Lockdown Protocol

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for Lockdown Protocol with the Intel Core i5-10400F and Intel Arc B390 shows a clear performance curve that scales predictably with resolution and settings. At 3840x2160, the combination is heavily constrained. High settings produce an average of 26 FPS, Medium averages 30 FPS with a minimum of 25 FPS and a maximum of 34 FPS, Low reaches 42 FPS, and Ultra drops to 19 FPS. None of these 4K results approach the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, the picture improves but remains limited. Low settings deliver an average of 65 FPS, which is the only 1440p preset above 60 FPS. High settings average 40 FPS, Medium averages 46 FPS with a range of 39 to 53 FPS, and Ultra falls to 30 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium at this resolution is 19 FPS, indicating that the preset step from Low to Medium is particularly costly for this hardware.

At 1920x1080, the system becomes more viable. Low settings average 88 FPS, Medium averages 63 FPS with a minimum of 53 FPS and a maximum of 72 FPS, High averages 55 FPS, and Ultra averages 41 FPS. The data shows that the jump from Medium to High at 1080p costs 8 FPS, while the jump from High to Ultra costs another 14 FPS. The only preset at 1080p with a recorded minimum above 60 FPS is Low, though Medium stays close with its 53 FPS floor.

Across all resolutions, the pattern is consistent: Low is the only preset that clears 60 FPS at 1440p, while at 1080p both Low and Medium clear the average 60 FPS mark. Ultra is never playable at any resolution in the measured set. The 4K results are uniformly below 45 FPS, confirming that this combination is not suited for 2160p gaming in this title.

FAQ

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

A: No. The best 4K result is Low settings at 42 FPS average, which is below the 60 FPS playability threshold. High, Medium, and Ultra all average below 31 FPS.

Q: What is the highest preset that stays at or above 60 FPS at 1920x1080?

A: Medium settings, with an average of 63 FPS. Low also exceeds 60 FPS at 88 FPS, but Medium is the most demanding preset that still clears the threshold.

Q: Is 1440p playable with this hardware?

A: Only at Low settings, which averages 65 FPS. Medium averages 46 FPS, High averages 40 FPS, and Ultra averages 30 FPS, all below 60 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings?

A: The average FPS drops from 88 FPS at 1080p Low to 65 FPS at 1440p Low, a decrease of 23 FPS. This represents a 26% reduction in average frame rate.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 1080p Medium?

A: The minimum recorded value is 53 FPS, with a maximum of 72 FPS. The average sits at 63 FPS, so the frame time consistency is moderate.

Q: Does the Arc B390 ever exceed 60 FPS at 4K?

A: No. The highest 4K average is 42 FPS at Low settings. Medium peaks at 34 FPS max, and all other 4K presets stay below that.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling data in the database reveals which component dominates Lockdown Protocol at each resolution. At 3840x2160, the GPU is the primary constraint. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 23 FPS (42 vs 19), and even the most favorable preset cannot reach half of the 60 FPS target. This indicates that the Arc B390, with its 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs, is the limiting factor at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the pattern shifts slightly. The spread between Low (65 FPS) and Ultra (30 FPS) is 35 FPS, which is larger than the 4K spread. This suggests that at 1440p, the GPU is still dominant, but the CPU begins to matter more as the resolution drops. The fact that Low clears 60 FPS while Medium drops to 46 FPS points to a steep GPU workload curve for this game's preset levels.

At 1920x1080, the balance changes further. Low hits 88 FPS, which is well above the threshold, indicating that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at this resolution. Medium at 63 FPS shows the GPU starting to struggle, but the 25 FPS gap between Low and Medium (88 to 63) is smaller than the 19 FPS gap at 1440p (65 to 46). This narrowing suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is less of a bottleneck and the GPU is more responsible for the frame rate.

The Core i5-10400F has a 68th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with a single-thread score of 688 in 3DMark and a Geekbench single-core score of 1420. These numbers indicate reasonable single-thread performance for a 2020 desktop processor. The Arc B390, by contrast, sits at the 9th percentile among GPUs with a Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482. The database shows that the GPU is the weak link across all resolutions, but the CPU becomes less relevant as resolution increases because the GPU workload grows faster than the CPU workload.

