Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol presents an interesting stress test for the AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti pairing. The data paints a clear picture of a system that is heavily constrained by its graphics card at higher resolutions, while the processor shows its strength at 1080p. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, revealing where this combo excels and where it struggles.

Resolution Scaling

The shift from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 is where the bottleneck becomes unmistakable. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 122 FPS, but this plummets to 59.8 FPS at 4K on the same settings. That is a drop of over 50%, indicating that the GPU is being saturated as pixel count increases. The data suggests that at 1080p, the GTX 1660 Ti is the limiting factor, but the CPU is still feeding it enough data to maintain high frame rates.

The scaling pattern continues across all presets. Moving from 1080p to 1440p on High settings reduces the average from 76.7 FPS to 54.5 FPS, a 29% decrease. The jump from 1440p to 4K on the same preset is even more punishing, falling to 33.4 FPS. This non-linear drop-off is typical of a GPU-bound scenario where memory bandwidth and shading power become critical. The 6 GB VRAM and 192-bit bus of the GTX 1660 Ti are likely being overwhelmed by the 4K framebuffer, especially with higher detail levels.

The Ultra preset at 4K yields only 29.1 FPS, which is barely playable. This indicates that the combination of 4K resolution and maximum settings demands more from the graphics card than it can physically deliver. The scaling from Medium to High at 4K shows a modest 6.7 FPS penalty (40.1 to 33.4), while the jump from High to Ultra costs another 4.3 FPS. These margins are small because the GPU is already at its computational ceiling; the settings changes are having a diminishing impact on the final frame rate.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture. Its benchmark scores suggest it is a capable mid-range part, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 17272 and a single-core score of 2438. In this game, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU, but it does establish a performance floor. At 1080p Low, the 122 FPS average shows that the processor is not holding back the frame rate when the GPU has less work to do.

The Ryzen 5 5600GT's boost clock of 4.60 GHz and single-thread performance are crucial for maintaining high frame rates in an FPS title. The data shows that even at 1080p Ultra, the combo maintains 60.1 FPS, which suggests the CPU is managing the game's logic and draw calls without creating a significant bottleneck. The processor's 3DMark single-thread score of 913 and 2-thread score of 1794 indicate solid per-core performance that scales well with the game's demands.

However, the CPU's limitations become apparent when examining the passmark physics score of 875, which is relatively low. This could impact scenarios with complex physics calculations, but the measured FPS data does not show a dramatic collapse at 1080p, implying that Lockdown Protocol is not heavily reliant on this aspect. The 12 threads provide enough parallelism for background tasks, but the game's performance is ultimately dictated by the graphics card's output.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications explain the performance hierarchy. With a boost clock of 1770 MHz and 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, it delivers 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This is a solid mid-range configuration, but it is not designed for 4K gaming. The benchmark results confirm this, as the GPU's percentile ranking is 55, placing it just above average among all GPUs.

The GTX 1660 Ti's 1536 shading units and 48 ROPs are responsible for the pixel throughput. At 4K Ultra, the 29.1 FPS average is a clear indicator that the GPU is working at its absolute limit. The texture rate of 169.9 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 84.96 GPixel/s are insufficient for the demands of 4K with high detail. The data shows that the GPU's performance scales almost linearly with resolution, which is a classic sign of a fill-rate bottleneck.

