Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol is a fast-paced FPS where frame pacing and responsiveness directly affect aim and movement. The tested configuration pairs the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D, an 8-core, 16-thread Zen 5 processor on AMD Socket AM5, with the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, a RDNA 2.0 graphics card featuring 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus. Measured frame rate data across 1080p, 1440p, and 4K resolutions with Low, Medium, High, and Ultra presets reveals a system that is highly capable at lower resolutions but becomes progressively GPU-limited as pixel count rises. This analysis breaks down the CPU and GPU contributions, scaling behavior, rank among tested combos, and provides exact FPS figures for each setting.

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

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D is built on the Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Granite Ridge, using a 4 nm process from TSMC. It has 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. The processor includes an 80 KB L1 cache per core, a 1 MB L2 cache per core, and a substantial 96 MB shared L3 cache. This large L3 cache is particularly relevant for gaming workloads, as it reduces latency when accessing frequently used data, which can help maintain high frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios. The chip supports DDR5 memory over a dual-channel bus, with a memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s, and it connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 24 lanes from the CPU. Its TDP is 120 W, and it was released on 2026-01-28 with a launch MSRP of $499.

Benchmark data for the CPU shows strong multi-threaded performance. In Cinebench R23, it scores 22807 in multi-core and 2228 in single-core. In Cinebench R15, the scores are 3551 multi-core and 343 single-core. PassMark results further illustrate its capabilities: a multi-thread score of 41318, a single-thread score of 4704, and a physics score of 4171. It also achieves 123140 in integer math, 81998 in floating point math, and 474501 in data compression. These scores place the CPU at the 92nd percentile among all tested CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 58386.

Relative to its nearest rivals, the Ryzen 7 9850X3D is extremely close to the pack. The Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M has an average score of 58323, which is 0.1% lower than the Ryzen chip. The Intel Xeon w5-2545 scores 58504, putting it 0.2% higher. The Intel Core i9-14900 scores 58115, 0.5% lower, and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 scores 58826, 0.7% higher. These deltas are within a single percentage point, indicating that in synthetic CPU benchmarks, the 9850X3D is effectively tied with these processors. However, for Lockdown Protocol specifically, the measured FPS data shows that even at 1080p with Low settings, the system reaches 242 FPS average, which suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions. The high L3 cache size and strong single-thread score of 2228 in R23 contribute to maintaining high minimum frame rates in CPU-heavy titles, though the data does not include min FPS for Low or High settings at any resolution except Medium.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is based on the Navi 21 chip, using the RDNA 2.0 architecture on a 7 nm process from TSMC. It has a base clock of 1825 MHz, a game clock of 2015 MHz, and a boost clock of 2250 MHz. The memory runs at 2000 MHz with 16 Gbps effective speed. The GPU is equipped with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The card has 4608 shading units, 288 texture mapping units, and 128 raster operation units, plus 72 ray tracing cores. Its pixel rate is 288.0 GPixel/s, texture rate is 648.0 GTexel/s, and it delivers 20.74 TFLOPS FP32 and 41.47 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1). The GPU has a TDP of 300 W, requires a 700 W suggested PSU, and uses dual-slot cooling with two 8-pin power connectors. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, and was released on 2020-10-27 with a launch MSRP of 649 USD.

In GPU benchmarks, the RX 6800 XT scores 3689 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 181337 in Geekbench Metal, 171304 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 136875 in Geekbench Vulkan. PassMark results include a G3D score of 24980, a G2D score of 1030, and a GPU compute score of 13245. The GPU ranks at the 85th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48477. Its nearest rivals show tight competition: the NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile scores 47743, 1.5% lower; the Intel Arc A550M scores 49737, 2.5% higher; the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti scores 49957, 3% higher; and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 scores 50001, 3% higher. These deltas are small, but the RX 6800 XT’s 16 GB VRAM is a key asset for Lockdown Protocol at higher resolutions, where texture data can be substantial.

The GPU’s role in Lockdown Protocol becomes clear when analyzing the measured FPS. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 53, which is the lowest figure across all tested settings. This indicates that at 4K with Ultra settings, the RX 6800 XT is the limiting component, as the CPU’s high single-thread performance cannot compensate for the GPU’s rendering workload. Conversely, at 1080p Low, the average FPS reaches 242, showing that the GPU is not stressed and the CPU’s capabilities are more prominent. The 16 GB VRAM likely prevents texture swapping at 4K, but the raw compute power of the Navi 21 chip is insufficient for Ultra presets at that resolution, given the 53 FPS average.

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

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of scaling from 1080p to 4K across all settings. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 242 at 1080p to 177 at 1440p and then to 115 at 4K. That is a 27% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 35% reduction from 1440p to 4K. This steep decline indicates that even at Low settings, the GPU becomes more heavily utilized as resolution increases, but the CPU still has headroom. The 115 FPS average at 4K Low is still playable, suggesting that the RX 6800 XT can handle the lower preset at 4K without falling below typical 60 FPS thresholds.

At Medium settings, the average FPS goes from 172 at 1080p to 126 at 1440p and 81 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 27%, and from 1440p to 4K is 36%, closely mirroring the Low settings scaling. This consistency suggests that the GPU is the primary bottleneck across these resolutions, as the percentage drops are similar regardless of preset. The Medium preset includes min and max FPS values: at 1080p, min 146 and max 198; at 1440p, min 107 and max 145; and at 4K, min 69 and max 94. These ranges show that frame pacing remains relatively stable, with the 4K Medium preset having a 25 FPS spread between minimum and maximum, which is acceptable for a fast-paced FPS.

