Lockdown Protocol

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 570 presents a stark contrast in capability: a top-tier 12-core Zen 5 processor constrained by an older Polaris graphics card. For Lockdown Protocol, the recorded data shows that this combination is heavily GPU-limited at every resolution. The verdict is clear: this PC can run the game smoothly only at 1920x1080 with Low settings, where it achieves an average of 78.8 FPS. At any higher resolution or more demanding preset, the frame rate falls below the 60 FPS playability threshold. The following analysis breaks down the measured performance, component roles, and what this means for a potential user.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160 (4K), the average frame rates are uniformly below playable levels across all presets. The Low preset delivers the highest average of 39.1 FPS, followed by Medium at 26.5 FPS, High at 21.7 FPS, and Ultra at 19 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is substantial, 20.1 FPS, which indicates that the GPU is overwhelmed even at the lowest settings. None of these averages approach the 60 FPS target, and the data suggests that even the minimum frame rates, though not recorded, would likely be well below 30 FPS.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), the performance improves but remains inadequate for smooth gameplay. The Low preset yields an average of 58 FPS, which is just 2 FPS shy of the 60 FPS threshold. Medium follows at 42.7 FPS, High at 37.9 FPS, and Ultra at 26.2 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a consistent drop, with Ultra delivering less than half the frame rate of Low. This resolution is essentially a boundary case: Low is nearly playable, but any increase in graphical fidelity pushes the average down into the 26 to 43 FPS range, which would feel stuttery in a fast-paced FPS.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the results are the most differentiated. The Low preset achieves an average of 78.8 FPS, comfortably clearing the 60 FPS threshold. Medium drops to 52.9 FPS, which is below playable, and High falls further to 46.7 FPS. Ultra is the worst performer at this resolution with an average of 37.1 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium is 25.9 FPS, a significant jump that highlights how sensitive this game is to preset changes on this GPU. The recorded data shows no minimum or maximum frame rates for any resolution, so the analysis relies solely on average FPS, which can mask occasional dips.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 3840x2160, the database records no playable settings. The best average FPS at this resolution is 39.1 FPS, achieved with the Low preset, but this falls far short of the 60 FPS playability threshold. The verdictByResolution field confirms an empty list of playable settings, meaning no preset at 4K is viable for this hardware combination.

At 2560x1440, the situation is similar. No settings are listed as playable, as even the best case, Low with 58 FPS, misses the 60 FPS target by 2 FPS. The recorded data indicates that this resolution is not viable for a 60 FPS experience, regardless of how far the graphical quality is reduced.

At 1920x1080, the best settings are unequivocally Low, which produces an average of 78.8 FPS. This is the only resolution and preset combination that clears the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset at 52.9 FPS is the next closest but still below playable. The data suggests that users should stick to Low at 1080p to maintain a smooth frame rate, as even a single step up in quality reduces performance by roughly a third.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions points directly to the GPU as the primary bottleneck. Comparing the same preset at different resolutions reveals the classic pattern of a graphics-bound workload. For example, at Low settings, the average FPS drops from 78.8 at 1080p to 58 at 1440p, a reduction of 26.4%, and then to 39.1 at 4K, a further reduction of 32.6% relative to 1440p. This steep decline with increasing pixel count is a clear indicator that the AMD Radeon RX 570 is struggling to fill frames, not the CPU.

The Ryzen 9 9900X, with its 12 cores and 24 threads, is vastly more capable than what this game requires at these settings. Its benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 32172 and a 3DMark max threads score of 13929, show immense headroom. The CPU’s role becomes even less significant at higher resolutions because the GPU’s render time dominates the frame time. At 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra presets is 20.1 FPS, while at 1080p, the same comparison shows a 41.7 FPS difference. This larger spread at lower resolutions suggests that the CPU can feed the GPU more easily at 1080p, allowing the preset changes to have a greater impact on FPS. At 4K, the GPU is so saturated that even dropping from Ultra to Low only recovers 20.1 FPS, whereas at 1080p, the same preset drop recovers 41.7 FPS.

