Lockdown Protocol

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for this combination of AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and AMD Radeon RX 570 shows a wide spread of performance across the three tested resolutions and four quality presets. At 3840x2160, the frame rates are consistently low across every preset. High settings produce an average of 22 FPS, Medium averages 26 FPS with a minimum of 22 FPS and a maximum of 30 FPS, Low averages 36 FPS, and Ultra drops to 17 FPS. No preset at this resolution comes close to the playable threshold of 60 FPS, and even the lowest quality setting leaves a large gap.

At 2560x1440, the situation improves but remains far from smooth. Low settings deliver an average of 56 FPS, which is the strongest result at this resolution. High settings average 35 FPS, Medium averages 40 FPS with a minimum of 34 FPS and a maximum of 46 FPS, and Ultra averages 26 FPS. The step from 3840x2160 to 2560x1440 provides a meaningful uplift, roughly 56% higher average FPS on Low settings when comparing 36 to 56 FPS. However, none of these averages reach 60 FPS, and the minimum values on Medium confirm that frame pacing will be inconsistent.

At 1920x1080, the combination finally produces playable results, but only on the lowest preset. Low settings average 77 FPS, which is the only recorded configuration that clears the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings average 54 FPS with a minimum of 46 FPS and a maximum of 63 FPS, indicating that the frame rate can dip below playability during demanding scenes. High settings average 47 FPS, and Ultra settings average 36 FPS. The scaling from 2560x1440 to 1920x1080 on Low settings is substantial, a 37.5% increase in average FPS from 56 to 77, which suggests that resolution is a dominant factor for this GPU.

The data also reveals how the GPU handles different quality presets. At 1920x1080, the jump from Low to Medium costs 23 FPS on average, while the jump from Medium to High costs another 7 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 11 FPS. At 2560x1440, the same preset steps show a drop of 16 FPS from Low to Medium, 5 FPS from Medium to High, and 9 FPS from High to Ultra. At 3840x2160, the preset scaling is compressed because the GPU is already heavily limited, with only 10 FPS separating Low and Medium, and 5 FPS separating Medium and High. This pattern indicates that at higher resolutions, the GPU is the primary bottleneck, while at 1920x1080 the CPU has more headroom to push higher frame rates on lower presets.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 3840x2160, there is no settings preset that achieves 60 FPS. The verdict data lists no playable settings for this resolution. The highest average FPS recorded is 36 on Low, which is far below the playable threshold. Users targeting this resolution would need to accept frame rates well under 60 FPS, regardless of quality adjustments.

For 2560x1440, the situation is similar. No preset reaches 60 FPS, and the verdict data confirms an empty playable settings list. Low settings provide the best average at 56 FPS, but this still falls short of the threshold. The Medium preset, with an average of 40 FPS, offers a balance between visual quality and frame rate, but it remains below playable levels.

For 1920x1080, the only playable preset is Low, with an average of 77 FPS. This is the sole configuration across all resolutions and settings that clears the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset at 54 FPS is close but does not qualify as playable per the database's criteria, and its minimum of 46 FPS reinforces that it cannot hold 60 FPS consistently. Therefore, the best settings for 1920x1080 are Low, delivering an average of 77 FPS.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Lockdown Protocol at 4K resolution?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the highest average FPS recorded is 36 on Low settings, with Medium averaging 26 FPS and Ultra averaging 17 FPS. None of these reach the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this hardware?

A: The only playable combination is 1920x1080 with Low settings, which produces an average of 77 FPS. This is the sole configuration that clears the 60 FPS threshold in the measured data.

Q: How much does lowering settings help at 2560x1440?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings average 56 FPS, which is 16 FPS higher than Medium at 40 FPS and 30 FPS higher than Ultra at 26 FPS. Even with the lowest settings, the average remains below 60 FPS.

Q: Is the frame rate stable at 1920x1080 Medium settings?

A: No. Medium settings at 1920x1080 average 54 FPS, but the minimum recorded is 46 FPS and the maximum is 63 FPS. This means the frame rate fluctuates around the playable threshold and can drop below it.

Q: Does the GPU or CPU limit performance more at 1920x1080?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the limiting factor. The Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a high-end processor with strong benchmark scores, but the RX 570's 4 GB of VRAM and older architecture cap frame rates. At 1920x1080 Low, the average is 77 FPS, but higher presets drop significantly, indicating GPU-bound scaling.

Q: What is the average FPS difference between 1080p and 1440p on Low settings?

A: At 1920x1080 Low, the average is 77 FPS. At 2560x1440 Low, the average is 56 FPS. This represents a 21 FPS decrease when moving to the higher resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The database ranks this specific CPU and GPU combination at 3544 out of 3714 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the lower percentile of all tested configurations, meaning the vast majority of other hardware pairings achieve better performance in this game. The rank reflects the severe bottleneck created by the RX 570, which, despite being paired with a top-tier CPU, cannot deliver playable frame rates at most resolutions and settings.

