Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol scales predictably with resolution, but the shape of that scaling tells you exactly where this AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combo sits. Dropping from 4K to 1440p at High settings takes average FPS from 98 to 151, a gain of 53 frames, while the jump from 1440p to 1080p at High adds another 55 frames, landing at 206. That nearly linear progression suggests the GPU is still the dominant force at 4K, but the CPU starts to flex its muscles as pixel count drops, particularly at Low settings where frame rates climb into territory that demands strong per-core throughput.

The clearest sign of CPU involvement comes from the Low preset. At 3840x2160 Low, the combo hits 157 FPS, which is 59 FPS higher than High at the same resolution. At 1440p Low, it reaches 244 FPS, and at 1080p Low, it peaks at 278 FPS. The delta between 1440p Low and 1080p Low is only 34 FPS, whereas the delta between 4K Low and 1440p Low is 87 FPS. That compression at lower resolutions indicates the 5800XT’s 8 cores and 16 threads are becoming the limiting factor. The RTX 4080 is clearly capable of pushing far beyond 278 FPS in this title, but the CPU’s Zen 3 architecture, with a 3.80 GHz base and 4.80 GHz boost clock, sets a ceiling that the data respects.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT is a 5000-series desktop part built on TSMC’s 7 nm process, featuring 8 cores and 16 threads. Its benchmark results show a strong multithreaded profile: Cinebench R23 multicore scores 23794, while single-core lands at 3359. PassMark multithread reaches 28053, with single-thread at 3535. These numbers place the CPU in the 81st percentile among all tested processors, and its average benchmark score of 29879 sits within a fraction of its nearest rivals. The AMD Ryzen 7 7840H scores 29868, a 0% delta, while the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS and Ryzen 7 7840HS both score 29955, a -0.3% delta. The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X scores 29713, a 0.6% delta. This is a tightly contested cluster, but the 5800XT holds its own.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU’s role becomes evident in the Low preset measurements. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 278 FPS, but at 4K Low, it still manages 157 FPS. That 121 FPS gap is almost entirely GPU-driven, as the RTX 4080 is doing less work per frame at lower resolution. However, the fact that 1080p Low does not exceed 278 FPS, while 1080p Medium reaches 236 FPS and 1080p High reaches 206 FPS, suggests the CPU is not the bottleneck at higher settings either. The 5800XT’s 32 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support at 51.2 GB/s bandwidth provide adequate feeding for the GPU, but the data indicates that the CPU’s 16 threads are well-utilized without being overwhelmed. The 3dmark 16-thread score of 7683, compared to 8-thread at 6141 and 4-thread at 3603, shows scaling that plateaus beyond 8 threads, which is typical for a game like this that likely uses a handful of cores heavily with lighter background threads.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is an Ada Lovelace part with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock of 2505 MHz and base of 2205 MHz, combined with 9728 shading units, 304 TMUs, and 112 ROPs, make it a formidable 4K card. Benchmark data supports this: 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 scores 6567, Geekbench OpenCL reaches 214739, and Vulkan hits 263779. PassMark G3D scores 34457, with a GPU compute score of 20671. The GPU sits in the 86th percentile among all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 54247. Its nearest rivals are the RTX 4080 SUPER at 54209 (0.1% delta), AMD Radeon Pro W5700X at 54828 (-1.1%), AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB at 55698 (-2.6%), and AMD Radeon 8060S at 55757 (-2.7%). The RTX 4080 is essentially tied with the SUPER variant, which is a strong indicator of its sustained performance.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU’s 16 GB frame buffer is not stressed at any tested setting, as the game’s asset load fits comfortably within that capacity even at 4K Ultra. The VRAM headroom means the RTX 4080’s raw compute is the differentiator. At 4K Ultra, the combo averages 73 FPS, while 4K High jumps to 98 FPS, a 25 FPS gain from dropping one preset tier. This shows that Ultra settings introduce effects that heavily tax the GPU’s shader and ROP throughput. The RTX 4080’s 280.6 GPixel/s pixel rate and 761.5 GTexel/s texture rate are the specs doing the heavy lifting here, and the measured FPS confirms that the card is the primary driver of performance at 4K. The gap between 4K Medium (112 FPS) and 4K High (98 FPS) is 14 FPS, while the gap between 4K Medium and 4K Low (157 FPS) is 45 FPS, indicating that the Medium preset’s visual features are still relatively light on the GPU, but Low removes enough shading work to unlock substantial headroom.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a complete picture across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the combo starts at 278 FPS on Low, drops to 236 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 201 and maximum of 272), falls to 206 FPS on High, and bottoms out at 155 FPS on Ultra. The 1080p Medium row includes min/max data, showing a 71 FPS spread between minimum and maximum, which suggests some frame-time variance but nothing that would cause noticeable stutter. At 1440p, Low produces 244 FPS, Medium averages 173 FPS (min 147, max 199), High averages 151 FPS, and Ultra averages 113 FPS. The 1440p Medium spread is 52 FPS, tighter than at 1080p, which is expected as the GPU becomes more consistently loaded. At 4K, Low averages 157 FPS, Medium 112 FPS (min 95, max 129), High 98 FPS, and Ultra 73 FPS.

