Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with Intel Core Ultra 5 225 + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER

This pairing combines a modern 10-core desktop processor with an end-of-life Turing-based graphics card, producing a system that is heavily GPU-limited in Lockdown Protocol at most settings. The benchmark data shows a consistent pattern: the GTX 1660 SUPER is the bottleneck from 1080p Medium upward, while the Core Ultra 5 225 has ample headroom to feed frames at lower settings. The combo ranks in the 2425th position out of 2828 tested combinations, placing it in the lower tier of systems for this FPS title.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and reveals where the graphics card becomes the limiting factor. At Low settings, average FPS falls from 123 at 1920x1080 to 90 at 2560x1440 — a 27% reduction — and then to 58 at 3840x2160, which is 53% below the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern indicates that even at the lowest visual preset, the GTX 1660 SUPER cannot maintain playable frame rates at 4K, though the 1080p result of 123 FPS shows the CPU is capable of feeding high frame rates when the GPU load is modest.

Moving to Medium settings, the resolution penalty becomes more pronounced. The system delivers 87 FPS at 1080p, drops to 64 FPS at 1440p (a 26% loss), and then falls to 41 FPS at 4K — a 53% drop from 1440p. The 4K Medium result of 41 FPS with a minimum of 35 FPS suggests inconsistent frame pacing that would be noticeable in a fast-paced FPS. At High settings, the pattern continues: 76 FPS at 1080p, 56 FPS at 1440p (26% lower), and 36 FPS at 4K (36% lower than 1440p). The Ultra preset shows the most severe scaling, with 57 FPS at 1080p dropping to 42 FPS at 1440p (26% lower) and then to 27 FPS at 4K (36% lower than 1440p).

The consistent 26% penalty between 1080p and 1440p across Medium, High, and Ultra settings suggests the GPU is the primary constraint, as the relative performance loss remains constant regardless of preset. However, the larger relative drop between 1440p and 4K at High (36%) compared to Medium (36%) and Ultra (36%) indicates that the card's memory bandwidth — 336.0 GB/s from 6 GB of GDDR6 — is being saturated at higher resolutions. The 4K Low result of 58 FPS versus 4K Medium at 41 FPS shows that reducing settings can recover some performance, but the card simply lacks the raw throughput for smooth 4K gameplay.

GPU Role

The GTX 1660 SUPER operates with a base clock of 1530 MHz and a boost clock of 1785 MHz, paired with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus. The memory runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective), yielding 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The card's 1408 shading units and 48 ROPs deliver a pixel rate of 85.68 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 157.1 GTexel/s. In Lockdown Protocol, these specifications translate to a GPU that is adequate for 1080p gaming at Medium to High settings but struggles beyond that.

The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 123 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's practical limit for this title. Dropping to 1080p Medium reduces the average to 87 FPS, a 29% decrease that is almost entirely attributable to increased GPU workload. The card's FP32 performance of 5.027 TFLOPS places it in the mid-range of the current GPU landscape, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1278 confirms its position. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 12699 puts it in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs, with nearest rivals including the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (0.4% faster) and RX 580 (0.4% faster).

The 6 GB VRAM capacity is a notable constraint at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the system manages only 27 FPS, and while the exact VRAM usage is not measured, the sharp drop from 4K High (36 FPS) to 4K Ultra (27 FPS) suggests that texture memory demands exceed what the card can efficiently handle. The 192-bit memory bus provides decent bandwidth for 1080p, but at 4K the 336.0 GB/s figure becomes a limiting factor, as evidenced by the 58 FPS at 4K Low — a result that still falls short of smooth 60 FPS gameplay.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER ranks 2425th out of 2828 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the bottom 14% of systems. This low ranking is primarily due to the GPU's age and performance tier, as the CPU is a modern 10-core Arrow Lake part that scores in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. The processor's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 and single-core score of 3655 indicate strong compute performance, but the GTX 1660 SUPER's PassMark G3D score of 12699 (53rd percentile) drags the overall gaming experience down.

The CPU alone benchmarks similarly to the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (0% delta), Ryzen 5 5500X3D (-0.2%), Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (-0.4%), and Core i9-12900T (-0.5%). This means the processor is not the limiting factor in most of the measured scenarios. Meanwhile, the GPU sits close to the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (0.4% faster), RX 580 (0.4% faster), Tesla M2090 (-0.7%), and Radeon 740M (0.9% faster). The ranking reflects the GPU's mid-low tier status rather than any CPU deficiency.