High settings show a similar trend: 150 FPS at 1080p, 110 FPS at 1440p, and 71 FPS at 4K. The reduction from 1080p to 1440p is 27%, and from 1440p to 4K is 35%. Ultra settings have the largest absolute drop: 113 FPS at 1080p, 82 FPS at 1440p, and 53 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop is 27%, and 1440p to 4K is 35%. Across all four presets, the scaling pattern is remarkably uniform, with roughly a one-quarter reduction when moving from 1080p to 1440p and a one-third reduction from 1440p to 4K. This uniformity strongly indicates that the GPU is the limiting component at all resolutions above 1080p, while the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU enough frames at 1080p. The 4K Ultra result of 53 FPS is below the 60 FPS target for many gamers, while 4K High at 71 FPS is more acceptable, showing that the GPU can handle 4K only with reduced settings.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the database of tested combinations for Lockdown Protocol, this specific pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT ranks 837th out of 2828 total combos. This places it in the 70th percentile of all tested systems, meaning that roughly 30% of combinations perform better in this game. The rank of 837 suggests that while this is a solid mid-to-upper-tier setup, it is not among the elite configurations. The CPU’s high percentile rank of 92 and the GPU’s percentile rank of 85 indicate that both components are strong individually, but the combination does not push into the top quartile of game-specific performance. This is likely due to the GPU being a last-generation RDNA 2.0 card, while many higher-ranked combos use newer graphics cards with better rasterization performance.

Comparing the combo’s rank to the individual component rankings, the CPU is near the top of its class, but the GPU, while respectable, sits lower. The RX 6800 XT’s nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, scores 3% higher in average benchmark score, which could translate to higher FPS in Lockdown Protocol. However, the rank of 837 out of 2828 means that there are 1991 other combos that perform worse, so this pairing is well above average. The measured FPS data confirms this: at 1440p High, the system hits 110 FPS average, which is strong for a 2560x1440 resolution. At 1080p Ultra, it achieves 113 FPS, showing that the combo can handle the highest preset at the most common e-sports resolution. The rank also reflects that the system is not bottlenecked by the CPU, as the Ryzen 7 9850X3D’s 96 MB L3 cache and high boost clock are well-suited for gaming. The primary limitation is the GPU’s pixel and texture throughput, which caps performance at higher resolutions.

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

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. With Low settings, the average FPS is 242, which is exceptionally high and suitable for competitive play on high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium settings reduce the average to 172 FPS, with a minimum of 146 and a maximum of 198, showing tight frame pacing. High settings yield 150 FPS average, and Ultra settings drop to 113 FPS average. All 1080p presets exceed 100 FPS, meaning the CPU and GPU combination is more than adequate for this resolution. The spread between Low and Ultra is 129 FPS, indicating that the GPU’s workload scaling is significant, but even the lowest result is well above typical 60 FPS displays.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the GPU’s influence. Low settings produce an average of 177 FPS, which is still high enough for 144 Hz monitors. Medium settings average 126 FPS, with a minimum of 107 and a maximum of 145. High settings average 110 FPS, and Ultra settings average 82 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is noticeable but not drastic; for example, 1080p Ultra at 113 FPS becomes 1440p Ultra at 82 FPS, a 27% reduction. This resolution is the sweet spot for this GPU, as all presets except for Ultra stay above 100 FPS, and even Ultra is playable at 82 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. Low settings average 115 FPS, which is surprisingly high for 4K and indicates that the RX 6800 XT can handle the lower preset with ease. Medium settings average 81 FPS, with a minimum of 69 and a maximum of 94, which is within the range for a smooth experience on most displays. High settings average 71 FPS, which is playable but requires a VRR display to avoid tearing. Ultra settings average 53 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold and may result in a less responsive experience in a fast-paced FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is a 62 FPS drop, from 115 to 53, showing that the Ultra preset demands significantly more from the GPU than Low. The minimum FPS for Medium at 4K is 69, which is above the 60 FPS line, but the Ultra preset likely has lower minimums, though they are not reported.

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

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p, the Low preset at 242 FPS average is ideal for competitive play on 240 Hz monitors, but the Medium preset at 172 FPS with a minimum of 146 FPS offers a better balance of visual quality and frame rate for most users. The High preset at 150 FPS is also strong, and the Ultra preset at 113 FPS is still above 100 FPS, making it playable for those who prioritize visuals. For 1080p, the Medium preset is recommended because it provides a 172 FPS average, which exceeds the refresh rate of most high-end monitors, while the visual upgrade over Low is significant.

For 1440p, the Medium preset at 126 FPS average is the best choice, as it stays above 120 FPS and has a minimum of 107 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay. The High preset at 110 FPS is also viable for 144 Hz displays, but the Medium preset offers a higher margin above the refresh rate. The Ultra preset at 82 FPS is still playable, but the lower frame rate could impact aim precision in a competitive FPS. The Low preset at 177 FPS is excessive for most 1440p monitors, so the Medium preset provides the best visual fidelity without sacrificing frame rate.

For 4K, the Low preset at 115 FPS average is the only setting that comfortably exceeds 100 FPS, making it the recommended choice for high-refresh 4K displays. The Medium preset at 81 FPS with a minimum of 69 FPS is acceptable for 60 Hz displays, but the frame rate variability could be noticeable. The High preset at 71 FPS is borderline, and the Ultra preset at 53 FPS is not recommended for this game, as the frame rate falls below the 60 FPS threshold and may cause stuttering in fast-paced action. For 4K, the Low preset delivers the best experience per the measured rows, as it maintains a high average FPS and avoids the performance degradation seen at higher presets. Overall, the data indicates that the system is most balanced at 1440p with Medium or High settings, where the CPU and GPU work together without one becoming a significant bottleneck.