Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol places heavy demands on graphics hardware, and the pairing of an Intel Core i7-14700K with a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER produces a performance profile defined by the GPU's limitations. The benchmark data shows that this combo, ranked 3166 out of 3714 tested configurations, is firmly in the lower tier for this title, with playable performance confined to lower resolutions and settings. The 6 GB VRAM capacity and the GPU's overall compute capabilities are the primary bottlenecks, as the CPU's substantial processing power remains largely underutilized in this scenario.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear verdict: the "Low" preset is the only reliable choice for a consistently smooth experience, and even then, it is resolution-dependent. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 123 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded for this combo and comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset at the same resolution yields 87 FPS average, a 36 FPS drop from Low, but remains playable. However, the data indicates that the performance cost of increasing settings is steep. Moving from Low to Medium at 1080p reduces performance by approximately 29%, and the jump from Medium to High results in a further 11 FPS loss.

For 2560x1440, the Low preset is still viable, with an average of 90 FPS, but the Medium preset drops to 64 FPS, which is nearing the edge of what most would consider smooth for a fast-paced FPS. The High preset at this resolution falls to 56 FPS, which is below the ideal target. At 3840x2160, no preset provides a truly smooth experience. The Low preset achieves 58 FPS, which is borderline, while Medium drops to 41 FPS and High to 36 FPS. The Ultra preset is not a viable option at any resolution, as it only manages 27 FPS at 4K, 42 FPS at 1440p, and 57 FPS at 1080p.

The data suggests that the best experience is achieved by prioritizing resolution over visual fidelity. For a 1080p display, the Medium preset offers a good balance, with a 87 FPS average and a minimum of 74 FPS, ensuring a stable experience. For 1440p, the Low preset is the only setting that consistently stays above the 60 FPS mark, with an average of 90 FPS. The Ultra preset should be avoided entirely, as the performance penalty is not justified by the visual gains. The optimal strategy is to lock the resolution to 1920x1080 and use the Medium preset, or to drop to Low if maximum frame rates are desired.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is the definitive performance limiter in this configuration. Its 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth, is insufficient for the demands of Lockdown Protocol at higher settings and resolutions. The data shows a clear pattern: as resolution increases, the average FPS drops significantly, indicating that the GPU's memory bandwidth and capacity are being saturated. The GPU's core clocks, with a base of 1530 MHz and a boost of 1785 MHz, are modest by modern standards, and its 1408 shading units and 48 ROPs are not enough to handle the pixel fill rate required at 4K.

The GPU's compute capability, measured at 5.027 TFLOPS FP32, is a major constraint. This is reflected in the benchmark scores, where the GPU's average score of 12986 places it in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs, indicating it is a mid-range part. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile and the AMD Radeon RX 580, with performance deltas of less than 1%, showing that the GTX 1660 SUPER is positioned in a crowded and competitive segment. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1278 is a poor indicator for this modern game, and the Passmark G3D score of 12699 confirms its limited rasterization prowess.

The 125 W TDP and the requirement for a 300 W power supply suggest that this is a power-efficient card, but that efficiency does not translate into high-end performance. The Turing architecture, lacking dedicated ray tracing cores, is not optimized for the features that modern FPS games like Lockdown Protocol may use. The data shows that the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as the CPU's performance is never the limiting factor in any of the measured scenarios. The GPU's 12 nm process node and 6,600 million transistors are dated, and this is reflected in its inability to maintain high frame rates at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 3166 out of 3714 tested configurations places this system in the bottom 15% of all tested hardware pairings for Lockdown Protocol. This is a low ranking that underscores the mismatch between the high-end CPU and the mid-range GPU. The Intel Core i7-14700K is a top-tier processor, with an average benchmark score of 69355, placing it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, show a negligible performance delta of -0.2%, indicating that the CPU is among the fastest available.

