Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol shows a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling across resolutions with the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X + AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB combo, but the curve reveals where the 8 GB frame buffer becomes the primary constraint. The data indicates that the step from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 24-26% of average FPS at every preset, while the jump from 1440p to 4K is far more punishing, cutting frame rates by 38-40%. This disproportionate drop at 4K points directly to memory capacity pressure rather than pure pixel throughput.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS rows show a steep, non-linear decline as resolution increases. At Low settings, the combo delivers 196.5 FPS at 1920x1080, drops to 145.2 FPS at 2560x1440, and falls to 92.4 FPS at 3840x2160 — a 53% total reduction from 1080p to 4K. The High preset tells a similar story: 118.5 → 90.1 → 55.3 FPS, a 53% loss. Medium settings follow with 141.1 → 102 → 63.9 FPS, again a 55% decline. Ultra is the worst case, sliding from 94.1 to 69.1 to 41.2 FPS, a 56% drop.

The 1080p-to-1440p transition is mild, suggesting the GPU's 322.3 GB/s memory bandwidth and 2048 shading units handle the extra pixels with relative ease. The 1440p-to-4K transition, however, sees average FPS fall by 36.4% on Low, 38.6% on High, 37.4% on Medium, and 40.4% on Ultra. That steeper cliff is the signature of the 8 GB GDDR6 buffer (128-bit bus) being exhausted, forcing the renderer to spill over into system memory. At 4K Ultra, the 41.2 FPS result indicates the frame buffer is the limiting component, not the 25.64 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput or the 3130 MHz boost clock.

GPU Role

The Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB is the decisive factor in this game's performance ceiling. Its 8 GB memory size is modest for a 2024 FPS title, and the measured data confirms that capacity is the bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the GPU's 64 ROPs and 128 TMUs (400.6 GTexel/s texture rate) deliver playable to excellent frame rates across all presets, with the 196.5 FPS Low result showing headroom when memory pressure is low. The 322.3 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K the combination of 20.1 Gbps effective memory speed and 128-bit bus width cannot feed the renderer adequately, particularly on Ultra where the 41.2 FPS average is below the 55.3 FPS High result.

The GPU's memory clock runs at 2518 MHz (20.1 Gbps effective), and the boost clock of 3130 MHz does not compensate for the frame buffer shortfall. The data shows that dropping from Ultra to High at 4K recovers 14.1 FPS (34% improvement), while dropping from High to Medium recovers another 8.6 FPS. These are large gains for single-step preset changes, reinforcing that the GPU's memory subsystem is the primary constraint. At 1080p, the gap between Low (196.5 FPS) and Ultra (94.1 FPS) is 102.4 FPS, showing that computational load at lower resolutions is well within the GPU's capabilities.

FAQ

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM limit performance at 1440p?

A: The data shows a 24-26% FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p at every preset, which is consistent with normal pixel scaling and does not indicate a hard VRAM limit. At 1440p Ultra, the 69.1 FPS result is still above 60 FPS, suggesting the buffer is adequate at this resolution.

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

A: Based on the measured rows, 2560x1440 with High settings (90.1 FPS) offers the best balance of image quality and performance. The 1080p High preset (118.5 FPS) is smoother, but 4K High (55.3 FPS) falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How much FPS is gained by lowering settings at 4K?

A: Going from Ultra to High at 3840x2160 gains 14.1 FPS (from 41.2 to 55.3). Dropping further to Medium gains another 8.6 FPS (to 63.9), and Low adds 28.5 FPS over Medium (to 92.4).

Q: Is the CPU holding back the GPU at any resolution?

A: The 1080p Low result of 196.5 FPS is far below the CPU's single-thread capability (3603 in Cinebench R23), and the frame rate scales consistently with resolution, indicating the GPU is the bottleneck at all tested settings.

Q: What preset gives the most consistent experience across all resolutions?

A: High settings are the only preset that stays above 55 FPS at 4K (55.3 FPS) while also delivering 90.1 FPS at 1440p and 118.5 FPS at 1080p, making it the most predictable choice across the board.

