Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol, a 2024 FPS title, presents an interesting scaling challenge for the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D. The measured data shows this combination is exceptionally powerful, delivering frame rates far beyond the 60 FPS playability threshold at every tested setting and resolution. The benchmark results indicate a system that is not merely playable but overwhelmingly capable, with the primary question being how much headroom exists at the highest visual presets.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that maintains an average above 60 FPS is Ultra, which achieves an average of 88 FPS. This is a significant finding, as it means the system can run the game at maximum visual fidelity at 4K while still providing a comfortable margin above the playability threshold. The data shows a clear progression: High yields 118 FPS, Medium 135 FPS, and Low 190 FPS, but Ultra at 88 FPS is the optimal choice for image quality without sacrificing smoothness.

Moving to 2560x1440, the best setting is again Ultra, with an average of 137 FPS. This represents a substantial jump in performance compared to 4K, allowing for both maximum quality and a high refresh rate experience. The other presets at this resolution—High at 183 FPS, Medium at 209 FPS, and Low at 295 FPS—all far exceed the 60 FPS requirement, but Ultra provides the best visual experience while still being exceptionally fast.

At 1920x1080, the story continues with Ultra being the best setting, delivering an average of 187 FPS. This resolution offers the highest frame rates, making it ideal for competitive play or high refresh rate monitors. The gap between presets is vast, with Low reaching 359 FPS and Medium at 285 FPS, but Ultra's 187 FPS remains the definitive choice for a balance of visual quality and performance. In all cases, the system never drops below the 60 FPS threshold, even at the highest settings.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a system where the GPU is the dominant performance driver, but the CPU's role becomes more apparent as resolution decreases. The scaling from 3840x2160 to 1920x1080 shows a dramatic increase in frame rates across all presets, indicating that the RTX 5090 D is not the bottleneck at lower resolutions. For instance, at Ultra settings, the average FPS goes from 88 at 4K to 137 at 1440p and 187 at 1080p. This represents a 55% increase from 4K to 1080p, suggesting the GPU is heavily utilized at higher resolutions and has more headroom as pixel count drops.

The CPU's influence is more visible in the difference between Low and Ultra presets at a given resolution. At 1920x1080, the jump from Low (359 FPS) to Ultra (187 FPS) is a massive 172 FPS difference, implying that the graphics card is doing much more work at higher settings. However, even at Low settings with 359 FPS, the Ryzen 5 9600X is capable of feeding the GPU enough data to sustain that frame rate. The CPU's six cores and twelve threads, with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, appear sufficient to avoid limiting performance in this title. The data suggests that at 4K, the GPU is the clear limiting factor, while at 1080p, the system becomes more balanced, though the GPU still has significant headroom.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the system delivers consistently high frame rates. With Low settings, the average is 190 FPS. Medium settings produce an average of 135 FPS, with a minimum of 115 FPS and a maximum of 155 FPS. High settings yield 118 FPS on average. Finally, Ultra settings drop the average to 88 FPS. All settings at this resolution are comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold, with the minimum recorded frame rate at Medium being 115 FPS.

At 2560x1440, performance scales up significantly. The Low preset achieves an average of 295 FPS. Medium settings show an average of 209 FPS, with a minimum of 178 FPS and a maximum of 241 FPS. High settings produce 183 FPS on average. The Ultra preset maintains an average of 137 FPS. The data shows a smooth progression, with even the most demanding setting providing more than double the required frame rate.

At 1920x1080, the system displays its peak performance. The Low preset hits an average of 359 FPS. Medium settings average 285 FPS, with a minimum of 243 FPS and a maximum of 328 FPS. High settings produce 249 FPS on average. Ultra settings still deliver an impressive 187 FPS. The minimum frame rates at this resolution are exceptionally high, indicating a very stable experience with no noticeable dips below the playability threshold.

The Verdict

Can this PC run Lockdown Protocol? The answer is a definitive yes, with exceptional headroom. According to the verdict data, the system is playable at all settings and resolutions tested. At 3840x2160, the best playable setting is Ultra, with an average of 88 FPS. At 2560x1440, the best setting is also Ultra, achieving 137 FPS. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset runs at 187 FPS. The system not only clears the 60 FPS threshold but does so with such margin that users can prioritize visual fidelity without compromise. The data indicates that this combination is overkill for standard 60 FPS gaming at any resolution, and it is instead suited for high refresh rate displays, even at 4K.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE has an average benchmark score of 29656, which is a 0.2% difference from the Ryzen 5 9600X's average of 29713. This means the Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE would provide nearly identical CPU-bound performance in games. The AMD Ryzen 7 7840H and AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT are also close, with average scores of 29868 and 29879, respectively, showing deltas of -0.5% and -0.6%. These processors would behave similarly, with negligible differences in frame pacing.

For the GPU, the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT has an average score of 76904, which is 1.1% higher than the RTX 5090 D's average of 77712? The data actually shows the RTX 5090 D has a higher average score, so the RX 6650M XT is 1.1% lower. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 78940, a -1.6% delta, meaning it is slightly faster. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB and 16 GB variants score 79396 and 79605, respectively, with deltas of -2.1% and -2.4%. These GPUs would produce very similar frame rates, with the RX 6850M XT being a marginal step up and the Tesla P100 cards being slightly faster, though the differences are within a few percentage points.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for Lockdown Protocol at 3840x2160 with this hardware?

A: The Ultra preset is the best choice, providing an average of 88 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: How much faster is the system at 1920x1080 compared to 3840x2160 on Ultra settings?

A: At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 187 FPS, which is more than double the 88 FPS seen at 3840x2160, indicating a significant performance scaling with resolution.

Q: Does the system ever drop below 60 FPS in the measured data?

A: No. The lowest recorded minimum FPS in the data is 115 FPS at 3840x2160 with Medium settings. All average frame rates are well above 60 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more of a limiting factor at 4K resolution?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary limiter at 3840x2160, as frame rates scale dramatically when moving to lower resolutions, indicating the GPU has more headroom when the pixel count is reduced.

Q: Which CPU rival is closest in performance to the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE is the closest rival, with an average benchmark score of 29656 compared to the Ryzen 5 9600X's 29713, a mere 0.2% difference.

Q: Are there any playable settings at 4K with this combo?

A: Yes, all tested settings at 3840x2160—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable, with average frame rates ranging from 88 FPS at Ultra to 190 FPS at Low.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination ranks 15th out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places the system in the top fraction of a percent of all configurations tested. The data confirms that this is an elite-level pairing, capable of delivering maximum settings at high frame rates across all resolutions. The rank underscores the exceptional performance headroom this combo offers, making it a top-tier choice for this game.