Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol presents a demanding workload for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER combination. The measured frame rates reveal a system where the GPU is the primary constraint at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s strength becomes apparent only at lower settings. This analysis breaks down the performance data to show how the pairing behaves across the tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 is steep, confirming the GTX 1660 SUPER as the bottleneck. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 122.7 at 1080p to 61.2 at 4K, a reduction of 61.5 frames. This 50% loss in performance is typical for a GPU struggling with the pixel count at 4K. The pattern holds across all presets, but the severity varies. At High settings, the drop is from 74.2 at 1080p to 37.8 at 4K, which is a 49% decrease.

The scaling between 1080p and 1440p is less dramatic. At Medium, the average goes from 84.9 at 1080p to 63.6 at 1440p, a 25% reduction. This indicates that the GPU is still the limiting factor, but the additional pixels at 1440p are less punishing than the jump to 4K. The data suggests that the GTX 1660 SUPER, with its 6 GB of VRAM and 192-bit memory bus, has a comfortable zone at 1080p but begins to choke at higher resolutions.

At 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra is 32 frames (61.2 vs 29.2), showing that the GPU’s compute units are overwhelmed by the combination of high resolution and complex shading. The 1080p Low result of 122.7 FPS is the only configuration that approaches the CPU’s potential, indicating that the 20-core processor is ready to deliver high frame rates when the GPU is not the constraint. The benchmark results indicate that for a smooth 60 FPS experience, 1440p Low is the highest resolution the GPU can handle, while 4K is only viable on Low settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for the GTX 1660 SUPER in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the optimal resolution. At 1080p, the average FPS ranges from 55.1 at Ultra to 122.7 at Low, with Medium and High achieving 84.9 and 74.2 FPS respectively. This is the only resolution where all presets produce playable frame rates.

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

A: Only marginally. At 3840x2160, the average FPS is 61.2 on Low, but drops to 39.2 on Medium and 37.8 on High. The Ultra preset falls to 29.2 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The 6 GB VRAM is likely a limiting factor at this resolution.

Q: How does the CPU perform relative to its rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K scores an average benchmark score of 79102, placing it in the 97th percentile of all CPUs. It is 0.2% behind the Core Ultra 7 265KF and Core i9-14900KF, 0.9% ahead of the Core i9-14900K, and 1.2% behind the AMD EPYC 7413.

Q: Which preset offers the highest performance at 1080p?

A: The Low preset delivers the highest average FPS at 122.7. However, the Medium preset at 84.9 FPS provides a significant performance boost over High (74.2 FPS) without sacrificing as much visual fidelity as Low.

Q: Is the GPU’s performance consistent with its market position?

A: The GTX 1660 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 14286, placing it in the 55th percentile of all GPUs. It is 0.2% behind the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 and Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics, and 0.7% behind the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 91.1 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 45.1 FPS. This 46 FPS difference shows how much headroom the GPU has when settings are reduced.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is the decisive component in this pairing. With a boost clock of 1785 MHz and 5.027 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, the benchmark results show it is outmatched by the CPU’s capabilities. The GPU’s memory configuration consists of 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, providing 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This setup is sufficient for 1080p but struggles with the demands of 4K, where the average FPS on Ultra drops to 29.2.

The GPU’s average benchmark score of 14286 places it in the 55th percentile of all GPUs. This is a mid-range position, which aligns with the measured frame rates in Lockdown Protocol. At 1080p, the GPU manages 122.7 FPS on Low, indicating it can push high frame rates when the workload is light. However, the 4K results show that the GPU’s pixel rate of 85.68 GPixel/s is not enough to handle the fill rate demands of higher resolutions.

The deltaPct values against its nearest rivals are minimal, with only a 0.7% difference from the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT. This suggests that the GTX 1660 SUPER is well-matched with its peers, and its performance in Lockdown Protocol is representative of its class. The 14 Gbps effective memory clock and 1530 MHz base clock are modest by modern standards, but they are enough to deliver playable frame rates at 1440p Low, where the average is 91.1 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the data shows a clear progression of frame rates. The Low preset delivers the highest average FPS at 122.7, followed by Medium at 84.9. High settings reduce the average to 74.2 FPS, while Ultra drops to 55.1 FPS. This range indicates that the GPU can handle any preset at this resolution, but the gap between Low and Ultra is substantial.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages decrease across the board. Low settings produce 91.1 FPS, which is still smooth. Medium achieves 63.6 FPS, and High manages 58.8 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to 45.1 FPS, which is noticeably less fluid for a fast-paced FPS. The performance drop from 1080p to 1440p is significant, but the Low and Medium presets remain playable.

At 3840x2160, the GPU’s limitations become apparent. The Low preset averages 61.2 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium and High presets deliver 39.2 and 37.8 FPS respectively, while Ultra drops to 29.2 FPS. The data shows that 4K gaming is only feasible with the Low preset, and even then, the frame rate is marginal. The 6 GB VRAM and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the higher texture and memory demands of 4K.

Settings Recommendations

For a balance of visual quality and performance, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 is the optimal choice. It delivers an average FPS of 84.9, which is well above the 60 FPS target, and it provides a significant improvement over the Low preset’s 122.7 FPS without the steep drop seen at High (74.2 FPS). This configuration allows the GPU to maintain a stable frame rate while keeping the game’s details at a reasonable level.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset is recommended for a smooth experience, averaging 91.1 FPS. The Medium preset at 63.6 FPS is also viable for players who prefer higher visual fidelity, but it is closer to the 60 FPS line. The High preset at 58.8 FPS is borderline, and the Ultra preset at 45.1 FPS is not recommended for competitive play.

For 3840x2160, the only viable option is the Low preset, which averages 61.2 FPS. This is the only configuration that approaches a playable frame rate at this resolution. The data suggests that any preset above Low at 4K will result in a sub-60 FPS experience, making it unsuitable for fast-paced gameplay. The GTX 1660 SUPER is not designed for 4K gaming, and the measured results confirm this.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is a high-end processor with 20 cores and 20 threads, boosting up to 5.50 GHz. Its benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 50009 and a single-core score of 7060. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 79102 places it in the 97th percentile of all CPUs, indicating that it is not a bottleneck in this system.

The CPU’s performance relative to its rivals is close. It is 0.2% behind the Core Ultra 7 265KF and Core i9-14900KF, and 0.9% ahead of the Core i9-14900K. The data shows that the 265K is within 1.2% of the AMD EPYC 7413, which is a server-class chip. This level of performance is more than sufficient for Lockdown Protocol, a game that likely relies on single-thread performance for its core logic.

The measured FPS at 1080p Low (122.7 FPS) suggests that the CPU can handle high frame rates, but the GPU limits the overall performance. At higher resolutions, the CPU’s 30 MB of L3 cache and DDR5 memory support provide ample headroom, but the GPU’s 5.027 TFLOPS of compute power is the limiting factor. The 3 nm process node and 125 W TDP indicate an efficient design, but in this pairing, the CPU’s power is largely untapped due to the GPU’s constraints.