Lockdown Protocol

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is an 8-core, 16-thread processor built on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) using a 4 nm process. Its base clock is 4.70 GHz, boosting up to 5.20 GHz, and it carries a 120 W TDP. The chip features a substantial 96 MB of shared L3 cache, which is particularly relevant for gaming workloads that benefit from large data residency. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU scores 23,230 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,080 in single-core, while Geekbench results show 18,696 multi-core and 2,964 single-core scores.

Looking at Lockdown Protocol's measured frames, the CPU's role becomes clear when examining the scaling from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p Low settings, the combo produces 333 FPS average, which is the highest measured result across all configurations. This indicates the CPU is strong enough to feed the GPU at lower resolutions where the graphics card is not the primary bottleneck. The 8-core, 16-thread configuration with the large L3 cache appears well-suited to the game's thread utilization patterns, as even at 4K Ultra the system maintains a playable 73 FPS average.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 87 versus all CPUs places it in the upper tier of processors tested. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS, scores 39,603 in average benchmark score, which is only 0.4% lower than the 9800X3D's 39,768 average. However, the 9800X3D's advantage becomes more pronounced in gaming scenarios due to its higher boost clock and cache configuration. The data shows that at 1080p, where CPU overhead is more significant, the processor maintains frame rates above 200 FPS across High and Medium settings, suggesting it is not a limiting factor in this title.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured data provides four settings presets at each resolution: Low, Medium, High, and Ultra. At 1080p, the frame rates are 333, 236, 206, and 155 FPS for Low, Medium, High, and Ultra respectively. The Medium preset at 1080p offers a strong balance, producing 236 FPS average with a minimum of 201 and maximum of 272 FPS. This represents a 42.9% improvement over Ultra while maintaining frame times well above display refresh rates.

Moving to 1440p, the Medium preset delivers 173 FPS average with a minimum of 147 and maximum of 199 FPS. The High preset at this resolution produces 151 FPS average. Given that the Medium preset provides 14.6% higher average FPS than High while likely offering similar visual quality for this title, Medium appears to be the optimal choice at 1440p. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 113 FPS average, which is still smooth but represents a significant 34.7% reduction compared to Medium.

At 4K, the Medium preset yields 112 FPS average with a minimum of 95 and maximum of 129 FPS. This is the only 4K configuration with min/max data, indicating it maintains consistent frame pacing. The High preset at 4K produces 98 FPS average, while Ultra drops to 73 FPS. For 4K gaming, Medium offers the best experience as it stays above the 90 FPS mark for average performance while the minimum of 95 suggests no major dips below that threshold. Low settings at 4K provide 157 FPS but at a significant visual quality cost that is unlikely to justify the frame rate increase for most users.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The resolution scaling data reveals which component is the primary bottleneck at each setting level. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 333 at 1080p to 244 at 1440p (a 26.7% reduction) and then to 157 at 4K (a 35.7% reduction from 1440p). This pattern, where the frame rate drops by more than half from 1080p to 4K, indicates the GPU becomes increasingly limiting as pixel count rises.

For High settings, the progression is 206 FPS at 1080p, 151 FPS at 1440p, and 98 FPS at 4K. The relative drops are 26.7% for the first step and 35.1% for the second. This consistent scaling pattern suggests that at High settings, the GPU is the primary constraint across all resolutions, as the CPU's capacity is not exhausted at any point.

The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling: 155 FPS at 1080p, 113 FPS at 1440p, and 73 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result represents only 47.1% of the 1080p Ultra performance, demonstrating that the RTX 4080's rendering load at maximum settings with 4K resolution is substantial. The data indicates that while the CPU is capable of delivering high frame rates at lower resolutions, the GPU becomes the limiting component as resolution and settings increase, which is typical for a high-end processor paired with a strong graphics card.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 achieves a combo rank of 205 out of 3,714 tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol. This places the pairing in the top 5.5% of all configurations tested for this game. The high ranking reflects the synergy between the CPU's strong single-thread performance and the GPU's substantial rendering capabilities.

The GPU's average benchmark score of 54,247 places it in the 86th percentile among all GPUs, with its nearest rival being the RTX 4080 SUPER at 54,209 (a 0.1% difference). The CPU's average score of 39,768 places it in the 87th percentile among CPUs. When considering that both components rank in the upper 15% of their respective categories, the combined rank of 205 out of 3,714 makes sense — it represents a pairing of two high-performing components that complement each other well.

