Lockdown Protocol

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX combination delivers a wide spread of performance in Lockdown Protocol, ranging from highly playable at 4K to exceptionally fast at 1080p. The data shows a system that scales predictably with resolution, but the nature of that scaling reveals a shift in the primary bottleneck. At 1440p and below, the results are staggering, while 4K Ultra represents the only configuration where the hardware is truly pushed to its limits.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data shows a clear and substantial drop as resolution increases, which is typical for a GPU-bound title. At 1080p High, the combo produces 188 FPS. Moving to 1440p High reduces that to 138 FPS, a 50 FPS drop. The jump to 4K High brings the average down to 89 FPS, which is another 49 FPS decline from the 1440p figure. This pattern is consistent across all settings presets, indicating that the resolution scaling is the dominant factor in performance changes.

The most telling comparison comes from the Low preset. At 1080p Low, the system reaches an astonishing 273 FPS. At 1440p Low, it still manages 223 FPS, a decrease of 50 FPS. However, the drop to 4K Low is far more severe, landing at 144 FPS, which is a 79 FPS reduction from the 1440p result. This disproportionate fall at 4K, even on the Low preset, suggests that the sheer pixel count is overwhelming the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth, despite the RX 7900 XTX having a 384-bit bus and 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

Looking at the Medium preset, we see a similar trend. The 1080p result of 216 FPS drops to 158 FPS at 1440p, a 58 FPS difference. The 4K Medium average is 102 FPS, a 56 FPS drop from 1440p. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is roughly linear, but the 4K penalty is slightly steeper. The Ultra preset shows the smallest absolute differences, but the lowest playability floor. It goes from 141 FPS at 1080p to 103 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 67 FPS at 4K.

These numbers indicate that the 5950X is not a limiting factor at 1080p or 1440p. The system can push well beyond 200 FPS in many configurations, which is far more than most displays can even refresh. The performance ceiling is clearly set by the RX 7900 XTX. The data suggests that at 4K, the GPU is working at its maximum capacity, and the frame rates are entirely dependent on its ability to process the increased pixel workload.

How This Combo Ranks

In the context of Lockdown Protocol, this specific hardware pairing holds a strong position. The data places this combo at rank 535 out of 3714 tested combinations. This puts it in the top 15 percent of all systems tested, a solid result for a high-end desktop setup.

While the rank is impressive, it is importantly the GPU's raw benchmark scores do not align perfectly with its in-game ranking. The RX 7900 XTX has an average benchmark score of 19410, which is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB (19334) and the NVIDIA TITAN Xp (19177). However, this in-game rank of 535 out of 3714 suggests that in Lockdown Protocol specifically, the combination of the 16-core CPU and the 24 GB GPU is more effective than the raw synthetic benchmarks might imply.

The CPU's position in the overall hierarchy is more straightforward. The Ryzen 9 5950X has an average benchmark score of 51947, placing it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals in terms of synthetic performance are the Intel Core i9-13900F with a score of 51730 and the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX with a score of 52073. These are all within a 0.7 percent margin, making them functionally equivalent in raw compute. This high CPU standing, combined with the GPU's specific strengths in this game, explains why the combo ranks as well as it does.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is the star of the show in this configuration. It features 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, providing a massive 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This is a critical specification for Lockdown Protocol at high resolutions, as the game appears to be sensitive to memory throughput given the steep performance drop at 4K.

The GPU's clock speeds are also a factor. The base clock is 1929 MHz, but it boosts to 2498 MHz, with a game clock of 2365 MHz. This high boost clock helps sustain performance in less demanding scenes, contributing to the high average FPS at 1080p and 1440p. The card's RDNA 3.0 architecture, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, provides the raw compute power necessary for these frame rates.

