Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol is a demanding FPS title, and the combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 produces a highly resolution-dependent experience. The measured data shows this pairing is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can deliver high frame rates, but it struggles to maintain playable performance at 4K with higher settings. This pairing ranks in the 82.7th percentile of tested combos, indicating solid but not top-tier performance for this specific game.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is severe and clearly illustrates where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 144.7 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 106.8 FPS, and at 4K Low, it falls to 70.5 FPS. This represents a 51.3% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at Low settings.

The scaling pattern is even more telling at higher settings. With High settings, the average frame rate falls from 90.4 FPS at 1080p to 66.2 FPS at 1440p, and then down to 44.3 FPS at 4K. The frame rate loss from 1440p to 4K is 33.1%, which is a substantial hit. This indicates that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 becomes the limiting component as resolution increases, as the GPU's rendering workload grows faster than the CPU can feed it.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the Ryzen 5 9600X is doing more of the heavy lifting, allowing the GPU to push out high frame rates. However, as pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K, the RTX 2060's 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are overwhelmed. The result is a clear GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, where the CPU's performance headroom becomes irrelevant.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1080p is the only resolution where the combo consistently delivers high frame rates. At 1080p Low, it hits 144.7 FPS, and even at High settings, it maintains 90.4 FPS. At 1440p, High settings drop to 66.2 FPS, which is playable but noticeably lower.

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

A: Not effectively. At 4K Ultra, the average frame rate falls to 30 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. Even at 4K Low, the average is only 70.5 FPS, so while it can run, the experience is suboptimal compared to lower resolutions.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at 1080p?

A: The performance cost of Ultra is significant. At 1080p, High settings produce 90.4 FPS, while Ultra drops to 65.8 FPS. This is a 27.2% performance penalty for the visual upgrade, making High the more balanced choice.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 9600X holding back the RTX 2060 in this game?

A: At 1080p, the CPU appears to be a capable partner, as frame rates are high across all settings. However, at 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, as performance drops dramatically regardless of the CPU's capabilities.

Q: What is the average performance difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: The gap is substantial. Low settings yield 106.8 FPS, while Ultra produces only 48.5 FPS. This 54.6% difference highlights the heavy GPU load imposed by the Ultra preset at this resolution.

Q: How does this combo's rank in Lockdown Protocol compare to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 1354 out of 1637 tested combinations. This places it in the lower-mid range of all tested systems, suggesting that while it is functional, many other combinations deliver better performance in this game.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its benchmark scores indicate strong single-thread and multi-thread performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25525 and a single-core score of 3603. This positions it well for gaming, where single-thread performance often matters most.

In Lockdown Protocol, the data shows the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K are far more severe than what would be expected if the CPU were the limiting factor. For instance, at High settings, the 4K frame rate is 51.0% lower than at 1080p, which is a GPU-driven decline.

The CPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals is tightly clustered. It is 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core i5-13490F and 0.3% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 230, while being 0.4% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS and 0.5% behind the Intel Core i5-14500T. This suggests that within this performance bracket, the choice of CPU has minimal impact on the overall experience in this game, as the GPU becomes the dominant factor at 1440p and above.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data strongly favors 1080p resolution. At 1080p, the High preset delivers 90.4 FPS, which is smooth and visually appealing. The Medium preset offers 104.4 FPS, while Low pushes to 144.7 FPS. The Ultra preset, at 65.8 FPS, is playable but sacrifices too much performance for the visual gain.

At 1440p, the High preset produces 66.2 FPS, which is borderline for fast-paced FPS gameplay. The Medium preset at 77.1 FPS is a better choice, providing a smoother experience while retaining decent visual quality. Low settings at 1440p hit 106.8 FPS, which is excellent for competitive play but reduces the game's visual fidelity.

At 4K, the options are limited. Low settings produce 70.5 FPS, which is the only playable option. Medium drops to 50.8 FPS, High to 44.3 FPS, and Ultra to 30 FPS. Users targeting 4K should stick to Low settings, as the frame rate is the highest and the game remains responsive.

The best overall compromise is 1080p with High settings, offering a strong balance of frame rate and visual quality. For users prioritizing frame rate above all else, 1080p Low is the clear winner.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks 1354 out of 1637 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the 82.7th percentile, meaning roughly 17% of tested combinations perform worse. This is a middle-of-the-pack result, indicating that while the combo is functional, it does not excel in this game.

The ranking reflects the RTX 2060's position in the GPU hierarchy. The GPU's average benchmark score of 16074 places it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs, and it is closely matched with rivals like the AMD Radeon RX 7600S (0.5% ahead) and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (1.8% behind). This mid-tier GPU performance, combined with the strong CPU, yields a system that is better suited to 1080p gaming than to higher resolutions.

The combo's rank suggests that users with this hardware should not expect top-tier performance in Lockdown Protocol. However, the data shows that with appropriate settings, it can deliver a satisfying experience at 1080p, which is likely the target resolution for most users with this GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates show a clear pattern of diminishing returns as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are: Low 144.7 FPS, Medium 104.4 FPS, High 90.4 FPS, and Ultra 65.8 FPS. This represents a 54.5% drop from Low to Ultra at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low 106.8 FPS, Medium 77.1 FPS, High 66.2 FPS, and Ultra 48.5 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 54.6%, nearly identical to the 1080p scaling, indicating consistent GPU load scaling.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low 70.5 FPS, Medium 50.8 FPS, High 44.3 FPS, and Ultra 30 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 57.4%, the largest percentage decline of all resolutions. This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is heavily taxed, and the Ultra preset pushes it to its limits.

The data shows that the RTX 2060 can handle 1080p gaming with ease, delivering over 90 FPS on High settings. At 1440p, the performance is acceptable with Medium settings, but at 4K, only Low settings provide a playable frame rate.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is based on the Turing architecture and features 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock is 1680 MHz, and it has 1920 shading units. The GPU's average benchmark score is 16074, placing it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs.

In Lockdown Protocol, the RTX 2060 is the primary performance limiter at 1440p and 4K. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a clear GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p High, the GPU produces 90.4 FPS, but at 4K High, it drops to 44.3 FPS, a 51.0% reduction. This is a typical pattern for a mid-range GPU being pushed beyond its comfort zone.

The GPU's 6 GB memory capacity becomes a factor at higher resolutions and settings. At 4K Ultra, the frame rate falls to 30 FPS, suggesting the GPU is struggling with both memory capacity and raw compute. The CUDA core count and clock speed are sufficient for 1080p gaming, but the data shows they are not enough for high-refresh-rate 1440p or 4K gaming in this title.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the RTX 2060 is competitive. It is 0.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7600S and 1.8% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W5500, while being 1.7% behind both the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and AMD Radeon Pro 5700. This indicates that the GPU's performance is in line with its peers, and the overall combo's ranking is more a reflection of the game's demanding nature than a deficiency in the GPU itself.