Lockdown Protocol

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 delivers a heavily resolution-dependent experience in Lockdown Protocol. At 1920x1080, the combination is overwhelmingly capable, while 2560x1440 remains playable at maximum settings with a tight margin. At 3840x2160, however, the system falls short of the 60 FPS threshold at medium and higher presets, with only the Low setting providing comfortable headroom. The data indicates a configuration that is well-balanced for high-refresh 1080p gaming and solid 1440p play, but one that should not be expected to drive 4K at high visual fidelity.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average frame rates span a wide range across the four presets. The Low preset delivers an average of 175 FPS, which is the highest figure recorded for this combination at any resolution. Stepping up to Medium yields an average of 124 FPS, with a minimum of 106 FPS and a maximum of 143 FPS. The High preset produces a 109 FPS average, and the Ultra preset, while still comfortably above the playability threshold, drops to an 81 FPS average. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is substantial — a drop of 94 FPS — but every preset clears the 60 FPS line by a significant margin.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scaling is predictable but steeper. The Low preset averages 128 FPS, which is still highly responsive. Medium averages 91 FPS, with a minimum of 77 FPS and a maximum of 105 FPS. High averages 80 FPS, and Ultra averages exactly 60 FPS, making it the least forgiving preset at this resolution. The transition from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 27% of the average frame rate on the Low preset (from 175 to 128 FPS), and the Ultra preset loses 21 FPS (from 81 to 60 FPS). The minimum frame rate on Medium at 1440p, 77 FPS, indicates that even the lower percentile performance remains above the playable threshold.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes dramatically. The Low preset is the only one that maintains a playable average, at 83 FPS. Medium drops to a 59 FPS average, with a minimum of 50 FPS and a maximum of 68 FPS — the first time any preset dips below the 60 FPS average line. High averages 51 FPS, and Ultra averages 39 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra at 4K is 44 FPS, and the Ultra preset's average is less than half that of the Low preset. Notably, the data shows no min or max values for the High, Low, and Ultra presets at 4K, meaning only the Medium preset provides a complete frame time distribution for this resolution.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, with the CPU's influence becoming more apparent at lower resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Ryzen 7 9700F's strong single-thread performance — evidenced by its PassMark single-thread score of 4691 — allows the RX 9060 to reach its peak output. The 175 FPS average at Low settings suggests that the GPU is the primary limiter even at this resolution, as the CPU has ample headroom to feed frames.

The scaling between 1080p and 1440p is moderate, with an average reduction of approximately 31% across all presets (from 122.25 FPS aggregate to 89.75 FPS aggregate). This is consistent with a GPU that is increasingly stressed by pixel count. The 4K results, however, show a much sharper cliff: the aggregate average across presets falls to 58 FPS, a further 35% reduction from 1440p. This non-linear scaling is characteristic of a GPU whose 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus (288.0 GB/s bandwidth) become limiting factors at very high pixel densities.

Conversely, the CPU's role is best illustrated by the consistent frame rates at lower resolutions across different presets. At 1080p, the gap between Low (175 FPS) and Ultra (81 FPS) is 94 FPS, which is a 54% reduction. This is a larger relative drop than at 1440p (from 128 to 60, a 53% reduction) or 4K (from 83 to 39, a 53% reduction). The consistency of this percentage reduction across resolutions suggests that the CPU is not the bottleneck at any setting; rather, the GPU's workload scaling with preset quality is the dominant factor. The Ryzen 7 9700F's 8 cores and 16 threads, with a 5.50 GHz boost clock, are more than sufficient for this title's demands.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the clear recommendation, as it delivers an average of 81 FPS — well above the 60 FPS playability threshold. This allows users to experience the full visual fidelity of the game without compromising on smoothness. The High preset (109 FPS) and Medium preset (124 FPS) are also viable, but Ultra offers the best balance of image quality and performance.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset again qualifies as the best setting, with an average of exactly 60 FPS. This is a borderline result — it meets the threshold but leaves no headroom for demanding scenes. For users who prioritize consistency over maximum visuals, the High preset at 80 FPS would be a safer choice, but strictly by the data, Ultra is playable. The Medium preset's 91 FPS average and 77 FPS minimum provide a more comfortable experience if frame pacing is a concern.

