Lockdown Protocol

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti presents a curious matchup for Lockdown Protocol, a 2024 FPS title. The CPU is a high-end, 8-core Zen 5 part with a 96 MB shared L3 cache, while the GPU is a mid-range Ampere card from 2020. The data suggests this is a system where the graphics card is the primary constraint at higher resolutions, but the processor’s strength becomes evident at lower settings and resolutions. The measured FPS deltas between presets reveal how the workload shifts, and the following breakdown examines exactly where this combination lands.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination shows its highest performance ceiling. With Low settings, the average FPS reaches 196, indicating a scenario where the RTX 3060 Ti is not the limiting factor. Stepping up to Medium settings yields an average of 139 FPS, with a minimum of 118 and a maximum of 160, showing a substantial but not crippling performance drop. High settings produce an average of 121 FPS, while the most demanding Ultra preset still maintains an average of 91 FPS. The scaling here is smooth, with each preset tier reducing performance by a predictable margin, suggesting the CPU has ample headroom to feed the GPU.

Moving to 2560x1440, the overall averages decrease as expected. Low settings deliver an average of 144 FPS, which is still exceptionally high for competitive play. Medium settings produce an average of 102 FPS, with a minimum of 87 and a maximum of 117. High settings average 89 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 67 FPS. The gap between Medium and High is 13 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 22 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset imposes a heavier load on the GPU. The minimum FPS recorded at Medium (87) is still well above the playable threshold, suggesting good frame pacing at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 3060 Ti begins to struggle with the highest presets. Low settings average 93 FPS, which is playable, but Medium settings drop to an average of 66 FPS, with a minimum of 56 and a maximum of 76. This is the first instance where the minimum FPS dips below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating potential stutter in demanding scenes. High settings average 57 FPS, which is below the playable threshold, and Ultra settings fall to an average of 43 FPS. The delta between Low and Medium is 27 FPS, and the delta between Medium and High is 9 FPS, showing that the transition from Low to Medium is particularly costly at 4K.

The data reveals a clear trend: the combination is capable of high refresh rates at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, only the Low and Medium presets are viable. The min/max figures available for Medium settings at each resolution show a consistent pattern where the minimum is roughly 85% of the average, indicating that the GPU is working hard but not thermal throttling. The absence of min/max data for other presets limits further analysis of frame consistency, but the averages alone provide a solid picture of performance scaling.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Medium, which achieves an average of 66 FPS. While Low settings offer a higher average of 93 FPS, the Medium preset provides a better visual experience while still clearing the playable threshold. The minimum FPS of 56 on Medium does dip below 60, but the average holds.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset is the best choice, delivering an average of 67 FPS. This is a significant achievement, as it allows for maximum visual fidelity at a resolution that many mid-range GPUs struggle with. The High preset averages 89 FPS, which is smoother, but Ultra is still playable and offers the best image quality.

For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is again the best, with an average of 91 FPS. This provides a high-quality experience with plenty of headroom above the 60 FPS threshold. The data indicates that at this resolution, the CPU and GPU combination can handle the game’s maximum settings without issue.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1920x1080 on Low settings?

A: The average FPS is 196, which is the highest recorded across all resolutions and presets.

Q: Is the minimum FPS at 3840x2160 on Medium settings above 60?

A: No, the minimum FPS is 56, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold, even though the average is 66.

Q: Which resolution allows for Ultra settings with an average above 90 FPS?

A: At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 91 FPS, making it the only resolution where Ultra clears 90 FPS.

Q: How does the average FPS at 2560x1440 on High compare to 3840x2160 on Low?

A: The average at 2560x1440 on High is 89 FPS, while the average at 3840x2160 on Low is 93 FPS, showing that lowering settings at a higher resolution can yield similar performance.

Q: What is the performance delta between Medium and Ultra at 2560x1440?

A: The Medium preset averages 102 FPS, while Ultra averages 67 FPS, a difference of 35 FPS.

Q: Are there any presets at 3840x2160 that average above 90 FPS?

