Lockdown Protocol

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT combination delivers measured performance in Lockdown Protocol across three resolutions and four quality presets. The CPU carries a launch MSRP of $289 and the GPU a launch MSRP of 599 USD. This analysis draws exclusively on the benchmark data provided, including measured frame rates, synthetic scores, and comparative rankings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840×2160, the combination produces an average of 123 FPS on Low settings, 87 FPS on Medium, 76 FPS on High, and 57 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 74 FPS and a maximum of 100 FPS; the other presets report only averages. The Ultra preset falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold, while Low, Medium, and High all exceed it.

At 2560×1440, the averages are 191 FPS on Low, 135 FPS on Medium, 118 FPS on High, and 89 FPS on Ultra. Medium again provides the only min/max data: 115 FPS minimum and 156 FPS maximum. All four presets clear the 60 FPS line, with Ultra still delivering 89 FPS.

At 1920×1080, the averages climb to 260 FPS on Low, 185 FPS on Medium, 161 FPS on High, and 121 FPS on Ultra. Medium shows a minimum of 157 FPS and a maximum of 212 FPS. Every preset at this resolution is far above the playable threshold, with even the most demanding setting holding 121 FPS.

The data shows a consistent pattern: frame rates drop as resolution and settings increase, but the relative spacing between presets changes. At 4K, the gap between Low and Ultra is 66 FPS (123 to 57); at 1440p it is 102 FPS (191 to 89); at 1080p it is 139 FPS (260 to 121). This widening spread suggests that the GPU becomes the primary limiter at higher resolutions, while the CPU's headroom is more apparent at lower resolutions.

CPU and GPU Roles

The Ryzen 7 9700F is a Zen 5 desktop processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, and a PassMark single-thread score of 4691. Its multithread score is 36470, and it sits in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. The Radeon RX 9070 XT, based on RDNA 4.0, has a PassMark G3D score of 26795 and a percentile rank of 55. These synthetic scores indicate a CPU that is far above average and a GPU that is only slightly above the median in the benchmark database—though the measured FPS in Lockdown Protocol tell a more nuanced story.

At 1080p Low, the combination reaches 260 FPS. That is an extremely high frame rate, and it suggests the CPU is doing most of the work; the GPU is not heavily taxed at such low settings. When settings rise to Ultra at 1080p, the average drops to 121 FPS—still high, but the GPU is now more involved. At 4K Low, the average is 123 FPS, which is almost identical to 1080p Ultra. This indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K even on Low, because the pixel count alone demands significant GPU throughput. The CPU's strong single-thread performance keeps frame rates from collapsing, but it cannot overcome the GPU's workload at higher resolutions.

The scaling between resolutions supports this interpretation. From 1080p Low to 4K Low, the FPS falls from 260 to 123—a 53% reduction. If the CPU were the sole bottleneck, the drop would be much smaller because the CPU's workload does not scale with resolution. Conversely, from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra, the FPS falls from 121 to 57—a 53% reduction as well, but the absolute values are lower. This symmetry suggests that at Low settings, the GPU is already the primary constraint at 4K, while at Ultra settings, the GPU is the constraint at all resolutions, with the CPU providing just enough headroom to maintain playable rates at 1440p and 1080p.

The Medium preset data adds granularity. At 1080p Medium, the average is 185 FPS with a minimum of 157 FPS; at 1440p Medium, the average is 135 FPS with a minimum of 115 FPS; at 4K Medium, the average is 87 FPS with a minimum of 74 FPS. The minimum values stay above 60 FPS in every case, confirming that the combination does not suffer from severe frame-time spikes. The CPU's 94th percentile ranking and the GPU's 55th percentile ranking together produce a system that is CPU-rich and GPU-moderate, but in this game the GPU still dictates the upper limit at high resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination ranks 874th out of 3714 tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the top 23.5% of all systems. That rank reflects the measured FPS across all tested presets and resolutions. Given that the CPU is in the 94th percentile and the GPU in the 55th percentile, the overall position is driven more by the CPU's strength than the GPU's raw score. The rank indicates that this combo is well above average for this game, but not at the very top; systems with higher-end GPUs would likely place higher.

The CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are all within 0.9% of its average score. The AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX is 0.2% slower, the Intel Core i7-14700KF is 0.2% faster, the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X is 0.7% slower, and the Intel Core i7-14700K is 0.9% slower. The GPU's nearest rivals are even closer: the AMD Radeon HD 7770M is 0.1% slower, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 is 0.2% slower, the NVIDIA P106-090 is 0.5% slower, and the AMD Radeon Pro 555 is 1% slower. These deltas are tiny, so any of these components would produce nearly identical frame rates in a system with the same other parts.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, at Low, Medium, and High settings. The averages are 123, 87, and 76 FPS respectively. Ultra falls short at 57 FPS.

Q: What is the best preset at 1440p that stays above 60 FPS?

A: Ultra, with an average of 89 FPS. All presets at 1440p exceed 60 FPS, so Ultra is the most demanding option that remains playable.

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

A: At 1080p Low, the CPU is likely the limiting factor, as the 260 FPS average is far beyond what the GPU would need to produce at low settings. At 1080p Ultra, the GPU becomes more influential, but the CPU still provides enough headroom to reach 121 FPS.

Q: How does this combo compare to the average system?

A: It ranks 874th out of 3714 tested combinations, which is in the top 23.5%. The CPU is in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 55th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: Does the Medium preset have stable frame times?

A: Yes. At all three resolutions, the Medium preset reports minimums above 60 FPS: 157 FPS at 1080p, 115 FPS at 1440p, and 74 FPS at 4K. The maximums are 212, 156, and 100 FPS respectively.

Q: Are there any settings that are not playable?

A: Only 4K Ultra, which averages 57 FPS, falls below the 60 FPS threshold. Every other combination of resolution and preset is playable.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840×2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, with an average of 76 FPS. Low and Medium also qualify, but High offers the best visual quality among playable options.

At 2560×1440, the most demanding preset is Ultra, averaging 89 FPS. Since all presets exceed 60 FPS, Ultra is the recommended choice.

At 1920×1080, the most demanding preset is Ultra, averaging 121 FPS. This provides the highest fidelity while still delivering more than double the playable threshold.

The Verdict

Yes, this PC can run Lockdown Protocol. The verdict by resolution is clear: at 4K, the playable settings are Low, Medium, and High, with High being the best at 76 FPS; Ultra is not playable because it averages 57 FPS. At 1440p, all four presets are playable, with Ultra at 89 FPS as the best. At 1080p, all presets are playable, and Ultra at 121 FPS is the best. The data shows that the combination is well-suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1080p and 1440p, and for high-fidelity gaming at 4K as long as the Ultra preset is avoided.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Based on synthetic benchmark scores, the CPU's nearest rivals—AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, Intel Core i7-14700KF, AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, and Intel Core i7-14700K—are all within 0.9% of the Ryzen 7 9700F's average score. In a system with the same GPU, these processors would be expected to produce nearly identical frame rates in Lockdown Protocol. The GPU's nearest rivals—AMD Radeon HD 7770M, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570, NVIDIA P106-090, and AMD Radeon Pro 555—are within 1% of the RX 9070 XT's average score. While these GPUs are from older generations, their synthetic scores are statistically indistinguishable from the RX 9070 XT in the benchmark database; however, actual gaming performance may differ due to driver and architecture differences not captured in the synthetic scores. For users seeking a similar experience, any of these CPU or GPU alternatives would deliver essentially the same measured FPS in this game, provided the other system components remain comparable.