Lockdown Protocol

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X paired with the Intel Arc B370 lands at rank 3427 out of 3714 tested combinations for Lockdown Protocol. This places the combo in the bottom 8% of all tested systems, a position driven almost entirely by the graphics side of the equation. The CPU is a strong performer, sitting in the 85th percentile against all CPUs, but the GPU sits in the 5th percentile against all GPUs. The data indicates a severe imbalance: a top-tier processor shackled to a very weak integrated-class graphics solution.

The recorded frame rates confirm this ranking is not an artifact of the benchmark methodology. At 4K Ultra, the combo manages just 18 FPS on average, and even at 1080p Low, the best-case scenario, it reaches 80 FPS. The gap between the CPU's capability and the GPU's output is stark. The Ryzen 7 7700X posts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 19088 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 12451, while the Arc B370's only recorded 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1184. When the processor is this much stronger than the graphics component, the system's gaming performance collapses to whatever the GPU can deliver.

The rank of 3427 out of 3714 means that roughly 92% of tested combos deliver better results in Lockdown Protocol. This is not a subtle deficit. The average FPS figures across all resolutions and presets are consistently below what a mid-range discrete GPU would produce. The benchmark database shows that this combination is only suitable for the lightest graphical loads at the lowest resolution, and even then, the margin above the 60 FPS playable threshold is thin at higher settings.

CPU and GPU Roles

The division of labor between the Ryzen 7 7700X and the Arc B370 in Lockdown Protocol is lopsided. The GPU is the limiting factor at every resolution and preset combination. The CPU's benchmarks, including a PassMark multi-thread score of 35686 and a single-thread score of 4190, indicate it has ample headroom for this game's demands. The Arc B370, with its 1280 shading units, 40 TMUs, 20 ROPs, and 6.144 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput, simply cannot translate that CPU headroom into high frame rates.

The scaling between resolutions shows the GPU bottleneck clearly. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 80 FPS. Dropping to 1440p Low reduces that to 58 FPS, a 27.5% decrease. At 4K Low, it falls further to 38 FPS. If the CPU were the limiting factor, resolution changes would have a smaller impact on frame rates. Instead, the steep drops across resolutions indicate that the GPU is saturated even at 1080p.

Preset scaling reinforces this conclusion. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium drops the average from 80 to 57 FPS, a 28.75% reduction. Low to High drops from 80 to 49 FPS, a 38.75% reduction. Low to Ultra drops from 80 to 37 FPS, a 53.75% reduction. The GPU's limited compute resources are exhausted quickly as graphical complexity increases. At 1440p, the same pattern emerges: Low delivers 58 FPS, Medium 42 FPS, High 36 FPS, and Ultra 27 FPS. At 4K, the numbers are 38, 27, 23, and 18 FPS for Low, Medium, High, and Ultra respectively.

The CPU's role is effectively reduced to feeding frames to a GPU that cannot keep up. The Ryzen 7 7700X's 16 threads and Zen 4 architecture are more than sufficient for Lockdown Protocol's FPS workload. The data shows the CPU is never the constraining component in this pairing. Every performance ceiling in this system is set by the Arc B370.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results. Low settings produce an average of 80 FPS, the only preset at any resolution that exceeds the 60 FPS playable threshold. Medium settings drop to 57 FPS, with a recorded minimum of 48 FPS and maximum of 65 FPS. High settings average 49 FPS. Ultra settings average 37 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 43 FPS, demonstrating how quickly the GPU's performance degrades as settings increase.

At 2560x1440, the results are consistently below playable. Low settings average 58 FPS, just 2 FPS short of the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings average 42 FPS, with a minimum of 35 FPS and maximum of 48 FPS. High settings average 36 FPS. Ultra settings average 27 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium at this resolution is 16 FPS, a significant jump that suggests the Medium preset enables effects that heavily tax the GPU.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles across the board. Low settings average 38 FPS. Medium settings average 27 FPS, with a minimum of 23 FPS and maximum of 31 FPS. High settings average 23 FPS. Ultra settings average 18 FPS. The highest recorded frame rate at 4K is 31 FPS, which occurs at Medium settings. No 4K preset comes close to the 60 FPS threshold, with the best case (Low) sitting 22 FPS below it.

