Lockdown Protocol

FAQ

Q: What is the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D's standing among all CPUs in the database?

A: The CPU sits in the 87th percentile of all processors tested. Its average benchmark score is 39,768, which places it within 0.8% of the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 (40,081) and within 0.7% of the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450 (39,485).

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B370's average benchmark score is 1,184. It is effectively tied with the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1,186, delta -0.2%) and the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1,190, delta -0.5%). The AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1,192) is 0.7% ahead, while the AMD FirePro M2000 (1,168) trails by 1.4%.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 1920x1080 for this combo?

A: According to the verdict data, the only playable setting at 1080p (clearing the 60 FPS threshold) is Low, which delivers an average of 80 FPS. Medium averages 57 FPS, which falls short of the 60 FPS playable mark.

Q: Are there any playable settings at 2560x1440 or 3840x2160?

A: No. The verdictByResolution data lists empty playable settings arrays for both 1440p and 4K. At 2560x1440, even Low only averages 58 FPS. At 3840x2160, the best average across all settings is 38 FPS on Low.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank among tested systems for Lockdown Protocol?

A: This CPU+GPU combination ranks 3,427 out of 3,714 tested combos in the game, placing it in the bottom portion of the database's tested configurations.

Q: What are the CPU's multi-threaded and single-threaded benchmark strengths?

A: The Ryzen 7 9800X3D scores 23,230 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,080 in single-core. In Geekbench, it records 18,696 multi-core and 2,964 single-core. PassMark multi-thread shows 40,009, while PassMark single-thread shows 4,430.

CPU and GPU Roles

The recorded data for Lockdown Protocol reveals a clear pattern: the GPU is the dominant bottleneck at every resolution, while the CPU's substantial headroom goes largely unused. This is evident from the FPS scaling between presets at each resolution, which shows steep drops as graphical load increases, rather than flat lines that would indicate CPU limitation.

At 3840x2160, the average frame rate falls from 38 FPS on Low to 23 FPS on High, a 39% reduction. Pushing to Ultra drops the average further to 18 FPS. This steep scaling across presets indicates the Intel Arc B370's rendering pipeline is saturated well before the CPU's 8-core, 16-thread configuration can be stressed. The CPU's 3DMark 16-thread score of 10,081 and max-thread score of 10,067 suggest ample parallel processing capability, yet the game's FPS at 4K never approaches the 60 FPS threshold on any setting.

At 2560x1440, the same pattern holds. Low averages 58 FPS, Medium drops to 42 FPS, High to 36 FPS, and Ultra to 27 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 16 FPS, nearly double the 11 FPS gap between Medium and High. This suggests the GPU's memory bandwidth, which is system-dependent and shared, becomes a limiting factor as texture and shading complexity increases. The Arc B370's FP32 throughput of 6.144 TFLOPS and pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s appear insufficient for sustained 1440p gaming at medium or higher presets.

At 1920x1080, the CPU finally shows some influence. Low averages 80 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS playable threshold with headroom. Medium averages 57 FPS, just under the threshold. The CPU's single-thread performance, measured at 1,212 in 3DMark single-thread and 2,080 in Cinebench R23 single-core, is more than adequate for the game's logic. The bottleneck shifts entirely to the GPU's shading units (1,280) and texture units (40), which struggle to maintain frame rates as preset quality rises.

The data indicates that upgrading the GPU would yield far larger FPS gains than upgrading the CPU for this game. At 1080p Low, the CPU's 96 MB shared L3 cache and Zen 5 architecture provide no measurable advantage over lesser processors, since the GPU is already at its limit. The combination's rank of 3,427 out of 3,714 reflects this GPU-bound profile. For players targeting higher resolutions or presets, the Arc B370's position in the 5th percentile of all GPUs is the primary constraint, not the Ryzen 7 9800X3D's 87th percentile CPU standing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

3840x2160: The recorded data shows no playable settings at 4K. Ultra delivers the lowest average at 18 FPS. High averages 23 FPS. Medium averages 27 FPS with a minimum of 23 FPS and maximum of 31 FPS. Low averages 38 FPS. Even the best 4K preset falls 22 FPS short of the 60 FPS playable threshold. The min/max spread on Medium, from 23 to 31 FPS, indicates frame pacing variability that would be noticeable in a fast-paced FPS.

2560x1440: At 1440p, Low averages 58 FPS, just 2 FPS below the playable threshold. Medium averages 42 FPS with a minimum of 35 FPS and maximum of 48 FPS. High averages 36 FPS. Ultra averages 27 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 16 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is only 9 FPS, suggesting diminishing returns as settings climb beyond Medium. No 1440p setting clears 60 FPS, so players would need to accept sub-60 performance or drop to 1080p.

