Lockdown Protocol

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT delivers a consistently high-refresh experience in Lockdown Protocol across all tested resolutions. The data shows this combination is not merely playable but capable of exceeding 60 FPS at every preset, with performance scaling predictably as resolution decreases. At 4K, the average frame rates range from 62 FPS on Ultra to 133 FPS on Low, while 1440p and 1080p push well past the 200 FPS mark at lower settings, indicating a system with substantial headroom for competitive play.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Lockdown Protocol covers three resolutions and four quality presets, providing a complete picture of how this hardware scales under load. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset yields an average of 62 FPS, which is the lowest figure recorded for this combo. The Medium preset at 4K produces an average of 94 FPS, with a minimum of 80 FPS and a maximum of 108 FPS, marking the only setting in the dataset with full min/max values. High at 4K reaches 82 FPS average, while Low jumps to 133 FPS average, showing a spread of 71 FPS between the most and least demanding presets at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance envelope expands considerably. The Ultra preset averages 96 FPS, which is 34 FPS higher than the same preset at 4K. Medium at 1440p records an average of 146 FPS, with a minimum of 124 FPS and a maximum of 168 FPS. High follows at 127 FPS average, and Low reaches 206 FPS average. The gap between Ultra and Low at 1440p is 110 FPS, demonstrating that the RX 7900 XT has ample capability to exploit lower graphical demands for higher frame rates.

At 1920x1080, the system operates in very high frame rate territory. Ultra averages 130 FPS, while Medium averages 199 FPS with a minimum of 169 FPS and a maximum of 229 FPS. High averages 174 FPS, and Low achieves 280 FPS average, the highest figure in the entire dataset. The 1080p results show a 150 FPS difference between Ultra and Low, indicating that CPU or engine limitations are not constraining the GPU at this resolution, as the scaling remains steep across all presets.

The min/max data available for Medium presets reveals consistent frame pacing. At 4K Medium, the 80 FPS minimum is 85.1% of the 94 FPS average, suggesting only minor dips under load. At 1440p Medium, the 124 FPS minimum is 84.9% of the 146 FPS average, and at 1080p Medium, the 169 FPS minimum is 84.9% of the 199 FPS average. This consistency across resolutions indicates stable performance without severe stuttering or frame-time spikes in the measured scenarios.

Best Settings per Resolution

The playability threshold for this analysis is 60 FPS, and the data shows every preset at every resolution clears this bar. However, the "best settings" designation refers to the most demanding preset that maintains at least 60 FPS average, which in all three cases is Ultra. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages 62 FPS, just above the threshold, making it the highest quality option that remains playable. This is a marginal victory for Ultra at 4K, as the 62 FPS average leaves only 2 FPS of headroom above the 60 FPS floor.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 96 FPS, providing a comfortable 36 FPS buffer above the threshold. This allows for full visual fidelity at a frame rate that suits most displays, including those with 144 Hz refresh rates, though not maxing out the highest refresh panels. The 1440p Ultra setting represents the sweet spot for this combo, balancing image quality with performance that is 54.8% higher than the 4K Ultra result.

For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 130 FPS, more than double the playability threshold. This is the most demanding setting at the lowest resolution tested, and it still delivers frame rates suitable for high-refresh gaming. The 1080p Ultra result is 109.7% higher than the 4K Ultra figure, illustrating how resolution scaling benefits this hardware configuration. None of the tested presets at any resolution fall below 60 FPS, so the best settings are universally the Ultra preset.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Lockdown Protocol at 4K with maximum settings?

A: Yes. The data shows the Ultra preset at 3840x2160 averages 62 FPS, which exceeds the 60 FPS playability threshold. This is the only resolution where Ultra is close to the threshold, with just 2 FPS of headroom.

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average is 280 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. This is the least demanding configuration tested and shows the upper limit of this hardware in Lockdown Protocol.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at the same settings?

A: At the Ultra preset, the 4K average of 62 FPS is 52.3% lower than the 1080p average of 130 FPS. The scaling is similar at High, where 4K averages 82 FPS versus 174 FPS at 1080p, a reduction of 52.9%.

Q: Does the Medium preset provide stable frame times?

A: The min/max data for Medium shows consistent performance. At 1080p, the range is 169 to 229 FPS around a 199 FPS average. At 1440p, the range is 124 to 168 FPS around a 146 FPS average, and at 4K, the range is 80 to 108 FPS around a 94 FPS average.

Q: Which resolution offers the best balance of quality and speed?

A: Based on the data, 2560x1440 with the Ultra preset averages 96 FPS, which is 34 FPS higher than 4K Ultra while still delivering full graphical settings. This provides a substantial performance margin without sacrificing visual fidelity.

Q: Is the 60 FPS threshold exceeded at every setting?