The GPU's percentile versus all GPUs is 74, which puts it above many older cards, but this percentile is not sufficient for a modern FPS at high resolutions. The CPU's percentile versus all CPUs is 91, indicating that the Ryzen 9 9900X3D is in the upper echelon of processors. The mismatch between these two percentiles explains the poor combo rank: the CPU has ample headroom, but the GPU holds the system back. At 3840x2160, the average FPS on Low is 36, which is less than half of the 77 FPS seen at 1920x1080 Low, confirming that the GPU's rendering capabilities are the primary constraint.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D has an average benchmark score of 54762. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF scores 55093, which is 0.6% higher, making it a nearly identical performer. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245K scores 54053, which is 1.3% lower, and the Intel Xeon 6505P scores 53701, which is 2% lower. The Intel Core i7-14700F scores 53620, which is 2.1% lower. These alternatives would likely produce very similar frame rates in Lockdown Protocol when paired with the same GPU, since the CPU is not the limiting factor.

For the GPU, the AMD Radeon RX 570 has an average benchmark score of 28766. The AMD Radeon RX 6800M scores 28874, which is 0.4% higher, and the AMD Radeon RX 470 scores 28996, which is 0.8% higher. The AMD Radeon R9 M295X scores 28580, which is 0.7% lower, and the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 scores 28421, which is 1.2% lower. These GPUs would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Lockdown Protocol, meaning users with any of these cards would experience the same fundamental limitation: none of them can push past the 60 FPS threshold at 1080p on Medium or higher settings.

The practical takeaway is that swapping the CPU for any of its nearest rivals would not change the outcome, since the GPU is the bottleneck. Swapping the GPU for one of its nearest rivals would also yield similar results, as the score differences are all within a couple of percent. The only way to meaningfully improve performance would be to use a significantly faster GPU, but the database does not provide such alternatives in the nearest rivals list.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol, but only under very specific conditions. The verdict by resolution shows that at 3840x2160, there are no playable settings, meaning no preset achieves an average of 60 FPS. The best case is Low at 36 FPS, which is far below playable. At 2560x1440, the same conclusion applies: no playable settings exist, with Low averaging 56 FPS and Medium at 40 FPS. At 1920x1080, the only playable setting is Low, which delivers an average of 77 FPS. This clears the 60 FPS threshold with a reasonable margin, but it is the sole configuration that does so.

For users who prioritize frame rate over visual quality, 1920x1080 with Low settings is the recommended configuration. This will provide a smooth experience in most scenarios, though the minimum frame rates on other presets indicate that even Medium cannot hold 60 FPS consistently. At higher resolutions, the hardware is not capable of delivering a playable experience, and users should not expect acceptable performance at 1440p or 4K. The data is clear: this is a 1080p Low-settings system for Lockdown Protocol, and nothing more.

CPU and GPU Roles

The recorded data shows that the GPU plays a dominant role in determining performance for Lockdown Protocol, especially at higher resolutions. The Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a powerful processor with a passmark multithread score of 56154 and a cinebench r23 multicore score of 47737, but these strengths do not translate into high frame rates when paired with the RX 570. At 3840x2160, the average FPS on Low is 36, and at 2560x1440 Low it is 56. The GPU's rendering capacity, limited by its 4 GB of GDDR5 memory and 5.095 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, is insufficient for these pixel counts.

The scaling between resolutions confirms the GPU bottleneck. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 on Low settings reduces the average from 77 to 56 FPS, a 27% drop. Moving from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 on Low reduces the average from 56 to 36 FPS, a 36% drop. These reductions are consistent with the GPU being the limiting factor, as the CPU's workload does not increase proportionally with resolution. The CPU's role becomes more relevant at lower resolutions and lower presets, where the GPU can produce higher frame rates. At 1920x1080 Low, the average of 77 FPS shows that the CPU can feed the GPU enough data, but the GPU still cannot push beyond this level.

At higher presets, the GPU's limitations become even more apparent. At 1920x1080 Ultra, the average drops to 36 FPS, which is the same as 3840x2160 Low. This suggests that the GPU is saturated by either high resolution or high graphical complexity, and the CPU has little influence on the final frame rate. The CPU's single-thread performance, with a passmark single-thread score of 4646 and a cinebench r23 single-core score of 6739, is more than adequate for this game, but it cannot compensate for the GPU's architectural age. In summary, the GPU is the decisive component across all tested configurations, and the CPU's high-end capabilities are largely unused in this pairing.