The stark contrast between the CPU's high percentile and the combo's low rank confirms that the GPU is entirely responsible for the poor overall performance. The data shows that the CPU's capabilities are wasted in this pairing, as the GTX 1660 SUPER cannot translate the processor's power into higher frame rates. The combo's rank suggests that in this game, the system will perform like a much lower-end machine, and users should expect frame rates consistent with a budget GPU. The 3714 combos tested include many with more balanced pairings, and this system's position in the bottom 15% is a direct result of the GPU's limitations. The CPU's high single-thread and multi-thread scores, such as 2160 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 33440.5 in multi-core, are irrelevant to the gaming outcome here.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data paints a comprehensive picture of performance across nine different combinations of resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low preset yields 123 FPS average, Medium yields 87 FPS with a minimum of 74 and maximum of 100, High yields 76 FPS, and Ultra yields 57 FPS. This shows a clear scaling pattern, with a 54% performance drop from Low to Medium, and a further 13% drop from Medium to High. The Ultra preset is 26% slower than High, making it the least efficient setting.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops are more pronounced. The Low preset averages 90 FPS, Medium averages 64 FPS with a minimum of 54 and maximum of 73, High averages 56 FPS, and Ultra averages 42 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 29%, and the gap between Medium and High is 12.5%. The Ultra preset is 25% slower than High. At 3840x2160, the results are marginal. Low averages 58 FPS, Medium averages 41 FPS with a minimum of 35 and maximum of 47, High averages 36 FPS, and Ultra averages 27 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 29%, and the drop from Medium to High is 12%.

The data indicates that the Medium preset at 1080p is the only setting that provides both a high average frame rate (87 FPS) and a high minimum frame rate (74 FPS), ensuring a smooth experience without significant stuttering. The Low preset at 1440p is also acceptable, with a 90 FPS average, but the minimum FPS data is not available for this setting, so the stability is not fully assured. The Ultra preset should be avoided at all resolutions, as the performance penalty is significant and the visual improvement is likely minimal in a fast-paced game.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the GPU-bound nature of this system. At the Low preset, the average FPS drops from 123 at 1080p to 90 at 1440p, a 27% decrease, and then to 58 at 4K, a 36% decrease from 1440p. This shows that the GPU is struggling to fill pixels at higher resolutions. At the Medium preset, the drop is from 87 at 1080p to 64 at 1440p (26% decrease) and then to 41 at 4K (36% decrease). The consistent percentage drops across settings indicate that the resolution scaling is independent of the visual quality settings, which is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck.

The data suggests that the limiting component is the GPU's memory bandwidth and fill rate. The 6 GB VRAM is likely being exhausted at 1440p and 4K, causing the GPU to offload data and reduce performance. The FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p is smaller than the drop from 1440p to 4K, which is typical as the pixel count increases. The CPU, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, is not the limiting factor here, as the FPS scaling is directly proportional to the resolution, indicating that the GPU is the sole constraint. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would remain relatively flat across resolutions, which is not the case. The data confirms that to maintain a playable frame rate, users must prioritize lower resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Lockdown Protocol with this CPU and GPU combo?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where a consistently smooth experience is possible. At 1080p, the Low preset achieves 123 FPS and the Medium preset achieves 87 FPS, both well above the 60 FPS target. At 2560x1440, only the Low preset stays above 60 FPS, with an average of 90 FPS.

Q: Is the Ultra preset usable at any resolution?

A: No. The Ultra preset yields an average of 57 FPS at 1080p, 42 FPS at 1440p, and 27 FPS at 4K. These frame rates are too low for a smooth experience in a fast-paced FPS game, and the setting should be avoided.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: This combination of the Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER ranks 3166 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the bottom 15% of all systems.

Q: Is the CPU or the GPU the main performance bottleneck?

A: The GPU is the definitive bottleneck. The CPU is in the 94th percentile of all processors, while the GPU is in the 53rd percentile. The FPS scaling with resolution changes is a clear indicator that the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute power are the limiting factors.

Q: What average FPS can be expected at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured data shows an average of 56 FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings. This is below the 60 FPS threshold and may result in a less responsive experience. The Low preset is recommended for 1440p.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Medium settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 123 FPS, while the Medium preset averages 87 FPS. This represents a 36 FPS drop, or approximately a 29% performance decrease, when moving from Low to Medium settings.