Lockdown Protocol

# Resolution Scaling

The measured frames per second data for Lockdown Protocol with the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT reveals a clear pattern of diminishing returns as resolution climbs. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces 209 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same preset, that figure drops to 188 FPS — a 21 FPS reduction. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls to 123 FPS, representing a 41% decline from the 1080p Low result. This scaling suggests that at lower resolutions, the system has substantial headroom, but the gap between 1440p and 4K is where the GPU begins to feel the load.

Looking at Medium settings, the pattern continues with 184 FPS at 1080p, 135 FPS at 1440p, and 87 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 49 FPS, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 48 FPS — nearly identical absolute losses. This consistency implies that the rendering pipeline is being stressed proportionally as pixel count increases, with no single bottleneck suddenly appearing at one specific resolution.

The High preset tells a similar story: 161 FPS at 1080p, 118 FPS at 1440p, and 76 FPS at 4K. Here the absolute gaps are 43 FPS and 42 FPS respectively. The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling, with 121 FPS at 1080p, 89 FPS at 1440p, and 57 FPS at 4K. That 4K Ultra result is below the 60 FPS threshold often considered the baseline for smooth gameplay, indicating that even a high-end GPU like the RX 9070 XT cannot fully compensate for the combined demands of maximum settings and 4K resolution in this title.

What does this data imply about the limiting component? The fact that even at 4K Low, the system still delivers 123 FPS suggests the CPU is not the primary constraint at any resolution. If the Ryzen 7 3700X were the limiting factor, we would expect to see frame rates plateau across resolutions at higher settings. Instead, each resolution step produces a meaningful FPS change, pointing to the GPU as the dominant factor. The 8-core, 16-thread processor with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz appears sufficient to feed the RX 9070 XT at all tested configurations.

The 4K Ultra result of 57 FPS is particularly telling. With a pixel rate of 380.2 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 760.3 GTexel/s, the GPU has raw capabilities, yet the combination of Ultra settings and 4K resolution still overwhelms it. This suggests Lockdown Protocol's rendering workload scales heavily with both pixel count and visual complexity, and the RX 9070 XT's 16 GB of GDDR6 memory with 644.6 GB/s bandwidth is being pushed to its limits in this configuration.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achieved with this combo in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 209, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X bottlenecking the RX 9070 XT in this game?

A: No. The FPS scaling across resolutions indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. At 4K Low, the system still produces 123 FPS, suggesting the 8-core processor with a 4.40 GHz boost clock has ample headroom.

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra?

A: No. The measured average at 3840x2160 Ultra is 57 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold. Players seeking 4K gameplay would need to use High settings, which deliver 76 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 9070 XT's performance in this game compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 13543, placing it 0.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon HD 7770M and 0.2% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570. It sits 1% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 555.

Q: What is the combo's ranking among all tested combinations for Lockdown Protocol?

A: The combo ranks 1008 out of 3714 tested combinations, placing it in the upper portion of the overall distribution.

Q: Does the 16 GB VRAM on the RX 9070 XT appear sufficient for this game?

A: The data suggests yes. At 4K Ultra, the GPU still delivers 57 FPS, and the 16 GB GDDR6 memory with 644.6 GB/s bandwidth does not appear to cause a sudden performance collapse at any tested setting.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with a Navi 48 chip manufactured on a 4 nm process. Its base clock runs at 1660 MHz, with a boost clock of 2970 MHz and a game clock of 2400 MHz. The memory operates at 2518 MHz with an effective data rate of 20.1 Gbps, feeding a 256-bit bus that delivers 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth. With 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, the card has substantial capacity for high-resolution textures and complex scenes.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU's role is clearly central. The measured FPS scales consistently with resolution and settings, indicating that the rendering workload directly translates to GPU load. The 4096 shading units and 128 ROPs contribute to a pixel rate of 380.2 GPixel/s, which helps explain why the card can still push 123 FPS at 4K Low. The texture rate of 760.3 GTexel/s, driven by 256 TMUs, supports the detailed environments typical of an FPS title.

