Lockdown Protocol

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 delivers a performance profile that is strongly dependent on resolution and preset selection in Lockdown Protocol. At 1920x1080, the combo produces exceptionally high frame rates, with the Ultra preset averaging 99 FPS and the Low preset reaching 214 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, the Ultra preset still averages 73 FPS, while the High preset yields 97 FPS. At 3840x2160, the system becomes more constrained, with Ultra averaging 47 FPS, but High and Medium remain comfortably above 60 FPS at 63 FPS and 72 FPS respectively. The data indicates a capable pairing for high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K viable only at reduced settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured frame rates are consistently high across all presets. The Low preset achieves an average of 214 FPS. The Medium preset averages 152 FPS, with a minimum of 129 FPS and a maximum of 175 FPS. The High preset delivers an average of 133 FPS. The Ultra preset, the most demanding setting at this resolution, still produces an average of 99 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a reduction of 115 FPS, indicating that the GPU remains the primary limiter even at 1080p, though the CPU headroom is substantial given the 12-core, 24-thread Ryzen 9 9900X.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows a clear step down from 1080p. The Low preset averages 157 FPS. Medium averages 111 FPS, with a minimum of 95 FPS and a maximum of 128 FPS. High averages 97 FPS. Ultra averages 73 FPS, which still exceeds the 60 FPS threshold. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 84 FPS, narrower than at 1080p, suggesting that the GPU workload is increasing and the CPU is becoming relatively less dominant. The minimum FPS of 95 FPS on Medium indicates that frame pacing remains consistent, with no significant dips below the playable threshold.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops considerably, reflecting the higher pixel count. The Low preset averages 101 FPS. Medium averages 72 FPS, with a minimum of 61 FPS and a maximum of 83 FPS. High averages 63 FPS. Ultra averages 47 FPS, falling below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The delta between Low and Ultra at 4K is 54 FPS, the smallest relative difference among the three resolutions, indicating that the GPU is now the overwhelming bottleneck. The minimum FPS of 61 FPS at Medium is just above the threshold, while the High preset's average of 63 FPS shows that the system can maintain playability at 4K but with little headroom for demanding scenes.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X, based on average benchmark scores, include the AMD EPYC 9015, which scores 57,555 with a delta of -0.1% relative to the Ryzen's 57,498 average. The AMD EPYC 7313 scores 57,399 with a delta of 0.2%. The Intel Core i9-14900 scores 58,115 with a delta of -1.1%, indicating it is slightly faster. The Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M scores 58,323 with a delta of -1.4%, making it the fastest rival in this group. For gaming workloads, the Ryzen 9 9900X's single-thread score of 1,286 in 3DMark and 2,253 in Cinebench R23 indicates strong per-core performance, but the EPYC and Xeon parts are server-focused and may not exhibit the same gaming behavior despite similar aggregate scores.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, the nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT, which scores 17,083 with a delta of 0.7% relative to the RTX 3070's 17,208 average. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 scores 17,037 with a delta of 1%. The AMD Radeon HD 7970M scores 17,019 with a delta of 1.1%. The NVIDIA Tesla K40c scores 17,468 with a delta of -1.5%. The RTX 3070's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but the RX 7600 XT offers similar performance with potentially different VRAM characteristics, while the GTX 690 and HD 7970M are older architectures that would likely struggle with modern game features like DirectX 12 Ultimate, which the RTX 3070 supports.

In practical terms, a system with the Intel Core i9-14900 and a Radeon RX 7600 XT would likely produce frame rates within a few percentage points of this combo, given the small deltas in average scores. The RTX 3070's nearest rivals suggest that swapping to the RX 7600 XT would not materially change the FPS in Lockdown Protocol, as the delta is only 0.7%. Similarly, the CPU rivals indicate that the Ryzen 9 9900X is not a bottleneck at the tested resolutions, as even the slower EPYC 7313 (0.2% delta) would yield nearly identical results.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a clear shift in component roles as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the difference between the Low preset (214 FPS) and Ultra preset (99 FPS) is 115 FPS, a reduction of 53.7% from the Low baseline. This large drop indicates that the GPU is the primary limiter, as the CPU has ample headroom with 12 cores and 24 threads. The Ryzen 9 9900X's multi-threaded performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32,172, ensures that it is not holding back the GPU at 1080p.

At 2560x1440, the gap between Low (157 FPS) and Ultra (73 FPS) narrows to 84 FPS, a 53.5% reduction from Low. The similar percentage reduction suggests that the GPU workload is scaling proportionally with pixel count, and the CPU remains sufficient. The minimum FPS at Medium (95 FPS) is still well above the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that even in demanding scenes, the CPU can feed the GPU adequately. The Ultra preset's 73 FPS average shows that the GPU is now working harder, but the CPU still provides enough headroom to avoid bottlenecks.

