Lockdown Protocol

Can the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and AMD Radeon RX 7700 combination deliver a smooth experience in Lockdown Protocol? The recorded data provides a detailed look at how this pairing behaves across three resolutions and four quality presets, and the results are more nuanced than a simple yes or no.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, this combination is overwhelmingly capable. The recorded data shows an average of 200 FPS at Low settings, which drops to 142 FPS at Medium with a minimum of 121 FPS and a maximum of 163 FPS. High settings still produce a very strong 124 FPS average, while Ultra settings manage 93 FPS. At this resolution, the pairing never approaches the 60 FPS playability threshold, leaving substantial headroom for high refresh rate displays.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance remains very strong but the scaling pattern becomes clearer. Low settings deliver 147 FPS, Medium averages 104 FPS with a range of 88 to 120 FPS, and High produces 91 FPS. Ultra settings still clear the playability bar comfortably at 68 FPS, though this is a significant step down from the 93 FPS seen at 1080p Ultra. The 1440p results indicate that the hardware maintains playability across every preset, but the gap between Low and Ultra widens considerably compared to 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes substantially. Low settings still deliver a very playable 95 FPS, and Medium averages 67 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 77 FPS. High settings drop to 59 FPS, just below the 60 FPS threshold, while Ultra falls to 44 FPS. The 4K data shows a steep curve: the difference between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 51 FPS, compared to a 107 FPS difference at 1080p. The minimum recorded frame time at 4K Medium, 57 FPS, also suggests that even the playable preset can have moments of noticeable slowdown.

The lack of min and max values for several presets means the data only captures averages for those configurations, but the available ranges for Medium settings at all three resolutions provide useful context. At 1080p Medium, the spread from 121 to 163 FPS shows a very stable experience. At 1440p Medium, the 88 to 120 FPS range is still solid. At 4K Medium, the 57 to 77 FPS range reveals that the lowest frames dip below the 60 FPS threshold even though the average clears it.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the database records for the CPU and GPU individually, nearby hardware helps contextualize this pairing. The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 has an average benchmark score of 17035, placing it in the 71st percentile of all CPUs. Its closest rivals in the database include the Intel Core i7-1260P with a score of 17007, which is 0.2% behind, and the AMD EPYC 7742 at 16998, also 0.2% behind. On the other side, the Intel Core i5-11400 scores 17067, putting it 0.2% ahead, and the AMD EPYC 7573X matches at 17070, also 0.2% ahead. These deltas are remarkably small, meaning a system using any of these four processors would likely produce nearly identical frame rates in Lockdown Protocol, assuming the same GPU.

The GPU side shows a similar story but with slightly more variance. The AMD Radeon RX 7700 has an average score of 15852, placing it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon R9 370X at 15862, which is 0.1% ahead, and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 at 15679, which is 1.1% behind. The AMD Radeon RX 9060 scores 16014, putting it 1% ahead, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti scores 16129, which is 1.7% ahead. The RTX 3060 Ti being the furthest rival at just 1.7% ahead suggests that in practice, a system with that GPU would deliver very similar performance to the RX 7700 in this game. The RX 9060 and R9 370X also sit close enough that users of those cards should expect near-identical outcomes.

When considering a full system, a build with the Ryzen 5 3600 paired with any of these nearby GPUs would behave very similarly to the measured configuration. Conversely, swapping the CPU for one of its rivals while keeping the RX 7700 would also produce minimal changes. The data suggests that the bottleneck characteristics of this pairing are stable across a small cluster of comparable hardware.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets reveals which component carries more weight in Lockdown Protocol. At 1080p, the jump from Low to Ultra costs 107 FPS, from 200 down to 93. At 1440p, the same preset change costs 79 FPS, from 147 down to 68. At 4K, it costs 51 FPS, from 95 down to 44. This pattern indicates that as resolution increases, the performance penalty for higher settings shrinks in absolute terms, which points to the GPU becoming the dominant factor at higher resolutions.

