Lockdown Protocol

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 lands at rank 606 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. That places this pairing in the top 16.3% of all configurations recorded in the database, a strong showing for a CPU that was released in 2019 paired with a flagship GPU from 2022. The CPU itself holds a percentile rank of 71 against all tested processors, while the GPU sits at percentile 88 against all tested graphics cards. The combination of a mid-range older CPU with a top-tier current GPU produces a system that is heavily GPU-limited in most scenarios, but the data shows the Ryzen 5 3600 is still capable of feeding the RTX 4090 enough frames to maintain very high performance throughout this title.

The rank of 606 is meaningful because it shows that while the RTX 4090 is among the fastest GPUs ever measured, the older Ryzen 5 3600 does hold the combo back slightly from the absolute top positions. The CPU's single-thread score of 696 in 3DMark and 2124 in Cinebench R23 single-core are modest by current standards, and Lockdown Protocol, as an FPS title, does depend on strong per-core performance. Still, with 6 cores and 12 threads based on Zen 2 architecture, the processor delivers enough throughput to keep average frame rates well above playable thresholds at every resolution tested. The result is a combo that ranks far higher than the CPU alone would suggest, thanks almost entirely to the overwhelming performance of the RTX 4090.

CPU and GPU Roles

At 1920x1080, the gap between Low and Ultra settings is 46.2 FPS (199.1 down to 152.9), which is a relatively modest spread compared to what would be seen if the CPU were the primary bottleneck. The fact that even at Low settings the frame rate only reaches 199.1 FPS indicates that the Ryzen 5 3600 is likely reaching its practical limit in this title, as the RTX 4090 would be capable of substantially higher frame rates in less CPU-bound scenarios. The scaling from Low to Medium at 1080p is only 24.7 FPS (from 199.1 to 174.4), and from Medium to High it drops another 3.9 FPS, then from High to Ultra it drops 17.6 FPS. This pattern suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is the limiting factor at lower presets, while the GPU becomes more relevant as settings increase.

Moving to 2560x1440, the picture shifts notably. Low settings produce 181.3 FPS, which is only 17.8 FPS lower than at 1080p, while Ultra produces 126.8 FPS, which is 26.1 FPS lower than at 1080p. The reduced gap between resolutions at Low settings (17.8 FPS) compared to Ultra settings (26.1 FPS) indicates that the GPU begins to take a more significant role as resolution increases. At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the dominant factor. Low settings drop to 156.7 FPS, a 42.6 FPS reduction from 1080p Low, and Ultra drops to 80 FPS, a 72.9 FPS reduction from 1080p Ultra. The 4K Ultra result of 80 FPS is still above the 60 FPS playable threshold, but the steep decline from 1080p to 4K at every preset demonstrates that the RTX 4090's rendering workload is the primary constraint at higher resolutions. In summary, the CPU matters most at 1080p with lower presets, while the GPU dominates performance scaling at 1440p and especially 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the recorded average frame rates are as follows: Low settings deliver 199.1 FPS, Medium delivers 174.4 FPS, High delivers 170.5 FPS, and Ultra delivers 152.9 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra represents a 23.2% reduction in average frame rate, from 199.1 down to 152.9 FPS. Even at the most demanding preset, the system stays far above the 60 FPS playable threshold, with headroom of 92.9 FPS at Ultra. The smallest drop between consecutive presets occurs between Medium and High, a difference of only 3.9 FPS, suggesting that the visual uplift from Medium to High comes at almost no performance cost. The largest drop is between High and Ultra, a 17.6 FPS penalty, indicating that Ultra settings carry a meaningful rendering load increase.

At 2560x1440, the average frame rates are 181.3 FPS at Low, 157.4 FPS at Medium, 152.1 FPS at High, and 126.8 FPS at Ultra. The drop from Low to Medium is 23.9 FPS, from Medium to High is 5.3 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 25.3 FPS. The pattern at 1440p shows a similar shape to 1080p, with Ultra imposing the heaviest cost. Compared to 1080p, each preset loses between 8.9 and 26.1 FPS, with Ultra suffering the largest absolute loss. Still, even at 1440p Ultra, the system maintains 126.8 FPS, which is more than double the playable threshold.

