Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol, a 2024 FPS title, presents a demanding workload that scales significantly with both resolution and graphical settings. This analysis examines the measured performance of the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090, based on empirical FPS data across three resolutions and four quality presets. The data reveals a system with substantial headroom, where the limiting factor shifts predictably from the CPU at lower resolutions to the GPU at higher ones, with specific implications for frame rates and optimal configuration.

Resolution Scaling

The performance trajectory from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 clearly illustrates the growing burden on the graphics card as pixel count increases. At the Low preset, the average frame rate drops from 331.1 FPS at 1080p to 179.5 FPS at 4K, a reduction of 45.8%. This scaling indicates that even at the lowest settings, the RTX 5090 is the primary bottleneck at 4K, as the sheer number of pixels to process limits throughput. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at Low is 14.9% (to 281.7 FPS), while the subsequent drop to 4K is a steeper 36.3%, showing that the transition to 2160p is where the GPU workload becomes particularly intense.

For the High preset, the scaling pattern is similar but with lower absolute values. Performance goes from 239.7 FPS at 1080p to 174.7 FPS at 1440p, a 27.1% decrease, and then further down to 112.3 FPS at 4K, a 35.7% decrease from 1440p. This suggests that the additional shading and texture work at High settings makes the GPU the clear limiting factor at all three resolutions. In contrast, the Ultra preset shows the most pronounced scaling, with frame rates of 175.8 FPS at 1080p, 129.6 FPS at 1440p, and 84.3 FPS at 4K. The relative drop from 1080p to 4K at Ultra is 52.0%, the largest across all presets, indicating that the combination of high resolution and maximal visual fidelity creates a workload that fully saturates the GPU's capabilities.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU's role is more significant, as the 12-core, 24-thread Ryzen 9 7900X is capable of feeding frames faster than the GPU can render them at lower settings. However, the scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Low (281.7 FPS to 179.5 FPS) shows a massive 36.3% drop, which is disproportionate to the 1.78x increase in pixel count. This indicates that even at Low settings, the RTX 5090's raw compute power is the dominant constraint once resolution increases beyond 1080p.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the centerpiece of this configuration, and its specifications directly explain the observed performance. With 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, the card has a memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s, which is ample for the textures and assets used in Lockdown Protocol at 4K Ultra. The high bandwidth ensures that the GPU is not starved for data, allowing the 21,760 shading units to operate at full capacity. The card's boost clock of 2407 MHz, paired with its 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, provides the raw processing power needed to maintain high frame rates at demanding resolutions.

The GPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks reinforces its capability. A Passmark G3D score of 39,650 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 14,411 place it in the 94th percentile of all GPUs, confirming its position as a top-tier part. The measured frame rates in Lockdown Protocol align with this, as the card is able to push past 330 FPS at 1080p Low, a figure that is far beyond the refresh rate of most monitors. However, the 84.3 FPS at 4K Ultra shows that even this flagship GPU is challenged by the most demanding settings, suggesting that the game's effects at Ultra, such as advanced lighting and particle simulations, are particularly intensive on the GPU's compute units.

The RTX 5090's role shifts from being the sole bottleneck at 4K to a co-bottleneck with the CPU at 1080p. The 331.1 FPS at 1080p Low is likely near the CPU's limit for frame generation in this title, as the Ryzen 9 7900X has a Passmark multithread score of 51,406, which is high but not unlimited. The GPU's average benchmark score of 84,306, which is 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D and 1.3% higher than the AMD Radeon PRO W6600, indicates that this specific card is performing as expected, with no signs of thermal throttling or driver issues affecting the results.

How This Combo Ranks

In the comprehensive database of tested combinations for Lockdown Protocol, the Ryzen 9 7900X + RTX 5090 pairing achieves a combo rank of 12 out of 1,637 tested combos. This places it in the top 0.7% of all configurations, which is consistent with the high-end nature of both components. The rank reflects the system's ability to deliver high frame rates across all settings, but it is not the absolute fastest combo available, as there are 11 other pairings that produce higher average FPS.

