Lockdown Protocol

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU's cache layout includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 33 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory across a dual-channel bus, and its PCIe interface is Gen 5 with 16 lanes from the CPU.

In synthetic benchmarks, this processor posts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35443 and a single-core score of 5003. Geekbench results show 16571 multi-core and 2711 single-core. The PassMark multithread score is 41765, while single-thread performance is 4261. The processor's average benchmark score is 54097, placing it at the 94th percentile among all CPUs.

Relative to its nearest rivals, the i7-14700F trails the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X by 0.6% (54450 vs 54097), the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D by 1.1% (54681 vs 54097), but leads the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 by 1.2% (53469) and the AMD EPYC 7313P by 1.7% (53206). These deltas are small, indicating that in CPU-bound scenarios, the i7-14700F performs essentially on par with these competing parts.

For Lockdown Protocol, an FPS title, the CPU's strong single-core performance (5003 in R23 single-core) is relevant because game logic, physics, and frame pacing often rely on few threads. The high boost clock of 5.40 GHz helps maintain responsiveness in scenes with many actors. The 20 cores and 28 threads are more than sufficient for background tasks, but the game's frame rate at lower resolutions will depend more on the GPU. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 124.9 FPS, suggesting the CPU can feed the GPU adequately at that setting. The 94th percentile ranking indicates this processor is in the top tier for overall compute, which should prevent it from being the primary bottleneck in most scenarios.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is a Turing-architecture GPU built on TSMC's 12 nm process, with a die size of 284 mm² and 6,600 million transistors. It has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock is 1500 MHz, with a boost clock of 1770 MHz, and memory runs at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective). It features 1536 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs. The pixel rate is 84.96 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 169.9 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance of 5.437 TFLOPS. The TDP is 120 W, requiring a 300 W suggested PSU and a single 8-pin power connector.

In benchmark tests, the GTX 1660 Ti scores 12871 in PassMark G3D, 1061 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, and 60863 in Geekbench OpenCL. Its average benchmark score is 13925, placing it at the 55th percentile among all GPUs. Relative to nearest rivals, it edges out the AMD Radeon RX 570X by 0.4% (13871), trails the NVIDIA Tesla K10 by 0.7% (14029), beats the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile by 0.8% (13821), and matches the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 with a 0.8% lead (13812). These tight margins place the 1660 Ti firmly in the mid-range tier.

For Lockdown Protocol, the 6 GB VRAM is a critical constraint. At 4K Ultra, the game only reaches 28.2 FPS, likely due to both memory capacity and bandwidth limits. The 192-bit bus and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are modest by modern standards; as resolution increases, the GPU must move more data per frame, and the memory subsystem becomes the limiting factor. The boost clock of 1770 MHz is relatively high for this class, but the GPU's overall compute (5.437 TFLOPS) is the dominant constraint at higher settings. The 55th percentile ranking confirms this is a mid-pack GPU, and the measured frame rates reflect that positioning.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 124.9 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 91.3 FPS, a 27% reduction. At 4K Low, the frame rate falls to 57.6 FPS, another 37% drop from 1440p. This scaling indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck; if the CPU were limiting, the frame rates would remain flat across resolutions.

At Medium settings, the trend continues: 90.8 FPS at 1080p, 66.1 FPS at 1440p, and 40.1 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 27% and 39% respectively, consistent with GPU-bound behavior. High settings show 78.7 FPS at 1080p, 55.2 FPS at 1440p, and 35.6 FPS at 4K — reductions of 30% and 36%. Ultra settings are the most demanding: 57.6 FPS at 1080p, 42.9 FPS at 1440p, and 28.2 FPS at 4K, with drops of 25% and 34%.

The consistent pattern across all settings — roughly a 25-30% drop from 1080p to 1440p and another 34-39% drop from 1440p to 4K — strongly suggests the GTX 1660 Ti's compute and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors. The CPU's strong benchmark scores (94th percentile) mean it has headroom; the GPU's 55th percentile ranking aligns with the observed scaling. At 1080p Low, the CPU likely has some influence, but by 4K, the GPU is fully saturated. The 6 GB VRAM may also cause the 4K Ultra result (28.2 FPS) to be disproportionately low compared to 4K High (35.6 FPS), as memory pressure increases.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS achievable with this CPU-GPU combo?

A: The highest measured average is 124.9 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only configuration exceeding 120 FPS in the data.

