Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers a high-refresh-rate Lockdown Protocol experience across all tested resolutions, though the performance gap between settings narrows as resolution climbs. This mobile flagship CPU, with its 16 cores and 32 threads based on Zen 4 architecture, combines with NVIDIA's top-end Ada Lovelace GPU to produce frame rates that range from 58 FPS at 4K Ultra to 262 FPS at 1080p Low. The measured data reveals a system that can handle competitive FPS play at 1440p with high settings comfortably, while 4K gaming demands more careful settings selection to maintain smooth gameplay.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows how Lockdown Protocol responds to resolution changes across four settings tiers. At Low settings, the jump from 1080p to 1440p reduces average FPS from 262 to 192, a drop of 70 FPS. Moving from 1440p to 4K at Low settings brings the average down to 124 FPS, another 68 FPS reduction. This consistent scaling pattern suggests the GPU is the primary limiting factor at Low settings, as the frame rate drops nearly linearly with the pixel count increase.

At Medium settings, the scaling follows a similar trajectory: 186 FPS at 1080p, 136 FPS at 1440p, and 88 FPS at 4K. The 1080p-to-1440p transition costs 50 FPS, while the 1440p-to-4K transition costs 48 FPS. This near-even distribution indicates balanced load distribution between CPU and GPU at Medium settings, though the GPU still carries most of the rendering weight.

High settings show a more pronounced drop at higher resolutions. From 162 FPS at 1080p, the average falls to 119 FPS at 1440p (a 43 FPS loss), then to 77 FPS at 4K (a 42 FPS loss). The proportional decline here is steeper than at Low or Medium, suggesting that the increased shading and texture work at High settings amplifies the GPU's workload more aggressively as resolution rises.

Ultra settings produce the most dramatic scaling curve. At 1080p, the system manages 122 FPS, which drops to 89 FPS at 1440p and bottoms out at 58 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result represents the only measured configuration that falls below 60 FPS, indicating that this resolution/settings combination pushes the RTX 4090 to its practical limit in Lockdown Protocol. The gap between 1080p and 4K at Ultra is 64 FPS, showing that even a flagship GPU cannot fully compensate for the 4x pixel count increase.

The resolution scaling analysis reveals that 1440p High (119 FPS) is the highest visual quality tier that maintains a comfortable margin above 100 FPS. For players targeting 4K, Medium settings (88 FPS) provide the best balance, while Low settings (124 FPS) enable high-refresh 4K play. The data indicates that at 1080p, even Ultra settings (122 FPS) remain viable for smooth gameplay, though the CPU's role becomes more significant at this resolution.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX brings substantial processing power to this pairing, with 16 cores and 32 threads running at a base clock of 2.50 GHz and boost clock of 5.40 GHz. This Zen 4 Dragon Range processor, built on TSMC's 5 nm process, delivers strong multi-threaded performance as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42,713 and single-core score of 6,030. The CPU's 64 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 83.2 GB/s bandwidth provide ample data throughput for game logic and physics calculations.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role becomes most apparent at 1080p where frame rates exceed 200 FPS. At Low settings, the system reaches 262 FPS at 1080p, which demands rapid draw call processing and game state updates. The 8945HX's high boost clock and 32 threads ensure that even the most demanding single-threaded game tasks receive sufficient processing power. The PassMark single-thread score of 3,907 and multi-thread score of 51,405 demonstrate balanced performance across both lightly and heavily threaded workloads.

The CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX, scores 76,155 in average benchmark performance, just 0.1% higher than the 8945HX's 76,212 average. This negligible difference positions the two mobile flagship CPUs as effectively equal in overall processing capability. The AMD EPYC Embedded 8224P and AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX score slightly higher at 76,492 and 76,513 respectively (0.4% advantage), while the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D scores 75,779, which is 0.6% lower. These comparisons confirm that the 8945HX sits near the top of the CPU performance hierarchy.

