Lockdown Protocol

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination delivers a versatile 1080p and 1440p gaming experience in Lockdown Protocol, with measured frame rates that comfortably exceed the 60 FPS threshold at most settings. At 4K Ultra, however, the system falls short of playability, indicating that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions and demanding presets. The data shows a clear performance hierarchy across resolutions, with the combo ranking in the 55th percentile of tested configurations.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the Ryzen 7 9700X sits in a tightly packed performance cluster. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-14901E, posts an average benchmark score of 37911, a mere 0.1% behind the 9700X’s 37943 average. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 also matches closely at 37904, again just 0.1% slower. 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. In practical terms, any of these processors would deliver nearly identical CPU-bound performance in Lockdown Protocol, meaning the choice between them would not meaningfully alter frame rates at lower resolutions where the GPU is the bottleneck.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4060’s nearest rival is the AMD Radeon HD 7790, which scores 17666 on average—0.2% higher than the 4060’s 17639. The AMD Radeon 780M is 0.3% slower at 17588, while the AMD Radeon Pro 560 and Pro 460 trail by 0.5% and 0.7%, respectively. These deltas are negligible for gaming purposes. A system built with any of these GPUs paired with a similar-tier CPU would produce frame rates within a fraction of a percent of what the 9700X + 4060 combo achieves. The 4060’s 61st percentile ranking among all GPUs reinforces that it sits in the mid-range segment, while the 9700X’s 86th percentile CPU ranking shows it is a high-end processor that will rarely bottleneck the GPU in this title.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 7 9700X and RTX 4060 achieves rank 2040 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the 54.9th percentile, meaning roughly 45% of tested systems perform worse and 55% perform better. The ranking reflects a balanced pairing where the CPU’s strong single-thread performance—evidenced by a 3DMark single-thread score of 1280 and a Geekbench single-core score of 3023—supports the GPU well at lower resolutions. However, the 4060’s mid-range position drags the overall combo ranking down relative to systems with higher-end GPUs, particularly at 4K where the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth become more limiting factors. At 1080p and 1440p, the combo outperforms many configurations with weaker CPUs but stronger GPUs, because the 9700X’s 86th percentile CPU ranking ensures the GPU is fed with data efficiently.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates reveal a consistent scaling pattern across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves 189 FPS on Low settings, 131.6 FPS on Medium, 115.9 FPS on High, and 85.7 FPS on Ultra. The 1080p Low result is particularly notable—it is the highest frame rate recorded in the entire dataset, showing that at this resolution, the system is largely CPU-bound, with the 9700X’s strong single-thread performance allowing the 4060 to operate at near its maximum output. Moving to 2560x1440, frame rates drop to 138.1 FPS on Low, 102.2 FPS on Medium, 86.3 FPS on High, and 64.1 FPS on Ultra. The 1440p Ultra result is the critical threshold number—it just clears 60 FPS by 4.1 frames. At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to struggle: Low settings yield 90.3 FPS, Medium drops to 62.1 FPS, High falls to 56.6 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 40.8 FPS. The 4K High result of 56.6 FPS is 3.4 FPS below the playable threshold, while 4K Ultra is 19.2 FPS below it.

The scaling from 1080p Ultra to 1440p Ultra shows a 25.1% frame rate reduction, while the drop from 1440p Ultra to 4K Ultra is 36.3%. This non-linear scaling indicates that the GPU is increasingly the bottleneck as resolution rises. The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens with resolution: at 1080p, the difference is 103.3 FPS; at 1440p, it is 74 FPS; and at 4K, it is 49.5 FPS. This pattern is typical of a GPU with moderate bandwidth and VRAM capacity—at high resolutions and settings, the 4060 cannot maintain the same relative performance it shows at 1080p.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Lockdown Protocol at 1080p Ultra?

A: Yes. The measured average frame rate at 1920x1080 Ultra is 85.7 FPS, which is 25.7 FPS above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 4K?

A: Medium settings at 3840x2160 produce an average of 62.1 FPS, making it the most demanding preset that clears 60 FPS. High and Ultra at 4K both fall below the threshold at 56.6 FPS and 40.8 FPS, respectively.

