Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol pairs a 24-core, 32-thread Intel Core i9-14900K with a 4 GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650, creating a stark contrast between a top-tier CPU and an entry-level GPU. The CPU, with a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz, sits in the 97th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU, with a 1485 MHz base and 1665 MHz boost clock, sits in only the 43rd percentile of all GPUs. This imbalance heavily determines the game's measured performance, which shows a system consistently limited by its graphics card rather than its processor. The data reveals a pattern where frame rates scale directly with resolution and settings, but never reach the levels the CPU alone could theoretically support.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a powerhouse on paper, featuring 24 cores and 32 threads. Its architecture, Raptor Lake-R, allows for a high boost clock of 6.00 GHz, which is critical for FPS titles that often rely on single-thread performance. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU scores 7,040 points in Cinebench R23 single-core and 49,872 points in multi-core, placing it ahead of rivals like the AMD EPYC 7413 by a margin of -0.3 percent and the Intel Core i9-14900KF by 0.7 percent. The data indicates that the CPU is not the bottleneck in Lockdown Protocol; even at 1080p with Low settings, where CPU load is typically highest, the average frame rate is just 78.3 FPS, a figure that a processor in the 97th percentile should easily exceed.

The CPU's 36 MB of shared L3 cache and support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory provide ample bandwidth for game logic and physics. However, the benchmark results show that this hardware is largely underutilized. For instance, at 4K with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 17.1, which is a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU's PassMark multithread score of 58,674 and single-thread score of 4,697 suggest it can handle complex simulations, yet the actual game performance is capped by the GPU's ability to render frames. The data implies that the Core i9-14900K is far more capable than what this GPU allows it to demonstrate, making it a mismatch when paired with a GeForce GTX 1650.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is the limiting factor in this combination. With only 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, it offers a bandwidth of 128.1 GB/s, which is modest for modern games. Its Turing architecture, while supporting DirectX 12 (12_1), has a base clock of 1485 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz. In synthetic tests, it scores 7,880 in PassMark G3D, placing it near rivals like the NVIDIA Quadro P2200 (0.5 percent slower) and AMD Radeon 550X (0.4 percent slower). The GPU's 43rd percentile ranking confirms its entry-level status, and the benchmark results in Lockdown Protocol reflect this: the highest average FPS recorded is 78.3 at 1080p Low, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play at higher settings.

The GPU's memory capacity is a critical constraint. At 4K with High settings, the average FPS is 24.8, and at Ultra it falls to 17.1, indicating that the 4 GB VRAM is insufficient for higher resolutions, causing significant performance degradation. The GPU's FP32 performance of 2.984 TFLOPS and texture rate of 93.24 GTexel/s are simply not enough to drive a 2024 FPS at high resolutions. The data shows a clear pattern: as resolution increases, the GPU becomes the sole bottleneck, and the CPU's power is wasted. The GTX 1650's 75 W TDP and lack of power connectors highlight its design as a low-power card, but in this context, it fails to deliver playable frame rates at 1440p or above.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals how the system scales across resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the average FPS is 78.3, which drops to 56.0 at 1440p and further to 34.5 at 4K. This represents a 55.9 percent drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings. The scaling is even more pronounced at higher settings: at Ultra, the FPS drops from 37.7 at 1080p to 28.6 at 1440p (a 24.1 percent drop) and then to 17.1 at 4K (a 54.6 percent drop from 1080p). This pattern is typical of a GPU-bound system, where the rendering load increases with pixel count, and the GTX 1650's limited pixel rate of 53.28 GPixel/s becomes the primary constraint.

