Lockdown Protocol

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7900M delivers a benchmark profile that is strongly shaped by resolution scaling, with the data showing a clear transition from unplayable to highly fluid performance as pixel count drops. At 4K, the combo manages to clear the 60 FPS threshold only at Medium settings and below, while at 1440p and 1080p it unlocks the full Ultra preset with substantial headroom. The measured results indicate a mobile flagship pairing where the GPU becomes the dominant constraint at higher resolutions, but the CPU’s 16-core Zen 4 architecture keeps frame rates from collapsing when settings are lowered.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the data shows a tight band of results across the three lower presets. Low settings produce an average of 101 FPS, which is the highest 4K figure recorded. Medium settings drop to an average of 72 FPS, with a minimum of 61 FPS and a maximum of 83 FPS, placing the 1% lows right at the edge of the playable threshold. High settings average 63 FPS, which is still above the 60 FPS line but with less margin; the absence of a recorded minimum for High suggests the frame pacing is less consistent than at Medium. Ultra settings fall to an average of 47 FPS, which is clearly below the playable threshold and indicates that the 4K Ultra preset is not viable for smooth gameplay.

Moving to 2560x1440, the scaling improves significantly. Low settings average 157 FPS, which is a 55% increase over the 4K Low result. Medium settings average 111 FPS, with a minimum of 95 FPS and a maximum of 128 FPS, showing solid consistency with no dips near the threshold. High settings average 97 FPS, which is still well above 60. Ultra settings produce an average of 73 FPS, which clears the playable threshold with a 13 FPS margin. The pattern here is that every preset at 1440p is playable, and even the most demanding setting maintains a healthy average.

At 1920x1080, the combo reaches its peak performance. Low settings average 214 FPS, which is the highest average across all resolutions and settings. Medium settings average 152 FPS, with a minimum of 129 FPS and a maximum of 175 FPS, indicating very stable frame delivery. High settings average 133 FPS, and Ultra settings average 99 FPS. The 1080p results show that even the Ultra preset maintains an average near 100 FPS, which is more than sufficient for competitive play on high refresh rate displays. The gap between Medium and High at 1080p is 19 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 34 FPS, suggesting diminishing returns from the highest preset.

FAQ

Q: Does this PC clear 60 FPS at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, but only at Low, Medium, and High settings. The 4K Medium preset averages 72 FPS with a minimum of 61 FPS, while 4K High averages 63 FPS. The 4K Ultra preset averages 47 FPS and falls below the playable threshold.

Q: What is the best 4K preset for smooth gameplay?

A: The verdict data indicates High is the best playable setting at 3840x2160, producing an average of 63 FPS. Medium is also playable at 72 FPS, but High offers higher visual fidelity while still staying above 60 FPS.

Q: How does the combo perform at 1440p Ultra?

A: At 2560x1440 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 73, which is 13 FPS above the playable threshold. All four presets at 1440p are marked as playable, with Low reaching 157 FPS.

Q: Is the 1080p Ultra preset smooth?

A: Yes, the 1920x1080 Ultra preset averages 99 FPS, which is 39 FPS above the playable threshold. The minimum FPS is not recorded for this preset, but the average suggests consistent headroom.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average is 214 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is more than triple the 4K Ultra average of 47 FPS.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested hardware pairs for this game?

A: The combo ranks 1588 out of 3714 total combinations, placing it in the upper portion of the database. This is consistent with its 95th percentile CPU ranking and 94th percentile GPU ranking.

Similar Performance Alternatives

On the CPU side, the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX has an average benchmark score of 76212, which places it within 0.1% of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX at 76155. The delta of 0.1% means these two processors are effectively interchangeable for this game’s CPU workload. The AMD EPYC Embedded 8224P scores 76492, which is 0.4% higher, while the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX scores 76513, also 0.4% higher. These differences are negligible in practice, meaning any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates when paired with the same GPU. The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D scores 75779, which is 0.6% lower, again a trivial gap. For gaming performance, the 8945HX’s nearest rivals all fall within a 1% band, so users should expect no meaningful variance in FPS from swapping among these processors.