The RX 9070 XT's nearest rivals in the benchmark database paint an interesting picture. Its average benchmark score of 13543 places it 0.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon HD 7770M and 0.2% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570. The AMD Radeon Pro 555 trails by 1%. These comparisons are based on the aggregate benchmark score, not specifically on Lockdown Protocol performance, but they provide context for the GPU's overall positioning.

The 16 GB VRAM capacity becomes relevant when examining the 4K results. At 3840x2160 Ultra, the average FPS of 57 suggests the card is working near its limits. The memory bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s appears sufficient to avoid severe stuttering, as the Medium preset at 4K shows a minimum FPS of 74 and a maximum of 100, with an average of 87. This range indicates that while the GPU is heavily loaded, it maintains relatively stable performance rather than encountering memory-related bottlenecks.

The GPU's 304 W TDP and dual-slot design suggest it requires robust cooling and power delivery, which is consistent with its performance envelope. The 2x 8-pin power connectors and 700 W suggested PSU indicate this is not a card for modest systems, but the performance data shows why such power requirements exist.

Measured FPS Breakdown

Starting at 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 209 FPS, while Medium yields 184 FPS with a minimum of 156 FPS and a maximum of 211 FPS. High settings reduce the average to 161 FPS, and Ultra drops it further to 121 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 88 FPS, demonstrating that settings have a substantial impact even at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the numbers shift downward. Low settings average 188 FPS, Medium averages 135 FPS with a minimum of 115 FPS and a maximum of 156 FPS, High averages 118 FPS, and Ultra averages 89 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 99 FPS, slightly larger than at 1080p, indicating that the higher pixel count amplifies the difference between settings presets.

The 3840x2160 results show the most pronounced settings sensitivity. Low settings average 123 FPS, Medium averages 87 FPS with a minimum of 74 FPS and a maximum of 100 FPS, High averages 76 FPS, and Ultra averages 57 FPS. The 66 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is smaller in absolute terms than at lower resolutions, but the relative impact is greater — Ultra delivers only 46% of the Low setting's frame rate.

The Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data across all three resolutions. At 1080p, the range from 156 to 211 FPS represents a 55 FPS spread. At 1440p, the range narrows to 41 FPS (115 to 156). At 4K, the range narrows further to 26 FPS (74 to 100). This tightening of the FPS range as resolution increases suggests that the GPU's workload becomes more consistent at higher pixel counts, with less variance between the easiest and hardest frames to render.

Comparing resolutions at the same settings reveals the cost of each step up. At Low, 1080p to 1440p costs 21 FPS, and 1440p to 4K costs 65 FPS. At Medium, the costs are 49 FPS and 48 FPS respectively. At High, the costs are 43 FPS and 42 FPS. At Ultra, the costs are 32 FPS and 32 FPS. The Low setting shows an unusually large jump from 1440p to 4K, suggesting that at this preset, the GPU is not fully utilized until 4K, where it finally becomes the bottleneck.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT achieves a rank of 1008 out of 3714 tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol. This places the combo in the 73rd percentile of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms roughly 73% of the configurations in the database for this specific game.

Digging into the components separately provides context. The CPU's percentile vs all CPUs is 84, meaning the Ryzen 7 3700X outperforms 84% of all processors in the database. Its average benchmark score is 34260, which puts it 0.1% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 and the AMD EPYC 4244P, and 0.5% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H. The Intel Core i5-13450HX is 0.2% ahead of the Ryzen 7 3700X. These are tight margins, indicating the CPU is well within the competitive range for its class.

The GPU's percentile vs all GPUs is 55, which is notably lower than the CPU's percentile. The RX 9070 XT's average benchmark score is 13543, placing it only 0.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon HD 7770M and 0.2% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570. The AMD Radeon Pro 555 trails by 1%. This relatively low GPU percentile suggests that the graphics card is the weaker link in this combo, which aligns with the resolution scaling analysis showing GPU-bound behavior.