The differences between settings at the same resolution also point to the GPU as the limiting component. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra reduces FPS from 78.3 to 37.7, a 51.8 percent decrease. At 4K, the same settings change drops FPS from 34.5 to 17.1, a 50.4 percent decrease. The consistent relative drops across resolutions suggest that the CPU is not introducing additional bottlenecks; if it were, the percentage drops would be less predictable. The data indicates that the GTX 1650's 4 GB VRAM and 128.1 GB/s bandwidth are saturated at 1080p with medium settings, and any increase in resolution or quality directly impacts frame rates. The Core i9-14900K's high boost clock and 24 cores are not the reason for these drops; rather, the GPU's inability to keep up is the sole factor.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the benchmark database, this combination of Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 ranks 1,544 out of 1,637 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the bottom 5.7 percent of all systems, which is a poor showing for a CPU that ranks in the 97th percentile. The combo's rank is driven almost entirely by the GPU's weak performance; the GTX 1650's 43rd percentile ranking drags the overall score down. Compared to other tested combos, this pairing is outperformed by systems with more balanced components, such as those with mid-range GPUs that can better utilize the CPU's capabilities.

The data suggests that the i9-14900K is wasted in this configuration, as its performance headroom is never reached. For example, the CPU's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i9-14900KF (0.7 percent slower in benchmarks), would likely achieve similar in-game FPS when paired with the same GPU, because the GPU is the bottleneck. The combo rank of 1,544 indicates that the system is not suitable for Lockdown Protocol at higher settings, as the average FPS at 1080p High is only 49.6, which is below the standard for competitive FPS. The ranking reflects a fundamental mismatch: a high-end CPU paired with a low-end GPU results in a system that performs like a low-end machine in this title.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings for this combo?

A: The data shows that 1080p with Low settings yields the highest average FPS of 78.3, which is the only configuration that exceeds 60 FPS. At 1080p Medium, the average drops to 54.7 FPS, and at High it falls to 49.6 FPS, so Low settings are the only playable option for smooth performance.

Q: Why does the frame rate drop so much at 4K?

A: The GTX 1650's 4 GB VRAM and 128.1 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for 4K rendering. At 4K Low, the average FPS is 34.5, and at Ultra it falls to 17.1, indicating that the GPU's pixel rate of 53.28 GPixel/s is overwhelmed by the higher resolution.

Q: Is the Intel Core i9-14900K the bottleneck in this system?

A: No, the benchmark results indicate the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU ranks in the 97th percentile, and the FPS scaling across resolutions and settings follows a pattern consistent with GPU-bound performance, not CPU limitations.

Q: How does this combo compare to other systems?

A: This combo ranks 1,544 out of 1,637 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the bottom 5.7 percent. The high-end CPU does not compensate for the low-end GPU's performance, resulting in a low overall rank.

Q: Can this system handle Lockdown Protocol at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, the average FPS ranges from 56.0 at Low settings to 28.6 at Ultra. The Low setting is the only one that approaches playable levels, but it is still below 60 FPS, so 1080p is the recommended resolution for this GPU.

Q: What does the GPU's benchmark score tell us?

A: The GTX 1650 scores 7,880 in PassMark G3D, placing it in the 43rd percentile. This is close to rivals like the NVIDIA Quadro P2200 (0.5 percent slower), confirming its entry-level performance class.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured frame rates for Lockdown Protocol with this combo are as follows, with all values representing average FPS:

• 1920x1080 (1080p):
• Low: 78.3 FPS
• Medium: 54.7 FPS
• High: 49.6 FPS
• Ultra: 37.7 FPS

• 2560x1440 (1440p):
• Low: 56.0 FPS
• Medium: 40.3 FPS
• High: 36.5 FPS
• Ultra: 28.6 FPS

• 3840x2160 (4K):
• Low: 34.5 FPS
• Medium: 28.0 FPS
• High: 24.8 FPS
• Ultra: 17.1 FPS

The data shows a clear progression: at 1080p Low, the system achieves its peak performance of 78.3 FPS, but this is the only setting that breaks the 60 FPS barrier. At 1440p, the best result is 56.0 FPS at Low, which is still below the ideal threshold. At 4K, all settings fall below 35 FPS, with Ultra dropping to just 17.1 FPS. The variation between settings is consistent, with Low settings typically providing a 30-40 percent performance boost over Ultra settings at the same resolution. This breakdown confirms that the GeForce GTX 1650 is the primary determinant of performance, and the Core i9-14900K's capabilities are not reflected in the game's output.