Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol scales in a very predictable, GPU-limited fashion on the Intel Core i9-14900K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 pairing. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 214 FPS, but that figure drops to 157 FPS at 1440p and further to 101 FPS at 4K. This represents a 53% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating that the rendering resolution is the dominant factor. The pattern holds across all presets: High settings see 133 FPS at 1080p, 97 FPS at 1440p, and 63 FPS at 4K, which is a 52% drop. Medium settings follow suit with 152 FPS, 111 FPS, and 72 FPS respectively, while Ultra settings produce 99 FPS, 73 FPS, and 47 FPS across the same resolutions.

The consistency of these percentage drops—hovering around 52-53% between 1080p and 4K—strongly suggests that the RTX 3070 is the limiting component at every resolution tested. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the scaling between resolutions would be much flatter, especially at 1080p where the processor's workload is typically higher relative to the GPU. Instead, the data shows that even at 1080p Low, the system cannot exceed 214 FPS, which is far below what the i9-14900K's 24 cores and 32 threads could theoretically feed. The Intel Core i9-14900K, with a boost clock of 6.00 GHz and a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39399.5, is clearly not the constraint here. The RTX 3070's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are being saturated, and the frame rate scales almost perfectly with pixel count.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 serves as the definitive performance ceiling in this configuration. The GPU's specs paint a clear picture: it has 5888 shading units, 184 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, with a boost clock of 1725 MHz and a base clock of 1500 MHz. The memory subsystem consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The card's pixel rate is 165.6 GPixel/s and its texture rate is 317.4 GTexel/s, figures that align with the observed frame rates in Lockdown Protocol. What is notable is that the GPU's FP32 performance sits at 20.31 TFLOPS, which is competitive for its class, yet the 8 GB VRAM capacity appears to be the limiting factor at higher settings.

At 4K Ultra, the combo manages only 47 FPS, which is a steep 53% drop from the 4K Low result of 101 FPS. This gap between Low and Ultra at the same resolution is telling. Moving from Low to Medium at 4K costs 29 FPS (101 to 72), and from Medium to High another 9 FPS (72 to 63). The jump from High to Ultra costs an additional 16 FPS (63 to 47). The RTX 3070's 8 GB memory buffer is likely being exceeded at Ultra settings, forcing texture paging that hurts frame pacing. The GPU's 61st percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17208, places it slightly above the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT by 0.7% and slightly below the NVIDIA Tesla K40c by 1.5%. These rival comparisons are based on synthetic benchmarks, but in Lockdown Protocol specifically, the data shows the RTX 3070 is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming but struggles to maintain 60+ FPS at 4K beyond Medium settings.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 ranks 1588 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. That places it in the 57th percentile of all system configurations tested for this game, meaning it outperforms the majority of setups but is far from the top tier. The ranking reflects a balance: the CPU is exceptionally strong, sitting in the 95th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 79097, while the GPU is more modest, at the 61st percentile of all GPUs. This asymmetry is common in mid-range GPU pairings with high-end processors, but the data suggests the combo is well-matched for this particular title.

The CPU's nearest rivals provide context for its performance headroom. The Intel Core i9-14900KF scores 79371, a delta of -0.3% from the i9-14900K's 79097, indicating virtually identical performance. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus is 0.6% behind, and the AMD EPYC 7413 is 1.2% behind. The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is 1.7% ahead. These differences are negligible in gaming scenarios, confirming that the CPU is not the differentiator in this combo's rank. On the GPU side, the RTX 3070's average benchmark score of 17208 is 0.7% ahead of the RX 7600 XT, 1% ahead of the GTX 690, and 1.1% ahead of the HD 7970M, while trailing the Tesla K40c by 1.5%. These are small deltas, but in Lockdown Protocol, the combo's 1588 rank out of 3714 shows that the GPU's mid-tier standing is what holds the system back from higher placements.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1080p, the combo delivers 214 FPS on Low, 152 FPS on Medium, 133 FPS on High, and 99 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset at 1080p has minimum and maximum values of 129 FPS and 175 FPS respectively, indicating a 46 FPS spread that suggests some scene complexity variation. At 1440p, the numbers are 157 FPS on Low, 111 FPS on Medium, 97 FPS on High, and 73 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset at 1440p shows a minimum of 95 FPS and a maximum of 128 FPS, a 33 FPS spread. At 4K, the performance drops to 101 FPS on Low, 72 FPS on Medium, 63 FPS on High, and 47 FPS on Ultra. The 4K Medium preset records 61 FPS minimum and 83 FPS maximum.

