Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol on the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 + AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT combo presents a clear picture of a system where the graphics card is the primary driver of performance, but the CPU’s capabilities still define the ceiling at lower resolutions. The measured data reveals a consistent scaling pattern across all four quality presets, with the most dramatic shifts occurring between 1080p and 4K. This analysis breaks down the measured frames, the implications for settings, and how this specific pairing ranks against the broader field of tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 is steep and consistent, indicating that the Radeon RX 7700 XT is doing the heavy lifting. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 215.5 FPS at 1080p to 101.4 FPS at 4K—a reduction of roughly 53%. This scaling is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where the rendering load at higher resolutions directly impacts the frame output. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is also significant, with the Low preset dropping from 215.5 FPS to 158.1 FPS, a 26.6% decrease, while moving from 1440p to 4K introduces another substantial hit.

The pattern holds for the higher presets, but the absolute numbers become more telling. At Ultra settings, the system manages 99.6 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 74.8 FPS at 1440p and then plummets to 46.7 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra figure is the only measured point below 60 FPS, suggesting that the RX 7700 XT’s 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and 432.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the most demanding configuration at that resolution. Conversely, the High preset at 4K holds at 67.2 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a competitive FPS title.

Notably, the scaling between Medium and High is tighter than between Low and Medium. At 1440p, the jump from Medium (112.2 FPS) to High (96.5 FPS) is a 14% loss, while the jump from High to Ultra (74.8 FPS) is a 22.5% loss. This suggests that the Ultra preset introduces rendering features that disproportionately tax the GPU, likely related to shadow quality or post-processing effects, which are common in FPS titles. The data implies that the limiting component at 1080p is not the CPU, as even the Ryzen 5 5500’s 6 cores and 12 threads can push past 215 FPS on Low, but rather the GPU’s ability to fill frames at higher resolutions. The 3DMark scores support this: the GPU’s Passmark G3D score of 22547 far exceeds the CPU’s Passmark multithread score of 19330, reinforcing the GPU as the bottleneck in most scenarios.

Settings Recommendations

For players prioritizing high refresh rates, the Low preset at 1080p is the clear winner, delivering 215.5 FPS. This is well beyond the refresh rate of most standard monitors and suggests that the combo can handle esports-level play without the CPU holding it back. However, the jump to Medium at 1080p still yields a robust 154.6 FPS, a 28% reduction but still excellent for competitive play. The data indicates that Medium is the sweet spot for 1080p, as it offers a significant visual upgrade over Low while maintaining frame rates above 150 FPS.

At 1440p, the recommendation shifts. The High preset provides 96.5 FPS, which is acceptable for most players, but the Medium preset at 112.2 FPS offers a better experience if smoothness is the priority. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 74.8 FPS, which is playable but falls into a range where input latency becomes noticeable in a fast-paced FPS. For 4K, the choices are more constrained. The Low preset at 101.4 FPS is the only configuration that clears the 100 FPS mark, while High at 67.2 FPS is the most visually appealing option that stays above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 46.7 FPS is not recommended for any serious play, as it falls below the 60 FPS threshold and will feel sluggish.

The measured data suggests that the High preset is the most balanced choice overall, as it maintains 133.3 FPS at 1080p, 96.5 FPS at 1440p, and 67.2 FPS at 4K. This consistency across resolutions makes it the safest default, though players with high-refresh 1080p monitors might prefer Low for the maximum frame rate. The Medium preset is a viable alternative for those who want a visual step up without the steep cost of Ultra, which appears to be designed for screenshots rather than competitive play.

GPU Role

The Radeon RX 7700 XT is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications directly explain the measured results. The GPU’s 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is substantial for a mid-range card. The 4K Ultra result of 46.7 FPS suggests that the memory bandwidth is the limiting factor at that extreme, as the card’s 35.17 TFLOPS FP32 compute and 244.2 GPixel/s pixel rate are theoretically capable of more. The 96 ROPs and 216 TMUs handle the rasterization workload, but the frame rate collapse at 4K Ultra indicates that the memory subsystem is saturated.

The clock speeds are also relevant. The GPU’s boost clock of 2544 MHz and game clock of 2171 MHz are high for the RDNA 3.0 architecture, and they help explain why the card performs well at 1440p. The transition from 1080p to 1440p at High settings shows a 27.6% drop (from 133.3 FPS to 96.5 FPS), which is less severe than the 4K drop, suggesting that the card is operating efficiently within its memory bandwidth at 1440p. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3316 and Passmark G3D score of 22547 place the GPU in the 73rd percentile of all GPUs, which is respectable but not top-tier.

The GPU’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 with a deltaPct of 0, meaning they are statistically tied, and the AMD Radeon RX 570 with a deltaPct of -0.2, which is slightly behind. This indicates that the RX 7700 XT is well-positioned against its direct competition, and the measured FPS in Lockdown Protocol reflects that. The 12 GB VRAM is a key asset, as it prevents the card from running out of memory at 4K High, where the 67.2 FPS result shows there is still headroom. However, the Ultra preset’s 46.7 FPS demonstrates that the card’s compute and memory resources are fully taxed by the most demanding settings.

FAQ

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 bottlenecking the RX 7700 XT at 1080p?

