Lockdown Protocol

FAQ

Q: Can the Intel Core i5-14600K and Intel Arc B390 run Lockdown Protocol at 1080p?

A: Yes. At 1920x1080, the combination reaches playable frame rates on both Low and Medium settings. Low averages 88 FPS, while Medium averages 63 FPS. High and Ultra fall short of the 60 FPS threshold, with averages of 55 FPS and 41 FPS respectively.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 2560x1440 for this system?

A: Low is the only setting that clears the 60 FPS threshold at 1440p, averaging 65 FPS. Medium drops to 46 FPS, High to 40 FPS, and Ultra to 30 FPS.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with this hardware combo?

A: No. At 3840x2160, even the Low preset only averages 42 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. Medium, High, and Ultra average 30, 26, and 19 FPS respectively.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its closest GPU rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. This puts it just 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% ahead of the GeForce 800M (1460), 2.5% ahead of the GT 625 OEM (1446), and 2.7% ahead of the GT 710 (1443).

Q: Where does the Core i5-14600K rank among all CPUs in the database?

A: The i5-14600K sits at the 90th percentile among all CPUs. Its average benchmark score is 48618, placing it within 0.8% of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 (48995) and 0.7% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX (48287).

Q: What is the frame time consistency at Medium settings across resolutions?

A: Medium settings show measurable min/max spreads. At 1080p, the range spans 53 to 72 FPS (average 63). At 1440p, the range narrows to 39 to 53 FPS (average 46). At 4K, the range is 25 to 34 FPS (average 30). The pattern shows tightening variance as resolution increases, but average frame rates also fall.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU side, the Intel Core i5-14600K's average benchmark score of 48618 places it in a tight cluster with several alternative processors. The Intel Xeon Gold 5318H scores 48698, a negligible 0.2% difference. The AMD EPYC 4345P scores 48470, just 0.3% below. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX scores 48287, a 0.7% gap. Finally, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 scores 48995, which is 0.8% higher. Any of these CPUs would deliver near-identical general processing performance in lockstep with the i5-14600K, meaning the system's overall behavior in Lockdown Protocol would remain consistent.

The GPU situation is more constrained. The Intel Arc B390's average benchmark score is 1482, and its nearest rivals are all NVIDIA parts with much lower performance profiles. The GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463 (1.3% lower), the GeForce 800M scores 1460 (1.5% lower), the GT 625 OEM scores 1446 (2.5% lower), and the GT 710 scores 1443 (2.7% lower). These deltas are small enough that swapping to any of these GPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in this game. However, none of these alternatives would meaningfully change the playability verdict: the system remains limited to Low settings at 1440p and Low or Medium at 1080p.

The GPU's 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs is a strong indicator that this is a low-end graphics solution. The CPU, by contrast, is a high-end part. The combination creates a heavily GPU-bound system. If a user were to swap the Arc B390 for one of its near-equal rivals, the game's performance would stay within a few percentage points. If they were to swap the i5-14600K for any of its nearest rivals, the CPU would cease to be a bottleneck at all, and frame rates would remain effectively unchanged.

CPU and GPU Roles

Benchmark data shows that Lockdown Protocol is overwhelmingly GPU-limited with this hardware pairing. The evidence is in the scaling between resolutions and presets. At 1080p Low, the system produces 88 FPS. At 1440p Low, that drops to 65 FPS, a 26% reduction. At 4K Low, it falls to 42 FPS, another 35% reduction. This steep decline as pixel count rises is the signature of a GPU-bound workload.

The pattern repeats across every preset. High settings go from 55 FPS at 1080p to 40 FPS at 1440p to 26 FPS at 4K. Medium settings go from 63 to 46 to 30. Ultra goes from 41 to 30 to 19. In every case, the frame rate drops by roughly a quarter to a third with each resolution step, which tracks the increasing pixel load on the GPU.

Preset scaling also points to the GPU as the limiting factor. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium costs 25 FPS (88 to 63), from Medium to High costs 8 FPS (63 to 55), and from High to Ultra costs 14 FPS (55 to 41). The CPU, with its 14 cores, 20 threads, and 90th percentile ranking, has ample headroom to feed the GPU at all settings. The Arc B390, by contrast, shows its limitations: its 9th percentile GPU ranking and modest 7.680 TFLOPS FP32 throughput constrain the frame rate regardless of CPU capability.

