Lockdown Protocol

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for Lockdown Protocol with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and Intel Arc B390 shows a clear performance hierarchy across resolutions and presets. At 3840x2160, the highest resolution tested, the average frame rates are consistently below the 60 FPS threshold. The Low preset delivers an average of 42 FPS, Medium drops to 30 FPS with a minimum of 25 FPS and a maximum of 34 FPS, High falls to 26 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 19 FPS. None of these figures approach playability, and the gap between Low and Ultra represents a 23 FPS spread, indicating that visual quality settings have a substantial impact at 4K.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance improves noticeably but remains constrained. The Low preset averages 65 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS playable threshold. Medium averages 46 FPS with a range of 39 to 53 FPS, High averages 40 FPS, and Ultra averages 30 FPS. The step from Low to Medium costs 19 FPS on average, while the step from Medium to High costs another 6 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 10 FPS. This pattern suggests diminishing returns as settings rise, but also that only the lowest preset is viable at this resolution.

At 1920x1080, the data shows the most favorable results. Low averages 88 FPS, Medium averages 63 FPS with a minimum of 53 FPS and a maximum of 72 FPS, High averages 55 FPS, and Ultra averages 41 FPS. Both Low and Medium clear the 60 FPS threshold, with Medium representing the highest playable preset. The drop from Low to Medium is 25 FPS, which is steep, but the Medium preset still maintains an average above 60 FPS. High falls just short at 55 FPS, and Ultra trails significantly at 41 FPS.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results indicate that the Intel Arc B390 is the dominant limiting factor in this configuration. The GPU's measured performance, with a single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482, places it in the 9th percentile among all GPUs. This is an extremely low standing, and the frame rates in Lockdown Protocol reflect that constraint. The CPU, by contrast, is a much stronger component. The Ryzen 5 5600X sits in the 75th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 21771 across a wide range of tests. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11838 and single-core score of 1541 indicate ample processing headroom for a game like this.

The scaling between resolutions confirms the GPU bottleneck. At 3840x2160, the average FPS across presets ranges from 19 to 42, which is a narrow band. At 2560x1440, the range is 30 to 65, and at 1920x1080, it is 41 to 88. As resolution decreases, the average FPS increases proportionally more than the pixel count alone would suggest. For example, moving from 3840x2160 Low (42 FPS) to 2560x1440 Low (65 FPS) is a 55% improvement, while the pixel count drops by roughly 44%. This disproportionate gain points to the GPU being saturated at higher resolutions, with the CPU never becoming the primary constraint.

The settings scaling also tells a story. At every resolution, dropping from Ultra to Low yields a massive FPS increase: 23 FPS at 4K, 35 FPS at 1440p, and 47 FPS at 1080p. This is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario where shader complexity and fill rate dominate. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the settings changes would have a smaller effect. The recorded data shows no signs of CPU limitation, as even the highest CPU usage scenarios would not explain the steep drops at higher presets. The Ryzen 5 5600X, with 6 cores and 12 threads based on Zen 3 architecture, provides far more computational capacity than the Arc B390 can feed.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Arc B390, based on the database's recorded benchmark scores, are all NVIDIA entries from a much older era. The GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463, which is 1.3% lower than the Arc B390's 1482. The GeForce 800M scores 1460, 1.5% lower. The GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446, 2.5% lower, and the GeForce GT 710 scores 1443, 2.7% lower. These deltas are small, meaning the Arc B390 delivers performance within roughly 3% of these legacy parts. For Lockdown Protocol, any of these GPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates, all of which would struggle to reach playable levels except at the lowest presets and resolutions.

For the CPU side, the Ryzen 5 5600X has nearest rivals that are much closer in performance. The AMD Ryzen 7 4800H scores 21749, which is 0.1% higher than the 5600X's 21771. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U scores 21874, 0.5% higher, and the Intel Core i7-11700 scores 21891, also 0.5% higher. The AMD EPYC 9554P scores 21899, 0.6% higher. These deltas are all under 1%, meaning that swapping the 5600X for any of these CPUs would not meaningfully change Lockdown Protocol's performance. The game would still be bound by the Arc B390's limitations, and the measured FPS would remain essentially unchanged.

