Lockdown Protocol

AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and AMD Radeon RX 570 is a pairing of a high-end 2020 processor with an older, end-of-life graphics card. The data shows that this combination is severely limited by the GPU in Lockdown Protocol, producing a narrow band of playable settings that depends entirely on resolution. The benchmark results indicate a system that can handle the game at 1080p with reduced settings, but falls short of the 60 FPS threshold at higher resolutions.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, no settings preset reaches the 60 FPS playable threshold. The highest recorded average frame rate at 4K is 35.3 FPS on the Low preset. Medium settings drop to 24.3 FPS, High settings yield 23.4 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 16.3 FPS. None of these come close to the 60 FPS target, so the game is not playable at 4K with this hardware.

At 2560x1440, the situation improves slightly but still remains below the playable threshold. The Low preset averages 58.3 FPS, which is just under the 60 FPS mark and therefore not classified as playable. Medium settings average 40.9 FPS, High settings average 38 FPS, and Ultra settings average 26.7 FPS. No preset at 1440p clears 60 FPS, so the verdict for this resolution is no playable settings.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset is the only playable option. It averages 74.3 FPS, which comfortably exceeds the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings average 55.4 FPS, just below the target, while High settings average 50.8 FPS and Ultra settings average 34.1 FPS. The best settings for 1080p are therefore Low, delivering 74.3 FPS average. This is the only resolution in the recorded data where the combination can sustain a smooth frame rate.

The data shows a clear pattern: as resolution increases, the frame rate drops significantly across all presets. The gap between Low and Ultra settings also widens at higher resolutions, indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor.

CPU and GPU Roles

The CPU in this system, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X, is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on Zen 3 architecture. It scores 16262 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1527 in single-core, with a percentile ranking of 87 against all CPUs. This is a very capable processor for gaming workloads. The GPU, the AMD Radeon RX 570, is a GCN 4.0 part from the Polaris generation with 4 GB of GDDR5 memory and a 256-bit bus. It ranks in the 74th percentile against all GPUs, a much lower standing than the CPU.

The frame rate scaling between resolutions and presets reveals which component matters more. At 1920x1080, going from Low to Medium reduces the average from 74.3 FPS to 55.4 FPS, a drop of 18.9 FPS. Going from Low to High drops to 50.8 FPS, and Low to Ultra drops to 34.1 FPS. At 2560x1440, the same progression goes from 58.3 FPS on Low to 40.9 FPS on Medium, 38 FPS on High, and 26.7 FPS on Ultra. At 3840x2160, Low yields 35.3 FPS, Medium 24.3 FPS, High 23.4 FPS, and Ultra 16.3 FPS.

The large frame rate penalties from raising settings and resolution point directly at the GPU. A stronger CPU would not help here because the RX 570 cannot push more frames when the pixel workload increases. The 5900X has ample headroom in this scenario; its benchmark scores, such as 39002 in PassMark multithread and 14118 in GeekBench multi-core, indicate it is not the bottleneck. The RX 570's 5.095 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 224.0 GB/s memory bandwidth are modest by modern standards, and the measured frame rates reflect that ceiling.

At 1080p, the CPU still matters for maintaining frame pacing, but the GPU is the primary constraint. At 1440p and 4K, the GPU is almost entirely responsible for the performance difference. The scaling from 1080p Low at 74.3 FPS to 1440p Low at 58.3 FPS is a 16 FPS drop, and from 1440p Low to 4K Low at 35.3 FPS is another 23 FPS drop. These are large reductions for the same settings, confirming that resolution scaling is dominated by the graphics card.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Lockdown Protocol at 1080p?

A: Yes, but only on the Low preset. The recorded average frame rate at 1920x1080 with Low settings is 74.3 FPS, which exceeds the 60 FPS playable threshold. Medium settings fall short at 55.4 FPS.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 1440p?

A: There is no playable setting at 2560x1440. The closest is the Low preset at 58.3 FPS, but that is below the 60 FPS threshold. All other presets at this resolution are significantly lower, with Medium at 40.9 FPS, High at 38 FPS, and Ultra at 26.7 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bigger bottleneck in this system?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The Ryzen 9 5900X ranks in the 87th percentile among all CPUs, while the RX 570 ranks in the 74th percentile among GPUs. Frame rates drop sharply when resolution or settings are increased, which is typical of a GPU-bound scenario.