Q: How does the i7-14700F compare to its nearest rival in multi-core performance?

A: The i7-14700F's average benchmark score of 54097 is 0.6% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X (54450) and 1.1% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D (54681). It leads the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 by 1.2% and the AMD EPYC 7313P by 1.7%.

Q: Is the GTX 1660 Ti better or worse than the NVIDIA GTX 680 in synthetic GPU tests?

A: The GTX 1660 Ti has an average benchmark score of 13925, which is 0.8% higher than the GTX 680's 13812. The delta is small, indicating near-identical performance in these tests.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p and 4K at Ultra settings?

A: At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 57.6. At 4K Ultra, it drops to 28.2, a 51% reduction. This large drop underscores GPU-bound scaling.

Q: Does the GTX 1660 Ti outperform the AMD Radeon RX 570X?

A: Yes, the GTX 1660 Ti's average score of 13925 is 0.4% higher than the RX 570X's 13871. The margin is minimal but positive.

Q: Which resolution and setting yields the most balanced 60 FPS experience?

A: At 1440p Medium, the average is 66.1 FPS, and at 1080p High, it is 78.7 FPS. Both exceed 60 FPS, but 1440p Medium offers higher resolution with only a 16% FPS penalty compared to 1080p High.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

1920x1080 (Full HD):

• Low: 124.9 FPS
• Medium: 90.8 FPS
• High: 78.7 FPS
• Ultra: 57.6 FPS

At 1080p, the system is capable of smooth gameplay across all presets. Low settings provide a substantial headroom above 120 FPS, while Ultra still maintains nearly 60 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 67.3 FPS, indicating that settings have a significant impact at this resolution.

2560x1440 (Quad HD):

• Low: 91.3 FPS
• Medium: 66.1 FPS
• High: 55.2 FPS
• Ultra: 42.9 FPS

At 1440p, Low remains comfortably above 90 FPS, but Medium dips below 70 FPS, and Ultra falls below 45 FPS. The step from Low to Medium costs 25.2 FPS, while Medium to High costs 10.9 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 12.3 FPS. This suggests diminishing returns as settings increase.

3840x2160 (4K UHD):

• Low: 57.6 FPS
• Medium: 40.1 FPS
• High: 35.6 FPS
• Ultra: 28.2 FPS

At 4K, only Low settings exceed 55 FPS. Medium drops to 40.1 FPS, and Ultra falls below 30 FPS, making it marginal for playability. The difference between Low and Ultra is 29.4 FPS, showing that even at 4K, settings matter substantially.

Across all resolutions, the pattern is consistent: Low settings provide roughly 1.4x the FPS of Medium, and Medium provides about 1.15x the FPS of High, while High provides about 1.25x the FPS of Ultra. This scaling indicates that the GPU's compute and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints, with the CPU not being a limiting factor at any resolution.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target display resolution and desired frame rate.

For 1080p displays, the best experience is at High settings, delivering 78.7 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and High settings provide a noticeable visual improvement over Medium (90.8 FPS) without the 27% FPS penalty that comes with Ultra (57.6 FPS). If the player prioritizes maximum smoothness over visuals, Low at 124.9 FPS is viable for competitive play, but High offers the best balance of fidelity and performance.

For 1440p displays, Medium settings at 66.1 FPS is the recommended choice, as it is the only preset that exceeds 60 FPS while providing a reasonable visual quality. Low at 91.3 FPS is smoother but sacrifices visual detail. High at 55.2 FPS is marginally below 60 FPS, which may cause noticeable stutter on some displays. Ultra at 42.9 FPS is not recommended for fast-paced FPS gameplay.

For 4K displays, the data shows that only Low settings achieve a playable frame rate at 57.6 FPS. Medium at 40.1 FPS and High at 35.6 FPS are below the 40 FPS threshold for acceptable responsiveness in a shooter. Ultra at 28.2 FPS is effectively unplayable. If a 4K display is the target, Low settings are the only viable option, and even then, users should expect occasional dips during intense scenes.

The overall recommendation is to prioritize 1080p High for the best balance of visual quality and performance, yielding 78.7 FPS. For users with higher-resolution displays, 1440p Medium is the most balanced choice at 66.1 FPS, while 4K Low is the only playable option at 57.6 FPS. The combo's rank of 1422 out of 1637 combinations in Lockdown Protocol suggests that this hardware is positioned in the lower-middle tier for this title, and users should adjust expectations accordingly.