On the GPU side, the AMD Radeon RX 7900M has an average benchmark score of 97487. Its closest rival is the AMD Radeon Pro VII at 97131, which is 0.4% slower. The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 scores 101872, which is 4.3% faster, placing it as a slightly stronger option. The AMD Radeon Instinct MI60 scores 92466, which is 5.4% slower, and the NVIDIA RTX A4500 scores 91671, which is 6.3% slower. The 4.3% gap to the Quadro RTX 6000 is the largest delta in this group, but it would translate to roughly 2-4 FPS difference at 4K High settings based on the measured averages. The RX 7900M sits comfortably between these rivals, offering a performance profile that is neither the fastest nor the slowest in its immediate tier.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: this PC can run Lockdown Protocol, but the playable settings depend entirely on resolution. At 3840x2160, the verdict lists High, Low, and Medium as playable, with High being the best setting at an average of 63 FPS. The 4K Ultra preset is not viable, as its 47 FPS average is far below the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, all four presets are playable, with Ultra being the best at 73 FPS. At 1920x1080, all four presets are also playable, with Ultra achieving 99 FPS. The threshold of 60 FPS is cleared with margin at every resolution except 4K Ultra, meaning users with a 4K display should stick to High or Medium, while those with 1440p or 1080p displays can enable the highest settings without concern.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions reveals which component is the limiting factor. Moving from 1080p Low to 4K Low, the average FPS drops from 214 to 101, a reduction of 113 FPS or 53%. Similarly, from 1080p Medium to 4K Medium, the average drops from 152 to 72, a 53% reduction. This consistent halving of frame rates as pixel count quadruples points to the GPU as the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The RX 7900M’s 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 576.0 GB/s bandwidth are being taxed heavily at 4K, and the data shows that even the High preset at 4K only manages 63 FPS.

At lower resolutions, the CPU’s role becomes more apparent. The difference between 1080p Low and 1080p Ultra is 115 FPS (214 to 99), which is a larger absolute gap than at 4K, where the difference between Low and Ultra is only 54 FPS (101 to 47). This indicates that at 1080p, the Ryzen 9 8945HX’s 16 cores and 32 threads can feed frames fast enough that the GPU becomes less of a constraint, and the settings scaling has a more pronounced effect. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42713 and single-core score of 6030 suggest strong per-thread performance, which helps maintain high averages even at Ultra presets. Between 1440p and 4K, the GPU dominates; between 1080p and 1440p, the CPU retains more influence, but the GPU still carries most of the load.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, which achieves an average of 63 FPS. Medium is also viable at 72 FPS, but High provides better visual quality while still clearing the threshold. The 4K Ultra preset is not recommended, as its 47 FPS average falls short.

At 2560x1440, the most demanding playable preset is Ultra, with an average of 73 FPS. This is 13 FPS above the threshold, providing a comfortable margin. High at 97 FPS and Medium at 111 FPS are also available, but Ultra offers the full visual experience without sacrificing smoothness.

At 1920x1080, the most demanding playable preset is Ultra, with an average of 99 FPS. This is 39 FPS above the threshold, making it the best choice for users with high refresh rate displays. The data shows no preset at 1080p falls below 60 FPS, so users can freely select Ultra for maximum fidelity.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and AMD Radeon RX 7900M combination ranks 1588 out of 3714 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the 57th percentile of all hardware pairs in the database, meaning it outperforms the majority of tested systems. The ranking is consistent with the component-level percentiles: the CPU sits at the 95th percentile among all CPUs, and the GPU sits at the 94th percentile among all GPUs. The slight drop in combo ranking relative to component percentiles suggests that the pairing is well-matched, but not perfectly optimized, likely due to the mobile form factor limiting sustained performance. The measured FPS data confirms that this rank is earned through strong 1080p and 1440p performance, while 4K Ultra remains the single weak point. For a mobile platform, the data indicates this combo is a high-end solution that can handle the game at competitive settings across most resolutions.