Lockdown Protocol

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates for Lockdown Protocol across three resolutions and four quality presets paint a clear picture of where this AMD Ryzen 5 5600X + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER combination hits its limits. At 1080p with Low settings, the system produces 123.9 FPS average, which drops to 79.2 FPS at High and 57.4 FPS at Ultra. That is a 53.7% reduction from Low to Ultra at 1080p, indicating that the graphics card is already being pushed hard even at the lowest resolution.

Moving to 1440p, the same pattern holds but with a steeper decline. Low settings deliver 89.5 FPS, High drops to 55.9 FPS, and Ultra falls to 41.1 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 54.1%, nearly identical to the 1080p spread. This consistency suggests that the GPU is the dominant bottleneck across all tested configurations, as the CPU’s workload does not scale significantly with resolution changes.

At 4K, the picture becomes more extreme. Low settings manage 60.1 FPS, which is exactly playable, but Medium falls to 43.3 FPS, High to 37.1 FPS, and Ultra to 27.2 FPS. The drop from 1080p Low to 4K Low is 51.5%, while the drop from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra is 52.6%. These near-uniform percentage reductions across quality tiers indicate that the GTX 1660 SUPER’s 6 GB VRAM and 336.0 GB/s memory bandwidth are being saturated at higher resolutions, with the 4K Ultra result falling below the 30 FPS threshold that most players would consider acceptable.

The data shows a clear scaling trend: each resolution step from 1080p to 1440p to 4K exacts a roughly 28-30% performance penalty at the same settings. This is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario where pixel throughput is the limiting factor. The CPU’s influence is minimal here, as evidenced by the fact that the frame rate differences between settings at any given resolution are proportionally similar regardless of resolution.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. Its benchmark results show strong single-threaded performance, with a 3dmark single-thread score of 917 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2622. In multi-threaded workloads, it achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 18578 and a 3dmark max-threads score of 5588.

For Lockdown Protocol, an FPS title, the CPU’s role is primarily about maintaining minimum frame rates and feeding the GPU efficiently. The 5600X sits at the 78th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20680. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT (20740, deltaPct -0.3), Intel Core i7-10700 (20746, deltaPct -0.3), and Intel Core i5-12490F (20794, deltaPct -0.5). The 5600X is essentially tied with these parts, trailing by less than 1% in each case.

Given that the measured frame rates show a consistent GPU-bound behavior, the 5600X has ample headroom. The data indicates that even at 1080p Low, where the CPU would theoretically have the most influence, the system reaches 123.9 FPS — a result that suggests the processor is not the limiting component. The 12 threads and 32 MB of L3 cache are sufficient for modern FPS titles, and the 4.60 GHz boost clock provides the single-thread responsiveness that competitive shooters require.

The CPU’s 3dmark scores show a scaling pattern from 2 threads (1793) to 4 threads (3363) to 8 threads (4811), reaching 5582 at 16 threads and 5588 at max threads. This near-flat scaling beyond 8 threads indicates that the processor has enough multi-threaded capability for game workloads, which typically use fewer than 8 threads. The PassMark multithread score of 21858 and single-thread score of 3364 further confirm that this CPU is well-balanced for gaming.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is the clear bottleneck in this configuration. Built on the Turing architecture with a TU116 chip, it features 1408 shading units, 88 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. Its base clock is 1530 MHz with a boost clock of 1785 MHz, and it has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU’s FP32 performance is 5.027 TFLOPS, and it supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The GPU’s benchmark data shows it at the 55th percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 14286. Its nearest rivals are tightly clustered: AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 (14314, deltaPct -0.2), Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics (14315, deltaPct -0.2), AMD Radeon Vega 11 (14352, deltaPct -0.5), and AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (14389, deltaPct -0.7). The GTX 1660 SUPER trails these parts by less than 1%, making it statistically equivalent in synthetic benchmarks.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU’s limitations become apparent at higher resolutions and quality settings. The 4K Ultra result of 27.2 FPS is below playable thresholds, and even 1440p Ultra at 41.1 FPS is marginal. The 6 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p at most settings, but the 4K data suggests that memory bandwidth constraints are contributing to the steep drop-off. The pixel rate of 85.68 GPixel/s and texture rate of 157.1 GTexel/s are modest by modern standards, which explains why the card struggles to maintain frame rates as resolution increases.

