Lockdown Protocol

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT delivers a comprehensive 4K-capable experience in Lockdown Protocol, with the measured data showing a clear progression of performance across resolutions and presets. This combination demonstrates that the most demanding settings are reserved for lower resolutions, while 4K users must make trade-offs to maintain smooth frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the data reveals a steep performance cliff as settings increase. The Low preset produces an average of 131.2 FPS, which is notably higher than the Medium preset’s 93 FPS. High settings still maintain a respectable 84.1 FPS average, but the jump to Ultra drops performance to 59.5 FPS — just below the 60 FPS playability threshold. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 71.7 FPS, indicating that Lockdown Protocol’s Ultra preset imposes a significant rendering load at 4K.

Dropping to 2560x1440 shows substantial headroom across all presets. Low settings average 206.8 FPS, while Medium reaches 148.9 FPS. High settings deliver 127.2 FPS, and even Ultra stays well above the playability threshold at 98.3 FPS. The scaling from 4K to 1440p is most dramatic at the High preset, where the average jumps from 84.1 to 127.2 FPS — a 51.3% improvement. At Ultra, the improvement is 65.2% (59.5 to 98.3 FPS), suggesting that the GPU becomes less of a bottleneck as resolution decreases.

At 1920x1080, the combination shows its full potential. Low settings produce an exceptional 282.5 FPS average, while Medium reaches 198 FPS. High settings hit 176.8 FPS, and Ultra maintains 128.4 FPS. The delta between Medium and High at 1080p is only 21.2 FPS, whereas the delta between High and Ultra is 48.4 FPS — indicating that the Ultra preset carries a heavier cost even at lower resolutions. The 1080p results demonstrate that this combo can easily drive high-refresh-rate monitors, with even the most demanding preset exceeding 120 FPS.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, with an average of 84.1 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to 59.5 FPS, making it technically unplayable by the 60 FPS standard. The data suggests that 4K users should stick with High settings to retain a comfortable margin above the threshold, as Medium offers only 8.9 FPS more (93 FPS) but sacrifices visual quality.

For 2560x1440, Ultra settings are fully playable with an average of 98.3 FPS. This is the highest preset available, so 1440p users can max out the game without concern. The margin above 60 FPS is 38.3 FPS, providing plenty of headroom for demanding scenes. High settings at 127.2 FPS would be the choice for those prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity, but Ultra remains a viable option.

At 1920x1080, Ultra settings are also the best choice, averaging 128.4 FPS. This is more than double the 60 FPS threshold, so 1080p users have no compromises to make. The data shows that this resolution is where the RX 7900 XT’s raw power is most fully expressed, with all presets exceeding 120 FPS.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling data reveals that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K, while the CPU becomes more relevant at lower resolutions. At 3840x2160, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is 71.7 FPS (131.2 to 59.5), showing that the GPU’s rendering workload dominates. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D’s 8-core, 16-thread configuration with 96 MB of L3 cache appears sufficient to feed the GPU even at 4K Ultra, given that the frame rate drops are consistent with GPU-bound rendering.

At 2560x1440, the scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 108.5 FPS spread (206.8 to 98.3). This wider spread suggests that both CPU and GPU are being exercised more evenly. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D’s high single-thread performance (3dmark_single_thread score of 1212) likely helps maintain high frame rates at this resolution, where the GPU can render frames quickly enough to expose CPU limitations in less demanding presets.

At 1920x1080, the CPU’s role becomes more apparent. The Low preset reaches 282.5 FPS, which is extremely demanding on the CPU’s threading capabilities. The 3dmark_16_threads score of 10081 and passmark_multithread score of 40009 indicate strong multithreaded performance, which is critical for hitting such high frame rates. The fact that the 1080p Low preset achieves over 280 FPS suggests that this CPU-GPU pairing is well-balanced for competitive play, with neither component severely limiting the other.

The Verdict

The verdict by resolution is clear: this PC can run Lockdown Protocol at 60+ FPS in most configurations. At 3840x2160, the playable settings are High, Low, and Medium, with High being the best choice at 84.1 FPS. Ultra at 4K is the only configuration that fails to meet the 60 FPS threshold, averaging 59.5 FPS. At 2560x1440, all four presets are playable, with Ultra delivering 98.3 FPS. At 1920x1080, all presets are playable, with Ultra hitting 128.4 FPS.

The data shows that this combination is highly capable for 1440p and 1080p gaming, where it can max out settings without issue. The 4K experience is strong but requires a slight reduction to High settings for a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. For users with 4K displays who insist on Ultra, the 59.5 FPS average is close enough that minor tweaks or driver updates could push it over the threshold, but the current data indicates it falls just short.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D’s nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark database include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS, which scores 0.4% higher on average, and the AMD Ryzen 7 7700, which scores 0.8% higher. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 is 0.7% lower, and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450 is 0.7% lower. These deltas are negligible, meaning any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Lockdown Protocol. The Ryzen 7 7700, with its similar Zen architecture, would likely behave almost exactly like the 9800X3D in this game, though the 9800X3D’s larger L3 cache may provide an edge in specific scenes.

On the GPU side, the Radeon RX 7900 XT’s nearest rivals are surprising: the AMD Radeon 660M scores 0.5% lower, the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile scores 0.5% lower, and the AMD Radeon RX 570X scores 0.9% lower. The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT scores 1.5% higher. These deltas are all within 2%, meaning any of these GPUs would deliver nearly identical performance in this game. The RX 9070 XT would be the closest upgrade path, offering marginally better frame rates, while the integrated Radeon 660M’s similar score suggests that Lockdown Protocol is not exceptionally GPU-demanding in its lower presets.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination ranks 668th out of 3714 tested combos in the database, placing it in the top 18% of all configurations. This percentile ranking reflects the strong performance of both components, though the RX 7900 XT’s 55th percentile among all GPUs and the CPU’s 87th percentile among all CPUs indicate that the CPU is the stronger component relative to its peers. The combo’s ranking suggests that while it outperforms the majority of tested systems, there are many higher-performing combinations available, primarily those with more powerful GPUs.

The rank of 668 out of 3714 also implies that this setup is well above average for Lockdown Protocol, but not at the absolute top tier. The data shows that the 4K Ultra limitation is likely the main factor holding this combo back from a higher rank, as many more expensive GPU configurations would clear 60 FPS at 4K Ultra.

FAQ

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

A: No. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 59.5, which falls just below the 60 FPS playability threshold. The best playable 4K setting is High, averaging 84.1 FPS.

Q: What is the highest playable preset at 2560x1440?

A: Ultra settings are fully playable at 2560x1440, with an average of 98.3 FPS. This is the most demanding preset available and still maintains a 38.3 FPS margin above the 60 FPS threshold.

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

A: The Ryzen 7 9800X3D’s average benchmark score is 39768. Its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS, scores 39603 (0.4% higher). The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 scores 40081 (0.8% higher), and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 scores 40048 (0.7% lower).

Q: Is the RX 7900 XT’s performance close to the RX 9070 XT?

A: Yes. The RX 7900 XT has an average benchmark score of 13745, while the RX 9070 XT scores 13543, which is 1.5% lower. This means the RX 9070 XT would perform slightly worse in Lockdown Protocol, based on these scores.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p Low and 1080p Ultra?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 282.5 FPS, while Ultra averages 128.4 FPS. This is a difference of 154.1 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset is significantly more demanding even at lower resolutions.

Q: Which component has a higher percentile ranking among all hardware?

A: The CPU ranks in the 87th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU ranks in the 55th percentile among all GPUs. This indicates the Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a much stronger component relative to its peers than the RX 7900 XT.