The rank of 1008 out of 3714 indicates that many other combinations outperform this pairing in Lockdown Protocol. Given the GPU's 55th percentile ranking, this is not surprising — the RX 9070 XT, despite its modern architecture and high clock speeds, sits in the middle of the GPU performance distribution according to the benchmark database. The CPU's stronger 84th percentile ranking means the processor is doing its part, but the overall combo performance is dragged down by the GPU's middling position.

This ranking data suggests that players using this combo in Lockdown Protocol are getting performance that is solidly above average, but not exceptional. The 4K Ultra result of 57 FPS and the 1080p Low result of 209 FPS illustrate the range of experiences possible, and the rank reflects this broad capability.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 2 architecture, codenamed Matisse. It operates with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, and it carries a TDP of 65 W. The 7 nm process node from TSMC houses 3,800 million transistors on a 74 mm² die. The cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and a shared 32 MB L3 cache. Memory support is DDR4 with dual-channel configuration and a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role appears to be supportive rather than dominant. The FPS scaling across resolutions — with consistent drops as resolution increases — indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see frame rates cluster together at higher resolutions, as the GPU would be waiting for the CPU to deliver draw calls.

The 8-core, 16-thread configuration is well-suited for modern games that can utilize multiple threads. The 32 MB L3 cache provides ample space for game data, and the boost clock of 4.40 GHz ensures responsive single-threaded performance for game logic and physics. The CPU's average benchmark score of 34260 places it in the 84th percentile, and its nearest rivals are all within 0.5% of its score, indicating it remains competitive despite being from an older generation.

The passmark physics score of 1181 and the passmark single-thread score of 2656 provide additional context. These scores suggest the CPU can handle the computational demands of a fast-paced FPS without becoming a constraint. The data compression score of 296379 and integer math score of 66399 indicate strong general-purpose throughput, which can benefit games that use CPU-intensive systems like complex AI or dynamic physics.

The CPU's release date of 2019-07-06 with a launch MSRP of $329 makes it a relatively mature product, but the benchmark data shows it still holds its own against newer processors. The 84th percentile ranking and the tight margins against rivals like the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 and Intel Core i5-13450HX demonstrate that the Ryzen 7 3700X remains a viable gaming CPU.

Settings Recommendations

For players using the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT in Lockdown Protocol, the measured FPS data provides clear guidance on settings selection.

At 1920x1080, all presets deliver playable frame rates. Low produces 209 FPS, Medium 184 FPS, High 161 FPS, and Ultra 121 FPS. The Ultra preset still exceeds 120 FPS, which is well above the threshold for smooth competitive play. Players with 144 Hz or 165 Hz monitors could comfortably use Ultra at 1080p and remain within the monitor's refresh rate range.

At 2560x1440, the choices become more nuanced. Low delivers 188 FPS, Medium 135 FPS, High 118 FPS, and Ultra 89 FPS. For high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors, Medium or High would be the recommended presets. Medium offers 135 FPS with a minimum of 115 FPS, ensuring consistent performance. High at 118 FPS is still excellent for most displays. Ultra at 89 FPS is playable but may not fully utilize a 144 Hz panel.

At 3840x2160, the data suggests that High settings provide the best balance. Ultra delivers only 57 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold and may result in noticeable stuttering during fast-paced gameplay. High settings at 76 FPS provide a more comfortable margin above 60 FPS. Medium at 87 FPS is even better, with a minimum of 74 FPS ensuring no major drops. Low at 123 FPS is the only preset that fully satisfies high-refresh-rate 4K gaming, but it sacrifices visual quality significantly.

The Medium preset stands out as the most consistent option across all resolutions. It is the only preset with complete min/max data, and the FPS ranges are tight: 156-211 at 1080p, 115-156 at 1440p, and 74-100 at 4K. This consistency suggests that Medium settings provide a stable experience without the frame time spikes that can occur with more demanding presets.

For the best overall experience, the data supports using High settings at 1440p or 4K. At 1440p, High delivers 118 FPS, which is smooth and responsive. At 4K, High provides 76 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold and represents a good compromise between visual fidelity and performance. Players who prioritize maximum frame rates should use Low settings, which deliver 209 FPS at 1080p and 188 FPS at 1440p.