Lockdown Protocol

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for this combination covers three resolutions and four presets, though only some cells include minimum and maximum frame data. At 3840x2160, the highest average FPS comes from Low settings at 42 FPS, followed by Medium at 30 FPS with a minimum of 25 and maximum of 34, High at 26 FPS, and Ultra at 19 FPS. None of the 4K results approach the 60 FPS playability threshold, and even Low settings leave a 18 FPS gap to that target.

Stepping down to 2560x1440, Low settings deliver 65 FPS average, which clears the 60 FPS bar. Medium sits at 46 FPS with a minimum of 39 and maximum of 53, High at 40 FPS, and Ultra at 30 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium at this resolution is 19 FPS, which is substantial and suggests the preset scaling is steep. The minimum recorded at Medium, 39 FPS, would be noticeable in combat scenarios where frame dips matter.

At 1920x1080, the picture improves meaningfully. Low settings produce 88 FPS average, Medium hits 63 FPS with a minimum of 53 and maximum of 72, High reaches 55 FPS, and Ultra drops to 41 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium costs 25 FPS, while the jump from Medium to High costs another 8 FPS. The minimum at Medium, 53 FPS, is below the 60 FPS threshold, meaning even though the average clears it, there will be moments where the frame rate dips under. The 1080p Low result, at 88 FPS, is the strongest margin above the playability threshold across any resolution and preset combination.

Resolution scaling is steep. Moving from 1080p Low to 1440p Low drops the average from 88 to 65 FPS, a 23 FPS loss. Moving from 1440p Low to 4K Low drops it further from 65 to 42 FPS, another 23 FPS loss. The same pattern appears at Medium: 63 FPS at 1080p, 46 FPS at 1440p, 30 FPS at 4K. This consistent scaling indicates the GPU is the limiting factor as pixel count rises, rather than the CPU creating a bottleneck at lower resolutions.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves a 60 FPS average. The highest recorded average is 42 FPS at Low settings, which falls short of the playable threshold. The database's verdict list for 4K includes no playable settings, so there is no "best" preset to recommend for that resolution.

At 2560x1440, Low settings is the only preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, with an average of 65 FPS. This is the best playable option. Medium drops to 46 FPS, which is not enough for smooth gameplay. The recommendation is clear: if you run 1440p, you must use Low settings to maintain playable frame rates.

At 1920x1080, two presets clear 60 FPS: Low at 88 FPS and Medium at 63 FPS. The most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Medium, with an average of 63 FPS. That is the best settings choice for 1080p. High settings at 55 FPS and Ultra at 41 FPS are both below the threshold, so they are not viable for sustained play.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Lockdown Protocol at 4K?

A: No. The best average FPS at 3840x2160 is 42 FPS on Low settings. Medium averages 30 FPS, High 26 FPS, and Ultra 19 FPS. None of these reach the 60 FPS playable threshold, and the verdict list for 4K contains no playable settings.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gameplay?

A: Low settings, which averages 65 FPS. This is the only preset at 2560x1440 that clears 60 FPS. Medium averages 46 FPS, High 40 FPS, and Ultra 30 FPS, all of which fall short.

Q: Does Medium settings at 1080p maintain 60 FPS throughout?

A: The average is 63 FPS, but the recorded minimum is 53 FPS and the maximum is 72 FPS. So while the average clears the threshold, frame dips below 60 FPS do occur. If you want a consistent 60 FPS floor, Low settings at 88 FPS average gives far more headroom.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings?

A: The average drops from 88 FPS to 65 FPS, a loss of 23 FPS. That is a 26% reduction in frame rate. The same 23 FPS loss occurs again when moving from 1440p to 4K at Low settings, where the average drops from 65 FPS to 42 FPS.

Q: Is Ultra settings ever playable at any resolution?

A: No. At 1080p, Ultra averages 41 FPS. At 1440p, it averages 30 FPS. At 4K, it averages 19 FPS. Every Ultra result is far below the 60 FPS threshold, so this preset is not viable for this game on this hardware.

Q: What is the highest FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS across all tested configurations is 88 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The highest minimum FPS recorded is 53 FPS, which occurs at 1080p Medium.

The Verdict

This combination can run Lockdown Protocol, but with significant limitations depending on your target resolution. At 1920x1080, the system is playable on Low and Medium presets. Low delivers 88 FPS average, which is excellent headroom above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium delivers 63 FPS average, which clears the bar but with a minimum of 53 FPS that will cause occasional stutter in heavy scenes. High and Ultra are not playable, with averages of 55 FPS and 41 FPS respectively.

