Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol, a 2024 FPS, shows a clear performance split between the CPU and GPU in this pairing. The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X is a high-end 16-core, 32-thread processor from the 5000 series (Zen 3 "Vermeer" architecture, TSMC 7nm). The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is a Turing-based card with 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus. The benchmark data for this combo shows a system where frame rates scale predictably with resolution, but the CPU's strength is most evident at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how this combo scales across 1080p, 1440p, and 4K, given the settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system delivers an average of 76 FPS on High, 87 FPS on Medium, 57 FPS on Ultra, and 123 FPS on Low. This is a wide spread, with the Low preset delivering more than double the frame rate of Ultra. The 1440p results show a similar pattern but with a notable drop. High settings at 2560x1440 average 56 FPS, while Medium yields 64 FPS, Ultra drops to 42 FPS, and Low hits 90 FPS. The scaling from 1080p High (76 FPS) to 1440p High (56 FPS) represents a reduction of about 26%, which is a moderate hit. When moving from 1440p High to 4K High, the average drops from 56 FPS to 36 FPS, a further 36% reduction.

The most telling figures are the Low preset results. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 123 FPS, but dropping the resolution to 1440p Low scales that down to 90 FPS, and 4K Low lands at 58 FPS. This progression shows that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. The GTX 1660 SUPER's 6GB of VRAM and 192-bit memory bus are being taxed as pixel count rises. The data indicates that the processor has plenty of headroom at 1080p, but the GPU becomes the bottleneck as resolution increases.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K on the same settings shows a steep falloff. For High settings, the average FPS goes from 76 to 56 to 36 as you move from 1080p to 1440p to 4K. This is a classic GPU-limited pattern. The CPU is likely not the constraint here, as the Ryzen 9 5950X has 16 cores and 32 threads. The 3dmark single-thread score of 944 and 2-thread score of 1856 suggest strong per-core performance, but at 4K, the GPU is the deciding factor.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer, manufactured on a 7nm process by TSMC. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. In the benchmark data, this CPU scores 26017 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1614 in single-core, with a 3DMark max-threads score of 11597. These numbers indicate a very capable processor for multi-threaded workloads, which is typical for a top-tier desktop part. The 5950X's percentile vs all CPUs is 91st, and its average benchmark score is 51947. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX (avg score 52073, -0.2% delta) and the Intel Core i9-13900F (avg score 51730, +0.4% delta), which shows the 5950X is in the same performance ballpark as these chips.

In the context of Lockdown Protocol, the CPU role is less about raw core counts and more about single-thread performance. The game is an FPS, and while it may use multiple threads, the 3dmark scores suggest that the 2-thread and 4-thread scenarios are more relevant. The 2-thread score is 1856, and the 4-thread score is 3595, which are decent but not exceptional. The 8-thread score is 6598, and the 16-thread score is 10810. These numbers show that the CPU scales well with more threads, but the game is likely not utilizing all 16 cores.

At 1080p Low, the system hits 123 FPS, which is a strong indicator that the CPU is not the bottleneck at that resolution. The measured FPS shows that at 1080p, the GPU is the limiting factor. A more powerful GPU would likely push this CPU to deliver even higher frame rates at 1080p, as the 5950X has 16 cores, 32 threads, and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. The PassMark multi-thread score of 45424 and integer math score of 185520 support this. But in this specific game, the GPU is the limiter.

The 5950X's memory support is DDR4 dual-channel with a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s, which is typical for the platform. This is not a limiting factor for most games, but it's not a modern spec either. The CPU's 3DMark scores (10810 for 16 threads) confirm it's a strong multi-threaded part, but Lockdown Protocol seems to be more single-thread oriented, as the 2-thread score is 1856 and 4-thread is 3595, which are relatively low compared to the multi-thread scores.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is the limiting component in this pairing. It has 6GB of GDDR6 VRAM, a 192-bit memory bus, and a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. Its base clock is 1530 MHz, boost clock 1785 MHz, and memory clock is 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). The GPU has 1408 shading units, 88 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. Its TDP is 125 W, and it uses a PCIe 3.0 x16 interface. The GPU's directx 12 (12_1) support, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 are all modern, but its performance is from 2019.

