Lockdown Protocol

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for Lockdown Protocol with the Intel Core i5-9400 and Intel Arc B370 shows a clear pattern of performance scaling across resolutions and presets. At 3840x2160, the combination struggles to maintain playable frame rates. The High preset delivers an average of 23 FPS, while Low raises the average to 38 FPS. Medium sits between them at 27 FPS average, with a recorded minimum of 23 FPS and a maximum of 31 FPS. Ultra is the most demanding configuration, dropping the average to 18 FPS. None of these figures approach the 60 FPS playability threshold, and even the best case at this resolution, Low at 38 FPS, falls well short.

Moving to 2560x1440 improves the situation but does not achieve full playability. High preset produces an average of 36 FPS, Low reaches 58 FPS, Medium averages 42 FPS with a range of 35 to 48 FPS, and Ultra drops to 27 FPS. The Low preset at 58 FPS is close to the 60 FPS threshold but does not clear it. The data indicates that 1440p gaming with this combo requires significant quality compromises, and even then the experience remains below the benchmark target.

At 1920x1080, the picture changes substantially. Low settings achieve an average of 80 FPS, which comfortably exceeds the 60 FPS threshold. Medium averages 57 FPS, with a minimum of 48 FPS and a maximum of 65 FPS, placing it just below the playability line. High settings average 49 FPS, and Ultra falls to 37 FPS. The jump from 49 FPS at High to 80 FPS at Low represents a 63% improvement in average frame rate, demonstrating how much headroom remains when graphical demands are reduced.

The min and max data points recorded only for Medium presets give some insight into frame pacing. At 3840x2160 Medium, the 23 FPS minimum and 31 FPS maximum indicate tight but low performance, with variance of 8 FPS. At 2560x1440 Medium, the range spans 35 to 48 FPS, a 13 FPS spread. At 1920x1080 Medium, the range extends from 48 to 65 FPS, showing that the system can occasionally touch the playable threshold even when the average does not.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets reveals which component constrains performance in Lockdown Protocol. The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor from the Coffee Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. Its benchmark scores place it near the middle of the database, with a percentile ranking of 47 among all CPUs. The Intel Arc B370, by contrast, ranks at the 5th percentile among all GPUs, indicating a much weaker relative position. This gap suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck in most scenarios.

The resolution scaling supports this interpretation. At 3840x2160, the GPU is heavily loaded, and frame rates remain low across all presets. Dropping from Ultra to Low at this resolution improves the average from 18 FPS to 38 FPS, a 111% gain, which is characteristic of GPU-bound workloads where reducing pixel count and shading work directly translates to higher throughput. At 2560x1440, the same preset change moves the average from 27 FPS to 58 FPS, a 115% improvement. At 1920x1080, the Low preset reaches 80 FPS versus 37 FPS at Ultra, a 116% gain. The consistency of this improvement across resolutions points to the GPU as the dominant factor in preset scaling.

The CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions and higher frame rates. At 1920x1080 Low, the system reaches 80 FPS average, and the 6-core, 6-thread processor must keep up with the GPU's output. The i5-9400's single-core score of 935 in Cinebench R23 and multi-core score of 6629 indicate modest computational headroom. The fact that the 1080p Low preset clears 60 FPS while 1440p Low does not suggests that at 1080p, the GPU can produce enough frames to approach CPU limits, but the CPU is not yet the limiting factor. The 57 FPS average at 1080p Medium, with a 48 FPS minimum, hints that the GPU is still the constraint, as the preset change from Low to Medium costs 23 FPS.

The Arc B370's specifications support the GPU-bound conclusion. It operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz, with 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster output units. Its FP32 throughput is 6.144 TFLOPS. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, it scores 1184, placing it at the 5th percentile of all GPUs. These figures describe a low-end graphics solution, and Lockdown Protocol's frame rates reflect that positioning. The i5-9400, while not a high-end processor, is far more competitive relative to its peers, ranking at the 47th percentile. The data shows that swapping the GPU would yield larger gains than swapping the CPU at every resolution tested.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals in the database provide context for what other hardware would behave similarly. For the Intel Core i5-9400, the closest matches are the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 with an average score of 2259 and a delta of -0.2% from the i5-9400's score, the Intel Core i7-10710U at 2248 with a +0.3% delta, the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 at 2246 with a +0.4% delta, and the Intel Core i3-10305 at 2264 with a -0.4% delta. These processors all fall within a narrow band of benchmark performance, meaning any of them would likely produce nearly identical frame rates in Lockdown Protocol when paired with the same GPU. The differences among these CPUs are negligible in real-world gaming terms, with the largest delta being 0.4%.

