Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with AMD Ryzen 5 5600F + AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT

The pairing of AMD's Ryzen 5 5600F processor with the Radeon RX 7900 XT graphics card delivers a compelling 1080p and 1440p experience in Lockdown Protocol, though 4K Ultra settings push the system to its limits. This six-core, twelve-thread Zen 3 CPU combined with the RDNA 3.0 flagship-class GPU produces frame rates that range from a highly playable 82 FPS at 4K High to a blistering 220 FPS at 1080p Low. The measured data reveals a system where the GPU dominates performance scaling across resolutions, but the CPU's capabilities become increasingly relevant at lower resolutions and higher frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS progression from 1080p to 4K in Lockdown Protocol shows a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern, with the RX 7900 XT doing the heavy lifting. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 174 FPS at 1920x1080 to 127 FPS at 2560x1440, then further to 82 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 27% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a 53% reduction from 1440p to 4K, indicating that the graphics card is the primary bottleneck as pixel count increases.

The Low preset tells a similar story but with higher absolute numbers. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 220 FPS average, which falls to 199 FPS at 1440p and 133 FPS at 4K. The smaller percentage drop at higher resolutions with Low settings suggests the CPU is beginning to limit performance at 1080p, where the frame rate ceiling is approached. The gap between 1080p and 1440p Low is only 9.5%, while the 1440p to 4K gap is 33%, confirming that the GPU becomes increasingly dominant as resolution rises.

Medium settings show the most complete data set, with minimum and maximum frame rates recorded at all three resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the system averages 194 FPS with a range of 165 to 223 FPS. Moving to 1440p Medium drops the average to 146 FPS with a range of 124 to 168 FPS, and 4K Medium produces an 94 FPS average with an 80 to 108 FPS range. The frame time consistency, as indicated by the min-max spread, remains relatively tight across all resolutions, suggesting no significant stuttering or hitches.

Ultra settings represent the most demanding configuration tested. The system manages 130 FPS at 1080p Ultra, 96 FPS at 1440p Ultra, and 62 FPS at 4K Ultra. The 4K Ultra result falls below the 60 FPS threshold by only 2 frames, making it borderline playable but not ideal for competitive play. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Ultra shows a 52% reduction in frame rate, consistent with the High preset pattern.

The data indicates that for 4K gaming, High settings provide the best balance, delivering 82 FPS average. For 1440p, all presets from Medium upward maintain frame rates above 96 FPS, while at 1080p, even Ultra settings remain above 130 FPS. The limiting component at 1080p appears to be the CPU, as the frame rate differences between Low and Ultra settings compress compared to higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F brings six cores and twelve threads to the Lockdown Protocol test bench, running at a base clock of 3.00 GHz and boosting to 4.00 GHz. This Zen 3 architecture chip, built on TSMC's 7 nm process, carries 32 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 memory with dual-channel bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. The processor's PassMark multithread score of 19236 and single-thread score of 2872 place it in the 85th percentile among all CPUs tested, indicating strong overall performance for a mid-range desktop part.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role becomes most apparent at 1080p with lower graphics presets. The jump from 1080p Medium (194 FPS) to 1080p High (174 FPS) suggests the GPU is still the primary constraint, but the relatively modest gain from High to Low (174 to 220 FPS) hints at CPU limitations. The Ryzen 5 5600F's 4.00 GHz boost clock and twelve threads provide sufficient headroom for the game's FPS mechanics, though the 5000 series architecture shows its age compared to newer designs.

The processor's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 with an average score of 36938 and a 0% delta, the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D at 37018 with a -0.2% delta, and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 at 37093 with a -0.4% delta. These close scores indicate that the 5600F performs within a tight band of comparable CPUs, making it a predictable choice for gaming workloads. The Intel Core i9-12900T sits slightly ahead at 37112 with a -0.5% delta, showing that even older high-end parts can trade blows with this mid-range chip.

Benchmark results show the 5600F excels at integer math with a PassMark score of 59339 and floating-point operations at 34548, while data compression reaches 232836. These scores suggest the CPU can handle the computational demands of Lockdown Protocol's physics and game logic without becoming a significant bottleneck. However, the find prime numbers score of 120 and physics score of 1043 indicate that heavily threaded workloads may not scale perfectly with the six-core configuration.

The CPU's 65 W TDP and AM4 socket compatibility make it an efficient choice for this build, though the data shows that at 4K resolutions, the GPU's workload dominates and the CPU's contribution to frame rate differences becomes minimal. The 1080p Low result of 220 FPS versus the 4K Low result of 133 FPS demonstrates that while the CPU can push high frame rates at lower resolutions, the GPU still governs the overall experience at higher pixel counts.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p displays, Ultra settings deliver 130 FPS average, which remains well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a smooth experience for most players. Those with high-refresh-rate monitors may prefer High settings at 174 FPS or Medium at 194 FPS, with Low offering 220 FPS for competitive play where maximum frame rate matters more than visual fidelity.