Q: How does the RX 570 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RX 570 has an average benchmark score of 28766. The AMD Radeon RX 6800M scores 28874, which is 0.4% higher. The AMD Radeon RX 470 scores 28996, 0.8% higher. The AMD Radeon R9 M295X scores 28580, 0.7% lower. The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 scores 28421, 1.2% lower. Performance is very close across these cards.

Q: What about the Ryzen 9 5900X versus its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The 5900X has an average benchmark score of 41376. The Intel Core i7-14650HX scores 41576, which is 0.5% higher. The Intel Core Ultra 7 366H scores 41263, 0.3% lower. The Intel Core Ultra 7 356H scores 41215, 0.4% lower. The AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 440 scores 41208, 0.4% lower. All are within 1% of each other.

Q: Is 4K playable with this combination?

A: No. The highest average frame rate at 3840x2160 is 35.3 FPS on Low settings. Medium settings average 24.3 FPS, High settings average 23.4 FPS, and Ultra settings average 16.3 FPS. None reach the 60 FPS threshold.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 9 5900X and RX 570 ranks 3527 out of 3714 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the lower portion of the database, around the 5th percentile of all configurations tested. The ranking reflects the GPU's age and performance ceiling, not the CPU's capability. The 5900X is a strong processor, but the RX 570's 4 GB of GDDR5 memory and GCN 4.0 architecture limit the overall system.

The low rank is consistent with the measured frame rates. Only one preset across three resolutions clears 60 FPS, which is 1080p Low at 74.3 FPS. Most tested combinations in the database will outperform this pairing. The rank of 3527 out of 3714 means a large majority of other CPU and GPU combinations deliver better frame rates in this game. This is not a reflection of the CPU, which is well above average, but rather the GPU holding the system back.

Users with this pairing should understand that the 5900X is capable of much more. The processor's 87th percentile standing among CPUs suggests it can drive faster graphics cards without becoming a bottleneck. The RX 570, however, anchors the system's overall performance in this title.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the RX 570, based on average benchmark scores, are all within a narrow band of performance. The AMD Radeon RX 6800M scores 28874, which is 0.4% higher than the RX 570's 28766. The AMD Radeon RX 470 scores 28996, 0.8% higher. The AMD Radeon R9 M295X scores 28580, 0.7% lower. The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 scores 28421, 1.2% lower. Any of these cards would produce nearly identical frame rates in Lockdown Protocol, meaning the same 1080p Low playable result and the same shortfalls at higher resolutions.

On the CPU side, the Ryzen 9 5900X's nearest rivals are similarly close. The Intel Core i7-14650HX scores 41576, 0.5% higher. The Intel Core Ultra 7 366H scores 41263, 0.3% lower. The Intel Core Ultra 7 356H scores 41215, 0.4% lower. The AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 440 scores 41208, 0.4% lower. Swapping the 5900X for any of these processors would not meaningfully change the frame rates, because the GPU remains the limiting factor.

For a user considering upgrades or replacements, the data suggests that the CPU is not the issue. A faster GPU would be the only way to improve playability. The RX 570's nearest rivals all behave similarly, so moving to one of them would not help. A significant GPU upgrade would be required to reach 60 FPS at 1440p or 4K.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol, but only under specific conditions. The verdict by resolution is clear: at 3840x2160, there are no playable settings, meaning no preset reaches 60 FPS. At 2560x1440, there are also no playable settings, with the best result being 58.3 FPS on Low. At 1920x1080, the Low preset is playable with an average of 74.3 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold.

The practical takeaway is that this system is a 1080p machine for this game. Players should set the resolution to 1920x1080 and the preset to Low to get a smooth experience. Medium settings at 1080p produce 55.4 FPS, which is close to the threshold but not quite there, and the small visual gain may not be worth the frame rate drop. Higher resolutions are not viable.

The Ryzen 9 5900X has plenty of performance to spare. Its benchmark scores, including a 16262 Cinebench R23 multi-core result and a 39002 PassMark multithread score, place it well above the level needed for this game. The RX 570, with its 74th percentile GPU ranking and 4 GB of memory, is the component that defines the experience. The data shows a system that is CPU-heavy and GPU-light, and the game's frame rates reflect that imbalance. For 1080p Low, it works. For anything above that, it does not.