At 2560x1440, only Low settings are playable, averaging 65 FPS. This is a viable configuration for 1440p gaming, but you must accept the visual quality trade-offs that come with Low presets. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below 60 FPS, with averages of 46, 40, and 30 FPS respectively.

At 3840x2160, the system cannot deliver playable frame rates at any preset. The best result is 42 FPS on Low, which is 18 FPS short of the threshold. The verdict data confirms no playable settings exist at 4K for this combo.

The practical takeaway: this PC is a 1080p machine for Lockdown Protocol, with the ability to stretch to 1440p only at the lowest settings. If you want to play at 1080p Medium, the 63 FPS average is acceptable but be prepared for dips into the low 50s. If you want a locked 60 FPS experience, use Low at 1080p or 1440p.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured data reveals how the workload shifts between CPU and GPU as resolution changes. At 1080p, the CPU has more influence because the GPU can produce high frame rates. The jump from Low to Medium costs 25 FPS, and from Medium to High costs another 8 FPS. This preset scaling reflects the GPU's workload increasing, but the fact that 1080p Low reaches 88 FPS means the CPU is feeding frames fast enough at that setting. The CPU's single-thread score of 2943 in Cinebench R23 and multi-thread score of 20851 suggest it has enough headroom for this game's FPS workload.

At 1440p, the GPU begins to dominate. The frame rate drops by 23 FPS from 1080p Low to 1440p Low, and the same 23 FPS drop occurs from 1080p Medium to 1440p Medium. This consistent scaling across presets indicates the GPU is the primary limiter as pixel count increases. The CPU is no longer the constraint; the Arc B390's rendering throughput is what caps performance.

At 4K, the GPU bottleneck becomes severe. The Arc B390's specs include 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, with a fp32 throughput of 7.680 TFLOPS. The 4K results, ranging from 19 to 42 FPS depending on preset, show that the GPU is overwhelmed by the pixel workload. The CPU's role at this resolution is minimal, as even Low settings cannot push past 42 FPS.

The GPU's percentile ranking among all GPUs is 9, and its benchmark score of 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad places it near entries like the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, which is 1.3% behind, and the GeForce GT 710, which is 2.7% behind. This is a low-end integrated graphics solution, and the measured FPS data confirms it struggles with modern FPS titles at higher resolutions. The CPU, by contrast, ranks in the 77th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25005. The CPU is clearly the stronger component in this pairing, but the GPU's weakness caps overall gaming performance.

For Lockdown Protocol specifically, the data shows that at 1080p, the system behaves like a balanced pairing where both components matter. At 1440p and above, the GPU becomes the sole bottleneck. If you were to upgrade either component, the GPU would be the one limiting your FPS at higher resolutions, while the CPU would remain sufficient for this game's demands.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database's ranking of tested combinations for Lockdown Protocol, this pairing sits at rank 3302 out of 3714 total combos. That places it in the lower portion of the distribution, roughly in the bottom 11%. The GPU's low percentile ranking (9th among all GPUs) drags the combo down significantly, while the CPU's 77th percentile ranking cannot compensate.

The GPU's nearest rivals in the database are all older, low-end NVIDIA parts: the GeForce GT 520MX (1.3% slower), the GeForce 800M (1.5% slower), the GeForce GT 625 OEM (2.5% slower), and the GeForce GT 710 (2.7% slower). This context is important: the Arc B390 is not just weak relative to modern GPUs, it is roughly on par with decade-old entry-level mobile and desktop graphics solutions. The measured 4K and 1440p performance aligns with this positioning.

The CPU's nearest rivals, by contrast, are much more modern and capable parts. The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F is 0.2% faster, the Intel Core i7-11850H is 0.3% faster, and the Intel Core i7-13620H is 0.4% faster. The only rival that beats it by a larger margin is the AMD EPYC 9474F at 0.4% faster. The 8400F is essentially tied with these processors, which means the CPU is not the weak link in this system.

For Lockdown Protocol specifically, the combo rank reflects the GPU's inability to handle higher resolutions. At 1080p Low and Medium, the system is playable and the CPU is doing its job. But the overall rank of 3302 out of 3714 is a direct consequence of the GPU's low throughput. If you are comparing this setup to other builds in the database, expect it to be near the bottom of the list for this game, and plan your settings expectations accordingly. The database's measured data is clear: this is a 1080p machine with a Low-to-Medium ceiling, and any attempt to push higher resolutions will result in sub-60 FPS performance.