Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with AMD Ryzen 7 7700 + AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT delivers a robust Lockdown Protocol experience, with measured frame rates ranging from 62 FPS at 4K Ultra to 280 FPS at 1080p Low. The combination ranks 685th out of 3,714 tested combos, placing it in the top 18.5% of all configurations. This analysis breaks down the measured data to show how resolution, settings, and the individual components shape performance.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of scaling as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 174 FPS at 1920x1080 to 127 FPS at 2560x1440, then further to 82 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 27% decline from 1080p to 1440p, and another 35% decline from 1440p to 4K. The total drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings is 53%, indicating that the GPU becomes progressively more strained as pixel count rises.

The Low preset shows the steepest relative scaling curve. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 280 FPS, which falls to 206 FPS at 1440p and 133 FPS at 4K. The 1080p-to-4K reduction here is 52.5%, nearly identical to the High preset's scaling. This similarity suggests that even at Low settings, the limiting factor at higher resolutions remains the GPU's rendering throughput rather than any CPU bottleneck.

Medium settings exhibit the shallowest scaling among the four presets. The 199 FPS at 1080p drops to 146 FPS at 1440p and 94 FPS at 4K, a total reduction of 52.8% from 1080p to 4K. The Ultra preset shows the largest absolute drop, falling from 130 FPS at 1080p to 96 FPS at 1440p and 62 FPS at 4K — a 52.3% total decline.

The consistency of the scaling percentages across all four presets points to a GPU-bound scenario throughout. If the Ryzen 7 7700 were the limiting factor, we would expect smaller FPS deltas between resolutions at lower settings, as the CPU would cap maximum frame rates. Instead, the proportional declines suggest the RX 7900 XT's rendering pipeline is the dominant constraint across the entire resolution range.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo holds position 685 out of 3,714 tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the 81.6th percentile of all tested combos, meaning roughly 82% of configurations rank below it. Given that both the CPU and GPU are high-end desktop parts, this rank reflects strong but not top-tier performance in this specific title.

The CPU's individual standing supports the combo's placement. The Ryzen 7 7700 achieves an 87th percentile ranking against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 40,081. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 with an average score of 40,048 (0.1% lower), the Intel Core 5 221E at 40,144 (0.2% higher), the AMD Ryzen 9 270 at 40,246 (0.4% higher), and the Intel Core i9-13905H at 40,313 (0.6% higher). These extremely tight margins — all within 0.6% — indicate the 7700 sits in a densely packed performance tier where no meaningful difference exists among these processors.

The GPU's percentile is notably lower at 55th against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13,745. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon 660M at 13,812 (0.5% higher), NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile at 13,821 (0.5% higher), AMD Radeon RX 570X at 13,871 (0.9% higher), and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT at 13,543 (1.5% lower). The GPU's mid-pack percentile explains why the combo does not rank higher overall — the graphics card, while powerful in absolute terms, does not dominate its peer group in synthetic benchmarks.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 7 7700 brings 8 cores and 16 threads to the pairing, built on the Zen 4 architecture (codename Raphael) using a 5 nm process at TSMC. Its base clock is 3.80 GHz with a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, and it carries a 65 W TDP. The processor supports DDR5 memory over a dual-channel bus with 83.2 GB/s of bandwidth, and includes 32 MB of shared L3 cache alongside 1 MB of L2 and 64 KB of L1 per core.

In synthetic benchmarks, the 7700 shows strong multi-threaded performance: it scores 18,760 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1,930 in single-core, with Geekbench scores of 15,371 multi-core and 2,525 single-core. The 3DMark results are particularly telling for gaming: 8,484 for 16 threads, 8,479 for max threads, 6,933 for 8 threads, 3,931 for 4 threads, and 2,043 for 2 threads. The small gap between the 16-thread score (8,484) and max-thread score (8,479) confirms the processor's thread count is fully utilized, while the 4-thread score of 3,931 demonstrates that even lightly threaded workloads receive substantial per-core performance.

For Lockdown Protocol, an FPS title, the single-thread and lightly-threaded scores matter most for frame pacing. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1,049 and the 2-thread score of 2,043 indicate the 7700 can feed frames quickly enough to avoid CPU bottlenecks at the measured settings. The data supports this: at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 280 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's practical limit for this game, yet the scaling to 1440p and 4K remains smooth and proportional, suggesting the processor still has headroom at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 280 FPS, Medium hits 199 FPS with a minimum of 169 and maximum of 229, High reaches 174 FPS, and Ultra drops to 130 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra is 150 FPS, showing that settings have a massive impact at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but begin to compress. Low averages 206 FPS, Medium 146 FPS (min 124, max 168), High 127 FPS, and Ultra 96 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra gap narrows to 110 FPS, reflecting the GPU's increased workload at higher pixel counts.

