Lockdown Protocol

Similar Performance Alternatives

The recorded data places the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D in a tight cluster of processors. Its average benchmark score of 44,573 sits within 0.7% of four nearby alternatives. The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H leads the group with a 0.2% advantage, followed by the Intel Core i9-13950HX at 0.5% and the AMD Ryzen AI Max 385 at 0.6%. The Intel Core i5-14600 trails by the same margin in the opposite direction, with a delta of -0.7%. In practical terms, swapping between any of these CPUs would produce nearly indistinguishable frame pacing in Lockdown Protocol, since the processor workload rarely becomes the limiting factor at the resolutions measured.

The graphics side tells a different story. The Intel Arc B390, with its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482, ranks in the 9th percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals are all several generations old: the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463 (1.3% behind), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M scores 1460 (1.5% behind), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446 (2.5% behind), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 scores 1443 (2.7% behind). These deltas are small enough that a user moving from any of those older cards to the Arc B390 would see similar frame rates, meaning the Arc B390 does not represent a meaningful generational leap over decade-old entry-level hardware. The data implies that this GPU sits at the very bottom of the performance spectrum, and any system built around it will be constrained heavily by graphics throughput.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured FPS data reveals a clear division of labor between the Ryzen 5 7500X3D and the Arc B390. At 3840x2160, the GPU dominates the workload. The average frame rate drops from 42 FPS at Low settings to 30 FPS at Medium, then to 26 FPS at High, and finally to 19 FPS at Ultra. This steep decline across settings, a 55% reduction from Low to Ultra, indicates that the Arc B390's shading units and texture rate (120.0 GTexel/s) are the bottleneck. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads, along with its 96 MB shared L3 cache, have little influence at this resolution because the GPU cannot sustain enough throughput to keep the processor busy.

At 2560x1440, the pattern shifts slightly. Low settings deliver 65 FPS, but Medium drops to 46 FPS and High to 40 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium (19 FPS) is larger than the gap between Medium and High (6 FPS), suggesting that the GPU's pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s becomes saturated early. The CPU still has headroom, as evidenced by the fact that the Ryzen 5 7500X3D's PassMark single-thread score of 3494 places it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. The processor is not the constraint here; the GPU's limited ROPS (24) and FP32 throughput (7.680 TFLOPS) cap the output.

At 1920x1080, the balance shifts further toward the GPU, but the CPU begins to matter more at higher presets. Low settings hit 88 FPS, Medium reaches 63 FPS, High falls to 55 FPS, and Ultra drops to 41 FPS. The scaling from Low to Medium (25 FPS loss) versus Medium to High (8 FPS loss) suggests that the GPU is still the primary limiter, but the CPU's role grows as the resolution decreases. With the Arc B390's memory bandwidth listed as "System Dependent," the shared memory architecture means the CPU's dual-channel DDR5 support and 83.2 GB/s bandwidth could influence performance at 1080p more than at higher resolutions. The data indicates that for this combo, the GPU dictates playability at every resolution, while the CPU only matters insofar as it avoids becoming a secondary bottleneck, which it does not do even at 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 5 7500X3D and the Intel Arc B390 ranks 3302 out of 3714 tested combos in the database for Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the bottom 11% of all configurations, which aligns with the GPU's low percentile standing. The CPU's strong benchmark scores (44,573 average, 89th percentile among all CPUs) do not rescue the combo because the Arc B390's 3DMark score of 1482 and 9th percentile ranking dominate the overall result. The data suggests that pairing a high-end processor with an entry-level GPU produces a system that is only as strong as its weakest component, and in this case, the GPU is severely underpowered.

The rank implies that most other tested combinations, including those with older mid-range GPUs, would deliver higher frame rates in Lockdown Protocol. The CPU contributes little to the combo rank because game performance scales almost entirely with GPU capability at the settings and resolutions measured. Users considering this pairing should interpret the rank as a warning: the processor's potential is unrealized, and the system's actual gaming performance will mirror the GPU's bottom-tier standing.

The Verdict

The verdict data is unambiguous. At 3840x2160, no settings preset achieves 60 FPS. The best result is 42 FPS at Low, which falls well short of the playable threshold. At 2560x1440, only Low settings clear 60 FPS, with an average of 65 FPS. At 1920x1080, both Low (88 FPS) and Medium (63 FPS) are playable, while High (55 FPS) and Ultra (41 FPS) are not. The database's playable threshold is 60 FPS, and this system meets it only at lower resolutions and presets.

For a user with a 1080p monitor, this PC can run Lockdown Protocol with Medium settings, which delivers 63 FPS on average with a minimum of 53 FPS and a maximum of 72 FPS. At 1440p, the system falls back to Low settings for 65 FPS. At 4K, the system cannot sustain playable frame rates at any setting, so 4K gaming is effectively off the table. The verdict is that this combo is suitable for 1080p Medium and 1440p Low, but nothing higher.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this system?

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the only resolution where multiple presets clear 60 FPS. Low reaches 88 FPS and Medium reaches 63 FPS, making 1080p the most practical choice.

Q: Can this system run Lockdown Protocol at 1440p?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, which average 65 FPS. Medium drops to 46 FPS, High to 40 FPS, and Ultra to 30 FPS, all below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 7500X3D scores 44,573 on average, which is 0.2% behind the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H, 0.5% behind the Intel Core i9-13950HX, 0.6% behind the AMD Ryzen AI Max 385, and 0.7% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14600.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Arc B390 scores 1482 on 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. It is 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce 800M, 2.5% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM, and 2.7% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710.

Q: What is the highest playable setting at 1080p?

A: Medium settings deliver 63 FPS on average, with a minimum of 53 FPS and a maximum of 72 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS.

Q: Why does the system fail at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, even Low settings only reach 42 FPS. Medium averages 30 FPS, High averages 26 FPS, and Ultra averages 19 FPS. The GPU's limited pixel rate and FP32 throughput cannot handle the 4K workload.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the best settings are Medium, which produces an average of 63 FPS with a minimum of 53 FPS and a maximum of 72 FPS. This is the highest preset that maintains playable performance. At 2560x1440, the best settings are Low, yielding 65 FPS on average. At 3840x2160, no settings preset achieves 60 FPS, so there is no recommended configuration; the best observed result is 42 FPS at Low, which still falls below the playable threshold.

The data indicates that users should target 1080p Medium for the optimal balance of visual quality and smoothness. Dropping to 1440p Low sacrifices visual fidelity but maintains the same approximate frame rate. Moving to 4K is not viable, as the system cannot reach 60 FPS at any setting.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the recorded measurements show a clear hierarchy across settings. Low averages 42 FPS. Medium averages 30 FPS, with a minimum of 25 FPS and a maximum of 34 FPS. High averages 26 FPS. Ultra averages 19 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 12 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 7 FPS, indicating diminishing returns at the top end.

At 2560x1440, Low averages 65 FPS. Medium averages 46 FPS, with a minimum of 39 FPS and a maximum of 53 FPS. High averages 40 FPS. Ultra averages 30 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 19 FPS, the largest step in this resolution, which suggests that Medium introduces significant GPU load that the Arc B390 cannot handle.

At 1920x1080, Low averages 88 FPS. Medium averages 63 FPS, with a minimum of 53 FPS and a maximum of 72 FPS. High averages 55 FPS. Ultra averages 41 FPS. The data shows that the system can handle 1080p comfortably at lower presets, but the GPU's limitations become apparent at High and Ultra, where frame rates fall below the 60 FPS threshold. The minimum FPS values at Medium (53 FPS) indicate occasional dips below the target, but the average stays above 60, making it the recommended setting.