Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol is a fast-paced FPS that demands a balanced system, and the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile delivers a playable experience across the board, though the data reveals a clear GPU bottleneck at higher resolutions. This mobile combo lands in the 61st percentile of all tested combinations for this title, with the processor's immense multi-threaded power providing ample headroom for the GPU to be the primary driver of frame rates. The measured average FPS figures from 1080p to 4K paint a precise picture of where this system's strengths and limitations lie.

Resolution Scaling

The benchmark results show a predictable and steep decline in average FPS as resolution increases, a classic sign of a GPU-bound workload at higher pixel counts. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves a very high average of 168 FPS, which drops to 123 FPS at 1440p and further to 80 FPS at 4K. This scaling pattern indicates that at lower resolutions, the system has enough headroom to push frame rates well beyond the 144Hz mark, but the RTX 4060 Mobile begins to struggle as the pixel count increases.

Moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings, the average FPS falls from 104 to 76, a reduction of 28 FPS. The jump from 1440p to 4K at High settings is even more severe, with the average FPS dropping from 76 to 49, a 27 FPS decline. This consistent ~27 FPS loss per resolution step at High settings demonstrates that the GPU is the limiting component; the CPU's performance is not the bottleneck here, as the frame rate scales inversely with the rendering load.

The data for Medium settings tells a similar story. At 1080p, the average FPS is 119, which drops to 88 at 1440p and 57 at 4K. The minimum FPS values, which are only recorded for Medium settings, show that the system maintains a playable floor even at 4K, with a minimum of 48 FPS. This suggests that while the average frame rate at 4K Medium is not exceptionally high, it remains stable enough for a consistent experience without severe stutters.

At Ultra settings, the frame rates become more demanding. The average FPS at 1080p is 78, which is still smooth, but at 1440p it falls to 57, barely hitting the 60 FPS target. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to a sub-optimal 37 FPS, indicating that this setting is not viable for competitive play at that resolution. The gap between Low and Ultra settings at 4K is 43 FPS (80 vs. 37), which highlights the significant performance cost of the highest visual fidelity on this GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested hardware combinations for Lockdown Protocol, this specific pairing of the Ryzen 9 8945HX and RTX 4060 Mobile holds a rank of 2276 out of 3714 combos. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the rankings, which is a direct result of the GPU's performance tier rather than the CPU's capabilities. The rank reflects the average FPS across all tested settings and resolutions, and the RTX 4060 Mobile's middling performance at 4K drags the overall standing down.

The combo's rank is not a reflection of the CPU's strength. The Ryzen 9 8945HX is a top-tier mobile processor, sitting in the 95th percentile of all CPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score of 76212 is nearly identical to the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX, which has a delta percentage of just 0.1%. This means the two processors are effectively tied in raw compute power. The CPU is not holding back the system in this game; the GPU is the constraining factor.

The GPU itself, the RTX 4060 Mobile, sits in the 67th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 22729. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, which is 0.7% faster, and the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT, which is 0.8% slower. This places the mobile 4060 in a performance class similar to a previous-generation desktop card. The combo's rank of 2276 out of 3714 suggests that while it is not a top-tier performer, it is also not a bottom-feeder, offering a solid mid-range experience.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile is the decisive factor in determining this combo's performance in Lockdown Protocol. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides a memory bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s, which is sufficient for this game but becomes a limiting factor at higher resolutions and detail settings. The GPU's clock speeds, with a base of 1545 MHz and a boost of 1890 MHz, are moderate for the mobile segment, and the data shows that these clocks cannot sustain high frame rates at 4K Ultra.

The GPU's compute capabilities, rated at 11.61 TFLOPS for FP32, are the bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the GPU can produce frame rates that easily exceed 100 FPS on most settings, indicating that the CPU is feeding it data fast enough. However, as the resolution increases, the pixel fill rate and shading demands grow, and the GPU's 48 ROPs and 3072 shading units become saturated. The result is a significant drop in FPS, which the data confirms: the average FPS at 4K Ultra is 37, a 76% reduction from the 1080p Low score of 168.