1920x1080: At 1080p, Low is the only playable preset, averaging 80 FPS. Medium averages 57 FPS, with a minimum of 48 FPS and maximum of 65 FPS. High averages 49 FPS. Ultra averages 37 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium costs 23 FPS, a 29% reduction, while the jump from High to Ultra costs 12 FPS, a 24% reduction. The Medium preset's maximum of 65 FPS shows that the system can occasionally hit playable frame rates, but the average and minimum fall short of consistent 60 FPS gameplay.

Across all resolutions, the data shows a consistent pattern: Low settings provide the only viable path to 60 FPS, and only at 1080p. The gap between Low and Medium widens as resolution increases, from 23 FPS at 1080p to 16 FPS at 1440p and 11 FPS at 4K, indicating that the GPU's fixed resources are spread thinner at higher pixel counts.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals in the database provide context for its performance ceiling. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS scores 39,603, just 0.4% below the 9800X3D. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 scores 40,048, 0.7% above. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 450 scores 39,485, 0.7% below. The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 scores 40,081, 0.8% above. In practice, any of these processors would produce nearly identical FPS in Lockdown Protocol, since the GPU is the limiting factor at all measured settings.

The GPU's nearest rivals paint a stark picture. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1,186, within 0.2% of the Arc B370. The ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1,190, 0.5% ahead. The AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1,192, 0.7% ahead. The AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1,168, 1.4% behind. These are legacy mobile and entry-level desktop parts from over a decade ago. The Arc B370's 5th percentile GPU ranking means that swapping it for any of these rivals would yield essentially identical frame rates in Lockdown Protocol. Conversely, pairing the Ryzen 7 9800X3D with a substantially stronger GPU would transform the system's playability, since the CPU's headroom is ample.

For players considering alternative hardware, the database suggests that the CPU choice is nearly irrelevant for this game. A system with a Ryzen 7 7700 or Ryzen AI 9 365 would perform within 1% of the 9800X3D in CPU-bound scenarios, and identically in this GPU-bound title. The GPU choice, however, is critical: any of the Arc B370's nearest rivals would reproduce the same sub-60 FPS results at 1440p and 4K, while a GPU with even modestly higher throughput would unlock higher playable presets.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and Intel Arc B370 ranks 3,427 out of 3,714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places the system in the bottom 8% of the database's tested configurations. The rank reflects the severe GPU bottleneck: a top-tier CPU paired with a bottom-tier GPU yields a system that struggles to maintain 60 FPS at 1080p on medium settings.

The rank is not a reflection of the CPU's capability. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D's 87th percentile standing among all CPUs, combined with its strong multi-threaded scores (23,230 Cinebench R23 multi-core, 18,696 Geekbench multi-core), shows that the processor is overqualified for this workload. The GPU's 5th percentile standing, however, drags the entire combo down. In a game like Lockdown Protocol, where the measured FPS scales almost entirely with preset quality and resolution, the GPU's 1,280 shading units and 20 ROPs are simply insufficient for high-refresh-rate play.

The data shows that the combo rank would improve dramatically with a GPU swap. Since the CPU contributes negligibly to the FPS at all measured settings, replacing the Arc B370 with a mid-range GPU would likely push the combo into the top half of the database. Conversely, keeping the Arc B370 and swapping the CPU to a weaker processor would have almost no effect on the rank, since the GPU remains the constraint. This is a textbook case of a lopsided pairing, where the CPU's potential is wasted on a GPU that cannot keep up.

The Verdict

Can this PC run Lockdown Protocol? The answer depends entirely on the resolution and settings target. At 3840x2160, the system cannot reach 60 FPS on any preset. The best average is 38 FPS on Low, which is 22 FPS below the playable threshold. At 2560x1440, the situation is nearly identical: Low averages 58 FPS, just 2 FPS short of 60 FPS, and no other preset comes close. At 1920x1080, the system clears 60 FPS on Low with an average of 80 FPS, but Medium falls to 57 FPS, which is below the playable threshold.

The verdictByResolution data confirms this: the only playable settings list is at 1920x1080 with Low, delivering an average of 80 FPS. For players who demand 60 FPS or higher, the system is effectively a 1080p Low-only machine for this game. At 1440p, the 58 FPS average on Low is tantalizingly close, but it does not meet the threshold. At 4K, the system is unplayable by the database's standard.

The practical recommendation is straightforward: run Lockdown Protocol at 1920x1080 with Low settings for a smooth experience. The 80 FPS average provides enough headroom for minor frame drops without dipping below 60 FPS. For players willing to accept sub-60 performance, 1440p Low at 58 FPS is borderline playable, but the 42 FPS average at 1440p Medium is not recommended for a fast-paced FPS. The CPU is not the issue; the Arc B370's performance ceiling is the sole factor limiting this system to 1080p Low.