Lockdown Protocol

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X paired with the Intel Arc B390 ranks 3302 out of 3714 tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol. This places the combo in the 11th percentile of all tested system pairings, meaning roughly 89% of tested configurations deliver higher average frame rates. The ranking reflects a substantial imbalance between the two components: the CPU is a high-end desktop processor while the GPU sits near the bottom of the database's graphics card rankings.

The Arc B390's recorded benchmark score of 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 places it at the 9th percentile among all GPUs. This is a critical data point because the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at every resolution and preset tested. The Ryzen 9 5900X, by contrast, ranks at the 87th percentile among all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 41376. The database shows a 27.9 FPS spread between the best and worst settings at 1080p, which is almost entirely attributable to GPU workload scaling rather than CPU limitations.

At 4K, the combination fails to reach the 60 FPS playable threshold at any settings preset. The best 4K result is 42 FPS average on Low settings, which is 18 FPS short of playable. At 1440p, only the Low preset crosses the 60 FPS line with a 65 FPS average. At 1080p, both Low and Medium presets are playable, with Medium delivering a 63 FPS average. The ranking of 3302 reflects this reality: the system can handle the game at lower resolutions and settings, but it cannot sustain high frame rates at demanding configurations.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data indicates that the Intel Arc B390 is the decisive component for Lockdown Protocol performance in this pairing. The CPU's substantial compute resources, 12 cores and 24 threads with a 4.80 GHz boost clock, are not the limiting factor in any measured scenario. The GPU's modest specifications, 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, constrain frame rates across all tested configurations.

The resolution scaling pattern confirms GPU dominance. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at Medium settings drops the average FPS from 63 to 46, a reduction of 17 FPS or roughly 27%. Moving from 1440p to 4K at Medium settings drops the average further from 46 to 30, another 16 FPS reduction. This consistent degradation as pixel count rises is characteristic of a GPU-bound system. A CPU-bound scenario would show much smaller frame rate differences across resolutions.

Setting adjustments reinforce this conclusion. At 1080p, raising from Low to Medium reduces average FPS from 88 to 63, a 25 FPS drop. Raising from Medium to High reduces it further to 55, and Ultra drops to 41. The GPU's pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s are the hardware limits being exercised here. The CPU, with its 64 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s, provides ample headroom for the game's logic and physics workloads.

The Ryzen 9 5900X does contribute to the playable results at lower resolutions. Its high single-thread performance, evidenced by a 3DMark single-thread score of 941 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2083, ensures that frame pacing remains stable when the GPU can keep up. The minimum frame rates recorded at Medium settings, 53 FPS at 1080p and 39 FPS at 1440p, indicate that CPU-side frame generation is not introducing stutter or hitches.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the GPU side, the nearest rivals to the Intel Arc B390 are all NVIDIA entries from the lower end of the performance spectrum. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463, which is 1.3% lower than the Arc B390's 1482. The NVIDIA GeForce 800M scores 1460, 1.5% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446, 2.5% lower, and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 scores 1443, 2.7% lower. These four GPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Lockdown Protocol when paired with the same CPU, since their aggregate benchmark scores fall within a 2.7% band of each other.

On the CPU side, the Ryzen 9 5900X's nearest rivals are a mix of Intel and AMD mobile and desktop processors. The Intel Core Ultra 7 366H scores 41263, just 0.3% lower than the Ryzen 9 5900X's 41376. The Intel Core Ultra 7 356H scores 41215, 0.4% lower. The AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 440 scores 41208, also 0.4% lower. The Intel Core i7-14650HX scores 41576, which is 0.5% higher than the Ryzen 9 5900X. Any of these CPUs paired with the Arc B390 would yield essentially the same gameplay experience in Lockdown Protocol, since the GPU remains the bottleneck.

The practical implication is that swapping the Ryzen 9 5900X for any of these four CPUs would change measured FPS by less than 1% in either direction. Conversely, swapping the Arc B390 for any of its four nearest GPU rivals would shift performance by at most 2.7%. The database shows that this combination's performance profile is stable within a narrow band of component substitutions.

FAQ

Q: Is Lockdown Protocol playable at 1080p with this hardware?

