Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol’s performance on the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT combination shows a clear, predictable scaling pattern that points directly at the GPU as the primary constraint. The data indicates a system that is well-balanced at 1080p but progressively becomes more graphics-bound as resolution increases.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep and consistent decline as resolution moves from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, which is the classic signature of a GPU-limited scenario. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 99 FPS at 1080p to 72 FPS at 1440p, then down to 47 FPS at 4K. That represents a 27% performance hit when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 35% drop when stepping up to 4K. The total reduction from 1080p to 4K is 52%, which is substantial and confirms that the RX 6600 XT is doing the heavy lifting.

Looking at the Low preset, the pattern is even more pronounced. The system delivers 159 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 117 FPS at 1440p and then to 75 FPS at 4K. The scaling here shows that even when the graphical load is minimized, the GPU still cannot maintain high frame rates at higher resolutions. The 4K Low result of 75 FPS is actually lower than the 1080p High result of 99 FPS, which tells us that raw pixel count is a more significant factor than the specific quality settings.

The Medium preset data provides the most complete picture, as it includes minimum and maximum frame rates alongside the averages. At 1080p Medium, the average is 113 FPS with a minimum of 96 and a maximum of 130. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 83 FPS with a minimum of 70 and maximum of 95. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 53 FPS with a minimum of 45 and maximum of 61. The minimum frame rates scale proportionally with the averages, indicating that the frame pacing remains consistent even as the overall performance drops.

The Ultra preset results confirm the trend, with 74 FPS at 1080p, 54 FPS at 1440p, and 35 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 35 FPS is the lowest measurement in the entire dataset, and it shows that this combination is not suited for maximum quality at the highest resolution. The delta between 1080p and 1440p on Ultra is 27%, while the delta between 1440p and 4K is 35%. This suggests that the GPU is being pushed progressively harder as resolution increases, and the performance ceiling is clearly defined by the graphics card rather than the processor.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a 12-core, 24-thread processor from the Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Granite Ridge, built on a 4 nm process. Its base clock is 4.40 GHz with a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, and it carries a substantial 128 MB of L3 cache. The processor benchmarks show strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 47737 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 22884. Single-thread performance is also respectable, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6739 and a Geekbench single-core score of 3041.

In the context of Lockdown Protocol, an FPS title, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with enough data to keep it busy. The benchmark data suggests that the 9900X3D is more than capable of this task, as the frame rate scaling follows a GPU-bound pattern rather than a CPU-bound one. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see frame rates plateau or drop significantly at 1080p where the GPU has less work to do per frame. Instead, the 1080p Low result of 159 FPS shows that the CPU can push the GPU to its limits, and the processor is not the limiting factor in this configuration.

The processor's 3DMark scores provide context for its capability. The 16-thread score of 12490 and max-thread score of 13795 indicate strong parallel processing ability, while the 2-thread score of 2512 and single-thread score of 1269 show decent lighter-thread performance. The PassMark multi-thread score of 56154 and single-thread score of 4646 further confirm that this CPU has ample headroom for gaming workloads. The 9900X3D sits in the 91st percentile against all CPUs, and its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF, has an average score that is 0.6% lower. This places the 9900X3D in a strong position, but the game's frame rates are not stretching the CPU's capabilities.

The data indicates that the 9900X3D is effectively idling relative to its capacity during Lockdown Protocol gameplay. The frame rate differences between settings at the same resolution are entirely attributable to GPU workload changes, not CPU limitations. For example, at 1080p, the difference between Low (159 FPS) and Ultra (74 FPS) is a 115% gap, which is far too large to be a CPU constraint. A CPU bottleneck would show much smaller deltas between settings because the processor would be the constant limiting factor.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT is the clear performance limiter in this pairing. This GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with a bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. Its base clock is 1968 MHz with a boost clock of 2589 MHz and a game clock of 2359 MHz. The card has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, with 32 ray tracing cores. It delivers 10.60 TFLOPS of FP32 performance.

The GPU benchmarks show a mixed picture. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1804, and the PassMark G3D score is 16461. The Geekbench scores are 72417 for Vulkan and 80503 for OpenCL. The GPU sits in the 70th percentile against all GPUs, which is noticeably lower than the CPU's 91st percentile. The nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630, has an average score that is 0.7% higher, which shows that the RX 6600 XT is positioned in the mid-range tier.

The 8 GB of VRAM is a critical factor at higher resolutions. At 4K, the Ultra preset produces only 35 FPS, which suggests the GPU is struggling not just with compute but potentially with memory capacity and bandwidth. The 256.0 GB/s bandwidth is moderate, and at 4K resolution, the demand for texture data and frame buffer memory increases substantially. The 128-bit memory bus is the limiting factor here, as it provides half the bandwidth of wider-bus cards from the same generation.