Q: How does this combo's overall rank compare to other tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 886th out of 1637 total tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database for this specific game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the full preset ladder shows a wide spread: Low runs at 196.5 FPS, Medium at 141.1 FPS, High at 118.5 FPS, and Ultra at 94.1 FPS. The 55.4 FPS difference between Medium and Low is the largest single-step gain, while the 23.4 FPS step from High to Medium is the smallest. These numbers indicate that the 8 GB buffer and 2048 shaders are not stressed at this resolution, with even Ultra remaining comfortably above 90 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the same preset order yields 145.2 (Low), 102 (Medium), 90.1 (High), and 69.1 (Ultra) FPS. The scaling from 1080p is consistent, with each preset losing roughly a quarter of its frame rate. At 1440p, only Ultra falls below 90 FPS, and the gap between High and Ultra (21 FPS) suggests the extra settings load is significant but not prohibitive.

At 3840x2160, the results compress and shift: Low delivers 92.4 FPS, Medium 63.9 FPS, High 55.3 FPS, and Ultra 41.2 FPS. The ordering remains the same, but the margins narrow in absolute terms. The 51.2 FPS gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is proportionally similar to the 102.4 FPS gap at 1080p, but the absolute values mean only Low and Medium exceed 60 FPS. Ultra at 4K is the only configuration that dips below 45 FPS, reinforcing the memory capacity limitation.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand ranking of tested configurations for Lockdown Protocol, this specific pairing sits at position 886 out of 1637 total combos, placing it in the 54th percentile of all tested systems. This rank reflects the 8 GB VRAM limitation at higher resolutions; the measured FPS at 1080p is strong, but the 4K results drag the overall standing down. The rank of 886 means there are 751 combos that perform worse in this game, but also 885 that perform better, which is a middling outcome for a CPU that scores in the 85th percentile among all processors.

The CPU itself averages a benchmark score of 28246, placing it just 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core i5-13490F (28173) and 0.3% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 230 (28164), while trailing the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS by 0.4% (28369) and the Intel Core i5-14500T by 0.5% (28377). These rival CPUs are effectively tied in synthetic tests, so the game's rank is driven almost entirely by the GPU's memory configuration. The GPU's percentile vs all GPUs is 50, which is exactly average, and its average benchmark score is listed as 0, indicating no synthetic data is available — the measured FPS in this game is the primary evidence of its capability.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X provides 6 cores and 12 threads based on Zen 5 architecture, running at a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 25525 and single-core score of 3603 indicate substantial headroom for gaming workloads. In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU does not appear to be a limiting factor at any resolution: the 1080p Low result of 196.5 FPS is well below the CPU's theoretical peak, and the consistent 24-26% FPS drops across all presets when moving from 1080p to 1440p follow pure pixel-count scaling, not thread saturation.

The 32 MB shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support (89.6 GB/s bandwidth) are more than adequate for an FPS title. The CPU's 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs, combined with the GPU's 50th percentile ranking, further supports the conclusion that the GPU is the performance anchor. The 9000-series processor's 4 nm process and 65 W TDP mean thermals are unlikely to cause boost clock throttling (5.40 GHz), but the data does not show any CPU-related frame rate limits even at the lowest settings where the GPU is least stressed.

Settings Recommendations

For the best measured experience, High settings are the clear recommendation across all resolutions. At 1920x1080, High delivers 118.5 FPS, which is 23.3 FPS above the 60 Hz threshold and only 23.3 FPS below Medium (141.1 FPS), making it a reasonable visual upgrade for a modest frame rate cost. At 2560x1440, High produces 90.1 FPS, which is the only preset besides Low that exceeds 90 FPS, and the 21 FPS gain over Ultra is worth the visual compromise. At 3840x2160, High is the only preset that stays above 55 FPS (55.3), keeping the game playable without dropping to Medium's 63.9 FPS.

Ultra settings should be avoided at 4K entirely, as the 41.2 FPS result is below playable thresholds for a competitive FPS. At 1440p, Ultra's 69.1 FPS is passable but inferior to High's 90.1 FPS. At 1080p, Ultra's 94.1 FPS is acceptable, but the 24.4 FPS gain from dropping to High is trivial. For users prioritizing maximum frame rates, Low settings at 1440p (145.2 FPS) or 1080p (196.5 FPS) are the fastest options, but they come with significant visual degradation. The data supports High as the optimal preset for this combo, offering the best balance of frame rate and fidelity across all three resolutions tested.