Lockdown Protocol

# CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor built on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) using a 4 nm process from TSMC. It operates with a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, backed by 64 MB of L3 cache plus 1 MB L2 and 80 KB L1 per core. The CPU supports DDR5 memory on a dual-channel bus with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth, and it features 24 PCIe Gen 5 lanes. This processor sits in the 92nd percentile of all CPUs tested, with an average benchmark score of 57,498.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The 12-core configuration with 24 threads provides substantial headroom for background tasks, but the game's FPS results suggest that single-thread performance is the more critical factor. The CPU's 3DMark single-thread score of 1,286 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,253 indicate strong per-core throughput, which is essential for maintaining consistent frame pacing in a fast-paced FPS. The multi-threaded scores—Cinebench R23 multicore at 32,172 and Geekbench multicore at 22,174—show that even when the game engine utilizes multiple threads, this CPU has ample capacity.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the Ryzen 9 9900X is essentially tied with the AMD EPYC 9015 (deltaPct of -0.1%), sits 0.2% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7313, and trails the Intel Core i9-14900 by 1.1% and the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M by 1.4% in average benchmark score. These small deltas indicate that in CPU-bound scenarios, the 9900X is competitive with top-tier server and desktop parts, though its advantage in this game will depend on how well Lockdown Protocol scales across cores. The data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 122 FPS average, which suggests the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at that resolution and setting combination.

# GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is a Turing-architecture GPU (chip TU116) built on a 12 nm process, featuring 1,536 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs. It has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU runs at a base clock of 1,500 MHz with a boost clock of 1,770 MHz, and memory at 12 Gbps effective. It offers 5.437 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 10.87 TFLOPS of FP16 (2:1 ratio). The card supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The GTX 1660 Ti sits in the 41st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 7,723. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon 540 (0.7% higher score), AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 (1.9% higher), AMD Radeon R7 250 (2.2% higher), and Intel Arc A310 (2.3% higher). This places the GTX 1660 Ti in the lower-midrange segment, which is consistent with its 6 GB VRAM capacity. In Lockdown Protocol, the 6 GB frame buffer becomes a limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings, as evidenced by the measured FPS dropping to 27 average at 4K Ultra.

The GPU's pixel rate of 84.96 GPixel/s and texture rate of 169.9 GTexel/s are modest by modern standards, and the 120 W TDP with a 300 W suggested PSU indicates it draws limited power. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 122 FPS, but at 4K Ultra it falls to 27 FPS—a clear indication that the GPU's compute and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints at higher workloads. The VRAM usage at 4K likely approaches or exceeds the 6 GB capacity, causing performance degradation.

# FAQ

Q: How does the Ryzen 9 9900X compare to its closest rivals in CPU benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 9 9900X scores 57,498 on average, which is 0.1% lower than the AMD EPYC 9015 (57,555), 0.2% higher than the AMD EPYC 7313 (57,399), 1.1% lower than the Intel Core i9-14900 (58,115), and 1.4% lower than the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M (58,323). These deltas are minimal, indicating near-parity with those parts.

Q: What is the GTX 1660 Ti's percentile ranking and how does it fare against immediate rivals?

A: The GPU is in the 41st percentile of all GPUs with an average score of 7,723. It trails the AMD Radeon 540 by 0.7%, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 by 1.9%, the AMD Radeon R7 250 by 2.2%, and the Intel Arc A310 by 2.3%. This places it just below the median GPU performance.

Q: What is the best FPS result for this combo in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 122 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The next highest is 90 at 2560x1440 Low, followed by 87 at 1920x1080 Medium. The lowest is 27 at 3840x2160 Ultra.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested combinations in this game?

A: The combo ranks 3,199 out of 3,714 tested combinations, placing it in the lower 14% of all combos. This rank reflects the GPU's limitations, as the CPU is in the 92nd percentile and the GPU is in the 41st percentile.

Q: What is the difference between 1080p and 4K performance at High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 High, the combo averages 76 FPS, while at 3840x2160 High, it averages 36 FPS. This represents a 52.6% reduction in frame rate when moving from 1080p to 4K, highlighting the GPU's bandwidth and compute limitations at higher resolutions.

Q: Does the Ryzen 9 9900X's launch MSRP of $499 affect its performance ranking?

A: The launch MSRP is $499, but the benchmark data shows the CPU performs at the 92nd percentile with an average score of 57,498. The price-to-performance relationship is not directly measured in the FPS data, but the CPU's high percentile suggests it is a capable processor for gaming workloads.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160) and four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra). At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 122 FPS on Low, 87 FPS on Medium (with min 74 and max 100), 76 FPS on High, and 57 FPS on Ultra. These figures show that the GTX 1660 Ti can handle 1080p gaming comfortably, with even the highest settings maintaining above 55 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops noticeably: 90 FPS on Low, 64 FPS on Medium (min 54, max 73), 56 FPS on High, and 42 FPS on Ultra. The step from Low to Medium costs 26 FPS, while Medium to High costs 8 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 14 FPS. This pattern suggests that the Medium preset offers a reasonable balance, but High and Ultra push the GPU harder. The minimum FPS of 54 at Medium indicates occasional dips that could affect gameplay smoothness.

At 3840x2160, the results are more constrained: 58 FPS on Low, 41 FPS on Medium (min 35, max 47), 36 FPS on High, and 27 FPS on Ultra. The 4K Low setting is the only one that exceeds 50 FPS, while Ultra drops below 30 FPS, which is generally considered the threshold for playable frame rates in fast-paced games. The min FPS of 35 at Medium suggests that even at moderate settings, the GPU struggles to maintain consistent performance at 4K.

The data shows a clear progression: at each resolution, the FPS decreases as settings increase, with the largest drops occurring between Low and Medium at 1440p (26 FPS) and between High and Ultra at 1080p (19 FPS). The smallest drop is between High and Ultra at 4K (9 FPS), which may indicate that the GPU is already saturated at High settings at that resolution.

# How This Combo Ranks

The combo of AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti ranks 3,199 out of 3,714 tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the bottom 14% of all combos tested. The rank is heavily influenced by the GPU, which sits in the 41st percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU is in the 92nd percentile of all CPUs. This mismatch suggests that the CPU is far more capable than the GPU in this pairing, making the GPU the limiting factor.

The combo's rank of 3,199 means there are 515 combinations that perform worse in this game. Given that the CPU is highly ranked, the combos that outperform this pairing likely feature more powerful GPUs paired with similar or weaker CPUs. The delta between the CPU's percentile (92) and GPU's percentile (41) is 51 points, indicating a significant imbalance. In practical terms, the CPU is being held back by the GPU's inability to render frames fast enough, especially at higher resolutions and settings.

The measured FPS data supports this interpretation: at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 122 FPS, which is respectable, but at 4K Ultra it drops to 27 FPS. If a more powerful GPU were paired with the 9900X, the 1080p FPS would likely be much higher, and the 4K performance would be less constrained. The rank of 3,199 reflects this GPU-bound scenario.

# Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 122 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset at 87 FPS provides a good balance between visual quality and performance, with the min FPS of 74 still above 60. High at 76 FPS is also viable, while Ultra at 57 FPS dips below 60, which may cause noticeable stutter in a fast-paced FPS. For 1080p, Medium or High are the recommended presets, as they offer improved visuals over Low while maintaining playable frame rates.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset at 90 FPS is the only one that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS. Medium at 64 FPS is playable but with a min FPS of 54, which could cause occasional hitches. High at 56 FPS and Ultra at 42 FPS fall below the 60 FPS target, making them less suitable for competitive play. For 1440p, Low is the safest choice, with Medium as an option if the player can tolerate occasional dips below 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset at 58 FPS is the only one that approaches 60 FPS, while Medium at 41 FPS, High at 36 FPS, and Ultra at 27 FPS are all below the playable threshold for a competitive FPS. For 4K, Low is the only recommended preset, and even then, the 58 FPS average may dip in demanding scenes. Players seeking higher visual fidelity at 4K would need a more powerful GPU.

Overall, the data suggests that the best experience is at 1920x1080 with Medium or High settings, where the combo maintains 76-87 FPS with acceptable minimums. At 1440p, Low is the recommended preset, and at 4K, only Low is viable.

# Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals important information about the system's bottleneck. At Low settings, the combo averages 122 FPS at 1080p, 90 FPS at 1440p, and 58 FPS at 4K. This represents a 26.2% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 35.6% drop from 1440p to 4K, for a total 52.5% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The scaling is relatively linear, suggesting that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors.

At Medium settings, the FPS goes from 87 at 1080p to 64 at 1440p (26.4% drop) to 41 at 4K (35.9% drop from 1440p). The total drop from 1080p to 4K is 52.9%. At High settings, the numbers are 76 at 1080p, 56 at 1440p (26.3% drop), and 36 at 4K (35.7% drop), with a total drop of 52.6%. At Ultra, the drop is 57 to 42 (26.3%) to 27 (35.7%), totaling 52.6%.

The consistency of these percentage drops across all settings indicates that the GPU is the limiting component at every resolution and preset. The CPU's performance is sufficient to maintain the same frame delivery pattern regardless of resolution, meaning that increasing resolution does not expose a CPU bottleneck. The GTX 1660 Ti's 6 GB VRAM and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are the primary constraints, as higher resolutions require more memory bandwidth and capacity to render frames.

The fact that the FPS drops are nearly identical across settings (around 26% from 1080p to 1440p and 36% from 1440p to 4K) suggests that the GPU is consistently render-bound, with no setting-specific bottlenecks. This is typical of a midrange GPU paired with a high-end CPU, where the GPU's compute resources are fully utilized at all resolutions. Players seeking higher frame rates at 4K would need to reduce settings to Low and accept the 58 FPS average, or upgrade to a GPU with more VRAM and bandwidth.