A: Yes. The database records average FPS of 88 on Low settings and 63 on Medium settings at 1920x1080. Both presets clear the 60 FPS playable threshold. High settings average 55 FPS, which falls short of playable, and Ultra averages 41 FPS.

Q: What is the best settings preset at 1440p for this combo?

A: Low is the only playable preset at 2560x1440, delivering a 65 FPS average. Medium averages 46 FPS, High averages 40 FPS, and Ultra averages 30 FPS, all below the 60 FPS threshold.

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

A: No. At 3840x2160, the highest recorded average is 42 FPS on Low settings. Medium averages 30 FPS, High averages 26 FPS, and Ultra averages 19 FPS. None of these reach the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: Which component limits performance in this game?

A: The Intel Arc B390 GPU is the limiting factor. Its benchmark score of 1482 places it at the 9th percentile among all GPUs, while the Ryzen 9 5900X sits at the 87th percentile among CPUs. Frame rates scale heavily with resolution and graphics settings, indicating GPU-bound operation.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all tested systems?

A: The combination ranks 3302 out of 3714 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the lower portion of the database, with roughly 89% of tested configurations achieving higher frame rates.

Q: What are the minimum frame rates at Medium settings?

A: At 1080p Medium, the minimum recorded FPS is 53. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 39. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 25. These are the only settings presets where minimum frame data was recorded.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the database records the following average frame rates: Low settings produce 88 FPS, Medium produces 63 FPS with a minimum of 53 and maximum of 72, High produces 55 FPS, and Ultra produces 41 FPS. The Medium preset is the only 1080p configuration with full min/max data recorded.

At 2560x1440, Low settings average 65 FPS, Medium averages 46 FPS with a minimum of 39 and maximum of 53, High averages 40 FPS, and Ultra averages 30 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a consistent reduction across all presets, with the largest absolute drop of 25 FPS occurring on Low settings.

At 3840x2160, Low settings average 42 FPS, Medium averages 30 FPS with a minimum of 25 and maximum of 34, High averages 26 FPS, and Ultra averages 19 FPS. The 4K results show severe GPU limitation, with even the lowest settings preset failing to approach the 60 FPS threshold.

The frame rate progression across resolutions reveals the GPU's performance ceiling. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 88 at 1080p to 65 at 1440p to 42 at 4K. At Medium settings, the averages are 63, 46, and 30 respectively. At High settings, the averages are 55, 40, and 26. At Ultra settings, the averages are 41, 30, and 19. Each resolution step imposes a roughly 25-35% performance penalty across all presets.

The minimum frame rates recorded at Medium settings provide additional insight into frame pacing. At 1080p, the 53 FPS minimum is close to the 60 FPS average threshold, suggesting occasional dips below playable levels. At 1440p, the 39 FPS minimum indicates more frequent stutter during intense scenes. At 4K, the 25 FPS minimum confirms that the experience becomes marginal even on Medium.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the best playable preset is Medium, which achieves a 63 FPS average with a recorded minimum of 53 and maximum of 72. This is the most demanding settings configuration that stays at or above the 60 FPS playable threshold. Low settings also qualify with an 88 FPS average, but Medium offers a better balance of visual quality and performance.

At 2560x1440, the only playable preset is Low, delivering a 65 FPS average. This configuration clears the 60 FPS threshold with a small margin. Medium settings at 1440p average 46 FPS, which is 14 FPS below the playable threshold, so users seeking 1440p operation must accept Low settings.

At 3840x2160, no settings preset reaches the 60 FPS playable threshold. The closest result is Low settings at 42 FPS average, which falls 18 FPS short. The database verdict lists no playable settings for 4K, and the best settings value is null, indicating that this resolution is not viable with this hardware combination.

The overall guidance from the measured data is straightforward: this combo delivers playable performance at 1080p Medium and 1440p Low, but cannot handle 4K at any settings level. The 63 FPS average at 1080p Medium represents the optimal configuration for this system, providing the highest visual quality that still maintains a playable frame rate. The 65 FPS average at 1440p Low is the alternative for users prioritizing resolution over visual fidelity, with the caveat that the margin above 60 FPS is only 5 FPS.