Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol is a game that this particular CPU-GPU pairing handles with overwhelming authority. The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 clears the 60 FPS playable threshold at every resolution and preset combination measured, with the weakest result still landing at 83 FPS. The data indicates a system that is heavily GPU-bound at 4K, but the sheer performance of the RTX 5090 ensures that even the most demanding settings produce frame rates well above the playable standard.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The benchmark data places this combination in a strong position, ranking 303rd out of 3714 tested hardware combos for this game. For the CPU, the Ryzen 5 5500X3D's average benchmark score of 37018 places it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals show a remarkably tight cluster of performance. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F scores 36945, a negligible 0.2% difference, meaning a system with that chip would behave almost identically in CPU-bound scenarios. Similarly, the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 scores 36938, again a 0.2% delta, and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 scores 37093, a -0.2% delta. The Intel Core i9-12900T scores 37112, a -0.3% delta, completing a set of alternatives that are effectively interchangeable for this game's CPU demands.

On the GPU side, the RTX 5090's average benchmark score of 79842 places it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are a mix of professional and mobile parts. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB scores 79605, a 0.3% delta, while the 12 GB version scores 79396, a 0.6% delta. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 78940, a 1.1% delta, and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X scores 80959, a -1.4% delta. While these parts are statistically close in aggregate benchmarks, the RTX 5090's 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth give it a distinct advantage in texture-heavy scenarios, making the Tesla P100 variants the closest practical analogs for frame pacing, though not for feature support.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets reveals a clear division of labor. At 1920x1080, the system is firmly in a CPU-limited regime for lower presets. The jump from Low at 230 FPS to Medium at 202 FPS is a 28 FPS drop, while High at 193 FPS and Ultra at 174 FPS show the GPU beginning to take on more load. The RTX 5090 is so powerful at this resolution that the Ryzen 5 5500X3D's six cores and 12 threads become the limiting factor, particularly in the Low preset where the GPU is left waiting on CPU physics and draw calls.

At 2560x1440, the balance shifts. The Low preset still achieves 207 FPS, but the gap between Medium (183 FPS) and High (171 FPS) narrows to 12 FPS, compared to the 9 FPS gap at 1080p. This indicates the GPU is starting to assert its dominance. The Ultra preset at 128 FPS shows a 43 FPS drop from High, a steeper decline than the 19 FPS drop seen at 1080p, confirming that the RTX 5090 is now the primary constraint at higher settings.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is unequivocally the bottleneck. The Low preset drops to 178 FPS, a 29 FPS reduction from the 1440p Low result, while the Medium preset at 127 FPS and High at 111 FPS show the RTX 5090 working hard to fill 8.3 million pixels. The Ultra preset at 83 FPS demonstrates the steepest scaling curve, with a 45 FPS drop from High. The CPU's role diminishes to near-irrelevance at this resolution, as the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth become the sole determinants of performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured results show a system that never drops below the playable threshold. The Low preset averages 230 FPS, while Medium averages 202 FPS with a minimum of 172 FPS and a maximum of 233 FPS. High averages 193 FPS, and Ultra averages 174 FPS. The minimum frame rate data is only available for the Medium preset, but the 172 FPS floor indicates excellent frame pacing even under load.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 207 FPS. Medium averages 183 FPS with a minimum of 155 FPS and a maximum of 210 FPS. High averages 171 FPS, and Ultra averages 128 FPS. The 155 FPS minimum at Medium still represents a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold, suggesting that even worst-case scenarios in dense firefights would remain smooth.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 178 FPS. Medium averages 127 FPS with a minimum of 108 FPS and a maximum of 146 FPS. High averages 111 FPS, and Ultra averages 83 FPS. The 108 FPS minimum at Medium is notable, as it shows the system maintaining a high floor even at 4K with moderate settings. The Ultra preset's 83 FPS average is the lowest recorded result, but it still exceeds the playable threshold by 23 FPS.

FAQ

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

A: Yes. The measured data shows an average of 83 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, which is 23 FPS above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best resolution to play at for maximum frame rates?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves 230 FPS average. However, even at 4K Ultra, the frame rate remains well above playable, so the choice depends on display capability.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals for this game?

A: The Ryzen 5 5500X3D scores 37018 on average benchmarks, which is within 0.3% of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and Intel Core Ultra 5 225. Any of these CPUs would deliver nearly identical performance in Lockdown Protocol.

Q: Does the RTX 5090's performance drop significantly between 1440p and 4K?

A: Yes. At Ultra settings, the average FPS drops from 128 at 2560x1440 to 83 at 3840x2160, a 45 FPS reduction. This represents a 35% decrease in frame rate.

Q: What preset should be avoided for the smoothest experience at 4K?

A: All presets at 4K are playable, but Ultra's 83 FPS average is the lowest. For a larger frame rate buffer, High at 111 FPS or Medium at 127 FPS are safer choices.

Q: Is this system overkill for 1080p gaming?

A: At 1080p, the lowest measured average is 174 FPS at Ultra settings. The system is significantly GPU-bound at this resolution, meaning the CPU is the limiting factor, but the frame rates are exceptionally high.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol with absolute authority. The verdict by resolution confirms that all four settings presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable at every resolution tested. At 1920x1080, the best settings are Ultra with an average of 174 FPS, which is 114 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, Ultra settings produce 128 FPS average, a 68 FPS margin. Even at the most demanding 3840x2160 resolution, Ultra settings average 83 FPS, still 23 FPS above the playable threshold. The data shows no scenario where this combination fails to deliver a smooth experience. The RTX 5090's immense compute power, evidenced by its 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 1.79 TB/s memory bandwidth, ensures that the game's visuals are never compromised by hardware limitations. The Ryzen 5 5500X3D's 96 MB of shared L3 cache provides ample headroom for game logic, though it does become the limiting factor at 1080p Low settings where the GPU is otherwise idle.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which averages 174 FPS. This is the highest preset available and offers the full visual experience with a massive performance cushion.

At 2560x1440, Ultra settings average 128 FPS, again the highest preset and well above the threshold. The gap between Ultra and High is 43 FPS, but both remain comfortably playable.

At 3840x2160, Ultra settings average 83 FPS, which is the best preset that maintains the 60 FPS requirement. While this is the lowest average across all resolution-preset combinations, it still provides a smooth experience. For players seeking a higher frame rate at 4K, High at 111 FPS or Medium at 127 FPS offer progressively larger margins, but Ultra remains the choice for maximum visual fidelity.