At 3840x2160, the combo still maintains playable frame rates across all presets. Low averages 133 FPS, Medium 94 FPS (min 80, max 108), High 82 FPS, and Ultra 62 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra spread tightens further to 71 FPS, and the Ultra preset's 62 FPS average remains above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

The Medium preset stands out as the only one with recorded minimum and maximum values across all three resolutions. At 1080p, the range is 169-229 FPS; at 1440p, it is 124-168 FPS; and at 4K, it is 80-108 FPS. These ranges show consistent frame delivery with no extreme dips, indicating stable performance in this configuration.

GPU Role

The Radeon RX 7900 XT is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 31 chip (codename Plum Bonito), fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC with 57,700 million transistors on a 529 mm² die. It features 5,376 shading units, 336 texture mapping units, 192 ROPs, and 84 ray tracing cores. The GPU clocks at 1,387 MHz base, 2,025 MHz game, and 2,394 MHz boost, with memory running at 2,500 MHz (20 Gbps effective).

Memory capacity is substantial: 20 GB of GDDR6 on a 320-bit bus delivering 800.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This large pool of VRAM ensures Lockdown Protocol's textures and assets fit comfortably even at 4K Ultra, though the 62 FPS average at that preset suggests the GPU's compute throughput, not memory capacity, is the binding constraint.

In synthetic benchmarks, the 7900 XT scores 29,009 in Passmark G3D, 16,828 in Passmark GPU Compute, and 56,23 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. Its Geekbench scores are 12,756 in OpenCL and 71,068 in Vulkan. The GPU's 55th percentile ranking against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13,745, places it in the middle of the pack — a surprising position for a card with this specification sheet, but one that reflects the competitive landscape of modern GPUs.

The measured FPS data shows the GPU's strength in raw rasterization. At 4K High, the 82 FPS average is solid for a demanding resolution, and the 133 FPS at 4K Low demonstrates that the card can push high refresh rates even at 4K when settings are reduced. The 800 GB/s memory bandwidth appears sufficient for the game's data demands, as no anomalous frame drops appear in the Medium preset's min/max records.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows provide a clear hierarchy for optimizing the experience. At 4K, the choice depends on whether the user prioritizes visual fidelity or frame rate. Ultra averages 62 FPS, which is playable but leaves no headroom for demanding scenes; High at 82 FPS provides a more comfortable margin while still delivering strong visuals. Medium at 94 FPS with a minimum of 80 FPS offers the best balance of smoothness and quality at 4K, as the min FPS stays well above 60.

At 1440p, High at 127 FPS and Medium at 146 FPS (min 124) both support high refresh rate displays. The 96 FPS Ultra preset is also viable for users with 100 Hz monitors. The Low preset's 206 FPS at 1440p is excessive for most displays and sacrifices too much visual quality for marginal benefit.

At 1080p, the story shifts to maximizing refresh rate. Medium at 199 FPS (min 169) is the sweet spot for 165 Hz or 180 Hz monitors, while High at 174 FPS suits 144 Hz displays. The Ultra preset at 130 FPS still exceeds 120 Hz, making it the best choice for users who want maximum quality without dropping below 120 FPS. Low at 280 FPS is only relevant for esports-style play on 240 Hz or higher panels, but the visual compromise is steep.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset consistently offers the best measured stability, as it is the only preset with recorded minimum FPS values that remain comfortably above playable thresholds: 80 at 4K, 124 at 1440p, and 169 at 1080p.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, the measured average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 62 FPS, which meets the standard for smooth gameplay, though it leaves minimal headroom for frame drops.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: Medium at 2560x1440 delivers 146 FPS average with a minimum of 124 FPS, providing the best combination of smoothness and visual quality. High at 127 FPS is also viable for 120 Hz displays.

Q: How much faster is this combo at 1080p compared to 4K?

A: At High settings, the 1080p average of 174 FPS is 112% faster than the 4K average of 82 FPS. At Low settings, the 280 FPS at 1080p is 110% faster than the 133 FPS at 4K.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary limiter. The proportional FPS drops across all presets as resolution increases suggest the RX 7900 XT's rendering throughput constrains performance, while the Ryzen 7 7700's high single-thread scores (1,049 in 3DMark single-thread) prevent CPU bottlenecks.

Q: What is the combo's ranking among all tested configurations?

A: The combination ranks 685th out of 3,714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the top 18.5% of all configurations.

Q: Is the 20 GB of VRAM on the RX 7900 XT sufficient for this game?

A: Yes, the measured frame rates show no signs of memory-related stuttering, with the Medium preset recording minimum FPS values of 80 at 4K, 124 at 1440p, and 169 at 1080p, indicating the 20 GB memory pool handles the game's requirements without issue.