Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol is a demanding FPS title, and this mobile configuration—the Intel Core Ultra X7 368H paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7900M—delivers a performance profile that is highly dependent on resolution and quality settings. The benchmark data shows a system capable of high refresh rate gaming at 1440p, but one that requires careful settings management to maintain smooth gameplay at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic pattern of scaling, but the magnitude of the drop is significant. At 1080p with High settings, the combo averages 133 FPS. Moving to 1440p High drops that to 97 FPS, a 27% reduction. Pushing further to 4K High yields only 63 FPS, which is a 53% reduction from the 1080p result. This steep decline indicates that the AMD Radeon RX 7900M is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions.

The scaling pattern tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p Low, the system hits 214 FPS, which is an extremely high frame rate that suggests the CPU is still feeding the GPU adequately. However, at 4K Low, the frame rate drops to 101 FPS. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see less variance between resolutions at the same settings. The fact that frame rates nearly halve when moving from 1080p Low to 4K Low (214 to 101) points directly to the GPU's pixel throughput limits.

When examining the Ultra preset, the scaling is more linear but still severe. The system produces 99 FPS at 1080p Ultra, 73 FPS at 1440p Ultra, and 47 FPS at 4K Ultra. The gap between 1080p and 1440p Ultra is 26 FPS, while the gap between 1440p and 4K Ultra is also 26 FPS. This consistent drop across each resolution step suggests a well-balanced scaling curve for the GPU's architecture, but the absolute numbers at 4K Ultra are too low for a smooth competitive experience.

The data indicates that for players targeting 60 FPS as a minimum, 4K is only viable at Low settings (101 FPS) or Medium settings (72 FPS). The High preset at 4K (63 FPS) sits just above the 60 FPS threshold, but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. At 1440p, the system is much more comfortable, with all presets except Ultra (73 FPS) exceeding 90 FPS. This makes 1440p the sweet spot for this combination, where the GPU can flex its muscle without being overwhelmed.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900M is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture using the Navi 31 chip, fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It carries 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 576.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is substantial, and the data suggests it is sufficient for the game's demands at all tested settings, as we do not see any anomalous frame rate collapses that would indicate VRAM swapping.

The GPU's clock speeds are a key factor in its performance. The base clock is 1825 MHz, and the boost clock reaches 2090 MHz. The memory runs at 2250 MHz, or 18 Gbps effective. These clocks are relatively high for a mobile part, and they help explain why the RX 7900M can push 214 FPS at 1080p Low. The boost clock behavior is critical; when the thermal and power headroom allows, the GPU can sustain high frequencies, which directly translates to the frame rates we see in the data.

With 4608 shading units, 288 TMUs, and 192 ROPs, the RX 7900M is a fully featured implementation of the Navi 31 die. The pixel rate is 401.3 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 601.9 GTexel/s. These raw throughput numbers align well with the measured performance. The FP32 compute rating of 38.52 TFLOPS is high, but for a game like Lockdown Protocol, which is an FPS, the rasterization and shading throughput are more relevant than raw compute.

The GPU's 94th percentile ranking among all GPUs indicates it is a top-tier part. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro VII (deltaPct 0.4) and the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 (deltaPct -4.3). This means the RX 7900M is roughly on par with the Radeon Pro VII and about 4.3% faster than the Quadro RTX 6000 in aggregate benchmarks. The data shows this translates well to gaming, as the RX 7900M handles Lockdown Protocol with authority at 1440p.

The 16 GB VRAM buffer is a forward-looking feature. While the current data does not show a scenario where it is fully utilized, it provides a safety margin for high-resolution textures. The bandwidth of 576.0 GB/s is also ample for the game's data streaming needs, as evidenced by the consistent frame pacing at Medium settings, which reports min FPS values that are not far off the averages.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra X7 368H and AMD Radeon RX 7900M holds a combo rank of 1183 out of 2828 total combos. This places it in the top 42% of all tested systems for Lockdown Protocol. While not a top-100 performer, this rank is respectable given the mobile nature of the components.

The CPU itself, the Intel Core Ultra X7 368H, has a percentile rank of 87 among all CPUs. It is a 16-core, 16-thread part with a base clock of 2.00 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core 7 253PE (deltaPct -0.1) and the AMD Ryzen 9 7940H (deltaPct 0.2). This means the Ultra X7 368H is essentially performance-equivalent to those parts in synthetic benchmarks, which is a strong showing for a mobile chip.

The GPU's 94th percentile ranking is notably higher than the CPU's 87th percentile. This suggests that in this pairing, the GPU is the more capable component relative to its peers. In gaming scenarios, this often means the GPU will be the limiting factor, which is consistent with the resolution scaling analysis. The CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU at lower resolutions, but the GPU's limits become apparent as pixel count increases.

