Lockdown Protocol

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT delivers a strong 1080p and 1440p experience in Lockdown Protocol, while 4K remains playable only at reduced settings. Based on measured data, this combination ranks 960th out of 3714 tested combos for this game, placing it comfortably above the median.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Lockdown Protocol covers three resolutions and four quality presets. All figures are average FPS, as minimum and maximum values were not recorded.

At 1920x1080, the RX 9070 XT produces exceptional frame rates. The Low preset averages 257.3 FPS, which is the highest reading across the entire test matrix. Medium drops to 183.2 FPS, a 28.8% decrease from Low. High comes in at 161 FPS, representing a 12.1% drop from Medium. Ultra maintains a very playable 122.9 FPS, which is 23.7% below High. Even the most demanding preset at 1080p stays well above the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance scales down predictably but remains impressive. Low averages 187.8 FPS, which is 27% lower than the equivalent 1080p setting. Medium delivers 136.5 FPS, a 25.5% reduction from its 1080p counterpart. High produces 117.1 FPS, down 27.3% from 1080p High. Ultra still clears the threshold comfortably at 87.7 FPS, which is 28.6% below 1440p High. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 100.1 FPS, showing that the GPU has ample headroom across all settings.

At 3840x2160, performance becomes more constrained. Low averages 123.7 FPS, which is 34.1% lower than 1440p Low. Medium falls to 87 FPS, a 36.2% decline from 1440p Medium. High dips to 76 FPS, representing a 35.1% drop from 1440p High. Ultra is the only preset that fails to reach the 60 FPS threshold, averaging just 56.1 FPS. This is 36.1% below 1440p Ultra and 12.1% below the playability cutoff. The scaling from 1440p to 4K shows a consistent 34-36% performance penalty across all settings, indicating that resolution, not preset choice, is the dominant factor at this tier.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals how the Ryzen 5 9600X and RX 9070 XT divide responsibilities across resolutions. At 1080p, the frame rates are extraordinarily high, with Low hitting 257.3 FPS. These numbers suggest that the CPU's single-thread performance is sufficient to feed the GPU even at these elevated rates. The Ryzen 5 9600X scores 1253 in 3dMark single-thread and 2183.5 in Cinebench R23 single-core, placing it in the 81st percentile of all CPUs. This strong single-thread showing is critical for an FPS title like Lockdown Protocol, where frame pacing depends heavily on per-core throughput.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a 27-28.6% FPS drop across all presets. This consistent reduction indicates that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor as pixel count increases. The RX 9070 XT's 48.66 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 644.6 GB/s of memory bandwidth are being utilized more fully at 1440p. At 1080p, the GPU is likely idle for portions of each frame, waiting on the CPU to deliver draw calls and game logic updates.

At 4K, the performance penalty grows to 34-36% compared to 1440p. This steeper drop confirms that the RX 9070 XT is now the primary bottleneck. The GPU's 128 ROPs and 256 TMUs are tasked with filling 8.3 million pixels per frame at 2160p, versus 3.7 million at 1440p. The CPU's role diminishes at this resolution because the frame rate drops to the 56-123 FPS range, giving the Ryzen 5 9600X ample time between frames to prepare the next one. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads, backed by 32 MB of L3 cache, are more than sufficient for this workload at 4K.

The preset scaling tells a similar story. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra costs 134.4 FPS, a 52.2% reduction. At 1440p, that same change costs 100.1 FPS (53.3% reduction). At 4K, the cost is only 67.6 FPS (54.6% reduction). The percentage cost of Ultra is nearly identical across resolutions, which suggests that the preset's additional effects (shadows, reflections, post-processing) impose a proportional load on the GPU regardless of resolution. The CPU's contribution to these effects is minimal, as evidenced by the stable single-thread scores and the consistent percentage deltas.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Lockdown Protocol at 60 FPS in 4K?

A: Yes, but not at Ultra settings. The measured data shows 76 FPS average on High, 87 FPS on Medium, and 123.7 FPS on Low at 3840x2160. Only the Ultra preset fails to reach 60 FPS, averaging 56.1 FPS.

Q: What is the best 1440p preset for this system?

A: Ultra settings deliver 87.7 FPS average at 2560x1440, which clears the 60 FPS threshold with a 46.2% margin. This is the most demanding preset that remains playable at this resolution.

Q: How does the RX 9070 XT compare to its nearest GPU rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RX 9070 XT has an average benchmark score of 13543. Its closest rival is the AMD Radeon HD 7770M at 13536 (0.1% slower), followed by the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 at 13515 (0.2% slower) and the NVIDIA P106-090 at 13470 (0.5% slower). The AMD Radeon Pro 555 trails by 1% with a score of 13407.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 9600X a top-tier CPU for gaming?

