Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol, an FPS released on 2024-03-11, presents a demanding workload for the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER combination. The measured frame rates across resolutions and presets reveal a configuration where the graphics card is the primary bottleneck, particularly as resolution increases. The data indicates a playable experience at 1080p, but the system's limitations become pronounced at higher resolutions and quality settings.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and clearly identifies the GPU as the limiting component. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 78 FPS at 1920x1080 to 57.5 FPS at 2560x1440, representing a 26% reduction. Moving to 3840x2160, the average drops further to 35.3 FPS, a 55% decrease from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the number of pixels rendered has a direct and substantial impact on throughput.

The trend holds across all presets. At Low settings, the system achieves 123.1 FPS at 1080p, 93.2 FPS at 1440p, and 55.6 FPS at 4K. The 4K figure is less than half of the 1080p score, underscoring the pixel throughput limitations of the GTX 1660 SUPER. The data suggests that while the Ryzen 7 7700 has ample headroom to feed the GPU at lower resolutions, the graphics card's 6 GB memory and 192-bit bus become overwhelmed when processing the higher pixel counts of 1440p and 4K.

The frame rate deltas between presets also shrink as resolution climbs. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is 65.5 FPS (123.1 vs. 57.6). At 4K, this gap narrows to 27.2 FPS (55.6 vs. 28.4). This compression effect indicates that at 4K, the GPU is so saturated with pixel work that the additional load from higher-quality settings has a relatively smaller absolute impact on frame rate, although the relative performance loss remains significant. The system is clearly not designed for 4K gaming in this title, as even the Low preset fails to reach 60 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER, with its 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and a 192-bit memory bus delivering 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth, is the decisive factor in these results. Its boost clock of 1785 MHz and 1408 shading units provide a baseline of compute power, but the memory subsystem is a key constraint. The benchmark scores corroborate this: a PassMark G3D score of 12699 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1278 place it in the 55th percentile of all GPUs. This is a mid-range card, and the measured FPS in Lockdown Protocol reflect that positioning.

The data shows that the GTX 1660 SUPER is within 1% of several rivals in average benchmark score, including the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (deltaPct -0.7) and the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics (deltaPct -0.2). This tight clustering indicates that the card's performance class is well-defined, and its frame rates in this game are consistent with its standing. The 6 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p in most scenarios, but at 4K, the memory bandwidth becomes a bottleneck, as evidenced by the significant FPS drop.

The card's Turing architecture, while lacking dedicated ray tracing cores, provides adequate DirectX 12 support. The PassMark DirectX 12 score of 50 is notably lower than the DirectX 11 score of 104, which may influence performance in this specific title. However, the primary constraint remains the raw fill rate and memory throughput, which are insufficient for maintaining high frame rates at 4K. The system's performance at 1440p High (57.5 FPS) suggests the card is at its practical limit for a smooth experience, while 1080p remains its stronghold.

Settings Recommendations

For the GTX 1660 SUPER paired with the Ryzen 7 7700, the measured data points to 1080p as the optimal resolution for this game. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 78 FPS, which is a solid target for a smooth competitive experience. The Low preset provides 123.1 FPS, offering a significant frame rate advantage for players prioritizing responsiveness over visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 84.7 FPS offers a balanced compromise between the two.

At 2560x1440, the High preset yields 57.5 FPS, which is playable but may not be ideal for fast-paced FPS action. The Low preset at 93.2 FPS is the best option for 1440p if frame rate is the priority, as it remains above the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset at 42.6 FPS is not recommended, as the visual gains do not justify the performance cost. At 3840x2160, no preset achieves 60 FPS; the Low preset produces 55.6 FPS, which is the only viable option for 4K play.

The data indicates that the High preset at 1080p provides the best balance of visual quality and performance, with a 78 FPS average. For users with high-refresh-rate monitors, the Low preset at 123.1 FPS is the preferred choice. The Ultra preset is consistently the worst performer, with a 57.6 FPS average at 1080p, and should be avoided for this GPU. The Medium preset offers a marginal improvement over High at 1080p (84.7 vs. 78 FPS), but the difference is less pronounced at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Lockdown Protocol with this hardware?

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 is the optimal resolution. The High preset delivers 78 FPS, and even the Ultra preset achieves 57.6 FPS, which are both playable. Higher resolutions result in significant frame rate drops.

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

A: No. At 3840x2160, the best average frame rate is 55.6 FPS on the Low preset. The High preset drops to 35.3 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 28.4 FPS, making 4K play impractical.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 SUPER compare to its closest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 14286. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11, has an average score of 14352, which is a deltaPct of -0.5. The Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics is nearly identical at 14315, with a deltaPct of -0.2.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 93.2 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves 42.6 FPS. This represents a 50.6 FPS difference, showing a substantial performance penalty for maximum quality settings.

Q: Does the Ryzen 7 7700 bottleneck the GTX 1660 SUPER in this game?

A: The data suggests it does not. The CPU's high multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 29302, and its 91st percentile ranking among all CPUs, indicate it can keep up with the GPU's output across all tested resolutions.

Q: What is the performance ranking of this specific hardware combination in Lockdown Protocol?

A: This combo is ranked 1448 out of 1637 tested combinations. This places it in the lower percentile of configurations, which is consistent with the mid-range nature of the GTX 1660 SUPER.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 serves as a high-performance foundation, but its role in these benchmark results is secondary to the GPU. With 8 cores and 16 threads, a base clock of 3.80 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, this is a robust processor for gaming. Its benchmark scores are impressive, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 29302 and a single-core score of 4136. The PassMark multi-thread score of 34470 and a single-thread score of 4063 further solidify its position in the 91st percentile of all CPUs.

The CPU's nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the AMD Ryzen 9 7940H, which is 0.1% faster, and the Intel Core i9-13905H, which is 0.6% faster. The Ryzen 7 7700's performance is within a 1.2% margin of these competitors, showing it is a top-tier processor. In Lockdown Protocol, this processing power ensures that the CPU is not the limiting factor. The frame rates are consistently dictated by the GPU's capabilities, especially at higher resolutions.

At 1080p Low, the system reaches 123.1 FPS, which is a high frame rate that could potentially tax the CPU in other games. However, the data shows no signs of a CPU bottleneck here. The Ryzen 7 7700's strong single-core performance is sufficient to handle the game's logic and physics, while its multi-core capability ensures smooth frame pacing even when background tasks are present. Its 32 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support provide a capable platform for maintaining consistent frame delivery. The CPU's 65 W TDP and active production status indicate it is a modern, efficient part, but its primary contribution is avoiding any constraint on the GTX 1660 SUPER's output.