Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER produces a spread of results in Lockdown Protocol that clearly illustrates the GPU’s role as the primary bottleneck. At 1080p with Low settings, the combination delivers 124.9 FPS, but that figure falls to 58.4 FPS at 4K with the same settings—a drop of 66.5 FPS, or 53.2%, as resolution increases. This steep decline indicates that the graphics card’s rendering throughput, rather than the processor’s capability, is the limiting factor in this title.

The pattern holds across all settings presets. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings reduces the average from 73.5 FPS to 55.2 FPS, a 24.9% loss. The jump from 1440p to 4K at High is even more punishing: 55.2 FPS falls to 34.1 FPS, a 38.2% reduction. At Ultra settings, the same progression shows 58.4 FPS at 1080p, 42.2 FPS at 1440p, and 28.6 FPS at 4K—the latter figure being just below the threshold many consider playable for a fast-paced FPS. The data suggests that while the CPU can feed frames at lower resolutions, the GTX 1660 SUPER’s 6 GB GDDR6 memory and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are quickly saturated as pixel count climbs.

The scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution further confirms the GPU limitation. At 1080p, Ultra settings produce 58.4 FPS—identical to the 4K Low result—which implies the graphics card is hitting a similar workload ceiling regardless of whether the demand comes from resolution or detail level. The 124.9 FPS at 1080p Low is the only measurement that approaches the CPU’s potential, and even that figure is modest for a 14-core processor with a 5.30 GHz boost clock.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF brings substantial compute resources to this pairing: 14 cores, 20 threads, and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32889 and single-core score of 4643 place it in the 93rd percentile among all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 49367 is within 0.4% of the Core i5-14600K. However, the measured FPS data shows no scenario where the processor appears to be the limiting factor.

At 4K Ultra, the combination produces 28.6 FPS—a figure that is entirely attributable to the GPU’s compute capacity, as the CPU is nowhere near its performance ceiling. The GTX 1660 SUPER’s FP32 throughput of 5.027 TFLOPS and its PassMark G3D score of 12699 (55th percentile among GPUs) are the constraining resources. Even at 1080p Low, where the CPU has the least graphics work to wait on, the 124.9 FPS result does not represent a CPU bottleneck; rather, it reflects the GPU’s maximum frame output for that particular workload.

The processor’s memory support for DDR4 and DDR5, along with its 24 MB of shared L3 cache, ensures that it can handle the game’s logic and physics without stalling. But the evidence points to the GPU as the component that determines the final frame rate. The PassMark multi-thread score of 38697 and single-thread score of 4273 are both strong, yet they are irrelevant to the outcome here because the graphics card cannot translate that computational headroom into additional frames. For users who wish to improve FPS in Lockdown Protocol, the data indicates that upgrading the GPU would yield far greater gains than any CPU change.

FAQ

Q: What is the best FPS this combo achieves at 1080p?

A: The highest measured average at 1920x1080 is 124.9 FPS on Low settings. Medium settings produce 84.3 FPS, High yields 73.5 FPS, and Ultra drops to 58.4 FPS.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combination ranks 1471st out of 1637 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the lower 10% of results.

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

A: The 28.6 FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is clearly GPU-bound. The i5-14600KF’s high single-core performance (4643 in Cinebench R23) cannot compensate for the GTX 1660 SUPER’s limited rendering power at that resolution.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings average 92.1 FPS, while Ultra settings average 42.2 FPS—a 49.9 FPS difference, representing a 54.2% drop in performance.

Q: Does the combo ever exceed 60 FPS at 4K?

A: No. The best 4K result is 58.4 FPS on Low settings. Medium produces 39.9 FPS, High yields 34.1 FPS, and Ultra falls to 28.6 FPS.

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

A: The GTX 1660 SUPER’s average benchmark score of 14286 is within 0.2% of the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 (14314) and within 0.7% of the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (14389), indicating near-identical raw performance.

How This Combo Ranks

With a rank of 1471 out of 1637 tested combinations, this pairing sits in the bottom 10% of all configurations tested in Lockdown Protocol. The percentile ranking of the individual components tells the story: the CPU is in the 93rd percentile among all processors, while the GPU is in the 55th percentile among all graphics cards. This mismatch means the system’s overall standing is determined almost entirely by the graphics card.

The CPU’s average benchmark score of 49367 places it 0.4% above the Core i5-14600K (49166) and 0.6% above the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (49062), confirming that the processor is a high-tier part. In contrast, the GPU’s average score of 14286 is 0.2% below the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 and 0.5% below the AMD Radeon Vega 11, showing that the graphics card is mid-pack at best. The resulting rank of 1471 reflects this imbalance—the system has a top-tier CPU strapped to a mid-range GPU, and Lockdown Protocol’s frame rates are governed by the weaker link.

For context, the combo’s 1080p High result of 73.5 FPS is respectable for a 2019-era GPU, but the 4K Ultra result of 28.6 FPS is among the lowest measured for any configuration. Users considering this pairing should understand that the rank is not a reflection of the CPU’s capability but rather a measure of the GPU’s ability to keep pace in a modern FPS title.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal balance of visual quality and playable frame rates occurs at 1080p with High settings. This preset delivers 73.5 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay in a fast-paced shooter. The step up to Ultra at the same resolution yields only 58.4 FPS—a 20.5% reduction—for what is typically a marginal visual improvement in most titles.

At 1440p, the recommendation shifts to Medium settings, which produce 61.8 FPS. This is the only 1440p preset that remains above 60 FPS; High drops to 55.2 FPS and Low, while faster at 92.1 FPS, sacrifices too much visual fidelity for a playable but less immersive experience. For users with 4K displays, the data does not support any preset as a good experience—even Low settings at 58.4 FPS are borderline, and Ultra at 28.6 FPS is not viable for competitive play.

The 1080p Low result of 124.9 FPS is the only measurement that approaches high-refresh-rate territory, but the visual compromise is likely too severe for most players. Therefore, 1080p High is the recommended preset for this combination, as it provides the best frame rate while retaining meaningful graphical detail. Users prioritizing competitive performance over visuals may opt for 1080p Medium at 84.3 FPS, which offers a 14.7% FPS increase over High with a moderate visual downgrade.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: 124.9 FPS
• Medium: 84.3 FPS
• High: 73.5 FPS
• Ultra: 58.4 FPS

At 1080p, the range from Low to Ultra spans 66.5 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 40.6 FPS, indicating that the Low preset does not fully utilize the GPU. The difference between Medium and High is 10.8 FPS, and between High and Ultra is 15.1 FPS.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: 92.1 FPS
• Medium: 61.8 FPS
• High: 55.2 FPS
• Ultra: 42.2 FPS

At 1440p, the spread narrows to 49.9 FPS. Low is the only preset that exceeds 90 FPS, while Medium and High are within 6.6 FPS of each other. Ultra falls 13.0 FPS below High, showing the increased cost of the highest detail level at this resolution.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: 58.4 FPS
• Medium: 39.9 FPS
• High: 34.1 FPS
• Ultra: 28.6 FPS

At 4K, the GPU is clearly overwhelmed. Low produces 58.4 FPS, but every other preset falls below 40 FPS. The drop from Medium to High is 5.8 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 5.5 FPS. The 4K Low result is identical to the 1080p Ultra result (58.4 FPS), suggesting the GPU reaches a similar performance ceiling whether the workload comes from pixel count or detail level.