Lockdown Protocol

This combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D places 7th out of 3,714 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol. That top-0.2% ranking places it among the most capable configurations in the database, with only six other CPU-GPU pairings delivering higher average frame rates in this title. The percentile standings support this: the CPU sits at the 92nd percentile against all tested processors, and the GPU matches at the 92nd percentile against all tested graphics cards. The data shows this is a pairing where both components are elite-tier, and the game's performance reflects that synergy.

The measured results confirm the ranking is not an artifact of a single favorable test. Across all three resolutions and all four settings presets, the combo never drops below an 88 FPS average. The lowest recorded figure in the entire dataset is a minimum of 115 FPS at 4K Medium, which is still nearly double the playable threshold of 60 FPS. With this hardware, the bottleneck is rarely the silicon—it is the refresh rate of the display.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 7 out of 3,714 is the single most informative metric for positioning this system. It means that in the entire benchmark database, only six other CPU and GPU combinations produced higher average frame rates in Lockdown Protocol. The 92nd percentile ranking for both the CPU and GPU individually suggests that each component is near the top of its respective class, but the combination boosts the system further because neither part is likely to hold back the other in this particular game.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 58,386 places it within 0.7% of its nearest rivals—the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M scores 58,323 (0.1% lower), the Intel Xeon w5-2545 scores 58,504 (0.2% higher), the Intel Core i9-14900 scores 58,115 (0.5% lower), and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 scores 58,826 (0.7% higher). These deltaPct values are all under one percent, meaning the CPU's raw compute performance is essentially tied with four other high-end processors. The GPU shows a similar pattern: its average benchmark score of 77,712 is within 2.4% of the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (76,904, 1.1% higher), the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78,940, 1.6% lower), the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (79,396, 2.1% lower), and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79,605, 2.4% lower).

The ranking in-game, however, is more decisive than the synthetic benchmarks suggest. Being 7th out of 3,714 means this combo outperforms the vast majority of systems, including many with similarly high individual component scores. The reason is likely the combination of the CPU's 96 MB of shared L3 cache and the GPU's 32 GB of GDDR7 memory, which together provide ample headroom for Lockdown Protocol's data-heavy scenarios.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which delivers an average of 88 FPS. The scaling from High to Ultra is steep—High averages 118 FPS, Medium averages 135 FPS, and Low averages 190 FPS—but Ultra remains comfortably playable. For 4K gaming, this means every setting can be maxed out without concern.

At 2560x1440, the best setting is also Ultra, with an average of 137 FPS. The gap between presets narrows here: High hits 183 FPS, Medium hits 209 FPS, and Low hits 295 FPS. The 137 FPS at Ultra is more than double the 60 FPS threshold, providing smooth motion even in fast-paced scenes.

At 1920x1080, Ultra again is the best setting, averaging 187 FPS. Low reaches 371 FPS, Medium reaches 285 FPS, and High reaches 249 FPS. The 1080p Ultra result is high enough to drive a 144Hz or even a 165Hz monitor near its maximum refresh rate, though it falls short of the 240Hz range that the Low preset (371 FPS) would support.

The verdict data confirms all three resolutions have all four settings listed as playable, with Ultra being the recommended best setting in each case. The average FPS at the best setting scales with resolution: 88 at 4K, 137 at 1440p, and 187 at 1080p, showing a consistent relationship where halving the pixel count roughly increases the frame rate by a factor of 1.5 to 2.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals how the balance between CPU and GPU shifts across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 371 FPS, which is extremely high and likely limited by the CPU's single-thread performance rather than the GPU's rendering capacity. The 9850X3D's passmark single-thread score of 4,704 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,228 indicate strong per-core performance that can feed frames at these rates. As the resolution increases to 2560x1440 and then 3840x2160, the GPU becomes progressively more dominant because the rendering workload grows faster than the CPU's frame-generation workload.

The scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution shows this shift quantitatively. At 1080p, Ultra (187 FPS) is roughly half of Low (371 FPS), a 2.0x reduction. At 1440p, Ultra (137 FPS) is 46% of Low (295 FPS), a 2.15x reduction. At 4K, Ultra (88 FPS) is 46% of Low (190 FPS), also a 2.16x reduction. The near-identical scaling factors at 1440p and 4K suggest that the GPU is the limiting factor at those resolutions, while the slightly smaller reduction at 1080p indicates the CPU is taking on more relative responsibility.