At 4K resolution, the CPU's influence diminishes as the GPU becomes the bottleneck. The difference between Low settings (124 FPS) and Ultra settings (58 FPS) at 4K is primarily driven by GPU workload, not CPU capability. However, the CPU still needs to keep up with the GPU's frame production, and the 8945HX's strong single-core performance prevents it from becoming a limiting factor even at the highest frame rates observed.

The Cinebench R20 scores of 17,939 multi-core and 2,532 single-core further illustrate the CPU's capability. For a game like Lockdown Protocol, which likely benefits from both high clock speeds and multiple cores for background tasks, the 8945HX provides headroom beyond what the measured FPS data requires. The PassMark physics score of 2,168 and floating point math score of 117,453 indicate robust computational performance that supports consistent frame pacing.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Lockdown Protocol at 4K without dropping below 60 FPS?

A: Yes, but only at Medium settings (88 FPS average) or Low settings (124 FPS average). High settings at 4K average 77 FPS, while Ultra settings drop to 58 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the best resolution for competitive play with this hardware?

A: The data shows 1440p Low settings delivers 192 FPS average, and 1440p High settings provides 119 FPS. For maximum frame rates, 1080p Low reaches 262 FPS. The choice depends on whether you prioritize visual fidelity or raw FPS, but 1440p offers a strong balance.

Q: How does the RTX 4090's performance compare to its nearest rivals in this system?

A: The RTX 4090's average benchmark score is 60,347, ranking at the 88th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Arc Pro A60, scores 60,326 (0% difference), while the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores 61,896 (2.5% higher). The AMD Radeon PRO V710 scores 58,657 (2.9% lower).

Q: Does the Ryzen 9 8945HX bottleneck the RTX 4090 in Lockdown Protocol?

A: Based on the scaling data, the CPU does not appear to bottleneck at 4K or 1440p, where GPU load dominates. At 1080p Low settings (262 FPS), the CPU's single-core performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6,030) is sufficient to feed the GPU, though this is the most CPU-intensive scenario measured.

Q: What settings should I use for a 144Hz monitor at 1440p?

A: Medium settings at 1440p produce 136 FPS average, which exceeds 144Hz only when considering the max FPS of 157. High settings average 119 FPS, which is below 144 FPS. To consistently hit 144 FPS, Low settings (192 FPS) provide the necessary headroom.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems for Lockdown Protocol?

A: This configuration ranks 573rd out of 2,828 tested combos, placing it in the top 20% of all benchmarked systems. The measured data confirms it is a high-end pairing that handles the game well across all resolution/settings combinations.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination holds the 573rd position out of 2,828 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol. This places the system in the 79.7th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning roughly 20% of tested combos achieve better performance. Given that the RTX 4090 ranks at the 88th percentile among all GPUs and the 8945HX at the 95th percentile among all CPUs, the combo rank reflects the game's specific demands rather than raw hardware capability.

The ranking suggests that Lockdown Protocol may favor different hardware characteristics than those emphasized in synthetic benchmarks. While the RTX 4090's PassMark G3D score of 38,194 places it well above average, the game might respond better to GPUs with different architectural strengths. The 8945HX's nearest CPU rivals—the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX (0.1% higher average score) and AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D (0.6% lower)—would likely produce similar in-game results, but the combo ranking indicates that other system configurations achieve better Lockdown Protocol performance.

The GPU's nearest rivals in benchmark scores—the Intel Arc Pro A60 (0% difference), AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (0.3% higher), and AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (2.5% higher)—suggest that the RTX 4090 is not an outlier in raw performance. However, the 573rd rank implies that many combos with GPUs scoring lower on average benchmarks outperform this pairing in Lockdown Protocol specifically. This could be due to CPU-GPU balance, memory configuration, or game-specific optimizations that favor certain hardware combinations.

At 4K Ultra settings, the 58 FPS average represents the system's weakest measured performance, while 1080p Low at 262 FPS shows its ceiling. The combo's ranking reflects this wide performance envelope—it can deliver competitive frame rates but does not dominate the leaderboard. For players comparing systems, this rank suggests that while the hardware is top-tier, Lockdown Protocol's performance depends heavily on settings and resolution choices.

