Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol, a 2024 FPS title, shows a wide performance envelope on the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination. The measured data reveals a system capable of high refresh rates at 1080p and 1440p, while 4K demands more conservative settings to maintain smooth gameplay. The RTX 4080 SUPER, with its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 736.3 GB/s bandwidth, proves to be the dominant factor in this pairing, though the Ryzen 9 5950X’s 16 cores and 32 threads provide ample headroom.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and consistent across all quality presets, indicating a clear GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 275 FPS at 1920x1080 to 158.7 FPS at 3840x2160, a reduction that highlights how pixel count drives the workload. The gap narrows in percentage terms as settings increase, but the absolute difference remains large; at Ultra settings, the frame rate drops from 153.5 FPS at 1080p to 71.7 FPS at 4K.

This scaling pattern points to the RTX 4080 SUPER as the limiting component at 4K, especially with higher presets. The 52.22 TFLOPS FP32 compute and 112 ROPs are tasked with filling 3840x2160 pixels, and the data shows the GPU’s limits are reached when pushing Ultra settings. At 1440p, the system behaves more balanced, with the 5950X able to feed the GPU effectively; the difference between Low and Ultra at 2560x1440 is 245.2 FPS versus 113 FPS, showing a 132.2 FPS spread from settings alone.

The scaling factor between 1440p and 4K is telling. For High settings, the drop from 152.9 FPS to 97.1 FPS represents a 36.5% reduction in performance, which is significant but allows for a smooth experience on high-refresh 4K displays. The 1080p results, particularly the 275 FPS at Low settings, suggest that the CPU is not the bottleneck at lower resolutions, but the GPU still has to work hard to maintain such high frame rates.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the star of this configuration in Lockdown Protocol. Its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus delivers 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth, which is crucial for handling the game’s textures and effects at high resolutions. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the card produces 71.7 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold but not ideal for competitive play. At 4K High, the frame rate jumps to 97.1 FPS, a 35.4% improvement, demonstrating that the GPU has significant headroom when settings are tuned.

The GPU’s boost clock of 2550 MHz and base clock of 2295 MHz are supported by 10,240 shading units and 320 tensor cores. These specifications translate to strong raw performance, as evidenced by the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6600. In the benchmark database, the RTX 4080 SUPER sits in the 88th percentile of all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 53610 is only 0.2% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT’s 53489. This places it in a competitive position, though the data shows the 4080 SUPER pulls ahead of the RX 7700S and RTX 5070 Ti by 2.1% and 2.9%, respectively.

The GPU’s role in Lockdown Protocol is clear from the measured FPS. At 1080p Low, the card achieves 275 FPS, but this is likely limited by the CPU’s ability to dispatch draw calls. As the resolution increases, the GPU becomes the primary constraint. The 4K results show that the RTX 4080 SUPER can handle the game well, but not at maximum settings; the 71.7 FPS at Ultra is playable, while the 158.7 FPS at Low suggests that lowering settings can unlock high refresh rates even at 4K, a signal of the card’s compute power and memory bandwidth.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X provides a strong foundation for this GPU. With 16 cores and 32 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture, the CPU offers massive parallel processing capability. Its boost clock of 4.90 GHz and base clock of 3.40 GHz ensure responsive single-threaded performance, which is critical for FPS games. In Cinebench R23, the processor scores 38607 in multi-core and 5450 in single-core, placing it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 49062 is only 0.2% behind the Intel Core i5-14600K’s 49166, showing that the older 5000-series chip still holds its own.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU’s influence is most visible at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system hits 275 FPS, which is a high frame rate that relies on the CPU’s ability to feed the GPU. The 5950X’s 64 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support (with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth) provide sufficient data throughput for the game’s physics and AI. However, the data suggests the CPU is not the bottleneck at 4K, as the frame rates scale inversely with resolution and settings.

The CPU’s 3DMark scores show solid multi-threaded scaling: 1856 for 2 threads, 6598 for 8 threads, and 11597 for max threads. This indicates that Lockdown Protocol, which likely uses a few cores heavily, benefits from the high single-thread score of 944 in 3DMark. The PassMark single-thread score of 3470 further confirms the CPU’s strength in lightly-threaded workloads. In practice, the 5950X ensures that the RTX 4080 SUPER is never starved of data, even at 1080p where frame rates exceed 200 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear hierarchy of settings for this hardware combination. For 1080p gaming, the Ultra preset delivers 153.5 FPS, which is smooth for most displays, but the High preset at 205.7 FPS offers a better experience for high-refresh monitors. The Medium preset at 235.8 FPS is the best choice for competitive play at 1080p, as it maintains high frame rates without sacrificing too much visual fidelity; the jump from Low (275 FPS) to Medium (235.8 FPS) costs only 39.2 FPS, while the jump from Medium to High costs 30.1 FPS.

At 1440p, the High preset at 152.9 FPS is the sweet spot, offering a balanced experience on 144Hz monitors. The Ultra preset at 113 FPS is still playable, but the 39.9 FPS difference between High and Ultra may not justify the visual gain for many players. For those with 240Hz 1440p panels, the Low preset at 245.2 FPS is the only option to fully utilize the refresh rate, but it sacrifices graphical quality.

For 4K, the High preset at 97.1 FPS is the recommended starting point, as it provides a smooth experience on 60-100Hz displays. The Medium preset at 110.2 FPS is slightly better for performance, but the Ultra preset at 71.7 FPS dips below the 90 FPS threshold that many consider ideal for fast-paced shooters. The Low preset at 158.7 FPS is a viable option for those prioritizing frame rate over visuals, but the game’s appearance will be noticeably reduced. Overall, the data suggests using High settings at 1440p for the best combination of quality and performance, with Medium at 4K as a fallback.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU/GPU combo in Lockdown Protocol?

A: Based on the measured data, 2560x1440 at High settings offers the best balance, delivering 152.9 FPS. This resolution provides a significant visual upgrade over 1080p while maintaining frame rates well above 144 FPS, making it ideal for high-refresh monitors.

Q: Can this system run Lockdown Protocol at 4K?

A: Yes, the RTX 4080 SUPER can handle 4K, but not at maximum settings. The measured results show 97.1 FPS at 4K High and 71.7 FPS at 4K Ultra. For a consistently smooth experience, the High preset is recommended, as it stays above 90 FPS.

Q: How does the Ryzen 9 5950X compare to its nearest rivals in CPU benchmarks?

A: The 5950X’s average benchmark score of 49062 is nearly identical to the Intel Core i5-14600K’s 49166, a difference of only 0.2%. It also trails the i5-14600KF by 0.6% but leads the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H by 0.7%.

Q: Is the RTX 4080 SUPER a significant upgrade over the RX 6900 XT?

A: The benchmark data shows a minimal difference. The RTX 4080 SUPER scores 53610 on average, while the RX 6900 XT scores 53489, a delta of just 0.2%. This indicates they are essentially performance equals in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: What settings should I use for competitive play at 1080p?

A: For maximum frame rates, the Low preset yields 275 FPS, but the Medium preset at 235.8 FPS is a better trade-off, as it provides a higher frame rate than High (205.7 FPS) while improving visuals over Low. The Ultra preset at 153.5 FPS is not recommended for competitive play due to the lower frame rate.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at any resolution?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K, as frame rates scale with resolution. At 1080p Low, the 275 FPS result suggests the CPU is near its limit, but the 5950X’s strong single-thread performance (3470 in PassMark) ensures it does not significantly hold back the RTX 4080 SUPER in most scenarios.