Lockdown Protocol

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER produces a playable but constrained experience in Lockdown Protocol, with the GPU acting as the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The data shows a clear performance hierarchy: 1080p delivers smooth frame rates across most settings, while 4K demands significant settings compromises to remain playable. This combination ranks in the 10th percentile of tested combos, indicating a system that is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming rather than 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS reveals a steep performance drop as resolution increases, confirming the GTX 1660 SUPER is the limiting component. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 75.7 FPS at 1920x1080 to 55 FPS at 2560x1440, a decline of 27.3%. Moving to 3840x2160 drops the average to 38 FPS, representing a 49.8% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This pattern holds across all settings, with the Ultra preset showing the most dramatic scaling: 56.2 FPS at 1080p, 40 FPS at 1440p, and only 27.6 FPS at 4K.

The scaling behavior indicates that the GPU's 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are stretched thin at higher resolutions. The GTX 1660 SUPER's pixel rate of 85.68 GPixel/s and texture rate of 157.1 GTexel/s are adequate for 1080p but insufficient for 4K's fourfold increase in pixel workload. The data shows that the CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is not the primary constraint in this scenario—otherwise, the FPS would remain relatively flat across resolutions. Instead, the GPU's compute throughput of 5.027 TFLOPS becomes the bottleneck, as evidenced by the consistent FPS drops when moving from 1440p to 4K.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X, built on the Zen 5 architecture with a 4 nm process, provides a strong foundation for this game. Its 6 cores and 12 threads, combined with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, deliver robust single-threaded performance that is critical for FPS titles. The CPU's 3DMark single-thread score of 1253 and Passmark single-thread score of 4570 place it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it can handle the game's logic and physics calculations without becoming a limiting factor.

The data supports this assessment: at 1080p Low settings, the combination achieves 120.5 FPS, which is high enough to suggest the CPU is feeding the GPU adequately. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar FPS numbers across different resolutions at the same settings, but the measured values show significant variation—for instance, at Low settings, FPS drops from 120.5 at 1080p to 90.6 at 1440p and further to 57.2 at 4K. This indicates the GPU is the limiting component in all tested scenarios. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multicore score of 25525 and Geekbench multicore score of 15182 provide ample headroom for the game's multi-threaded aspects, but the GTX 1660 SUPER's capabilities cap the overall performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combination depends heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 75.7 FPS, which is a solid balance of visual quality and smoothness. However, the Low preset achieves 120.5 FPS, making it the best choice for competitive play where frame rate is paramount. The Medium preset at 85.6 FPS offers a middle ground, while Ultra at 56.2 FPS is still playable but starts to approach the lower bounds of smoothness for a fast-paced FPS.

At 2560x1440, the choice becomes more constrained. The Low preset at 90.6 FPS is the only setting that provides a consistently smooth experience. High at 55 FPS is borderline, and Medium at 63.6 FPS is playable but not ideal. Ultra at 40 FPS is not recommended for serious gameplay. For 3840x2160, the situation is more challenging: only Low at 57.2 FPS provides a playable frame rate. Medium at 42.4 FPS and High at 38 FPS are marginal, while Ultra at 27.6 FPS is too slow for a competitive FPS. The data clearly indicates that users should prioritize Low or Medium settings at 1440p and above to maintain acceptable performance.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination ranks 1472 out of 1637 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the bottom 10.1% of all tested systems. This low ranking is primarily attributable to the GTX 1660 SUPER, which sits in the 55th percentile of all GPUs. The GPU's average benchmark score of 14286 places it slightly below rivals such as the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT, which scores 14389 (0.7% higher), and the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics, which scores 14315 (0.2% higher). This marginal deficit means the GPU is competitive with its immediate peers but lacks the headroom to push into higher performance tiers.

The CPU side is much stronger: the Ryzen 5 9600X ranks in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 28246. This is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-13490F, which scores 28173 (0.3% lower), and the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS, which scores 28369 (0.4% higher). The CPU's strong performance does not compensate for the GPU's limitations, resulting in the overall low ranking. The data suggests that this combination is best suited for 1080p gaming, where the CPU's capabilities can be fully utilized, rather than higher resolutions where the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combination?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 provides the most consistent frame rates across all settings, with averages ranging from 56.2 FPS at Ultra to 120.5 FPS at Low. At 1440p, only Low settings (90.6 FPS) deliver a clearly smooth experience, while 4K is only playable at Low (57.2 FPS).

Q: How does the GTX 1660 SUPER compare to its closest rivals in this game?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 14286 is 0.7% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (14389), 0.2% lower than the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics (14315), and 0.5% lower than the AMD Radeon Vega 11 (14352). These differences are small, indicating near-parity with its immediate peers.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 9600X a good match for the GTX 1660 SUPER?

A: The CPU's performance is significantly stronger than the GPU's, with the CPU ranking in the 85th percentile versus the GPU's 55th percentile. The data shows the CPU is not the bottleneck, as frame rates scale with resolution changes, but the GPU's limitations cap overall performance.

Q: What settings are recommended for 1440p gaming?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset at 90.6 FPS is the only setting that provides a consistently smooth experience. Medium at 63.6 FPS is playable, but High (55 FPS) and Ultra (40 FPS) are not recommended for competitive play.

Q: Can this combination handle 4K gaming?

A: At 3840x2160, only the Low preset at 57.2 FPS provides a playable frame rate. Medium (42.4 FPS) and High (38 FPS) are marginal, and Ultra at 27.6 FPS is not suitable for a fast-paced FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates show a clear pattern across all settings. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 120.5 at Low to 56.2 at Ultra, with Medium at 85.6 and High at 75.7. Moving to 2560x1440, the averages drop to 90.6 at Low, 63.6 at Medium, 55 at High, and 40 at Ultra. At 3840x2160, the figures fall further to 57.2 at Low, 42.4 at Medium, 38 at High, and 27.6 at Ultra.

The scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution reveals the GPU's performance envelope. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 64.3 FPS (120.5 vs 56.2), indicating a wide range of visual settings are viable. At 1440p, this gap narrows to 50.6 FPS (90.6 vs 40), and at 4K, it shrinks to 29.6 FPS (57.2 vs 27.6). This compression of the performance range at higher resolutions is a direct result of the GPU's limited pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth, which become increasingly taxed as resolution increases.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER, based on the Turing architecture and manufactured on a 12 nm process, is the definitive performance limiter in this combination. Its 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for 1080p but becomes a bottleneck at higher resolutions. The GPU's boost clock of 1785 MHz and base clock of 1530 MHz drive its 1408 shading units, 88 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, producing a pixel rate of 85.68 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 157.1 GTexel/s.

The benchmark data confirms the GPU's mid-range positioning. Its Passmark G3D score of 12699 and 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1278 place it in the 55th percentile of all GPUs. The GPU's nearest rivals—the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT, Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics, and AMD Radeon Vega 11—all score within 0.7% of each other, indicating that the GTX 1660 SUPER is at the top of its immediate performance class but cannot compete with higher-tier cards. The GPU's end-of-life production status and 125 W TDP further underscore its position as a capable but aging component. In Lockdown Protocol, this translates to a system that excels at 1080p, handles 1440p with settings compromises, and struggles at 4K where only Low settings remain playable.