Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with AMD Ryzen 7 3700X + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 delivers a playable but resolution-sensitive experience in Lockdown Protocol, an FPS title released on 2024-03-11. Across the twelve measured configurations, average frame rates range from 32 FPS at 4K Ultra to 145 FPS at 1080p Low, with the combo ranking 2941st out of 3714 tested combinations. The data reveals a system that is consistently GPU-limited at higher resolutions, while the CPU's eight Zen 2 cores provide sufficient headroom at 1080p to push frame rates well past the 100 FPS mark.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings presets, indicating that the RTX 2060's rendering throughput is the dominant constraint. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 145 at 1920x1080 to 106 at 2560x1440, then to 69 at 3840x2160 — a cumulative reduction of 52% from 1080p to 4K. The Medium preset shows a similar pattern: 103 FPS at 1080p, 76 FPS at 1440p, and 49 FPS at 4K, representing a 52% drop as well.

The High preset follows the same trajectory, with averages of 90 FPS at 1080p, 66 FPS at 1440p, and 43 FPS at 4K. Ultra settings produce the most dramatic scaling: 67 FPS at 1080p, 49 FPS at 1440p, and just 32 FPS at 4K. Notably, the resolution scaling factor is nearly identical across all presets — roughly a 27% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a further 33-35% reduction from 1440p to 4K. This uniformity strongly suggests that pixel count, not scene complexity, is the primary driver of performance loss.

At 1080p, the gap between Low and Ultra is 78 FPS (145 vs 67), while at 4K the same gap narrows to 37 FPS (69 vs 32). This compression at higher resolutions is typical of a GPU-bound scenario: when the render target becomes enormous, the cost of additional shading and texture work dominates, and the relative difference between presets shrinks. The data indicates that 1440p is the practical ceiling for maintaining 60+ FPS on this combo, achievable at Low (106 FPS), Medium (76 FPS), or High (66 FPS) settings, but not Ultra (49 FPS).

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, built on the Turing architecture with a 12 nm process, carries 6 GB of GDDR6 memory across a 192-bit bus, yielding 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock of 1365 MHz boosts to 1680 MHz, and the card features 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The GPU's 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores are present but their impact on Lockdown Protocol's measured results cannot be isolated from the data; what is clear is that the card's FP32 throughput of 6.451 TFLOPS is the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

The 6 GB VRAM capacity deserves scrutiny given the measured frame rates. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS of 32 suggests the card is struggling with both memory capacity and compute load. At 4K Medium, the average rises to 49 FPS with a minimum of 41 and maximum of 56, indicating that the frame time variance is moderate but the overall throughput is insufficient for smooth 4K play. The RTX 2060's benchmark scores place it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 15290, and its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580, scores nearly identically with a deltaPct of 0.

The memory clock of 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) provides the bandwidth needed for 1440p gaming, where the card delivers 76 FPS at Medium and 66 FPS at High. At 1080p, the bandwidth is ample, allowing the GPU to reach 145 FPS at Low settings, though the 103 FPS at Medium and 90 FPS at High show diminishing returns as shading load increases. The RTX 2060's 160 W TDP and dual-slot design are consistent with a mid-range card that is now end-of-life, but its measured performance in this title remains respectable at 1080p and playable at 1440p with adjusted settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 7 3700X and RTX 2060 achieves rank 2941 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the bottom 21% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the RTX 2060's age and position in the GPU hierarchy — it sits in the 58th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU is stronger, ranking in the 84th percentile of all CPUs. The mismatch between the CPU's relative strength and the GPU's relative weakness explains why the combo underperforms many modern pairings.

The CPU's nearest rivals in average benchmark score are the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 (deltaPct 0.1), AMD EPYC 4244P (deltaPct 0.1), Intel Core i5-13450HX (deltaPct -0.2), and Intel Core Ultra 7 165H (deltaPct 0.5). These deltas are all within 0.5%, meaning the Ryzen 7 3700X's processing power is essentially equivalent to these newer parts in synthetic tests. The GPU's nearest rivals are the GTX 580 (deltaPct 0), AMD Radeon 680M (deltaPct 0.1), RTX 3050 OEM (deltaPct 0.6), and AMD Radeon RX 7600 (deltaPct 0.8), again showing that the RTX 2060's raw compute is closely matched by integrated and entry-level discrete solutions.

The rank of 2941 out of 3714 implies that approximately 773 combos perform worse, while 2940 perform better. Given the GPU's 58th percentile standing, the low combo rank is driven primarily by the fact that most tested configurations include newer or higher-tier graphics cards. The data suggests that users with this combo should treat it as a 1080p-oriented setup, where it can still deliver competitive frame rates, rather than a high-resolution performer.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p gaming, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with an average of 103 FPS and a minimum of 88 FPS. This ensures that frame rates stay above the 60 FPS threshold even in demanding scenes. The High preset at 1080p delivers 90 FPS average, which is also smooth, but the 13 FPS gain from dropping to Medium is modest compared to the visual quality trade-off. The Low preset at 145 FPS is only advisable for competitive play where maximum frame rate outweighs visual fidelity.