The recorded FPS deltas between resolutions support this. At Low settings, moving from 1080p to 1440p costs 23 FPS, and moving from 1440p to 4K costs another 23 FPS. This linear degradation is typical of GPU-bound scenarios. At Medium settings, the cost is 17 FPS from 1080p to 1440p (63 to 46) and 16 FPS from 1440p to 4K (46 to 30). The consistency of these drops reinforces that the Arc B390 is the dominant factor, especially at higher presets.

The Verdict

The data answers clearly whether this PC can run Lockdown Protocol. At 3840x2160, no settings are playable. The best average is 42 FPS at Low, which is 18 FPS below the 60 FPS threshold. The verdict for 4K is a firm no.

At 2560x1440, only Low settings are playable, with an average of 65 FPS. Medium, High, and Ultra all fail to reach 60 FPS. The 1440p verdict is a conditional yes: the game runs smoothly only on the lowest preset.

At 1920x1080, the system clears 60 FPS on both Low (88 FPS) and Medium (63 FPS). High and Ultra fall short at 55 FPS and 41 FPS respectively. The 1080p verdict is a qualified yes, with Medium being the most demanding playable preset.

Overall, the database verdictByResolution confirms these findings: 4K has no playable settings, 1440p has one playable setting (Low at 65 FPS), and 1080p has two playable settings (Low at 88 FPS and Medium at 63 FPS). For users targeting a stable 60 FPS experience, 1080p Medium is the highest quality option that meets the threshold.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the best settings that stay at or above 60 FPS are Medium, with an average of 63 FPS and a recorded range of 53 to 72 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that remains playable. Low is also playable at 88 FPS, but Medium offers better visual quality while still clearing the threshold.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are Low, with an average of 65 FPS. No other 1440p preset reaches 60 FPS. Medium averages 46 FPS, High averages 40 FPS, and Ultra averages 30 FPS.

At 3840x2160, there is no best setting because no preset reaches 60 FPS. The highest average is 42 FPS at Low, but the playability threshold is not met, so the database records no best settings for 4K.

The recommended configuration for this hardware is therefore 1080p Medium for the best balance of visual fidelity and frame rate, or 1440p Low if the user prioritizes resolution over detail. 4K should be avoided entirely for this title.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database, the Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the Intel Arc B390 ranks 3302 out of 3714 tested combinations for Lockdown Protocol. This places the combo in the bottom 11% of all tested systems. The ranking reflects the GPU's low percentile (9th among all GPUs) more than the CPU's modest standing (68th among all CPUs).

The measured FPS data aligns with this low rank. The system cannot reach 60 FPS at 4K on any preset, and only reaches 60 FPS at 1440p on Low. At 1080p, it clears 60 FPS on two presets but fails on High and Ultra. This is consistent with a combo that is heavily GPU-limited, as the Arc B390's Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places it among entry-level graphics solutions.

The CPU contributes positively to the combo's performance in CPU-bound scenarios, as evidenced by the 88 FPS at 1080p Low. However, the overall rank is dragged down by the GPU's inability to sustain high frame rates at higher presets and resolutions. Users should expect this combo to handle esports-style titles at 1080p medium settings, but not demanding AAA games at high detail.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core i5-10400F in the database are all within a very narrow performance band. The Intel Xeon 6756E has an average score of 14163, which is 0.2% higher than the i5-10400F. The Intel Core 7 160UL scores 14232, 0.3% lower. The AMD EPYC 7552 scores 14115, 0.5% higher. The AMD Ryzen 3 7320C scores 14277, 0.6% lower. These four CPUs would behave nearly identically to the i5-10400F in Lockdown Protocol, as their average benchmark scores differ by less than 1% from the i5's 14185 average.

For the GPU side, the nearest rivals are all NVIDIA parts with very low scores. The GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463, 1.3% higher than the Arc B390's 1482. The GeForce 800M scores 1460, 1.5% higher. The GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446, 2.5% higher. The GeForce GT 710 scores 1443, 2.7% higher. These deltas are all under 3%, meaning any of these GPUs would deliver essentially the same frame rates in Lockdown Protocol as the Arc B390.

A system using the i5-10400F with any of these rival GPUs would produce very similar results to the measured data. The CPU's nearest rivals are all server or low-power parts, reflecting that the i5's 68th percentile position is modest but not weak. The GPU's nearest rivals are all legacy NVIDIA entry-level cards, confirming that the Arc B390 is at the very bottom of the GPU performance spectrum. Users with any of these alternative components should expect the same 1080p Medium 63 FPS ceiling and the same inability to reach 60 FPS at 4K.