Lockdown Protocol

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT combination delivers a strong 1080p and 1440p experience in Lockdown Protocol, but 4K Ultra exceeds the 60 FPS threshold. This pairing is a capable air-cooled, dual-slot setup with a 65 W CPU and a 263 W GPU, requiring a 600 W PSU.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Benchmark data places the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X in the 86th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37,943. Its nearest rivals are remarkably close in aggregate performance. The Intel Core i9-14901E scores 37,911, a delta of just 0.1% — effectively identical in multi-threaded workloads. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 also scores 37,904, another 0.1% delta, making it a direct alternative for users considering mobile-derived desktop parts. The Intel Core 5 211E trails by 0.3% with a score of 37,829, while the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 scores 37,804, a 0.4% delta. In practical terms, any of these four CPUs would deliver near-indistinguishable frame rates in Lockdown Protocol, provided the GPU remains the bottleneck as it does at higher resolutions.

For the GPU, the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT sits in the 51st percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 11,627. Its nearest rivals show a wider spread. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 scores 11,680, a -0.5% delta, meaning the RX 7800 XT is marginally slower in aggregate benchmarks. The AMD Radeon Pro 5500M scores 11,528, a 0.9% delta, placing it slightly behind. The NVIDIA Tesla K20c scores 11,479, a 1.3% delta. The AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT scores 11,842, a -1.8% delta, indicating the RX 7800 XT trails by nearly 2% in this specific comparison. These deltas are small enough that users upgrading from any of these GPUs would see similar frame pacing in Lockdown Protocol at the same settings, though the RX 7800 XT's 16 GB GDDR6 memory and 624.1 GB/s bandwidth give it a clear advantage in texture-heavy scenes that these rivals cannot match.

FAQ

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

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 54.1, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The best playable 4K setting is High, which averages 69.2 FPS.

Q: What is the highest preset that maintains 60 FPS at 2560x1440?

A: Ultra settings at 1440p average 79.8 FPS, clearing the threshold comfortably. This is the most demanding preset that stays playable at this resolution.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 9700X compare to its closest rival, the Intel Core i9-14901E?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700X scores 37,943 on average, while the Core i9-14901E scores 37,911. The delta is 0.1%, meaning the two CPUs are statistically tied in aggregate multi-threaded performance.

Q: Is the RX 7800 XT faster than the GTX 1660 based on benchmark averages?

A: No. The RX 7800 XT has an average benchmark score of 11,627, while the GTX 1660 scores 11,680. The delta is -0.5%, indicating the GTX 1660 holds a marginal edge in overall benchmark scores, though the RX 7800 XT has significantly more memory and bandwidth.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1920x1080 with Low settings?

A: The average FPS at 1080p Low is 231.6, which is the highest measured performance across all resolutions and settings in the data. This is well above any refresh rate commonly found on gaming monitors.

Q: Does this combo rank high among all tested configurations?

A: This combination ranks 1,264th out of 3,714 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the top third of all systems tested. This rank reflects the balance between the CPU's 86th percentile and GPU's 51st percentile performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Lockdown Protocol shows a clear scaling pattern across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, Low settings produce an average of 231.6 FPS, which drops to 166.8 FPS at Medium, 145.3 FPS at High, and 106.5 FPS at Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra is 125.1 FPS, indicating that the GPU is the primary limiter at this resolution, with the CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads providing ample headroom.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 172.1 FPS on Low, 125 FPS on Medium, 106.7 FPS on High, and 79.8 FPS on Ultra. The drop from Low to Ultra is 92.3 FPS, which is proportionally similar to the 1080p scaling. The 1440p Ultra figure of 79.8 FPS remains comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold, demonstrating the RX 7800 XT's capability at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the performance envelope tightens significantly. Low settings average 108.6 FPS, Medium averages 80.7 FPS, High averages 69.2 FPS, and Ultra falls to 54.1 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra is 54.5 FPS, which is the smallest absolute spread across all resolutions. This indicates that at 4K, the GPU's 16 GB memory buffer and 624.1 GB/s bandwidth are being fully utilized, and the settings presets have a diminishing impact on frame rate as the resolution scales.

Notably, the data does not include min or max FPS values for any resolution or setting — only averages. This means the 1% lows are unknown, but the average figures consistently exceed the 60 FPS threshold at every setting except 4K Ultra. The 4K Ultra average of 54.1 FPS is 5.9 FPS below the threshold, suggesting that even minor in-game adjustments or driver optimizations could potentially push it over the line, but as measured, it is not playable at that preset.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol at 60 FPS or higher across most configurations. At 3840x2160, the playable settings are High, Low, and Medium, with High being the best choice at 69.2 FPS average. Ultra at 4K is not playable, as the 54.1 FPS average falls short of the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, all four presets — Low, Medium, High, and Ultra — clear 60 FPS, with Ultra averaging 79.8 FPS. At 1920x1080, all presets also clear 60 FPS, with Ultra averaging 106.5 FPS.

The verdict is straightforward: for 4K gaming, users must stick to High settings or lower; for 1440p and 1080p, the full range of settings is available. The data shows a 15.1 FPS difference between 4K High (69.2 FPS) and 4K Ultra (54.1 FPS), which is the only settings pair that crosses the playability boundary. The CPU's performance is not a limiting factor at any resolution, as even the lowest GPU-bound frame rate (54.1 FPS at 4K Ultra) is well below the CPU's capability ceiling.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, with an average FPS of 69.2. Medium averages 80.7 FPS and Low averages 108.6 FPS, but High offers the best visual fidelity while maintaining a 9.2 FPS margin above the threshold. Ultra at 54.1 FPS is not viable.

At 2560x1440, Ultra is the best setting, averaging 79.8 FPS. This provides a 19.8 FPS margin over the 60 FPS threshold, leaving room for demanding in-game scenes without dropping below playable levels. High averages 106.7 FPS, Medium 125 FPS, and Low 172.1 FPS, but Ultra is the recommended choice for maximum visual quality.

At 1920x1080, Ultra is also the best setting, averaging 106.5 FPS. This is 46.5 FPS above the threshold, giving substantial headroom for high-refresh-rate displays. High averages 145.3 FPS, Medium 166.8 FPS, and Low 231.6 FPS. The 1080p Ultra figure is higher than the 1440p High figure (106.5 vs 106.7 FPS), indicating that the resolution scaling is not perfectly linear — the GPU is more efficient at 1080p Ultra than at 1440p High, which is expected given the pixel count difference.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination ranks 1,264th out of 3,714 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the 66th percentile of all tested systems (calculated as 1 - 1264/3714). This rank is lower than the CPU's individual 86th percentile, which reflects the GPU's 51st percentile dragging the overall score down. The data shows that the CPU is significantly more capable than the GPU in this pairing, meaning that future GPU upgrades would yield substantial FPS improvements without requiring a CPU change.

The rank of 1,264 out of 3,714 means that 2,450 combos tested slower and 1,263 tested faster. Given the GPU's near-parity with the GTX 1660 in benchmark averages, the combination's rank is likely driven by the GPU's mid-tier standing rather than any CPU limitation. For Lockdown Protocol specifically, this combo sits in a position where 1080p and 1440p gaming is fully playable at all settings, but 4K Ultra is out of reach. The 16 GB GDDR6 memory and 256-bit bus width provide future-proofing for texture-heavy titles, but the raw compute power of 37.32 TFLOPS caps the 4K performance ceiling.