A: Yes, the Low preset averages 93 FPS at 3840x2160, which is the only preset at that resolution to exceed 90 FPS.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D, based on average benchmark scores, provide context for its CPU performance. The Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M has an average score of 58323, which is 0.1% lower, indicating nearly identical performance. The Intel Core i9-14900 scores 58115, which is 0.5% lower, while the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 scores 58826, which is 0.7% higher. These deltas are minimal, meaning a system with any of these CPUs would likely show very similar frame rates in Lockdown Protocol, assuming the same GPU is used.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 9060, which scores 16014 (a 0.7% lower score), and the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M, which scores 16351 (1.4% higher). The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT scores 16361, also 1.4% higher, while the AMD Radeon R9 370X scores 15862, which is 1.7% lower. These small percentage differences suggest that swapping to any of these GPUs would result in frame rates within a few FPS of the RTX 3060 Ti across the tested presets. For example, at 2560x1440 Ultra, where the RTX 3060 Ti averages 67 FPS, a Radeon RX 5700 XT might deliver roughly 68 FPS, given its slightly higher average score.

It is important to note that these rival comparisons are based solely on synthetic benchmark averages, not in-game measurements. The data indicates that the CPU rivals are all within 0.7% of each other, so the choice of CPU among these would have a negligible impact on gaming performance. The GPU rivals show a slightly wider spread, but still within 1.7%, which translates to a negligible real-world difference in Lockdown Protocol.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Lockdown Protocol, this specific pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti ranks 1854 out of 3714 tested combos. This places it in the 49.9th percentile, meaning it performs better than roughly half of all tested systems. This is a mid-pack ranking, which aligns with the GPU’s 59th percentile vs all GPUs and the CPU’s 92nd percentile vs all CPUs. The CPU is clearly a top-tier part, but the GPU holds the combination back from higher rankings.

The rank of 1854 suggests that while this system can play the game at 1080p and 1440p with high settings, it is not among the top performers. Many combinations with higher-end GPUs will achieve higher frame rates, especially at 4K. The data shows that the combo’s strength is in its CPU, which is in the 92nd percentile, but the GPU’s 59th percentile means it is the bottleneck in most scenarios. This ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU’s limitations at higher resolutions, where the 3060 Ti’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth become constraints.

The Verdict

Based on the verdict by resolution, this PC can run Lockdown Protocol at all three tested resolutions, but with different presets. At 3840x2160, the playable settings are Low and Medium, with Medium being the best setting at an average of 66 FPS. At 2560x1440, all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable, with Ultra achieving an average of 67 FPS. At 1920x1080, all presets are also playable, with Ultra reaching an average of 91 FPS.

The system clears the 60 FPS threshold at every resolution, provided the correct preset is selected. At 4K, users must stick to Medium or Low to stay above 60 FPS. At 1440p, they can max out the settings and still achieve 67 FPS. At 1080p, the Ultra preset provides a comfortable 91 FPS average. The data indicates that this is a viable system for the game, but the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. For a smooth 60 FPS experience at 4K, the Medium preset is the highest quality option, and even then, the minimum FPS of 56 suggests occasional dips below the target.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear division of labor between the CPU and GPU across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the CPU’s strength is more apparent. The jump from Low (196 FPS) to Ultra (91 FPS) is a 105 FPS drop, which is primarily driven by the GPU’s workload. However, the fact that the system can reach 196 FPS on Low indicates that the Ryzen 7 9850X3D is not a bottleneck at this resolution. The 8-core, 16-thread processor with a 5.60 GHz boost clock is more than capable of feeding the GPU at these frame rates.

At 2560x1440, the performance scaling shows the GPU starting to take a larger role. The drop from Low (144 FPS) to Ultra (67 FPS) is 77 FPS, which is a smaller absolute delta than at 1080p. This suggests that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor, as the CPU has less headroom to increase frame rates. The average FPS at 1440p Ultra (67) is nearly identical to the average at 4K Medium (66), which reinforces that the GPU is the primary constraint when pixel count increases.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is undeniably the dominant factor. The difference between Low (93 FPS) and Ultra (43 FPS) is 50 FPS, but the key observation is that even the Low preset cannot match the 1080p Low performance. The RTX 3060 Ti’s 16.20 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 8 GB memory are simply not sufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K. The CPU’s role diminishes further, as the GPU is unable to translate the processor’s capabilities into higher frame rates. The data implies that for this game, the GPU is the bottleneck at 4K, while the CPU provides ample headroom at 1080p, creating a system that is balanced for high-refresh 1080p and 1440p gaming but GPU-limited at 4K.