At 3840x2160, only the Low preset remains playable, with an average of 83 FPS. The Medium preset falls just short at 59 FPS average, with a minimum of 50 FPS, which would likely result in noticeable stutters during intense action. The High (51 FPS) and Ultra (39 FPS) presets are not viable for smooth gameplay. The data strongly suggests that 4K gaming with this combination requires accepting Low settings, which still provides a responsive experience but sacrifices most visual enhancements.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, based on average benchmark scores, indicate that several CPUs would deliver nearly identical performance in Lockdown Protocol. The AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX scores 69875, which is 0.2% lower than the 9700F's 69996 average. The Intel Core i7-14700KF scores 70163, placing it 0.2% higher. The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X scores 69515 (0.7% lower), and the Intel Core i7-14700K scores 69355 (0.9% lower). In practice, these deltas are negligible — any of these CPUs would produce frame rates within a few percent of the Ryzen 7 9700F in a GPU-bound scenario.

For the GPU, the AMD Radeon RX 9060's nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which scores 16129 versus the RX 9060's 16014 average — a 0.7% difference. The AMD Radeon R9 370X (15862) and AMD Radeon RX 7700 (15852) are both 1% slower, while the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (15679) is 2.1% slower. These alternatives would produce nearly identical FPS numbers at each resolution and preset. The RTX 3060 Ti, despite being an older architecture, would effectively match the RX 9060 in this game. Similarly, the RX 7700 would be a drop-in equivalent, though its driver and feature set may differ.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol, but the playable envelope is tightly constrained by resolution. The verdict by resolution is unambiguous: at 1920x1080, all four presets are playable, with the Ultra preset averaging 81 FPS. At 2560x1440, all four presets also clear the 60 FPS threshold, with Ultra averaging exactly 60 FPS — a marginal but acceptable result. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset (83 FPS average) is playable; Medium (59 FPS), High (51 FPS), and Ultra (39 FPS) all fail to maintain 60 FPS.

The data shows that the system's sweet spot is 1080p Ultra, where it delivers high frame rates with full visual settings. At 1440p, users must choose between Ultra (60 FPS) and High (80 FPS), with the latter offering more headroom. At 4K, the system is effectively a Low-settings machine, which may be acceptable for users who prioritize frame rate over fidelity. The 60 FPS threshold is the defining metric: the combo meets it at 1080p and 1440p across all presets, but fails it at 4K for three of four presets.

How This Combo Ranks

Among all tested combinations in the database, this pairing ranks 2194 out of 3714 combos for Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the lower half of the distribution — roughly the 41st percentile of all tested systems. The ranking reflects that while the CPU is strong (94th percentile among all CPUs), the GPU is only mid-tier (59th percentile among all GPUs). The combination's overall rank is dragged down by the GPU's performance ceiling, particularly at higher resolutions. For a system targeting 1080p or 1440p, this rank undersells its capability, as the data shows it performs very well there. However, the 4K results justify the middling rank, as many competing combos with stronger GPUs would handle that resolution better.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest preset that maintains 60 FPS at 1920x1080?

A: The Ultra preset averages 81 FPS at 1920x1080, which is the most demanding setting that stays above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset averages 109 FPS, Medium 124 FPS, and Low 175 FPS.

Q: Can this system run the game at 2560x1440 with maximum settings?

A: Yes, the Ultra preset at 2560x1440 averages exactly 60 FPS, meeting the playability threshold. However, the High preset at 80 FPS provides more headroom if you prefer consistent frame times.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this CPU and GPU combo?

A: Only at Low settings, which average 83 FPS. The Medium preset averages 59 FPS (with a 50 FPS minimum), High averages 51 FPS, and Ultra averages 39 FPS — all below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the RX 9060 compare to the RTX 3060 Ti in this game?

A: The RX 9060's average benchmark score is 16014, while the RTX 3060 Ti scores 16129, a 0.7% difference. In Lockdown Protocol, you would expect nearly identical frame rates from both GPUs.

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

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 50 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 with Medium settings. At 2560x1440 Medium, the minimum is 77 FPS, and at 1920x1080 Medium, it is 106 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data shows the GPU is the primary limiter even at 1080p. The Ryzen 7 9700F's single-thread score of 4691 is more than sufficient, as evidenced by the 175 FPS average at Low settings, which is the GPU's output ceiling.