Lockdown Protocol

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 is a high-end desktop combination aimed at maximum performance. In Lockdown Protocol, this pairing places at rank 1099 out of 3714 tested combos, putting it in the top 30% of all configurations. The data shows a system that comfortably handles the game’s demands, with the GPU being the primary driver of frame rates across most resolutions and settings. Benchmark results indicate that the CPU’s 12 cores and 24 threads, combined with the GPU’s 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, provide a balanced platform where neither component becomes a consistent bottleneck until resolution and preset demands shift.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 1099 out of 3714 tested combinations places it in the upper third of all systems tested for Lockdown Protocol. This is a strong showing, though not a top-tier one, suggesting that while the hardware is more than sufficient for smooth gameplay, there are other combos that achieve higher frame rates, likely due to the GPU’s 69th percentile ranking among all GPUs. The CPU, by contrast, sits in the 91st percentile against all CPUs, indicating that the processor has more headroom relative to its peers than the graphics card does. This gap matters for the game’s performance scaling.

In practical terms, the 72 FPS average at 4K High settings puts the combo ahead of many systems, but the 54 FPS at 4K Ultra shows its limits. The rank reflects a balanced system that excels at 1080p and 1440p, with 4K being playable only at lower presets. The delta between the CPU’s percentile (91st) and GPU’s percentile (69th) suggests that the graphics card is the limiting factor for extreme settings, while the CPU has spare capacity. This is typical for an FPS title where frame generation is less dependent on multi-threading than on GPU rasterization.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 3840x2160 resolution with the High preset?

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 4K High is 72, which clears the 60 FPS playable threshold. However, the Ultra preset falls below this threshold with an average of 54 FPS.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p that keeps the game playable?

A: The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 averages 84 FPS, making it the highest quality setting that remains above the 60 FPS threshold. All four tested presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable at this resolution.

Q: How does the CPU’s benchmark score compare to its nearest rival?

A: The Ryzen 9 9900X3D has an average benchmark score of 54762, which is 0.6% lower than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF’s score of 55093. It is 1.3% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K’s score of 54053.

Q: What is the GPU’s percentile ranking relative to all GPUs?

A: The Radeon RX 9070 is in the 69th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 6800S, which is 0.8% faster, followed by the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER which is 1.2% slower.

Q: Is there a significant FPS jump between Medium and High settings at 1080p?

A: Yes. The average FPS drops from 174 at Medium to 152 at High, a difference of 22 FPS. The minimum FPS at Medium is 148, which is still well above the playable threshold.

Q: Does the 4K resolution provide any playable options beyond Medium?

A: At 3840x2160, the playable settings include Low, Medium, and High. The Medium preset has a minimum FPS of 70, while High averages 72 but lacks a recorded minimum. Ultra is not playable.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data covers three resolutions with four presets each, providing a clear picture of performance scaling. At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the game runs extremely well. The Low preset hits a 245 FPS average, with Medium at 174 FPS (minimum 148, maximum 200), High at 152 FPS, and Ultra at 114 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 131 FPS, indicating that the GPU has substantial headroom at this resolution, but the CPU is not a limiting factor.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages drop but remain high. Low averages 180 FPS, Medium averages 128 FPS with a minimum of 109 and a maximum of 147, High averages 112 FPS, and Ultra averages 84 FPS. The scaling from Medium to High is 16 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 28 FPS. This pattern shows that the GPU is becoming more stressed, but the system still delivers a smooth experience across all presets.

At 3840x2160, the performance gap widens. Low averages 116 FPS, Medium averages 82 FPS with a minimum of 70 and a maximum of 95, High averages 72 FPS with no minimum recorded, and Ultra drops to 54 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium is 34 FPS, and from Medium to High is 10 FPS, while the drop from High to Ultra is 18 FPS. This makes Ultra the only preset below the 60 FPS playable threshold, confirming that 4K requires settings management.

The minimum FPS figures appear only for the Medium preset at each resolution, with values of 148 at 1080p, 109 at 1440p, and 70 at 4K. These minimums are all above the 60 FPS threshold, suggesting that frame pacing is stable even during demanding scenes. The maximum FPS for Medium also shows a similar pattern, with 200 at 1080p, 147 at 1440p, and 95 at 4K.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol, with clear playable options at every resolution tested. The playable threshold is set at 60 FPS, and the verdict by resolution confirms that the system meets this standard in most configurations. At 1920x1080, all four presets clear the threshold, with the Ultra preset averaging 114 FPS, making it the best choice. At 2560x1440, all four presets also remain playable, with Ultra averaging 84 FPS. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset falls short, averaging 54 FPS, but the High preset averages 72 FPS, which is playable.

