Lockdown Protocol

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 presents an interesting study in system balance for Lockdown Protocol, a 2024 FPS title. The processor is a 12-core, 24-thread Zen 4 part based on the Raphael architecture, built on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It operates with a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, with a TDP of 170 W. The graphics card is a Turing-generation part, the TU106 chip, with 1920 shading units, 30 RT cores, and 240 tensor cores, featuring 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus. The recorded data for this combination shows a clear pattern: the GPU is the primary constraint at higher resolutions, while the CPU provides ample headroom at lower settings. This analysis will interpret the measured FPS across three resolutions and four quality presets, relate the combo to similar alternatives, and identify the best settings for a 60 FPS target.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this system in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 145.1 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is more than double the 60 FPS threshold and indicates that the system has substantial headroom in the least demanding scenario.

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, only the Low preset clears the 60 FPS threshold, with an average of 71.3 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 49.7 FPS, High to 43 FPS, and Ultra to 31.2 FPS, so 4K gaming is limited to Low settings.

Q: At 1440p, which settings are playable?

A: The database shows three playable settings at 2560x1440: Low at 107 FPS, Medium at 75.6 FPS, and High at 68.7 FPS. The Ultra preset falls short with an average of 51.4 FPS.

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

A: The Ryzen 9 7900X has an average benchmark score of 53288, which places it in the 91st percentile among all CPUs. Its closest rival, the AMD EPYC 7313P, scores 53206, a delta of 0.2%. The Intel Xeon Phi 7290 scores 53469, a delta of -0.3%, and the Intel Core i7-14700F scores 53620, a delta of -0.6%.

Q: What is the GPU benchmark percentile and its closest competitor?

A: The RTX 2060 sits in the 58th percentile among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 15290. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 is its nearest rival with a score of 15283, which is a 0% delta, meaning they are effectively tied in the aggregate benchmark.

Q: What is the overall rank of this CPU and GPU combination in the game?

A: The combo ranks 2882 out of 3714 tested combinations. This places it in the lower portion of the database, which is consistent with the GPU being a mid-range part from an older generation.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU side, the Ryzen 9 7900X's aggregate benchmark score of 53288 places it in a tight cluster of processors. The AMD EPYC 7313P scores 53206, a negligible 0.2% difference, meaning in compute-heavy scenarios these two would behave almost identically. The Intel Xeon 634 scores 52974, a 0.6% delta, and the Intel Core i7-14700F scores 53620, a -0.6% delta. The Intel Xeon Phi 7290 also sits nearby at 53469 with a -0.3% delta. In practical terms, any of these processors would deliver nearly the same frame pacing in Lockdown Protocol when the GPU is the limiting factor, which the measured data shows it often is. The 7900X's 12 cores and 24 threads are far beyond what this game appears to need, so swapping to a rival with a similar aggregate score would not change the outcome in any meaningful way.

For the GPU, the RTX 2060's average benchmark score of 15290 is matched by the GTX 580 at 15283, a 0% delta. The AMD Radeon 680M scores 15270, a 0.1% delta, and the RTX 3050 OEM scores 15199, a 0.6% delta. The AMD Radeon RX 7600 scores 15171, a 0.8% delta. These four alternatives would all provide a nearly identical experience in Lockdown Protocol, given the aggregate scores are within 0.8% of each other. The recorded FPS data for the RTX 2060 shows that at 1080p High the system reaches 90.5 FPS, and at 1440p High it reaches 68.7 FPS. Any of these rival GPUs, given their benchmark parity, would likely land within a few frames of these figures. The bottleneck analysis is straightforward: the GPU is the limiting component, so the CPU's proximity to its rivals matters less than the GPU's proximity to its own peers.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured FPS breakdown reveals a system that is heavily GPU-limited at higher resolutions. At 1920x1080, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is 145.1 FPS versus 66.9 FPS, a span of 78.2 FPS. This wide spread indicates that the CPU can feed the GPU at all settings, and the GPU's workload scaling is the dominant factor. The CPU's high single-thread score of 4238 in Passmark's single-thread test and its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2016.5 suggest it has ample per-core performance to handle the game's simulation and draw call processing. The 7900X's 3DMark single-thread score of 1093 further supports this.

At 2560x1440, the pattern continues. Low settings produce 107 FPS, Medium 75.6 FPS, High 68.7 FPS, and Ultra 51.4 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 55.6 FPS, which is smaller than at 1080p but still substantial. At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes even more stressed. Low settings produce 71.3 FPS, Medium 49.7 FPS, High 43 FPS, and Ultra 31.2 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 40.1 FPS, and the absolute values are much lower. This is a clear sign that the GPU is the bottleneck at 4K, as the CPU's performance headroom is not being utilized.

The resolution scaling tells the story. At Low settings, moving from 1080p to 1440p reduces the average FPS from 145.1 to 107, a drop of 38.1 FPS. Moving from 1440p to 4K reduces it further to 71.3, a drop of 35.7 FPS. This consistent decline across resolutions points to the GPU being the limiting factor even at the lowest quality preset. At Ultra settings, the same progression goes from 66.9 to 51.4 to 31.2, a drop of 15.5 FPS then 20.2 FPS. The GPU's 6 GB of VRAM and 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth are being saturated at these higher resolutions, while the CPU's 83.2 GB/s memory bandwidth and 64 MB of L3 cache are not stressed.