The combo rank of 1183 out of 2828 is a holistic measure. It suggests that while the individual components are strong, the pairing is not optimized for absolute top-tier performance in this specific game. Systems with higher combo ranks likely pair the RX 7900M with a faster CPU or pair a faster GPU with this CPU. The data indicates that the 7900M is the star of this show, and it is being held back slightly by the CPU at very high frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the system demonstrates its full potential. With Low settings, the average frame rate is 214 FPS, which is exceptionally smooth and well beyond the refresh rate of most monitors. Medium settings yield 152 FPS, with a minimum of 129 FPS and a maximum of 175 FPS. High settings drop to 133 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 99 FPS. These numbers show that 1080p is almost a waste of this hardware's potential, as even Ultra settings clear 90 FPS.

Moving to 1440p, the performance remains strong but starts to show the GPU's workload. Low settings produce 157 FPS, which is still very high. Medium settings deliver 111 FPS, with a minimum of 95 FPS and a maximum of 128 FPS. The High preset averages 97 FPS, which is just shy of the 100 FPS mark that many competitive players target. Ultra settings drop to 73 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action.

At 4K, the system's limits are clearly defined. Low settings produce 101 FPS, which is a solid result for 4K. Medium settings average 72 FPS, with a minimum of 61 FPS and a maximum of 83 FPS. High settings drop to 63 FPS, which is borderline for 60 FPS gaming. Ultra settings are the weakest link, producing only 47 FPS, which is not smooth enough for a competitive FPS title.

The Medium settings rows are the only ones that include min and max FPS data. At 1080p Medium, the spread is 129 to 175 FPS, which is a 46 FPS range. At 1440p Medium, the spread is 95 to 128 FPS, a 33 FPS range. At 4K Medium, the spread is 61 to 83 FPS, a 22 FPS range. This narrowing range at higher resolutions suggests that frame pacing becomes more consistent as the GPU becomes the bottleneck, which is a positive sign for stability.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K Low settings, the average FPS is 101, and at Medium it is 72. High settings produce 63 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra settings are not recommended, as they drop to 47 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for competitive play?

A: 1440p is the sweet spot. At 1440p High, the system averages 97 FPS, and at Low it hits 157 FPS. This provides a balance between visual fidelity and high frame rates. 1080p is also viable, with 133 FPS on High, but the GPU is underutilized there.

Q: How does the RX 7900M compare to its closest rivals?

A: The RX 7900M has an average benchmark score of 97487. It is 0.4% faster than the AMD Radeon Pro VII, 4.3% faster than the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000, and 5.4% faster than the AMD Radeon Instinct MI60.

Q: Is the CPU holding back the GPU in this game?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not a significant bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system hits 214 FPS, which indicates the CPU can feed the GPU effectively at high frame rates. The performance drop at higher resolutions is more consistent with GPU limitations.

Q: What is the frame time consistency like?

A: Based on the Medium settings data, frame consistency improves at higher resolutions. The FPS spread at 1080p is 46 FPS (129-175), at 1440p it is 33 FPS (95-128), and at 4K it is 22 FPS (61-83). This indicates more stable frame pacing when the GPU is fully loaded.

Q: How does this combo rank overall?

A: This combo ranks 1183 out of 2828 tested combinations for Lockdown Protocol. The GPU ranks in the 94th percentile, while the CPU ranks in the 87th percentile, indicating the GPU is the stronger component in this pairing.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution.

For 1080p gaming, the Ultra preset is the best choice. It delivers 99 FPS on average, which is smooth and visually impressive. The High preset (133 FPS) is also excellent if you prefer higher frame rates, but the visual difference between High and Ultra is often worth the 34 FPS drop. Medium (152 FPS) and Low (214 FPS) are unnecessary unless you have a very high refresh rate display (240Hz+) and want to maximize frame pacing.

At 1440p, the High preset is the recommended starting point. It provides 97 FPS, which is a good balance of quality and speed. If you have a 144Hz monitor and want to get closer to its refresh rate, the Medium preset at 111 FPS is a better choice. The Low preset (157 FPS) is viable for competitive play, but the visual downgrade is noticeable. The Ultra preset (73 FPS) should be avoided, as the frame rate is too low for a fast-paced FPS.

For 4K gaming, the Medium preset is the only viable option for a consistently smooth experience. It averages 72 FPS, with a minimum of 61 FPS, which keeps the game playable. The High preset (63 FPS) is borderline and may cause occasional dips below 60 FPS in intense scenes. Low settings (101 FPS) work if you prioritize frame rate over visuals, but the drop in detail is severe. The Ultra preset (47 FPS) is not recommended for any scenario.

The data shows that the Medium preset at 1440p offers the best overall experience. The 111 FPS average, with a minimum of 95 FPS, provides a high frame rate that is still consistent. This configuration uses the GPU's capabilities well without pushing it into territory where frame times become erratic. For players who want maximum visual fidelity, the 1080p Ultra preset is the best choice, as it maintains a high frame rate while showcasing the hardware's full graphical capabilities.