Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D delivers an exceptional Lockdown Protocol experience, ranking 14th out of 2,828 tested combinations. This places the combo in the top 0.5% of all systems, with benchmark results showing a clear GPU-bound pattern at 4K that transitions to CPU influence at 1080p. Across all tested resolutions, this pairing maintains playable frame rates even at maximum settings, with the data indicating that the RTX 5090 D's 32 GB GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth provide substantial headroom for this FPS title.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling behavior reveals a system with substantial performance reserves. At 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 348 FPS average, which drops to 295 FPS at 1440p Low and 190 FPS at 4K Low. This represents a 15.2% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 35.6% reduction from 1440p to 4K, indicating that the RTX 5090 D's rendering pipeline becomes increasingly taxed as pixel count rises. The scaling pattern at Low settings shows a nearly linear relationship with pixel throughput, suggesting the GPU is the primary limiter even at the lowest quality preset.

Moving to High settings, the frame rate progression shows 249 FPS at 1080p, 183 FPS at 1440p, and 118 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops here are 26.5% from 1080p to 1440p and 35.5% from 1440p to 4K, nearly identical to the Low setting scaling. This consistency across quality presets indicates that resolution scaling is driven by pixel count rather than shader complexity, a hallmark of a GPU with ample compute resources. The 4K High result of 118 FPS demonstrates that this combination can handle high-refresh-rate 4K gaming without compromise.

Ultra settings present the most demanding scenario, with 187 FPS at 1080p, 137 FPS at 1440p, and 88 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a 26.7% reduction, while 1440p to 4K shows a 35.8% reduction. These percentages align closely with the Low and High preset scaling, reinforcing that resolution is the dominant variable. The 4K Ultra result of 88 FPS remains comfortably above playable thresholds, though it falls below the 144 Hz refresh rates that lower resolutions can sustain. The data shows that the limiting component shifts from GPU at 4K to a more balanced CPU-GPU interaction at 1080p, where the Ryzen 7 9800X3D's 8 cores and 16 threads with 96 MB shared L3 cache provide sufficient headroom.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D serves as the primary performance driver in this configuration, particularly at higher resolutions. Its 32 GB GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus delivers 1.79 TB/s bandwidth, which proves ample for Lockdown Protocol's texture streaming and scene complexity. The GPU's boost clock of 2407 MHz and base clock of 2017 MHz provide the raw throughput necessary for the frame rates observed. With 21,760 shading units, 680 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, the RTX 5090 D demonstrates why it sits in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 77,712.

The GPU's nearest rival in benchmark scores is the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT, which scores 76,904 with a delta of 1.1%, while the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 78,940 with a -1.6% delta. These comparisons highlight that while the RTX 5090 D leads the mobile Radeon parts, the margin is narrow in synthetic benchmarks. However, in Lockdown Protocol specifically, the RTX 5090 D's 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 1,636.8 GTexel/s texture rate contribute to the strong frame rates observed across all settings. The 423.6 GPixel/s pixel rate directly supports the resolution scaling behavior, as higher pixel counts demand more fill rate.

The 575 W TDP and dual-slot design with a 16-pin power connector indicate substantial power delivery, though the data does not include power consumption measurements for this specific game. The RTX 5090 D's 170 RT cores and 680 tensor cores provide ray tracing and AI acceleration capabilities, though Lockdown Protocol's performance profile suggests traditional rasterization dominates the workload. The GPU's 5 nm process from TSMC with 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die enables the high clock speeds and memory bandwidth that this game leverages effectively.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D provides the computational foundation for this combination, with its 8 cores and 16 threads operating at a 4.70 GHz base clock and 5.20 GHz boost clock. The 96 MB shared L3 cache is particularly notable for gaming workloads, as it reduces memory latency and improves cache hit rates for game data. This CPU sits in the 87th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 39,768, positioning it as a strong but not top-tier processor in synthetic tests.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions where the GPU has spare capacity. At 1080p Low, the 348 FPS average suggests the CPU can feed the GPU effectively, though the 3DMark single-thread score of 1,212 and multi-thread score of 10,067 indicate strong per-core performance. The Geekbench single-core score of 2,964 and multi-core score of 18,696 further confirm the CPU's capability to handle game logic and physics without bottlenecking the GPU at these frame rates.

The CPU's nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS at 39,603 (0.4% delta), the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 at 40,048 (-0.7% delta), and the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 at 40,081 (-0.8% delta). These comparisons show the 9800X3D performing within 1% of its closest competitors in synthetic benchmarks, yet its gaming-oriented cache design likely contributes to the strong results in Lockdown Protocol. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23,230 and single-core score of 2,080 provide context for the CPU's processing capabilities, while the PassMark multi-thread score of 40,009 and single-thread score of 4,430 show balanced performance across workloads.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination ranks 14th out of 2,828 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the top 0.5% of all systems evaluated. This ranking reflects the synergy between the RTX 5090 D's massive memory bandwidth and the 9800X3D's large cache, which together minimize stalls and maximize frame throughput. The data shows that this pairing outperforms the vast majority of alternatives, with only 13 combinations achieving higher frame rates in this game.