The minimum and maximum FPS data, where recorded, shows tight variance at Medium presets. At 1080p Medium, the 48 to 65 FPS range represents a 17 FPS spread. At 1440p Medium, the 35 to 48 FPS range represents a 13 FPS spread. At 4K Medium, the 23 to 31 FPS range represents an 8 FPS spread. The narrowing variance at higher resolutions suggests the GPU is operating at its limits, with less headroom for frame time fluctuations.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals in the database are all within 1% of its average benchmark score. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 trails by just 0.3% with an average score of 35802. The Intel Core 7 250H is 0.5% behind at 35728. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 is also 0.5% behind at 35719. The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H is 0.7% behind at 35670. Any of these processors would produce nearly identical results in Lockdown Protocol when paired with the Arc B370, since the GPU is the limiting factor. The Ryzen 7 7700X's average benchmark score of 35909 places it at the top of this group, but the differences are negligible for gaming.

The GPU's nearest rivals paint a different picture. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1186, which is 0.2% higher than the Arc B370's 1184. The ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190, 0.5% higher. The AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192, 0.7% higher. The AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1168, 1.4% lower. These are all older integrated or low-end discrete parts, and the Arc B370's performance is squarely in their territory. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184 places this GPU in a class that predates modern gaming expectations.

For a user considering alternatives, swapping the CPU would change nothing in Lockdown Protocol. Swapping the GPU would change everything, but the nearest rivals list shows that even the closest alternatives are similarly weak. The Arc B370 is not an outlier in its performance class; it is simply a member of a very low-performing group.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves 60 FPS. The best result is Low settings at 38 FPS, which falls 22 FPS short of the playable threshold. The verdict for 4K lists no playable settings. Users targeting 4K would need to accept frame rates well below playable or consider a different GPU entirely.

At 2560x1440, the situation is nearly identical. No preset achieves 60 FPS. The best result is Low settings at 58 FPS, just 2 FPS short of the threshold. The verdict for 1440p also lists no playable settings. The margin is close but insufficient.

At 1920x1080, Low settings deliver 80 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold by 20 FPS. This is the only playable configuration in the entire dataset. Medium settings at 57 FPS miss the threshold by 3 FPS, making Low the only viable choice. The verdict confirms 1080p Low as the best settings with an average FPS of 80.

The recommended configuration for this system is therefore 1080p with Low settings. Every other resolution and preset combination fails to reach 60 FPS. Users who prioritize frame rate over visual quality can achieve a smooth experience, but only by accepting the lowest graphical preset at the lowest common resolution.

The Verdict

This PC cannot run Lockdown Protocol at a consistently playable level except in the narrowest of configurations. The data shows that 1080p Low is the only setting that clears the 60 FPS threshold, and it does so with an average of 80 FPS. Every other tested combination falls below 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system is not playable at any preset. The best case is Low at 38 FPS, which is 22 FPS below the threshold. At 2560x1440, the system is also not playable at any preset, with Low at 58 FPS missing the threshold by just 2 FPS. At 1920x1080, only Low is playable, with Medium at 57 FPS missing by 3 FPS, High at 49 FPS missing by 11 FPS, and Ultra at 37 FPS missing by 23 FPS.

The verdict by resolution is unambiguous: no playable settings at 4K, no playable settings at 1440p, and only Low at 1080p. The Ryzen 7 7700X is a capable processor that ranks in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, but the Intel Arc B370's 5th percentile GPU ranking drags the entire system down. Users who already own this combination can play Lockdown Protocol at 1080p Low, but they should not expect to increase resolution or settings without sacrificing the 60 FPS target. The hardware pairing is fundamentally mismatched for this game, with the GPU serving as an insurmountable bottleneck.