Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol is a demanding FPS that scales heavily with resolution and settings, and this pairing of an AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT with a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti produces a very specific performance profile. The data shows a system that is clearly GPU-limited at higher resolutions, but which can deliver solid frame rates at 1080p when settings are managed correctly. The following analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to explain where this combo excels and where it falls short.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance cliff as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 122.8 FPS, which drops to 88.9 FPS at 1440p and further to 57.8 FPS at 4K. This represents a 53% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating that the GPU is the primary bottleneck as pixel count rises. The pattern holds across all settings presets, confirming that the GTX 1660 Ti's 6 GB of VRAM and 192-bit memory interface are being saturated at higher resolutions.

When moving from 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS drop across all settings is roughly 25-30%, which is a typical scaling factor for a mid-range GPU. However, the jump from 1440p to 4K is more severe, with frame rates nearly halving in some cases. For instance, High settings go from 58.7 FPS at 1440p to 36.2 FPS at 4K, a 38% drop. This nonlinear scaling suggests that the GTX 1660 Ti's 288.0 GB/s memory bandwidth becomes a critical constraint at 4K, where the demand for texture data outpaces what the GPU can deliver.

The low-resolution data tells a different story. At 1080p Low, the 122.8 FPS result is high enough that the CPU's role becomes more significant. The Ryzen 7 5800XT, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, has the headroom to feed the GPU effectively at this resolution. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 65.8 FPS (122.8 vs 57), which is proportionally larger than the gap at 4K (57.8 vs 24.8, a 33 FPS difference). This indicates that at 1080p, the GPU is still the main limiter, but CPU overhead is less of a concern.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 7 5800XT is a Zen 3 architecture processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, running at a base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 4.80 GHz. Its benchmark scores show strong multithreaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 23794 and a 3DMark max threads score of 7680. The single-thread performance is also respectable, with a 3DMark single thread score of 959 and a Cinebench R23 singlecore score of 3359.

In the context of Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's 8-core/16-thread configuration is more than adequate for the game's FPS workload. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system reaches 122.8 FPS, which is a frame rate that typically demands strong per-core performance. The 5800XT's 4.80 GHz boost clock helps here, as does its 32 MB of L3 cache, which reduces memory latency for frequently accessed data.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 86 versus all CPUs indicates it sits in the top 14% of processors tested, and its nearest rivals are all within 0.3% of its average benchmark score. This means the 5800XT is not a limiting factor in this combo. The bottleneck clearly lies with the GTX 1660 Ti, especially as resolution increases. The 3DMark 2-thread score of 1879 shows that even lightly threaded workloads are handled well, which is relevant for a game that may not fully utilize all 16 threads.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Ryzen 7 5800XT and GTX 1660 Ti ranks 1442 out of 1637 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the bottom 12% of all CPU-GPU pairings tested, which is a poor ranking for a system with a capable CPU. The ranking reflects that the GPU drags down the overall performance potential, as the CPU alone would rank much higher based on its 86th percentile score.

The gap between the CPU's potential and the combo's actual rank is stark. While the 5800XT outperforms its nearest rivals (AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE and AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360) by 0.1-0.3%, the GTX 1660 Ti is only marginally better than its own nearest rivals. The GPU's 55th percentile ranking versus all GPUs is below average, and its nearest rivals (AMD Radeon RX 570X and NVIDIA Tesla K10) are within 0.8% of its performance. This means the combo's low rank is almost entirely attributable to the GPU's modest capabilities in a modern FPS like Lockdown Protocol.

The measured FPS data confirms this: even at 1080p Low, the system only hits 122.8 FPS, which is below what many modern CPUs could achieve with a stronger GPU. The combo's rank of 1442 suggests that there are hundreds of other pairings that deliver better performance, likely because they pair similar CPUs with more powerful graphics cards.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Lockdown Protocol at 60 FPS at 1080p?

A: Yes, but only with settings adjustments. At 1080p High, the average FPS is 76.7, and at Medium it is 88.6. Ultra settings drop to 57 FPS, so High or Medium are required for a stable 60 FPS experience.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: 1080p is the only resolution where this combo can consistently exceed 60 FPS. At 1440p, only Low settings (88.9 FPS) and Medium (63.5 FPS) hit that mark. 4K is only playable at Low settings (57.8 FPS), and just barely.

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

A: The GTX 1660 Ti has an average benchmark score of 13925, which is 0.4% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 570X and 0.8% higher than both the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile and GTX 680. It is effectively tied with these cards.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 5800XT a good match for this GPU?

A: The CPU is overqualified for the GPU. The 5800XT's 8 cores and 16 threads provide far more processing power than the GTX 1660 Ti can utilize, especially at higher resolutions where the GPU becomes the sole bottleneck.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 58.7, which is just below 60 FPS. For a smoother experience, Medium settings at 1440p provide 63.5 FPS.

Q: Does the GPU's VRAM limit performance?

A: The 6 GB of GDDR6 memory is likely a factor at 4K, where the 57.8 FPS at Low settings is the only playable result. The 192-bit memory bus and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are not sufficient for high-resolution textures.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is a Turing architecture GPU with 1536 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. It operates at a base clock of 1500 MHz and boosts to 1770 MHz, with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory running at 12 Gbps effective across a 192-bit bus. This configuration delivers 288.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth and 5.437 TFLOPS of FP32 performance.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU's performance is the defining factor of this combo. The measured FPS data shows that the GTX 1660 Ti's capabilities are stretched thin at all resolutions above 1080p. At 4K, even Low settings only produce 57.8 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to a near-unplayable 24.8 FPS. The GPU's 55th percentile ranking versus all GPUs places it in the lower half of tested hardware, which is consistent with its age (launching in February 2019) and end-of-life production status.

The GPU's benchmark scores reinforce this picture. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1061 and Passmark G3D score of 12871 indicate mid-range performance. The DirectX 12 Passmark score of 51 is particularly low, suggesting that the GPU struggles with modern API workloads. The GTX 1660 Ti's nearest rivals are all within 0.8% of its average score, meaning there is no meaningful performance gap between it and similar cards from its era.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimal settings. At 1080p, the best experience is achieved with High settings, which delivers 76.7 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold while maintaining visual quality. Medium settings offer 88.6 FPS, but the visual trade-off is not necessary given that High already exceeds 60 FPS. Ultra settings should be avoided, as the 57 FPS result falls below the ideal target.

For 1440p users, Medium settings are the sweet spot, providing 63.5 FPS. High settings at 58.7 FPS are playable but slightly below 60 FPS, and Low settings at 88.9 FPS sacrifice too much visual fidelity for the performance gain. Ultra settings at 44.3 FPS are not recommended for a smooth experience.

At 4K, the only viable option is Low settings, which yields 57.8 FPS. Medium settings drop to 43.3 FPS, and High falls to 36.2 FPS. Ultra settings at 24.8 FPS are effectively unplayable. Given the GPU's limitations, 4K gaming should be considered a secondary use case, and users prioritizing frame rate should stick to 1080p or 1440p with Medium or High presets. The data indicates that this combo is best suited for 1080p High or 1440p Medium, where it can deliver a consistent, enjoyable experience without pushing the GPU to its breaking point.