The ranking position appears justified by the measured frame rates, which show no sub-60 FPS results even at 4K Ultra settings. The 88 FPS minimum observed at 4K Ultra demonstrates that this combination maintains smooth gameplay under the most demanding conditions tested. The combo's percentile ranking of 92 for the GPU and 87 for the CPU individually might suggest a mid-80s percentile expectation, but the measured results exceed this projection, indicating exceptional component compatibility for this title.

The gap between this combo and lower-ranked alternatives likely stems from the RTX 5090 D's 1.79 TB/s memory bandwidth, which allows it to sustain high frame rates at 4K where lesser GPUs would experience bandwidth limitations. The 9800X3D's 96 MB L3 cache complements this by reducing CPU-side memory requests, allowing the GPU to focus on rendering rather than waiting on data. This combination of high-bandwidth GPU memory and large CPU cache creates a balanced system that excels in frame generation and delivery.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080 resolution, the measured frame rates show a clear progression across settings. Low settings produce 348 FPS average, Medium produces 285 FPS with a minimum of 243 FPS and maximum of 328 FPS, High produces 249 FPS, and Ultra produces 187 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 161 FPS, representing a 46.3% reduction in performance when moving to maximum quality. The Medium setting's documented range of 243-328 FPS provides insight into frame time consistency, with the spread indicating that even at lower settings, occasional dips occur.

At 2560x1440 resolution, the frame rates scale down predictably. Low settings achieve 295 FPS, Medium achieves 209 FPS with a range of 178-241 FPS, High achieves 183 FPS, and Ultra achieves 137 FPS. The reduction from 1080p to 1440p is most pronounced at Low settings (53 FPS drop) and least pronounced at Ultra (50 FPS drop), suggesting that higher settings become relatively more efficient at higher resolutions. The Medium setting's minimum of 178 FPS indicates that even the lowest frames remain well above typical display refresh rates.

At 3840x2160 resolution, the GPU's workload increases significantly. Low settings produce 190 FPS, Medium produces 135 FPS with a range of 115-155 FPS, High produces 118 FPS, and Ultra produces 88 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 88 FPS is the only measured average below 100 FPS, yet it remains suitable for standard 60 Hz displays and most 90 Hz panels. The Medium setting's 115 FPS minimum ensures that even demanding scenes maintain playable frame rates at 4K. The progression from 1080p to 4K at each setting shows consistent performance scaling, with no sudden drops that would indicate a bottleneck or thermal issue.

Settings Recommendations

For 4K Ultra settings, the 88 FPS average provides a playable experience, though users seeking higher refresh rates should consider High settings, which deliver 118 FPS — a 34% improvement over Ultra. The data shows that High settings at 4K offer the best balance of visual quality and performance, as the 118 FPS average exceeds the 100 FPS threshold that many high-refresh-rate displays require. Medium settings at 4K provide 135 FPS with a minimum of 115 FPS, making this the recommended choice for competitive play where frame consistency matters more than absolute visual fidelity.

At 1440p resolution, Ultra settings deliver 137 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate displays, while High settings improve this to 183 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p produces 209 FPS with a minimum of 178 FPS, making it the strongest choice for esports-style play where maximum frame rates are prioritized. Low settings at 1440p achieve 295 FPS, which approaches the limits of most 240 Hz monitors, though the visual quality reduction may not justify the additional frame rate for most users. The 1440p High setting strikes the optimal balance, offering 183 FPS with presumably better visual fidelity than Medium.

For 1080p gaming, the measured results show that even Ultra settings deliver 187 FPS, which exceeds the refresh rate of most high-end monitors. High settings at 1080p produce 249 FPS, while Medium achieves 285 FPS with a 243 FPS minimum. Low settings reach 348 FPS, which is only relevant for users with 360 Hz monitors or competitive players seeking absolute maximum frame rates. The recommended preset for 1080p is High, as it provides 249 FPS while maintaining better visual quality than Medium, and the difference between High and Ultra (62 FPS) is less significant than the visual impact of reducing from Ultra to High.

The overall recommendation based on the measured data is to use High settings at any resolution, as this preset consistently provides frame rates that are 34% to 45% higher than Ultra while maintaining a substantial visual quality improvement over Medium. For users prioritizing maximum frame rates, Medium settings offer the best minimum frame performance, particularly at 4K where the 115 FPS minimum ensures smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes.