Lockdown Protocol

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

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor from the Core 14th Gen series, built on Intel's 10 nm Raptor Lake-R architecture. Its base clock is 3.40 GHz with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, and it carries 33 MB of shared L3 cache plus 2 MB of L2 cache per core. The processor also supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, with ECC support enabled.

Benchmark results show this CPU is a top-tier part. It scores 44,167 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 6,235 in single-core, with Geekbench results of 21,462 multi-core and 2,578 single-core. Its average benchmark score of 70,163 places it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. Against its nearest rivals, the i7-14700KF edges out the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F by 0.2%, the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX by 0.4%, and the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X by 0.9%, while trailing the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K by 1%.

In Lockdown Protocol, the measured FPS data shows this CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 123 FPS average, and even at 4K Low it holds 58 FPS. The CPU's strong multi-threaded performance — 18,550 in Cinebench R20 multi-core and 52,425 in Passmark multithread — ensures that frame pacing remains consistent, as evidenced by the narrow gap between average and minimum FPS in the Medium preset rows. The 20-core configuration with 28 threads is far more than a game like Lockdown Protocol needs in a single-player or co-op FPS context, meaning headroom exists for background tasks or streaming without impacting frame rates.

The single-core performance is equally relevant. With a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6,235 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2,578, the CPU handles game logic, physics calculations, and draw call submission efficiently. This explains why the 1080p High preset delivers 76 FPS average — the CPU can feed the GPU fast enough even when the GPU is the bottleneck. The Passmark single-thread score of 4,480 reinforces this interpretation.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is a Turing-architecture GPU built on TSMC's 12 nm process, with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus delivering 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 1530 MHz with a boost clock of 1785 MHz, and memory runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). The GPU has 1,408 shading units, 88 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs, with a pixel rate of 85.68 GPixel/s and texture rate of 157.1 GTexel/s.

The GTX 1660 SUPER's benchmark profile shows it sits in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 12,986. Its nearest rivals are tightly clustered: the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile is 0.4% ahead, the RX 580 is 0.4% ahead, the Tesla M2090 is 0.7% behind, and the Radeon 740M is 0.9% behind. This positions the GTX 1660 SUPER as a mid-range card that can handle 1080p gaming comfortably but struggles at higher resolutions.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU is the dominant bottleneck beyond 1080p. The data shows a clear pattern: at 4K Ultra, the combo drops to 27 FPS average, which is unplayable. At 4K High, it recovers to 36 FPS, and at 4K Medium to 41 FPS. Even at 4K Low, the average is only 58 FPS, well below the 90 FPS seen at 1440p Low. The 6 GB VRAM capacity is a critical constraint at 4K, where texture data and geometry can exceed that limit, causing the GPU to fall back on slower memory operations.

The 12 nm process and 5.027 TFLOPS FP32 performance are modest by modern standards, but the 336.0 GB/s memory bandwidth helps the card punch above its weight in bandwidth-bound scenarios. The DirectX 12 (12_1) support and Vulkan 1.4 API compatibility mean the GPU can run modern game engines, but its raw compute power and 6 GB frame buffer limit it to lower presets at higher resolutions.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance curve as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 123 FPS average. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 90 FPS (a 27% reduction), and 4K Low yields 58 FPS (a 53% reduction from 1080p Low). The pattern is consistent across all presets:

• Low preset: 123 → 90 → 58 FPS (1080p → 1440p → 4K)
• Medium preset: 87 → 64 → 41 FPS (with min/max ranges of 74-100, 54-73, and 35-47 respectively)
• High preset: 76 → 56 → 36 FPS
• Ultra preset: 57 → 42 → 27 FPS

The scaling ratio from 1080p to 4K is roughly 2.1x at Low preset, 2.2x at High, and 2.1x at Ultra — meaning the FPS roughly halves when pixel count quadruples. This is a classic GPU-bound signature. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the FPS would stay flat or even increase slightly at lower resolutions because the GPU would have more headroom to render frames faster. Instead, the consistent drop across all presets indicates the GTX 1660 SUPER is the primary constraint.

The CPU's role is visible in the 1080p Low result of 123 FPS. That figure is high enough to suggest the CPU can push well beyond 120 FPS in this game, so the GPU starts to become the bottleneck even at 1080p when settings are lowered. The 1440p Medium row shows a min FPS of 54, which is 15% below the average of 64 — a wider spread that suggests occasional stutter, likely from the GPU struggling to maintain frame times under memory pressure.

