Lockdown Protocol

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 delivers a strong 1080p and 1440p experience in Lockdown Protocol, with 4K remaining viable at reduced settings. Measured data indicates the combo ranks in the 70th percentile of tested configurations, with the CPU and GPU both contributing significantly to the final frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark data for this combination shows a clear scaling pattern across resolutions and presets. At 3840x2160, the average frame rate ranges from 54 FPS on Ultra to 116 FPS on Low. The Medium preset yields an average of 82 FPS with a minimum of 70 FPS and a maximum of 95 FPS. High settings produce an average of 72 FPS. The Ultra preset falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold, while the other three presets remain above it.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance envelope widens considerably. Low settings deliver an average of 180 FPS, while High produces 112 FPS. Medium averages 128 FPS with a minimum of 109 FPS and a maximum of 147 FPS. The Ultra preset maintains an average of 84 FPS, which keeps it comfortably above the playable threshold. All four presets at this resolution clear 60 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the combination shows its strongest results. Low settings reach an average of 245 FPS, and High produces 152 FPS. Medium averages 174 FPS with a minimum of 148 FPS and a maximum of 200 FPS. The most demanding Ultra preset still averages 114 FPS. Even the minimum frame rate at Medium, 148 FPS, exceeds the maximum frame rate observed at 4K Ultra. The data indicates that the 1080p Ultra result of 114 FPS is more than double the 4K Ultra result of 54 FPS, demonstrating a significant resolution scaling impact.

The spread between presets grows as resolution decreases. At 4K, the gap between Low and Ultra is 62 FPS (116 vs 54). At 1440p, the same gap expands to 96 FPS (180 vs 84). At 1080p, the gap reaches 131 FPS (245 vs 114). This pattern suggests that lower resolutions become increasingly CPU-bound, allowing the Ryzen 7 9850X3D's processing power to shine.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and AMD Radeon RX 9070 ranks 1099 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in roughly the 70th percentile of all configurations, meaning it outperforms a substantial majority of tested systems. The percentileVsAllCpus score of 92 for the CPU indicates it is a top-tier processor, while the GPU's percentileVsAllGpus score of 69 shows it sits in the upper-middle range of graphics cards.

The combo rank is influenced by both components. The Ryzen 7 9850X3D's average benchmark score of 58386 places it in the 92nd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M with an average score of 58323 (0.1% slower), the Intel Xeon w5-2545 at 58504 (0.2% faster), the Intel Core i9-14900 at 58115 (0.5% slower), and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 at 58826 (0.7% faster). These deltas are all within one percent, indicating that the 9850X3D is tightly clustered with other high-end processors.

The Radeon RX 9070's average benchmark score of 23877 places it in the 69th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals show a similar clustering: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z scores 23736 (0.6% slower), the AMD Radeon RX 6800S scores 24063 (0.8% faster), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile scores 23628 (1.1% slower), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER scores 24170 (1.2% faster). The small deltas suggest that in raw compute terms, these cards are close, though the RX 9070's modern feature set may give it advantages in games that leverage newer APIs.

The overall combo rank being in the 70th percentile, despite the CPU being in the 92nd percentile and the GPU in the 69th percentile, indicates that Lockdown Protocol's performance is limited by the GPU in most scenarios. The CPU has more headroom than the GPU, which becomes evident when examining the resolution scaling behavior.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a shifting balance between CPU and GPU influence across resolutions. At 3840x2160, the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The average FPS drops from 116 at Low to 54 at Ultra, a 62 FPS swing driven almost entirely by graphics load. The CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads have ample capacity to feed the GPU at this resolution, so frame rates are dictated by the RX 9070's rendering throughput.

At 2560x1440, the balance shifts slightly. The Low preset reaches 180 FPS, which is 64 FPS higher than at 4K Low. This 55% improvement indicates that the GPU is no longer the sole constraint at lower settings. The CPU begins to contribute more meaningfully, as the Ryzen 7 9850X3D's high single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2228) and large 96 MB L3 cache help maintain high frame rates when the GPU has lighter work.

The 1920x1080 results show the CPU's influence most clearly. The Low preset achieves 245 FPS, which is more than double the 4K Ultra result. Even at Ultra settings, the 1080p average of 114 FPS is 60 FPS higher than the 4K Ultra result. The gap between 1440p Low (180 FPS) and 1080p Low (245 FPS) is 65 FPS, while the gap between 1440p Ultra (84 FPS) and 1080p Ultra (114 FPS) is 30 FPS. This asymmetric scaling suggests that at lower resolutions and settings, the CPU becomes the limiting factor, while at higher resolutions and settings, the GPU dominates.