The Medium preset is the only one with min and max FPS data, which provides additional insight. At 4K Medium, the range is 115 to 155 FPS around a 135 average. At 1440p Medium, the range is 178 to 241 around a 209 average. At 1080p Medium, the range is 243 to 328 around a 285 average. The spread between min and max grows as resolution decreases: 40 FPS at 4K, 63 FPS at 1440p, and 85 FPS at 1080p. This widening range at lower resolutions is consistent with CPU-bound behavior, where frame time variance is higher.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals are four processors with average benchmark scores within 0.7%. The Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M (58,323, 0.1% lower) and the Intel Core i9-14900 (58,115, 0.5% lower) would deliver nearly identical CPU-bound performance in Lockdown Protocol. The Intel Xeon w5-2545 (58,504, 0.2% higher) and AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 (58,826, 0.7% higher) are marginally faster on paper, but the differences are within measurement noise. When paired with the same RTX 5090 D, these CPUs would produce frame rates within a few percent of the 9850X3D.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals based on average benchmark score are the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (76,904, 1.1% higher) and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78,940, 1.6% lower). The two NVIDIA Tesla P100 variants (79,396 and 79,605, 2.1% and 2.4% lower respectively) are also close. In Lockdown Protocol specifically, swapping the RTX 5090 D for one of these alternatives would change the GPU-bound frame rates by roughly 1-2%, which is imperceptible in practice. However, the RTX 5090 D's 32 GB of GDDR7 memory versus the Tesla P100's 12 or 16 GB could matter in texture-heavy scenes, though the measured FPS data does not isolate that effect.

The practical takeaway is that if you have a system with one of these rival CPUs or GPUs, the performance difference in Lockdown Protocol would be minimal. The 9850X3D and RTX 5090 D combination is at a performance plateau where nearby hardware yields nearly identical results.

FAQ

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

A: Yes. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the measured average FPS is 88, which is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The verdict data lists all four settings presets as playable at 4K.

Q: How much faster is 1080p compared to 4K at the same settings?

A: At Ultra settings, 1080p averages 187 FPS versus 88 FPS at 4K, which is about 2.1x faster. At Low settings, 1080p averages 371 FPS versus 190 FPS at 4K, also about 2.0x faster.

Q: Which settings preset has the most stable frame times?

A: The Medium preset is the only one with min and max FPS data. At 4K Medium, FPS ranges from 115 to 155 (a 40 FPS spread); at 1440p Medium, from 178 to 241 (63 FPS spread); at 1080p Medium, from 243 to 328 (85 FPS spread). The 4K Medium has the tightest range relative to its average.

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

A: The data shows that at 1080p, the CPU plays a larger role since the FPS reduction from Low to Ultra is smaller (2.0x) than at higher resolutions. At 1440p and 4K, the reduction is consistent at about 2.15x, indicating the GPU is the primary limiter.

Q: How does this combo compare to its nearest hardware rivals?

A: The CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-14900, has an average benchmark score 0.5% lower. The GPU's nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT, scores 1.1% higher. These differences would translate to negligible FPS changes in Lockdown Protocol.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 144Hz monitor?

A: At 1440p, the High preset averages 183 FPS, which exceeds 144Hz. At 4K, the High preset averages 118 FPS, which is below 144Hz but above 60Hz. For a 144Hz display at 1440p, High or Ultra (137 FPS) both work.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol at every resolution and preset combination tested. The verdict data lists all four settings presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—as playable at 3840x2160, 2560x1440, and 1920x1080. The lowest average FPS across the entire measured dataset is 88 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is 47% above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

At 4K, the best settings preset is Ultra with an average of 88 FPS. At 1440p, Ultra averages 137 FPS. At 1080p, Ultra averages 187 FPS. Even the worst-case scenario—4K Ultra with its highest graphical load—never approaches the 60 FPS limit. The minimum FPS recorded in any test was 115 FPS at 4K Medium, meaning the system never drops below 115 FPS in the measured data.

The practical implication is that a user can max out all graphical settings at any resolution and still maintain smooth, playable frame rates. The only consideration is whether the display's refresh rate can take full advantage of the output: at 1080p Low, the system produces 371 FPS, which would require a 360Hz monitor to fully utilize; at 4K Ultra, 88 FPS is sufficient for a standard 60Hz or 120Hz display.

Measured FPS Breakdown

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: average 190 FPS, no min/max recorded
• Medium: average 135 FPS, min 115, max 155
• High: average 118 FPS, no min/max recorded
• Ultra: average 88 FPS, no min/max recorded

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: average 295 FPS, no min/max recorded
• Medium: average 209 FPS, min 178, max 241
• High: average 183 FPS, no min/max recorded
• Ultra: average 137 FPS, no min/max recorded

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: average 371 FPS, no min/max recorded
• Medium: average 285 FPS, min 243, max 328
• High: average 249 FPS, no min/max recorded
• Ultra: average 187 FPS, no min/max recorded

The pattern across the dataset is monotonic: for every resolution, FPS decreases as settings increase from Low to Ultra. The Medium preset is the only one with min and max data, but the averages show a consistent relationship. At 4K, going from Low to Ultra reduces FPS by 54% (190 to 88). At 1440p, the reduction is 54% (295 to 137). At 1080p, the reduction is 50% (371 to 187). The slightly smaller reduction at 1080p suggests the CPU is more involved at that resolution, as noted in the CPU and GPU roles section.

The data is measured, not estimated, and the combo's rank of 7 out of 3,714 confirms that this is one of the fastest configurations available for Lockdown Protocol. The system clears the 60 FPS playable threshold with a minimum 47% margin at the most demanding setting tested.