At 1440p, the High preset at 66 FPS is the recommended choice for a near-60 FPS experience, though the Medium preset at 76 FPS provides a more comfortable margin above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 49 FPS falls below the 60 FPS threshold and is not recommended for this resolution. The Low preset at 106 FPS is viable but sacrifices too much visual quality for the extra headroom.

At 4K, none of the presets achieve a consistent 60 FPS. The Low preset at 69 FPS is the only configuration that crosses the 60 FPS average mark, but it does so with minimums that are likely to dip below 60 FPS given the Medium preset's min FPS of 41 at this resolution. The Medium preset at 49 FPS and High at 43 FPS are playable for slower-paced sections but will struggle in intense firefights. The Ultra preset at 32 FPS is not recommended under any circumstances. For this combo, 4K gaming in Lockdown Protocol should be avoided unless the user is willing to accept Low settings and occasional frame drops.

FAQ

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

A: 1080p is the best resolution, with all presets except Ultra achieving averages above 90 FPS. The Medium preset provides 103 FPS average with a minimum of 88 FPS, making it the sweet spot.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: Only marginally. The Low preset achieves 69 FPS average at 4K, but Medium drops to 49 FPS and Ultra to 32 FPS. The minimum FPS of 41 at 4K Medium indicates significant frame drops below the average.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 3700X compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 7 3700X's average benchmark score of 34260 is within 0.5% of the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 (34222), AMD EPYC 4244P (34220), Intel Core i5-13450HX (34333), and Intel Core Ultra 7 165H (34083). The CPU sits in the 84th percentile of all CPUs.

Q: Is the RTX 2060 the limiting factor in this pairing?

A: Yes. The GPU is in the 58th percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 15290, while the CPU is in the 84th percentile. The resolution scaling data shows uniform FPS drops across settings, confirming GPU limitation.

Q: What settings should I use for competitive play?

A: At 1080p, the Low preset provides 145 FPS average, which is the highest measured frame rate for this combo. This is ideal for competitive play where maximum frame rate is prioritized.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: It ranks 2941 out of 3714 combos tested in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the bottom 21% of all configurations.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X, a Zen 2 (Matisse) part built on TSMC's 7 nm process, brings 8 cores and 16 threads to this pairing. Its base clock of 3.60 GHz boosts to 4.40 GHz, and it has 32 MB of L3 cache alongside 512 KB L2 per core and 64 KB L1 per core. The CPU's dual-channel DDR4 memory support provides 51.2 GB/s of bandwidth, and it runs on the AM4 socket with PCIe Gen 4 connectivity (24 lanes from the CPU). The 65 W TDP is modest for an 8-core part, and the unlocked multiplier allows for overclocking.

In synthetic benchmarks, the 3700X scores 2092 in Cinebench R15 multi-core and 204 in single-core, 8899 in Geekbench multi-core and 1593 in single-core, and 22458 in Passmark multithread with a 2656 single-thread score. Its Passmark physics score of 1181 and integer math score of 66399 indicate strong compute capability. The CPU's average benchmark score of 34260 places it in the 84th percentile of all CPUs, meaning it outperforms 84% of tested processors.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 145 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's maximum frame delivery capability given the single-thread score of 2656. The fact that frame rates drop uniformly across resolutions — from 145 FPS at 1080p Low to 69 FPS at 4K Low — confirms that the CPU is not the bottleneck at higher resolutions. The CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads provide ample parallelism for the game's FPS workload, and the nearest rivals' benchmark scores (all within 0.5%) suggest that swapping to a newer CPU would not meaningfully improve frame rates in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080: The Low preset delivers the highest average at 145 FPS. Medium follows at 103 FPS, with a minimum of 88 FPS and maximum of 119 FPS. High achieves 90 FPS, and Ultra drops to 67 FPS. All presets at this resolution maintain averages above 60 FPS, making 1080p the most versatile option.

2560x1440: Low leads with 106 FPS average. Medium delivers 76 FPS (min 64, max 87), High reaches 66 FPS, and Ultra falls to 49 FPS. The 1440p results show a clear breakpoint: Low through High are playable, but Ultra requires dropping below the 60 FPS threshold.

3840x2160: Low is the only preset above 60 FPS, averaging 69 FPS. Medium averages 49 FPS (min 41, max 56), High averages 43 FPS, and Ultra averages 32 FPS. None of the 4K presets provide a consistently smooth experience, with even the best case (Low) likely suffering from occasional dips below 60 FPS.

The complete dataset shows a monotonic relationship between settings and FPS at every resolution, with no anomalies or inversions. The Medium preset's min/max values at each resolution (88-119 at 1080p, 64-87 at 1440p, 41-56 at 4K) provide the only frame time variance data available, indicating that the game's performance is stable within each configuration. The spread between min and max FPS widens with increasing resolution — 31 FPS at 1080p, 23 FPS at 1440p, and 15 FPS at 4K — suggesting that higher resolutions compress the frame rate range as the GPU becomes more consistently saturated.