Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol’s measured performance data for the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination places it at rank 624 out of 3,714 tested combos, positioning it in the top 17% of all system configurations. This is a strong result for a 1440p-focused build, though the data reveals that the pairing’s headroom is heavily dependent on resolution and preset selection.

How This Combo Ranks

Out of 3,714 tested combinations, this CPU-GPU pairing lands at position 624. That places it comfortably in the upper tier of systems, indicating that the 12-core Ryzen 9 5900X and the RTX 4070 SUPER form a balanced partnership for this FPS title. The rank reflects the combo's ability to push high frame rates, particularly at 1080p and 1440p, where the measured results show the system operating well above the 60 FPS threshold even at the most demanding settings.

The CPU itself holds an 87th percentile ranking against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 41,376. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 7 366H (0.3% faster), the Intel Core Ultra 7 356H (0.4% faster), and the AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 440 (0.4% faster), while the Intel Core i7-14650HX trails by 0.5%. These deltas are minuscule, meaning the 5900X is effectively trading blows with modern mid-range mobile and desktop parts in synthetic tests.

The GPU, meanwhile, sits at the 83rd percentile among all GPUs with an average score of 43,223. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB (0.1% faster), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile (0.1% faster), and the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 (0.2% faster), with the RTX 4090 Mobile leading by 1%. This suggests the RTX 4070 SUPER is a capable 4K-capable card, but its performance tier is closer to professional workstation cards and high-end mobile parts than to the absolute top-tier desktop GPUs.

The combination’s rank of 624 out of 3,714 is a direct consequence of this balance: the CPU provides enough single-thread and multi-thread throughput to avoid bottlenecking the GPU at lower resolutions, while the GPU’s 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth handle the asset streaming demands of a modern FPS without stuttering. The data shows a system that is neither CPU-limited nor GPU-limited at 1440p, which is the sweet spot for this pairing.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain high frame rates?

A: The measured data shows 1440p High delivering 132 FPS average, while 1080p High reaches 180 FPS average. At 4K High, the average drops to 85 FPS, which is still playable but significantly lower.

Q: How does the Ultra preset affect performance compared to High?

A: At 1440p, Ultra produces 99 FPS average versus 132 FPS on High, a 25% reduction. At 1080p, Ultra yields 135 FPS average versus 180 FPS on High, a 25% drop. The gap narrows at 4K, where Ultra gives 64 FPS average versus 85 FPS on High, a 24.7% reduction.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The data indicates the GPU becomes the primary limiter at 1080p. The jump from Low (272 FPS) to Ultra (135 FPS) shows a 50% performance swing, while the CPU’s 12 cores and 24 threads remain underutilized, as evidenced by the relatively small frame rate differences between presets at this resolution.

Q: Does the combo support ray tracing effectively?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER includes 56 RT cores, and the GPU’s DirectX 12 Ultimate API support (12_2) ensures compatibility with advanced rendering features. However, the measured FPS data does not include ray tracing results, so no quantitative assessment can be made from this pack.

Q: How much memory bandwidth does the GPU have, and does it matter for this game?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER has 504.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth across a 192-bit bus with 12 GB of GDDR6X. This is sufficient for the game’s texture streaming, as evidenced by the stable frame rates at 1440p, but the 4K Ultra result of 64 FPS suggests the memory bandwidth is a contributing factor to the performance drop at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the CPU’s boost clock, and how does it affect gaming?

A: The Ryzen 9 5900X boosts to 4.80 GHz from a 3.70 GHz base clock. In single-threaded benchmarks, it scores 941 in 3DMark single-thread and 3469 in Passmark single-thread, which are strong results that help maintain high frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios, though the game’s measured FPS shows the GPU is the dominant factor at most settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear scaling pattern as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 272 FPS at 1080p to 212 FPS at 1440p (a 22% reduction) and then to 137 FPS at 4K (a 35% reduction from 1440p). This steep decline at 4K Low indicates that the GPU’s pixel throughput is the bottleneck, as the CPU can easily feed the frame rate at lower resolutions.

At Medium settings, the pattern is similar but with a smaller absolute drop: 206 FPS at 1080p, 151 FPS at 1440p (a 26.7% reduction), and 97 FPS at 4K (a 35.8% reduction from 1440p). The consistency of the percentage drops across these presets suggests that the rendering workload scales linearly with pixel count, and the RTX 4070 SUPER’s 35.48 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is being fully utilized.

The High preset shows a different behavior: 180 FPS at 1080p drops to 132 FPS at 1440p (a 26.7% reduction) and then to 85 FPS at 4K (a 35.6% reduction from 1440p). This is notable because the 4K High result of 85 FPS is higher than the 4K Medium result of 97 FPS, which seems counterintuitive. This suggests that the game’s High preset may be less demanding than Medium in certain rendering aspects, or that the data reflects a variance in scene complexity.

The Ultra preset shows the most significant scaling penalty: 135 FPS at 1080p, 99 FPS at 1440p (a 26.7% reduction), and 64 FPS at 4K (a 35.4% reduction from 1440p). The 4K Ultra result of 64 FPS is the lowest in the entire dataset, indicating that this preset pushes the GPU to its limits. The fact that the CPU’s 12 cores and 24 threads are not the limiting factor here is evidenced by the fact that even at 4K Ultra, the frame rate is still above 60 FPS, which would not be possible if the CPU were struggling.

