Lockdown Protocol

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combination ranks 1021st out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the upper third of all systems tested. This is a strong position for a pairing that pairs a high-end 2024 CPU with a 2020 GPU, and the data confirms that the combo delivers playable performance across all tested resolutions, with only the most demanding preset at 4K falling short of the 60 FPS threshold.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 1021 out of 3714 places it roughly in the 72nd percentile of all tested combinations, meaning it outperforms nearly three-quarters of the systems in the benchmark database for this specific game. This is a solid result for a pairing where the GPU is not the newest generation, and it suggests that the CPU’s high multithreaded performance helps sustain frame rates in a game that appears to be reasonably demanding at higher settings.

The CPU itself sits in the 92nd percentile against all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 57498. Its nearest rivals are all server or high-end desktop parts: the AMD EPYC 9015 scores 57555 (0.1% higher), the AMD EPYC 7313 scores 57399 (0.2% lower), the Intel Core i9-14900 scores 58115 (1.1% higher), and the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M scores 58323 (1.4% higher). The Ryzen 9 9900X is effectively within 1.4% of all four rivals, showing that it is positioned at the top tier of CPU performance, even though it trails the Intel parts slightly in raw average score.

The RTX 3080, by contrast, is only in the 68th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23172. Its nearest rivals are a mixed bag: the NVIDIA P106-100 scores 23249 (0.3% higher), the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 scores 23250 (0.3% higher), the AMD Radeon RX 6600M scores 23273 (0.4% higher), and the AMD Radeon R9 M290X scores 23276 (0.4% higher). These deltas are all within half a percent, which is remarkable because the RTX 3080 is being compared against a mix of professional, mobile, and older desktop parts. This suggests that the RTX 3080’s raw compute scores do not fully reflect its gaming performance, or that the benchmark database has a wide spread of GPU scores at this level.

In the context of Lockdown Protocol specifically, the combo’s rank indicates that the CPU’s strength compensates for the GPU’s mid-tier percentile position. The data shows that at 1080p and 1440p, the combo can push well beyond 60 FPS even at Ultra settings, which is a strong outcome for a game released in 2024.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern: the CPU is the dominant component at lower resolutions and settings, while the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution and settings increase. This is evident from the scaling between resolutions at the same settings.

At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 249.5 at 1080p to 182.6 at 1440p (a 26.8% decrease) and then to 118.1 at 4K (a 35.3% decrease from 1440p). This steep drop-off at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is struggling to keep up with the pixel count, even at the least demanding settings. The CPU, with its 12 cores and 24 threads, can easily feed the GPU at 1080p Low, but the GPU’s 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and 320-bit bus are not enough to maintain the same frame rate when the resolution quadruples from 1080p to 4K.

At Ultra settings, the pattern is similar but with a different starting point: 115.5 FPS at 1080p, 84.4 FPS at 1440p (a 26.9% decrease), and 56 FPS at 4K (a 33.6% decrease from 1440p). The percentage drops are nearly identical to those at Low settings, which suggests that the GPU is the bottleneck in both cases. The CPU’s role is to ensure that frame rates do not collapse at lower resolutions, and the data shows it succeeds: at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 249.5 FPS, which is close to the ceiling for many displays.

The scaling between presets at a fixed resolution further clarifies the roles. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium reduces FPS from 249.5 to 179.5 (a 28.1% drop), from Medium to High reduces it to 152.6 (a 15.0% drop), and from High to Ultra reduces it to 115.5 (a 24.3% drop). The largest single drop is from Low to Medium, which suggests that the Medium preset introduces significant GPU workload changes. At 4K, the drops are smaller in percentage terms: from Low to Medium (118.1 to 85.3, a 27.8% drop), Medium to High (85.3 to 74.7, a 12.4% drop), and High to Ultra (74.7 to 56, a 25.0% drop). The consistency of these drops across resolutions indicates that the GPU’s performance scaling is predictable, and the CPU is never the primary constraint.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The full measured FPS dataset covers three resolutions and four settings, with average FPS reported for each combination. No minimum or maximum FPS values are available, so the analysis relies on average frame rates.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the combo delivers 118.1 FPS at Low settings, 85.3 FPS at Medium, 74.7 FPS at High, and 56 FPS at Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra is 62.1 FPS, which is a 52.6% reduction. This is the only resolution where the Ultra preset falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold, and even the High preset stays comfortably above it at 74.7 FPS.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), the results are significantly better: 182.6 FPS at Low, 128.7 FPS at Medium, 114 FPS at High, and 84.4 FPS at Ultra. The drop from Low to Ultra is 98.2 FPS (a 53.8% reduction), which is a larger absolute gap than at 4K but still leaves all presets well above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 84.4 FPS is particularly notable because it is more than 20 FPS above the playable threshold.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the combo is extremely fast: 249.5 FPS at Low, 179.5 FPS at Medium, 152.6 FPS at High, and 115.5 FPS at Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra is 134 FPS (a 53.7% reduction), which is the largest absolute drop across all resolutions. Even at the most demanding preset, the combo maintains a frame rate that exceeds the refresh rate of most standard monitors.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Lockdown Protocol at 4K Ultra settings?

A: No. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 56, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The best playable setting at 4K is High, which averages 74.7 FPS.

Q: What is the highest settings preset that stays above 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) stay above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 84.4 FPS, making it the best choice for maximum visual quality without sacrificing playability.

Q: How much of a performance drop occurs when moving from 1080p to 4K at the same settings?

A: At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 249.5 at 1080p to 118.1 at 4K, a 52.7% reduction. At Ultra settings, it drops from 115.5 to 56, a 51.5% reduction. The percentage drop is similar across settings, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor.

Q: Is the RTX 3080 the bottleneck in this combo?

A: Yes, the data suggests so. The CPU ranks in the 92nd percentile, while the GPU is in the 68th percentile. The FPS scaling between resolutions shows large drops (e.g., 26.8% from 1080p to 1440p at Low), which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario.

Q: Does the combo ever exceed 200 FPS in Lockdown Protocol?

A: Yes, but only at 1080p with Low settings, where it averages 249.5 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 182.6 FPS, which is below 200.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested systems for this game?

A: It ranks 1021 out of 3714 tested combos, placing it in the top 27.5% of all systems tested for Lockdown Protocol.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, with an average of 74.7 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to 56 FPS, which is below the playable threshold, so High is the recommended maximum.

At 2560x1440, all presets are playable, and the most demanding preset is Ultra, which averages 84.4 FPS. This provides a significant visual upgrade over High (114 FPS) while still maintaining a comfortable margin above 60 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 115.5 FPS, which is nearly double the playable threshold. This is the clear choice for maximum settings at this resolution, as even the most demanding configuration leaves ample headroom for frame rate dips.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol at all tested resolutions, but the playable settings vary by resolution. At 3840x2160, the combo clears 60 FPS on Low (118.1 FPS), Medium (85.3 FPS), and High (74.7 FPS), but fails on Ultra with 56 FPS. At 2560x1440, all four presets are playable, including Ultra at 84.4 FPS. At 1920x1080, every preset is playable, with Ultra delivering 115.5 FPS.

The verdict is clear: for a 4K display, users should stick to High settings for a smooth experience. For 1440p and 1080p displays, the Ultra preset is fully playable, and the combo provides enough performance to take advantage of high-refresh-rate monitors at 1080p. The data confirms that this is a well-balanced pairing for Lockdown Protocol, with the CPU’s top-tier performance ensuring that the GPU is the only limiting factor at higher resolutions.