The PassMark DirectX scores are telling: DirectX 11 scores 104, DirectX 12 scores 50, and DirectX 9 scores 189. This indicates that the GPU performs relatively better in older API workloads, which is consistent with its 2019 release date and end-of-life production status. For a 2024 FPS title like Lockdown Protocol, the DirectX 12 score of 50 suggests that the GPU is not optimized for modern rendering paths.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal settings configuration depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, the data shows that Medium settings (86.4 FPS) provide a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, while High (79.2 FPS) is also playable. Ultra at 1080p drops to 57.4 FPS, which is borderline for competitive play. For players with 60 Hz monitors, High is the recommended preset, as it delivers 79.2 FPS while maintaining better visual quality than Medium.

At 1440p, the situation is more constrained. Medium settings produce 63.9 FPS, which is the only preset that maintains a stable 60+ FPS experience. High drops to 55.9 FPS, and Ultra falls to 41.1 FPS. For 1440p users, Medium is the clear choice, as it provides the best balance between visual fidelity and playability. Low settings at 1440p achieve 89.5 FPS, but the visual compromise may not be worth the extra headroom.

At 4K, the data suggests that only Low settings (60.1 FPS) are viable for consistent gameplay. Medium (43.3 FPS) and High (37.1 FPS) are below the 60 FPS threshold, and Ultra (27.2 FPS) is unplayable. For 4K users, Low settings are the only recommendation, and even then, the 60.1 FPS average leaves little room for dips. Players who prioritize visual quality over frame rate might consider High at 4K, but the 37.1 FPS average will be noticeable in fast-paced FPS gameplay.

The data shows that the GTX 1660 SUPER is best utilized at 1080p with High settings, where it delivers 79.2 FPS without sacrificing too much visual quality. Dropping to Medium at 1080p only gains 7.2 FPS (86.4 vs 79.2), which is a marginal improvement for a noticeable visual downgrade. Conversely, moving to Ultra at 1080p costs 21.8 FPS (57.4 vs 79.2), which is a significant penalty for incremental visual gains.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU/GPU combo in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The data shows 1080p is the sweet spot. At 1080p High, the system delivers 79.2 FPS, while 1440p High drops to 55.9 FPS and 4K High falls to 37.1 FPS. For consistent 60+ FPS gameplay, 1080p is the recommended resolution.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Lockdown Protocol?

A: Only at Low settings, where it averages 60.1 FPS. Medium drops to 43.3 FPS, High to 37.1 FPS, and Ultra to 27.2 FPS. The GTX 1660 SUPER’s 6 GB VRAM and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for higher quality settings at 4K.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 5600X compare to its closest rivals?

A: The 5600X has an average benchmark score of 20680, placing it at the 78th percentile. It trails the AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT by 0.3%, the Intel Core i7-10700 by 0.3%, and the Intel Core i5-12490F by 0.5%. The Intel Xeon 6325P is 0.7% slower.

Q: Is the GTX 1660 SUPER a bottleneck in this configuration?

A: Yes. The benchmark results show that frame rates scale consistently with resolution and quality settings, which is characteristic of GPU-bound performance. The CPU’s 12 threads and 4.60 GHz boost clock are sufficient, as evidenced by the 123.9 FPS result at 1080p Low.

Q: What settings should I use for 1440p gameplay?

A: Medium settings provide 63.9 FPS, which is the only preset above 60 FPS at 1440p. Low achieves 89.5 FPS, but High (55.9 FPS) and Ultra (41.1 FPS) fall below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 SUPER perform in synthetic benchmarks relative to its rivals?

A: Its average benchmark score is 14286, placing it at the 55th percentile. It trails the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 by 0.2%, the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics by 0.2%, the AMD Radeon Vega 11 by 0.5%, and the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT by 0.7%. All five GPUs are within 1% of each other.