Lockdown Protocol

AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti in Lockdown Protocol deliver a pairing that is far more balanced than its mid-range heritage suggests. The data shows a combo that can push high refresh rates at 1080p and remain very playable at 4K, with clear scaling patterns that point to where each component takes the lead. This analysis breaks down the measured frames, the role of each chip, and what settings produce the best experience.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 3000 series, built on the Zen 2 architecture (codename Matisse) using a 7 nm process. It runs at a base clock of 3.60 GHz and boosts up to 4.20 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. It has a 32 MB shared L3 cache and supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU scores 15045 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2124 in single-core, which places it at the 76th percentile of all CPUs tested.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU’s influence is most visible when frame rates are very high. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 203.4 FPS average, which is a massive jump from the 137.5 FPS at 1080p High. That gap — 65.9 FPS — is largely driven by reduced CPU-side workload at lower settings, allowing the processor to feed frames faster. The Ryzen 5 3600’s 12 threads handle the game’s logic and physics comfortably; even at 1080p Ultra, the combo manages 103 FPS, indicating the CPU is not a hard bottleneck at these settings. The processor’s boost clock of 4.20 GHz provides enough single-thread headroom for this FPS title, which tends to favor a few fast cores. Notably, the CPU’s nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-11400, scores nearly identically (deltaPct of -0.1%), so builders swapping between those two should expect essentially the same frame rates in this game.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured rows offer four presets at three resolutions, and the data suggests a clear sweet spot. At 1080p, Medium delivers 162.3 FPS average, which is a 25 FPS improvement over High (137.5 FPS) while sacrificing very little visual quality in a fast-paced FPS. For players with 144 Hz monitors, Medium at 1080p is the recommended preset — it clears the refresh rate threshold with headroom to spare. Low at 1080p is overkill for most displays, hitting 203.4 FPS, but the visual downgrade is rarely worth it unless chasing maximum responsiveness.

At 1440p, Medium again stands out, with 119.5 FPS average versus 103.1 FPS on High. That 16.4 FPS gain makes Medium the best choice for 1440p 120 Hz panels. High is still playable, but Medium provides a smoother experience without dropping to the 76.9 FPS seen on Ultra. At 4K, the situation changes: Medium drops to 76.5 FPS, which is still above 60 FPS and playable, but High at 66.7 FPS is also acceptable for slower play. For 4K, Low is the only preset that truly excels, hitting 107.2 FPS, but most users will prefer Medium or High for visual fidelity. The data indicates that Medium is the most versatile preset — it consistently delivers the best balance of frame rate and quality across all three resolutions.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-bound pattern at higher settings. At High, the average FPS drops from 137.5 at 1080p to 103.1 at 1440p (a 25% reduction) and then to 66.7 at 4K (a 35% further reduction). This steep drop from 1440p to 4K — 36.4 FPS — is a clear sign that the RTX 3070 Ti is the limiting factor at 4K High, as the GPU’s pixel throughput becomes the bottleneck. The RTX 3070 Ti’s 8 GB of GDDR6X memory and 608.3 GB/s bandwidth are being taxed by the 3840x2160 resolution, where the 169.9 GPixel/s pixel rate is simply not enough to maintain high frames.

At Low settings, the scaling is much flatter: 203.4 FPS at 1080p, 163.9 FPS at 1440p, and 107.2 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are smaller (19% from 1080p to 1440p, then 35% from 1440p to 4K), suggesting that at Low, the CPU is more involved in maintaining high frame rates. The Ryzen 5 3600’s 12 threads and 4.20 GHz boost clock are enough to push 200+ FPS at 1080p Low, but as resolution climbs, the GPU takes over as the primary limiter. This is a healthy balance: the CPU is not holding back the system at lower resolutions, and the GPU is not overly weak at higher ones. The data shows a system that scales predictably — 1080p is CPU-leaning, 4K is GPU-leaning, and 1440p sits in the middle where both components share the load.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti ranks 670th out of 1637 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. That places it in the upper 59% of all systems tested, which is a strong showing for a CPU from 2019 paired with a GPU from 2021. The rank reflects the combo’s ability to deliver high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but it also highlights that there are many faster combos above it, likely with newer CPUs and higher-end GPUs.

