Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol is a demanding FPS that stresses both large thread counts and raw GPU throughput, and the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT delivers a high-performance combination that ranks in the top 22% of all tested configurations. The data shows a system capable of excellent frame rates at 1440p, with a clear performance ceiling emerging at 1080p that points to the CPU as the primary limiter in lighter settings.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D is an 8-core, 16-thread processor built on the Zen 3 architecture, using the Vermeer codename on a 7 nm TSMC process. It operates with a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, with a 105 W TDP. Its defining feature is the large 96 MB shared L3 cache, which is critical for gaming performance in FPS titles like Lockdown Protocol, where data reuse is high and latency spikes are punished.

The CPU’s benchmark results indicate strong multi-threaded capability. In Cinebench R23, it scores 22366 points in multi-core, while its single-core score is 3157. This combination of high multi-threaded throughput and a massive cache allows the 5700X3D to handle both the game's background simulation and the main render thread effectively. The processor's 3DMark scores reinforce this: it achieves 6764 points in the 16-thread test and 5357 in the 8-thread test, showing that scaling is robust beyond 8 threads, which is relevant for modern FPS engines that offload physics and AI to separate threads.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is most evident when comparing the 1080p Low and Ultra settings. At 1080p Low, the system hits 235.9 FPS, but this drops to 134 FPS at 1080p Ultra. The gap between these settings is large (101.9 FPS), which shows that the game is sensitive to CPU-driven draw calls and object updates that increase with higher settings. However, the fact that the 1080p Low result is not significantly higher than the 1440p Low result (207.6 FPS) suggests that even at Low settings, the CPU is already near its practical limit for generating frames, since the GPU is still capable of more work at lower resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the Ryzen 7 5700X3D and the Radeon RX 7900 XT holds a combo rank of 359 out of 1637 tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol. This placement in the top 21.9% of all tested combos is a strong result, indicating that the pairing is well-balanced for this title. The CPU itself sits in the 82nd percentile against all CPUs, and the GPU also sits in the 82nd percentile against all GPUs, making this a matched pairing where neither component is a clear bottleneck in the majority of scenarios.

Looking at the CPU’s nearest rivals in general benchmarks, the Ryzen 7 5700X3D outperforms the Intel Core i5-11600 by 0.5% and the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X3D by 0.3%, while trailing the AMD Ryzen AI Max 385 by 0.6%. These deltas are small, showing that the 5700X3D is competitive with a range of newer and older processors. The GPU’s nearest rivals show a similar pattern: the RX 7900 XT is statistically tied with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile (0% delta), slightly ahead of the NVIDIA CMP 70HX by 0.3%, and trails the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 by 0.4%. This suggests that the performance is consistent with what is expected from a top-tier GPU.

The data implies that the combination rank is not merely the sum of its parts but a reflection of how well the CPU’s cache and the GPU’s bandwidth work together. The 20 GB VRAM and 800.0 GB/s bandwidth of the GPU ensure that the CPU's data requests are fed quickly, minimizing stalls.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The frame rate scaling across resolutions reveals a classic transition from a CPU-bound to a GPU-bound scenario. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 177 at 1080p to 128.7 at 1440p, a 27.3% decrease. Moving from 1440p to 4K (3840x2160), the FPS drops to 82.4, a 36% decrease. This increasingly steep drop-off as resolution increases is the signature of the GPU becoming the limiting factor at higher pixel counts.

At Low settings, the trend is even more pronounced. The system delivers 235.9 FPS at 1080p, but this falls to 207.6 FPS at 1440p (a 12% drop) and then to 130.5 FPS at 4K (a 37.1% drop). The relatively small gap between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings (28.3 FPS) indicates that the CPU is holding performance back, as the GPU has ample headroom to render more frames. It is only when the resolution jumps to 4K that the GPU's workload becomes heavy enough to dominate.

For Ultra settings, the pattern is similar but with lower absolute numbers. The FPS drops from 134 at 1080p to 98.9 at 1440p (26.2% drop) and then to 63.7 at 4K (35.6% drop). This data suggests that for the best experience at 1080p, the CPU is the primary limiter, meaning users will see diminishing returns from a more powerful GPU at that resolution. For 4K, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck, and the CPU has enough performance to keep up with the RX 7900 XT's output.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets.

1920x1080:

• Low: 235.9 FPS
• Medium: 202.4 FPS
• High: 177 FPS
• Ultra: 134 FPS

At 1080p, the frame rate scales down almost linearly with settings. The difference between Low and Ultra is 101.9 FPS, which is substantial. The jump from Low to Medium costs 33.5 FPS, while the jump from High to Ultra costs 43 FPS, showing that Ultra settings have a disproportionately high performance cost.

