Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with AMD Ryzen 7 9700F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060

The pairing of an AMD Ryzen 7 9700F with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 produces a distinctly GPU-bound experience in Lockdown Protocol, where resolution scaling reveals a steep performance curve that shifts the bottleneck balance at every step from 1080p to 4K. The measured data shows a system that delivers smooth 1080p gameplay at most settings, but struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 4K Ultra, with the RTX 2060's 6 GB VRAM and Turing architecture acting as the primary constraint. This analysis examines how the measured FPS values across three resolutions and four quality presets illuminate the relationship between the CPU's Zen 5 architecture and the GPU's older-generation capabilities.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and reveals a classic GPU-limited scenario. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 90 FPS at 1920x1080 to 66 FPS at 2560x1440, then plummets to 43 FPS at 3840x2160 — a reduction of approximately 52% from 1080p to 4K. This steep decline indicates that the RTX 2060 is the limiting component, as the Ryzen 7 9700F's computational headroom cannot compensate for the increasing pixel count demands.

The pattern holds across all quality presets. At Low settings, the system delivers 145 FPS at 1080p, drops to 106 FPS at 1440p, and reaches 69 FPS at 4K. The 4K Low result is particularly telling: even with minimal graphical load, the GPU cannot push past 69 FPS, suggesting that raw pixel throughput is the bottleneck rather than shader complexity. Medium settings show 103 FPS at 1080p, 76 FPS at 1440p, and 49 FPS at 4K, while Ultra settings produce 67, 49, and 32 FPS respectively.

The scaling efficiency between 1440p and 4K is worse than between 1080p and 1440p. For High settings, the 1080p-to-1440p drop is 24 FPS (90→66), while the 1440p-to-4K drop is 23 FPS (66→43) — nearly identical in absolute terms but proportionally larger at the higher resolution. This non-linear behavior suggests the GPU hits a memory bandwidth wall at 4K, where the 336.0 GB/s bandwidth and 192-bit bus of the RTX 2060 become insufficient for the pixel fill demands.

At 4K Ultra, the 32 FPS average is below the threshold for comfortable first-person shooter gameplay, and the data implies that even the Ryzen 7 9700F's strong single-thread performance cannot rescue the experience. The 6 GB VRAM capacity likely becomes a limiting factor at 4K Ultra, where texture and geometry data exceed what the GDDR6 memory can efficiently hold.

GPU Role

The RTX 2060's role in this combination is defined by its Turing architecture, 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, and a boost clock of 1680 MHz. With 1920 shading units and 48 ROPs, the GPU delivers a pixel rate of 80.64 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 201.6 GTexel/s, which translates to 6.451 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. These specifications place the card at the 58th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 15290.

The 6 GB VRAM capacity is a critical factor in Lockdown Protocol's higher settings. At 4K Ultra, the 32 FPS average suggests the game is exceeding the memory capacity, forcing the GPU to manage texture streaming inefficiencies. The measured data shows that dropping from Ultra to High at 4K yields a 34% improvement (32→43 FPS), which is a larger relative gain than the same settings change at 1080p (67→90 FPS, a 34% improvement — actually proportional). However, the absolute FPS at 4K remains low regardless of settings, indicating that memory bandwidth rather than capacity is the dominant constraint.

The GPU's nearest rivals in benchmark scores include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 (deltaPct 0), AMD Radeon 680M (deltaPct 0.1), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM (deltaPct 0.6), and AMD Radeon RX 7600 (deltaPct 0.8). This tight clustering around the 15290 average score shows that the RTX 2060 sits in a competitive performance tier, but notably, all these rivals are within 0.8% of its score — meaning the 2060 is not an outlier in either direction.

The 12 nm process node and 10,800 million transistors on a 445 mm² die contribute to the card's 160 W TDP, which is modest by modern standards. The memory clock runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective), and the 336.0 GB/s bandwidth is the same figure that appears to bottleneck at 4K. The card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, ensuring compatibility with Lockdown Protocol's modern rendering requirements.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on optimal settings for this combination. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 90 FPS average, which is adequate for smooth FPS gameplay, while Medium offers 103 FPS and Low reaches 145 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1080p produces 67 FPS, which is still playable but with less headroom. For competitive play, Low at 1080p (145 FPS) offers the best margin above the 60 FPS threshold, but Medium at 103 FPS balances visual quality with performance.

At 2560x1440, Medium settings provide 76 FPS average with a minimum of 64 FPS, making it the only preset that consistently stays above 60 FPS at this resolution. High at 1440p averages 66 FPS, which is borderline, while Low reaches 106 FPS and Ultra drops to 49 FPS. For 1440p gaming, Medium is the recommended preset because it maintains playable frame rates while preserving more visual fidelity than Low.

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves a 60 FPS average. Low runs at 69 FPS, Medium at 49 FPS, High at 43 FPS, and Ultra at 32 FPS. The only viable 4K option is Low settings, which provides a playable but visually reduced experience. The data suggests that 4K is not a practical target for this combination in Lockdown Protocol, and users should either lower resolution or accept reduced graphical quality.

The Medium preset's minimum FPS values (88 at 1080p, 64 at 1440p, 41 at 4K) are noteworthy because they indicate frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the 88 FPS minimum ensures no significant stutters, while at 4K Medium, the 41 FPS minimum could cause noticeable hitches during intense action sequences.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks 2234 out of 2828 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the lower half — specifically around the 79th percentile from the bottom (or 21st percentile from the top). This ranking reflects the GPU's age and performance tier relative to modern hardware, despite the CPU being a current-generation part.

