Lockdown Protocol

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D paired with the Intel Arc B370 is a combination that pits a high-end desktop CPU against an integrated-class GPU. Lockdown Protocol, a tactical FPS released on March 11, 2024, demands a balanced system, and the recorded benchmark data reveals a clear split: the CPU is far more capable than the GPU. The Ryzen 5 7500X3D is a 6-core, 12-thread processor with a 96 MB shared L3 cache, a 4.00 GHz base clock, and a 4.50 GHz boost clock. The Arc B370 is an integrated graphics solution with a 25 W TDP, using system shared memory, and its only 3DMark Steel Nomad score is 1184. The database measurements show how this pairing performs across three resolutions and four quality presets, with a 60 FPS playability threshold.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the Arc B370 struggles to keep up. The Low preset averages 38 FPS, which is still far from 60. Medium drops to 27 FPS, with a recorded minimum of 23 and maximum of 31. High averages 23 FPS, and Ultra falls to 18 FPS. No preset at 4K comes close to a smooth experience; even the lowest quality setting delivers less than two-thirds of the target frame rate.

Moving to 2560x1440, the situation improves but remains sub-60 across the board. Low averages 58 FPS, just 2 FPS short of the playability threshold. Medium averages 42 FPS, with a range of 35 to 48. High averages 36 FPS, and Ultra averages 27 FPS. The 1440p results indicate that the GPU is the primary limiter, as the CPU's strong single-thread performance (a Passmark single-thread score of 3494) cannot compensate for the lack of graphics horsepower.

At 1920x1080, the combination finally finds a playable configuration. The Low preset averages 80 FPS, comfortably above 60. Medium averages 57 FPS, with a minimum of 48 and maximum of 65, meaning it dips below 60 at times. High averages 49 FPS, and Ultra averages 37 FPS. The 1080p data shows a steep drop from Low to Medium (a 23 FPS reduction), indicating that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are quickly saturated as settings increase.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data strongly suggests that the Intel Arc B370 is the bottleneck in this pairing. The CPU, with a 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs, has ample headroom for gaming workloads. Its Passmark multithread score of 25047 and floating-point math score of 43594 demonstrate strong computational capability. In contrast, the GPU sits at the 5th percentile of all GPUs, and its 6.144 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is modest for modern titles.

The scaling between resolutions confirms this. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 80 at 1080p to 58 at 1440p (a 27.5% decrease) and then to 38 at 4K (a 34.5% decrease from 1440p). This linear degradation with pixel count is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. If the CPU were the constraint, the FPS would remain relatively flat across resolutions, but the data shows a consistent decline. Furthermore, the CPU's high L3 cache (96 MB) and dual-channel DDR5 memory bandwidth (83.2 GB/s) are more than sufficient for Lockdown Protocol's engine, which is unlikely to stress a 12-thread processor at these settings.

The GPU's integrated nature, with system shared memory and no dedicated VRAM, likely contributes to the sharp performance drop when quality presets increase. At 1080p Medium, the average FPS falls to 57, and at High it drops to 49, indicating that texture and shading workloads overwhelm the 20 ROPs and 40 TMUs of the Arc B370. The CPU, meanwhile, remains underutilized; its Passmark integer math score of 70774 suggests it could handle far more demanding graphics loads if paired with a stronger GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database's ranking of all tested CPU-GPU combinations for Lockdown Protocol, this pairing lands at rank 3427 out of 3714. That places it in the bottom 7.7% of all combos (only 287 combinations perform worse). This low ranking is almost entirely attributable to the GPU, as the CPU alone would rank much higher. The CPU's average benchmark score is 44573, with a 89th percentile, while the GPU's average score is 1184, with a 5th percentile. The combination of a top-tier CPU and a bottom-tier GPU creates a lopsided system that is not competitive for this game.

The rank also implies that most other hardware pairings, even those with older or weaker CPUs, would outperform this setup if they had a more capable GPU. The data suggests that users considering this combination for Lockdown Protocol should focus on the GPU as the primary upgrade path.

The Verdict

Can this PC run Lockdown Protocol? Yes, but only at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. The database's verdict confirms that the only playable configuration (average FPS at or above 60) is 1080p Low, which delivers 80 FPS. At 2560x1440, the best result is 58 FPS on Low, just below the threshold. At 3840x2160, even Low averages only 38 FPS. Therefore, the system is not suitable for 1440p or 4K gaming, and it cannot handle medium or higher settings at 1080p without dropping below 60 FPS.

For players who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity, 1080p Low is the only viable option. Those seeking a smoother experience at higher settings would need a more powerful discrete GPU.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p Medium?

A: The average is 57 FPS, with a recorded minimum of 48 and maximum of 65, meaning it dips below 60 during intense scenes.

Q: Can this combination reach 60 FPS at 2560x1440?

A: No. The highest average at 1440p is 58 FPS on Low, which is 2 FPS short of the threshold.

Q: What is the CPU's performance percentile?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D sits in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, indicating strong overall performance.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile?

A: The Intel Arc B370 is in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, making it one of the weakest graphics processors in the database.

Q: What is the game's release date?

A: Lockdown Protocol was released on March 11, 2024.

Q: What is the CPU's launch MSRP?

A: The Ryzen 5 7500X3D had a launch MSRP of $269.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Low, with an average of 80 FPS. Medium falls to 57 FPS, so it does not meet the playability threshold. At 2560x1440, no preset reaches 60 FPS; the best is Low at 58 FPS. At 3840x2160, no preset comes close, with Low averaging 38 FPS. Therefore, the only recommended configuration is 1080p Low.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals based on average benchmark score are the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H (0.2% higher), Intel Core i9-13950HX (0.5% higher), AMD Ryzen AI Max 385 (0.6% higher), and Intel Core i5-14600 (0.7% lower). Swapping the Ryzen 5 7500X3D for any of these would yield nearly identical CPU-bound performance in Lockdown Protocol, since the game is not CPU-limited in this pairing.

For the GPU, the closest performers are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (0.2% lower), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (0.5% lower), AMD Radeon HD 7650M (0.7% lower), and AMD FirePro M2000 (1.4% higher). These older or lower-end graphics solutions would produce similar FPS numbers to the Arc B370, reinforcing that the GPU is the decisive factor. Since the Arc B370 is already at the bottom of the performance spectrum, any of these alternatives would also fail to reach 60 FPS at 1440p or 4K, and would likely only manage 1080p Low.