Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX + AMD Radeon 890M

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX paired with the AMD Radeon 890M integrated graphics presents a fascinating case in Lockdown Protocol, a fast-paced FPS where frame rates dictate competitive viability. The data reveals a system that is heavily constrained by its GPU at higher resolutions, yet shows surprising capability at 1080p with lower settings. This combination ranks 2675th out of 2828 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 5% of all configurations, which suggests that while the CPU is a powerhouse, the integrated graphics hold the entire experience back. The benchmark results tell a clear story of a system that can play the game, but only under specific conditions that prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lies. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 49 FPS at 1920x1080 to 36 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 13 FPS, and then plummets to just 23 FPS at 3840x2160. The scaling from 1440p to 4K represents a 36% performance loss, which is steep and indicates that the Radeon 890M is being overwhelmed by the pixel count. The pattern is consistent across all settings: Low settings see 78 FPS at 1080p, 58 FPS at 1440p, and 37 FPS at 4K, showing a similar proportional decline.

This scaling behavior points directly to the GPU as the limiting component. The Ryzen 9 8945HX, with its 16 cores and 32 threads, is far more capable than what the Radeon 890M can feed it with frames. The CPU's multi-threaded might, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42713 and a Passmark multithread score of 51405, is essentially idle headroom when the integrated GPU is struggling to render frames. The data implies that at 4K, even the Low preset cannot maintain playable frame rates, with 37 FPS average representing the best-case scenario. The gap between 1080p and 1440p results—roughly 20 FPS across all settings—suggests that the GPU's memory bandwidth, which is system-dependent and shared, becomes a critical constraint as resolution increases.

Interestingly, the scaling between Medium and High settings at each resolution is relatively small, with only 7 FPS difference at 1080p (56 vs 49) and 5 FPS at 1440p (41 vs 36). This narrow gap suggests that the GPU is already saturated at Medium settings, and the additional visual complexity of High does not significantly change the rendering load. The real cliff appears between Low and Medium, where the average FPS drops by 22 at 1080p (78 to 56) and by 17 at 1440p (58 to 41). This indicates that the Medium preset introduces rendering features that disproportionately tax the integrated GPU's 1024 shading units.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the only preset that delivers consistently playable frame rates is Low at 1080p, averaging 78 FPS. This is the clear recommendation for any user seeking a smooth experience in Lockdown Protocol, as it provides nearly double the frame rate of the next closest option. The Medium preset at 1080p, averaging 56 FPS, is borderline acceptable for casual play but may feel sluggish in competitive scenarios where quick reaction times are essential. The minimum observed FPS for Medium at 1080p was 47 FPS, which could dip into uncomfortable territory during intense firefights.

At 1440p, the Low preset averages 58 FPS, which is serviceable but represents a significant step down from the 1080p experience. The High preset at 1440p drops to 36 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay in an FPS title. The Ultra presets are not viable at any resolution, with the best Ultra result being 36 FPS at 1080p and falling to 17 FPS at 4K. The data suggests that users should avoid Ultra entirely, as the visual improvements do not justify the severe frame rate penalty.

The measured minimum and maximum values for Medium settings provide additional insight. At 1080p Medium, the range is 47 to 64 FPS, showing a 17 FPS fluctuation that could cause noticeable stuttering. At 1440p Medium, the range tightens to 35 to 47 FPS, and at 4K Medium, it narrows further to 22 to 30 FPS. This variance indicates that the integrated GPU's performance is not stable, likely due to thermal or power constraints inherent to its 15 W TDP. For the most consistent experience, Low at 1080p is the only setting that provides both high average FPS and presumably stable performance, though the data does not include minimum FPS values for Low to confirm this.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon 890M is an integrated graphics solution based on the RDNA 3.5 architecture, built on a 4 nm process. It features 1024 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs, with a boost clock of 2900 MHz. The GPU's memory is system-shared, meaning it relies on the CPU's DDR5 memory, which is dual-channel with a bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s. This shared memory architecture is a significant limitation, as the GPU must compete with the CPU for memory bandwidth, and the system-dependent nature of this bandwidth directly impacts performance.

The 890M's benchmark scores paint a picture of a mid-range integrated GPU. Its Passmark G3D score of 8076 places it in the 45th percentile of all GPUs, which is respectable for integrated graphics but far from competitive with dedicated solutions. The nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Vega 8, which scores 9221 (0.1% lower), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 at 9273 (0.7% lower). This positioning means the 890M is roughly on par with a GTX 960, a dedicated GPU from several generations ago, which explains its struggles at higher resolutions in Lockdown Protocol.

The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 590 is quite low and indicates limited DirectX 12 performance, which is relevant given that the game likely leverages modern APIs. The Passmark DirectX 12 score of 37 is similarly weak, suggesting that the 890M may not be efficiently utilizing the DirectX 12 Ultimate features it supports. The GPU's FP32 performance of 5.939 TFLOPS provides a theoretical ceiling, but the benchmark results show that real-world performance falls well short of what this would suggest. The combination of low shading unit count and shared memory bandwidth creates a scenario where the GPU is always the limiting factor, regardless of the CPU's capabilities.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for playing Lockdown Protocol with this combo?

A: The data shows 1920x1080 as the only resolution where playable frame rates are achievable. At Low settings, the average FPS is 78, which is the highest measured value across all configurations. At 2560x1440, even the Low preset drops to 58 FPS, and at 3840x2160, the best any setting can achieve is 37 FPS on Low.

Q: Can this system handle Ultra settings in Lockdown Protocol?

A: No, Ultra settings are not viable at any resolution. The best Ultra result is 36 FPS at 1920x1080, which drops to 27 FPS at 2560x1440 and 17 FPS at 3840x2160. These frame rates are below playable thresholds for an FPS game, and the data suggests that Ultra should be avoided entirely.

Q: How does the Radeon 890M compare to similar GPUs?

A: The Radeon 890M has an average benchmark score of 9210, placing it 0.1% behind the AMD Radeon Vega 8 (9221) and 0.7% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 (9273). It is also 0.9% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465 (9294), though this is a negligible difference. The 890M sits in the 45th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 8945HX the bottleneck in this system?

A: The benchmark data indicates that the GPU is the limiting component. The CPU's Passmark multithread score of 51405 places it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU's Passmark G3D score of 8076 places it in the 45th percentile. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a dramatic drop that is characteristic of GPU limitation, not CPU limitation.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: The measured average FPS for 2560x1440 at Medium settings is 41, with a minimum of 35 and a maximum of 47. This is below the 60 FPS threshold that most FPS players consider smooth, and the variance suggests potential stuttering during gameplay.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested configurations?

A: This combination ranks 2675th out of 2828 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the bottom 5.4% of all configurations. This low ranking reflects the integrated GPU's limitations, despite the CPU's strong benchmark performance.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, codenamed Dragon Range. It operates with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, and its 64 MB of L3 cache provides ample capacity for gaming workloads. The CPU's benchmark scores are exceptional, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42713 and a single-core score of 6030, placing it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 76212 is nearly identical to the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX, which scores 76155 (0.1% lower), and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D, which scores 75779 (0.6% lower).

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU. The 16 cores and 32 threads provide far more processing power than the game likely requires, especially at lower resolutions where the GPU is already the bottleneck. The CPU's Passmark single-thread score of 3907 ensures strong per-core performance, which is important for FPS games that often rely on single-threaded game logic. However, the measured FPS data shows no evidence of CPU limitation, as the frame rates scale consistently with resolution changes, a hallmark of GPU-bound scenarios.

The CPU's memory support for DDR5 with dual-channel configuration and 83.2 GB/s bandwidth is theoretically sufficient for gaming, but the Radeon 890M's reliance on this shared memory creates a potential contention point. When the GPU accesses system memory for frame buffering, it may compete with CPU operations, potentially causing micro-stutters. The CPU's performance in memory-intensive benchmarks, such as Passmark data compression (677755) and integer math (195180), suggests it can handle complex computations, but these do not directly translate to gaming performance when the GPU is the limiting factor. The data indicates that the 8945HX is a high-end mobile processor that is effectively wasted in this configuration for Lockdown Protocol, as the integrated GPU cannot utilize its full potential.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values across settings are as follows: Low delivers 78 FPS, Medium delivers 56 FPS with a range of 47 to 64, High delivers 49 FPS, and Ultra delivers 36 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a steady decline, with the largest drop occurring between Low and Medium (22 FPS). This resolution is the only one where any setting approaches or exceeds 60 FPS, with Low being the sole preset that consistently maintains playable frame rates.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS values are: Low at 58, Medium at 41 with a range of 35 to 47, High at 36, and Ultra at 27. The gap between Low and Medium narrows to 17 FPS, and the overall performance is significantly lower than at 1080p. The High preset at 1440p matches the Ultra preset at 1080p (36 FPS), highlighting the steep cost of increasing resolution. The Medium preset's minimum of 35 FPS indicates that even mid-range settings can produce stuttery gameplay at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS values are: Low at 37, Medium at 26 with a range of 22 to 30, High at 23, and Ultra at 17. None of these results are playable for an FPS game, and the difference between Low and Ultra is only 20 FPS. The 4K results show that the Radeon 890M is completely overwhelmed, with even the lowest settings failing to produce smooth gameplay. The minimum FPS of 22 at Medium settings suggests that the game becomes nearly unplayable during demanding scenes, and the overall data confirms that 4K is not a viable option for this system.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX with the AMD Radeon 890M ranks 2675th out of 2828 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the bottom 5.4% of all configurations. This ranking is a stark contrast to the CPU's individual performance, which sits in the 95th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 76212. The GPU's individual ranking is 45th percentile with an average score of 9210, which is far more aligned with the combo's overall standing. The data strongly suggests that the combo ranking is dragged down almost entirely by the integrated GPU's limitations.

The nearest rivals to the CPU include the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX (0.1% higher average score) and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D (0.6% lower), but these comparisons are irrelevant to gaming performance when paired with such a weak GPU. The GPU's nearest rivals, including the AMD Radeon Vega 8 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, are all within 1% of the 890M's average score, confirming that this integrated GPU performs at the level of entry-level dedicated graphics from several years ago. The combo's rank of 2675 implies that the vast majority of tested systems, including those with older or less powerful CPUs, outperform this configuration in Lockdown Protocol.

This ranking has practical implications. Users with this combo should expect to play at the lowest settings and resolution to achieve acceptable frame rates, and even then, the experience will be far from optimal. The data indicates that the Ryzen 9 8945HX's powerful CPU is essentially wasted in this configuration, and the system's overall performance in Lockdown Protocol is determined by the Radeon 890M's 45th percentile standing. For those considering this combo, the benchmark results suggest that a dedicated GPU would be necessary to unlock the CPU's potential and achieve competitive frame rates in this game.