The GPU's 24 RT cores and 96 tensor cores are present, but the benchmark data provided does not isolate ray tracing or DLSS performance. The measured FPS figures are for standard rasterization. The fact that the 4K Medium average of 57 FPS has a minimum of 48 FPS shows that the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute are working hard to maintain a consistent frame delivery, but it is clearly near its limits. The GPU's 67th percentile ranking among all GPUs indicates that it is a capable mid-range part, but it is not designed for maximum settings at 4K in a demanding FPS.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. The data shows an average of 80 FPS at 4K Low and 57 FPS at 4K Medium. At 4K High, the average drops to 49 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it is just 37 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for high refresh rate gaming?

A: 1080p is the clear winner. The average FPS at 1080p Low is 168, and even at 1080p High, it stays at 104 FPS. This allows for a smooth experience on a 144Hz display.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: The benchmark data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU is in the 95th percentile of all processors, while the GPU is in the 67th percentile. The frame rates scale heavily with resolution and settings, which is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 Mobile compare to other GPUs in the database?

A: Its average benchmark score is 22729, placing it in the 67th percentile. It is 0.7% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 and 0.8% faster than the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, the average FPS on Low is 123, while on Ultra it is 57. This represents a 66 FPS difference, showing the significant cost of the highest visual quality settings.

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 8945HX a strong processor for gaming?

A: Yes, it is a top-tier mobile CPU. It scores 42713 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and sits in the 95th percentile of all CPUs. Its performance is within 0.1% of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience for a standard 1080p monitor is to use the High preset. This setting yields an average of 104 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides excellent visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness. While Low settings offer a higher 168 FPS average, the jump to High is worth it for the visual improvement, as the performance is still more than sufficient.

For users with a 1440p monitor, the Medium preset is the optimal choice. It delivers an average of 88 FPS with a minimum of 74 FPS, ensuring a stable and responsive experience. The High preset at 1440p drops to 76 FPS, which is still playable, but the Medium setting provides a better safety margin for intense firefights where frame drops are more noticeable.

At 4K, the data suggests that players should stick to the Low preset for a playable experience, which averages 80 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K averages 57 FPS, which is acceptable for slower-paced games, but for a competitive FPS like Lockdown Protocol, the higher frame rate of the Low setting is more advantageous. The High and Ultra presets at 4K, with averages of 49 and 37 FPS respectively, are not recommended for this genre.

The Ultra preset is only viable at 1080p, where it averages 78 FPS. While this is smooth, the performance cost is significant compared to High, which is 26 FPS faster. Given that the visual difference between High and Ultra is often subtle in fast-paced games, the High preset at 1080p offers the best balance of performance and quality. The data clearly shows that this combo is best utilized at 1080p or 1440p with medium-to-high settings.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX is a powerhouse mobile processor that provides more than enough performance for Lockdown Protocol. With 16 cores and 32 threads based on the Zen 4 architecture, it is a 16-core behemoth that is overkill for most gaming workloads. Its base clock of 2.50 GHz and boost clock of 5.40 GHz are strong for a mobile part, and its 64 MB of L3 cache helps ensure that game data is readily available. In this title, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations, and the data shows it does this effortlessly.

The processor's benchmark scores are exceptional. A Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42713 puts it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, and its single-core score of 6030 is also strong. The PassMark multi-thread score of 51405 further confirms its high compute capacity. In the nearestRivals comparison, its average score of 76212 is only 0.1% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX, indicating that these two top-tier mobile chips are virtually tied in raw processing power.

However, this raw power is not being fully utilized by the game. The fact that the average FPS drops significantly from 168 at 1080p Low to 80 at 4K Low suggests that the CPU is not the bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rates would be more consistent across resolutions. The data shows a textbook GPU-bound scenario where the processor sits idle, waiting for the GPU to catch up. This makes the 8945HX a future-proof choice, as it has substantial headroom for more powerful GPUs or more CPU-intensive games.