A: The data shows no CPU bottleneck at 1080p. The Low preset achieves 215.5 FPS, which is far beyond typical monitor refresh rates, and the CPU’s 6 cores and 12 threads with a boost clock of 4.20 GHz are sufficient to feed the GPU. The 3DMark single-thread score of 836 and the Passmark single-thread score of 3058 indicate solid per-core performance for this game.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: Yes, but with caveats. At Low settings, the combo delivers 101.4 FPS at 4K, which is very playable. At High settings, it drops to 67.2 FPS, which is acceptable for most players. Ultra settings are not viable, as the 46.7 FPS result falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p?

A: Medium is the best option, offering 112.2 FPS. High is also viable at 96.5 FPS, but Ultra at 74.8 FPS may cause input lag in a competitive FPS. The Medium preset provides a good balance of visual quality and performance.

Q: How does the RX 7700 XT compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 5060?

A: The two GPUs are statistically identical in average benchmark scores, with a deltaPct of 0. In Lockdown Protocol, the RX 7700 XT’s performance is strong, but the comparison is based purely on synthetic benchmarks, not in-game FPS.

Q: Does the 12 GB VRAM cause any issues?

A: No, the 12 GB of GDDR6 memory is sufficient for all measured configurations. The 4K Ultra result of 46.7 FPS is more likely due to the 432.0 GB/s bandwidth being saturated rather than running out of VRAM, as the card has enough memory to hold the textures.

Q: Is the CPU’s 16 MB of L3 cache a factor?

A: The 16 MB L3 cache is standard for the Ryzen 5 5500, and the data does not suggest any cache-related stuttering. The consistent FPS across settings indicates that the CPU’s cache is adequate for this game’s workload.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 + AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT combination ranks 756th out of 1637 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the 46th percentile of all configurations. This is a mid-pack result, which is surprising given the GPU’s strong benchmark scores. The ranking suggests that the CPU is dragging down the overall potential of the pairing. The Ryzen 5 5500 has a percentile of 79 against all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 20875 is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-12500, which scores 20897 with a deltaPct of -0.1. This means the CPU is competitive, but it is not a high-end part.

The GPU, on the other hand, is in the 73rd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 30097. The gap between the CPU and GPU percentiles (79 vs. 73) suggests that the CPU is actually slightly stronger relative to its peers, but in-game, the combo rank of 756 indicates that the system as a whole is not optimized for this specific title. The 4K Ultra result of 46.7 FPS is the primary culprit, as it drags down the average across resolutions. Compared to the 1637 combos, this pairing is solidly in the middle, meaning that while it can handle the game, there are many faster configurations, particularly those with more powerful CPUs.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. Its 16 MB of L3 cache is modest, but the data shows that it is not the limiting factor in most scenarios. At 1080p Low, the CPU is able to push 215.5 FPS, which indicates that its single-thread performance, evidenced by a 3DMark single-thread score of 836 and a Passmark single-thread score of 3058, is more than adequate for this game. The CPU’s 65W TDP and 7nm process node make it an efficient part, but its performance relative to rivals is tight.

The nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-12500 with a deltaPct of -0.1, meaning the Ryzen 5 5500 is essentially tied, and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE with a deltaPct of -0.1 as well. This indicates that the CPU is well-matched against its direct competition, but it does not have the headroom to push higher frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios. The 3DMark multi-thread score of 5411 and Cinebench R23 multicore score of 16429 show that the CPU can handle multi-threaded workloads, but Lockdown Protocol appears to be more GPU-dependent, as evidenced by the frame rate scaling.

The CPU’s role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the 215.5 FPS is likely near the CPU’s limit, as the GPU has more capacity. However, the fact that the frame rate does not increase dramatically when dropping from High to Low at 1080p (from 133.3 FPS to 215.5 FPS) suggests that the CPU is still able to keep up with the GPU’s output. At 4K, the CPU is clearly not a bottleneck, as the frame rates are dictated by the GPU’s rendering capabilities. The 3DMark 2-thread score of 1645 and 4-thread score of 3151 indicate that the CPU has adequate single and dual-core performance for most game engines, and the Passmark physics score of 896 suggests it handles game physics well.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at the combo’s performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 215.5 FPS, which is the highest measured value in the entire dataset. The Medium preset drops to 154.6 FPS, a 28.3% reduction, while High comes in at 133.3 FPS, a 13.8% further drop. The Ultra preset at 1080p manages 99.6 FPS, which is still above 60 FPS but represents a 53.8% reduction from Low.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. Low delivers 158.1 FPS, which is a 26.6% drop from 1080p Low. Medium achieves 112.2 FPS, a 29.0% reduction from 1080p Medium. High records 96.5 FPS, a 27.6% reduction from 1080p High. Ultra at 1440p is 74.8 FPS, a 24.9% reduction from 1080p Ultra. The consistency of the percentage drops (ranging from 24.9% to 29.0%) across presets indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor, as the relative performance loss is uniform.

At 3840x2160, the drops become more severe. Low falls to 101.4 FPS, a 35.9% reduction from 1440p Low. Medium drops to 72.4 FPS, a 35.5% reduction from 1440p Medium. High is 67.2 FPS, a 30.4% reduction from 1440p High. Ultra plummets to 46.7 FPS, a 37.6% reduction from 1440p Ultra. The larger percentage drops at 4K, particularly for Ultra, highlight the GPU’s memory bandwidth limitations. The Ultra preset’s 46.7 FPS is the only sub-60 FPS result, and it is a full 21.3% below the next lowest result (67.2 FPS at 4K High). This breakdown confirms that the RX 7700 XT is capable of high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but 4K Ultra is beyond its reach, while the CPU maintains stable performance throughout.