Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol, a 2024 FPS title, presents a demanding workload that clearly separates GPU-bound and CPU-bound scenarios. The pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER produces a dataset that is highly instructive for understanding modern game performance at various resolutions and quality presets. The measured frames per second (FPS) reveal a system where the graphics card is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the processor’s capabilities become more apparent at lower settings. This analysis breaks down the measured data to provide a clear picture of what users can expect from this combination.

Resolution Scaling

The impact of resolution on the GTX 1660 SUPER in Lockdown Protocol is substantial, demonstrating the GPU's performance limits. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 123 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same Low preset drops the average to 90 FPS, a reduction of 33 FPS. The jump to 3840x2160 at Low yields 58 FPS, which is a further 32 FPS decline from the 1440p result. This scaling shows that even at the lowest visual fidelity, the GPU is the limiting factor, as the workload increases with pixel count.

When the visual load is increased to High settings, the resolution scaling pattern remains consistent but shifts the baseline down. At 1920x1080, the High preset averages 76 FPS. This falls to 56 FPS at 2560x1440, a 20 FPS drop. At 4K (3840x2160), the average is 36 FPS, another 20 FPS reduction from the 1440p figure. The consistent 20 FPS delta between each resolution step at High settings indicates a predictable, GPU-bound scaling curve. The GPU's compute resources are being saturated, and the performance difference is directly proportional to the number of pixels rendered.

The data suggests that the GTX 1660 SUPER is the primary limiting component. The Ryzen 7 9700F, with its high single-thread score of 4691 in Passmark, is capable of feeding the GPU with data, but the GPU cannot keep up with the increasing pixel workload. This is evident in the relatively linear FPS drops as resolution increases. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a smaller performance gap between 1080p and 1440p, as the CPU would be the limiting factor in both scenarios. Instead, the clear and consistent FPS drops with each resolution increase point directly to the GPU being the constraining hardware.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combination depend heavily on the user's target resolution and desired frame rate. For users with a 1920x1080 display, the Medium preset offers a strong balance, delivering an average of 87 FPS. This is a significant improvement over the 76 FPS on High, and the 123 FPS on Low may not be necessary for most users. The Medium preset likely provides a meaningful visual upgrade over Low while maintaining a frame rate that is well above the standard 60 FPS target.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is also the most sensible choice, providing an average of 64 FPS. This is just above the 60 FPS threshold, making for a playable experience. The High preset at this resolution drops to 56 FPS, which is below the ideal threshold for a smooth experience in a fast-paced FPS. The Low preset at 90 FPS is viable for competitive play, but Medium offers a better visual experience without sacrificing too much performance.

For 4K (3840x2160) gaming, the data shows that this combination is not well-suited for high-quality settings. The Medium preset averages 41 FPS, and High drops to 36 FPS. The Low preset at 58 FPS is the only option that approaches playability, but it still falls short of a consistent 60 FPS. None of the presets provide a fully smooth 4K experience. In this scenario, the Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution, as it yields the lowest scores: 27 FPS at 4K, 42 FPS at 1440p, and 57 FPS at 1080p. The Ultra preset consistently provides the worst performance per visual quality gain in the measured data, making Medium or High the highest viable options depending on resolution.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1080p gaming with this hardware?

A: The data indicates that the Medium preset at 1920x1080 is the best choice, delivering an average of 87 FPS. This provides a significant performance buffer over the 76 FPS of the High preset while likely offering a better visual experience than the 123 FPS of the Low preset.

Q: Can this PC run Lockdown Protocol at 4K resolution?

A: The measured data shows that 4K gaming is not a smooth experience with this combo. The highest average FPS at 3840x2160 is 58 on the Low preset, which is below the ideal 60 FPS target. Medium and High presets average 41 and 36 FPS respectively, indicating a sub-optimal experience.

Q: How does the GPU's performance compare to its nearest rivals in general benchmarks?

A: In general Passmark G3D benchmarks, the GTX 1660 SUPER scores 12699. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile, scores 12940, which is a 0.4% difference. This indicates the GTX 1660 SUPER's performance is very closely matched with these comparable GPUs.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more of a bottleneck in this game?