For context, the measured FPS results show that this combo can handle 1080p Low at 123 FPS, which is competitive with higher-tier systems at that setting. However, at 4K Ultra, the 27 FPS result places it far behind any modern GPU pairing. The delta between the CPU's 85th percentile ranking and the combo's 14th percentile ranking underscores how severely the GPU limits this system in Lockdown Protocol.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best performance. Low settings produce an average of 123 FPS, which is smooth for competitive play. Medium settings yield 87 FPS average with a minimum of 74 FPS and maximum of 100 FPS, providing a stable experience. High settings reduce the average to 76 FPS, still playable but with less headroom. Ultra settings drop to 57 FPS average, which is borderline for a fast-paced FPS but usable for single-player sessions.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance profile shifts downward. Low settings average 90 FPS, which remains playable, while Medium settings deliver 64 FPS average with a range of 54 to 73 FPS. High settings produce 56 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 42 FPS. The 1440p results show that only Low and Medium presets are viable for consistent gameplay, with High and Ultra pushing the GPU past its comfort zone.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles across all presets. Low settings average 58 FPS, which is marginally playable but with no headroom for dips. Medium settings average 41 FPS with a minimum of 35 FPS, indicating noticeable stuttering. High settings drop to 36 FPS, and Ultra falls to 27 FPS. None of the 4K results meet the 60 FPS threshold, and even the Low preset's 58 FPS average is too close to the edge for reliable performance in a competitive FPS.

The measured rows show that the 1080p Medium preset (87 FPS) offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with 1080p Low (123 FPS) being the choice for maximum frame rates. The 1440p Medium result of 64 FPS is the only 1440p option that approaches playability, while 4K is not a realistic target for this hardware combination.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Lockdown Protocol at 60 FPS?

A: Yes, at 1080p. Low settings average 123 FPS, Medium averages 87 FPS, and High averages 76 FPS. At 1440p, only Low (90 FPS) and Medium (64 FPS) exceed 60 FPS. At 4K, no preset reaches 60 FPS, with the best result being Low at 58 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: 1920x1080 is the clear choice. All four presets deliver at least 57 FPS, with Medium (87 FPS) providing the best combination of visual quality and smoothness. At 1440p, performance becomes inconsistent, and at 4K, no preset is playable.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 12986 is 0.4% lower than the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (12940), 0.4% higher than the RX 580 (12928), 0.7% higher than the Tesla M2090 (13075), and 0.9% lower than the Radeon 740M (12870). These small deltas mean the card performs similarly to its direct competitors.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: The GPU is the bottleneck in nearly all scenarios. The Core Ultra 5 225 ranks in the 85th percentile of CPUs with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891, while the GTX 1660 SUPER ranks in the 53rd percentile. The FPS scaling patterns across resolutions confirm GPU limitation.

Q: What kind of frame rates can I expect at 1440p Medium?

A: The measured average is 64 FPS with a minimum of 54 FPS and maximum of 73 FPS. This is playable but the minimum frame rate suggests occasional dips that could affect competitive play.

Q: Should I use the Ultra preset?

A: Only at 1080p, where it averages 57 FPS. At 1440p, Ultra averages 42 FPS, and at 4K it drops to 27 FPS. The visual gains from Ultra over High are not worth the performance cost at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience with this hardware, 1080p Medium is the recommended starting point. The 87 FPS average with a 74 FPS minimum provides smooth gameplay with decent visual fidelity, and the 74 FPS floor ensures that demanding scenes won't drop below playable thresholds. The 1080p High preset (76 FPS) is a viable alternative if you prefer improved visuals and can tolerate slightly lower frame rates, while 1080p Low (123 FPS) is the choice for competitive play where maximum frame rates matter.

At 1440p, only Medium (64 FPS) is recommended for general play, as the 54 FPS minimum is acceptable but not ideal. The 1440p Low preset (90 FPS) is better for competitive modes, but the visual compromise is significant. Avoid 1440p High (56 FPS) and Ultra (42 FPS) as these fall below the 60 FPS threshold. For 4K, none of the presets are recommended — even Low (58 FPS) is too close to the edge, and Medium (41 FPS) through Ultra (27 FPS) produce stutter-prone experiences.

The data indicates that the sweet spot is 1080p Medium, as it delivers 87% of the Low preset's frame rate while providing substantially better visuals than Low. If you have a 1440p monitor, the 1440p Medium preset (64 FPS) is the only option that approaches playability, but you should expect occasional dips below 60 FPS. For any resolution above 1440p, this GPU simply lacks the performance headroom, and the benchmark results suggest that reducing resolution to 1080p is the most effective way to achieve a consistently smooth experience in Lockdown Protocol.