Lockdown Protocol

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT delivers a wide spread of frame rates across Lockdown Protocol, with performance scaling predictably as resolution and graphical fidelity increase. The data shows that this combination is capable of high-refresh-rate gaming at lower resolutions, while still maintaining playability at 4K with the right settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo produces its highest frame rates. With Low settings, the average FPS reaches 257.3. Moving up to Medium drops the average to 185.3, while High settings yield 159.7 FPS. The most demanding preset, Ultra, still achieves an average of 122.4 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is substantial, a 134.9 FPS difference, indicating that the GPU’s rendering load scales heavily with preset quality at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the averages remain high but show a clear step down. Low settings produce 187.6 FPS on average, which falls to 137.8 at Medium. The High preset delivers 121.2 FPS, while Ultra brings the average down to 89.9 FPS. The relative drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across presets, roughly a 25-35% reduction in average frame rate, showing that the resolution increase places a significant burden on the GPU.

At 3840x2160, performance becomes more stratified. Low settings still manage an average of 125.5 FPS, which is remarkably high for 4K. Medium drops to 89.5 FPS, and High follows at 75.6 FPS. The Ultra preset falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold, averaging just 55.8 FPS. This is the only configuration in the measured data where the combo fails to clear 60 FPS on average. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is steep, with the Ultra preset losing 34.1 FPS on average, highlighting that 4K Ultra is beyond what this hardware can sustain smoothly.

No minimum or maximum FPS values were recorded in the data, so the analysis relies solely on average frame rates. The absence of min/max figures means frame-time consistency cannot be directly assessed, but the averages suggest a stable experience in most scenarios.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured FPS data reveals a clear shift in bottleneck behavior depending on resolution. At 1920x1080, the CPU’s influence is more apparent. The Ryzen 7 9700X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, is likely keeping up with the GPU’s output, but the frame rate differences between presets are substantial. The jump from Low to Ultra at 1080p reduces the average by 134.9 FPS, which points to the GPU becoming more stressed as settings increase. However, at Low settings, the 257.3 FPS average suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU adequately at high frame rates.

At 2560x1440, the GPU’s role becomes more dominant. The average FPS drops across all presets compared to 1080p, with the Ultra preset falling to 89.9 FPS. This reduction is consistent with the increased pixel count demanding more from the Radeon RX 9070 XT. The CPU’s load remains relatively constant, but the GPU’s rendering time grows, making the graphics card the primary limiter at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is unequivocally the limiting factor. The Ultra preset averages only 55.8 FPS, a 34.1 FPS drop from 1440p Ultra. Even with a strong CPU like the Ryzen 7 9700X, the RX 9070 XT cannot maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra. The fact that Low settings at 4K still hit 125.5 FPS indicates that the CPU is not the bottleneck; rather, the GPU’s raw throughput is insufficient for the highest preset at this resolution. The scaling between resolutions shows that the GPU’s performance degrades more steeply than the CPU’s capability to provide frames, confirming that the Radeon RX 9070 XT is the dominant constraint at 4K.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 122.4 FPS. The data shows no preset at this resolution falls below the playable threshold, but Ultra provides the highest visual quality while still delivering more than double the required frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the answer is also Ultra, averaging 89.9 FPS. This is comfortably above 60 FPS, leaving headroom for potential frame dips. The next step down, High, offers 121.2 FPS, but Ultra is the clear choice for maximum fidelity without sacrificing smoothness.

At 3840x2160, the best setting is High, which averages 75.6 FPS. This is the highest preset that clears the 60 FPS threshold. Medium also works at 89.5 FPS, and Low is even faster at 125.5 FPS, but High strikes the best balance between visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset at 55.8 FPS falls short of the 60 FPS target, so it should be avoided for smooth gameplay at 4K.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Ryzen 7 9700X’s nearest rivals in CPU benchmark scores are separated by very small margins. The Intel Core i9-14901E has an average score of 37911, which is just 0.1% lower than the 9700X’s 37943 average. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 scores 37904, also a 0.1% difference. The Intel Core 5 211E trails by 0.3% with a score of 37829, and the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 is 0.4% behind at 37804. For Lockdown Protocol, any of these CPUs would likely produce nearly identical frame rates to the 9700X, as the performance delta is negligible.

On the GPU side, the RX 9070 XT’s nearest rivals are surprisingly older or lower-tier cards. The AMD Radeon HD 7770M has an average score of 13536, just 0.1% below the RX 9070 XT’s 13543. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 scores 13515, a 0.2% difference. The NVIDIA P106-090 is 0.5% behind at 13470, and the AMD Radeon Pro 555 trails by 1% with a score of 13407. These deltaPct values are tiny, suggesting that in synthetic benchmarks, these GPUs behave similarly. However, the context is crucial: these rivals are from much older generations, and the benchmark scores may not fully represent real-world gaming performance. Still, based on the data provided, a system using any of these GPUs would show comparable average FPS in Lockdown Protocol, assuming no other system differences.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT combination ranks 846th out of 3714 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the top 22.8% of all tested systems. The rank reflects the hardware’s overall capability to run this game, and the measured FPS data confirms that this is a strong performer, especially at 1080p and 1440p. The 4K Ultra result is the only weak point, pulling the combo’s ranking down slightly. Given that most combos in the database likely include lower-end hardware, the 846th position indicates that this setup is well above average for Lockdown Protocol.

FAQ

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

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 55.8, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The best playable setting at 4K is High, which averages 75.6 FPS.

Q: What is the highest FPS this combo can achieve?

A: The highest recorded average is 257.3 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This suggests the hardware is capable of very high frame rates when graphical demands are minimized.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest competitor?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700X has an average benchmark score of 37943, while its closest rival, the Intel Core i9-14901E, scores 37911, a difference of just 0.1%. The performance is effectively identical.

Q: Is the GPU a bottleneck at 1440p?

A: The data shows that at 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 89.9 FPS, which is a significant drop from the 122.4 FPS at 1080p Ultra. This indicates the GPU is becoming the limiting factor as resolution increases.

Q: What settings should be used for 1080p gaming?

A: Ultra settings at 1920x1080 produce an average of 122.4 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold. All presets are playable at this resolution.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems?

A: It ranks 846th out of 3714 combos tested for Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the top 22.8% of systems.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol effectively across most configurations. At 1920x1080, all presets clear 60 FPS, with Ultra achieving 122.4 FPS on average. At 2560x1440, all presets also stay above 60 FPS, with Ultra at 89.9 FPS. At 3840x2160, the situation changes: High settings average 75.6 FPS, making it the best playable preset, while Ultra falls to 55.8 FPS, below the threshold. The verdict by resolution confirms that High is the recommended setting for 4K, while Ultra is viable at lower resolutions. For gamers targeting 1080p or 1440p, this combo delivers excellent performance with no compromises. For 4K users, sticking to High or lower settings is necessary to maintain smooth gameplay.