However, the GPU's benchmark data tells a curious story. While it has a strong Passmark G3D score of 31238, its percentile ranking is only 64, and its nearest rivals include older cards like the NVIDIA Quadro K5200 and AMD FirePro D300. This discrepancy suggests that while the card excels in specific workloads, its overall average score is dragged down by other tests. For Lockdown Protocol, the 24 GB of VRAM is likely more than enough, but the 960.0 GB/s bandwidth appears to be the defining characteristic, as the 4K results show a clear performance cliff that is not present at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured results provides a detailed picture of the system's capabilities. At 1080p, the system is overwhelmingly fast. The Low preset achieves 273 FPS, which is the highest score in the entire dataset. Medium comes in at 216 FPS with a minimum of 183 FPS and a maximum of 248 FPS, showing excellent frame pacing. High delivers 188 FPS, and Ultra still manages a very playable 141 FPS. At this resolution, the system is never constrained, and even the most demanding preset produces frame rates that exceed the refresh rate of most high-end monitors.

At 1440p, the performance remains exceptional. Low drops to 223 FPS, still an outstanding result. Medium produces 158 FPS, with a minimum of 134 FPS and a maximum of 182 FPS. High yields 138 FPS, and Ultra stays above 100 FPS at 103 FPS. This is the sweet spot for this combo, as it provides high frame rates with the increased visual clarity of 1440p. The system is still primarily GPU-bound here, but the margin for error is larger.

At 4K, the performance becomes more moderate. Low produces 144 FPS, which is still excellent for 4K gaming. Medium drops to 102 FPS, with a minimum of 87 FPS and a maximum of 117 FPS. High yields 89 FPS, which is on the edge of high-refresh 4K displays. Ultra is the only preset that falls below the 60 FPS threshold, producing an average of 67 FPS. This is the only configuration where the GPU's limitations are apparent, but it is still playable if you are willing to accept a lower frame rate for maximum visual quality.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. Its benchmark results are robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 26017 and a single-core score of 1614. This places it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs, just behind the Intel Core i9-13900F by 0.4 percent and ahead of the AMD EPYC 8124P by 0.3 percent.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data. The high core count is not necessarily a benefit for this FPS title, but the strong single-thread performance, evidenced by a Passmark single-thread score of 3470, is crucial. The data indicates that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution. At 1080p, where the CPU has to process more draw calls per frame, the system still achieves 273 FPS on Low. This suggests that the 5950X has more than enough headroom to handle the game's logic and physics.

The 64 MB of L3 cache is also a notable feature. This large cache helps reduce memory latency, which can be beneficial for game performance. While the game might not use all 32 threads, the processor's ability to boost to 4.90 GHz on a single core ensures that the game's primary thread is never starved. The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor, as the frame rates scale almost entirely with resolution changes, which is a hallmark of a GPU-bound scenario.

Settings Recommendations

For players using a 4K display, the Medium preset is the best choice. It delivers an average of 102 FPS with a minimum of 87 FPS, which provides a smooth experience while maintaining a high level of visual fidelity. The High preset is also viable at 89 FPS, but the Medium preset offers a more comfortable margin above the 60 FPS baseline. Ultra should be avoided at this resolution, as the 67 FPS average is too close to the 60 FPS threshold for consistent smoothness during action-packed scenes.

For 1440p users, the Ultra preset is the clear winner. The 103 FPS average is well above the 60 FPS threshold, and the visual quality improvement over High is noticeable. If you prefer maximum frame rates for competitive play, the Low preset at 223 FPS is staggering, but most players will find the balance of Ultra to be the most enjoyable. The High preset at 138 FPS is also a strong option if you want a slight performance buffer.

At 1080p, the choice depends entirely on your monitor's refresh rate. If you have a 240 Hz display, the Low preset at 273 FPS is the only way to fully utilize it. If you have a 144 Hz display, the High preset at 188 FPS provides a perfect frame rate, and the Ultra preset at 141 FPS is also excellent. For most users, the High preset at 1080p offers the best combination of performance and image quality, ensuring you never dip below your display's refresh rate.