At 1440p, High settings produce 127 FPS average, which is excellent for most gaming scenarios. Medium settings increase this to 146 FPS with a minimum of 124 FPS, making it the best choice for players who want a safety margin above 120 FPS. Ultra settings at 96 FPS remain playable but offer diminishing returns over High, while Low at 199 FPS is only recommended for players who prioritize frame rate above all else.

For 4K resolution, High settings at 82 FPS provide the best balance of visual quality and performance. Medium settings at 94 FPS with an 80 FPS minimum offer slightly better frame rates but may show noticeable visual differences. Ultra settings at 62 FPS are borderline playable but risk dropping below 60 FPS during intense scenes. Low settings at 133 FPS are viable for players who want maximum smoothness at 4K, though the visual compromise is substantial.

The data shows that Medium settings offer the most consistent frame pacing across all resolutions, with recorded minimum frame rates of 165 FPS at 1080p, 124 FPS at 1440p, and 80 FPS at 4K. This consistency suggests that Medium provides the best experience for players who value stable frame times over peak averages. High settings offer a good middle ground, while Ultra should be reserved for those with adaptive sync displays who can tolerate the lower frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT ranks 556th out of 2828 tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the top 20% of all system configurations. This ranking reflects the strong performance of the GPU paired with a capable mid-range CPU, though the CPU does limit the system's absolute ceiling in this game.

The RX 7900 XT's synthetic benchmark scores help contextualize this ranking. The GPU achieves a PassMark G3D score of 29009 and a PassMark GPU Compute score of 16828, placing it in the 55th percentile among all GPUs. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the card scores 5623, while Geekbench results show 12756 for OpenCL and 71068 for Vulkan. These scores indicate solid DirectX 12 and Vulkan performance, which aligns with the measured frame rates in Lockdown Protocol.

The GPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the AMD Radeon 660M with a delta of -0.5%, the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile at -0.5%, and the AMD Radeon RX 570X at -0.9%. The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT sits 1.5% ahead, showing that the RX 7900 XT remains competitive even against newer hardware. This positioning explains why the combo ranks as high as it does, with the GPU providing the bulk of the performance while the CPU avoids becoming a major liability.

The rank of 556 out of 2828 combinations means that approximately 80% of tested setups perform worse in Lockdown Protocol. This places the combo in the upper quartile of systems, suitable for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1080p and 1440p, with acceptable 4K performance at adjusted settings. The ranking would likely improve with a stronger CPU, but the current pairing offers a balanced experience that maximizes the GPU's potential in most scenarios.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is the dominant component in this system, featuring the Navi 31 chip built on RDNA 3.0 architecture at TSMC's 5 nm process. The GPU packs 5376 shading units, 336 texture mapping units, and 192 raster operation units, along with 84 ray tracing cores. It operates at a base clock of 1387 MHz, a boost clock of 2394 MHz, and a game clock of 2025 MHz, with memory running at 2500 MHz effective 20 Gbps.

The 20 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 320-bit bus provides 800.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which proves more than sufficient for Lockdown Protocol at all tested resolutions. The GPU's 51.48 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 459.6 GPixel/s pixel rate explain its ability to maintain high frame rates even at 4K. The 804.4 GTexel/s texture rate ensures that texture-heavy scenes remain fluid, as evidenced by the consistent frame times at Medium settings.

The 300 W TDP of the RX 7900 XT requires a 700 W suggested power supply and dual 8-pin power connectors, making it a power-hungry component. However, the performance delivered justifies this power draw, with the card achieving 133 FPS at 4K Low and 220 FPS at 1080p Low. The GPU's 55th percentile ranking among all GPUs in the database, while seemingly modest, reflects the wide range of GPUs tested, including professional and enterprise cards.

The GPU's benchmark results show strong DirectX 11 performance with a PassMark score of 340, though DirectX 12 scores are lower at 110, which may indicate driver optimizations or architectural differences. The DirectX 9 score of 322 and DirectX 10 score of 158 show legacy API compatibility. The Geekbench Vulkan score of 71068 is particularly strong, suggesting excellent performance in Vulkan-based games like Lockdown Protocol.

FAQ

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p with High settings in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The measured average frame rate at 2560x1440 with High settings is 127 FPS, providing a smooth experience for most gaming scenarios.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 5600F a bottleneck for the RX 7900 XT in this game?

A: The CPU becomes more relevant at 1080p, where the difference between Low and Medium settings is compressed, but at 4K the GPU is clearly the limiting component.

Q: What is the best settings preset for competitive play?

A: At 1080p, Low settings deliver 220 FPS average, which is the highest frame rate measured, while Medium at 194 FPS offers a better visual experience with only a 12% reduction.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: The combination ranks 556th out of 2828 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the top 20% of all configurations.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Lockdown Protocol?

A: Yes, with High settings the system achieves 82 FPS at 3840x2160, and Medium settings produce 94 FPS with an 80 FPS minimum, though Ultra drops to 62 FPS.

Q: What is the minimum frame rate recorded for this system?

A: The lowest recorded minimum frame rate is 80 FPS at 4K Medium settings, with higher minimums at 1440p (124 FPS) and 1080p (165 FPS).