Lockdown Protocol

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D delivers a dominant performance profile in Lockdown Protocol, placing 11th out of 2,828 tested combos. This configuration demonstrates exceptional headroom across all resolutions, with the data indicating that the RTX 5090 D’s massive 32 GB VRAM and high clock speeds are the primary drivers of the extreme frame rates observed, while the 9600X’s 6-core/12-thread Zen 5 architecture provides sufficient throughput to avoid bottlenecking even at 1080p.

FAQ

*Q: How does this combo rank in Lockdown Protocol?*

A: The combo ranks 11th out of 2,828 tested combinations, placing it in the top 0.4% of all systems tested for this game.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 359, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest average FPS recorded is 88, achieved at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings.

Q: Does the RTX 5090 D have enough VRAM for 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, the GPU has ample memory capacity for the highest resolution and settings tested, as evidenced by the 88 FPS average at 4K Ultra.

Q: How do the CPU's benchmark scores compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 9600X has an average benchmark score of 29,713, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE (29,656) and 0.8% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (29,955 is the rival's score, but the delta is -0.8%).

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all tested GPUs?

A: The RTX 5090 D sits in the 92nd percentile, indicating it outperforms 92% of all GPUs in the benchmark database.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the undisputed performance anchor in this configuration. Its specifications are staggering: a 32 GB GDDR7 memory pool on a 512-bit bus provides a memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. This immense bandwidth is critical for Lockdown Protocol's high-resolution textures and complex scenes, allowing the GPU to feed its 21,760 shading units without starvation. The GPU’s architecture, Blackwell 2.0, is built on a 5 nm process from TSMC, with a transistor count of 92,200 million on a 750 mm² die.

Clock speeds are also a major factor. The base clock is 2017 MHz, and the boost clock reaches 2407 MHz. This 390 MHz boost headroom allows the GPU to dynamically scale performance under load, directly contributing to the high average FPS numbers seen in the measured data. The GPU’s compute capabilities are equally impressive, with an FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS, which is crucial for the physics and lighting calculations prevalent in an FPS title.

The data shows a clear correlation between GPU load and FPS. At 4K Ultra, the combo produces 88 FPS, while at 4K Low, it jumps to 190 FPS. This 102 FPS swing demonstrates that the GPU is the scaling factor when settings are adjusted. The 32 GB VRAM ensures that even at Ultra settings, there is no memory spillover that could cause stuttering or frame drops, as the minimum FPS at 4K Medium (115 FPS) confirms a stable frame delivery. The GPU also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, ensuring full API compatibility for the game's rendering engine.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. The data provides a clear hierarchy for each resolution.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset yields an average of 187 FPS, while High offers 249 FPS, and Medium provides 285 FPS. For competitive play where frame rate is paramount, the Low preset at 359 FPS is the clear choice. However, for a balanced experience that maintains high visual fidelity without sacrificing too much speed, the High preset at 249 FPS is recommended, as it offers a 62 FPS improvement over Ultra while still exceeding the refresh rate of most 240Hz monitors.

At 2560x1440, the pattern shifts slightly. The Ultra preset averages 137 FPS, which is playable but not maximally smooth. The High preset at 183 FPS provides a better balance, while Medium at 209 FPS is the sweet spot for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming. The Low preset at 295 FPS is for those seeking the absolute maximum frame rate, but the visual compromise may not be worth it for most players.

At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages 88 FPS, which is on the edge of 90 FPS for a smooth experience. The High preset at 118 FPS is a more comfortable target, ensuring a more consistent frame pacing. Medium at 135 FPS offers the best combination of visual quality and performance for 4K, while Low at 190 FPS is surprisingly high and suitable for 4K high-refresh-rate displays. For the best overall experience at 4K, the Medium preset is recommended, as it provides the highest average FPS (135) with a minimum of 115 FPS, ensuring no major dips below 100 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo’s performance across three resolutions and four settings presets.

At 1920x1080:

• Low: Average 359 FPS.
• Medium: Average 285 FPS, with a minimum of 243 and a maximum of 328 FPS.
• High: Average 249 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 187 FPS.

At 2560x1440:

• Low: Average 295 FPS.
• Medium: Average 209 FPS, with a minimum of 178 and a maximum of 241 FPS.
• High: Average 183 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 137 FPS.

