Lockdown Protocol

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 presents a significant CPU-GPU capability gap for Lockdown Protocol. The benchmark data shows a system where the processor is far more powerful than the graphics card, making the RX 6600 the definitive performance limiter. This analysis walks through the measured frame rates, component roles, and optimal settings for this specific combination.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the data shows the RX 6600 struggling to maintain smooth gameplay on higher presets. The Low preset delivers an average of 69 FPS, which is the only playable option at this resolution. Medium drops to 49 FPS average, with a minimum of 42 and maximum of 56 FPS. High falls further to 43 FPS average, while Ultra bottoms out at 32 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at 4K is 37 FPS, demonstrating that graphics settings have a substantial impact on this GPU at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance picture improves considerably. The Low preset reaches 107 FPS average, which is the highest frame rate recorded at this resolution. Medium follows at 76 FPS average, with a minimum of 64 and maximum of 87 FPS. High achieves 66 FPS average, comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra drops to 50 FPS average, making it the only preset at 1440p that fails to maintain playable performance.

At 1920x1080, the system shows its strongest results. The Low preset hits 146 FPS average, which is the peak performance across all tested configurations. Medium delivers 103 FPS average, with a minimum of 88 and maximum of 119 FPS. High reaches 90 FPS average, while Ultra still manages 68 FPS average. All four presets at 1080p stay above the 60 FPS playable threshold, with even the most demanding settings producing smooth gameplay.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data indicates that the RX 6600 is the primary bottleneck across all resolutions and settings. The Ryzen 9 9900X3D, with its 12 cores and 24 threads, provides far more processing capability than this game requires at these frame rates. The CPU's benchmark scores, including a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 47737 and a Passmark multithread score of 56154, place it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs. The GPU, in contrast, sits in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs with a Passmark G3D score of 15096.

The scaling between resolutions confirms this GPU-bound scenario. Moving from 1080p Low at 146 FPS to 1440p Low at 107 FPS represents a 27% drop, and further to 4K Low at 69 FPS is another 36% decline. These large frame rate reductions are characteristic of a graphics card reaching its limits, as the pixel count increases by 2.25x from 1080p to 1440p and another 2.25x from 1440p to 4K. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rates would remain closer together across resolutions.

The settings scaling reinforces this interpretation. At every resolution, dropping from Ultra to Low produces a substantial frame rate increase. At 1080p, the jump is from 68 to 146 FPS, a 115% improvement. At 1440p, it goes from 50 to 107 FPS, a 114% gain. At 4K, the increase is from 32 to 69 FPS, a 116% improvement. This consistent doubling of performance when reducing settings indicates that the GPU's pixel throughput and shading capabilities are the decisive factors, not the CPU's processing power.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that maintains 60 FPS or above is Low, which produces an average of 69 FPS. The Medium preset falls short at 49 FPS, so users targeting 4K must accept Low settings for playable performance. This configuration represents a significant visual compromise, but the frame rate headroom of 9 FPS above the playable threshold provides some stability margin.

At 2560x1440, the best playable preset is High, achieving 66 FPS average. This is a substantial improvement over the 4K situation, allowing for much better visual quality while still staying above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset at 76 FPS offers additional headroom for users who prefer smoother motion over visual fidelity, while Ultra at 50 FPS remains out of reach.

At 1920x1080, the most demanding playable preset is Ultra, which delivers 68 FPS average. This is the only resolution where the system can run the highest settings while maintaining playable performance. The 8 FPS margin above the 60 FPS threshold is workable, though users sensitive to frame rate drops might prefer High at 90 FPS for more consistent performance.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF has an average benchmark score of 55093, which is 0.6% lower than the Ryzen 9 9900X3D's score. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245K scores 54053, placing it 1.3% behind. The Intel Xeon 6505P scores 53701, a 2% difference, and the Intel Core i7-14700F scores 53620, which is 2.1% lower. These processors would all perform nearly identically in Lockdown Protocol, as the game's frame rates are constrained by the GPU, not the CPU.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals show remarkably similar performance levels. The NVIDIA Quadro K6000 has an average score of 19030, exactly matching the RX 6600's 19036 with a 0% delta. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile scores 19049, just 0.1% higher. The NVIDIA Tesla K20m scores 19089, 0.3% above the RX 6600. The NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation scores 18954, which is 0.4% lower. These four GPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in this game, meaning any of them would exhibit the same resolution and settings limitations as the RX 6600.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 9 9900X3D and RX 6600 ranks 2901 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the lower portion of the rankings, at approximately the 22nd percentile of all tested systems. The low ranking reflects the GPU's limitations rather than the CPU's capabilities, as the processor is in the top 10% of all CPUs while the graphics card is only in the top 37% of all GPUs.

This ranking suggests that most other tested combos achieve higher frame rates in this game, likely because they pair more balanced or more powerful graphics cards with their processors. The system's position in the rankings is consistent with its measured performance, which shows playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p but struggles at 4K.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol, but the experience depends heavily on the chosen resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the system clears the 60 FPS threshold at all four presets, with Ultra achieving 68 FPS average. This is the recommended resolution for the best balance of visual quality and performance. At 2560x1440, the system maintains playable frame rates at Low, Medium, and High presets, with High providing 66 FPS average as the best option. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset achieves playable performance at 69 FPS average, while Medium at 49 FPS and above fall below the threshold.

The data clearly shows that users should target 1080p for the full range of settings, or 1440p if they are willing to accept High preset for a sharper image. The 4K resolution is technically playable only at Low settings, which may not satisfy users expecting high visual fidelity at that resolution. The verdict by resolution is straightforward: 1080p supports all presets, 1440p supports three of four presets, and 4K supports only the lowest preset.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Lockdown Protocol at 4K with high settings?

A: No. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the system produces 43 FPS average, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The only playable preset at this resolution is Low, which achieves 69 FPS average.

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 with Ultra settings delivers 68 FPS average, making it the highest quality playable configuration. For users who prefer higher resolutions, 2560x1440 with High settings achieves 66 FPS average.

Q: How does the RX 6600 compare to its closest GPU rivals in this game?

A: The RX 6600's average benchmark score of 19036 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 at 19030 (0% difference), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile at 19049 (0.1% higher), the NVIDIA Tesla K20m at 19089 (0.3% higher), and the NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation at 18954 (0.4% lower). These GPUs would produce statistically indistinguishable frame rates.

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 9900X3D limiting performance in this game?

A: No. The CPU is far more powerful than the GPU, ranking in the 91st percentile of all CPUs. The frame rate scaling between resolutions and settings indicates the RX 6600 is the bottleneck, not the processor.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the system delivers 76 FPS average, with a minimum of 64 FPS and a maximum of 87 FPS. This preset stays above the 60 FPS threshold with a 16 FPS margin.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems?

A: This combination ranks 2901 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the lower portion of the field. The ranking reflects the RX 6600's mid-range GPU performance rather than the CPU's capability.