The rank is more impressive when considering the CPU’s age — the Ryzen 5 3600 was released in 2019 and is now at the 76th percentile of all CPUs, yet it still pairs well enough with the RTX 3070 Ti (74th percentile GPU) to land in the top 40% of combos. The data shows that this combo is not a top-tier performer, but it is far from a weak one. For comparison, the CPU’s nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-11400, has a near-identical average score (deltaPct of -0.1%), and the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS is only 0.2% ahead, meaning the CPU choice is not what limits this combo’s rank. The bottleneck is more likely the GPU’s 8 GB memory capacity at 4K Ultra, where the combo drops to 47.4 FPS — the lowest measured result.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is built on the Ampere architecture (GA104 chip) using an 8 nm process. It has 6144 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, with 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores. The GPU runs at a base clock of 1575 MHz and boosts to 1770 MHz, with memory clocked at 1188 MHz (19 Gbps effective). It has 8 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 608.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU’s FP32 performance is 21.75 TFLOPS, and it scores 23356 in Passmark G3D, placing it at the 74th percentile of all GPUs.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU’s role is most evident at higher resolutions and settings. At 4K Ultra, the combo drops to 47.4 FPS, which is a 28% reduction from 4K High (66.7 FPS). That drop is primarily due to the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM being maxed out by Ultra textures at 3840x2160, forcing memory compression and lower frame rates. At 1080p Low, the GPU is barely stressed, hitting 203.4 FPS, but at 1080p Ultra, it falls to 103 FPS — a 100 FPS difference, showing that the GPU’s shading units and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors at higher presets. The RTX 3070 Ti’s 1770 MHz boost clock is sufficient for 1440p Medium (119.5 FPS), but for 4K, the 8 GB VRAM is a hard limit. The GPU’s nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6700, is only 0.8% behind in average score, so builders with similar GPUs should see comparable results.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The data shows 1440p is the sweet spot. At Medium settings, it delivers 119.5 FPS average, which is smooth for competitive play, while 1080p offers higher frames (162.3 FPS at Medium) but less visual fidelity. 4K is playable but only at Low (107.2 FPS) or Medium (76.5 FPS).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo hits 203.4 FPS, which suggests the CPU is still feeding frames effectively. However, the drop to 103 FPS at 1080p Ultra indicates the GPU becomes the limit at higher settings. The CPU’s 4.20 GHz boost clock is sufficient for high frame rates, but the GPU’s rendering load is the primary constraint at Ultra.

Q: How does this combo compare to similar systems?

A: This combination ranks 670th out of 1637 tested combos, placing it in the upper 59%. The CPU is at the 76th percentile, and the GPU at the 74th, so both are above average, but the combo is not in the top tier. The CPU’s nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-11400, performs within 0.1% of the Ryzen 5 3600.

Q: Why does 4K Ultra drop to 47.4 FPS?

A: The 4K Ultra preset is the most demanding, and the 8 GB of GDDR6X memory on the RTX 3070 Ti is likely exhausted at 3840x2160 with Ultra textures. The 608.3 GB/s bandwidth is not enough to handle the data, causing the frame rate to plummet from 66.7 FPS at High to 47.4 FPS at Ultra.

Q: What settings should I use for a 144 Hz monitor?

A: At 1080p, Medium (162.3 FPS) or High (137.5 FPS) both exceed 144 FPS, but Medium gives more headroom. At 1440p, Medium (119.5 FPS) is close but won’t fully saturate a 144 Hz panel; High (103.1 FPS) is better for visual quality if you can tolerate a lower frame rate.

Q: Is there a big performance difference between Low and Ultra?

A: Yes, the gap is substantial. At 1080p, Low (203.4 FPS) is nearly double Ultra (103 FPS). At 4K, the difference is even larger: Low (107.2 FPS) is over twice Ultra (47.4 FPS). The data suggests Ultra is not worth the frame rate cost unless visual fidelity is the priority.