Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol pairs the Intel Core i5-14600K with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER, a combination that yields a measured data set spanning three resolutions and four quality presets. The benchmark results reveal a system that is decisively limited by its graphics processor at higher settings, yet capable of delivering smooth frame rates when the CPU’s strong single-thread performance is allowed to lead. The combo sits at rank 1436 out of 1637 tested combinations, placing it in the lower percentile of all systems measured for this title.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that the Low preset achieves an average of 125.5 FPS, while Medium drops to 86.4 FPS. For a competitive edge, Low is the only preset that comfortably exceeds 120 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle 4K resolution in Lockdown Protocol?

A: Benchmark results indicate that 4K is a challenge. The High preset averages 37.2 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 29.9 FPS. Only the Low preset at 4K, with 56.4 FPS, approaches playability.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 SUPER compare to its closest rival in raw compute?

A: The GPU’s nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11, has an average benchmark score that is 0.2% lower. The GTX 1660 SUPER’s own average score is 14286, placing it in the 55th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: What is the CPU’s performance percentile relative to all processors?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600K is in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 49166. This indicates very strong processing power, especially for gaming.

Q: Is there a significant difference between the High and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: Yes. The measured average FPS drops from 58.6 on High to 39.7 on Ultra at 2560x1440. This 18.9 FPS difference is substantial and makes Ultra less viable for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the frame rate drop from 1080p to 1440p on the High preset?

A: The average FPS decreases from 75.9 at 1920x1080 to 58.6 at 2560x1440. This represents a 22.8% reduction in performance, indicating the GPU is becoming a more significant factor.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data suggests that the optimal experience depends heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the Low preset provides the highest average frame rate at 125.5 FPS, which is ideal for fast-paced FPS gameplay where responsiveness is critical. The Medium preset offers a balanced 86.4 FPS, which is still smooth and provides better visual fidelity than Low. The High preset at 75.9 FPS is also viable for those who prioritize visuals, but the Ultra preset at 59 FPS is the threshold where performance begins to feel less fluid.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset remains the top performer with 89.8 FPS, making it the only preset that consistently delivers a high-refresh experience. The Medium preset at 66.9 FPS is a good compromise, while the High preset at 58.6 FPS is still playable. The Ultra preset at 39.7 FPS dips below the 60 FPS target and is not recommended for action sequences.

At 3840x2160, the data shows that no preset achieves a consistent 60 FPS experience. The Low preset at 56.4 FPS is the only option that approaches playability, while the Medium (39.3 FPS), High (37.2 FPS), and Ultra (29.9 FPS) presets are all too demanding for this GPU. For a balanced experience, the Medium preset at 1080p offers the best trade-off between visual quality and frame rate, but for pure performance, the Low preset is the clear winner.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core processor with 20 threads, based on the Raptor Lake architecture. Its base clock is 3.50 GHz, and it can boost up to 5.30 GHz. This high boost clock is critical for gaming, as Lockdown Protocol appears to benefit from strong single-thread performance. The CPU’s benchmark scores reflect its capability: a Geekbench single-core score of 2803 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4642.

The data suggests that at lower resolutions and settings, the CPU is not the primary bottleneck. For instance, at 1080p Low, the system achieves 125.5 FPS, which is a strong result that indicates the i5-14600K can feed frames quickly. However, its performance relative to rivals is tight; it is only 0.2% faster than the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X in average benchmark score. The CPU’s 93rd percentile ranking confirms that it is a high-end part, but this combo’s overall rank of 1436 out of 1637 suggests that the GPU is holding back the system’s true potential in this specific game.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600K and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is ranked 1436 out of 1637 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places the system in the bottom 12% of all tested configurations, which is a surprisingly low position given the CPU’s high percentile ranking. The discrepancy highlights a significant imbalance: the CPU is a top-tier component, but the GPU is a mid-range part from a previous generation.

The data implies that for this game, the GPU is the limiting factor. The combo’s rank is more indicative of the GPU’s performance than the CPU’s. The GTX 1660 SUPER’s 55th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average score of 14286, is much lower than the CPU’s 93rd percentile. This mismatch is why the combo struggles to move up the ranks, despite the CPU’s clear capability to handle the game’s logic and physics.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture and features 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. Its base clock of 1530 MHz and boost clock of 1785 MHz are modest by today’s standards. The GPU’s benchmark scores, such as a Passmark G3D score of 12699, place it in the 55th percentile of all GPUs.

The measured FPS data clearly shows that the GPU is the primary constraint in Lockdown Protocol. The frame rates scale consistently with resolution and settings, which is typical of a GPU-bound scenario. For example, at 1080p, the difference between Low (125.5 FPS) and Ultra (59 FPS) is 66.5 FPS, demonstrating that the GPU’s shading units and ROPs are being pushed hard by higher quality settings. The GPU’s nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT, has an average score that is 0.7% higher, indicating that the GTX 1660 SUPER is near the bottom of its performance class.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are as follows: Low preset at 125.5, Medium at 86.4, High at 75.9, and Ultra at 59.0. The gap between Low and Medium is 39.1 FPS, which is the largest jump between any two consecutive presets, suggesting that the Low preset reduces the GPU load significantly.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS values are: Low at 89.8, Medium at 66.9, High at 58.6, and Ultra at 39.7. The drop from Medium to High is 8.3 FPS, while the drop from High to Ultra is 18.9 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset is particularly demanding at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS values are: Low at 56.4, Medium at 39.3, High at 37.2, and Ultra at 29.9. The difference between Medium and High is only 2.1 FPS, which suggests that the GPU is so overwhelmed at 4K that the visual improvements from Medium to High have minimal impact on performance.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a clear trend of diminishing frame rates as resolution increases. From 1080p to 1440p on the Low preset, the average FPS drops from 125.5 to 89.8, a 28.4% decrease. From 1440p to 4K on the same preset, the FPS drops from 89.8 to 56.4, a 37.2% decrease. This pattern indicates that the GPU is the limiting component, as the frame rate drops are proportional to the increase in pixel count.

The scaling becomes even more pronounced at higher settings. On the Ultra preset, the FPS drops from 59.0 at 1080p to 39.7 at 1440p (a 32.7% decrease) and then to 29.9 at 4K (a 24.7% decrease from 1440p). The fact that the percentage drop is not linear suggests that the GPU is hitting a hard performance wall at 4K, likely due to its 6 GB VRAM capacity and limited compute power. The CPU’s strong single-core performance is insufficient to overcome this GPU bottleneck, as evidenced by the system’s low overall combo rank.