Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti delivers a robust, high-refresh-rate experience in Lockdown Protocol, an FPS title released in 2024. The measured data shows this combination ranks 404th out of 1637 tested combos, placing it in the top 25% of all configurations. This pairing leverages a top-tier 24-core CPU with a high-bandwidth 12 GB GPU to produce frame rates that comfortably exceed 60 FPS at 4K and approach 262 FPS at 1080p on low settings, though the Ultra preset reveals the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve 144 FPS in Lockdown Protocol?

A: At 2560x1440, the combo achieves 191.5 FPS on Low and 138.8 FPS on Medium, making 1440p Low the only resolution/settings combination that breaks the 144 FPS threshold. At 1920x1080, the combo exceeds 144 FPS on all presets, with 188.2 FPS on Medium and 159.5 FPS on High.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-core performance compare to its nearest rival?

A: The Intel Core i9-14900K has an average benchmark score of 79824, which is 0.7% higher than the Intel Core i9-14900KF and Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF, and 0.9% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K. It scores 0.3% lower than the AMD EPYC 7413, which leads with 80041.

Q: Is the GPU's performance closer to the RTX 3090 or the RTX 5070?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti's average benchmark score is 41224, which is 0.5% lower than the RTX 3090's 41441. It is 1.1% lower than the RTX 5070's 41687, meaning it sits slightly closer in performance to the RTX 3090 than to the RTX 5070.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 55.4 FPS. This is the lowest recorded result across all tested configurations, indicating that this preset is demanding for the RTX 3080 Ti at 4K.

Q: Does the CPU have integrated graphics that could serve as a fallback?

A: Yes, the Intel Core i9-14900K includes UHD Graphics 770 as its integrated graphics solution. This is separate from the discrete RTX 3080 Ti and is not used for gaming performance in the measured FPS data.

Q: How much of a performance gap exists between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the difference between Low (191.5 FPS) and Ultra (88.5 FPS) is 103 FPS, representing a 53.8% drop in average frame rate when moving from the least to most demanding preset.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti holds a combo rank of 404 out of 1637 tested configurations in Lockdown Protocol. This places the pairing in the upper quartile of all tested systems, suggesting that it is a well-balanced setup for this title. The rank reflects the aggregate performance across all measured resolutions and settings, where the CPU's 97th percentile ranking among all CPUs and the GPU's 83rd percentile ranking among all GPUs contribute to a strong overall position.

The data shows that the combo's ranking is driven by its ability to maintain high frame rates at mainstream resolutions. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 120.2 on Ultra to 261.8 on Low, with the latter being the highest recorded score for any configuration in the dataset. At 2560x1440, the combo still delivers competitive numbers, with 117.1 FPS on High and 88.5 FPS on Ultra, which are playable for most competitive FPS scenarios. The 3840x2160 results are less impressive, with only 55.4 FPS on Ultra, indicating that the GPU becomes a limiting factor at 4K with maximum settings.

Relative to the processor's nearest rivals, the i9-14900K's slight edge over the Core Ultra 7 265K (0.9% higher avg score) and the Core i9-14900KF (0.7% higher) provides marginal headroom in CPU-bound scenarios. However, the GPU's position, being 0.5% behind the RTX 3090 and 1.1% behind the RTX 5070, means that the combo's ranking is more dependent on the GPU's rasterization performance than on the CPU's multi-core might.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake-R architecture, with a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz. This configuration offers substantial parallel processing capability, which is reflected in its benchmark scores: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 49872 and a single-core score of 7040, alongside a Geekbench multi-core score of 20370. The CPU's 36 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support (DDR4 or DDR5) provide ample bandwidth for game logic and asset streaming.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations. The data suggests that at lower resolutions like 1920x1080, the CPU is not the primary bottleneck, as the combo achieves 261.8 FPS on Low settings, which is far beyond typical display refresh rates. The high boost clock of 6.00 GHz is particularly effective for single-threaded tasks, as evidenced by the PassMark single-thread score of 4697, which ensures responsive frame pacing in CPU-bound scenes.

The processor's 97th percentile ranking against all CPUs indicates that it outperforms the vast majority of installed processors. Its nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 7413, has a marginally higher average score (80041 vs 79824), but that chip is a server-class part with different characteristics. The i9-14900K's 24 cores and 32 threads are more than sufficient for the game's threading model, allowing the GPU to remain saturated at 1440p and below. At 4K, however, the CPU's advantage diminishes, as the frame rates drop to 55.4 FPS on Ultra, suggesting that the GPU's rendering load becomes the dominant factor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. The Low preset produces 261.8 FPS, which is 39.1% higher than the Medium preset's 188.2 FPS. High settings yield 159.5 FPS, and Ultra drops to 120.2 FPS, which is still well above the 60 FPS threshold. The scaling from Low to Ultra represents a 54.1% reduction in performance, showing a predictable relationship between preset and FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the same pattern holds but with lower absolute numbers. Low settings achieve 191.5 FPS, Medium 138.8 FPS, High 117.1 FPS, and Ultra 88.5 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 53.8%, similar to the 1080p delta. Notably, the High preset at 1440p (117.1 FPS) is only slightly below the Ultra preset at 1080p (120.2 FPS), indicating that resolution scaling is more impactful than preset changes at these levels.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limits become apparent. Low settings still manage 120.8 FPS, which is respectable for 4K, but Medium drops to 91.2 FPS, High to 75.2 FPS, and Ultra to 55.4 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 54.1%, consistent with other resolutions. The 4K Ultra result is the only configuration in the entire dataset that falls below 60 FPS, highlighting that this combo is best suited for high-refresh 1080p or 1440p gaming, with 4K reserved for lower presets.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is built on the Ampere architecture with a GA102 chip and features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 912.4 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 1365 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz, with 10240 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 112 ROPs. Its compute capabilities include 34.10 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 80 RT cores, which support DirectX 12 Ultimate features.

The GPU's benchmark scores show a PassMark G3D score of 26896 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5077, placing it in the 83rd percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the RTX 3090, has a 0.5% higher average score, while the RTX 5070 is 1.1% higher, meaning the 3080 Ti is positioned near the top of the previous generation. The 12 GB VRAM is sufficient for Lockdown Protocol at all tested resolutions, as the game does not appear to exceed this capacity, given the consistent frame rates across presets.

The GPU's performance in the measured FPS data shows that it is the primary bottleneck at 4K Ultra, where the 55.4 FPS result is significantly lower than the 120.8 FPS at 4K Low. This 54.1% drop from Low to Ultra at 4K is the largest absolute difference in the dataset, underscoring the GPU's struggle with high-resolution, high-detail workloads. Conversely, at 1080p, the GPU is less constrained, with the 261.8 FPS Low result indicating that the CPU and GPU combination can push frame rates far beyond what most displays can show. The RTX 3080 Ti's 912.4 GB/s memory bandwidth is likely a key factor in maintaining playable performance at 4K High (75.2 FPS), as texture-heavy scenes benefit from the high throughput.