A: The benchmark results show that the GPU is the primary limiting factor. This is supported by the significant FPS drops when increasing resolution, which is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU is powerful enough to keep up with the GPU's demands.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 90 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 42 FPS. This represents a 48 FPS difference, showing a substantial performance cost for the highest visual quality settings.

Q: What is the measured FPS range for the Medium preset?

A: The Medium preset has recorded minimum and maximum FPS values. At 1080p, the range is 74 to 100 FPS. At 1440p, it is 54 to 73 FPS, and at 4K, it is 35 to 47 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: the Low preset averages 123 FPS, the Medium preset averages 87 FPS with a minimum of 74 and a maximum of 100, the High preset averages 76 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 57 FPS. This shows a clear performance hierarchy, with nearly a 2x difference between Low and Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates scale down as expected. The Low preset delivers an average of 90 FPS. The Medium preset averages 64 FPS, with a minimum of 54 and a maximum of 73. The High preset reduces the average to 56 FPS, and the Ultra preset brings it down to 42 FPS. The differences between presets are consistent, showing that each step up in quality costs a similar amount of performance.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly overburdened. The Low preset is the only one to break the 50 FPS barrier, averaging 58 FPS. The Medium preset averages 41 FPS, with a minimum of 35 and a maximum of 47. The High preset drops to an average of 36 FPS, and the Ultra preset is nearly unplayable at an average of 27 FPS. These figures illustrate the extreme performance cost of 4K rendering on this GPU.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is the central component in these benchmark results, and its specifications explain the observed performance. The GPU has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. The memory clock is 1750 MHz, which translates to 14 Gbps effective. This memory configuration is a key factor in the GPU's performance, especially at higher resolutions where the demand for memory bandwidth increases.

The core clocks are listed with a base of 1530 MHz and a boost of 1785 MHz. This boost clock is crucial, as it determines the peak performance the card can achieve under load. The GPU features 1408 shading units, 88 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 48 render output units (ROPs). These specifications dictate the card's raw processing power, and the data shows they are sufficient for 1080p gaming but are saturated at higher resolutions.

In terms of its overall market position, the GTX 1660 SUPER's average benchmark score is 12986, placing it in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile, which has an average score of 12940, a deltaPct of 0.4%. This shows that the GTX 1660 SUPER is a mid-range performer. The GPU's DirectX 12 benchmark score is 50, which is a synthetic measure of its feature set and raw compute ability. The performance data in Lockdown Protocol aligns with this positioning, showing that it is a capable 1080p card that struggles with 4K.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F serves as the supporting component, and its specifications are more than adequate to avoid becoming a bottleneck in most scenarios. It is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. The high boost clock is particularly important for gaming, as it allows for strong single-threaded performance.

Its Passmark single-thread score of 4691 and multi-thread score of 36470 indicate a very capable processor. The single-thread performance is critical for FPS games like Lockdown Protocol, which often rely on a few cores for game logic and rendering commands. The CPU's 32 MB of shared L3 cache also helps in keeping frequently accessed data close to the cores, reducing latency.

The CPU's overall average benchmark score is 69996, placing it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival is the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, which scores 69875, a deltaPct of 0.2%. This shows the 9700F's performance is on par with some of the best chips available. In the measured game data, the CPU's strength is evident in the high frame rates at 1080p Low, where the GPU is less of a limiting factor. However, as the resolution increases, the GPU becomes the primary constraint, and the CPU's role diminishes.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER ranks 2425 out of 2828 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the lower portion of the performance charts, specifically in the 14th percentile of all tested systems. This ranking is a direct result of the GPU's mid-range performance, which holds back the otherwise high-performing CPU.

This ranking is consistent with the measured FPS data. While the CPU is a top-tier performer, the GPU's limitations prevent the system from achieving high frame rates at demanding resolutions. The system is well-balanced for 1080p gaming, where it can achieve high frame rates on medium settings. However, for higher resolutions, the combo is not competitive with systems that feature more powerful GPUs.

The rank reflects the system's overall capability in this specific game. The high CPU performance does not translate to a high overall rank because the game's performance is so heavily dependent on the GPU. The data suggests that users with this combo should target 1080p or 1440p with medium settings for the best experience. The system's overall rank of 2425 out of 2828 is a clear indicator that it is not designed for high-end 4K gaming or maximum quality settings.