Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER pairing delivers a playable but constrained experience in Lockdown Protocol, with the data showing a clear pattern: the combo ranks 1427th out of 1637 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 13% of systems. This is a 6-core, 12-thread Comet Lake processor with a 2.90 GHz base clock and 4.30 GHz boost clock, paired with a 6 GB GDDR6 GPU on the Turing architecture. The benchmark results reveal that while the CPU holds its own in multithreaded workloads—scoring 10297 in Cinebench R23 multicore—the GPU’s 55th percentile standing among all GPUs becomes the limiting factor as resolution and settings climb.

CPU Role

The i5-10400F’s 6 cores and 12 threads are the foundation of this system’s performance, but in Lockdown Protocol, the CPU’s influence is most visible at lower resolutions where frame rates are highest. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 124.9 FPS average, a figure that drops to 87.8 FPS at 1440p Low and 60.8 FPS at 4K Low—a scaling pattern that suggests the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at these settings. The processor’s single-thread score of 688 in 3DMark and 1453 in Cinebench R23 indicates modest per-core performance, which aligns with its 73rd percentile ranking among all CPUs.

The 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support provide adequate bandwidth for a 2024 FPS title, but the CPU’s 42.7 GB/s memory bandwidth is unremarkable. Benchmark data shows the i5-10400F sits within 1.2% of the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C and Intel Core i5-8500 in average score, meaning it is neither a standout nor a liability in raw compute. In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU’s role becomes more pronounced at 1080p Ultra, where the frame rate settles at 59.9 FPS—a figure that is 52% lower than the 1080p Low result, suggesting the GPU is already saturated before the CPU can fully stretch its legs.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo achieve 60 FPS at 1080p in Lockdown Protocol?*

A: Yes, but only at Low and Medium settings. The data shows 124.9 FPS at Low and 85.5 FPS at Medium, while High yields 78.2 FPS and Ultra drops to 59.9 FPS, just under the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-10400F’s average benchmark score of 14168 is 0.4% higher than the AMD EPYC 7552 (14115) and 0.8% lower than the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C (14277). It trails the Intel Core i5-8500 by 1.1%, indicating near-identical compute performance.

Q: What is the GPU’s standing relative to other graphics cards?

A: The GTX 1660 SUPER ranks in the 55th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 14286. It is 0.2% behind the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 and 0.7% behind the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this hardware?

A: Only at Low settings, where the combo averages 60.8 FPS. At Medium, the average drops to 42.2 FPS, and at High it falls to 37.3 FPS. Ultra at 4K is not playable, with just 25.4 FPS.

Q: What is the GPU’s memory configuration and how does it affect performance?

A: The GTX 1660 SUPER has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K Ultra result of 25.4 FPS indicates capacity and bandwidth limitations at higher resolutions.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems?

A: It ranks 1427th out of 1637 combos, placing it in the 87th percentile from the bottom. This is a low-tier configuration for Lockdown Protocol, outperforming only 210 tested combinations.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable but steep decline as resolution increases, with the GPU emerging as the dominant constraint. From 1080p Low (124.9 FPS) to 1440p Low (87.8 FPS), the frame rate drops by 29.7%, and from 1440p Low to 4K Low (60.8 FPS), it falls another 30.8%. This consistent ~30% reduction per resolution step indicates a GPU-bound scenario at Low settings, where the CPU has enough headroom to feed the graphics card.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is even more aggressive. The 1080p Ultra result of 59.9 FPS falls to 43.8 FPS at 1440p Ultra (−26.9%) and then to 25.4 FPS at 4K Ultra (−42.0%). The steeper drop at 4K Ultra suggests the 6 GB VRAM buffer is being exceeded, forcing the GPU to manage memory pressure alongside rendering. The gap between Low and Ultra widens with resolution: at 1080p, Ultra is 52% slower than Low; at 1440p, it is 50% slower; at 4K, it is 58% slower. This pattern confirms that the limiting component shifts from a balanced load at 1080p to a heavily GPU-bound one at 4K, with the CPU’s 6-core architecture never becoming the primary bottleneck.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce 124.9 FPS average, Medium follows at 85.5 FPS, High at 78.2 FPS, and Ultra at 59.9 FPS. The step from Low to Medium is a 31.5% reduction, while the step from Medium to High is a modest 8.5% drop, and High to Ultra is 23.4% lower. These figures indicate that the GPU scales efficiently across presets until Ultra, where the 6 GB memory and 1408 shading units begin to struggle.

