Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol, an FPS released on 2024-03-11, presents a specific challenge for the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F and AMD Radeon RX 6600 pairing. This combo ranks 2901st out of 3714 tested combinations, placing it firmly in the lower half of the database. Despite the CPU's strong 77th percentile standing and the GPU's respectable 63rd percentile, the measured frame rates reveal that this configuration is only partially capable of delivering smooth gameplay. The data shows that 1080p Ultra is achievable at 68 FPS, 1440p High at 66 FPS, and 4K Low at 69 FPS, all just above the 60 FPS playable threshold. Below that threshold, the experience degrades quickly, with 1440p Ultra falling to 50 FPS and 4K Ultra dropping to 32 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F and AMD Radeon RX 6600 achieves a rank of 2901 out of 3714 combos tested in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the bottom 22% of all configurations, which is a significant divergence from the individual component percentiles. The CPU sits at the 77th percentile among all processors, while the GPU sits at the 63rd percentile among all graphics cards. The disparity between the high CPU percentile and the mediocre combo rank suggests that Lockdown Protocol is heavily dependent on the graphics subsystem. The CPU's average benchmark score of 24964 is strong, but the GPU's 19036 average score is the limiting factor. In practical terms, this combo will struggle at higher resolutions, as evidenced by the 4K Ultra average of 32 FPS, which is barely half of the 60 FPS playable threshold.

The rank itself tells a clear story: this is not a high-end pairing. It outperforms only 813 other tested combinations, meaning the vast majority of systems in the database deliver better frame rates in this title. However, the individual component scores suggest that the CPU is not the problem. The Ryzen 5 7500F's average score of 24964 is well above the median, and its nearest rivals—the Intel Core i7-11850H at 24935 and the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F at 25005—are all within 0.4% of its performance. The GPU, on the other hand, is closer to the middle of the pack, with an average score of 19036. Its nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 at 19030 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile at 19049, are all within 0.4% as well. The combination of a top-tier mid-range CPU with a lower-tier mid-range GPU produces a system that is CPU-rich but GPU-poor, which is exactly what the benchmark results show.

CPU and GPU Roles

Benchmark results indicate a clear division of labor in this pairing. The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, boosts up to 5.00 GHz and carries a 32 MB shared L3 cache. Its single-thread performance is notable, scoring 974 in the 3dmark single-thread test and 3218 in Cinebench R23 single-core. This strength manifests at low resolutions and low settings, where the CPU can feed the GPU efficiently. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces 146 FPS. However, the GPU's limitations become apparent as resolution increases. The AMD Radeon RX 6600, featuring 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth, is the primary bottleneck. Scaling from 1080p Low to 1440p Low drops the average from 146 FPS to 107 FPS, a 27% reduction. Scaling further to 4K Low yields 69 FPS, another 35% drop. This pattern is consistent across all settings.

At Ultra settings, the drop is even more severe: 1080p Ultra averages 68 FPS, 1440p Ultra drops to 50 FPS, and 4K Ultra falls to 32 FPS. The GPU's 1792 shading units and 28 ray tracing cores are simply not enough to maintain high frame rates at 4K. The CPU's role is to keep frame times low at lower resolutions, but the GPU dictates the ceiling. The launch MSRP for the CPU is $179, and the GPU's launch MSRP is 329 USD, reflecting their respective market positions. The data suggests that if a user were to pair this CPU with a stronger GPU, the frame rates would improve substantially, but with the RX 6600, the system is firmly capped by the graphics card. The 132 W TDP of the GPU and the 65 W TDP of the CPU also indicate that this is a power-efficient pairing, but efficiency does not translate into raw performance at high resolutions.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For users considering this combo, the nearest CPU rivals offer nearly identical performance. The Intel Core i7-11850H has an average score of 24935, a delta of 0.1% compared to the Ryzen 5 7500F's 24964. The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F scores 25005, just 0.2% higher. The Intel Core i7-13620H and Intel Core 5 210H score 24911 and 24872, with deltas of 0.2% and 0.4% respectively. In Lockdown Protocol, any of these CPUs would produce frame rates within a few FPS of the 7500F. On the GPU side, the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 matches the RX 6600 almost exactly, with a score of 19030 and a delta of 0%. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile is 0.1% faster at 19049, while the NVIDIA Tesla K20m is 0.3% slower at 19089. The NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation is 0.4% slower at 18954. These GPUs would behave similarly in this game, meaning users with these alternatives should expect the same resolution and settings limitations: playable 1080p Ultra, 1440p High, and 4K Low.

It is worth remembering the GPU rivals include both mobile and workstation parts. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile, despite being a laptop chip, scores within 0.1% of the RX 6600, suggesting that desktop users with that mobile part (via an external GPU or a laptop) would see nearly identical results. Similarly, the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 and Tesla K20m are older workstation cards, but their benchmark scores place them in the same performance tier. For anyone building a system with these alternatives, the measured FPS for this combo can serve as a reliable reference point. The deltas are all under half a percent, which translates to less than 1 FPS difference in most scenarios.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Lockdown Protocol at 1920x1080?

A: Yes, it can run at Ultra settings with an average of 68 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold. Lower settings yield even higher frame rates, with Low averaging 146 FPS and Medium averaging 103 FPS.

Q: Is 2560x1440 playable with this hardware?

A: Yes, but only up to High settings, which averages 66 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 50 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. Medium and Low run at 76 FPS and 107 FPS respectively.

Q: What is the best setting for 4K?

A: Only Low settings are playable at 3840x2160, averaging 69 FPS. Medium averages 49 FPS, High averages 43 FPS, and Ultra averages 32 FPS, all below the playable threshold.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The CPU's single-thread score of 974 in 3dmark allows it to push 146 FPS at 1080p Low, but the GPU's limits cap performance at higher resolutions. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a consistent halving of performance, which is typical of GPU-bound scenarios.

Q: How does this combo rank overall?

A: It ranks 2901st out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the lower 22% of configurations, despite the CPU's 77th percentile and GPU's 63rd percentile individual standings.

Q: Are there any parts that perform almost identically?

A: Yes. The Intel Core i7-11850H is within 0.1% of the CPU's average score, and the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 is within 0% of the GPU's average score. These alternatives would yield nearly identical frame rates in this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo in Lockdown Protocol is as follows. At 1920x1080, Low settings produce an average of 146 FPS. Medium settings average 103 FPS, with a minimum of 88 and a maximum of 119. High settings average 90 FPS. Ultra settings average 68 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, Low settings average 107 FPS. Medium settings average 76 FPS, with a minimum of 64 and a maximum of 87. High settings average 66 FPS. Ultra settings average 50 FPS. At 3840x2160, Low settings average 69 FPS. Medium settings average 49 FPS, with a minimum of 42 and a maximum of 56. High settings average 43 FPS. Ultra settings average 32 FPS. Note that min and max FPS data is only available for Medium settings at each resolution. The absence of min/max data for other settings means only the average can be used for comparison. The data clearly shows that the playable threshold of 60 FPS is only crossed at specific settings per resolution.

Best Settings per Resolution

Based on the measured data and the 60 FPS playable threshold, the best settings for each resolution are as follows. At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which averages 68 FPS. This allows for the highest visual quality without sacrificing playability. At 2560x1440, the best setting is High, averaging 66 FPS. While Medium and Low are also playable, High offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. At 3840x2160, only Low settings are playable, averaging 69 FPS. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below 60 FPS. Users targeting 4K will need to accept minimal visual settings or consider a more powerful GPU.