The CPU's benchmark scores support this interpretation. Its PassMark single-thread score of 4704 and multi-thread score of 41318 indicate strong per-core and multi-core performance. The data compression score of 474501 and floating point math score of 81998 show robust computational throughput. These characteristics allow the CPU to maintain high frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios, as seen in the 1080p Low result of 245 FPS.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, at 4K the combination achieves an average of 72 FPS on High settings and 82 FPS on Medium (with a 70 FPS minimum). The Ultra preset falls to 54 FPS, below the 60 FPS playable threshold, so High is the best playable setting at this resolution.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: At 2560x1440, all four presets clear 60 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 84 FPS, which is the highest quality setting that maintains playable performance. Low settings reach 180 FPS for competitive play, while Medium averages 128 FPS with a 109 FPS minimum.

Q: How does the RX 9070 compare to other GPUs in this game?

A: The RX 9070's average benchmark score of 23877 places it in the 69th percentile. It performs within 1.2% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER and within 1.1% of the RTX 3080 Mobile. The AMD Radeon RX 6800S is 0.8% faster, and the GTX TITAN Z is 0.6% slower.

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

A: The GPU is the primary constraint at 4K and at higher presets, as shown by the 62 FPS drop from Low to Ultra at 4K. At 1080p and lower presets, the CPU becomes more influential, evidenced by the 245 FPS Low result which is limited by processing rather than graphics.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average is 114 FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings. This is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold and provides a smooth experience. Medium settings average 174 FPS with a 148 FPS minimum for those who prefer higher frame rates.

Q: How does this combo rank among other tested configurations?

A: The combination ranks 1099 out of 3714 tested combos, placing it in approximately the 70th percentile. The CPU ranks in the 92nd percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU ranks in the 69th percentile of all GPUs.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that maintains at least 60 FPS is High, with an average of 72 FPS. The Medium preset also qualifies at 82 FPS, and Low reaches 116 FPS, but High offers the best visual quality while staying above the playable threshold. The Ultra preset drops to 54 FPS, so it should be avoided at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset is the best choice, averaging 84 FPS. This is the highest quality setting available and it clears the 60 FPS threshold by a comfortable margin. All other presets also qualify, with High at 112 FPS, Medium at 128 FPS, and Low at 180 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 114 FPS, making it the recommended choice. The High preset reaches 152 FPS, Medium averages 174 FPS, and Low hits 245 FPS. Since even the most demanding preset clears 60 FPS by a wide margin, players can choose based on their preference for visual quality versus frame rate.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol at all three tested resolutions, with the exception of 4K Ultra. The verdict by resolution shows that at 3840x2160, the playable settings are High, Low, and Medium, with High being the best at 72 FPS. The Ultra preset at this resolution is not playable.

At 2560x1440, all four presets are playable, with Ultra as the best setting at 84 FPS. This resolution provides the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, as the Ultra preset delivers a frame rate that is 24 FPS above the playable threshold.

At 1920x1080, all presets are playable, with Ultra at 114 FPS being the best. This resolution offers the highest frame rates, with even the Ultra preset providing more than double the playable threshold. The combination is clearly capable of running this game well across most settings and resolutions, with only 4K Ultra falling short.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals to the Ryzen 7 9850X3D are all within 0.7% of its average benchmark score. The Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M scores 58323 (0.1% slower), the Intel Xeon w5-2545 scores 58504 (0.2% faster), the Intel Core i9-14900 scores 58115 (0.5% slower), and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 scores 58826 (0.7% faster). Any of these processors would deliver nearly identical CPU-bound frame rates in Lockdown Protocol.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are clustered within 1.2% of the RX 9070's average score. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z scores 23736 (0.6% slower), the AMD Radeon RX 6800S scores 24063 (0.8% faster), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile scores 23628 (1.1% slower), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER scores 24170 (1.2% faster). Systems using these GPUs would produce very similar frame rates in this game, though the RX 9070's support for DirectX 12 Ultimate and 16 GB of GDDR6 memory may provide advantages in other titles or at higher texture settings.

The combination of a top-tier CPU and an upper-midrange GPU means that swapping either component for its nearest rival would result in negligible performance changes. The overall combo rank of 1099 out of 3714 suggests that this configuration is well-matched for Lockdown Protocol, with the CPU providing enough headroom to keep the GPU busy at most settings and resolutions.