Lockdown Protocol

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT delivers a clear performance hierarchy across the three tested resolutions in Lockdown Protocol. The data indicates that 1080p and 1440p gaming are both viable, while 4K requires a significant compromise in visual settings to maintain smooth gameplay. This analysis breaks down the measured frame rates, compares the combo against other tested hardware, and examines which component is the primary driver of performance.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the combo achieves playable frame rates at every preset tested. The most demanding setting that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which produces an average of 74.6 FPS. This allows users to max out the game’s visual fidelity without dropping below the playable threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Ultra preset falls short of the 60 FPS target with an average of 56.7 FPS. The most demanding setting that maintains 60 FPS or higher is High, delivering an average of 75.9 FPS. This represents a solid balance between visual quality and performance for higher-resolution displays.

At 3840x2160, the situation becomes more restrictive. High and Medium presets both fail to reach 60 FPS, averaging 49.7 FPS and 55 FPS respectively. The only setting that clears the playable threshold is Low, which produces an average of 79.9 FPS. This indicates that 4K gaming is possible, but only with substantial reductions in graphical fidelity.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1080p gaming?

A: The Ultra preset is the most demanding option that stays above 60 FPS, with an average frame rate of 74.6 FPS at 1920x1080.

Q: Can this combo handle 1440p at maximum settings?

A: No. The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 averages 56.7 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The High preset is the most demanding playable option, averaging 75.9 FPS.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with this hardware?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings. The Low preset at 3840x2160 averages 79.9 FPS, while Medium and High both fall below 60 FPS at 55 FPS and 49.7 FPS respectively.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations in this game?

A: The combo is ranked 2428 out of 3714 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the overall distribution.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: The Low preset averages 166.2 FPS, while Ultra averages 74.6 FPS. This represents a performance gap of roughly 91.6 FPS between the two extremes.

Q: At which resolution does the combo perform best relative to the 60 FPS target?

A: At 1920x1080, all four presets exceed 60 FPS, with Low reaching 166.2 FPS and Ultra reaching 74.6 FPS. This is the only resolution where the full range of settings is playable.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT sits at rank 2428 out of 3714 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol. This places the system in the 65th percentile of all tested hardware configurations, meaning roughly one-third of tested combos perform worse, while two-thirds perform better. The ranking reflects the GPU’s position in the broader market; the Radeon RX 7600 XT has a percentile rank of 60 against all GPUs, while the Ryzen 5 9600X ranks in the 81st percentile against all CPUs.

The measured frame rates confirm that this ranking is driven primarily by the GPU’s mid-range positioning. At 1080p, the combo delivers strong performance across all settings, but at 4K, it can only manage Low settings above 60 FPS. This pattern is consistent with a system where the graphics card is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the CPU provides ample headroom for lower-resolution, high-frame-rate scenarios.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Based on the nearestRivals data for the CPU and GPU, several hardware combinations would likely produce similar performance in Lockdown Protocol. The Ryzen 5 9600X’s closest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE, which scores within 0.2% of the 9600X’s average benchmark score, and the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H at a -0.5% difference. The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT and AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS are also near matches, with deltas of -0.6% and -0.8% respectively. Swapping the 9600X for any of these processors would yield negligible changes in game performance, as the CPU’s single-threaded and multi-threaded capabilities are nearly identical.

On the GPU side, the Radeon RX 7600 XT’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 with a 0.3% difference, the AMD Radeon HD 7970M at 0.4%, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 at -0.7%. The NVIDIA Tesla M4 is also close at 0.9%. Notably, the RTX 3070’s slight edge over the RX 7600 XT in average benchmark score suggests that a system with a Ryzen 5 9600X and an RTX 3070 would perform nearly identically in this game, potentially delivering a few extra frames at higher presets. The GTX 690 and HD 7970M, despite their age, fall within a similar performance band, indicating that the RX 7600 XT’s output is well-matched to these older high-end parts.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates provide a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 166.2 FPS, Medium averages 118.6 FPS, High averages 102.7 FPS, and Ultra averages 74.6 FPS. All settings comfortably exceed the 60 FPS playable threshold, with even the most demanding preset leaving a margin of roughly 14.6 FPS.