At 4K, the results are uniformly poor. Even at Low settings, the 58 FPS average is below the 60 FPS target most players consider smooth. The 4K Ultra result of 27 FPS is below playable thresholds. The data strongly indicates that the GTX 1660 SUPER's 6 GB VRAM and 5.027 TFLOPS compute are insufficient for 4K gaming in Lockdown Protocol, while the i7-14700KF has ample headroom at all tested resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The data shows 1080p is the only resolution where this combo consistently exceeds 60 FPS across all presets. At 1080p Low, the average is 123 FPS; at 1080p High, it is 76 FPS; and even at 1080p Ultra, it holds 57 FPS. At 1440p, only the Low preset (90 FPS) clears 60 FPS comfortably, while High (56 FPS) and Medium (64 FPS) are borderline.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700KF holding back the GTX 1660 SUPER?

A: No. The CPU's benchmark scores — 44,167 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 94th percentile among all CPUs — far exceed what this GPU can utilize. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a classic GPU-bound pattern, with FPS dropping roughly 50% when resolution doubles. The CPU has no trouble feeding the GPU at any tested setting.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 SUPER compare to its closest rivals in this game?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 12,986 places it within 1% of the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (12,940), RX 580 (12,928), and Radeon 740M (12,870), while trailing the Tesla M2090 (13,075) by 0.7%. This tight clustering suggests similar in-game performance would be expected, all else being equal.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Lockdown Protocol?

A: Only at Low settings, where it averages 58 FPS. At Medium, it drops to 41 FPS, and at High to 36 FPS. The 4K Ultra preset yields just 27 FPS. The 6 GB VRAM and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for high-detail 4K rendering in this title.

Q: What does the percentile ranking tell us about this GPU?

A: The GTX 1660 SUPER sits in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs, meaning it outperforms just over half of the GPUs in the database. This is a mid-range positioning, consistent with its measured FPS results in Lockdown Protocol — it handles 1080p well but falls behind at higher resolutions.

Q: Is there a big difference between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: Yes. At 1440p Medium, the combo averages 64 FPS with a min of 54, while at 1440p High it drops to 56 FPS average. The 12.5% FPS difference comes with a noticeable visual quality trade-off, making Medium the better choice for smoother gameplay at this resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

This CPU-GPU pairing ranks 3,166 out of 3,714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. That places it in the bottom 15% of all combinations — a low ranking driven entirely by the GPU, since the CPU is in the 94th percentile. The disparity between the CPU's high percentile and the combo's low rank highlights the imbalance of this pairing.

The rank means that most other tested combos outperform this one in Lockdown Protocol. The GTX 1660 SUPER's 53rd percentile GPU score, combined with the i7-14700KF's 94th percentile CPU score, creates a system where the GPU is the clear bottleneck. In practical terms, this combo delivers playable 1080p performance (76 FPS at High, 123 FPS at Low) but struggles at 1440p and 4K.

The rank also reflects the age of the GPU. The GTX 1660 SUPER was released in 2019, while the CPU is a 2023 part. The 12 nm process and 6 GB VRAM limit the GPU's ability to run modern games at high resolutions, and Lockdown Protocol is no exception. The data shows that even at 1080p Ultra, the combo only manages 57 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold many players prefer.

For context, the combo's measured results show it can achieve 123 FPS at 1080p Low, which is a playable experience for competitive FPS play. However, the rank of 3,166 out of 3,714 indicates that the majority of tested combos deliver better performance. This is a pairing that prioritizes CPU power over GPU capability, and in a GPU-bound game like Lockdown Protocol, that imbalance shows.

Settings Recommendations

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

For 1080p gaming (the sweet spot for this GPU): The Low preset delivers 123 FPS average, which is ideal for competitive play where high refresh rates matter. The Medium preset offers 87 FPS average with a minimum of 74 FPS, providing a good balance between visual quality and smoothness. The High preset at 76 FPS average is also playable and offers noticeably better visuals than Medium. The Ultra preset drops to 57 FPS, which is still technically playable but below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Recommendation: High preset at 1080p for the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, with Low as a competitive option.

For 1440p gaming: Only the Low preset (90 FPS) provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. The Medium preset averages 64 FPS but dips to 54 FPS minimum, which can cause noticeable stutters. The High preset at 56 FPS and Ultra at 42 FPS are not recommended for smooth play. Recommendation: Low preset at 1440p if you must play at this resolution, but expect to sacrifice visual quality.

For 4K gaming: The data shows poor results across all presets. The Low preset at 58 FPS is the only option above 50 FPS, while Medium (41 FPS), High (36 FPS), and Ultra (27 FPS) are all below playable thresholds. Recommendation: Avoid 4K with this GPU — the 6 GB VRAM and 5.027 TFLOPS compute are insufficient for a smooth 4K experience in Lockdown Protocol.

The best overall experience is 1080p High at 76 FPS average, which provides good visual quality without sacrificing frame rate. If you prefer maximum smoothness for competitive play, 1080p Low at 123 FPS is the better choice. The Medium preset at 1080p (87 FPS, min 74) is a solid middle ground that maintains a high frame rate while improving visual detail over Low.