Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol, an FPS released in March 2024, demonstrates distinct performance scaling characteristics when paired with the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER. The measured frame rate data reveals a system that is heavily optimized for high-refresh-rate gaming, with the balance between CPU and GPU shifting predictably as resolution increases.

Resolution Scaling

The performance trajectory from 1080p to 4K shows a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling, though the magnitude of the frame rate drop is particularly steep due to the CPU's exceptional strength. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 331 FPS. This figure is extraordinarily high and indicates that the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, with its 8 cores and 16 threads boosting up to 5.20 GHz, is providing ample headroom for the RTX 4080 SUPER to operate at its maximum potential. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same Low settings, the average drops to 243 FPS, a reduction of 88 FPS. This 26.6% decrease is substantial and signals the onset of GPU limitation, as the pixel count increases by 78%.

At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the average FPS plummets to 157. This represents a 35.4% drop from the 1440p figure and a 52.6% drop from 1080p. The scaling pattern across these three resolutions with identical settings strongly suggests that the limiting component at 4K is unequivocally the GPU. The RTX 4080 SUPER's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 736.3 GB/s bandwidth are being taxed heavily, but the frame rates remain playable, indicating the Ada Lovelace architecture is handling the load efficiently.

When analyzing the High settings preset, the scaling is similar but with a lower ceiling. The 1080p High average is 205 FPS, which drops to 151 FPS at 1440p and further to 97 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 26.3% and 35.8% respectively, mirroring the Low preset's scaling almost exactly. This consistency across presets confirms that resolution is the primary variable affecting performance, not the complexity of the graphical settings.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the system is likely CPU-bound in certain scenarios, as evidenced by the massive frame rates exceeding 300 FPS. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D's 96 MB of shared L3 cache and Zen 5 architecture provide the low-latency access required for such high throughput. However, at 4K, the RTX 4080 SUPER's raw compute capabilities, including its 52.22 TFLOPS FP32 performance, become the bottleneck. The transition from 1080p to 4K represents a 52.6% performance loss at Low settings, which is a significant penalty but expected for a game pushing this many pixels.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate achievable with this combo?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 331, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This indicates the system's peak performance ceiling when the GPU is least stressed.

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

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 73. This is the lowest measured average across all configurations, showing a 77.9% reduction from the peak 1080p Low performance.

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

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 172. Given the 78% pixel increase from 1080p results in only a 26.8% frame rate drop, the system is transitioning toward GPU limitation, but the CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads still provide sufficient support.

Q: What is the frame time consistency like at Medium settings?

A: The Medium preset is the only one with min and max FPS data. At 1080p, the range is 200 to 270 FPS with an average of 235. At 1440p, the range is 147 to 198 FPS with an average of 172. At 4K, the range is 95 to 128 FPS with an average of 111. These ranges represent a 29.8% spread at 1080p, 29.7% at 1440p, and 29.7% at 4K, showing consistent frame pacing relative to the average.

Q: How does the combo's performance compare to other tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 241st out of 3714 tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the top 6.5% of all tested systems.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, Low settings yield an average of 157 FPS, while Ultra settings yield 73 FPS. This represents a 53.5% performance decrease when moving from Low to Ultra, indicating the significant graphical load of the Ultra preset.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER achieves a rank of 241 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places the system in the 93.5th percentile of all tested configurations, indicating that it outperforms the vast majority of systems in this specific game. The ranking is particularly impressive given that the RTX 4080 SUPER has a percentile ranking of 86 against all GPUs, and the Ryzen 7 9800X3D has a percentile ranking of 87 against all CPUs.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 39768 places it in close competition with its nearest rivals. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS scores 39603, a delta of 0.4%, while the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 scores 40048, a delta of -0.7%. This tight grouping indicates that the 9800X3D is performing at the expected level for its class. The GPU's average benchmark score of 54209 is similarly competitive, with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 scoring 54247 (a -0.1% delta) and the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scoring 54828 (a -1.1% delta).