At 3840x2160, the gap between Low (101 FPS) and Ultra (47 FPS) is 54 FPS, a 53.5% reduction from Low, which is nearly identical to the other resolutions. This consistency suggests that the CPU's role is not diminishing as resolution increases; rather, the GPU is becoming the sole constraint. The High preset's 63 FPS average and Medium's 72 FPS average demonstrate that the CPU can still push the GPU to playable levels at 4K, but the Ultra preset's 47 FPS falls below the threshold, indicating that the RTX 3070's 8 GB of VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the highest settings at this resolution. The scaling data points to the GPU being the dominant factor across all resolutions, with the CPU providing consistent performance regardless of workload.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Lockdown Protocol at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings?

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 1080p Ultra is 99 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The minimum FPS at Medium is 129 FPS, and while the Ultra minimum is not listed, the average suggests no major dips.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 2560x1440?

A: The Ultra preset is playable at 1440p, with an average of 73 FPS. This is the highest preset tested, and it stays above the 60 FPS threshold, making it the best choice for maximum visual quality at this resolution.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this combo?

A: At 3840x2160, the High preset averages 63 FPS and Medium averages 72 FPS, both above the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset averages 47 FPS, which is not playable. Therefore, 4K is viable with High or Medium settings, but not Ultra.

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

A: The Ryzen 9 9900X has an average benchmark score of 57,498. The Intel Core i9-14900 scores 58,115, which is 1.1% higher, while the AMD EPYC 7313 scores 57,399, which is 0.2% lower. The differences are minimal, indicating that CPU choice among these parts would not significantly alter gaming performance.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The RTX 3070 is in the 61st percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17,208. This places it above the median, but below high-end cards, which aligns with its measured performance in Lockdown Protocol.

Q: Does the combo rank in the top half of tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 1,588 out of 3,714 tested combinations, placing it in the 57th percentile of tested combos. This indicates that while it performs well, there are many faster systems in the database.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank for this system in Lockdown Protocol is 1,588 out of 3,714 tested combinations. This places it in the upper half of all tested systems, but not in the top tier. The rank reflects the balance between the Ryzen 9 9900X, which is in the 92nd percentile among all CPUs, and the RTX 3070, which is in the 61st percentile among all GPUs. The CPU is clearly a high-end part, but the GPU is mid-range, and this combination yields a system that is capable but not exceptional for the most demanding games.

The rank of 1,588 suggests that a significant number of tested combos outperform this system, likely those with higher-end GPUs such as the RTX 3080 or RX 6800 XT. However, the rank also indicates that the system outperforms a majority of tested combos, which aligns with its ability to maintain 60+ FPS at 1440p Ultra and 1080p Ultra. The CPU's high percentile and the GPU's mid-range percentile create a system where the GPU is the limiting factor, and upgrading the GPU would yield a substantial rank improvement. For Lockdown Protocol specifically, the combo's rank is consistent with its measured FPS, which shows strong 1080p and 1440p performance but weaker 4K performance.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 99 FPS. This is the highest preset tested, and it provides the best visual quality while maintaining a comfortable margin above the playable threshold. Lower presets offer even higher frame rates, with Low at 214 FPS and Medium at 152 FPS, but Ultra is the recommended choice for visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is also Ultra, with an average of 73 FPS. This is a significant achievement, as many systems struggle with 1440p Ultra in modern games. The High preset averages 97 FPS, but Ultra provides the best balance of visuals and performance.

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, with an average of 63 FPS. The Medium preset averages 72 FPS, but High offers better visual quality while still maintaining playability. The Ultra preset averages 47 FPS, which is below the threshold, so it is not recommended. The Low preset averages 101 FPS, but High is the best choice for 4K gaming with this combo.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol at all three tested resolutions, but with limitations at the highest settings. At 1920x1080, the system clears 60 FPS at every preset, including Ultra, which averages 99 FPS. At 2560x1440, the system also clears 60 FPS at every preset, with Ultra averaging 73 FPS. At 3840x2160, the system clears 60 FPS at High, Medium, and Low presets, with High averaging 63 FPS, but fails to reach the threshold at Ultra, which averages 47 FPS.

The verdict by resolution is clear: for 1080p and 1440p, this combo is fully playable at the highest settings, making it suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors. For 4K, the system is playable at High settings, but users seeking Ultra quality would need a more powerful GPU. The CPU is not a limiting factor at any resolution, as its high single-thread and multi-thread scores ensure it can keep up with the RTX 3070. Overall, this is a well-balanced system for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with acceptable 4K performance at reduced settings.