At 1440p, the same pattern holds with lower absolute numbers. Low averages 87.8 FPS, Medium 65.3 FPS, High 56.2 FPS, and Ultra 43.8 FPS. The relative gaps are similar to 1080p, with Ultra being 50.1% slower than Low. At 4K, the results are more constrained: Low hits 60.8 FPS, Medium 42.2 FPS, High 37.3 FPS, and Ultra 25.4 FPS. The 4K Ultra figure is 79.7% lower than the 1080p Low result, illustrating the extreme performance cost of combining the highest resolution with the highest preset on this hardware. Across all resolutions, the data shows no min or max FPS values, so the analysis relies solely on average frame rates.

GPU Role

The GTX 1660 SUPER is the decisive component in Lockdown Protocol, with its 6 GB GDDR6 memory and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth shaping the performance envelope. The GPU’s base clock of 1530 MHz and boost clock of 1785 MHz, combined with 1408 shading units, 88 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units, deliver 5.027 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. This places the card in the 55th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 14286 that is within 0.7% of the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT.

The GPU’s 12 nm Turing architecture, built on TSMC’s process with 6,600 million transistors on a 284 mm² die, provides DirectX 12 (12_1) support, which is relevant for a 2024 FPS title. The 14 Gbps effective memory speed and 192-bit bus are adequate for 1080p, but the 4K Ultra result of 25.4 FPS suggests the card is overwhelmed by pixel throughput demands. The GPU’s 125 W TDP and 300 W suggested PSU indicate a mid-range power profile, but power is not a limiting factor in the measured results. Instead, the data points to raw compute and memory bandwidth as the binding constraints, particularly at 4K where the frame rate drops below 30 FPS even at Medium settings.

Settings Recommendations

The optimal experience for this combo is at 1080p Medium, which delivers 85.5 FPS average—a figure that is 31.5% higher than High and 44.2% higher than Ultra, while remaining 31.5% lower than Low. This preset balances visual quality with smooth gameplay, avoiding the 59.9 FPS average of Ultra that falls below the 60 FPS target. At 1440p, Medium remains the best choice with 65.3 FPS, though players seeking higher frame rates should drop to Low (87.8 FPS) for a more responsive feel.

For 4K, Low is the only viable preset, producing 60.8 FPS average, which is 44.1% higher than Medium (42.2 FPS) and 58.3% higher than High (37.3 FPS). Ultra at 4K is not recommended, as the 25.4 FPS average is below playable thresholds for a fast-paced FPS. Across all resolutions, the data shows that Medium is the sweet spot for the GTX 1660 SUPER’s 6 GB memory and 1408 shading units, delivering the best compromise between visual fidelity and frame rate without the steep performance penalties seen at High and Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER ranks 1427th out of 1637 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the bottom 13% of systems. This rank reflects the GPU’s 55th percentile standing and the CPU’s 73rd percentile standing, with the weaker GPU dragging the overall performance. The combo’s measured FPS data supports this ranking: while 1080p Low exceeds 120 FPS, the 4K Ultra average of 25.4 FPS is among the lowest viable results for a modern FPS.

Relative to its nearest rivals, the CPU’s average score of 14168 is within 1.2% of the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C and Intel Core i5-8500, but this parity does not translate into a high combo rank because the GPU is the limiting factor. The GTX 1660 SUPER’s average score of 14286 places it only 0.2% above the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11, indicating that the graphics card is competitive with entry-level integrated solutions in synthetic tests, yet its real-world gaming performance is constrained by 6 GB of VRAM and 5.027 TFLOPS of compute. For Lockdown Protocol, this combo is best suited for 1080p Medium or 1440p Low, where it can maintain playable frame rates, but it cannot deliver a high-refresh experience at higher resolutions or presets.