Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol scales predictably with resolution, but the shape of that scaling reveals a system that is rarely the bottleneck. At 1080p with Low settings, this combo produces 270.5 FPS, which drops to 222.7 FPS at 1440p and further to 143.4 FPS at 4K. Moving from 1080p Low to 4K Low represents a 47% reduction in average frame rate, which is a typical load increase for a GPU-bound title. However, the more interesting story is at the higher presets: 1080p Ultra delivers 140.9 FPS, while 4K Ultra manages only 70 FPS—exactly half. That perfect halving from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings indicates the GPU is doing precisely double the pixel work with no other limiting factor intervening. The 1440p numbers sit almost exactly between the two extremes for every preset, which is the signature of a balanced pairing where neither component is dramatically over- or under-powered for the game’s demands.

The data suggests that the limiting component shifts depending on resolution and preset. At 1080p Low, the 270.5 FPS figure is likely near the CPU’s practical ceiling in this title, given the Ryzen 9 5900X’s architecture. When you drop to 1440p Low, the 222.7 FPS result is still extremely high, but the 21% drop versus 1080p shows the GPU is starting to take on more work. By 4K Low, the 143.4 FPS result indicates a clear GPU-bound scenario, as the frame rate has fallen by more than half from the 1080p baseline. The gap between Low and Ultra presets widens as resolution increases: at 1080p the spread is 129.6 FPS (from 270.5 down to 140.9), while at 4K the spread is 73.4 FPS (from 143.4 down to 70). That widening delta at higher resolutions confirms that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER’s rendering pipeline is the primary constraint when pixel count rises, not the CPU’s ability to feed frames.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X brings 12 cores and 24 threads to this pairing, built on the Zen 3 architecture with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz. In Lockdown Protocol, a fast-paced FPS, the single-thread performance is often more critical than raw core count. The CPU’s 3DMark single-thread score of 941 and Geekbench single-core score of 2202 suggest competent per-core throughput, which aligns with the high frame rates observed at 1080p. The 3DMark 8-thread score of 6601 and max-thread score of 10075 indicate that the processor scales well with additional threads, but the game’s engine appears to favor the strong single-core performance for the majority of frame generation.

Looking at the benchmark results, the 5900X sits in the 90th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 39453. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-13700F, which scores 39095 (0.9% lower), and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8845HS, which scores 39747 (0.7% higher). These deltas are small, meaning the 5900X is effectively in a dead heat with modern mid-range and upper-mid-range processors in general compute tasks. For Lockdown Protocol specifically, the 1080p Low result of 270.5 FPS shows the CPU is not holding back the GPU at lower resolutions. However, the fact that 1080p High (192.7 FPS) is only 29% slower than 1080p Low, while 4K High (90.5 FPS) is 37% slower than 4K Low, suggests that the CPU’s role diminishes as resolution climbs. The 12 cores and 24 threads are more than sufficient for this title’s multi-threaded workloads, but the game does not appear to leverage all of them—the 3DMark 16-thread score of 9075 versus the max-thread score of 10075 shows diminishing returns beyond 16 threads, which is typical for FPS games.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is the workhorse in this combo, equipped with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 672.3 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock of 2610 MHz and 8448 shading units deliver substantial raw compute, evidenced by the FP32 rating of 44.10 TFLOPS. In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU’s role becomes dominant at 1440p and 4K. The measured frames show that at 1440p Ultra, the combo produces 103.9 FPS, which is 26% lower than 1440p High’s 141.5 FPS. At 4K, that gap widens: Ultra yields 70 FPS versus High’s 90.5 FPS, a 22% penalty. This scaling suggests that the Ultra preset introduces effects that heavily tax the GPU’s shading and memory subsystems.

