Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol is a demanding FPS title, and the pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 5700G with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti produces a predictable bottleneck pattern. The data shows that this combination is firmly GPU-limited at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s 8-core architecture provides enough headroom to keep frame pacing stable at lower settings. The measured results across twelve configuration points reveal a system that can deliver playable performance, but only if you are willing to adjust settings and resolution to match your monitor’s refresh rate.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, indicating that the GTX 1660 Ti is the primary constraint once resolution increases. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 77.1 at 1920x1080 to 56.4 at 2560x1440, a 20.7 FPS decrease, and then plummets to 36.4 at 3840x2160. That represents a 52.8% reduction from 1080p to 4K, which is characteristic of a GPU with a 192-bit memory bus and 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth struggling to feed pixels. The 6 GB GDDR6 frame buffer is also a likely factor; at 4K, texture data exceeds comfortable capacity, forcing the card to work harder.

The scaling story changes at Low settings, where the CPU has more room to stretch. From 1080p Low (123.4 FPS) to 1440p Low (91.4 FPS), the drop is 32.0 FPS, but the drop from 1440p to 4K Low (59.1 FPS) is a further 32.3 FPS. This pattern suggests that at Low, the GPU is still the bottleneck, but the Ryzen 7 5700G’s 8 cores and 16 threads are able to maintain high minimum frame rates even as resolution climbs. The spread between High and Low at 4K is 22.7 FPS (36.4 vs. 59.1), which is much larger than the 14.7 FPS spread at 1080p (77.1 vs. 123.4). This widening gap confirms that resolution scaling amplifies the GPU’s workload, while the CPU’s Zen 3 architecture with a 3.80 GHz base and 4.60 GHz boost clock remains largely unexercised.

Notably, the transition from 1080p to 1440p at Medium settings shows a 25.1 FPS loss (89.2 to 64.1), while the transition from 1440p to 4K at Medium is a 21.9 FPS loss (64.1 to 42.2). The linearity of these drops indicates that the GTX 1660 Ti’s shading units and texture units are saturated, and the CPU’s 16 MB L3 cache is not a limiting factor. For a 60 Hz display, 1440p High is borderline (56.4 FPS), but 1440p Medium (64.1 FPS) clears the bar. At 4K, only Low settings (59.1 FPS) approach playability, and even then, it is below a locked 60 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the sweet spot for this combo is 1440p Medium, which delivers 64.1 FPS average. This is 13.7% higher than 1440p High (56.4 FPS) and only 27.3 FPS below 1440p Low (91.4 FPS). The jump from Medium to High at 1440p costs 7.7 FPS, which is a meaningful loss for a visual upgrade that may not be perceivable in a fast-paced FPS. If you have a 144 Hz monitor, 1080p Low (123.4 FPS) is the only configuration that exceeds 120 FPS, making it the choice for competitive play. However, 1080p Medium (89.2 FPS) is more balanced, offering higher visual fidelity while still maintaining a smooth experience on a 90 Hz or 100 Hz panel.

At 4K, the data is clear: avoid Ultra (27.8 FPS) and High (36.4 FPS) entirely, as both fall below the 40 FPS threshold where input lag becomes noticeable. Even 4K Medium (42.2 FPS) is marginal, and 4K Low (59.1 FPS) is the only playable option, but it requires accepting minimal visual quality. For most users, sticking to 1080p or 1440p is the practical choice. The Ultra preset is consistently punishing: it delivers 60.5 FPS at 1080p, 42.6 FPS at 1440p, and 27.8 FPS at 4K, making it unsuitable for anything but the lowest resolution. The data suggests that Medium is the best compromise between fidelity and frame rate, as it provides a 46.2% boost over High at 1080p (89.2 vs. 77.1) while only sacrificing a modest amount of graphical detail.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where it averages 59.1 FPS. Medium (42.2 FPS), High (36.4 FPS), and Ultra (27.8 FPS) all fall below 60 FPS, making them less desirable for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the best resolution for a 144 Hz monitor?

A: 1080p Low is the only setting that reaches 123.4 FPS average, which is above 120 FPS. 1080p Medium (89.2 FPS) and High (77.1 FPS) are viable if you can tolerate frame rates below 100 FPS.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 5700G a bottleneck for the GTX 1660 Ti?

A: No, the data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The 8-core, 16-thread CPU with a 4.60 GHz boost clock provides ample headroom, as evidenced by the large FPS gains when lowering settings at the same resolution.

Q: How much FPS do I gain by dropping from Ultra to Low at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 42.6 FPS, while Low averages 91.4 FPS. That is a gain of 48.8 FPS, or roughly 114% more performance, by reducing settings.

