Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol, an FPS released in March 2024, presents a demanding workload that scales significantly with both resolution and graphical presets. When paired with the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT, the data reveals a configuration that is capable of high refresh rates at 1080p and remains playable at 4K, though the performance curve shows a clear shift in bottleneck behavior as resolution increases.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a dramatic drop in performance as resolution climbs from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 146 FPS at 1080p to 107 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 39 FPS. Moving to 4K at High settings yields an average of 69 FPS, which is less than half of the 1080p figure. This steep decline indicates that the rendering pipeline becomes increasingly saturated at higher pixel counts, which is typical for a game with heavy visual effects.

The pattern is consistent across all settings presets. At Low settings, the drop is from 230 FPS at 1080p to 172 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 111 FPS at 4K. The Medium preset shows a similar trajectory: 167 FPS at 1080p, 122 FPS at 1440p, and 79 FPS at 4K. Ultra settings, which are the most demanding, start at 109 FPS at 1080p, fall to 80 FPS at 1440p, and end at 52 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p typically removes about 25-30% of the frame rate, while the jump to 4K removes another 35-40% of the 1440p figure.

This scaling behavior reveals that the limiting component shifts with resolution. At 1080p, the high frame rates, particularly the 230 FPS Low result, suggest that the CPU has sufficient headroom to feed the GPU, and the GPU itself is not fully taxed at lower pixel counts. The relatively smaller gap between Low and High at 1080p (230 vs 146 FPS) indicates that the GPU still has performance to spare. However, at 4K, the gap between Low and High narrows proportionally less, and the absolute numbers (111 FPS Low, 69 FPS High) point to the GPU becoming the primary constraint. The 4K Ultra result of 52 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, underscores that this resolution demands more graphics throughput than the RX 7800 XT can consistently deliver at maximum settings.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 5000 series, based on the Zen 3 architecture and built on a 7 nm process. It features a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz, with a substantial 96 MB of shared L3 cache. This cache configuration is notable for gaming, as it helps reduce memory latency and improves data throughput for workloads that benefit from larger on-die storage.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is most evident at lower resolutions. The 1080p Low setting result of 230 FPS is a strong indicator that the processor can handle the game's simulation and draw-call overhead without becoming a bottleneck. The PassMark single-thread score of 2941 and multithread score of 20363 place this CPU in the 85th percentile among all CPUs, which supports its capability in gaming scenarios that often rely on single-core performance. The nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F with an average score of 36945 (a 0.2% delta), show that this chip sits in a competitive performance band. The Intel Core i9-12900T, with a score of 37112, is only 0.3% higher, indicating that the 5500X3D's gaming performance is tightly grouped with these alternatives.

The data suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor at 4K, where the GPU is saturated. Even at 1080p Ultra, which yields 109 FPS, the CPU appears to have enough headroom, as the frame rate is still well above 60 FPS. The presence of 6 cores and 12 threads, combined with the high L3 cache, allows the processor to maintain consistent performance across settings, but the game's scaling with resolution is primarily a GPU-driven phenomenon. The boost clock of 4.00 GHz is sufficient for this title, and the data does not show a scenario where the CPU's clock speed or core count becomes a hard ceiling for the measured frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal settings balance depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers an average of 146 FPS, which is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate common on gaming monitors. The Medium preset offers 167 FPS, a modest increase of 21 FPS, but the visual fidelity reduction may not be worth the extra frames for most users. The Ultra preset at 1080p yields 109 FPS, which is still smooth, but the drop from High to Ultra is 37 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset introduces significant rendering costs without a proportional visual benefit. For competitive play, the Low preset at 230 FPS provides the highest headroom for response time, but the visual quality is markedly lower.

At 2560x1440, the High preset produces 107 FPS, which is suitable for 100 Hz or 120 Hz displays. The Medium preset at 122 FPS offers a better margin above 60 FPS and is a reasonable choice for users who want a balance between quality and performance. The Low preset at 172 FPS is an option for high-refresh-rate monitors, but the Ultra preset at 80 FPS is the only one that dips below 100 FPS, making it less ideal for fast-paced action.

At 3840x2160, the Medium preset achieves 79 FPS, with a minimum of 67 FPS and a maximum of 91 FPS, which is the most consistent playable option. The High preset at 69 FPS is close to the 60 FPS floor but may experience occasional drops. The Low preset at 111 FPS is surprisingly high for 4K, suggesting that the game scales well when shadows and effects are reduced. The Ultra preset at 52 FPS is below 60 FPS and should be avoided for a smooth experience. The data indicates that Medium is the sweet spot for 4K, as it provides the best combination of average frame rate and minimum frame stability among the tested presets.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows the strongest performance at 1920x1080, where all presets exceed 100 FPS. At 2560x1440, High and Medium presets remain above 100 FPS, making it a viable option. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset exceeds 100 FPS, so 1440p is the practical ceiling for high-refresh-rate gaming.

Q: How does the 4K Ultra preset perform?