The scaling analysis points to the RTX 4070 SUPER as the primary bottleneck at 4K, while the Ryzen 9 5900X provides ample headroom. The CPU’s 3DMark max-threads score of 10,075 and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16,262 suggest it can handle the game’s physics and AI workloads without becoming a constraint, even when the GPU is saturated.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all presets. Low settings produce an average of 272 FPS, which is the highest measured result in the entire dataset. Medium settings reduce this to 206 FPS, with a minimum of 175 FPS and a maximum of 237 FPS, indicating consistent frame pacing. High settings yield 180 FPS average, while Ultra drops to 135 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 137 FPS, showing that the GPU has significant headroom at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows a clear step down. Low settings average 212 FPS, Medium averages 151 FPS (min 128, max 173), High averages 132 FPS, and Ultra averages 99 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 113 FPS, slightly narrower than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is beginning to feel the resolution increase. The Medium preset’s min-max range of 128-173 FPS is the tightest at this resolution, suggesting good stability.

At 3840x2160, the system’s limits become apparent. Low settings average 137 FPS, which is still highly playable. Medium averages 97 FPS (min 83, max 112), High averages 85 FPS, and Ultra averages 64 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 73 FPS, the smallest of any resolution, confirming that the GPU is the limiting factor. The Medium preset’s minimum of 83 FPS is the lowest recorded in the dataset, but it remains above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset consistently provides the most balanced performance with recorded minimum and maximum values. This suggests that Medium is the most stable preset for this combo, as the min-max ranges are narrower than what would be expected from the other presets, which lack min-max data in the pack.

Settings Recommendations

For players prioritizing maximum frame rates, the Low preset at 1080p delivers 272 FPS average, which is ideal for competitive play on high-refresh-rate monitors. At 1440p, Low still provides 212 FPS average, making it a viable option for esports-style gameplay. However, the visual quality trade-off may be significant for a game that relies on environmental detail.

The Medium preset emerges as the best overall choice for this combo. At 1080p, it delivers 206 FPS average with a min-max range of 175-237 FPS, offering smooth performance with improved visuals over Low. At 1440p, Medium provides 151 FPS average with a min-max range of 128-173 FPS, which is excellent for most gaming monitors. Even at 4K, Medium maintains 97 FPS average with a min-max range of 83-112 FPS, making it the only preset that keeps frame rates above 80 FPS at the highest resolution.

The High preset is a strong alternative for those who want better visuals without sacrificing too much performance. At 1080p, it produces 180 FPS average; at 1440p, 132 FPS average; and at 4K, 85 FPS average. These numbers are all above the 60 FPS threshold, but the lack of min-max data makes it harder to assess frame stability compared to Medium.

The Ultra preset is only recommended for players with 1080p monitors who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate. At 1080p Ultra, the system delivers 135 FPS average, which is still smooth. At 1440p Ultra, the 99 FPS average is acceptable, but at 4K Ultra, the 64 FPS average is borderline for fast-paced FPS gameplay, as any dips below 60 FPS could impact responsiveness.

The data strongly suggests that Medium at 1440p is the sweet spot for this combo, delivering a 151 FPS average with the tightest min-max range (128-173 FPS) of any 1440p preset. This balances the GPU’s capabilities with the CPU’s headroom, providing a consistent experience.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X contributes 12 cores and 24 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz. This is a 5000-series processor built on TSMC’s 7 nm process, with a 64 MB L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support. The CPU’s benchmark scores indicate strong multi-threaded performance: Cinebench R23 multi-core reaches 16,262, Geekbench multi-core hits 14,118, and Passmark multi-thread scores 39,002.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU’s role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and handle game logic. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 9,075 and max-thread score of 10,075 show that the 5900X can handle heavy multi-threaded workloads, which is beneficial for a modern FPS that may utilize multiple cores for physics, AI, and streaming. The single-thread performance, as measured by 3DMark single-thread (941) and Cinebench R23 single-core (1,527), is adequate for maintaining high frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios.

However, the measured FPS data suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution or preset. The consistent frame rates across different presets at the same resolution indicate that the GPU is the primary constraint, especially at 4K. For example, at 1080p, the jump from Low to Ultra reduces FPS by 50%, which is a GPU-driven change. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rate would remain relatively flat across presets.

The 5900X’s 105 W TDP and Socket AM4 compatibility mean it is a power-efficient choice for this build, but the real advantage is its headroom. The CPU’s 24 threads ensure that even if the game’s future updates add more multi-threaded workloads, the system will have capacity to spare. The 64 MB L3 cache also helps with data locality, reducing memory latency for frequently accessed game assets.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the 5900X is essentially tied with the Intel Core Ultra 7 366H (0.3% faster) and the Intel Core Ultra 7 356H (0.4% faster), while being 0.5% faster than the Intel Core i7-14650HX. This means the CPU is well-positioned to avoid being a weak link in the system, even as newer processors are released. For Lockdown Protocol, the data indicates that the Ryzen 9 5900X provides more than enough processing power to keep the RTX 4070 SUPER fully utilized, making the GPU the definitive performance ceiling for this pairing.