel/s pixel rate and 583.2 GTexel/s texture rate indicate strong fill-rate capabilities for maintaining visual fidelity at high resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases, with the CPU's influence diminishing at higher pixel counts. At 1080p High, the system achieves 143.5 FPS; moving to 1440p High drops this to 107.9 FPS (a 24.8% reduction), and 4K High further reduces it to 68.5 FPS (a 52.3% reduction from 1080p). This scaling curve is typical of a system where the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution climbs.

The Low settings preset shows the most dramatic resolution scaling, which is revealing. At 1080p Low, the system hits 233.1 FPS, but 1440p Low falls to 170.1 FPS (27.0% lower), and 4K Low drops to 111 FPS (52.4% lower than 1080p). The fact that even at Low settings, 4K performance is less than half of 1080p performance suggests the RX 7800 XT's pixel throughput, not the CPU, is the limiting factor at 4K. If the CPU were the constraint, we would expect smaller relative drops when lowering resolution.

Ultra settings amplify this trend. At 1080p Ultra, the system manages 109.2 FPS, which drops to 77.8 FPS at 1440p (28.8% lower) and 54.7 FPS at 4K (49.9% lower). The consistency of roughly 50% performance loss from 1080p to 4K across settings presets strongly indicates the GPU is the dominant constraint at higher resolutions, while the CPU's role is most significant at 1080p where frame rates exceed 200 FPS on lower presets.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i9-14900K and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT ranks 625th out of 1,637 tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the 62nd percentile of all tested setups. This ranking is notably lower than the individual component percentiles (97th for CPU, 76th for GPU), which suggests that Lockdown Protocol's performance is more dependent on the GPU than the CPU, and the RX 7800 XT's 76th percentile positioning drags the overall combo down relative to what the CPU alone might suggest.

This rank disparity raises an interesting question: would a different GPU pairing with the same CPU achieve a significantly higher combo rank? The data indicates the GPU is the more constrained component in this pairing, so the 625th rank likely reflects GPU-limited performance rather than CPU limitations. The fact that the combo outperforms its rank would require comparison with other combos, but the measured data shows the system delivers playable frame rates at all tested settings and resolutions, with only 4K Ultra dipping below 60 FPS.

The ranking also reflects the balance of this pairing. A CPU in the 97th percentile paired with a GPU in the 76th percentile creates a system where the CPU has significant headroom for future GPU upgrades. This imbalance may be intentional for users who prioritize CPU-intensive tasks outside gaming, but for Lockdown Protocol specifically, the data suggests the GPU is the component to upgrade first if higher frame rates are desired.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p displays, the data shows that High settings at 143.5 FPS provides an excellent balance of visual quality and performance, well above the typical 60 FPS target. Ultra settings at 109.2 FPS remain highly playable and offer the best visual fidelity, making it the recommended choice for users with high-refresh-rate monitors who want maximum quality. Low settings at 233.1 FPS are only necessary for competitive play where maximum frame rates take precedence over visuals.

At 1440p, High settings deliver 107.9 FPS, which is ideal for smooth gameplay on 144Hz monitors. Medium settings at 121.8 FPS provide a modest performance boost with minimal visual compromise. Ultra settings at 77.8 FPS are still playable and recommended for users prioritizing visual quality, while Low settings at 170.1 FPS serve competitive players well.

For 4K, High settings at 68.5 FPS is the recommended choice, as it stays above 60 FPS while offering strong visual fidelity. Medium settings at 76.9 FPS provide additional headroom for maintaining stable frame rates. Ultra settings at 54.7 FPS dip below 60 FPS and may cause noticeable stutter on standard 60Hz displays, making them less ideal. Low settings at 111 FPS are surprisingly playable and could be preferred by users who prioritize smoothness over visual quality at 4K.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 233.1, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Does this combo maintain 60+ FPS at 4K Ultra settings?

A: No, at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the system achieves an average of 54.7 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the CPU rank compared to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i9-14900K has an average benchmark score of 79,824, sitting 0.3% behind the AMD EPYC 7413 and 0.7% ahead of both the Intel Core i9-14900KF and Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF.

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

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT ranks in the 76th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 32,619.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the system drops from 143.5 FPS at 1080p to 68.5 FPS at 4K, representing a 52.3% performance reduction.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking in Lockdown Protocol?

A: This CPU and GPU combination ranks 625th out of 1,637 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest performance across all settings. Low settings achieve 233.1 FPS average, Medium settings reach 167.7 FPS, High settings hit 143.5 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 109.2 FPS. The 123.9 FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at this resolution demonstrates the substantial impact of graphical fidelity on frame rates.

At 2560x1440, performance scales predictably downward. Low settings average 170.1 FPS, Medium settings reach 121.8 FPS, High settings achieve 107.9 FPS, and Ultra settings deliver 77.8 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 92.3 FPS, indicating the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's constraints become evident. Low settings still manage 111 FPS average, Medium settings reach 76.9 FPS, High settings achieve 68.5 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 54.7 FPS. The performance spread from Low to Ultra at 4K is 56.3 FPS, the smallest range across all resolutions, confirming that the RX 7800 XT's pixel throughput is the primary bottleneck at this resolution. All measurements represent average FPS data, with no minimum or maximum frame rate data available in the dataset.