The deltaPct values for the CPU's nearest rivals are all within 0.8%, indicating the 9800X3D is in a tightly contested performance tier. Similarly, the GPU's closest competitor, the RTX 4080 SUPER, is virtually identical in average score. This suggests that the combo's rank is more dependent on the game's specific optimization for these architectures rather than raw benchmark scores alone.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using a 5 nm process at TSMC. It features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 716.8 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The GPU has a base clock of 2205 MHz and a boost clock of 2505 MHz, with memory running at 1400 MHz (22.4 Gbps effective). The card contains 9,728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, and 112 raster output units, along with 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU's capabilities are most evident at higher resolutions and settings. At 4K Ultra, the combo produces 73 FPS average, which is the most demanding configuration measured. The 16 GB VRAM capacity ensures that even at 4K Ultra, memory capacity is not a limiting factor. The memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s supports the high texture throughput required at 4K resolutions.

The GPU's FP32 performance of 48.74 TFLOPS and texture rate of 761.5 GTexel/s provide the raw compute power needed for the game's rendering at high settings. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6,567 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 263,779 indicate strong DirectX 12 and Vulkan performance, which are relevant for a modern FPS title. The card's 320 W TDP and suggested 700 W PSU requirements are consistent with its high-performance positioning. The GPU's percentile rank of 86 places it near the top of tested graphics cards, with its nearest rival being the RTX 4080 SUPER at 0.1% difference in average score.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

1080p Resolution:

• Low settings: 333 FPS average
• Medium settings: 236 FPS average, 201 FPS minimum, 272 FPS maximum
• High settings: 206 FPS average
• Ultra settings: 155 FPS average

The 1080p results show a clear hierarchy where Low delivers the highest frame rates, and Ultra represents a 53.5% reduction from Low. The Medium preset's min/max spread of 71 FPS (from 201 to 272) indicates some frame time variability but remains well above display refresh rates.

1440p Resolution:

• Low settings: 244 FPS average
• Medium settings: 173 FPS average, 147 FPS minimum, 199 FPS maximum
• High settings: 151 FPS average
• Ultra settings: 113 FPS average

At 1440p, the frame rates remain high across all settings. The Medium preset's minimum of 147 FPS ensures smooth gameplay, while Ultra still manages 113 FPS average. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 53.7% reduction in average FPS, similar to the 1080p pattern.

4K Resolution:

• Low settings: 157 FPS average
• Medium settings: 112 FPS average, 95 FPS minimum, 129 FPS maximum
• High settings: 98 FPS average
• Ultra settings: 73 FPS average

The 4K results demonstrate the GPU's workload increases significantly. The Medium preset's minimum of 95 FPS is the only 4K configuration with reported minimum data, suggesting it maintains playable frame rates. Ultra at 4K drops to 73 FPS average, which is the lowest measured result but still playable for many users. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K shows a 53.5% reduction, consistent with the other resolutions.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that at 1080p, the combo delivers over 200 FPS on High settings (206 FPS), while at 1440p High it produces 151 FPS. At 4K High, the frame rate drops to 98 FPS. The best experience depends on display refresh rate, but the Medium preset at 1440p (173 FPS) offers the highest frame rate with min/max data (147-199 FPS) that suggests consistent performance.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54,247, while its closest competitor, the RTX 4080 SUPER, scores 54,209. This represents a 0.1% difference, making the two cards virtually identical in average performance. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54,828, which is 1.1% higher than the RTX 4080.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 9800X3D a bottleneck at 1080p in this game?

A: At 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 333 FPS average, which is the highest measured result. At 1080p Ultra, it still produces 155 FPS. These results indicate the CPU is not a bottleneck at 1080p, as the frame rates remain high enough to be GPU-limited at higher settings.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Medium and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, the Medium preset delivers 173 FPS average with a minimum of 147 FPS, while Ultra produces 113 FPS average. This represents a 34.7% reduction in average FPS when moving from Medium to Ultra, with the Medium preset providing a more consistent experience.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: This pairing ranks 205 out of 3,714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the top 5.5% of all configurations. Both the CPU and GPU rank in the upper tiers of their respective categories (87th and 86th percentiles).

Q: Does the 16 GB VRAM on the RTX 4080 provide enough memory for 4K gaming?

A: The measured 4K results show playable frame rates across all settings, from 157 FPS on Low to 73 FPS on Ultra. The 16 GB GDDR6X memory with 716.8 GB/s bandwidth ensures that memory capacity does not limit performance at 4K in this game, as evidenced by the consistent scaling across settings.