For the Intel Arc B370, the nearest rivals are markedly older and lower-performing parts. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1186 with a -0.2% delta, the ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190 with a -0.5% delta, the AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192 with a -0.7% delta, and the AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1168 with a +1.4% delta. The Arc B370's 3DMark score of 1184 places it in the company of graphics hardware from over a decade ago, which explains the low frame rates observed in Lockdown Protocol. A system using any of these GPUs would deliver similar performance, all falling short of playable frame rates at higher resolutions.

The contrast between the CPU and GPU rival groups is striking. The i5-9400 sits among modern low-power and mid-range processors with similar compute capabilities, while the Arc B370 sits among legacy discrete and mobile GPUs. This asymmetry reinforces the conclusion that the graphics card is the weak link in this pairing. Users seeking better performance in Lockdown Protocol would see far more benefit from upgrading the GPU than the CPU, since the processor already has nearby alternatives that perform within a fraction of a percent.

How This Combo Ranks

The database ranks this combination at 3427 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the bottom 7.7% of all configurations, a low position that aligns with the measured frame rates. The rank reflects the aggregate performance across all tested scenarios, and the combination's inability to maintain 60 FPS at any resolution above 1080p contributes heavily to this standing.

The rank also contextualizes the experience relative to the broader hardware landscape. With 3714 combos in the database, a rank of 3427 means only 287 configurations perform worse in this game. This is a bottom-tier result for a game released in 2024, and it indicates that the Arc B370's low GPU percentile (5th) drags the combo down despite the i5-9400's more respectable 47th percentile CPU ranking. The combination's position in the database is consistent with its measured performance: playable only at 1080p with reduced settings, and below the 60 FPS threshold everywhere else.

The Verdict

Can this PC run Lockdown Protocol? The answer depends entirely on the resolution and settings. At 3840x2160, no preset achieves playable performance. The best average is 38 FPS at Low settings, which falls 22 FPS short of the 60 FPS threshold. The verdict for 4K is clear: this combination cannot run the game at a playable frame rate. The same applies to 2560x1440, where the Low preset reaches 58 FPS average, just below the 60 FPS line. The recorded data lists no playable settings at 1440p, meaning even the lowest quality preset does not clear the threshold.

At 1920x1080, the situation changes. The Low preset achieves an average of 80 FPS, which comfortably exceeds the 60 FPS threshold. This is the only playable configuration recorded in the database. Medium settings average 57 FPS, below the threshold, and High and Ultra are further behind at 49 FPS and 37 FPS respectively. The verdict for 1080p is conditional: the game runs, but only with the lowest quality settings. Players who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity can achieve a smooth experience, while those who want higher quality will need to accept sub-60 FPS performance.

FAQ

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

A: No. At 3840x2160, the best average frame rate is 38 FPS on Low settings, and Ultra drops to 18 FPS. No preset reaches the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Q: What is the highest resolution that achieves 60 FPS?

A: Only 1920x1080 with Low settings reaches 60 FPS, averaging 80 FPS. At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 58 FPS, just below the threshold.

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

A: The Arc B370 scores 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, nearly matching the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 at 1186, the ATI Radeon HD 5770 at 1190, and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M at 1192. The AMD FirePro M2000 trails at 1168.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is the primary bottleneck. The Arc B370 ranks at the 5th percentile among all GPUs, while the i5-9400 ranks at the 47th percentile among CPUs. Preset scaling produces similar percentage gains across resolutions, indicating GPU-bound performance.

Q: What frame rates does the Medium preset produce at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080 Medium, the average is 57 FPS with a minimum of 48 FPS and a maximum of 65 FPS. The average falls just below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does this combination rank overall in the database?

A: It ranks 3427 out of 3714 tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the bottom tier of all tested systems.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, no preset maintains 60 FPS, so there is no recommended configuration. The highest average achievable is 38 FPS at Low settings, but this falls short of the playability threshold. At 2560x1440, the same situation applies: no preset reaches 60 FPS, and the best average is 58 FPS at Low settings, which is still below the threshold. At 1920x1080, the Low preset is the only configuration that clears 60 FPS, with an average of 80 FPS. Medium averages 57 FPS, which misses the threshold by 3 FPS. The database records Low as the best settings at 1080p, and the measured 80 FPS average provides sufficient headroom over the 60 FPS minimum for stable gameplay. Players at 1080p should use Low settings, while those at higher resolutions will not achieve playable performance with any settings.