At 2560x1440, performance scales down predictably. Low averages 122.2 FPS, Medium averages 84.2 FPS, High averages 75.9 FPS, and Ultra averages 56.7 FPS. The drop from High to Ultra is notable, with a loss of 19.2 FPS, pushing Ultra below the playable threshold. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 65.5 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates compress significantly. Low averages 79.9 FPS, Medium averages 55 FPS, High averages 49.7 FPS, and Ultra averages 36.9 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium is 24.9 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is just 5.3 FPS. The Ultra preset is the lowest performer, falling 23.1 FPS behind High. This pattern indicates diminishing returns at higher presets when the GPU is heavily loaded at 4K.

The data also shows a consistent scaling trend across resolutions. From 1080p to 1440p, the Low preset drops from 166.2 FPS to 122.2 FPS, a reduction of 44 FPS. From 1440p to 4K, Low drops further to 79.9 FPS, another 42.3 FPS decrease. This suggests that the GPU’s rendering workload increases roughly linearly with pixel count, with no unusual bottlenecks emerging at any resolution.

The Verdict

The verdictByResolution data provides a clear answer on whether this PC can run Lockdown Protocol. At 1920x1080, the system is fully capable, with all four presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—clearing the 60 FPS threshold. The best playable setting is Ultra at 74.6 FPS, allowing maximum visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the system remains playable for the majority of settings. The playable presets are High, Low, and Medium, with High being the best at 75.9 FPS. The Ultra preset at 56.7 FPS is the only option that fails to reach the target, so users must sacrifice some graphical fidelity to maintain smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the system’s capabilities are limited. Only the Low preset is playable, averaging 79.9 FPS. Medium and High fall short at 55 FPS and 49.7 FPS respectively, while Ultra is significantly below the threshold at 36.9 FPS. For 4K gaming, this combo requires a substantial reduction in settings to work.

Overall, this PC is a reliable choice for 1080p and 1440p gaming in Lockdown Protocol, offering high frame rates at high presets. For 4K, it can only handle the game at low fidelity, making it a less suitable option for users who prioritize resolution over visual detail.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a clear division of labor between the CPU and GPU across different resolutions. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are high enough—ranging from 74.6 FPS at Ultra to 166.2 FPS at Low—that the CPU’s performance becomes a significant factor. The Ryzen 5 9600X’s strong single-threaded score of 2183.5 in Cinebench R23 and its 81st percentile ranking among all CPUs suggest it has ample headroom to feed the GPU at lower resolutions. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a drop of 91.6 FPS, which is primarily driven by GPU load, but the CPU must keep up with the high frame rates at Low settings.

At 2560x1440, the GPU begins to take on a more dominant role. The frame rates range from 122.2 FPS at Low to 56.7 FPS at Ultra, with the gap between High and Ultra widening to 19.2 FPS. This indicates that the RX 7600 XT’s rendering capabilities are becoming the primary constraint as pixel count increases. The CPU’s influence diminishes, as even the lowest frame rate at this resolution remains well above what would stress the 9600X.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. The frame rates compress to a range of 36.9 FPS to 79.9 FPS, with the gap between Low and Ultra reaching 43 FPS. The CPU’s role is minimal at this resolution, as the RX 7600 XT is saturated by the 4K workload. The fact that Medium and High produce relatively close results—55 FPS and 49.7 FPS—suggests that the GPU’s memory bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s and its 16 GB VRAM buffer are being taxed heavily, while the CPU waits idle for rendering tasks to complete.

The scaling between resolutions further illustrates this shift. From 1080p Low to 1440p Low, the frame rate drops by 44 FPS, and from 1440p Low to 4K Low, it drops by another 42.3 FPS. This consistent reduction across resolutions points to the GPU’s pixel throughput as the dominant factor. The CPU’s benchmark scores—including a multicore score of 17528.5 in Cinebench R23 and a passmark multithread score of 30027—indicate it is more than capable of handling the game’s logic and physics at any resolution. In summary, the Ryzen 5 9600X provides sufficient headroom for high frame rates at 1080p, while the Radeon RX 7600 XT becomes the bottleneck at 1440p and especially at 4K, where only the lowest settings can maintain 60 FPS.