The GTX 1660 SUPER's percentile vs all GPUs is 53, and its average benchmark score is 12986. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (avgScore 12860, +0.4% delta), the AMD Radeon RX 580 (avgScore 12856, +0.4% delta), and the NVIDIA Tesla M2090 (avgScore 13075, -0.7% delta). This places the GTX 1660 SUPER in the mid-range tier, and its 1080p performance is the only area where it excels.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU's 6GB VRAM is likely to be a constraint at 4K with High settings, as the data shows only 36 FPS average. The 4K Medium preset gives 41 FPS, with a minimum of 35 and maximum of 47. The 4K Low preset gets 58 FPS, which is the only 4K result above 60 FPS. This indicates that the GPU is the bottleneck, as the CPU is not the issue.

The GPU's memory bandwidth of 336 GB/s is decent for a mid-range card, but it's not enough for 4K Ultra settings in a modern FPS. The 6GB VRAM is also a concern, as modern games can use more than 6GB at 4K. The data shows that the GPU's performance scales with resolution, but not linearly. For example, 1440p High (56 FPS) is only 26% faster than 4K High (36 FPS), while 1080p High (76 FPS) is 36% faster than 1440p High (56 FPS). This suggests that the GPU is becoming more bottlenecked at higher resolutions, which is expected.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank for Lockdown Protocol is 3166 out of 3714 tested combos, which is in the 85th percentile. This is a low ranking, indicating that this CPU+GPU pairing is not well-suited for this game at high settings. The GTX 1660 SUPER is a mid-range GPU, and the Ryzen 9 5950X is a high-end CPU, so the combo is severely unbalanced. The CPU is not the bottleneck, but the GPU is, and the 4K performance is poor.

This combo rank of 3166 out of 3714 means that 85% of the tested combos perform better in Lockdown Protocol. This is not a good result, and it's likely due to the GPU's limitations. The 5950X is a top-tier CPU, but it's paired with a mid-range GPU, so the combo is not a good match for a demanding FPS like Lockdown Protocol. The CPU's 91st percentile and the GPU's 43rd percentile highlight the imbalance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a clear picture of this combo's performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system averages 123 FPS on Low, 87 FPS on Medium, 76 FPS on High, and 57 FPS on Ultra. The 1080p Medium result has a minimum of 74 FPS and a maximum of 100 FPS. These 1080p numbers are playable for most users, but the Ultra setting is below 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the averages drop: Low is 90 FPS, Medium is 64 FPS (min 53, max 73), High is 56 FPS, and Ultra is 42 FPS. These are acceptable for 1440p, but the Ultra settings are borderline. At 3840x2160, the averages are much lower: Low is 58 FPS, Medium is 41 FPS (min 35, max 47), High is 36 FPS, and Ultra is 27 FPS. The 4K results are poor, with only the Low preset achieving a playable average.

The 1080p Low preset is the smoothest experience, with an average of 123 FPS. The 1080p Medium is also solid, with 87 FPS and a minimum of 74 FPS. The 1440p Low is playable at 90 FPS, but the 1440p Medium (64 FPS) and High (56 FPS) are less consistent. The 4K results are only viable at Low, with 58 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the best experience for Lockdown is at 1080p with the Medium preset. This yields 87 FPS average, with a minimum of 74 FPS, which is a smooth frame rate. The High preset at 87 FPS (76 FPS average) is also a good choice, but the Medium preset offers a higher minimum FPS (74 vs. no min data for High). The Low preset at 123 FPS is the highest, but the visual quality is reduced.

At 1440p, the Medium preset (64 FPS) is the best balance for frame rate and detail. The Low preset at 90 FPS is smoother, but it sacrifices visual fidelity. The High preset at 56 FPS is below 60 FPS, which might be a concern for competitive play. The Ultra preset is not recommended, as it drops to 42 FPS.

At 4K, only the Low preset is playable, with an average of 58 FPS. The Medium preset at 41 FPS is not smooth, and the High (36 FPS) and Ultra (27 FPS) are not recommended. For the best experience with this combo, 1080p with Medium or High settings is the way to go. The GPU is the bottleneck at higher resolutions, so reducing the resolution to 1080p and using Medium or High settings is the practical approach.

The data shows that the GTX 1660 SUPER is capable of delivering 60 FPS at 1080p with Medium settings, but the 4K and 1440p Ultra presets are too demanding. The 5950X CPU is not the issue; it's the GPU that limits high-resolution performance. For a smooth experience, stick to 1080p or 1440p with Medium or High settings.