A: The CPU sits in the 81st percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29713. Its nearest rivals are closely matched: the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE scores 29656 (0.2% lower), the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H scores 29868 (0.5% higher), and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT scores 29879 (0.6% higher). This places it in strong company for gaming workloads.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average is 161 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings. This is 168% above the 60 FPS playability threshold, indicating substantial headroom for competitive play or action-heavy scenes.

Q: Does this system rank highly among all tested combos for Lockdown Protocol?

A: This CPU-GPU combination ranks 960th out of 3714 tested combos, placing it in the top 26% of all configurations. The data is measured, not estimated, which adds confidence to the results.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol with clear 60 FPS margins at 1080p and 1440p, and it handles 4K with only one caveat. At 3840x2160, the playable settings are High (76 FPS), Medium (87 FPS), and Low (123.7 FPS). The Ultra preset averages 56.1 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playability threshold. The best 4K setting is High, delivering 76 FPS average.

At 2560x1440, all four presets are playable. Ultra averages 87.7 FPS, which is 46.2% above the threshold. This is the recommended target for the best visual quality while maintaining smooth gameplay. High delivers 117.1 FPS, Medium 136.5 FPS, and Low 187.8 FPS.

At 1920x1080, every preset clears 60 FPS by a massive margin. Ultra averages 122.9 FPS, which is 104.8% above the threshold. High runs at 161 FPS, Medium at 183.2 FPS, and Low at 257.3 FPS. For 1080p users, even the most demanding settings provide a comfortable frame rate cushion.

The verdict is straightforward: this system handles Lockdown Protocol exceptionally well at 1080p and 1440p, and remains playable at 4K as long as you avoid the Ultra preset. The 56.1 FPS at 4K Ultra is the only sub-60 result in the entire dataset.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the Ryzen 5 9600X's nearest rivals are all within 1% of its average benchmark score of 29713. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE (29656, 0.2% lower) would behave nearly identically in Lockdown Protocol, as would the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H (29868, 0.5% higher) and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT (29879, 0.6% higher). The AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (29955, 0.8% higher) is also a close match. All four alternatives would produce similar frame rates in this game, given that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at 1440p or 4K.

For the GPU, the RX 9070 XT's nearest rivals are surprisingly close in synthetic benchmarks but may differ in real-world gaming. The AMD Radeon HD 7770M (13536, 0.1% lower) and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 (13515, 0.2% lower) are the closest matches by average score. The NVIDIA P106-090 (13470, 0.5% lower) and AMD Radeon Pro 555 (13407, 1% lower) also fall within a 1% margin. However, these alternatives likely have different architectural characteristics that could affect Lockdown Protocol's specific rendering paths. The measured FPS data for this game applies specifically to the RX 9070 XT, so the exact 1080p/1440p/4K numbers would not transfer directly to these rivals.

The combination's rank of 960 out of 3714 combos suggests that many other CPU-GPU pairings would deliver similar or better performance. The nearest rivals on both sides indicate that users with slightly older AMD or NVIDIA parts could expect comparable frame rates, provided their GPUs have enough VRAM and bandwidth for the game's demands.

Best Settings per Resolution

The most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS average at each resolution is as follows:

• 3840x2160: High settings with 76 FPS average. This is the only resolution where Ultra is not playable. Medium (87 FPS) and Low (123.7 FPS) also work, but High offers the best visual quality within the playable range.

• 2560x1440: Ultra settings with 87.7 FPS average. This provides the full visual experience while maintaining a 46.2% margin above the 60 FPS threshold. High (117.1 FPS), Medium (136.5 FPS), and Low (187.8 FPS) are all viable options for users prioritizing frame rate over graphics.

• 1920x1080: Ultra settings with 122.9 FPS average. This is 104.8% above the playability threshold, meaning even the highest preset leaves significant performance headroom. High (161 FPS), Medium (183.2 FPS), and Low (257.3 FPS) are all available for users with high-refresh-rate displays.

For users with 120 Hz or 144 Hz monitors at 1080p, High or Medium settings would be necessary to match the display's refresh rate, as Ultra averages 122.9 FPS and would dip below 144 FPS in demanding scenes. At 1440p, a 144 Hz display would require Medium (136.5 FPS) or Low (187.8 FPS) settings. At 4K, a 60 Hz display is the realistic target, and High settings at 76 FPS provide a comfortable buffer.