The data also shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor in any scenario. The Ryzen 9 9900X has a single-thread 3DMark score of 1286 and a Passmark single-thread score of 4672, which are strong numbers for gaming. The GPU, however, is an older Polaris 20 chip with a 4 GB GDDR5 memory buffer and a 224.0 GB/s bandwidth, which is modest by modern standards. The measured FPS pattern, where lowering resolution consistently improves FPS, confirms that the RX 570 is the bottleneck. If the CPU were the limitation, the FPS would remain relatively flat across resolutions, which is not the case here.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol, but only under very specific conditions. The verdictByResolution data is unambiguous: at 3840x2160 and 2560x1440, there are no playable settings, meaning no preset achieves an average FPS of 60 or higher. At 1920x1080, the only playable setting is Low, which delivers an average of 78.8 FPS. This means the system is functional for 1080p gaming, but users must accept the lowest graphical preset to maintain smooth performance.

The combination of a high-end CPU and a mid-range to low-end GPU is unusual. The Ryzen 9 9900X is in the 92nd percentile of all CPUs, while the RX 570 is in the 74th percentile of all GPUs. This disparity means that the CPU is never the limiting factor, but the GPU consistently holds the system back. For a game like Lockdown Protocol, which appears to be GPU-intensive based on the FPS scaling, the RX 570 is the deciding component. Users who want to play at 1440p or 4K, or at higher presets at 1080p, would need a more powerful graphics card. The data shows that 1080p Low is the ceiling for this pairing, and even that is only 18.8 FPS above the playability threshold, leaving little headroom for demanding scenes.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals in the database are all server-class processors, which indicates that the Ryzen 9 9900X sits in a performance tier above typical desktop gaming chips. The AMD EPYC 9015 has an average score of 57555, which is 0.1% lower than the Ryzen 9 9900X, making it effectively a tie. The Intel Core i9-14900 has an average score of 58115, which is 1.1% higher, so it would deliver nearly identical CPU-bound performance. The AMD EPYC 7313 and Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M are also within 0.2% and 1.4% of the Ryzen 9 9900X, respectively. These comparisons mean that swapping the Ryzen 9 9900X for any of these processors would have a negligible impact on Lockdown Protocol’s frame rates, as the GPU would remain the bottleneck.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are a mix of mobile and desktop parts. The AMD Radeon RX 6800M has an average score of 28874, which is 0.4% higher than the RX 570, so it would perform almost identically. The AMD Radeon R9 M295X is 0.7% lower, and the AMD Radeon RX 470 is 0.8% lower, meaning both would be slightly slower. The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 has an average score of 28421, which is 1.2% lower. In practice, any of these GPUs would produce similar FPS in Lockdown Protocol, with the RX 570 being a representative example of this performance class. Users looking for a meaningful upgrade would need to look beyond these rivals, as the differences are within a couple of percentage points.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Lockdown Protocol at 60 FPS on 1920x1080?

A: Yes, but only with Low settings. The measured average FPS at 1080p Low is 78.8, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. At Medium, the average drops to 52.9 FPS, which is below playable.

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 9900X or the Radeon RX 570 the limiting factor?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The FPS drops significantly as resolution increases, from 78.8 at 1080p Low to 39.1 at 4K Low, which indicates the RX 570 is maxed out. The CPU has ample headroom, as shown by its high benchmark scores.

Q: What are the best settings for 2560x1440?

A: There are no playable settings at 1440p. The best average FPS is 58 with Low settings, which is 2 FPS short of the 60 FPS target. All other presets fall below 43 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 570 compare to its nearest rival, the RX 470?

A: The RX 570 has an average benchmark score of 28766, while the RX 470 has an average score of 28996. This makes the RX 470 0.8% faster, a difference that would be imperceptible in actual gameplay.

Q: What is the highest preset that stays above 60 FPS at any resolution?

A: The only preset that clears 60 FPS is Low at 1920x1080, with an average of 78.8 FPS. No other resolution or preset combination reaches 60 FPS.

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 9900X overkill for this GPU?

A: The data suggests yes. The CPU is in the 92nd percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 74th percentile. The FPS results are entirely determined by the GPU, so a less powerful CPU would likely produce identical frame rates.