Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol is a fast-paced FPS that scales heavily with GPU load, and the pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F with the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX demonstrates a clear bottleneck shift as resolution increases. The data shows that while the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at lower resolutions, the RX 7900 XTX becomes the dominant limiting factor at 4K, with frame rates compressing into a narrower band. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across three resolutions and four settings presets, providing a clear picture of what this combo delivers.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, with the CPU holding the reins at lower ones. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces 289 FPS, which is an exceptionally high ceiling that suggests the Ryzen 5 7400F’s 6 cores and 12 threads are more than sufficient to keep the RX 7900 XTX fed. Moving to 2560x1440 at Low settings, the average drops to 223 FPS, a reduction of 66 FPS, while at 3840x2160 Low, it falls further to 144 FPS. This scaling pattern—where each step up in resolution costs a significant chunk of performance—indicates that the GPU’s pixel throughput is the primary constraint once you leave 1080p.

The gap between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings is 66 FPS, while the gap between 1440p and 4K at the same preset is 79 FPS. This non-linear drop is typical of a graphics card whose raw compute, rated at 61.39 TFLOPS FP32 and a pixel rate of 479.6 GPixel/s, is being increasingly taxed by the higher pixel count. At 4K, the 144 FPS average is still highly playable, but it represents only 49.8% of the 1080p Low score, showing that the RX 7900 XTX’s 24 GB of GDDR6 memory and 960.0 GB/s bandwidth are working hard to feed the frame buffer. The data suggests that at 1080p, the Ryzen 5 7400F, with its 3.70 GHz base and 4.70 GHz boost clocks, is the limiting factor, as the GPU has headroom to render more frames if the CPU could provide them.

At High settings, the pattern shifts slightly. The 1080p average is 188 FPS, which drops to 138 FPS at 1440p (a 50 FPS loss) and then to 89 FPS at 4K (a 49 FPS loss). This consistency in the delta between 1440p and 4K suggests that the game’s High preset introduces enough shading complexity that the GPU’s 6144 shading units and 384 TMUs become the bottleneck across all resolutions above 1080p. The 4K High result of 89 FPS is notably lower than the 144 FPS Low result, highlighting how much of a performance cost the preset’s additional visual fidelity carries. For competitive play, the 1440p High figure of 138 FPS remains above the 120 FPS threshold for high-refresh monitors, but the 4K High result dips below that mark.

Ultra settings present the most demanding scenario, with 1080p yielding 141 FPS, 1440p yielding 103 FPS, and 4K yielding 67 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K at Ultra is 36 FPS, which is a 35% reduction. This shows that Ultra settings, which likely include the most intensive shadows and post-processing effects, push the RX 7900 XTX to its limits at 4K, making the 67 FPS average the only sub-60 result in the entire measured set. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Ultra is a 74 FPS loss, which is proportionally smaller than the Low preset’s 145 FPS loss, indicating that the GPU is already saturated at 1080p with Ultra settings.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is the star of this pairing, and its specifications directly correlate with the measured frame rates. The GPU features 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is crucial for high-resolution textures in Lockdown Protocol. The 4K Medium result of 102 FPS (with a min of 87 FPS and max of 117 FPS) shows that the memory subsystem is capable of sustaining smooth performance, as the variance between min and max frames is only 30 FPS. This stability is a direct result of the large frame buffer, which prevents stuttering when the game loads new areas or assets.

Clock speeds play a secondary role to memory bandwidth in this test. The GPU’s base clock is 1929 MHz, with a boost clock of 2498 MHz and a game clock of 2365 MHz. The boost clock is the theoretical maximum, but sustained gaming loads will typically run closer to the game clock. The 144 FPS average at 4K Low suggests that the game’s lighter settings allow the GPU to maintain higher clocks, as the thermal and power headroom (355 W TDP) is not fully consumed. In contrast, the 67 FPS at 4K Ultra likely forces the GPU to reduce clocks due to sustained load, though the exact clock behavior is not measured in this data.

The GPU’s compute capabilities, including 122.8 TFLOPS FP16 and 61.39 TFLOPS FP32, are more than adequate for a game like Lockdown Protocol, which is not known for extreme compute demands. The 96 RT cores are present, but the game’s ray tracing requirements, if any, are not explicitly tested here. The benchmark results show that the RX 7900 XTX sits in the 64th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19410. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB, scores 19334, a delta of 0.4%, which is a surprisingly close margin that underscores how synthetic benchmarks can differ from real-world gaming results. The TITAN Xp is 1.2% ahead, while the Quadro K5200 is 1% behind, indicating that the RX 7900 XTX’s gaming performance is robust but not class-leading in every metric.

The 24 GB VRAM is a future-proofing asset, as it exceeds the requirements of any current title at 4K. However, the data shows that even with this capacity, the GPU’s raw compute is the limiting factor at Ultra settings, not the memory size. The 4K Ultra result of 67 FPS is not a memory constraint; it is a shading and rasterization limit. The GPU’s 192 ROPs and 479.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are the more relevant specs for this game’s fill-rate demands.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy for optimizing the experience. For players targeting 4K, the Low preset at 144 FPS is the only option that guarantees a high refresh rate experience, while Medium at 102 FPS is the best balance of visual quality and smoothness. The Medium preset’s min FPS of 87 FPS ensures that frame times stay within a comfortable range for most displays, and the 102 FPS average is above the 90 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for a responsive feel. The High preset at 89 FPS is borderline, but the lack of a min FPS metric makes it riskier than Medium. Ultra at 67 FPS is only suitable for players who prioritize image quality over responsiveness, as the frame rate is below the 72 FPS threshold for some high-refresh panels.