A: The 4K Ultra preset averages 52 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold typically considered smooth. This setting is not recommended for a consistent experience, as the data shows it is the only preset at any resolution to fall below 60 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the high frame rates, particularly the 230 FPS Low result, suggest the GPU has headroom, and the CPU's strong single-thread performance (PassMark score of 2941) supports high throughput. The data indicates the CPU is not a bottleneck at this resolution.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 172 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 80 FPS. This is a difference of 92 FPS, showing that the Ultra preset imposes a substantial rendering cost compared to Low.

Q: Does the RX 7800 XT have enough VRAM for this game?

A: The GPU has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 256-bit bus and 624.1 GB/s bandwidth. The measured data does not include any VRAM-related artifacts or failures, and the frame rates remain stable across presets, indicating that 16 GB is sufficient for Lockdown Protocol at the tested settings.

Q: How does the combo rank among tested configurations?

A: This combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT ranks 925th out of 2828 tested combos for this game. This places it in the upper-middle tier, meaning it outperforms a majority of tested systems but is not at the top end.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is a RDNA 3.0 architecture GPU with 3840 shading units and 96 ROPs. It has a boost clock of 2430 MHz and a game clock of 2124 MHz, with a memory clock of 2438 MHz (19.5 Gbps effective). The 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for high-resolution textures. The GPU's FP32 performance is 37.32 TFLOPS, and its texture rate is 583.2 GTexel/s.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU's role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution rises. The 4K results show a clear scaling pattern: 111 FPS at Low, 79 FPS at Medium, 69 FPS at High, and 52 FPS at Ultra. This 59 FPS spread between Low and Ultra at 4K is the largest of any resolution, indicating that the GPU's pixel and texture throughput is the primary determinant of performance at this resolution. The RX 7800 XT's PassMark G3D score of 24176 places it in the 51st percentile among all GPUs, which is a modest ranking. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 (with a delta of -0.5%) and the AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT (with a delta of -1.8%), which are both lower-tier cards, suggesting that the RX 7800 XT's average benchmark score is pulled down by non-gaming workloads. However, the measured game data shows it is well-suited for this title, particularly at 1080p and 1440p.

The GPU's memory bandwidth is a strong asset for this game. At 4K Medium, the average FPS of 79 with a minimum of 67 suggests that the memory subsystem is capable of feeding the shaders without causing severe frame-time spikes. The 256-bit bus and 624.1 GB/s bandwidth are likely contributing factors to the consistent performance at higher resolutions. The GPU's 96 ROPs also help maintain fill rate, which is critical for the pixel-heavy 4K workload. The data does not indicate any thermal or power throttling, as the frame rates scale linearly with setting changes.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average frame rates are as follows: Low 230 FPS, Medium 167 FPS (with a minimum of 142 and maximum of 192), High 146 FPS, and Ultra 109 FPS. The Medium preset has the most detailed data, showing a 50 FPS range between minimum and maximum, which indicates some variability but no severe stuttering. The gap between Low and Medium is 63 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is 21 FPS, and High to Ultra is 37 FPS. This suggests that the Low to Medium transition has the largest impact on performance, while the Medium to High transition is more moderate.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low 172 FPS, Medium 122 FPS (minimum 104, maximum 141), High 107 FPS, and Ultra 80 FPS. The Medium preset again shows a 37 FPS range between minimum and maximum. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings is a drop of 58 FPS, which is a 25% reduction. At High settings, the drop is 39 FPS (27%), and at Ultra, it is 29 FPS (27%). This consistent percentage reduction indicates that the GPU is being utilized proportionally more as pixel count increases.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low 111 FPS, Medium 79 FPS (minimum 67, maximum 91), High 69 FPS, and Ultra 52 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 67 FPS is the lowest recorded minimum across all resolutions and settings, but it still stays above 60 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K at Low settings is 61 FPS (35%), at High settings it is 38 FPS (36%), and at Ultra it is 28 FPS (35%). The scaling is consistent, confirming that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 52 FPS is the only measured average below 60 FPS, and it is also the only setting where the frame rate falls below what is generally considered smooth for a first-person shooter.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT achieves a rank of 925 out of 2828 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol. This places the system in the 67th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning it outperforms roughly two-thirds of the systems in the database. The rank reflects a balance between the CPU's strong gaming-oriented cache and the GPU's mid-to-high-tier rasterization performance.

The CPU's percentile of 85 among all CPUs is higher than the GPU's percentile of 51 among all GPUs, which suggests that the processor is relatively stronger than the graphics card in this pairing. However, the measured game data shows that the GPU is not a weak link at 1080p and 1440p, as frame rates remain high. The rank of 925 indicates that there are many systems with more powerful GPUs that would outperform this combo at higher resolutions, but the 5500X3D's 96 MB L3 cache likely contributes to the strong 1080p performance, where CPU-bound scenarios can occur. The nearest CPU rivals, such as the Intel Core i9-12900T (0.3% higher average score), show that the processor is competitive, but the overall combo rank is more influenced by the GPU's position in the market.

The data suggests that this combo is best suited for high-refresh-rate 1080p gaming or solid 1440p gaming. For 4K, the performance is playable at Medium settings, but it does not reach the top tier of results. The rank of 925 out of 2828 is a solid mid-pack position, indicating that while the system is not at the high-end, it provides a consistent and capable experience for Lockdown Protocol across a range of settings and resolutions.