This asymmetry is important. The CPU's nearest rivals are all modern or near-modern parts with similar multi-threaded capabilities, while the GPU's nearest rivals are from a much older generation. The database data shows that the GPU is the clear weak link, and any CPU upgrade or downgrade within this rival group would have no observable effect on the game's frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 5 5600X and Intel Arc B390 ranks 3302 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the bottom 11% of all configurations in the database. The ranking reflects the GPU's low standing, as the CPU alone would rank much higher. The 75th percentile CPU score is paired with a 9th percentile GPU score, and the resulting combo rank is closer to the GPU's percentile than the CPU's.

This rank means that the vast majority of tested systems outperform this pairing in Lockdown Protocol. Only 412 combos rank lower, which are likely systems with even older or weaker GPUs. The data suggests that users with this combo are near the bottom of the performance distribution, and the experience will be defined by the GPU's constraints rather than any CPU capability.

The Verdict

Can this PC run Lockdown Protocol? The answer depends entirely on resolution and settings. At 3840x2160, the verdict is clear: no preset achieves 60 FPS. The best case is Low at 42 FPS, which is well below the playable threshold. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall further behind, so 4K is not viable for this game on this hardware.

At 2560x1440, the verdict is conditional. The Low preset averages 65 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold. This is the only playable setting at this resolution. Medium averages 46 FPS, High averages 40 FPS, and Ultra averages 30 FPS, all below playable. Users at 1440p must accept Low settings to maintain smooth gameplay.

At 1920x1080, the verdict is more favorable. Both Low and Medium clear 60 FPS, with Low at 88 FPS and Medium at 63 FPS. Medium is the highest preset that remains playable, and it does so with a minimum of 53 FPS, which is close to the threshold but still acceptable for most players. High and Ultra fall short at 55 FPS and 41 FPS respectively.

In summary, this PC can run Lockdown Protocol at 1080p with Medium settings or 1440p with Low settings. It cannot run the game at 4K under any preset.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Lockdown Protocol with this hardware?

A: The recorded data shows that 1920x1080 provides the most playable options, with Low at 88 FPS and Medium at 63 FPS. 2560x1440 only supports Low at 65 FPS, and 3840x2160 has no playable presets.

Q: Can this system handle Ultra settings at any resolution?

A: No. At 3840x2160 Ultra averages 19 FPS, at 2560x1440 Ultra averages 30 FPS, and at 1920x1080 Ultra averages 41 FPS. All fall below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which is 1.3% higher than the GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M (1460), 2.5% higher than the GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446), and 2.7% higher than the GeForce GT 710 (1443).

Q: Which component limits performance in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The benchmark data indicates the GPU is the primary constraint. The Arc B390 ranks in the 9th percentile among GPUs, while the Ryzen 5 5600X ranks in the 75th percentile among CPUs. Frame rates scale heavily with resolution and settings, which is typical of GPU-bound scenarios.

Q: Would upgrading the CPU improve frame rates?

A: No. The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the Ryzen 7 4800H (0.1% higher score) and Core i7-11700 (0.5% higher score), are all within 1% of the 5600X's average benchmark score. Replacing the CPU with any of these would not change the GPU-bound performance in this game.

Q: What is the minimum FPS at 1080p Medium settings?

A: The recorded minimum at 1920x1080 Medium is 53 FPS, with an average of 63 FPS and a maximum of 72 FPS. This is the highest playable preset at this resolution.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves 60 FPS, so there is no recommended setting. The highest average is 42 FPS at Low, but this does not meet the playable threshold.

At 2560x1440, the best setting is Low, which averages 65 FPS. This is the only preset that clears 60 FPS at this resolution. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below the threshold, with averages of 46, 40, and 30 FPS respectively.

At 1920x1080, the best setting is Medium, which averages 63 FPS with a minimum of 53 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS on average. Low averages 88 FPS, but Medium offers a better visual quality trade-off while still maintaining playability. High and Ultra are not recommended, as they average 55 FPS and 41 FPS respectively.