Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol presents an interesting stress pattern for the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT combination. The data shows a system that is clearly capable at mainstream resolutions but hits a firm wall at 4K, where the GPU becomes the dominant constraint. The measured frame rates reveal a consistent hierarchy across all resolutions, with the Ultra preset demanding significantly more from the hardware than the step down to High. This analysis breaks down exactly where this combo stands, which settings deliver a smooth experience, and how the individual components compare to their closest rivals.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest playable settings preset at 1920x1080?

A: The Ultra preset is fully playable at 1080p, delivering an average of 78 FPS. This makes it the most demanding preset that stays above the 60 FPS playability threshold at this resolution.

Q: At 2560x1440, which settings presets remain above 60 FPS?

A: Three presets clear the 60 FPS threshold: High averages 76 FPS, Medium averages 87 FPS, and Low averages 123 FPS. The Ultra preset falls short, averaging only 57 FPS.

Q: Is the RX 7600 XT more similar to the RTX 3070 or the GTX 690 based on benchmark scores?

A: The RX 7600 XT’s average benchmark score of 17083 places it 0.7% below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 (score 17208) and 0.3% above the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (score 17037). It is essentially a direct performance match for the RTX 3070.

Q: How does the Ryzen 9 9900X3D compare to the Intel Core i7-14700F in average benchmark scores?

A: The Ryzen 9 9900X3D has an average benchmark score of 54762, which is 2.1% higher than the Intel Core i7-14700F’s score of 53620. The data shows the AMD processor holds a small but consistent lead.

Q: What is the average FPS for the Medium preset at 3840x2160?

A: The Medium preset at 4K averages 56 FPS, with a minimum of 48 FPS and a maximum of 65 FPS. This falls just below the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested hardware combinations for this game?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT combination ranks 2360 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear shift in hardware bottleneck depending on resolution. At 1920x1080, the system shows significant headroom, with the Low preset hitting 167 FPS and the Ultra preset still managing 78 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra represents a 53% performance drop, suggesting the GPU is the limiting factor even at this resolution, as the CPU has ample power to feed frames.

Moving to 2560x1440, the pattern intensifies. The Low preset delivers 123 FPS, but the Ultra preset drops to 57 FPS. This 54% reduction from Low to Ultra mirrors the 1080p scaling, indicating the GPU is still the primary constraint. The High preset at 76 FPS and Medium at 87 FPS show the GPU handling moderate loads well, but the Ultra preset demands more shader and memory throughput than the RX 7600 XT can sustain at this pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the GPU bottleneck becomes severe. The Low preset produces 79 FPS, but the High preset collapses to 49 FPS, and Ultra drops to 37 FPS. The gap between Low and High is a 38% loss, while the jump to Ultra costs another 24% from High. This sharp degradation at 4K points directly to the GPU’s 128-bit memory bus and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth being overwhelmed by the pixel fill rate demands. The CPU, with its 128 MB L3 cache and 24 threads, is not the limiting factor here—the data shows the GPU’s 2048 shading units and 64 ROPs are simply outpaced by 4K resolution.

The Ryzen 9 9900X3D’s role is best understood through the Low preset results. At 1080p Low, the 167 FPS average indicates the CPU can drive frame rates far beyond what the GPU can render at higher settings. This CPU’s single-thread score of 6739 in Cinebench R23 and multi-thread score of 47737 suggest it has substantial headroom for physics and game logic, but in this title, the GPU’s rendering pipeline is the decisive factor above 1080p. The data implies that for Lockdown Protocol, the RX 7600 XT is the component that determines playability, especially as resolution scales up.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the best choice, delivering an average of 78 FPS. This is the most demanding setting that stays above the 60 FPS playable threshold, and it provides the full visual experience without sacrificing smoothness.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is the optimal pick, averaging 76 FPS. While Medium offers a higher frame rate at 87 FPS, High provides better visual fidelity while still comfortably clearing the 60 FPS line. The Ultra preset is not viable here, as its 57 FPS average falls short of playability.

At 3840x2160, only the Low preset is viable, averaging 79 FPS. The Medium preset’s 56 FPS average and the High preset’s 49 FPS average both miss the 60 FPS target. The Low preset is the only setting that provides a smooth 4K experience, though it requires significant visual compromises.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU’s nearest rivals provide context for its performance. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF has an average score of 55093, which is 0.6% lower than the Ryzen 9 9900X3D’s 54762. This means a system with the 245KF would behave nearly identically in CPU-bound scenarios. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245K scores 54053, 1.3% lower, and the Intel Core i7-14700F scores 53620, 2.1% lower. All three alternatives would produce very similar frame rates in Lockdown Protocol, as the game’s CPU demands are not extreme at the tested settings.

For the GPU, the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT’s average score of 17083 is closely matched by several rivals. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 scores 17208, which is 0.7% higher, making it a near-perfect performance twin. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 scores 17037, 0.3% lower, and the AMD Radeon HD 7970M scores 17019, 0.4% lower. In practical terms, swapping the RX 7600 XT for an RTX 3070 would yield almost identical FPS numbers at every resolution and preset. The data suggests that any of these GPUs would produce the same qualitative experience: strong at 1080p, playable at 1440p with the right settings, and limited at 4K.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol, but the experience is heavily dependent on resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the system fully clears the 60 FPS threshold across all four presets, with Ultra averaging 78 FPS and Low reaching 167 FPS. This is a completely smooth experience at any setting.

At 2560x1440, the system remains playable on High, Medium, and Low presets, with averages of 76, 87, and 123 FPS respectively. The Ultra preset misses the mark at 57 FPS, so users should avoid it at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the verdict is more restrictive. Only the Low preset achieves playable performance, averaging 79 FPS. Medium (56 FPS), High (49 FPS), and Ultra (37 FPS) all fall below the 60 FPS threshold. The data indicates that 4K gaming with this combo requires substantial graphical compromises.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT combination ranks 2360 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the lower half of all tested systems, which is notable given the CPU’s high-end specifications. The ranking reflects the GPU’s mid-range positioning, as the RX 7600 XT’s percentile of 60% against all GPUs is the limiting factor. The CPU’s percentile of 91% against all CPUs shows it is a top-tier component, but the overall combo rank is dragged down by the GPU’s performance ceiling. In a CPU-light game like Lockdown Protocol, the GPU’s role dominates the final ranking.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages 37 FPS, with no min or max data recorded. The High preset averages 49 FPS. The Medium preset averages 56 FPS, with a minimum of 48 FPS and a maximum of 65 FPS. The Low preset averages 79 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 57 FPS. The High preset averages 76 FPS. The Medium preset averages 87 FPS, with a minimum of 74 FPS and a maximum of 100 FPS. The Low preset averages 123 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 78 FPS. The High preset averages 104 FPS. The Medium preset averages 119 FPS, with a minimum of 101 FPS and a maximum of 136 FPS. The Low preset averages 167 FPS.

The data shows a consistent pattern: each step down in resolution yields a significant FPS increase across all presets. The Medium preset is the only one with full min/max data, showing the frame time variance grows with resolution—at 1080p the spread is 35 FPS (101 to 136), at 1440p it is 26 FPS (74 to 100), and at 4K it is 17 FPS (48 to 65). This suggests the GPU is more consistently loaded at lower resolutions, while at 4K it is consistently saturated and cannot produce large frame spikes.