2560x1440:

• Low: 207.6 FPS
• Medium: 145.1 FPS
• High: 128.7 FPS
• Ultra: 98.9 FPS

The 1440p results show a wider spread between settings. The gap between Low and Medium is 62.5 FPS, which is a significant cost for medium-quality visuals. The High to Ultra drop is 29.8 FPS. The 1080p High to 1440p High drop is 48.3 FPS, indicating that 1440p is a more demanding resolution that starts to stress the GPU.

3840x2160:

• Low: 130.5 FPS
• Medium: 92.1 FPS
• High: 82.4 FPS
• Ultra: 63.7 FPS

At 4K, the GPU is heavily taxed. Low settings still manage over 130 FPS, but Ultra drops to 63.7 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 66.8 FPS, which is the largest absolute gap across all resolutions, underlining the GPU's dominance at this resolution. The 4K Medium result of 92.1 FPS is just above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture using the Navi 31 chip, manufactured on a 5 nm process. It features 20 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 320-bit bus, providing a substantial 800.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. This memory configuration is significant for Lockdown Protocol, as high-resolution textures and large maps can quickly consume VRAM, and the high bandwidth ensures that texture streaming does not cause frame hitches.

The GPU's clocks are set with a base of 1387 MHz, a game clock of 2025 MHz, and a boost clock of 2394 MHz. With 5376 shading units and 192 ROPs, the card is capable of a pixel rate of 459.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 804.4 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance of 51.48 TFLOPS provides the raw compute power needed for modern rendering effects in FPS games.

The GPU’s role is most clearly defined at 4K resolution. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the system achieves 63.7 FPS, which is a playable frame rate but not a high refresh rate one. The fact that 4K Low hits 130.5 FPS shows that the GPU has enough power to handle the game at high frame rates if the settings are lowered. The benchmark scores for the GPU, such as a Passmark G3D score of 29009 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 5623, confirm its high-end tier. The GPU's performance is directly correlated with the resolution scaling seen in the data; it is the component that determines the absolute frame rate ceiling at 4K.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

For users with a 1080p display, the High preset at 177 FPS is the recommended choice. It provides a visually rich experience while maintaining a frame rate well above the 144 Hz refresh rate that many monitors offer. Ultra at 134 FPS is still very fluid, but the 43 FPS loss compared to High is a significant cost for the extra visual fidelity. Low and Medium are not recommended at this resolution because the CPU is the limiting factor, and the extra frames from Low (235.9 FPS) offer no practical benefit over High.

At 1440p, the High preset at 128.7 FPS offers the best balance. It is a high frame rate that is smooth on 120 Hz and 144 Hz displays. Medium at 145.1 FPS is also viable if users want a slight performance boost, but High provides a better visual experience for only a 16.4 FPS reduction. Ultra at 98.9 FPS is still playable, but it is on the edge of the 100 FPS threshold that many consider ideal for competitive shooters. Low at 207.6 FPS is excessive for most displays and sacrifices too much visual quality.

For 4K displays, the Medium preset at 92.1 FPS is the best option for a smooth experience. It easily clears the 60 FPS standard and approaches the 90-100 FPS range that feels responsive. High at 82.4 FPS is also good, but the 9.7 FPS difference between Medium and High is small, meaning Medium is a more reliable choice for maintaining frame times. Ultra at 63.7 FPS is playable but not ideal for a fast-paced FPS, and Low at 130.5 FPS, while smooth, does not leverage the GPU's full potential for visual quality. Overall, the data strongly favors High at 1080p and 1440p, and Medium at 4K.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 at High settings provides 128.7 FPS, which is an excellent balance of visual quality and speed. 1080p High hits 177 FPS, but the system is CPU-limited there, while 4K High drops to 82.4 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The benchmark results indicate the CPU is the primary limiter at 1080p. The frame rate difference between Low (235.9 FPS) and High (177 FPS) is large, but the 1440p Low score (207.6 FPS) is relatively close to the 1080p Low score, suggesting the CPU cannot push many more frames even when the GPU has less work.

Q: How does this combo rank against other systems?

A: This specific configuration ranks 359th out of 1637 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. The CPU and GPU both sit in the 82nd percentile of their respective categories, indicating a well-matched pair.

Q: Can this system run Lockdown Protocol at 4K Ultra smoothly?

A: At 4K Ultra, the system averages 63.7 FPS. This is technically playable, but it is close to the 60 FPS threshold. For a more comfortable margin, the 4K Medium preset at 92.1 FPS is recommended.

Q: How does the CPU's cache size affect performance?

A: The Ryzen 7 5700X3D has a 96 MB shared L3 cache. This large cache helps reduce memory latency, which is beneficial for FPS games like Lockdown Protocol where the same data is accessed repeatedly across many frames, contributing to the strong 1080p performance.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth of the GPU and why does it matter?

A: The Radeon RX 7900 XT has a memory bandwidth of 800.0 GB/s. This high bandwidth allows the GPU to quickly access the 20 GB of VRAM, which is crucial for high-resolution textures and large game worlds, preventing stutter and maintaining consistent frame rates as seen in the 4K results.