At 3840x2160:

• Low: Average 190 FPS.
• Medium: Average 135 FPS, with a minimum of 115 and a maximum of 155 FPS.
• High: Average 118 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 88 FPS.

The Medium presets are the only ones with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values, providing insight into frame consistency. At 1080p Medium, the range is 243-328 FPS, a 85 FPS spread. At 1440p Medium, the range is 178-241 FPS, a 63 FPS spread. At 4K Medium, the range is 115-155 FPS, a 40 FPS spread. This trend indicates that frame pacing becomes more consistent as resolution increases, likely due to the GPU becoming the primary bottleneck and reducing CPU-induced variance.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is significant and reveals the scaling characteristics of this combo. Moving from 1080p Low (359 FPS) to 4K Low (190 FPS) results in a 47% reduction in average FPS. This is a substantial drop, but the absolute numbers remain high, indicating the GPU’s raw power.

Looking at the High preset, the scaling is similar: 249 FPS at 1080p drops to 183 FPS at 1440p (a 27% drop) and then to 118 FPS at 4K (a further 36% drop from 1440p). The total drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings is 53%. For the Ultra preset, the drop is from 187 FPS at 1080p to 137 FPS at 1440p (27% drop) and then to 88 FPS at 4K (36% drop from 1440p), a total reduction of 53% from 1080p to 4K.

This scaling pattern suggests that the frame rate is primarily limited by the GPU’s pixel throughput at higher resolutions. The RTX 5090 D’s pixel rate is 423.6 GPixel/s, which is the theoretical ceiling for rasterization. The data shows that as resolution increases, the FPS drops in a manner consistent with the increased pixel count, indicating that the CPU is not the limiting factor at 4K. However, the fact that 1080p Low (359 FPS) is only 47% higher than 4K Low (190 FPS) suggests that at 1080p, the CPU may begin to introduce some limitation, preventing the GPU from reaching even higher frame rates.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X plays a supporting but crucial role in this combo. Its specs are solid for a modern desktop CPU: 6 cores and 12 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge), with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. The CPU’s cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and a 32 MB shared L3 cache. This cache configuration is important for gaming, as it helps reduce memory latency and improves data access for frequently used instructions.

The CPU’s benchmark scores show strong single-thread and multi-thread performance. It scores 2,183.5 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 17,528.5 in multi-core. In 3DMark, it scores 1,253 in single-thread and 7,590 in max-threads. These scores indicate that the CPU can handle the game’s main thread efficiently while also providing enough multi-threaded throughput for background tasks and game logic.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations. The data suggests that at 4K, the CPU is not a bottleneck, as the FPS scales consistently with resolution. However, at 1080p, the high frame rates (e.g., 359 FPS on Low) may be partially limited by the CPU’s single-thread performance. The CPU’s percentile vs all CPUs is 81, and its average benchmark score is 29,713. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE, has a score of 29,656, which is only 0.2% lower, indicating that the 9600X is a strong performer in its class, but it is not the absolute top-tier CPU available. This means that while it is sufficient for this GPU, a more powerful CPU could potentially unlock even higher frame rates at 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 11th out of 2,828 tested combinations is exceptional. This places the system in the top 0.39% of all entries in the database for Lockdown Protocol. This high rank is primarily driven by the RTX 5090 D, which is in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. The GPU’s average benchmark score is 77,712, and its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (score 76,904, delta +1.1%) and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (score 78,940, delta -1.6%).

The CPU’s contribution to this rank is less pronounced but still significant. The 9600X’s 81st percentile ranking means it outperforms most CPUs, but it is not at the very top. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT (score 29,879, delta -0.6%) and the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (score 29,955, delta -0.8%), are all very close in average score, indicating that the CPU is in a highly competitive performance band.

The data implies that this combo is a top-tier performer for Lockdown Protocol, likely limited only by the CPU’s 6-core configuration in CPU-bound scenarios. The 11th place ranking out of 2,828 suggests that the few combos above it likely feature even higher-end CPUs (e.g., 8-core or 16-core models) paired with the same or similar GPU, allowing them to push slightly higher frame rates at lower resolutions. For 4K gaming, this combo is essentially at the pinnacle of performance, as the GPU is the clear bottleneck and the CPU’s influence is minimal. The combination of the 9600X and 5090 D is a well-balanced one, with the data showing no significant weak points in the tested scenarios.