Lockdown Protocol

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 delivers a playable experience in Lockdown Protocol across a wide range of settings, with the primary limitation emerging at 4K Ultra. The data shows this combination ranks in the 1649th position out of 3714 tested combos, placing it in the upper-middle tier of systems. Measured FPS results are available for three resolutions and four quality presets, providing a clear picture of performance scaling.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination produces its highest frame rates. The Low preset reaches an average of 201 FPS, making it the only setting to break the 200 FPS barrier. Medium averages 143 FPS, with a minimum of 121 FPS and a maximum of 164 FPS. High drops to 125 FPS average, while Ultra remains highly playable at 94 FPS average. No minimum or maximum values are recorded for Low, High, or Ultra at this resolution, only for Medium, which shows a 43 FPS spread between its minimum and maximum.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance scales down predictably. Low averages 148 FPS, still well above the 60 FPS playable threshold. Medium averages 105 FPS, with minimum and maximum values of 89 FPS and 120 FPS respectively. High averages 91 FPS, and Ultra maintains a comfortable 69 FPS average. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 79 FPS, indicating that the settings preset has a significant impact on performance.

At 3840x2160, the system begins to show strain under the heaviest load. Low averages 95 FPS, which remains fluid. Medium averages 68 FPS, with a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 78 FPS. High drops to 59 FPS average, just below the playable threshold. Ultra averages 44 FPS, which is noticeably less smooth. The data indicates that the RTX 5060's 8 GB GDDR7 memory and 128-bit bus begin to limit performance at 4K, particularly with higher quality settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 1649 out of 3714 tested systems places this configuration in the 55th percentile overall. This means that roughly 45 percent of tested combos perform better in Lockdown Protocol. The ranking reflects a balanced pairing where the Ryzen 9 9900X3D's strong multi-threaded capabilities are matched with the RTX 5060's mid-range rasterization performance.

The CPU itself ranks in the 91st percentile against all tested CPUs, indicating it is a top-tier processor. The GPU, however, ranks in the 72nd percentile against all GPUs, showing it is a solid but not exceptional graphics card. This discrepancy suggests that the CPU has more headroom than the GPU, which becomes evident in the 4K results where the GPU is the limiting factor.

The aggregate benchmark scores support this interpretation. The CPU's average benchmark score is 54762, while the GPU's average is 26331. The CPU's nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF, which scores 55093 (0.6 percent lower), and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K, which scores 54053 (1.3 percent higher). The GPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 860M, which scores 26401 (0.3 percent lower), and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT, which scores 26011 (1.2 percent higher).

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which averages 94 FPS. This is the highest quality setting available, so the system can run the game at maximum fidelity with a comfortable margin above the playable threshold. Lower presets offer progressively higher frame rates, but Ultra is the recommended choice for visual quality.

At 2560x1440, Ultra also achieves playable performance, averaging 69 FPS. This is close to the 60 FPS threshold but remains above it. The minimum FPS for Ultra at 1440p is not recorded, so there is no data on potential dips below 60 FPS. However, the average suggests that the experience will be mostly smooth, with possible minor stutter in demanding scenes.

At 3840x2160, the most demanding playable preset is Medium, which averages 68 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS. The minimum falls below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that there will be occasional frame drops. High at 4K averages 59 FPS, just under the threshold, making it technically unplayable by the stated criteria. Low at 4K averages 95 FPS, offering a smoother experience at reduced visual quality.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF performs within 0.6 percent of the Ryzen 9 9900X3D in average benchmark scores. A system using this CPU with the RTX 5060 would likely produce nearly identical frame rates in Lockdown Protocol. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245K is 1.3 percent faster, which could translate to a marginal FPS improvement in CPU-bound scenarios. The Intel Xeon 6505P and Intel Core i7-14700F are 2.0 percent and 2.1 percent slower respectively, potentially yielding slightly lower minimum frame rates.

For the GPU, the AMD Radeon 860M is 0.3 percent slower than the RTX 5060, which is a negligible difference for gaming purposes. The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 matches this performance profile. The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary is 0.8 percent slower, while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT is 1.2 percent faster. These alternatives would all behave similarly in Lockdown Protocol, with the RX 6750 XT possibly providing a few extra FPS at 4K.

The data suggests that swapping the CPU to any of its nearest rivals would not meaningfully change the gaming experience, as the GPU is the primary bottleneck in most scenarios. Conversely, upgrading the GPU to a faster model would yield more significant gains, particularly at 4K where the current GPU struggles with Ultra settings.

CPU and GPU Roles

At 1920x1080, the CPU plays a more significant role relative to the GPU. The Ryzen 9 9900X3D's strong single-threaded performance, evidenced by its 3DMark single-thread score of 1269 and Geekbench single-core score of 3041, helps maintain high frame rates even at Low settings where the GPU has less work to do. The 201 FPS average at Low suggests that the CPU can keep up with high draw call rates.

As resolution increases to 2560x1440, the GPU becomes more important. The frame rate drops from 148 FPS at Low to 91 FPS at High, a 57 FPS decrease. This scaling indicates that the GPU is being pushed harder, while the CPU has sufficient headroom. The 105 FPS average at Medium with an 89 FPS minimum shows that the GPU can maintain playable performance even with some demanding scenes.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. The 44 FPS average at Ultra and 59 FPS at High demonstrate that the RTX 5060 cannot handle 4K with high-quality settings. The CPU's role diminishes further, as the frame rates are determined almost entirely by GPU rendering throughput. The 8 GB memory capacity may also contribute to the performance drop at 4K, as texture data exceeds the available VRAM.

The scaling between presets supports this analysis. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 107 FPS (201 to 94). At 1440p, this difference narrows to 79 FPS (148 to 69). At 4K, the difference is 51 FPS (95 to 44). This pattern shows that the GPU's performance ceiling is reached more quickly at higher resolutions, making the CPU's contribution less impactful.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol at 1920x1080 with all settings, including Ultra, at an average of 94 FPS. At 2560x1440, all settings including Ultra are playable, with Ultra averaging 69 FPS. At 3840x2160, only Low and Medium settings are playable, with Medium averaging 68 FPS but dipping to 57 FPS minimum. High at 4K averages 59 FPS, just below the 60 FPS playable threshold, and Ultra averages 44 FPS.

The system is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can run the game at maximum settings with smooth frame rates. At 4K, users should stick to Medium or Low settings to maintain playability. The combination of the Ryzen 9 9900X3D and RTX 5060 is well-balanced for 1440p gameplay, but the GPU becomes the bottleneck at 4K.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest playable setting at 4K?

A: Medium is the most demanding playable preset at 3840x2160, averaging 68 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS. High averages 59 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: Can this system run Lockdown Protocol at 1440p Ultra?

A: Yes, the Ultra preset at 2560x1440 averages 69 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The minimum FPS for this setting is not recorded.

Q: How does the RTX 5060 compare to the RX 6750 XT?

A: The RX 6750 XT has an average benchmark score of 26011, which is 1.2 percent higher than the RTX 5060's average score of 26331. This indicates the RX 6750 XT may provide slightly higher frame rates in Lockdown Protocol.

Q: What is the lowest frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest recorded minimum FPS is 57 at 3840x2160 with Medium settings. The minimum values for other presets and resolutions are not provided in the data.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the CPU has a relatively larger impact, as evidenced by the 201 FPS average at Low settings. The GPU still matters, but the frame rates suggest the CPU can drive high FPS without bottlenecking.

Q: How many total combos were ranked for this game?

A: The combo rank is 1649 out of 3714 tested combos, placing this system in the upper-middle portion of all tested configurations.