Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol, a 2024 FPS title, presents a demanding workload that stresses both the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT in distinct ways. The benchmark data reveals a system capable of high refresh rate play at 1080p and 1440p, with 4K performance requiring more careful settings selection. This analysis breaks down the measured frame rates, the roles of the CPU and GPU, and how this specific pairing ranks against other tested configurations.

Settings Recommendations

The measured frame rates across three resolutions and four quality presets indicate that the High settings preset offers the most balanced experience for this hardware combination. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers an average of 150 FPS, which is more than sufficient for smooth gameplay on standard high-refresh monitors. Moving to 2560x1440, the High preset maintains a strong 112.6 FPS average, showing that the system scales well with increased resolution without a dramatic performance hit. Even at 3840x2160, the High preset manages a playable 68.7 FPS average.

The Ultra preset, while visually superior, introduces a significant performance penalty that may not be worth the graphical gain. At 1920x1080, Ultra drops the average FPS to 115.4, a 23% reduction compared to High. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset yields 82.4 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 54.1 FPS. While these numbers are still technically playable, they push the system closer to the edge of smoothness, particularly at higher resolutions. For users prioritizing frame rate consistency, High is the recommended starting point.

The Medium preset offers a middle ground, with 170.1 FPS at 1080p and 128.1 FPS at 1440p. However, the performance difference between Medium and High is relatively small, suggesting that users should opt for High to get better visual fidelity without sacrificing much performance. The Low preset, while delivering the highest frame rates at all resolutions (238.5 FPS at 1080p, 176.7 FPS at 1440p, and 114.4 FPS at 4K), is only recommended for competitive play where every frame counts, as the visual downgrade is substantial. The data clearly shows that High is the sweet spot for this configuration.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, with its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, provides a substantial foundation for Lockdown Protocol. The memory bandwidth of 512.0 GB/s is a critical factor, as the game’s texture streaming and high-resolution assets demand significant data throughput. The GPU's boost clock of 2250 MHz and game clock of 2015 MHz indicate a high operating frequency, which directly contributes to the raw pixel-pushing capability. The 4608 shading units and 128 ROPs are well-suited for the rasterization-heavy workload of a fast-paced FPS.

The GPU's performance is most evident when observing the frame rate scaling across settings. At 1920x1080, the jump from Low to Ultra reduces the average FPS from 238.5 to 115.4, a clear indication that the GPU is the primary driver of performance at this resolution. The same pattern holds at 2560x1440, where the FPS drops from 176.7 on Low to 82.4 on Ultra. This consistent scaling shows that the RX 6800 XT is being fully utilized, with its compute units and memory system working in concert to render each frame.

In the context of its peers, the RX 6800 XT holds its own. It sits at the 87th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 49982. Its nearest rival, the Intel Arc A550M, is only 0.5% ahead, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is 2.6% behind. This positioning suggests that the GPU is a strong performer for this game, capable of delivering high frame rates without being a bottleneck in most scenarios.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, provides ample processing power for Lockdown Protocol’s game logic and physics calculations. Its Zen 5 architecture, built on a 4 nm process, features a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. The 32 MB of shared L3 cache is particularly important for gaming, as it allows for fast access to frequently used data. The CPU’s 89th percentile ranking against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 36029, indicates it is a high-end processor that will not hold back the GPU in most situations.

The CPU’s role becomes clearer when examining the frame rate differences at lower resolutions. At 1920x1080, the difference between the Low preset (238.5 FPS) and the High preset (150 FPS) is 88.5 FPS. This large gap suggests that while the GPU is still the main bottleneck, the CPU is working harder to feed it frames. The Ryzen 7 9700X’s single-threaded performance, as evidenced by its 3DMark single-thread score of 1280 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4459, is crucial for maintaining high frame rates in a game that likely relies on a main game thread.

The CPU’s multi-threaded capabilities are also relevant, as modern FPS titles often use multiple cores for various tasks. The 3DMark max-threads score of 9771 and the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 31588 show that the processor can handle parallel workloads efficiently. However, in Lockdown Protocol, the data suggests that the GPU is the primary limiting factor, especially at higher resolutions. The CPU is performing its role correctly, providing enough headroom to avoid becoming a bottleneck.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT ranks 572nd out of 1637 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places the pairing in the top 35% of all systems tested, indicating a solid, above-average gaming platform. While it is not at the absolute top tier, this rank reflects a well-balanced system that can handle the game’s demands across a variety of settings and resolutions.

This ranking is consistent with the individual performance of each component. The GPU’s 87th percentile and the CPU’s 89th percentile suggest that both parts are performing near the top of their respective classes. The combo rank, while lower than the individual percentiles, accounts for the fact that in a demanding game like Lockdown Protocol, the interaction between the two components can lead to diminishing returns. The system is not being held back by a weak link; rather, it is performing as a capable mid-to-high-end configuration.

The data shows that this combo is well-suited for high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p gaming, with the ability to handle 4K at reduced settings. The rank reflects a system that offers a good balance of CPU and GPU horsepower, making it a reliable choice for this title.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 provides insight into which component is the limiting factor. At the High settings preset, the average FPS drops from 150 at 1080p to 112.6 at 1440p, a decrease of 24.9%. Moving to 4K, the FPS falls to 68.7, a further 39% reduction. This substantial drop as resolution increases is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. The RX 6800 XT is being pushed harder at higher resolutions, as it must render more pixels, while the CPU’s workload remains relatively constant.

The scaling pattern is similar across all settings presets. For example, at the Low preset, the FPS drops from 238.5 at 1080p to 176.7 at 1440p, and then to 114.4 at 4K. The consistent reduction in frame rates with increasing resolution confirms that the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The CPU, with its high single-threaded performance, is able to keep up with the GPU’s demands at all resolutions, ensuring that the frame rate is not artificially capped.

This analysis indicates that for users with a 1080p or 1440p monitor, the system will provide excellent performance. For 4K users, the data suggests that the High preset is the maximum playable setting, with Ultra dipping below 60 FPS. The resolution scaling data is a clear indicator that this combo is optimized for high-refresh gaming at mainstream resolutions rather than 4K gaming at maximum settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table summarizes the exact measured average frame rates for each resolution and settings combination:

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

| :--------- | :------- | ------: |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 238.5 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 170.1 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 150.0 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 115.4 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 176.7 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 128.1 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 112.6 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 82.4 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 114.4 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 79.8 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 68.7 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 54.1 |

At 1080p, the system is capable of exceeding 200 FPS on the Low preset and maintaining above 115 FPS on the Ultra preset. This makes it an excellent choice for competitive shooters where high frame rates are paramount. At 1440p, the performance remains strong, with the High preset delivering over 110 FPS and the Ultra preset staying above 80 FPS. This is the resolution where the system truly shines, offering a balance of visual quality and performance. At 4K, the system can handle the Low preset at over 110 FPS, but the High preset drops to 68.7 FPS, and Ultra falls below 60 FPS. This makes 4K gaming viable but requires users to compromise on settings to achieve smooth gameplay. The data across all resolutions and settings confirms that the pairing of the Ryzen 7 9700X and RX 6800 XT is a consistently capable performer for Lockdown Protocol.