Lockdown Protocol

AMD Ryzen 7 9700F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti delivers a solid 1080p and 1440p experience in Lockdown Protocol, with 4K requiring a compromise on visual fidelity. The data shows this combo is capable of high refresh rates at mainstream resolutions, but the RTX 3060 Ti's 8 GB frame buffer and mid-range compute power become the limiting factor as resolution climbs. Benchmark results indicate that the CPU has ample headroom, making the GPU the primary determinant of performance at higher settings.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which achieves an average of 91 FPS. This is the full visual experience without any performance compromise. The GPU handles the load comfortably, leaving a 31 FPS buffer above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, the best settings are also Ultra, with an average of 67 FPS. This is a tighter margin, only 7 FPS above the threshold, but it remains consistently playable. The data shows a 24 FPS drop from 1080p Ultra to 1440p Ultra, which is a significant but expected scaling penalty.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes. Medium is the most demanding preset that maintains 60 FPS, averaging 66 FPS. Ultra drops to 43 FPS, which is unplayable by the 60 FPS standard. High settings sit at 57 FPS, just below the threshold. The verdict data confirms this, listing only Low and Medium as playable at 4K.

CPU and GPU Roles

The division of labor between the Ryzen 7 9700F and the RTX 3060 Ti shifts dramatically across resolutions. At 1080p, the CPU's strong single-thread performance (Passmark single-thread score of 4691) keeps the frame rate high, but the GPU is still the bottleneck at Ultra settings. The jump from Low to Ultra at 1080p costs 105 FPS (196 to 91), which is a GPU-bound scaling pattern.

At 1440p, the GPU's load increases, but the CPU still has headroom. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 77 FPS drop (144 to 67). This is less severe than 1080p, indicating the GPU is becoming the primary constraint. The CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads are not stressed by this game at this resolution.

At 4K, the RTX 3060 Ti is fully saturated. The difference between Low (93 FPS) and Medium (66 FPS) is 27 FPS, while Ultra (43 FPS) is a further 23 FPS drop. This steep falloff shows the GPU's memory bandwidth (448.0 GB/s) and compute capacity (16.20 TFLOPS) are insufficient for 4K Ultra. The CPU's role is minimal here, as the GPU is the clear limiting factor.

The scaling between resolutions reinforces this. At Ultra settings, dropping from 4K to 1440p yields a 24 FPS gain (43 to 67), and dropping from 1440p to 1080p yields another 24 FPS gain (67 to 91). This linear progression suggests the GPU is the bottleneck across all resolutions at Ultra. At Medium settings, the progression is 66 (4K), 102 (1440p), and 139 (1080p), showing a similar pattern.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080:

• Low: Average 196 FPS. This is the highest frame rate recorded for this combo.
• Medium: Average 139 FPS, with a minimum of 118 FPS and a maximum of 160 FPS. The frame time variance is moderate, but the minimum stays well above 60 FPS.
• High: Average 121 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 91 FPS. This is the most demanding preset, and it still clears the 60 FPS threshold by a wide margin.

2560x1440:

• Low: Average 144 FPS. This is a 52 FPS drop from 1080p Low, showing the resolution scaling cost.
• Medium: Average 102 FPS, with a minimum of 87 FPS and a maximum of 117 FPS. The minimum is still 27 FPS above the playable threshold.
• High: Average 89 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 67 FPS. The minimum is not listed, but the average is only 7 FPS above the threshold, suggesting occasional dips below 60 FPS are possible.

3840x2160:

• Low: Average 93 FPS. This is the only 4K preset with a comfortable margin above 60 FPS.
• Medium: Average 66 FPS, with a minimum of 56 FPS and a maximum of 76 FPS. The minimum dips below 60 FPS, meaning there will be stutters during intense scenes.
• High: Average 57 FPS. This is below the 60 FPS threshold.
• Ultra: Average 43 FPS. This is not playable by the 60 FPS standard.

FAQ

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

A: No. The measured average at 3840x2160 Ultra is 43 FPS, which is well below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The verdict data lists only Low and Medium as playable at 4K.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: 2560x1440 offers the best balance, with Ultra settings averaging 67 FPS. This provides a high visual quality with a playable frame rate, whereas 4K requires dropping to Medium.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 9700F compare to the Intel Core i7-14700KF?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700F has an average benchmark score of 69996, which is 0.2% lower than the Intel Core i7-14700KF's 70163. The delta is negligible for gaming purposes.

Q: Is the RTX 3060 Ti a bottleneck for this game?

A: At 1080p and 1440p, the GPU is the primary bottleneck at Ultra settings, but the CPU has headroom. At 4K, the GPU is the sole limiting factor, as the CPU's performance is sufficient for even the lowest settings.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p Medium?

A: The average is 139 FPS, with a minimum of 118 FPS and a maximum of 160 FPS. This is a very smooth experience for competitive play.

Q: Does the RTX 3060 Ti outperform the AMD Radeon RX 9060?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti has an average benchmark score of 16129, which is 0.7% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 9060's 16014. The performance difference is within the margin of error.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti combo ranks 1854th out of 3714 tested combinations for Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the top half of all tested systems, but not in the upper echelon. The rank reflects the GPU's mid-range status, as the CPU is a high-end part (94th percentile among all CPUs) while the GPU sits at the 59th percentile among all GPUs.

The CPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (0.2% higher score) and the Intel Core i7-14700KF (0.2% lower score), indicating the 9700F is competitively positioned. The GPU's nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 9060 (0.7% higher score) and the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M (1.4% lower score). This data suggests the combo is well-matched, with no significant bottleneck from either component.

The rank of 1854 out of 3714 means that roughly half of all tested systems perform better, but this is largely due to the GPU. Systems with higher-end GPUs will achieve higher frame rates, but the 3060 Ti provides a playable experience at most settings.

The Verdict

The verdict by resolution is clear: this PC can run Lockdown Protocol at 60 FPS or higher on Ultra settings at 1920x1080 and 2560x1440. At 3840x2160, the best playable setting is Medium, with an average of 66 FPS. The data confirms that Ultra at 4K is not viable, and High at 4K falls just short at 57 FPS.

For a 1080p gamer, this combo is excellent. The Ultra preset at 91 FPS provides a high-refresh-rate experience with all visual features enabled. For 1440p, the Ultra preset at 67 FPS is playable but leaves little margin for frame rate drops. For 4K, the user must accept Medium settings, which still delivers 66 FPS but with a minimum of 56 FPS, indicating occasional stutters.

The Ryzen 7 9700F is more than capable for this game, and the RTX 3060 Ti is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. If the goal is 4K gaming, a more powerful GPU would be necessary. For 1080p and 1440p, this combination offers a strong price-to-performance profile without needing any upgrades. The data shows a balanced system that handles Lockdown Protocol well at mainstream resolutions.