Lockdown Protocol

Best Settings per Resolution

At 4K (3840x2160), this combination does not reach the 60 FPS playable threshold at any preset. The highest recorded average is 42 FPS on Low settings, with High at 26 FPS, Medium at 30 FPS, and Ultra at 19 FPS. Even the most demanding preset that stays closest to playable is Low at 42 FPS, but it falls well short of the 60 FPS target. The data shows no playable settings at this resolution.

At 1440p (2560x1440), the only preset that clears 60 FPS is Low, delivering an average of 65 FPS. Medium drops to 46 FPS, High to 40 FPS, and Ultra to 30 FPS. The best settings that maintain playable performance are Low, with the recorded average of 65 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS at this resolution.

At 1080p (1920x1080), both Low and Medium presets clear the 60 FPS threshold. Low averages 88 FPS, while Medium averages 63 FPS with a minimum of 53 FPS and maximum of 72 FPS. The best settings that remain playable are Medium, with the exact average of 63 FPS. High falls to 55 FPS, and Ultra drops to 41 FPS. For users prioritizing visual quality while keeping 60 FPS, Medium is the ceiling.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a system heavily limited by the graphics side. The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics part with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482, placing it in the 9th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GeForce GT 625 OEM, and GeForce GT 710, all of which are entry-level or legacy parts. This explains why frame rates collapse as resolution increases.

Across the three resolutions, the scaling pattern is consistent: 1080p Low runs at 88 FPS, 1440p Low drops to 65 FPS, and 4K Low falls to 42 FPS. That is a 47% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and another 35% reduction from 1440p to 4K. This steep decline with pixel count indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck at every resolution. The CPU, an AMD Ryzen 7 9700X with 8 cores and 16 threads, is far more capable than what this workload requires. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 20485 and single-core score of 2211 place it in the 86th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37943.

The CPU's role becomes clearer when examining the preset scaling. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium costs 25 FPS (88 to 63), while moving from Medium to High costs 8 FPS (63 to 55), and High to Ultra costs 14 FPS (55 to 41). At 1440p, the same preset steps yield 65, 46, 40, and 30 FPS respectively. At 4K, the spread is 42, 30, 26, and 19 FPS. The consistent reduction in FPS as settings increase, regardless of resolution, points to the GPU's shading units, texture units, and raster operations being saturated. The Arc B390 has 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, with a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s.

At 1080p, the CPU is still relevant for maintaining high frame rates, but the data shows the GPU cap dominates. The Ryzen 7 9700X can deliver single-thread performance that would support higher FPS in lighter scenes, but the Arc B390's 7.680 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is the limiting factor. At 1440p and 4K, the GPU bottleneck becomes absolute; the CPU's contribution is negligible because the integrated graphics cannot feed frames fast enough. The recorded data shows no scenario where the CPU is the constraint, as even the lowest GPU-bound frame rates are far below what the Ryzen 7 9700X could produce in a CPU-limited title.

For this game specifically, the GPU is the dominant component at all three resolutions. The CPU's 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth and dual-channel DDR5 support are irrelevant when the GPU shares system memory and has system-dependent bandwidth. The Arc B390's memory is "System Shared" with "System Dependent" bandwidth, which further ties performance to the platform but does not change the conclusion: the GPU dictates playability.

How This Combo Ranks

The database ranks this combination at 3302 out of 3714 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol. That places it in the bottom 11% of all configurations tested. The rank reflects the extreme mismatch between the CPU and GPU. The Ryzen 7 9700X is a high-end desktop processor, but the Arc B390 is an integrated GPU designed for portable devices. The combo rank of 3302 indicates that the overwhelming majority of tested systems outperform this pairing in this game.

The percentile data confirms the asymmetry. The CPU sits in the 86th percentile among all CPUs, meaning it is faster than 86% of processors in the database. The GPU sits in the 9th percentile among all GPUs, meaning it is slower than 91% of graphics solutions. When combined, the system's gaming performance is dragged down to the bottom tier. The combo rank is not a measure of CPU quality or GPU quality in isolation; it is a measure of how this specific pairing handles Lockdown Protocol. The data shows that the GPU's low percentile dominates the outcome.

