Lockdown Protocol

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB delivers a performance profile in Lockdown Protocol that is heavily dictated by resolution and graphics settings. The measured data reveals a system where the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s strong multi-threaded throughput ensures high frame rates at lower settings. The following analysis breaks down the benchmark results, focusing on resolution scaling, component roles, and detailed FPS measurements.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, clearly indicating that the Radeon RX 9060 XT is the limiting component at higher resolutions. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 196.4 at 1920x1080 to 141.6 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 54.8 FPS. Pushing further to 3840x2160, the average drops to 90.9 FPS, representing a total decline of 105.5 FPS from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern shows that the GPU’s rendering pipeline is saturated as pixel count increases.

The scaling is more pronounced at higher settings, where the GPU’s shading and memory resources are taxed further. At Ultra settings, the transition from 1920x1080 (89.8 FPS) to 2560x1440 (65.6 FPS) results in a 24.2 FPS drop, and the move to 3840x2160 brings the average down to 45.1 FPS. This 44.7 FPS difference between 1080p and 4K Ultra represents a 49.8% reduction in performance, highlighting the significant burden of 4K rendering on this GPU.

The data suggests that 1080p is where the system is most balanced, with the CPU able to feed the GPU effectively. At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain playable, but the scaling indicates the GPU is working harder. At 4K, the system struggles to maintain high refresh rates on Ultra settings, with the average FPS falling below the 60 FPS threshold. The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases, from 106.6 FPS at 1080p to 45.8 FPS at 4K, underscoring that the GPU’s computational limits are the primary constraint at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB, built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with the Navi 44 chip, is the central figure in these results. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 322.3 GB/s, which is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming but becomes a limiting factor at 4K. The GPU’s boost clock of 3130 MHz and game clock of 2530 MHz allow for substantial processing throughput, with a pixel rate of 200.3 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 400.6 GTexel/s.

The FP32 performance of 25.64 TFLOPS is a key indicator of the GPU’s raw compute capability. This power is evident in the 1080p Low result of 196.4 FPS, where the GPU has ample headroom. However, as settings increase, the shading units and ROPs are pushed harder, leading to the observed FPS declines. At 4K Ultra, the GPU’s 64 ROPs and 2048 shading units are insufficient to maintain high frame rates, resulting in a 45.1 FPS average. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is adequate for the game’s texture demands at 1080p, but the data suggests that at 4K, memory bandwidth and capacity constraints contribute to the performance drop.

The GPU’s percentile ranking of 50 against all GPUs places it in the middle of the pack, which aligns with its measured performance in this title. The lack of nearest rivals in the data prevents direct comparison, but the FPS figures alone demonstrate that the RX 9060 XT is a capable 1080p and 1440p performer, while 4K Ultra is beyond its comfort zone.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings?

A: The average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 119.8 FPS, which is a strong result for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the system perform at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 45.1, which is below the 60 FPS target for ideal smoothness, indicating the GPU is the bottleneck.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the frame rates range from 141.6 FPS on Low to 65.6 FPS on Ultra. The significant drop with higher settings indicates the GPU is the primary limiter, while the CPU provides ample headroom.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded in the data?

A: The highest average FPS is 196.4, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at Medium settings?

A: At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 138.4 at 1920x1080 to 101.1 at 2560x1440, and further to 63.6 at 3840x2160. This represents a total loss of 74.8 FPS from 1080p to 4K.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM capacity affect results at 4K?

A: The data shows a substantial FPS drop at 4K, particularly on Ultra settings (45.1 FPS), which is consistent with the 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus being stressed by higher resolution textures and rendering demands.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the system’s performance across three resolutions and four settings levels.

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best results. Low settings produce an average of 196.4 FPS, showcasing the CPU’s ability to drive high frame rates. Medium settings yield 138.4 FPS, while High settings result in 119.8 FPS. Ultra settings bring the average down to 89.8 FPS, which is still a playable experience for most users.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates decrease noticeably. Low settings average 141.6 FPS, a 54.8 FPS drop from 1080p. Medium settings achieve 101.1 FPS, and High settings reach 90.4 FPS. Ultra settings at 1440p produce an average of 65.6 FPS, which is a significant reduction from the 1080p Ultra figure.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain high performance. Low settings average 90.9 FPS, which is the only setting at 4K that exceeds 60 FPS. Medium settings drop to 63.6 FPS, while High settings fall to 58.9 FPS. Ultra settings at 4K yield the lowest measured average of 45.1 FPS. The data shows a clear trend: as resolution increases, the impact of graphics settings becomes more pronounced, with the gap between Low and Ultra widening from 106.6 FPS at 1080p to 45.8 FPS at 4K.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, provides a robust foundation for Lockdown Protocol. Based on the Zen 4 architecture on a 5 nm process, the CPU operates at a base clock of 4.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. This high clock speed is crucial for gaming performance, as the single-threaded benchmark scores indicate. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4281 and Geekbench single-core score of 2985 demonstrate strong per-core performance, which is essential for FPS titles.

The multi-threaded capabilities are equally impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 30325 and a Passmark multi-thread score of 35686. These scores suggest that the CPU can handle not only the game’s main thread but also background tasks and streaming without bottlenecking. The CPU’s percentile ranking of 89 against all CPUs places it in the upper tier, and its average benchmark score of 34313 is competitive with rivals like the Intel Core i5-13500 (34175) and Intel Core i7-12800HX (34136), with delta percentages of 0.4% and 0.5% respectively.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU’s role is most evident at 1080p with Low settings, where the average FPS of 196.4 indicates that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with a high frame rate. At higher resolutions, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, as evidenced by the frame rate drops. The CPU’s 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 83.2 GB/s memory bandwidth provide sufficient data throughput for the game’s requirements. The 105 W TDP and unlocked multiplier indicate a chip designed for performance, and the benchmark results confirm that it is not the bottleneck in this configuration. The data shows that the Ryzen 7 7700X excels in both single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads, making it a solid match for the RX 9060 XT in this game, particularly at 1080p and 1440p where the CPU can maintain high frame rates.