The GPU's DirectX 12 passmark score of 51 is notably lower than its DirectX 11 score of 103. This suggests that Lockdown Protocol's DX12 path may not be fully optimized for this Turing-based card, potentially leaving some performance on the table. However, the measured FPS numbers are what they are, and they show a card that is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming. At 1440p Medium, it manages 65.5 FPS, which is a playable range, but pushing to Ultra drops it to 43.5 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at the combo's capabilities across different settings. At 1920x1080, the performance is generally good: Low produces 122 FPS, Medium 89.5 FPS, High 76.7 FPS, and Ultra 60.1 FPS. This shows a clear gradient, with the GPU handling the increased load from higher presets without collapsing. The 1080p results are the most playable, with even the Ultra preset maintaining a 60 FPS average.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop significantly. Low settings yield 92.7 FPS, which is still smooth, but Medium falls to 65.5 FPS, and High drops to 54.5 FPS. Ultra at 1440p is the weakest link, producing only 43.5 FPS. This resolution is a compromise; it offers better image quality than 1080p but requires lowering settings to maintain a consistent 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the results are mostly below the playability threshold. Low settings manage 59.8 FPS, which is borderline, but Medium (40.1 FPS), High (33.4 FPS), and Ultra (29.1 FPS) are all too low for a smooth experience. The data indicates that 4K is not a viable option for this combo unless the user is willing to accept significant frame rate compromises. The gap between Low and Medium at 4K is 19.7 FPS, suggesting that even modest settings increases have a large impact.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested combinations, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti ranks 1429 out of 1637 combos. This places it in the bottom 13% of all tested configurations, indicating that it is not a high-performance gaming setup. The combo's rank reflects the age and tier of the GPU, which drags down the overall score despite the CPU's respectable standing.

The CPU itself is ranked in the 78th percentile among all CPUs, showing that it is a strong processor. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-10700, has a nearly identical average score, with a deltaPct of 0. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is also close, with a deltaPct of 0.3, meaning the 5600GT is slightly ahead. This suggests the CPU is punching above its weight class.

However, the GPU tells a different story. The GTX 1660 Ti is in the 55th percentile, and its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 570X, is only 0.4% behind in score. This places the GPU in the middle of the pack, but its absolute performance is not sufficient to boost the combo's rank. The low combo ranking is a direct result of the GPU's limitations, which are the primary bottleneck in this system.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo is at 1920x1080. For users with a 1080p monitor, the High preset at 76.7 FPS offers a good balance between visual fidelity and smoothness. If a higher frame rate is preferred, the Medium preset at 89.5 FPS is a solid choice, while Low at 122 FPS is best for competitive play. The Ultra preset at 60.1 FPS is playable but offers diminishing returns over High.

For 1440p users, the Low preset at 92.7 FPS is the only setting that guarantees a comfortable frame rate above 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 65.5 FPS is acceptable, but it sacrifices some visual quality. High (54.5 FPS) and Ultra (43.5 FPS) are not recommended for a smooth experience, as they fall below the 60 FPS threshold. The data suggests that 1440p requires a settings reduction to be playable.

At 4K, the only viable option is the Low preset at 59.8 FPS, which is still borderline. All other presets produce frame rates below 40 FPS, which is not suitable for an FPS game. The recommendation is to avoid 4K entirely with this combo. The data indicates that the GTX 1660 Ti's 6 GB of VRAM and 192-bit memory bus are insufficient for 4K rendering in this title.

FAQ

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

A: Only at Low settings, where it achieves a 59.8 FPS average. All higher presets at 3840x2160 fall below 40 FPS, which is not recommended for an FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: 1920x1080 is the sweet spot. It provides the highest frame rates, with the Ultra preset still reaching 60.1 FPS and Low reaching 122 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck, especially at higher resolutions. The CPU maintains high frame rates at 1080p, but the GPU's performance drops significantly as resolution increases.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 Ti compare to its closest rivals?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 13925, placing it just 0.4% above the AMD Radeon RX 570X and 0.8% above the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680.

Q: What settings should I use for a 60 FPS experience?

A: At 1080p, use the Ultra preset for exactly 60.1 FPS or High for a more comfortable 76.7 FPS. At 1440p, only Low settings (92.7 FPS) or Medium (65.5 FPS) will keep you near 60 FPS.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 5600GT a strong processor?

A: Yes, it ranks in the 78th percentile of all CPUs and slightly outperforms the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X in average benchmark score, with a deltaPct of 0.3 in its favor.