For context, the CPU's average benchmark score of 37943 is nearly 25 times higher than the GPU's average benchmark score of 1482. This disparity explains why the combo ranks so low despite having a strong processor. In games that are heavily single-threaded or CPU-bound, this pairing might fare better, but Lockdown Protocol's recorded data shows it is GPU-bound at all tested settings and resolutions.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals are extremely close in average benchmark score. The Intel Core i9-14901E scores 37911, just 0.1% lower than the Ryzen 7 9700X's 37943. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 scores 37904, also 0.1% lower. The Intel Core 5 211E scores 37829, a 0.3% delta, and the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 scores 37804, a 0.4% delta. Any of these processors would behave nearly identically in this system when paired with the Intel Arc B390. The differences are within measurement noise, so swapping the CPU to any of these rivals would not meaningfully change frame rates in Lockdown Protocol.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are similarly close. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463, which is 1.3% lower than the Arc B390's 1482. The NVIDIA GeForce 800M scores 1460, a 1.5% delta. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446, a 2.5% delta, and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 scores 1443, a 2.7% delta. These are all legacy or entry-level parts, and the performance differences between them are small. Substituting any of these GPUs for the Arc B390 would produce nearly the same frame rates in Lockdown Protocol. The practical takeaway is that this tier of graphics hardware is the limiting factor, and the exact model within this tier matters little.

A user looking for similar behavior could consider any of these CPU or GPU alternatives. The CPU choices would preserve the same overall system balance, while the GPU choices would keep the same bottleneck characteristics. None of these alternatives would push the combo into a higher playability tier at 4K, and all would likely deliver similar results at 1080p and 1440p.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Lockdown Protocol at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: Yes. The recorded data shows an average of 63 FPS at 1920x1080 on Medium settings, with a minimum of 53 FPS and maximum of 72 FPS. This clears the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the highest resolution this combo can handle at 60 FPS?

A: The highest resolution with a playable preset is 2560x1440 on Low settings, which averages 65 FPS. At 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS.

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

A: The Ryzen 7 9700X has an average benchmark score of 37943. The Intel Core i9-14901E is 0.1% lower, the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 is 0.1% lower, the Intel Core 5 211E is 0.3% lower, and the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 is 0.4% lower. All are effectively equivalent.

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

A: The Intel Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX is 1.3% lower, the GeForce 800M is 1.5% lower, the GeForce GT 625 OEM is 2.5% lower, and the GeForce GT 710 is 2.7% lower. Performance differences are minor.

Q: Why does the combo rank so low despite the strong CPU?

A: The combo ranks 3302 out of 3714 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol. The GPU is in the 9th percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU is in the 86th percentile. The GPU bottleneck dominates gameplay performance.

Q: What are the frame rates at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 on Ultra settings, the average FPS is 19. This is far below the 60 FPS playable threshold and represents the lowest recorded performance in the dataset.

The Verdict

The verdict is clear: this PC cannot run Lockdown Protocol at 4K with any preset at or above 60 FPS. The recorded data shows no playable settings at 3840x2160. The best 4K result is Low settings at 42 FPS, which falls 18 FPS short of the playable threshold. Users targeting 4K would need a fundamentally different GPU.

At 2560x1440, the system is marginally playable. The verdict data shows Low settings are the only playable option, with an average of 65 FPS. This clears the 60 FPS bar, but just barely. Medium drops to 46 FPS, High to 40 FPS, and Ultra to 30 FPS. For 1440p gaming, users must accept Low settings and even then have only 5 FPS of headroom above the threshold.

At 1920x1080, the system is playable on two presets. The verdict data lists Low and Medium as playable, with Medium being the best at 63 FPS. Low runs at 88 FPS, providing comfortable headroom. High falls to 55 FPS, below the threshold, and Ultra to 41 FPS. For 1080p, the practical recommendation is Medium settings, which balances visual quality with playable performance.

In summary, this combination works for 1080p gaming at Medium settings, barely works at 1440p on Low, and does not work at 4K. The Ryzen 7 9700X is more than sufficient for this game, but the Intel Arc B390 integrated GPU holds the system back. The data shows a clear ceiling: 63 FPS at 1080p Medium is the best playable experience this pairing can deliver. Users expecting higher quality settings or resolutions should look elsewhere, as the GPU is the definitive limiting factor across all measured scenarios.