The data shows that this combo can run the game at 60 FPS or above on the High preset at 4K, and on the Ultra preset at both 1440p and 1080p. The 4K Ultra preset is the only configuration that fails the threshold, which is a minor limitation for a resolution that is still demanding for most hardware. Overall, the system is capable, and the bottleneck is clearly the GPU at higher resolutions, while the CPU has headroom to spare. For a user prioritizing smooth frame rates, the Ultra preset at 1440p offers the best balance of visual quality and performance.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals are four Intel parts with similar average benchmark scores. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF is the closest match, with an average score of 55093, which is only 0.6% higher than the Ryzen 9 9900X3D’s 54762. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245K scores 54053, 1.3% lower, and the Intel Xeon 6505P scores 53701, 2% lower. The Intel Core i7-14700F scores 53620, 2.1% lower. These parts would behave similarly in Lockdown Protocol, as the benchmark score difference is minimal. The CPU’s 91st percentile ranking means that any of these rivals would likely deliver comparable frame rates, especially since the game is not CPU-bound at the tested resolutions.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are a mix of older high-end and mobile parts. The AMD Radeon RX 6800S has an average score of 24063, which is 0.8% higher than the RX 9070’s 23877. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER scores 24170, which is 1.2% higher, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z scores 23736, 0.6% lower, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile scores 23628, 1.1% lower. These GPUs would all yield similar FPS in Lockdown Protocol, with the RX 9070’s 16 GB memory and newer architecture giving it a slight edge in some scenes. The deltaPct values are all within 1.2%, indicating that users upgrading from these parts would see a negligible difference in this game.

Best Settings per Resolution

The best setting is defined as the most demanding preset that maintains an average FPS at or above 60. At 1920x1080, this is the Ultra preset, which averages 114 FPS. This is a high-quality setting with no compromise on frame rate, as the minimum recorded value for any preset at this resolution is 148 FPS, so there is no risk of stutter. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset also qualifies, averaging 84 FPS. The jump from High to Ultra is 28 FPS, but the 84 FPS average provides a comfortable margin above the threshold. At 3840x2160, the best playable setting is High, which averages 72 FPS. The Ultra preset fails because it averages 54 FPS, which is below the playable threshold. Medium at 4K averages 82 FPS, but High is more demanding and still playable, so it is the best choice.

These settings reflect the GPU’s scaling behavior. At 1080p, the GPU can handle the highest settings without issue, and the CPU’s 12 cores provide no bottleneck. At 1440p, the Ultra preset is still well within the GPU’s capabilities, as evidenced by the 84 FPS average. At 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, and the High preset is the sweet spot, offering a 72 FPS average. The minimum FPS for Medium at 4K is 70, which suggests that the High preset, while having no minimum recorded, likely stays above 60 in most scenes.

CPU and GPU Roles

The CPU and GPU roles shift based on resolution and preset. The benchmark data shows that the CPU has a high percentile ranking, while the GPU is in the 69th percentile. This difference indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck for this game when the CPU is not limiting. At 1080p, the GPU is the main driver, with the FPS scaling from 114 at Ultra to 245 at Low. The CPU’s 12 cores and 24 threads are not stressed, as the game does not require high multi-threading at this resolution. The 42 FPS drop from Low to Ultra shows that the GPU is the main factor, not the CPU.

At 1440p, the same pattern holds: the GPU is the bottleneck, with FPS scaling from 84 at Ultra to 180 at Low. The CPU’s role becomes slightly more significant as the resolution increases, but the GPU still dominates. At 4K, the GPU is heavily stressed, as shown by the 72 FPS at High and 54 FPS at Ultra. The CPU’s headroom is apparent, as the 9900X3D’s single-thread score of 6739 and multi-thread score of 47737 are more than sufficient for the game’s requirements. The scaling between presets is more pronounced at 4K, with a 42 FPS difference between Low and Ultra, compared to 42 FPS at 1080p and 96 FPS at 1440p. This suggests that the GPU’s compute capacity is the primary variable.

The data indicates that for Lockdown Protocol, the GPU is the component that matters more at all resolutions, but the gap grows as resolution increases. The CPU’s 91st percentile makes it a non-issue, and users would see no notable difference by swapping in a rival CPU with a similar score. Conversely, upgrading the GPU would yield a larger FPS improvement at 4K, where the GPU is the clear limiting factor. The minimum FPS values for Medium at each resolution (148, 109, 70) all remain above the playable threshold, indicating that the CPU handles frame pacing well, but the GPU is the one that determines the frame rate ceiling.