Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with Intel Core i9-14900K + AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX delivers an exceptional Lockdown Protocol experience across all tested resolutions, with the data showing a clear GPU-bound pattern at 4K that transitions to a more balanced workload at 1080p. The combination achieves a combo rank of 218 out of 1,637 tested configurations, placing it in the top 13.3% of all system pairings for this FPS title. The measured frame rates demonstrate that this setup can push well beyond 300 FPS at lower settings, while maintaining smooth gameplay at maximum visual fidelity, though the scaling behavior across resolutions reveals important optimization opportunities for users targeting specific display refresh rates.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling data reveals a classic GPU-limited progression that becomes more pronounced as pixel count increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the system produces 303.9 FPS, which drops to 221.1 FPS at 1440p and further to 141.2 FPS at 4K. This represents a 27.3% performance reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 36.1% reduction from 1440p to 4K at Low settings, indicating that the RX 7900 XTX is the primary constraint as resolution climbs. The scaling pattern at Ultra settings tells a similar story: 141.8 FPS at 1080p falls to 100.9 FPS at 1440p (a 28.8% drop) and then to 65 FPS at 4K (a 35.6% drop from 1440p). This consistent percentage-based decline across settings strongly suggests the GPU is the limiting factor at every resolution tier, with the CPU providing sufficient headroom.

However, the scaling between settings at each resolution reveals where the bottleneck shifts. At 1080p, the gap between Low (303.9 FPS) and Ultra (141.8 FPS) is 162.1 FPS, a massive 114.3% difference that highlights how much headroom exists when graphical load is reduced. At 4K, the same Low-to-Ultra spread narrows to 76.2 FPS (141.2 down to 65), indicating that the GPU's pixel throughput capabilities are being saturated. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the system delivers 65 FPS, which is exactly at the threshold for smooth competitive gameplay, while 4K Medium (100.4 FPS) and 4K High (89.5 FPS) provide comfortable margins above 60 FPS. The 4K Low result of 141.2 FPS demonstrates that even at maximum resolution, this combination can drive high-refresh-rate displays when settings are reduced, though the 1080p Low figure of 303.9 FPS reveals the true ceiling of the pairing's capability.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for competitive play with this combination?

A: The data shows 1080p Low delivers 303.9 FPS, which is ideal for 240Hz or higher refresh rate monitors. At 1440p Low, the system still produces 221.1 FPS, making it viable for high-refresh 1440p displays, while 4K Low at 141.2 FPS remains playable for less demanding competitive scenarios.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming smoothly?

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 65, which is playable but close to the 60 FPS threshold. For a more comfortable experience, 4K High (89.5 FPS) or 4K Medium (100.4 FPS) provide better margins, while 4K Low reaches 141.2 FPS for maximum smoothness.

Q: How does the Core i9-14900K contribute to gaming performance?

A: The 24-core, 32-thread processor with a 6.00 GHz boost clock ensures the GPU is never starved for data. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 49,872 and single-core score of 7,040 indicate substantial processing headroom, though in this game the measured FPS scaling suggests the GPU is the primary limiter at higher resolutions.

Q: Is the RX 7900 XTX's 24 GB VRAM sufficient for Lockdown Protocol?

A: The 24 GB of GDDR6 memory with 960.0 GB/s bandwidth is more than adequate for the tested settings. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (65 FPS) shows no evidence of VRAM-related performance degradation, and the memory configuration supports the game's texture requirements at all presets.

Q: What is the performance difference between High and Ultra settings?

A: At 1080p, High delivers 184.6 FPS versus 141.8 FPS on Ultra, a 30.2% difference. At 1440p, the gap narrows slightly to 35.5 FPS (136.4 vs 100.9), and at 4K it becomes 24.5 FPS (89.5 vs 65). These differences suggest Ultra's additional visual effects have a measurable but not overwhelming cost.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested systems?

A: The combination ranks 218 out of 1,637 total tested combos, placing it in the 86.7th percentile of all configurations. This puts it ahead of the majority of systems tested for Lockdown Protocol, with the data confirming it is a top-tier performer.

Settings Recommendations

The optimal settings depend heavily on the target display's refresh rate and resolution. For 1080p users with 240Hz displays, Low settings (303.9 FPS) provide the best experience, as the frame rate exceeds even the most demanding refresh rate requirements while maintaining competitive responsiveness. Medium settings at 1080p (214.1 FPS) still exceed 240Hz thresholds by a wide margin and offer improved visual fidelity. For 1440p 144Hz displays, Medium (159 FPS) is the recommended starting point, as it provides a comfortable buffer above the refresh rate while delivering better image quality than Low (221.1 FPS). High settings at 1440p (136.4 FPS) are also viable, though they sit slightly below 144Hz, meaning users would benefit from Medium unless they prioritize visuals over frame rate consistency.

