Lockdown Protocol

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks 2972 out of 3714 tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol. This places the combo in the lower percentile of tested systems, which aligns with the GPU's position relative to all tested graphics cards. The CPU itself is in the 95th percentile of all processors, indicating that the processor is not the limiting factor in this pairing. The GPU, however, sits in the 58th percentile of all graphics cards, which explains why the overall combo rank trails the processor's strong showing. The data indicates a significant imbalance: the CPU is far more capable than the GPU for this game, and the resulting frame rates reflect the GPU's constraints rather than the CPU's potential.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data shows that the GPU is the dominant factor in determining performance across all tested resolutions and settings. The CPU's massive compute resources, including its 16 cores, 32 threads, and 128 MB of L3 cache, are largely underutilized when paired with the RTX 2060 in Lockdown Protocol. The GPU's 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth become the bottleneck, particularly at higher resolutions where the rendering load increases.

The scaling between resolutions confirms this. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 142.6 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings drops the average to 107.1 FPS, a 25% reduction. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls further to 70.6 FPS. This pattern shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at every step, as a CPU-bound scenario would show much smaller drops when resolution increases.

The settings scaling also points to GPU limitation. At 1920x1080, moving from Low to Medium reduces the average from 142.6 to 103.6 FPS. The jump from Medium to High drops it to 88.3 FPS, and High to Ultra brings it down to 65.4 FPS. The consistent decline with each preset increase indicates that the GPU's shading units, texture mapping units, and raster operations pipelines are being saturated. The RTX 2060 has 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, and these resources determine how quickly each frame can be processed at increasing visual complexity.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become even more apparent. Ultra settings yield only 30 FPS, while High reaches 41.4 FPS and Medium 49.1 FPS. Only Low settings cross the 60 FPS threshold at this resolution, hitting 70.6 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium at 4K is 21.5 FPS, showing that even a modest increase in visual fidelity costs a substantial amount of performance. The CPU's role in this scenario is minimal; the data suggests that the Ryzen 9 9950X3D could support much higher frame rates if the GPU were not the limiting factor.

FAQ

Q: Can this combination run Lockdown Protocol at 60 FPS on a 1920x1080 monitor?

A: Yes. The recorded data shows all four presets at 1920x1080 exceed 60 FPS: Low at 142.6, Medium at 103.6, High at 88.3, and Ultra at 65.4. Ultra is the only preset that comes close to the threshold, but it still clears it.

Q: What is the best preset for 2560x1440?

A: High settings produce an average of 64.2 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium runs at 78 FPS and Low at 107.1 FPS, but High is the most demanding preset that remains playable at this resolution.

Q: Is 3840x2160 playable with this hardware?

A: Only at Low settings, which deliver 70.6 FPS. Medium drops to 49.1 FPS, High to 41.4 FPS, and Ultra to 30 FPS. None of the higher presets reach the 60 FPS threshold at 4K.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 9 9950X3D has an average benchmark score of 75779. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755, scores 75738, a difference of 0.1%. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755X3D scores 75716, also 0.1% behind. The AMD EPYC 8224P scores 75582, 0.3% behind, and the Intel Core Ultra 9 285 scores 75488, 0.4% behind. The CPU is effectively tied with its closest competitors.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 15290. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 scores 15283, a 0% difference. The AMD Radeon 680M scores 15270, 0.1% behind. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM scores 15199, 0.6% behind. The AMD Radeon RX 7600 scores 15171, 0.8% behind. The GPU is essentially at parity with these cards.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU matter more for Lockdown Protocol?

A: The GPU is the limiting component. The data shows that frame rates scale strongly with resolution and settings changes, which is typical of GPU-bound scenarios. The CPU's benchmark scores place it in the 95th percentile, while the GPU is in the 58th percentile, indicating that the processor has ample headroom that the graphics card cannot utilize in this game.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals are all extremely close in average benchmark score. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755 and AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755X3D are within 0.1% of the Ryzen 9 9950X3D's score of 75779. The AMD EPYC 8224P trails by 0.3%, and the Intel Core Ultra 9 285 trails by 0.4%. In Lockdown Protocol, these processors would produce nearly identical frame rates when paired with the same GPU, since the game is not CPU-limited in this configuration.

For the GPU, the closest alternatives are the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 with a 0% delta, the AMD Radeon 680M with a 0.1% delta, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM with a 0.6% delta, and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 with a 0.8% delta. These cards would deliver essentially the same performance in Lockdown Protocol when paired with the Ryzen 9 9950X3D. The measured FPS values for the RTX 2060 would be replicated within a narrow margin by any of these GPUs, since their average benchmark scores are all within 119 points of each other.

It is important to note that the GPU's nearest rivals include older and integrated options. The GTX 580 is a legacy card, and the Radeon 680M is an integrated graphics solution. The RTX 3050 OEM and RX 7600 are more modern alternatives. The close scores indicate that the RTX 2060 performs at a level similar to these disparate cards, which underscores its mid-range standing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers strong results across all presets. Low settings produce an average of 142.6 FPS. Medium settings average 103.6 FPS. High settings average 88.3 FPS. Ultra settings average 65.4 FPS. All presets at this resolution clear the 60 FPS threshold, with Low nearly reaching 143 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops noticeably. Low settings average 107.1 FPS, which is a 35.5 FPS decrease from the 1080p Low result. Medium settings average 78 FPS, a 25.6 FPS drop. High settings average 64.2 FPS, a 24.1 FPS drop. Ultra settings average 52.7 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold by 7.3 FPS. Three of the four presets remain playable at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, only Low settings remain playable. Low averages 70.6 FPS, which clears the threshold by 10.6 FPS. Medium averages 49.1 FPS, which is 10.9 FPS below the threshold. High averages 41.4 FPS, and Ultra averages 30 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is exactly half the frame rate of the Low preset at 1080p, illustrating the heavy cost of resolution and settings scaling.

The min and max FPS values are not recorded in the data, so the analysis relies on average frame rates. The gap between Low and Ultra at each resolution grows as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference is 77.2 FPS. At 1440p, it is 54.4 FPS. At 4K, it is 40.6 FPS. This compression at higher resolutions further confirms that the GPU is the bottleneck, as the performance range narrows when the rendering load becomes more demanding.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol at playable frame rates, but the playability depends heavily on the chosen resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, all four presets clear the 60 FPS threshold. The best playable preset is Ultra at 65.4 FPS, which gives the highest visual quality while remaining above the threshold. At 2560x1440, High settings at 64.2 FPS is the most demanding playable option, with Medium and Low also exceeding 60 FPS. At 3840x2160, only Low settings achieve playable performance at 70.6 FPS.

The verdict by resolution is clear: 1080p is fully playable at any preset, 1440p is playable up to High settings, and 4K is playable only at Low settings. The GPU's limitations prevent higher presets at 4K, and even at 1440p, Ultra settings fall short of the threshold. Users who prioritize visual fidelity should target 1080p Ultra for the best balance, while those who need higher resolutions must accept reduced settings.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the best settings are Ultra, which delivers an average of 65.4 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, and it provides the highest visual quality available at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are High, which averages 64.2 FPS. This preset clears the 60 FPS threshold by a margin of 4.2 FPS. Medium and Low also exceed the threshold, but High is the most demanding option that remains playable.

At 3840x2160, the best settings are Low, which averages 70.6 FPS. This is the only playable preset at this resolution. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below 60 FPS, so users at 4K must use Low settings to maintain smooth performance. The 6 GB VRAM capacity of the RTX 2060 likely contributes to the sharp drop at higher settings, as the larger frame buffer requirements at 4K exceed what this card can efficiently process.