Looking at the scaling between settings, the cost of each step up is not linear. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium costs 62 FPS, from Medium to High costs 19 FPS, and from High to Ultra costs 34 FPS. The Medium step is the largest single jump, likely because it enables additional rendering features that stress the GPU. At 1440p, the same steps cost 46 FPS, 14 FPS, and 24 FPS respectively. At 4K, the costs are 29 FPS, 9 FPS, and 16 FPS. The diminishing returns at higher resolutions are clear: the absolute FPS loss from each settings increase shrinks as resolution grows, because the GPU is already heavily loaded. The RTX 3070's 8 GB memory capacity is likely the reason why the High to Ultra jump at 4K still costs 16 FPS, as Ultra settings may push beyond comfortable VRAM limits.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and frame rate preference. At 4K, the only preset that maintains an average above 60 FPS is Low, which delivers 101 FPS. Medium at 4K drops to 72 FPS, which is playable but with a minimum of 61 FPS that could dip below 60 FPS in demanding scenes. High at 4K produces 63 FPS, with no minimum recorded, but the average is close to the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra at 4K is not recommended, as 47 FPS falls below playable standards for a fast-paced FPS like Lockdown Protocol. For 4K users, the data suggests Low or Medium as the safest choices, with Medium offering a better visual experience at 72 FPS.

At 1440p, the situation is more comfortable. High settings deliver 97 FPS, which is smooth, while Medium offers 111 FPS. Ultra at 1440p drops to 73 FPS, which is still above 60 FPS but may not feel as responsive as the lower presets. The sweet spot appears to be High at 1440p, as it balances visual fidelity with a 97 FPS average. For competitive play, Low at 1440p provides 157 FPS, which is excellent for high refresh rate monitors. At 1080p, all settings are playable, with Ultra delivering 99 FPS and Low hitting 214 FPS. The recommendation for 1080p would be High at 133 FPS, as it provides a significant visual upgrade over Medium's 152 FPS while staying well above 100 FPS. The data indicates that the RTX 3070 can handle Ultra at 1080p, but the 99 FPS average leaves less headroom for frame drops.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Lockdown Protocol at 4K with 60+ FPS?

A: Yes, but only on Low settings, which produce 101 FPS. Medium at 4K drops to 72 FPS, and High falls to 63 FPS, both of which are above 60 FPS on average. Ultra at 4K is the only preset that fails to reach 60 FPS, averaging 47 FPS.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: High settings at 1440p deliver 97 FPS, which is a good balance. Medium provides 111 FPS, and Ultra drops to 73 FPS. For the highest visual quality while maintaining smooth gameplay, High is the recommended preset.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 3070 has an average benchmark score of 17208. It is 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT, 1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690, and 1.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon HD 7970M. It trails the NVIDIA Tesla K40c by 1.5%.

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

A: No. The frame rate scaling between resolutions shows a consistent 52-53% drop from 1080p to 4K, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU's nearest rival, the i9-14900KF, is only 0.3% different in average benchmark score, confirming the processor has ample headroom.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: At 1080p Ultra, the combo averages 99 FPS. This is above 60 FPS and playable, but it is the lowest preset at 1080p. For comparison, High settings at 1080p produce 133 FPS, and Low reaches 214 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations in Lockdown Protocol?

A: This combo ranks 1588 out of 3714 tested combos, placing it in the 57th percentile. The CPU is in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 61st percentile, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor for the overall rank.