At 1440p, the recommendation shifts. Low settings at 223 FPS is overkill for most monitors, but Medium at 158 FPS (min 134, max 182) is the sweet spot for 144Hz displays, providing a comfortable margin above the refresh rate to avoid tearing. High at 138 FPS is also viable for 144Hz, but the tighter frame pacing of Medium, as evidenced by the 48 FPS variance, makes it the safer choice. Ultra at 103 FPS is acceptable for 120Hz panels, but it sacrifices the headroom that Medium offers. For competitive players, the Low preset’s 223 FPS is the clear choice, as it maximizes frame rate and minimizes input latency.

At 1080p, the CPU becomes the bottleneck, and the GPU’s performance varies more widely. Low at 289 FPS is the maximum achievable, but Medium at 216 FPS (min 183, max 248) is the best recommendation for most users, as it offers a 33 FPS improvement over High’s 188 FPS while still looking significantly better than Low. The 65 FPS gap between Medium and High at this resolution suggests that Medium is the most efficient tier. Ultra at 141 FPS is playable, but it drops below the 144 FPS threshold that some 1080p high-refresh monitors use, making High a better choice for consistency. In summary, Medium is the best all-around preset across all three resolutions, with Low reserved for esports-level frame rates and Ultra for screenshot-worthy fidelity.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX combination ranks 353rd out of 2828 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the top 12.5% of all systems. This is a strong result, but it is not a top-tier ranking, which is surprising given the GPU’s specifications. The rank suggests that the CPU, which sits in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 32750, is holding the combo back from achieving a higher position. The Ryzen 5 7400F’s nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-14600T (delta 0.1%), the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H (delta 0.2%), and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H (delta -0.2%), all of which are within a fraction of a percent in synthetic tests. This indicates that the CPU’s real-world gaming performance is competitive with those parts, but none of them are top-tier gaming CPUs.

The GPU’s ranking is more concerning. The RX 7900 XTX sits in the 64th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19410. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB (delta 0.4%), the NVIDIA Quadro K5200 (delta -1%), and the AMD FirePro D300 (delta -1.2%). These are older, lower-end cards, and the fact that the RX 7900 XTX is only 0.4% ahead of a GTX 1060 3 GB in the average benchmark score is a red flag. This anomaly suggests that the benchmark database’s scoring methodology may not fully capture the RX 7900 XTX’s gaming strengths, or that the card’s end-of-life production status has led to inconsistent drivers. In Lockdown Protocol specifically, the combo’s rank of 353 out of 2828 is respectable, but it implies that there are 352 other system combinations that deliver higher frame rates at the same settings.

The rank also reflects the game’s optimization. Lockdown Protocol, released in 2024, is a relatively new title, and the data shows that it scales well with both CPU and GPU improvements. The combo’s rank suggests that a stronger CPU, such as a Ryzen 7 or Ryzen 9, could push the RX 7900 XTX to higher frame rates at 1080p, where the current CPU is the bottleneck. At 4K, the GPU is the limit, and a faster GPU would be needed to improve the rank. The 353rd position is a solid mid-tier result, but it does not reflect the raw power of the RX 7900 XTX, which is capable of much higher scores in other titles.

FAQ

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

A: For the highest frame rates, 1920x1080 at Low settings delivers 289 FPS, but 2560x1440 at Medium settings (158 FPS) is the best balance of visual quality and performance, as it stays above 144 FPS for high-refresh monitors.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at 4K?

A: No, at 3840x2160, the RX 7900 XTX is the limiting factor. The frame rates range from 67 FPS (Ultra) to 144 FPS (Low), indicating that the GPU’s pixel throughput is the constraint, not the Ryzen 5 7400F’s processing power.

Q: How much VRAM is needed for 4K in this game?

A: The RX 7900 XTX has 24 GB of GDDR6 memory, which is more than sufficient. The 4K Medium result of 102 FPS with a min of 87 FPS shows no memory-related stuttering, suggesting that even 16 GB would be adequate for this title.

Q: Is the RX 7900 XTX’s performance comparable to its rivals?

A: The benchmark data shows the RX 7900 XTX is only 0.4% ahead of an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB in average benchmark score, but in Lockdown Protocol, the combo ranks 353rd out of 2828, indicating real-world performance is much stronger than synthetic scores suggest.

Q: What is the lowest frame rate recorded with this combo?

A: The lowest average FPS is 67 at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. The lowest minimum FPS is 87 at 4K Medium, which is the only preset where min and max values were recorded.

Q: Should I use High or Medium settings at 1440p?

A: Medium at 1440p provides 158 FPS (min 134, max 182), while High provides 138 FPS. The 20 FPS advantage of Medium, along with a tighter frame variance, makes it the better choice for competitive play.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured frame rates for the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX in Lockdown Protocol is as follows. At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 289 FPS, Medium averages 216 FPS with a minimum of 183 FPS and maximum of 248 FPS, High averages 188 FPS, and Ultra averages 141 FPS. At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 223 FPS, Medium averages 158 FPS with a minimum of 134 FPS and maximum of 182 FPS, High averages 138 FPS, and Ultra averages 103 FPS. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 144 FPS, Medium averages 102 FPS with a minimum of 87 FPS and maximum of 117 FPS, High averages 89 FPS, and Ultra averages 67 FPS. These numbers show a consistent pattern: each settings tier costs roughly 20-30% of the previous tier’s performance, and each resolution step costs a similar percentage. The Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data at all resolutions, providing the most reliable picture of frame pacing. The 4K Ultra result of 67 FPS is the only sub-60 average, making it the sole preset that fails to maintain a playable frame rate on standard 60Hz displays. The 1080p Low result of 289 FPS is the highest in the set, demonstrating the CPU’s capability to drive high frame rates when the GPU is not the bottleneck.