At 3840x2160, the average frame rates drop further: 156.7 FPS at Low, 123.4 FPS at Medium, 107.8 FPS at High, and 80 FPS at Ultra. The transition from Low to Medium costs 33.3 FPS, from Medium to High costs 15.6 FPS, and from High to Ultra costs 27.8 FPS. At 4K Ultra, the system delivers exactly 80 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold by 20 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at 4K is 76.7 FPS, nearly double the spread seen at 1080p, confirming that resolution scaling heavily amplifies the GPU workload. No minimum or maximum frame rate data is recorded in the database for any resolution or preset, so the analysis relies on average FPS figures only.

FAQ

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

A: Yes. The measured average frame rate at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 80 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best preset to use at 2560x1440?

A: Ultra settings are fully playable at 1440p, with an average of 126.8 FPS. The database lists Ultra as the best settings option at this resolution.

Q: How much performance is lost when going from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 High, the average is 170.5 FPS. At 3840x2160 High, the average is 107.8 FPS. That is a reduction of 62.7 FPS, or roughly 36.8% lower performance.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 3600 a bottleneck for the RTX 4090 in this game?

A: The data suggests partial CPU limitation at 1080p Low, where the system reaches 199.1 FPS. At higher resolutions, the GPU becomes the dominant factor, as shown by the large FPS drops when moving from 1440p to 4K.

Q: Which preset has the smallest performance cost at 1440p?

A: The transition from Medium to High at 2560x1440 costs only 5.3 FPS (157.4 down to 152.1), making it the least expensive preset increase in the recorded data.

Q: Does the system stay above 60 FPS at every resolution and preset?

A: Yes. The lowest recorded average is 80 FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra. All other resolution and preset combinations deliver higher averages.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the CPU side, the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 has an average benchmark score of 17035. The nearest rivals in the database are the Intel Core i7-1260P with a score of 17007 and a delta of 0.2%, the AMD EPYC 7742 with 16998 and a delta of 0.2%, the Intel Core i5-11400 with 17067 and a delta of -0.2%, and the AMD EPYC 7573X with 17070 and a delta of -0.2%. Any of these processors would deliver nearly identical CPU-bound performance in Lockdown Protocol, though the mobile-oriented i7-1260P and server-class EPYC parts are not drop-in replacements for a desktop AM4 socket. The Intel Core i5-11400 is the most practical substitute in terms of similar gaming behavior, as its benchmark score sits within 0.2% of the Ryzen 5 3600.

On the GPU side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 60347. The nearest rivals are the Intel Arc Pro A60 with a score of 60326 and a delta of 0%, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 with 60140 and a delta of 0.3%, the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M with 61896 and a delta of -2.5%, and the AMD Radeon PRO V710 with 58657 and a delta of 2.9%. These GPUs would produce very similar frame rates in Lockdown Protocol, although none of them are direct consumer gaming equivalents. The Intel Arc Pro A60 is the closest match, with a virtually identical average score. Users looking for comparable performance should expect these alternatives to land within a few percentage points of the RTX 4090's measured results in this title.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with a measured average of 152.9 FPS. The margin above the playable threshold is 92.9 FPS, so there is substantial headroom even at the highest settings. At 2560x1440, Ultra is again the best choice, delivering 126.8 FPS on average, which is 66.8 FPS above the threshold. At 3840x2160, Ultra settings remain playable with an average of 80 FPS, which is 20 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold. In all three resolutions, the database records Ultra as the best settings option, meaning no compromise is necessary to achieve smooth gameplay at any tested resolution.

The Verdict

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination can run Lockdown Protocol at every resolution and preset tested. At 3840x2160, all four presets (Low, Medium, High, and Ultra) are playable, with Ultra delivering 80 FPS on average. At 2560x1440, Ultra produces 126.8 FPS, and at 1920x1080, Ultra produces 152.9 FPS. The verdict by resolution confirms that Ultra is the best settings option at all three resolutions. The lowest recorded frame rate in the entire dataset is 80 FPS at 4K Ultra, which still clears the 60 FPS playable threshold by a healthy margin. This system is more than capable of running Lockdown Protocol with maximum visual quality at any resolution, and even at 4K there is enough performance headroom to absorb demanding scenes without dropping below the playable threshold. The Ryzen 5 3600 does limit the absolute peak frame rate at 1080p Low, where the system reaches 199.1 FPS, but this limitation does not affect playability at any settings combination. For users targeting high-refresh displays at 1440p or 4K, this combo delivers excellent results across the board.