The rank of 241 suggests that there are 240 other combinations that deliver higher frame rates in Lockdown Protocol. Given the high-end nature of both components, this is likely due to systems with even more powerful GPUs, such as those from the GeForce 50 series, which is the successor to the 40-series. The data shows that this combo is not the absolute top performer, but it sits comfortably in the upper echelon of gaming systems.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the resolution with the highest performance, the combo delivers an average of 331 FPS at Low settings, 235 FPS at Medium, 205 FPS at High, and 154 FPS at Ultra. The minimum FPS recorded at this resolution is 200, occurring at Medium settings, while the maximum is 270 at the same preset. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 177 FPS, representing a 53.5% reduction in performance when enabling the highest graphical preset.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average frame rates decrease across all presets. Low settings produce 243 FPS, Medium produces 172 FPS, High produces 151 FPS, and Ultra produces 113 FPS. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 147 FPS and a maximum of 198 FPS. The performance drop from 1080p to 1440p is most pronounced at Low settings (88 FPS or 26.6%) and least pronounced at Ultra settings (41 FPS or 26.6%), showing a consistent relative scaling pattern.

At 3840x2160, the resolution places the most strain on the system. Low settings average 157 FPS, Medium averages 111 FPS, High averages 97 FPS, and Ultra averages 73 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K records a minimum of 95 FPS and a maximum of 128 FPS. The total performance envelope from 1080p Low to 4K Ultra spans from 331 FPS down to 73 FPS, a 78% reduction, demonstrating the substantial impact of resolution and settings on this hardware combination.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, based on the Ada Lovelace architecture and AD103 chip, is the primary driver of frame rates at higher resolutions. With 10240 shading units, 320 texture mapping units, and 112 render output units, the GPU provides substantial compute resources. Its boost clock of 2550 MHz and base clock of 2295 MHz allow for high throughput, while the 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus delivers 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth.

The GPU's benchmark scores reflect its position in the market. Its Passmark G3D score of 34245 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6600 indicate strong DirectX 12 performance, which is relevant for Lockdown Protocol. The Geekbench OpenCL score of 219065 and Vulkan score of 260075 show versatile API support. The GPU's nearest rival, the RTX 4080, scores 54247 in average benchmarks, a delta of -0.1%, meaning the SUPER variant is essentially performance-equivalent in synthetic tests.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU's role becomes increasingly critical as resolution increases. At 1080p, the GPU is not the bottleneck, as evidenced by the 331 FPS Low score. However, at 4K Ultra, the 73 FPS average suggests the GPU is working near its limits. The GPU's memory capacity of 16 GB is sufficient for this game, as no out-of-memory issues are indicated by the data. The 320 tensor cores and 80 RT cores provide additional capabilities, though their impact on this specific FPS title is not directly measured.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, is a formidable gaming processor. Its base clock of 4.70 GHz and boost clock of 5.20 GHz, combined with 96 MB of shared L3 cache, provide exceptional single-threaded and multi-threaded performance. The CPU's benchmark results support this, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23230 and single-core score of 2080, along with a Geekbench multi-core score of 18696 and single-core score of 2964.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 39768 places it in a tight competition with its rivals. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS scores 39603, a 0.4% delta, while the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 scores 40048, a -0.7% delta. These differences are negligible in real-world gaming, indicating that the 9800X3D is performing at the expected level for its class.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is most apparent at 1080p, where the system achieves 331 FPS at Low settings. This high frame rate indicates that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to maintain such high throughput. The CPU's 16 threads and high clock speeds are likely sufficient for the game's physics and game logic calculations. At 4K, the CPU's role diminishes as the GPU becomes the limiting factor, but the 9800X3D's performance ensures there is no CPU-induced bottleneck even at the lowest 73 FPS average.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user's resolution and refresh rate priorities. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset offers an excellent balance, providing an average of 235 FPS with a minimum of 200 FPS. This ensures a smooth experience on high-refresh-rate monitors up to 200 Hz. The High preset at 205 FPS is also viable for 144Hz displays, while the Ultra preset at 154 FPS remains playable but with less headroom.

For 2560x1440 users, the High preset with an average of 151 FPS is the recommended choice for 144Hz monitors, as it provides high visual fidelity while maintaining frame rates above the refresh threshold. The Medium preset at 172 FPS offers additional headroom for competitive play, while the Ultra preset at 113 FPS is suitable for slower-paced gameplay or 120Hz displays. The Low preset at 243 FPS is excessive for most displays but could benefit esports players with 240Hz monitors.

At 3840x2160, the High preset at 97 FPS is the most balanced option, providing near-Ultra visuals with frame rates suitable for 100Hz or 120Hz displays. The Medium preset at 111 FPS offers a slight performance boost with minimal visual compromise, making it the best choice for maintaining smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset at 73 FPS is only recommended for users prioritizing visual quality over frame rate, as it falls below the 90 FPS threshold considered ideal for responsive gameplay. The Low preset at 157 FPS is unnecessary given the minimal visual benefits at this resolution.