Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol pairs the Intel Core i9-14900K with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, a combination that lands near the bottom of the database’s tested hierarchy. The CPU is a top-tier part, sitting in the 97th percentile of all processors, while the GPU is mid-pack at the 58th percentile. The measured frame rates reflect this imbalance: the processor is rarely the limiting factor, and the RTX 2060 carries nearly the entire rendering load.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep, confirming that the GPU is the primary constraint across all settings. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 146.6 at 1920x1080 to 104.5 at 2560x1440, a 28.7% reduction, and then to 70.3 at 3840x2160, a 52.0% drop from the 1080p baseline. This pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario where pixel throughput becomes the bottleneck.

The scaling becomes more aggressive as settings increase. At High settings, the average drops from 92.8 FPS at 1080p to 67.5 at 1440p (a 27.3% decline) and then to 40.9 at 4K (a 55.9% decline from 1080p). The Ultra preset shows the most severe falloff: 68.4 FPS at 1080p, 47.4 at 1440p, and just 31.8 at 4K. The gap between 1440p and 4K is consistently larger than the gap between 1080p and 1440p, indicating that the RTX 2060’s 6 GB frame buffer and 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth are overwhelmed as resolution scales.

Notably, the difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is substantial—70.3 FPS versus 31.8 FPS—which shows that settings have a larger impact at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the spread is narrower: 146.6 FPS on Low versus 68.4 FPS on Ultra. This suggests that at 1080p, the CPU can still feed the GPU enough data to keep the frame rate relatively high, but at 4K, the GPU’s raw compute and memory limits dominate. The data indicates that 1440p is the practical ceiling for smooth gameplay, while 4K is only viable on Low settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is built on the Turing architecture with a 12 nm process node from TSMC. Its base clock is 1365 MHz with a boost clock of 1680 MHz, and it features 1920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 raster operation pipelines. The memory subsystem consists of 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. These specifications place it firmly in the mid-range, and the benchmark data confirms it is the binding constraint in this combo.

The GPU’s 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1242 and PassMark G3D score of 14111 are modest, and its percentile ranking of 58 versus all GPUs puts it just above average. In the context of Lockdown Protocol, the RTX 2060’s performance is consistent with its synthetic scores. The 6 GB VRAM is a potential limitation for Ultra settings, especially at higher resolutions, but the measured FPS at 4K Ultra (31.8) suggests that raw compute, not just memory capacity, is the limiting factor.

The GPU’s nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Radeon RX 7600S (average score 15996, deltaPct 0.5) and the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M (average score 16351, deltaPct -1.7). The RTX 2060’s average benchmark score is 16074, which is within 1.8% of these competitors. This tells us that the GPU is not an outlier; its in-game performance is broadly in line with its synthetic ranking. The boost clock of 1680 MHz is the maximum under load, but the card’s 160 W TDP and dual-slot cooler suggest it can sustain that clock for short bursts, though sustained gaming may cause it to settle lower.

The data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck. The Intel Core i9-14900K has a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 49872 and a single-core score of 7040, placing it in the 97th percentile. With 24 cores and 32 threads, it can easily feed the RTX 2060 at any resolution. The frame rate deltas between resolutions are almost entirely attributable to the GPU’s rendering capabilities.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination ranks 1366 out of 1637 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the bottom 16.6% of the database. This low rank is directly attributable to the GPU, as the CPU is a high-end part that would rank near the top on its own. The combo’s position suggests that many other pairings, even those with slower processors, outperform it because they pair those CPUs with faster graphics cards.

The rank implies that in a game like Lockdown Protocol, the RTX 2060 is the weak link. For context, the CPU’s nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 7413 (deltaPct -0.3), Intel Core i9-14900KF (deltaPct 0.7), and Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF (deltaPct 0.7), all of which have similar average scores. This means the processor is performing as expected, and swapping it for a slightly different model would not meaningfully change the combo’s rank.

The GPU’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 7600S (deltaPct 0.5) and AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (deltaPct -1.7), have nearly identical average scores. This indicates that the RTX 2060 is not an underperformer relative to its peers; it is simply a mid-range card that cannot keep up with high-end CPUs in this title. The combo’s rank of 1366 is a clear signal that users should prioritize a GPU upgrade over a CPU upgrade if they want better frame rates in this game.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain a playable frame rate?

A: Based on the measured data, 2560x1440 on High settings yields 67.5 FPS, which is playable. At 1920x1080, High settings produce 92.8 FPS, offering a smoother experience. 4K is only viable on Low settings, where the average is 70.3 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 16074. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7600S, scores 15996, a deltaPct of 0.5. The AMD Radeon Pro 5600M scores 16351, a deltaPct of -1.7, meaning the RTX 2060 is slightly slower than that card.

Q: Is the Intel Core i9-14900K a bottleneck for the RTX 2060 in this game?

A: No. The CPU is in the 97th percentile of all processors, and its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 49872 is far above what Lockdown Protocol requires. The frame rate differences across resolutions are due to the GPU’s limits, not the CPU.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings produce 146.6 FPS, while Ultra settings produce 68.4 FPS. This is a difference of 78.2 FPS, or 53.3% lower performance on Ultra compared to Low.

Q: Does the GPU’s 6 GB VRAM affect performance at 4K?

A: The data shows that at 3840x2160, the average FPS drops from 70.3 on Low to 31.8 on Ultra. While VRAM capacity may be a factor, the consistent frame rate decline across all settings suggests that the GPU’s overall compute power, not just memory, is the limiting factor.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all tested combinations?

A: This combo ranks 1366 out of 1637 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the bottom 16.6% of all pairings, indicating that most other CPU/GPU combinations deliver higher frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimizing the experience. At 1920x1080, High settings deliver 92.8 FPS, which is smooth for a fast-paced FPS. Medium settings improve this to 102.1 FPS, while Low settings reach 146.6 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 68.4 FPS, which is still playable but offers diminishing returns given the visual cost. For 1080p, the High preset is the best balance, as it provides a solid frame rate without sacrificing too much visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the situation is more constrained. High settings yield 67.5 FPS, which is adequate but not ideal for competitive play. Medium settings improve to 74 FPS, while Low settings hit 104.5 FPS. Ultra settings fall to 47.4 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The recommendation here is Medium, as it offers a noticeable frame rate boost over High with only a modest quality reduction.

At 3840x2160, only Low settings are viable, producing 70.3 FPS. Medium settings drop to 48.4 FPS, and High settings fall to 40.9 FPS. Ultra settings are not recommended, as the 31.8 FPS average is too low for a responsive experience. Given the data, the best experience for this combo is 1080p on High or 1440p on Medium, depending on the user’s preference for resolution versus settings. The benchmark results indicate that the RTX 2060 is best utilized at 1080p or 1440p, with settings kept at High or below to maintain frame rates above 60 FPS.