Q: How much performance does the combo lose when moving from 1080p to 1440p at Ultra?

A: The frame rate drops from 85.7 FPS at 1920x1080 Ultra to 64.1 FPS at 2560x1440 Ultra, a reduction of 21.6 FPS or approximately 25.2%.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the CPU’s strong single-thread performance (3DMark single-thread score of 1280) keeps the GPU well-fed, as evidenced by the 189 FPS Low result. The 9700X ranks in the 86th percentile of all CPUs, so it is unlikely to bottleneck the 4060 at this resolution.

Q: Does the system meet the 60 FPS threshold at 1440p High?

A: Yes, the measured average at 2560x1440 High is 86.3 FPS, which is 26.3 FPS above the threshold. In fact, all four settings at 1440p clear 60 FPS, with Ultra being the lowest at 64.1 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: It ranks 2040 out of 3714 combos, placing it in the 55th percentile. The CPU’s 86th percentile ranking is significantly higher than the GPU’s 61st percentile, indicating the GPU is the limiting component for overall game performance.

CPU and GPU Roles

At 1920x1080, the CPU plays a more prominent role. The jump from Low to Ultra settings reduces frame rates from 189 FPS to 85.7 FPS, but even the Low result is exceptionally high, suggesting that the 9700X’s 16 threads and 32 MB of shared L3 cache are sufficient to keep the 4060 saturated. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 9824 and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 20485 indicate strong multi-threaded capability, though Lockdown Protocol appears to benefit more from the CPU’s single-thread strength—its 3DMark single-thread score of 1280 and PassMark single-thread score of 4654 are both in the high range for desktop processors.

As resolution increases to 2560x1440, the GPU becomes more significant. The frame rate drop from 1080p Ultra to 1440p Ultra is 21.6 FPS, and the gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 74 FPS from 103.3 FPS at 1080p. This narrowing indicates that the GPU is starting to become the primary limiter, as the pixel throughput demands exceed what the 4060’s 15.11 TFLOPS FP32 compute and 272.0 GB/s memory bandwidth can deliver. At 3840x2160, the GPU dominates the performance equation. The 4K Low result of 90.3 FPS is still playable, but the scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 54.8% frame rate reduction, far steeper than the 54.7% reduction at 1080p. The 4060’s 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are clearly stressed at 4K, particularly at High and Ultra settings where texture and shading demands increase.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Medium, with an average of 62.1 FPS. This is a narrow margin—only 2.1 FPS above the threshold—so players seeking a more stable experience might prefer Low, which averages 90.3 FPS. High at 56.6 FPS and Ultra at 40.8 FPS are both below the playable threshold. At 2560x1440, all four settings clear 60 FPS, making Ultra the best choice at 64.1 FPS average. This provides a solid margin of 4.1 FPS above the threshold while delivering the highest visual quality. At 1920x1080, Ultra is also the best setting, with an average of 85.7 FPS—a comfortable 25.7 FPS above the threshold. This means 1080p users can enable maximum settings without concern for frame rate drops below 60 FPS. The data shows no min or max FPS values recorded, so the analysis relies solely on average frame rates, but the margins at 1080p Ultra and 1440p Ultra are sufficient to absorb typical frame time variance.

The Verdict

This system can run Lockdown Protocol at 1080p and 1440p with all settings, including Ultra, maintaining average frame rates above the 60 FPS threshold. At 1920x1080, the best playable setting is Ultra at 85.7 FPS. At 2560x1440, Ultra is also playable at 64.1 FPS. At 3840x2160, the system is limited to Medium settings at 62.1 FPS for playable performance, while Low at 90.3 FPS offers a higher frame rate with reduced visual fidelity. The 4K High and Ultra presets, at 56.6 FPS and 40.8 FPS respectively, do not meet the 60 FPS playable threshold. Overall, the Ryzen 7 9700X + RTX 4060 combo is a strong choice for 1080p and 1440p gamers who want to max out settings, but 4K users will need to compromise on visual quality to maintain smooth gameplay.