The rank of 2234 indicates that most other tested combinations outperform this pairing in this game. The Ryzen 7 9700F is a strong CPU — ranking in the 94th percentile among all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 69996 — but the RTX 2060's 58th percentile GPU ranking drags the overall combo down. The data implies that pairing a high-end CPU with a mid-range older GPU creates a significant imbalance in a game like Lockdown Protocol, where the GPU is the primary bottleneck.

The combo's ranking relative to its 2828 total possibilities suggests that Lockdown Protocol is sensitive to GPU performance more than CPU performance. If the game were CPU-bound, the strong Ryzen 7 9700F would have elevated the combo's ranking despite the older GPU. Instead, the 2234 rank confirms that the RTX 2060's limitations dictate the overall experience.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F brings substantial computational resources to this pairing, with 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge codename) on a 4 nm TSMC process. Its base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 5.50 GHz, combined with 32 MB of shared L3 cache, deliver strong single-thread and multi-thread performance. The CPU's PassMark multithread score of 36470 and single-thread score of 4691 place it in the 94th percentile among all CPUs.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU. The measured FPS scaling with resolution changes (where GPU load increases) shows that the CPU maintains adequate frame delivery even at 4K Low (69 FPS), suggesting it is not the limiting factor. The CPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (deltaPct 0.2), Intel Core i7-14700KF (deltaPct -0.2), AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (deltaPct 0.7), and Intel Core i7-14700K (deltaPct 0.9) — all within 0.9% of its average benchmark score.

The CPU's 65 W TDP and DDR5 memory support with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth provide a solid foundation for gaming. The 8-core/16-thread configuration is well-suited for modern FPS titles, and the data suggests that the CPU would not bottleneck even if paired with a more powerful GPU. However, in this specific combo, the CPU's potential is underutilized because the RTX 2060 cannot keep pace with the frame rates the CPU could support.

The PassMark physics score of 2122 and floating-point math score of 77955 indicate robust computational throughput, but these capabilities are irrelevant to Lockdown Protocol's performance ceiling once the GPU becomes saturated. The CPU's 5.50 GHz boost clock ensures that even the most demanding game logic threads run at high frequencies, but the frame rate data shows that GPU rendering time dominates overall latency.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the strongest resolution, with all presets except Ultra achieving at least 90 FPS. At 2560x1440, only Low (106 FPS) and Medium (76 FPS) stay above 60 FPS, while at 3840x2160, only Low (69 FPS) remains playable.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: The GPU is clearly the bottleneck. Resolution scaling shows a 52% FPS drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings, and even at 4K Low the GPU cannot exceed 69 FPS. The Ryzen 7 9700F's 94th percentile CPU ranking and strong benchmark scores indicate it has substantial headroom that the RTX 2060 cannot utilize.

Q: Which settings preset should I use for 1440p gaming?

A: Medium settings provide the best balance at 2560x1440, with an average of 76 FPS and a minimum of 64 FPS. This is the only preset that consistently maintains frame rates above 60 FPS at this resolution, while High averages 66 FPS and Ultra drops to 49 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle 4K in Lockdown Protocol?

A: Only at Low settings, which averages 69 FPS. Medium (49 FPS), High (43 FPS), and Ultra (32 FPS) all fall below the 60 FPS threshold, and the 4K Ultra result of 32 FPS is likely too low for comfortable FPS gameplay.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 2060's average benchmark score of 15290 is nearly identical to the GeForce GTX 580 (deltaPct 0), Radeon 680M (deltaPct 0.1), RTX 3050 OEM (deltaPct 0.6), and Radeon RX 7600 (deltaPct 0.8). All are within 0.8% of the 2060's score.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low averages 145 FPS while Ultra averages 67 FPS — a difference of 78 FPS or roughly 54% lower performance at Ultra. The Medium preset sits between at 103 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured data shows a clear progression across settings. Low settings deliver the highest average at 145 FPS, followed by Medium at 103 FPS with a minimum of 88 FPS and maximum of 119 FPS. High settings average 90 FPS, while Ultra drops to 67 FPS. The 1080p results demonstrate that this resolution is well within the RTX 2060's capabilities, with even Ultra maintaining a playable frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the performance tier shifts downward. Low settings average 106 FPS, Medium averages 76 FPS with a minimum of 64 FPS and maximum of 87 FPS, High averages 66 FPS, and Ultra averages 49 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 64 FPS is the key metric here, as it ensures the frame rate stays above 60 FPS during demanding scenes.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 2060 struggles to maintain playable performance. Low settings average 69 FPS, Medium averages 49 FPS with a minimum of 41 FPS and maximum of 56 FPS, High averages 43 FPS, and Ultra averages 32 FPS. The 4K results show that only Low settings provide a consistently playable experience, and even then, the 69 FPS average leaves little margin for frame drops.

The Medium preset is the only settings level with complete min/max data across all resolutions, providing insight into frame consistency. At 1080p, the 88-119 FPS range shows tight frame pacing. At 1440p, the 64-87 FPS range is acceptable. At 4K, the 41-56 FPS range indicates that frame times become less stable, which could manifest as visible stuttering in fast-paced gameplay.