The data implies that in this pairing, the CPU is not the constraining factor at any resolution or preset in this game. The Ryzen 9 7900X's multi-threaded capabilities, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 29300 and a Passmark multithread score of 51406, are far above what Lockdown Protocol requires. The GPU, with its Passmark G3D score of 14111 and its 58th percentile ranking, is the component that determines playability. When the settings are lowered, the GPU's load decreases and the FPS rises, which would not happen if the CPU were the bottleneck.

The Verdict

The question of whether this PC can run Lockdown Protocol has a nuanced answer that depends entirely on the chosen resolution and preset. The playable threshold is 60 FPS, and the verdict by resolution is clear from the measured data.

At 1920x1080, the system clears 60 FPS on all four presets. High settings yield 90.5 FPS, Low yields 145.1 FPS, Medium yields 102.4 FPS, and Ultra yields 66.9 FPS. This resolution is fully playable with headroom to spare, even at the most demanding preset.

At 2560x1440, three of the four presets clear 60 FPS. Low settings achieve 107 FPS, Medium achieves 75.6 FPS, and High achieves 68.7 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to 51.4 FPS, which is below the threshold. Therefore, 1440p is playable up to High settings.

At 3840x2160, only the Low preset clears 60 FPS, with an average of 71.3 FPS. Medium drops to 49.7 FPS, High to 43 FPS, and Ultra to 31.2 FPS. This means 4K gaming is only viable at the lowest quality settings.

The recorded data indicates that this system is a capable 1080p machine for Lockdown Protocol and a solid 1440p machine as long as the user avoids Ultra settings. At 4K, it is marginal, requiring a significant reduction in visual quality to maintain playability. The verdict is a qualified yes: the PC can run the game, but the experience at 4K is limited.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Lockdown Protocol, this specific CPU and GPU pairing ranks 2882 out of 3714 total combos. This places it in the lower 22% of all tested systems, which aligns with the GPU's 58th percentile ranking. The CPU is a top-tier part, in the 91st percentile, but the GPU holds the combo back. The rank reflects the overall system capability, not the CPU's individual strength.

The rank of 2882 means that there are 2881 tested combinations that achieve higher average FPS in this game. Given that the RTX 2060 is an end-of-life product from 2019, this is not surprising. The data shows that the system can handle 1080p Ultra at 66.9 FPS and 1440p High at 68.7 FPS, which are solid results for a mid-range GPU. However, the presence of the Ryzen 9 7900X, a high-end 2022 processor, does not improve the combo to a higher rank because the game is not CPU-bound in the measured scenarios. The rank is a reflection of the GPU's performance ceiling, and the CPU simply ensures that ceiling is reached.

Best Settings per Resolution

The most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS at each resolution is determined by the measured data.

At 1920x1080, the best settings are Ultra, with an average FPS of 66.9. This is the highest quality preset available, and it remains above the 60 FPS threshold. The next step down, High, would yield 90.5 FPS, but Ultra is the best choice for maximum visual quality while maintaining playability.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are High, with an average FPS of 68.7. The Ultra preset drops to 51.4 FPS, which is below the threshold, so High is the optimal balance. Medium would give 75.6 FPS, but High offers better visuals while still clearing 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the best settings are Low, with an average FPS of 71.3. This is the only preset that clears 60 FPS at 4K. Medium drops to 49.7 FPS, so Low is the sole choice for playable 4K performance.

These results indicate that the system has a clear performance hierarchy. At 1080p, the user can enable the highest settings. At 1440p, one step below Ultra is the limit. At 4K, the user must settle for the lowest settings. The GPU is the limiting factor in each case, and the CPU has no influence on the choice of preset at any resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is a detailed breakdown of the measured average FPS for each resolution and settings combination. The database did not record minimum or maximum FPS values, only the averages.

At 3840x2160, the High preset produced an average FPS of 43. The Low preset produced 71.3 FPS. The Medium preset produced 49.7 FPS. The Ultra preset produced 31.2 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a steady decline, with the Ultra preset delivering less than half the FPS of Low.

At 2560x1440, the High preset produced an average FPS of 68.7. The Low preset produced 107 FPS. The Medium preset produced 75.6 FPS. The Ultra preset produced 51.4 FPS. This resolution shows a similar pattern, with Low being the fastest and Ultra being the slowest.

At 1920x1080, the High preset produced an average FPS of 90.5. The Low preset produced 145.1 FPS. The Medium preset produced 102.4 FPS. The Ultra preset produced 66.9 FPS. This is the only resolution where all four presets clear the 60 FPS threshold.

The data shows a consistent scaling factor. At each resolution, Low is the fastest, followed by Medium, then High, then Ultra. The relative differences are larger at lower resolutions, which indicates that the GPU is less saturated at 1080p and the settings have a greater impact on frame rate. At 4K, the GPU is more heavily loaded, and the settings have a smaller absolute impact, but the overall FPS is much lower. The system's performance is predictable and consistent with the GPU's known capabilities, and the CPU's role is to provide a stable platform that does not introduce additional bottlenecks.