The GPU's clock speeds are relatively high, with a boost clock of 2589 MHz, but this does not compensate for the memory subsystem constraints at higher resolutions. The pixel rate of 165.7 GPixel/s and texture rate of 331.4 GTexel/s are decent for 1080p gaming but become inadequate when the pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K. The FP32 throughput of 10.60 TFLOPS is sufficient for medium settings at 1440p but falls short for high-refresh-rate 4K gaming.

The performance data confirms that the GPU is the primary determinant of frame rates in Lockdown Protocol. The fact that 4K Low (75 FPS) is significantly lower than 1080p Ultra (74 FPS) despite the massive reduction in graphical quality underscores that pixel throughput is the GPU's main challenge. The GPU is also the component with the lower percentile ranking (70th versus 91st), which aligns with the observed bottleneck behavior.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, the High preset delivers 99 FPS on average, which is smooth for most gaming scenarios. However, the Low preset achieves 159 FPS, which is a 61% improvement and would be preferable for competitive play where high refresh rates matter. The Medium preset at 113 FPS offers a good balance between visual quality and performance, with a minimum frame rate of 96 FPS that ensures consistent gameplay.

At 1440p, the Medium preset is the sweet spot. It delivers 83 FPS on average with a minimum of 70 FPS, which is playable and maintains decent visual fidelity. The High preset at 72 FPS is also acceptable, but the Medium preset provides a higher minimum frame rate, which reduces the risk of stutters. The Low preset at 117 FPS is the best choice for players who prioritize smoothness over visuals, as it comfortably exceeds 100 FPS.

At 4K, the situation is more challenging. The Medium preset delivers 53 FPS on average with a minimum of 45 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced FPS action. The High preset at 47 FPS is marginally worse, and the Ultra preset at 35 FPS is not recommended for competitive play. The Low preset at 75 FPS is the only option that approaches a smooth experience, but it sacrifices significant graphical quality. For 4K gaming, the Medium preset is the recommended choice because it provides the highest minimum frame rate (45 FPS) among the quality-focused options while keeping the average above 50 FPS.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset offers the most consistent performance with documented minimum and maximum frame rates. The data shows that the gap between Low and Medium is smaller than the gap between Medium and High, suggesting that Medium captures most of the visual benefits without the steep performance cost. The Ultra preset provides diminishing returns and should be avoided at 1440p and above, as the performance drop is substantial.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Lockdown Protocol at 1080p with high refresh rates?

A: Yes. At 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 159 FPS, and at High settings it reaches 99 FPS. The Medium preset delivers 113 FPS with a minimum of 96 FPS, making it suitable for 144Hz monitors.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The resolution scaling shows a 52% drop in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at High settings, and the GPU sits in the 70th percentile while the CPU is in the 91st percentile. The CPU has ample headroom to feed the GPU.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: The Medium preset is the best choice. It delivers 83 FPS on average with a minimum of 70 FPS, which maintains smooth gameplay. The High preset at 72 FPS is acceptable, but the Medium preset has a higher minimum frame rate.

Q: How does the RX 6600 XT handle 4K resolution in this game?

A: The RX 6600 XT struggles at 4K. Only the Low preset achieves a playable 75 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 53 FPS with a minimum of 45 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 35 FPS. The GPU's 8 GB of VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are limiting factors.

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 9900X3D overkill for this GPU?

A: For this specific game, yes. The CPU delivers 159 FPS at 1080p Low, but the GPU cannot maintain that performance at higher resolutions. The CPU's benchmark scores, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 47737, indicate it has far more capability than this game demands.

Q: Are the frame rates consistent, or are there stutters?

A: Based on the Medium preset data, frame rates are consistent. At 1080p the minimum is 96 FPS versus a 113 FPS average, at 1440p the minimum is 70 FPS versus an 83 FPS average, and at 4K the minimum is 45 FPS versus a 53 FPS average. The minimums are consistently around 85% of the averages, indicating stable frame pacing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 159 FPS average
• Medium: 113 FPS average, 96 FPS minimum, 130 FPS maximum
• High: 99 FPS average
• Ultra: 74 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 117 FPS average
• Medium: 83 FPS average, 70 FPS minimum, 95 FPS maximum
• High: 72 FPS average
• Ultra: 54 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 75 FPS average
• Medium: 53 FPS average, 45 FPS minimum, 61 FPS maximum
• High: 47 FPS average
• Ultra: 35 FPS average

The complete dataset shows that the Medium preset is the only one with full min/max documentation across all three resolutions, which makes it the most reliable point of comparison. The performance deltas between settings are consistent: at every resolution, Low is roughly 40-45% faster than High, and High is roughly 30-35% faster than Ultra. This linear scaling indicates that the GPU is handling all settings with similar efficiency, and the primary variable is simply the pixel count. The 1080p Low result of 159 FPS is the only measurement that approaches the CPU's potential output, while all other results are constrained by the GPU's rendering capabilities.