Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti pairing represents a mid-range desktop configuration built around a 6-core, 12-thread CPU with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. In Lockdown Protocol, a fast-paced FPS, this CPU’s architecture provides the foundational processing power, and benchmark results indicate that its single-thread performance is more relevant than its multi-thread capacity for this title. The processor’s PassMark single-thread score of 2981 and Geekbench single-core score of 1979 demonstrate solid per-core capability, which is critical for game logic, physics, and frame pacing. While the CPU’s multi-threaded scores (Cinebench R23 multicore of 14372, PassMark multithread of 16908) show it can handle background tasks, the game’s performance scaling suggests that the GPU is the primary bottleneck in most scenarios. The processor’s 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support at 51.2 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for feeding the GPU without introducing significant stutter, but the data shows that at lower resolutions and settings, the CPU’s limits become more apparent as frame rates climb.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is the more constrained component in this pairing, featuring 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus delivering 288.0 GB/s bandwidth. Its Turing architecture (12 nm process) includes 1536 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs, with a boost clock of 1770 MHz. This GPU’s PassMark G3D score of 12871 places it in the 55th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 570X (deltaPct 0.4) and NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile (deltaPct 0.8), indicating a tightly clustered performance band. In Lockdown Protocol, the 6 GB VRAM capacity is the defining characteristic; at 1080p and 1440p, this allocation is sufficient, but at 4K Ultra settings, the data reveals a significant performance collapse that points to VRAM pressure or memory bandwidth saturation. The GPU’s FP32 throughput of 5.437 TFLOPS and pixel rate of 84.96 GPixel/s are modest by modern standards, yet they are sufficient to produce playable frame rates at lower settings, as the measured FPS data demonstrates.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific CPU-GPU combination ranks 1444 out of 1637 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database’s performance hierarchy. The percentile data for each component independently provides context: the Core i5-11400F sits at the 75th percentile of all CPUs, while the GTX 1660 Ti sits at the 55th percentile of all GPUs. The combo’s rank suggests that the GPU’s weaker relative standing drags the overall performance down, as the CPU is comparatively stronger. Benchmark results indicate that this pairing is best suited for 1080p gaming, where the CPU can push frame rates high enough to utilize the GPU’s capabilities, but at higher resolutions, the GPU’s limitations become the dominant factor. The deltaPct values for the GPU’s rivals show it is within 1% of the AMD Radeon RX 570X (0.4), NVIDIA Tesla K10 (-0.7), and NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile (0.8), meaning small performance swings in the game could shift its ranking. For the CPU, the nearest rivals are the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (deltaPct 0), Intel Core i7-1260P (-0.2), and Intel Core Ultra 7 164U (-0.2), all of which score nearly identically in average benchmarks, reinforcing that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this setup.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Lockdown Protocol reveals a clear performance gradient across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results: Low settings produce an average of 123.8 FPS, Medium averages 85.5 FPS, High averages 77.6 FPS, and Ultra drops to 56.8 FPS. These figures indicate that at 1080p, the game is highly playable at all settings, with even Ultra maintaining a frame rate above 60 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops are noticeable but not catastrophic: Low averages 89.3 FPS, Medium averages 65.4 FPS, High averages 56.1 FPS, and Ultra falls to 44.1 FPS. The 1440p data shows that Medium and below are comfortable for smooth gameplay, while High and Ultra require compromises. At 3840x2160, the GPU’s limits become starkly evident: Low averages 60.8 FPS, which is just playable, but Medium drops to 41.5 FPS, High to 36.1 FPS, and Ultra plunges to 25.2 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only configuration that falls below 30 FPS, making it effectively unplayable for fast-paced action. The incremental differences between settings at each resolution are consistent, with Low to Medium typically yielding a 30-40% frame rate increase, while Ultra to Low more than doubles the frame rate in some cases.

Resolution Scaling

Analyzing the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals the limiting component in this pairing. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 123.8 FPS, which drops to 89.3 FPS at 1440p (a 27.9% reduction) and then to 60.8 FPS at 4K (a 50.9% reduction from 1080p). At Ultra settings, the scaling is steeper: 56.8 FPS at 1080p drops to 44.1 FPS at 1440p (a 22.4% reduction) and then to 25.2 FPS at 4K (a 55.6% reduction from 1080p). This pattern indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as the frame rate drops proportionally with the increase in pixel count. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rate would remain relatively flat across resolutions, but the data shows a consistent decline that tracks with GPU workload. The 1080p Low result of 123.8 FPS suggests the CPU is capable of driving frame rates well above 120 FPS, but the GPU cannot sustain those rates at higher resolutions. The 4K Low result of 60.8 FPS is notably close to the 1080p Ultra result of 56.8 FPS, which indicates that the GPU’s rasterization throughput is the binding constraint, not the CPU’s ability to feed it draw calls. The VRAM capacity of 6 GB also likely contributes to the 4K Ultra collapse to 25.2 FPS, as texture data exceeds the available memory and forces slower memory paging.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this CPU-GPU pairing in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The data indicates 1080p High (77.6 FPS) or 1440p Medium (65.4 FPS) provide the best balance of visual quality and smooth frame rates, while 1080p Ultra (56.8 FPS) is also viable for those prioritizing image quality over refresh rate.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 Ti’s performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score of 13925 is 0.4% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 570X (13871) and 0.8% higher than the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile (13821), but 0.7% lower than the NVIDIA Tesla K10 (14029), indicating near-identical performance among these four cards.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K resolution?

A: Benchmark results show the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, as frame rates drop from 60.8 FPS at Low to 25.2 FPS at Ultra, a decline that correlates with the increase in pixel workload rather than CPU processing limits.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p with Low settings?

A: The measured data shows an average of 123.8 FPS at 1080p Low, which is the highest frame rate recorded for this combo across all tested configurations and indicates the CPU is not holding back performance at this setting.

Q: Does the 6 GB VRAM affect performance at higher resolutions?

A: The data suggests VRAM capacity is a factor at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS drops to 25.2, a significantly larger performance penalty compared to the 1440p Ultra result of 44.1 FPS, indicating that memory pressure increases disproportionately at 4K.

Q: How does this combo’s rank compare to the individual component percentiles?

A: The combo ranks 1444 out of 1637 tested configurations, while the CPU sits at the 75th percentile and the GPU at the 55th percentile, showing that the GPU’s weaker relative performance lowers the overall ranking below what the CPU alone would suggest.