A: Yes. Every preset at every resolution in the measured data averages above 60 FPS. The lowest recorded average is 62 FPS at 4K Ultra, and all other configurations exceed this figure.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F provide context for CPU-bound scenarios in Lockdown Protocol. The AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX has an average benchmark score of 69875, which is 0.2% lower than the 9700F's 69996 average. The Intel Core i7-14700KF scores 70163, 0.2% higher than the 9700F, while the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X scores 69515, 0.7% lower, and the Intel Core i7-14700K scores 69355, 0.9% lower. These deltas are minimal, meaning any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Lockdown Protocol when paired with the same GPU, assuming the game is not heavily single-thread dependent.

For the GPU side, the nearest rivals to the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT show more variance in benchmark scores, though the average deltaPct values are still small. The AMD Radeon 660M scores 13812, which is 0.5% higher than the RX 7900 XT's 13745 average, despite being an integrated graphics solution in a different class. The NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile scores 13821, also 0.5% higher, while the AMD Radeon RX 570X scores 13871, 0.9% higher, and the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT scores 13543, 1.5% lower. These rivals would behave nearly identically to the RX 7900 XT in Lockdown Protocol based on the benchmark averages, though the RX 9070 XT would trail by a small margin.

It is important to note that the GPU percentile ranks at 55, placing it in the lower half of all tested GPUs according to the average benchmark score, while the CPU ranks at the 94th percentile. This discrepancy suggests the CPU is a stronger component relative to its peers than the GPU, which could matter in CPU-bound scenarios at lower resolutions.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions reveals how the CPU and GPU divide responsibility in Lockdown Protocol. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at the Ultra preset, the average frame rate drops from 130 FPS to 96 FPS, a 26.2% reduction. From 1440p to 4K, the Ultra average drops from 96 FPS to 62 FPS, a 35.4% reduction. These diminishing returns as resolution increases are typical of GPU-bound workloads, where the RX 7900 XT becomes the limiting factor at higher pixel counts.

At the Low preset, the resolution scaling is even more pronounced. The 1080p Low average of 280 FPS drops to 206 FPS at 1440p, a 26.4% decrease, and further to 133 FPS at 4K, a 35.4% decrease from 1440p. The fact that Low settings still show steep resolution scaling indicates the GPU remains the primary bottleneck even at minimal graphical loads, though the absolute frame rates are high enough to suggest the CPU is not a limiting factor at 1080p.

The CPU's role becomes more apparent when comparing presets at a fixed resolution. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra reduces the average from 280 FPS to 130 FPS, a 53.6% drop. This large preset sensitivity suggests the graphical settings, not CPU processing, drive the performance differences. The Ryzen 7 9700F, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, provides sufficient headroom to keep frame rates high across all tested configurations, as evidenced by the 94th percentile ranking against all CPUs.

At 4K, the GPU is clearly the dominant factor. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 71 FPS (133 to 62), which is proportionally similar to the 1080p difference of 150 FPS (280 to 130). Since the absolute frame rates at 4K are much lower, the GPU's rendering workload is the primary constraint, while the CPU's influence is minimal at this resolution.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol at every resolution and preset tested, with all configurations exceeding the 60 FPS playability threshold. The verdict by resolution confirms that 3840x2160 is playable on Ultra with an average of 62 FPS, though this is the only marginal case. The 2560x1440 resolution is playable on Ultra with an average of 96 FPS, offering a strong balance of quality and speed. The 1920x1080 resolution is playable on Ultra with an average of 130 FPS, making it suitable for high-refresh monitors.

The data indicates that users seeking the maximum visual fidelity at 4K can use the Ultra preset, but they should be aware of the slim margin above the threshold. For those prioritizing frame rate over visual quality, the Low preset at 1080p delivers 280 FPS, which is more than four times the playability threshold and appropriate for competitive play. The Medium preset provides the only complete min/max data, showing stable performance at all three resolutions.

Overall, this combination of AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is well-suited for Lockdown Protocol across all tested scenarios. The system never falls below 60 FPS, and at lower resolutions it provides frame rates that exceed the refresh rate of most displays. The weakest configuration, 4K Ultra, still clears the threshold, meaning no compromises are necessary for playability.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank for this specific pairing in Lockdown Protocol is 685 out of 3714 tested combinations, placing it in the top 18.5% of all systems tested. This rank reflects the strong performance of both the CPU and GPU, though the GPU's 55th percentile ranking against all GPUs tempers the overall standing. The CPU's 94th percentile ranking provides a substantial boost to the combo's position.

Given the measured frame rates, this ranking is consistent with the data. The combo achieves 62 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is above the playability threshold but not exceptional for a high-end system. The 130 FPS at 1080p Ultra is more impressive, placing the system in a strong position for high-refresh gaming. The rank of 685 suggests that while this is a capable system, there are many faster combinations in the database, particularly those with higher-tier GPUs that would improve 4K performance.

The gap between the CPU's high percentile (94) and the GPU's mid-range percentile (55) indicates that upgrading the GPU would yield larger gains in Lockdown Protocol than upgrading the CPU. The current GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, while the CPU provides ample performance headroom. For users considering changes, focusing on GPU improvements would likely move this combo higher in the rankings.