Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i5-13400F and Intel Arc B390 combination delivers a very specific performance envelope for Lockdown Protocol, one that is strictly limited by the integrated graphics solution. The recorded data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p is the only resolution where the system approaches mainstream playability, while higher resolutions demand significant compromises. The Arc B390, operating as an IGP with system-shared memory, is the decisive factor in almost every scenario.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system posts its strongest results. With Low settings, the average frame rate reaches 88 FPS, which is the highest recorded average across the entire test matrix. Medium settings drop the average to 63 FPS, with a recorded minimum of 53 FPS and a maximum of 72 FPS. High settings reduce the average further to 55 FPS, while Ultra settings produce an average of 41 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 47 FPS, indicating that the graphics preset has a massive impact on performance.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance ceiling lowers considerably. Low settings produce an average of 65 FPS, the only result above the 60 FPS threshold at this resolution. Medium settings average 46 FPS, with a minimum of 39 FPS and a maximum of 53 FPS. High settings average 40 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 30 FPS. The scaling from 1080p Low to 1440p Low shows a reduction of 23 FPS, a 26% loss from increasing pixel count alone.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles across all presets. Low settings average 42 FPS, while Medium settings average 30 FPS, with a minimum of 25 FPS and a maximum of 34 FPS. High settings average 26 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 19 FPS. No 4K preset reaches the 60 FPS playability threshold, and even the best case at Low settings is 18 FPS short of that mark. The spread from Low to Ultra at 4K is 23 FPS, showing that preset selection matters less when the resolution is overwhelming the GPU.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data indicates that the Arc B390 is the primary bottleneck for this game, especially as resolution increases. The i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread Raptor Lake processor with a boost clock of 4.60 GHz and a 20 MB shared L3 cache. Its benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore result of 22604 and a Passmark multithread score of 25032, place it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs. This processor has ample headroom for gaming workloads.

The Arc B390, on the other hand, sits in the 9th percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 1482 from the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. Its nearest rivals are all low-end NVIDIA parts from the GT 600 and GT 700 series era. The GPU has 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, with a boost clock of 2500 MHz and a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s. Critically, its memory is system-shared and its bandwidth is system-dependent, which explains the severe frame rate collapse at higher resolutions.

The resolution scaling confirms this assessment. At 1080p, the CPU can feed the GPU enough data to produce playable frame rates at Low and Medium settings. At 1440p, the GPU begins to run out of memory bandwidth, as shown by the 88 to 65 FPS drop from 1080p Low to 1440p Low. At 4K, the GPU is fully saturated, and the difference between presets narrows, with all four settings landing between 19 and 42 FPS. The CPU contribution is largely static across the resolution range; it is the GPU that dictates the outcome.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals in the database are extremely close in average score. The AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS matches the i5-13400F with a delta of 0%, sharing an average score of 25284 versus 25292. The Intel Core 5 120 scores 25362, which is 0.3% higher, and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D also scores 25365, also 0.3% higher. The AMD Ryzen 7 6800H scores 25201, 0.4% lower. Any of these processors would deliver nearly identical frame pacing in Lockdown Protocol, since none of them are the limiting factor.

For the GPU, the situation is more telling. The Arc B390's nearest rivals are all severely underpowered by modern standards. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463, which is 1.3% lower, while 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 deltas are small, meaning that swapping the Arc B390 for any of these parts would produce nearly identical frame rates, all of them far below what a discrete gaming GPU would offer. The database shows that the Arc B390 is effectively competing with integrated and entry-level solutions from over a decade ago.

The Verdict

Can this PC run Lockdown Protocol? The answer depends entirely on the target resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the system clears the 60 FPS threshold with both Low and Medium presets, making it playable. Medium settings at 1080p produce an average of 63 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playability threshold. Low settings at 1080p are even better at 88 FPS. High and Ultra at 1080p fall short, with 55 FPS and 41 FPS respectively.

At 2560x1440, only Low settings are playable, with an average of 65 FPS. Medium, High, and Ultra all fail to reach 60 FPS, with averages of 46, 40, and 30 FPS respectively. At 3840x2160, no settings are playable. The best case is Low at 42 FPS, which is 18 FPS below the threshold. The verdict field confirms this: the playable settings list is empty for 4K, contains only Low for 1440p, and contains Low and Medium for 1080p. The best playable setting at 1080p is Medium at 63 FPS, and at 1440p it is Low at 65 FPS.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the best settings are Medium, which produces an average of 63 FPS with a minimum of 53 FPS and a maximum of 72 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS. Low settings produce a higher average of 88 FPS but are less visually demanding, so Medium is the recommended choice for visual quality without sacrificing playability.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are Low, which produces an average of 65 FPS. This is the only preset at this resolution that clears the 60 FPS threshold. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall short, so users who want to play at 1440p must accept Low settings.

At 3840x2160, there is no best setting because no preset reaches 60 FPS. The highest average is 42 FPS at Low settings, and the lowest is 19 FPS at Ultra. The verdict field lists no playable settings and no best settings for 4K, confirming that this resolution is not viable for this hardware combination.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Lockdown Protocol at 60 FPS?

A: Yes, but only at 1080p and 1440p with specific settings. At 1080p, Low and Medium settings achieve 88 and 63 FPS respectively. At 1440p, only Low settings achieve 65 FPS. No 4K preset reaches 60 FPS.

Q: What is the best preset for 1080p?

A: Medium settings provide an average of 63 FPS, with a minimum of 53 FPS and a maximum of 72 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that stays at or above the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Q: How does the Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463, 1.3% lower, and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 scores 1443, 2.7% lower. All of these parts perform within a few percent of each other.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The i5-13400F ranks in the 77th percentile of all CPUs with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 22604, while the Arc B390 ranks in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Performance drops sharply as resolution increases, which points to GPU memory bandwidth constraints.

Q: What happens at 4K resolution?

A: No settings are playable at 3840x2160. Low settings average 42 FPS, Medium averages 30 FPS, High averages 26 FPS, and Ultra averages 19 FPS. All fall below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Which CPU alternatives would perform similarly?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS matches the i5-13400F with a 0% delta in average score. The Intel Core 5 120 and AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D are 0.3% higher, and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800H is 0.4% lower. These differences are negligible for gaming performance.