Q: Is the GTX 1660 Ti’s 6 GB VRAM enough for this game?

A: The measured results suggest it is sufficient at 1080p and 1440p, where High settings deliver 77.1 and 56.4 FPS respectively. At 4K, the sharp drop to 36.4 FPS on High indicates that VRAM capacity or bandwidth is a limiting factor.

Q: What is the worst-performing setting combo?

A: 4K Ultra, with an average of 27.8 FPS. This is the lowest measured score across all twelve configurations, making it unusable for competitive play.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the GTX 1660 Ti shows its strength. Low settings produce 123.4 FPS average, which is more than double the 4K Ultra result. Medium settings yield 89.2 FPS, High yields 77.1 FPS, and Ultra yields 60.5 FPS. The step from Medium to High is a 12.1 FPS loss, while High to Ultra is a 16.6 FPS loss. This indicates that the Ultra preset’s additional effects, such as shadows and post-processing, disproportionately tax the GPU’s 48 ROPs and 5.437 TFLOPS of FP32 compute.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages drop across the board. Low is 91.4 FPS, which is still playable on a 75 Hz or 90 Hz monitor. Medium is 64.1 FPS, High is 56.4 FPS, and Ultra is 42.6 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 27.3 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is 7.7 FPS. This suggests that Medium is the most efficient setting at this resolution, as it captures most of the visual fidelity without the steep cost of High or Ultra. At 4K (3840x2160), the results are sobering. Low is 59.1 FPS, Medium is 42.2 FPS, High is 36.4 FPS, and Ultra is 27.8 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium is 16.9 FPS, and between Medium and High is 5.8 FPS. The card’s 288.0 GB/s memory bandwidth is clearly saturated, as the drop from 1440p Low to 4K Low (91.4 to 59.1) is a 32.3 FPS loss, while the drop from 1440p Ultra to 4K Ultra (42.6 to 27.8) is a 14.8 FPS loss. This non-linear scaling highlights that the GTX 1660 Ti’s 6 GB GDDR6 buffer and 192-bit bus are the primary constraints at high resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combos for Lockdown Protocol, this pairing of the Ryzen 7 5700G and GTX 1660 Ti ranks 1418 out of 1637 total combinations. This places it in the bottom 13.4% of all tested systems, which is unsurprising given the GPU’s age and the game’s demanding nature. The GTX 1660 Ti itself sits at the 55th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13925. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 570X (0.4% faster), the NVIDIA Tesla K10 (0.7% slower), the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile (0.8% faster), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 (0.8% faster). This tight grouping indicates that the 1660 Ti is a mid-range performer, and the combo’s low rank reflects that it is often paired with more capable CPUs in other configurations.

The Ryzen 7 5700G, by contrast, is a stronger component, ranking at the 83rd percentile among all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 25626. Its closest rivals are the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U (0.3% slower), Intel Xeon D-2752TER (0.4% faster), Intel Core 5 210H (0.5% faster), and AMD Ryzen 5 7640U (0.6% faster). This CPU is clearly not the weak link; the combo’s rank is dragged down by the GPU. In practical terms, this means that upgrading the graphics card would yield a significant improvement in Lockdown Protocol, while the CPU would not need to be replaced for this title. The data shows a 219-combo gap between this system and the top performers, which is consistent with a GPU that is two generations old.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700G is a Zen 3 (Cezanne) part built on a 7 nm process at TSMC, featuring 8 cores and 16 threads. Its base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 4.60 GHz, combined with a 16 MB L3 cache, provide strong single-threaded performance that is essential for FPS games. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 2930 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 20755 in multi-core, which places it well ahead of older 4-core parts. For Lockdown Protocol, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations. The measured frame rates show that even at 1080p Low (123.4 FPS), the CPU is not a bottleneck, as the GPU is still able to hit over 120 FPS.

The 5700G’s 16 threads are overkill for this game, which likely uses only 4-6 cores. However, the high boost clock and low latency of the L3 cache help maintain consistent frame times. The CPU’s 51.2 GB/s memory bandwidth (dual-channel DDR4) is adequate, though not exceptional. In contrast, the GTX 1660 Ti’s 120 W TDP and 12 nm Turing architecture are the limiting factors. The GPU’s 1536 shading units and 48 ROPs are simply not enough to drive high resolutions with demanding settings. The data confirms this: the CPU’s single-thread score of 899 in 3DMark and 295 in Cinebench R15 are respectable, but the GPU’s Passmark G3D score of 12871 shows it is a mid-pack performer. For this combo, the 5700G is a capable partner that will not hold back the 1660 Ti, but the GPU’s age means that the system is best suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming with Medium settings.