The role division is clear. The CPU is never the constraint. The GPU determines playability at every resolution. Users seeking higher frame rates should look to the graphics side, not the processor. At 1080p, the GPU can still deliver playable results on Medium. At 1440p, only Low remains playable. At 4K, no preset clears 60 FPS. The CPU's contribution is to maintain consistent frame delivery, which it does effortlessly; the recorded min/max data shows no signs of CPU stutter or frame pacing issues.

The Verdict

This system can run Lockdown Protocol, but the playable envelope is narrow. At 1920x1080, the combination of Intel Core i5-14600K and Intel Arc B390 clears the 60 FPS threshold on two presets: Low at 88 FPS and Medium at 63 FPS. High and Ultra do not meet the threshold, averaging 55 and 41 FPS respectively.

At 2560x1440, only the Low preset is playable, averaging 65 FPS. Medium (46 FPS), High (40 FPS), and Ultra (30 FPS) all fall short. At 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS. The best 4K result is Low at 42 FPS, followed by Medium at 30 FPS, High at 26 FPS, and Ultra at 19 FPS.

The database verdict confirms this: playable settings are listed for 1080p (Low and Medium) and 1440p (Low only), with no playable settings at 4K. The best playable configuration overall is Medium at 1080p, averaging 63 FPS. For users with a 1080p display, this is a functional gaming system with moderate settings. For 1440p, the system works but only on the lowest preset. For 4K, it does not meet the playable standard.

The CPU is more than adequate for this game. Its 90th percentile ranking and strong multi-core scores (24491 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, 38682 in PassMark multithread) ensure it will not bottleneck the GPU. The GPU is the limiting factor, and its 9th percentile ranking reflects that reality. Users should expect a playable but visually modest experience: 1080p Medium is the sweet spot, 1440p Low is acceptable for those prioritizing resolution over detail, and 4K is not viable for sustained 60 FPS gameplay.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The database records frame rates for twelve combinations of resolution and settings. All measurements were taken with the Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the Intel Arc B390.

At 3840x2160, the results are as follows. Low settings produce an average of 42 FPS, with no min or max recorded. Medium averages 30 FPS, with a minimum of 25 and a maximum of 34. High averages 26 FPS, with no min or max recorded. Ultra averages 19 FPS, with no min or max recorded. The spread from Low to Ultra is 23 FPS, and every preset falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

At 2560x1440, Low settings average 65 FPS, which is the only playable result at this resolution. Medium averages 46 FPS, with a minimum of 39 and a maximum of 53. High averages 40 FPS, and Ultra averages 30 FPS. The step from Low to Medium costs 19 FPS, a substantial drop that pushes the system out of the playable range.

At 1920x1080, Low settings average 88 FPS, the highest recorded result for this system. Medium averages 63 FPS, with a minimum of 53 and a maximum of 72. High averages 55 FPS, and Ultra averages 41 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 25 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is only 8 FPS, suggesting diminishing returns as settings increase.

The min/max data for Medium settings provides insight into frame consistency. At 1080p, the range is 53 to 72, a 19 FPS spread around the 63 FPS average. At 1440p, the range is 39 to 53, a 14 FPS spread around the 46 FPS average. At 4K, the range is 25 to 34, a 9 FPS spread around the 30 FPS average. The variance narrows as resolution increases, but the absolute frame rates also drop, meaning the playable experience at 1080p Medium has the widest swings.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, no preset meets the 60 FPS threshold. The highest average is Low at 42 FPS, followed by Medium at 30 FPS, High at 26 FPS, and Ultra at 19 FPS. The database records no playable settings for this resolution. Users with a 4K display must either accept sub-60 FPS gameplay or reduce resolution.

At 2560x1440, the only playable preset is Low. It averages 65 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold by 5 FPS. Medium averages 46 FPS, High averages 40 FPS, and Ultra averages 30 FPS, all below the playable mark. Low is the recommended setting for 1440p, and it is also the best setting, as no other preset achieves the playable standard.

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Medium. It averages 63 FPS, with a minimum of 53 and a maximum of 72. Low averages 88 FPS and is also playable, but Medium offers better visual quality while still meeting the threshold. High (55 FPS) and Ultra (41 FPS) do not qualify. The database confirms Medium as the best settings choice at 1080p.

For users optimizing across all resolutions, the practical guidance is straightforward. At 1080p, select Medium for the best balance of visual fidelity and frame rate. At 1440p, select Low to maintain playability. At 4K, the system cannot sustain 60 FPS on any preset, so consider lowering the resolution or accepting lower frame rates. The CPU will not be a limiting factor in any of these scenarios; the Arc B390 defines the performance ceiling.