The CPU's role is most visible at 1080p Low, where the 200 FPS result suggests the processor is feeding frames at a very high rate. The Ryzen 5 3600, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, has enough headroom at this resolution to keep up with the RX 7700. However, the relatively modest single-thread performance, shown in its benchmark results, may be why the 1080p Low result does not go even higher. At 4K Ultra, the 44 FPS result is far below what the CPU alone would cap, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor in that configuration.

The Medium settings data provides the clearest view of scaling. At 1080p Medium, the average is 142 FPS. At 1440p Medium, it drops to 104 FPS, a 26.8% reduction. At 4K Medium, it falls to 67 FPS, a 35.6% reduction from 1440p. These step changes are larger than what a purely CPU-bound scenario would show, confirming that the GPU workload scales significantly with pixel count. For users targeting high refresh rates, the CPU matters most at 1080p, but for 4K gaming, the GPU is almost entirely responsible for the final frame rate.

The Verdict

Can this PC run Lockdown Protocol? Yes, but with qualifications depending on the resolution. At 1920x1080, all four presets clear the 60 FPS threshold, with the lowest average being 93 FPS at Ultra. This is a comfortable experience for any display, including high refresh rate monitors. At 2560x1440, all four presets also clear 60 FPS, with Ultra averaging 68 FPS. This makes 1440p fully playable across the board.

At 3840x2160, the answer is more conditional. The database lists Low and Medium as playable settings, with Medium being the best playable option at 67 FPS. High settings average 59 FPS, just below the threshold, and Ultra drops to 44 FPS. For 4K users, the choice is between Medium and Low, and even Medium has a recorded minimum of 57 FPS, meaning some scenes will dip below 60. The verdict is clear: this combination is a strong 1080p and 1440p machine, but at 4K it requires preset compromises to stay playable.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 93 FPS. There is no reason to lower settings at this resolution, as even the heaviest preset leaves substantial headroom.

At 2560x1440, the best setting is also Ultra, averaging 68 FPS. This sits just 8 FPS above the playability threshold, so users who want more margin could drop to High at 91 FPS, but the data shows Ultra remains viable.

At 3840x2160, the best playable setting is Medium, with an average of 67 FPS. This is the only preset at 4K that both clears the average threshold and is listed as playable. High is not an option because its 59 FPS average falls below 60, and Ultra at 44 FPS is well outside playable territory. Medium is the recommendation, though the 57 FPS minimum means it is not perfectly smooth in every scene.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Lockdown Protocol at 4K?

A: Yes, but only at Low or Medium settings. Medium averages 67 FPS and is listed as the best playable setting at 3840x2160, though the minimum recorded frame rate is 57 FPS.

Q: What is the best setting at 1440p?

A: Ultra settings average 68 FPS at 2560x1440, making it the best playable preset at that resolution. High averages 91 FPS if more headroom is preferred.

Q: How does the RX 7700 compare to the RTX 3060 Ti in the database?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti has an average score of 16129, which is 1.7% ahead of the RX 7700's 15852. In Lockdown Protocol, this difference would be very small in practice.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 3600 a bottleneck for the RX 7700 at 1080p?

A: The 200 FPS result at 1080p Low suggests the CPU is not severely limiting the GPU, but the 93 FPS at Ultra shows that graphical settings have a large impact. The CPU's single-thread score is relatively modest, so it may cap extreme frame rates.

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p Medium?

A: The recorded average is 142 FPS, with a minimum of 121 FPS and a maximum of 163 FPS.

Q: Is 4K Ultra playable with this hardware?

A: No. The average at 3840x2160 Ultra is 44 FPS, well below the 60 FPS playability threshold used in the database.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and AMD Radeon RX 7700 ranks 1709 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the upper half of all configurations in the database. Given that the GPU sits in the 58th percentile of all GPUs and the CPU in the 71st percentile, the in-game ranking reflects a pairing that is stronger on the processor side. The 4K results are the weakest point, but the 1080p and 1440p data show a system that handles the game well across most settings. The rank suggests that while there are many faster combos, this one is far from the bottom, and its performance at 1440p Ultra and 1080p Ultra makes it a solid choice for those resolutions.