The CPU's position relative to its nearest rivals is extremely tight. The Ryzen 9 7900X has an average benchmark score of 50,556, which is only 0.1% lower than the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 (score 50,598) and 0.4% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 5900XT (score 50,738). This indicates that the CPU is not the differentiating factor in the combo's rank; rather, the GPU is. The RTX 5090, with a score of 84,306, is 0.1% higher than the RTX 5090 D and 0.2% higher than the RTX 5050 Mobile, but 1.6% lower than the NVIDIA CMP 40HX. These marginal differences suggest that the combo's rank of 12 is driven by the GPU's performance, as the CPU is effectively tied with its immediate competitors.

The rank of 12 out of 1,637 is notable because it demonstrates that this pairing is not just a high-end setup, but one that is optimized for this specific game. The data shows that the combo is capable of maintaining playable frame rates at 4K Ultra (84.3 FPS), which is a benchmark that many other combinations fail to meet. The combination of the 7900X's strong single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6,168) and the RTX 5090's massive compute throughput creates a balanced system that excels in Lockdown Protocol's fast-paced FPS gameplay.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 331.1 FPS, which is ideal for competitive play on high-refresh-rate monitors. However, the Medium preset at 273.7 FPS still provides a significant margin above 240 Hz, and the High preset at 239.7 FPS is just below that threshold. For players with 144Hz or 165Hz displays, the High preset at 1080p offers a near-perfect balance of visual fidelity and performance, as 239.7 FPS is well above the refresh rate cap.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset at 198 FPS is the sweet spot for high-refresh-rate gaming, providing a smooth experience on 144Hz monitors with a 37.2% performance headroom over the 144 FPS target. The High preset at 174.7 FPS is also viable, but the drop to 129.6 FPS at Ultra makes that preset less suitable for fast-paced action where frame consistency is critical. The Low preset at 281.7 FPS is excessive for most displays, and the visual compromise is not worth the extra frames.

For 4K gaming at 3840x2160, the High preset at 112.3 FPS is the recommended choice for a premium experience, as it delivers smooth gameplay on 120Hz displays with a reasonable margin. The Medium preset at 128.9 FPS is also excellent, offering a 14.8% improvement over High, but with reduced visual effects. The Ultra preset at 84.3 FPS is playable on 60Hz and some 90Hz displays, but the 25.0% drop from High to Ultra suggests that the visual differences may not justify the performance cost. The Low preset at 179.5 FPS is not recommended at 4K, as the low-quality textures and effects undermine the purpose of playing at such a high resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset of measured average frame rates provides a detailed picture of the combo's performance across all tested configurations.

At 1920x1080, the frame rates are as follows: Low preset achieves 331.1 FPS, Medium preset achieves 273.7 FPS, High preset achieves 239.7 FPS, and Ultra preset achieves 175.8 FPS. The progression from Low to Medium is a 17.3% drop, from Medium to High is a 12.4% drop, and from High to Ultra is a 26.7% drop. This non-linear scaling suggests that the Ultra preset introduces particularly heavy effects that disproportionately impact performance.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates are: Low at 281.7 FPS, Medium at 198 FPS, High at 174.7 FPS, and Ultra at 129.6 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 29.7%, which is significantly larger than the corresponding drop at 1080p (17.3%). This indicates that the Medium preset's additional effects (likely higher resolution textures and more complex shaders) become more expensive as pixel count increases. The drop from High to Ultra at 1440p is 25.8%, similar to the 26.7% drop at 1080p, suggesting that the Ultra preset's overhead scales proportionally with resolution.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates are: Low at 179.5 FPS, Medium at 128.9 FPS, High at 112.3 FPS, and Ultra at 84.3 FPS. The relative differences between presets are more compressed at 4K, with Low to Medium showing a 28.2% drop, Medium to High showing a 12.9% drop, and High to Ultra showing a 24.9% drop. The absolute values show that even the Low preset at 4K (179.5 FPS) is faster than the Ultra preset at 1080p (175.8 FPS), which underscores the GPU's capability to handle higher resolutions with reduced settings.

The minimum and maximum FPS values were not recorded in the data, so the analysis relies solely on average frame rates. This limitation means that frame time consistency and 1% lows cannot be assessed, but the average values are sufficient to draw conclusions about overall performance scaling and settings recommendations. The data confirms that the Ryzen 9 7900X + RTX 5090 combo is a top-tier pairing for Lockdown Protocol, with the ability to exceed 100 FPS at 4K High and approach 240 FPS at 1080p High, making it suitable for both competitive and high-fidelity gaming scenarios.