For 4K 60Hz displays, Ultra (65 FPS) is playable but leaves little margin for demanding scenes; High (89.5 FPS) or Medium (100.4 FPS) are safer choices that guarantee smooth gameplay with minimal visual compromise. At 4K with high-refresh displays, only Low (141.2 FPS) approaches the 144Hz mark, making it the sole viable option for that scenario. The data suggests that High settings offer the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions, with 89.5 FPS at 4K, 136.4 FPS at 1440p, and 184.6 FPS at 1080p — all comfortably above playable thresholds. Users seeking maximum visual fidelity should consider Ultra, but the measured 65 FPS at 4K Ultra indicates a need for adaptive sync technology to avoid visible stutter.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce 303.9 FPS, Medium reaches 214.1 FPS, High achieves 184.6 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 141.8 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra represents a 53.3% reduction in performance, showing the substantial cost of maximum graphical features at this resolution. The 1080p results demonstrate that the CPU-GPU combination has enormous headroom, with even Ultra settings exceeding 140 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the measured results show 221.1 FPS on Low, 159 FPS on Medium, 136.4 FPS on High, and 100.9 FPS on Ultra. The Low-to-Ultra drop is 120.2 FPS, or 54.4% — slightly steeper than at 1080p, indicating the GPU is beginning to feel the increased pixel load. Medium settings still exceed 144Hz, making this the sweet spot for high-refresh 1440p monitors, while High (136.4 FPS) sits just below that threshold.

At 3840x2160, the system produces 141.2 FPS on Low, 100.4 FPS on Medium, 89.5 FPS on High, and 65 FPS on Ultra. The performance spread narrows to 76.2 FPS, and the percentage drop from Low to Ultra is 54.0%. Notably, 4K Medium (100.4 FPS) is the first setting tier that dips below 144 FPS, while 4K Ultra (65 FPS) is the only configuration tested that falls below 90 FPS. The 4K results confirm that this resolution is where the RX 7900 XTX's limits become apparent, though even the lowest result remains playable.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo achieves a rank of 218 out of 1,637 tested combinations for Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the 86.7th percentile of all systems. This ranking reflects the high average benchmark scores of both components: the CPU's average score of 79,824 places it in the 97th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU's average score of 44,019 places it in the 85th percentile among all GPUs. The CPU's performance is nearly identical to the AMD EPYC 7413 (deltaPct of -0.3%) and slightly ahead of the Intel Core i9-14900KF (deltaPct of 0.7%) and Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF (deltaPct of 0.7%). The GPU's closest rival is the AMD Radeon Pro 580 (deltaPct of -0.4%), with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti sitting 2% higher in average score.

The ranking suggests that this combination is well-matched for Lockdown Protocol, as the CPU's top-tier single-threaded performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7,040) ensures no bottleneck at lower resolutions, while the GPU's substantial compute capabilities (61.39 TFLOPS FP32) handle the graphical load at higher resolutions. The gap between this combo's rank (218) and the top of the list likely reflects the presence of even more powerful GPUs or CPU-GPU pairings that extract marginal additional performance in this specific title.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K brings 24 cores and 32 threads to this pairing, with a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz. Its Raptor Lake architecture on Intel's 10 nm process provides the single-threaded strength that FPS titles like Lockdown Protocol typically favor. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7,040 and multi-core score of 49,872 indicate exceptional processing capability, while the Geekbench single-core score of 3,064 and multi-core score of 20,370 reinforce this position. The 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB L2 per core help maintain high memory bandwidth for game logic and scene management.

The benchmark data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor in any of the tested configurations. At 1080p Low, where the CPU would typically be most stressed due to high frame rates, the system achieves 303.9 FPS — a figure that indicates the 6.00 GHz boost clock is being fully utilized without constraint. The CPU's percentile rank of 97 among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79,824, places it just 0.3% below the AMD EPYC 7413 and 0.7% above the Intel Core i9-14900KF, confirming it is one of the fastest desktop processors available. Its 125W TDP and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory (dual-channel) provide flexibility for system builders, though the memory bandwidth is not quantified in the data.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX serves as the primary performance driver in this configuration, with its 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus delivering 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RDNA 3.0 architecture on TSMC's 5 nm process houses 6,144 shading units, 384 TMUs, and 192 ROPs, with a game clock of 2,365 MHz and boost clock of 2,498 MHz. The GPU's 61.39 TFLOPS FP32 compute and 479.6 GPixel/s pixel rate provide ample raw power for Lockdown Protocol's rendering demands. The 96 ray accelerators support DirectX 12 Ultimate, though the game's measured performance suggests rasterization is the primary workload.

The GPU's percentile rank of 85 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 44,019, places it 0.4% below the AMD Radeon Pro 580 and 2% below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti in aggregate benchmarks. However, the measured FPS in Lockdown Protocol shows the GPU handling 4K Ultra at 65 FPS, which is respectable for maximum settings. The 24 GB VRAM capacity far exceeds what this game requires at the tested settings, eliminating any memory capacity bottleneck. The 355W TDP and dual-slot design with dual 8-pin power connectors indicate this is a high-power component, and the data shows its performance scales predictably with resolution — a hallmark of a well-balanced GPU that is pushed to its limits only at 4K Ultra.