The GPU’s 16 GB VRAM is likely a non-issue at all tested resolutions, since even 4K Ultra only produced 70 FPS—a performance drop consistent with compute limits rather than memory capacity exhaustion. The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER sits in the 86th percentile among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 48704. Its nearest rivals in synthetic tests are the Intel Arc A550M (49737, 2.1% higher) and the NVIDIA RTX A2000 (47915, 1.6% lower), which are not directly comparable in gaming workloads. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5569 provides a modern gaming load reference, while the PassMark G3D score of 31811 confirms strong rasterization performance. For Lockdown Protocol, the GPU is the clear limiting factor at 4K, as evidenced by the 4K Low result of 143.4 FPS being significantly lower than the 1080p Low result of 270.5 FPS—a 47% drop that aligns with the increased pixel count rather than any CPU limitation.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings depend on your target resolution and frame rate preference. For 1080p gaming, the High preset at 192.7 FPS is the sweet spot for competitive play, offering a substantial frame rate advantage over Ultra (140.9 FPS) while still looking respectable. The jump from High to Ultra costs 27% of your frame rate, which is hard to justify unless you prioritize image quality over responsiveness. At 1440p, the Medium preset delivers 157.5 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. Choosing High at 141.5 FPS is also viable, but the 10% improvement in visuals from Medium to High comes at a 10% frame rate cost—a fair trade-off. Ultra at 1440p drops to 103.9 FPS, which is still playable but sacrifices the smoothness that the lower presets provide.

For 4K, the data strongly suggests sticking with Low or Medium. The Low preset achieves 143.4 FPS, which is excellent for 4K and likely above the refresh rate of most 4K displays. Medium at 102 FPS is also solid, offering better visuals while staying above 100 FPS. High at 90.5 FPS is borderline, and Ultra at 70 FPS is only suitable for slower-paced play or if you have a 60 Hz display. The measured data indicates that the jump from Medium to High at 4K costs 24% of the frame rate (from 102 to 90.5 FPS), while High to Ultra costs another 23% (from 90.5 to 70 FPS). For the best experience per the measured rows, Medium at 4K provides the best balance of visual fidelity and frame rate stability.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER ranks 222nd out of 1637 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. That places it in the top 14% of all configurations tested, which is a strong showing for a pairing that uses a previous-generation CPU with a current-generation GPU. The CPU’s 90th percentile standing and the GPU’s 86th percentile standing individually suggest that both components are above average, but the combo rank indicates that the pairing is well-matched for this game. The 5900X’s performance relative to its rivals—being within 1% of the Intel Core i7-13700F and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8845HS—means that the CPU is not the weak link. Similarly, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER’s synthetic scores, while close to the Intel Arc A550M and NVIDIA RTX A2000 in generic benchmarks, show that the GPU is delivering competitive real-world results in this title.

The rank of 222 out of 1637 is particularly noteworthy because it suggests that many combos with newer or more expensive hardware do not necessarily outperform this pairing in Lockdown Protocol. The data shows that the 5900X’s 12 cores and 24 threads are sufficient to keep the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER fed at all but the lowest resolutions, and the GPU’s 16 GB VRAM and high bandwidth prevent any memory-related stutters. This combo reflects the longevity of the Zen 3 architecture, which remains competitive despite being released in a prior generation. For a game like Lockdown Protocol, where frame rate consistency is crucial, this ranking validates the pairing as a capable choice for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1080p and 1440p, with 4K performance that exceeds what most displays can handle.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Lockdown Protocol with this combo?

A: Based on the measured data, 1440p with Medium settings (157.5 FPS) or 1080p with High settings (192.7 FPS) offer the best combination of frame rate and visual quality. At 4K, Medium settings at 102 FPS is the recommended choice.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at 1080p?

A: The 1080p Low result of 270.5 FPS suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at high frame rates. However, the 3DMark single-thread score of 941 indicates that the 5900X’s per-core performance is adequate, and the 12-core/24-thread configuration is not a limiting factor in this game.

Q: Is the 16 GB VRAM sufficient for 4K gaming?

A: Yes, the 16 GB GDDR6X memory on the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is not a bottleneck in this title. The 4K Ultra result of 70 FPS indicates the GPU is compute-limited rather than memory-limited, as the frame rate scales consistently with resolution and preset.

Q: How does this combo compare to systems with newer CPUs?

A: The 5900X’s average benchmark score of 39453 is within 1% of the Intel Core i7-13700F (39095) and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8845HS (39747). This means the CPU is not holding back the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER, and the combo rank of 222 out of 1637 confirms it remains competitive.

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

A: At 1440p, High settings produce 141.5 FPS while Ultra produces 103.9 FPS. The 27% drop in frame rate from High to Ultra is a significant trade-off for the visual improvements, so High is generally the better choice for competitive play.

Q: Can this system handle a 240 Hz display?

A: At 1080p, the Low preset (270.5 FPS) and Medium preset (218.1 FPS) both exceed 240 FPS, while High (192.7 FPS) falls short. At 1440p, only the Low preset (222.7 FPS) comes close to 240 FPS, so a 240 Hz display would require 1080p with Low or Medium settings.