Settings Recommendations

For 4K displays, Medium settings provide the best measured experience with an 88 FPS average and a minimum of 75 FPS. This keeps gameplay above 60 FPS consistently while offering better visuals than Low settings (124 FPS but reduced detail). Ultra settings at 4K, at 58 FPS average, risk dipping below playable thresholds during intense scenes, making them unsuitable for competitive play. High settings at 4K (77 FPS) are playable but leave less headroom than Medium.

At 1440p, High settings deliver 119 FPS average, which is excellent for most gaming monitors. Players with 144Hz displays might prefer Medium settings (136 FPS average, 116 FPS minimum) to ensure they stay above the refresh rate more consistently. Low settings at 1440p (192 FPS) are optimal for high-refresh 240Hz monitors, while Ultra (89 FPS) still provides smooth gameplay for slower-paced modes.

For 1080p, the data supports using High settings (162 FPS) as the sweet spot—it delivers excellent frame rates while maintaining good visual quality. Ultra settings (122 FPS) are viable if you prioritize image quality over maximum FPS. Low settings (262 FPS) benefit only those with 240Hz+ displays who want to maximize frame pacing. Medium settings (186 FPS) offer a middle ground that exceeds most monitor refresh rates.

The measured FPS ranges (where available) show that Medium settings provide the most stable frame delivery. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 158 FPS and maximum is 214 FPS, indicating a 56 FPS spread. At 1440p Medium, the range is 116–157 FPS (41 FPS spread), and at 4K Medium, it is 75–101 FPS (26 FPS spread). This suggests that Medium settings offer more consistent performance than other tiers, likely due to balanced GPU utilization.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 262 FPS average
• Medium: 186 FPS average (158 FPS minimum, 214 FPS maximum)
• High: 162 FPS average
• Ultra: 122 FPS average

At 1080p, the system delivers playable performance at every settings tier. The jump from Ultra to Low more than doubles the frame rate (122 to 262 FPS), demonstrating that Lockdown Protocol's visual settings have a substantial impact on GPU load at this resolution. The Medium settings range of 158–214 FPS indicates good frame pacing, with the minimum still well above 144 FPS.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 192 FPS average
• Medium: 136 FPS average (116 FPS minimum, 157 FPS maximum)
• High: 119 FPS average
• Ultra: 89 FPS average

1440p shows a tighter grouping than 1080p, with all settings tiers remaining above 85 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 103 FPS, compared to 140 FPS at 1080p. This compression indicates that resolution scaling begins to dominate over settings scaling at 1440p. The Medium settings minimum of 116 FPS ensures smooth gameplay even during demanding sequences.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 124 FPS average
• Medium: 88 FPS average (75 FPS minimum, 101 FPS maximum)
• High: 77 FPS average
• Ultra: 58 FPS average

4K represents the most challenging configuration for this combo. Low settings maintain a healthy 124 FPS, proving the RTX 4090 can handle 4K gaming when visual effects are reduced. Medium settings provide the best balance with an 88 FPS average and 75 FPS minimum. Ultra settings dip to 58 FPS, which may cause noticeable stuttering on 60Hz displays. The 66 FPS spread between Low and Ultra at 4K is the smallest of any resolution, confirming that GPU limits narrow the settings impact at higher pixel counts.

The measured data shows that the RTX 4090's 24 GB of GDDR6X memory with 1.01 TB/s bandwidth handles Lockdown Protocol's texture and geometry demands without issue, as evidenced by consistent performance across all tested configurations. The GPU's 82.58 TFLOPS FP32 compute and 1,290.2 GTexel/s texture rate provide ample raw power, though the 4K Ultra result indicates the game can still stress even this flagship. The Ryzen 9 8945HX's 16 cores and 32 threads ensure that CPU-side bottlenecks do not emerge in any tested scenario, with the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42,713 confirming its capability.