Lockdown Protocol

This analysis evaluates the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT for running Lockdown Protocol, an FPS title released on 2024-03-11. The data is measured, not estimated, and the combination ranks 1397 out of 3714 tested combos. The playable threshold is 60 FPS. The CPU sits at the 81st percentile among all tested CPUs, while the GPU sits at the 67th percentile among all tested GPUs, suggesting a balanced pairing where neither component is drastically holding back the other in most scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination delivers high frame rates across all presets. With Low settings, the average FPS is 219. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 156, with a minimum of 132 and a maximum of 179. High settings yield an average of 136 FPS. The most demanding Ultra preset still produces an average of 102 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a drop of roughly 53%, but every preset remains far above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down predictably. Low settings produce an average of 161 FPS. Medium settings average 114 FPS, with a minimum of 97 and a maximum of 131. High settings average 100 FPS. Ultra settings still clear the playable bar with an average of 75 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is approximately 86 FPS, showing that the GPU is more stressed but still capable of maintaining high refresh rates.

At 3840x2160, 4K resolution proves more demanding. Low settings average 104 FPS, which is still excellent. Medium settings average 74 FPS, with a minimum of 63 and a maximum of 85. High settings average 64 FPS, just above the playable threshold. Ultra settings fall below it, with an average of 48 FPS. The data shows a clear boundary at 4K: the combination can handle up to High settings for a consistent 60+ FPS experience, but Ultra is not viable.

The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum values across all resolutions, providing a concrete frame time window. At 1080p Medium, the range is 132-179 FPS; at 1440p Medium, it is 97-131 FPS; at 4K Medium, it is 63-85 FPS. These ranges suggest that frame pacing is stable enough for competitive play at 1080p and 1440p, while 4K Medium sits close to the lower bound.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions and presets, while the CPU provides sufficient headroom at lower settings. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at the same preset shows the GPU workload increasing significantly. For example, Low settings drop from 219 FPS at 1080p to 104 FPS at 4K, a reduction of 115 FPS. This steep decline points to the GPU being the limiting factor as pixel count rises.

Conversely, the scaling between presets at a fixed resolution reveals the CPU's role. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra reduces the average from 219 to 102 FPS. The CPU, a Ryzen 5 9600X with 6 cores and 12 threads, is likely capable of feeding the GPU at these frame rates, as the Ultra preset still achieves 102 FPS. The CPU's benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 17528.5 and a single-core score of 2183.5, support the notion that it is not the bottleneck at 1080p.

At 1440p, the GPU load increases, but the CPU still manages to keep up. Ultra settings average 75 FPS, which is above the playable threshold. The CPU's single-thread performance, evidenced by a 3DMark single-thread score of 1253 and a Passmark single-thread score of 4570, helps maintain high minimum frame rates in a fast-paced FPS. The 12 threads provide enough parallel processing for game logic and physics.

At 4K, the GPU is clearly the dominant constraint. The difference between Low (104 FPS) and Ultra (48 FPS) is 56 FPS, showing that the GPU's raw throughput (35.17 TFLOPS FP32) is taxed heavily. The CPU's role diminishes as frame rates drop below 100, and the game becomes more dependent on the GPU's 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and 432.0 GB/s bandwidth. The data suggests that for 4K Ultra, the GPU would need to be significantly stronger, but for 1080p and 1440p, the CPU and GPU work well together.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Lockdown Protocol at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: Yes. Measured data shows an average of 102 FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, well above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p to stay above 60 FPS?

A: Ultra settings are playable at 2560x1440, with an average of 75 FPS. The data confirms that all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) clear the 60 FPS threshold at this resolution.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this combination?

A: Yes, but not at the highest quality. At 3840x2160, High settings average 64 FPS, and Medium settings average 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 48 FPS, which is below the playable threshold.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RX 7700 XT has an average benchmark score of 22549. It is 0.5% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile and 1.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 5700. It trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile by 0.8% and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 by 1.5%.

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

A: The Ryzen 5 9600X has an average benchmark score of 29713. It is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE. It trails the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H by 0.5%, the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT by 0.6%, and the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS by 0.8%.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combination?

A: The only recorded minimum FPS values are for the Medium preset: 132 FPS at 1080p, 97 FPS at 1440p, and 63 FPS at 4K. All other presets only report average FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X + AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT combination ranks 1397 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the top 38% of all tested configurations. The CPU's percentile rank of 81 among all CPUs and the GPU's percentile rank of 67 among all GPUs suggest a slight imbalance, where the CPU is relatively stronger than the GPU. This is reflected in the gaming data: at lower resolutions like 1080p, the CPU has enough headroom to push high frame rates, but at 4K, the GPU's performance limits the overall result.

In practical terms, this rank means the combination is solidly mid-to-upper tier for this game. It outperforms many other pairings, but there is a substantial number of more powerful combos ahead of it, particularly those with higher-end GPUs. The rank also indicates that the pairing is well-matched for the game's demands; neither component is egregiously underpowered relative to the other, as evidenced by the smooth scaling across resolutions.

The Verdict

Yes, this PC can run Lockdown Protocol at a playable level across all tested resolutions, but with caveats at 4K. At 1920x1080, every preset—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—clears the 60 FPS threshold, with the lowest average being 102 FPS on Ultra. At 2560x1440, the same is true: all presets are playable, with Ultra averaging 75 FPS. At 3840x2160, the High preset averages 64 FPS, Medium averages 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 FPS, and Low averages 104 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is not playable, averaging 48 FPS.

The data shows that for most users, this combination is ideal for 1080p and 1440p gaming, offering high refresh rates even on maximum settings. For 4K, users must compromise on settings, but High and Medium presets provide a playable experience. The combination's rank of 1397 out of 3714 confirms it is a capable setup, though not a top-tier one for 4K enthusiasts.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 102 FPS. There is no need to lower settings at this resolution, as even the heaviest preset provides a comfortable margin above the playable threshold.

For 2560x1440, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is also Ultra, with an average of 75 FPS. This allows for maximum visual quality while maintaining smooth gameplay.

For 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, with an average of 64 FPS. While Medium offers a higher average (74 FPS) and a safer minimum (63 FPS), High is playable and provides better visual fidelity. The data shows that Ultra is not viable at 4K, so High is the recommended ceiling for this resolution.