Interpreting these numbers, the combo is capable of esports-tier frame rates at 1080p and 1440p when settings are kept at Low or Medium. The 4K results are more interesting for a different reason: 4K Medium at 112 FPS is entirely playable on a high-refresh monitor, and 4K High at 98 FPS is just shy of triple digits, which is a solid target for a smooth experience. The 4K Ultra result of 73 FPS is the only row that dips below the 75 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for competitive play, but it remains playable for slower-paced modes. The min/max data for 4K Medium shows a 34 FPS range, which is the widest relative spread of any Medium row, indicating that the RTX 4080 is working hard enough at 4K to produce occasional dips when scenes get dense.

How This Combo Ranks

Out of 3714 tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol, this pairing of AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 291st. That places it in the top 8% of all combos tested, which is a strong result for a CPU that was released in 2024 and a GPU that is now end-of-life. The rank reflects the balance of the pairing: the 5800XT’s 81st percentile CPU score and the RTX 4080’s 86th percentile GPU score combine to produce a system that is consistently above average but not at the absolute top tier. The CPU’s nearest rivals, which include mobile parts like the 7840H and 8845HS, have nearly identical average scores, meaning the desktop 5800XT is not gaining any significant advantage from its socket or power envelope in this particular game’s workload. The GPU’s rivals, particularly the RTX 4080 SUPER with a 0.1% delta, show that the non-SUPER card is not leaving performance on the table.

The rank of 291 suggests that there are 290 combos that outperform this one in Lockdown Protocol, likely featuring newer CPUs like the Ryzen 9000 series or Intel 14th-gen parts paired with RTX 4090-class GPUs. However, the gap in FPS between this combo and those higher-ranked ones is likely modest at 1080p, where the CPU’s single-thread performance (3dmark single-thread score of 959, Cinebench R23 single-core 3359) is competitive. At 4K, the RTX 4080’s raw power is the limiting factor, and higher-ranked combos would need a stronger GPU to pull ahead significantly. This combo’s ranking confirms the GPU’s staying power, as the 4080’s 16 GB of VRAM and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth remain relevant even as newer cards launch.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows point to a clear sweet spot for this combo. For players targeting 1080p, the High preset at 206 FPS is the best balance of visual quality and performance, as the jump from High to Ultra costs 51 FPS (206 to 155) for what is likely a marginal visual improvement in a fast-paced FPS. The Medium preset at 236 FPS is the choice for competitive players who prioritize frame rate over fidelity, and the min of 201 FPS ensures that even the heaviest firefight scenes stay above 200 FPS. At 1440p, the High preset at 151 FPS is the recommendation, as it delivers a smooth experience on 144Hz monitors, and the Medium preset at 173 FPS offers a buffer for those with 165Hz or 180Hz panels. The 1440p Ultra result of 113 FPS is playable but leaves little headroom for drops, so High is the safer pick.

At 4K, the situation is more nuanced. The Medium preset at 112 FPS is the best experience per the measured data, as it stays above 95 FPS at minimum and provides a 14 FPS advantage over High (98 FPS) at a modest visual cost. The Low preset at 157 FPS is the choice for 4K high-refresh gaming, but it sacrifices too much visual detail for most players. The Ultra preset at 73 FPS is not recommended for any scenario, as it dips below the 75 FPS threshold that is widely considered the floor for smooth motion. For a 4K 120Hz display, Medium is the only preset that consistently hits the refresh rate’s sweet spot. For 4K 144Hz displays, dropping to Low is necessary to take full advantage of the panel, but the visual compromise may not be worth it for a game where spotting enemies is critical. The data suggests that this combo is best used at 1440p High or 4K Medium, depending on whether the player prioritizes frame rate or resolution. The 5800XT’s 8 cores and 16 threads are sufficient for this game’s demands, and the RTX 4080’s 16 GB VRAM ensures that texture quality does not need to be dialed down at any tested setting.