Lockdown Protocol

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the Intel Arc B390 occupies the 3302nd position out of 3714 tested combinations in the database for Lockdown Protocol. This places the combo in the lower tier of tested systems, meaning a significant majority of recorded configurations deliver higher frame rates in this title. The percentile data reinforces this: the CPU sits at the 47th percentile among all processors, and the GPU at the 9th percentile among all graphics cards. The Arc B390 is the clear bottleneck here, ranking near the very bottom of the GPU hierarchy.

The recorded data shows a system that can produce playable results, but only at lower settings and resolution. The combination's rank suggests that while the CPU offers middling performance, the GPU's low percentile is the primary constraint. The Arc B390's nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, which scores 1.3% higher, and the NVIDIA GeForce 800M, which scores 1.5% higher. These are extremely old, low-end parts, which contextually frames the Arc B390's position. The delta percentages are small, indicating that the Arc B390 is clustered with some of the weakest GPUs ever benchmarked in this database. This is a curious finding for a chip built on a 3 nm process with Panther Lake architecture, but the measured data is clear.

The CPU, by contrast, sits much higher relative to its own field. The Core i5-9400's average benchmark score of 2254 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, including the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (0.2% slower), the Intel Core i7-10710U (0.3% faster), and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (0.4% faster). The CPU is not the limiting factor in most scenarios, but the GPU's low standing drags the overall combo rank down significantly.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Lockdown Protocol at 60 FPS on a 1920x1080 display?

A: Yes, but only at Medium settings or lower. The recorded average FPS at 1080p Medium is 63, while Low settings produce 88 FPS. High settings drop to 55 FPS, and Ultra falls to 41 FPS.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 2560x1440 resolution?

A: Low is the only playable preset at 1440p, delivering an average of 65 FPS. Medium drops to 46 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: Is 4K resolution viable with this combo?

A: No. At 3840x2160, even Low settings only reach 42 FPS, and Medium averages 30 FPS. High and Ultra are worse at 26 FPS and 19 FPS respectively. None of these meet the 60 FPS threshold.

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

A: The Arc B390's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 is within 2.7% of several older NVIDIA parts. The GeForce GT 520MX scores 1.3% higher, the GeForce 800M scores 1.5% higher, and the GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 2.5% higher. The GeForce GT 710 is 2.7% slower.

Q: What is the CPU's benchmark standing?

A: The Core i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254, placing it at the 47th percentile among all CPUs. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 6629, and single-core is 935. Geekbench scores are 5141 multi-core and 1389 single-core.

Q: What is the best overall setting for this combo at 1080p?

A: Medium is the highest preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, with an average of 63 FPS, a minimum of 53 FPS, and a maximum of 72 FPS.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals an interesting split in workload distribution between the two components. At 1920x1080, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is substantial: 88 FPS versus 41 FPS. This 47 FPS gap indicates that the GPU is heavily taxed by higher presets, even at the lowest resolution. The CPU, with its six cores and six threads, can feed the GPU adequately at these settings, as evidenced by the fact that even at Low settings, the system does not exceed 88 FPS. This suggests the GPU is the limiting factor across all settings at 1080p.

As resolution increases to 2560x1440, the GPU's workload grows further. Low settings drop from 88 FPS to 65 FPS, a 26% reduction, while High settings drop from 55 FPS to 40 FPS. The pattern continues at 3840x2160, where Low settings produce just 42 FPS. The scaling between resolutions demonstrates that the Arc B390's fill rate and shading capabilities are insufficient for higher pixel counts. The GPU's pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s are modest figures, and the 24 ROPs and 48 TMUs limit its ability to handle 4K workloads.

The CPU's role becomes relatively less important as resolution rises. At 1080p, the Core i5-9400's boost clock of 4.10 GHz and 9 MB of shared L3 cache are sufficient to maintain frame delivery. At 4K, the GPU is so heavily constrained that CPU performance becomes almost irrelevant. The data shows no scenario where the CPU is the primary bottleneck; even at 1080p Low, the system only reaches 88 FPS, which is well below what a six-core Coffee Lake processor could theoretically support. The 47th percentile CPU ranking confirms that the i5-9400 is a mid-pack performer, but it is not the reason this combo sits at the 9th GPU percentile.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol, but only under specific conditions. The verdict by resolution is clear: at 3840x2160, there are no playable settings, meaning no preset reaches the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, only Low settings are playable, with an average of 65 FPS. At 1920x1080, both Low and Medium settings clear 60 FPS, with Medium being the best playable preset at 63 FPS average.

The playable threshold in the database is defined as 60 FPS, and the recorded data shows that this combo can meet that requirement at 1080p and 1440p, provided settings are managed carefully. At 1080p, the system performs best at Medium settings, which delivers 63 FPS average with a minimum of 53 FPS. This means there will be occasional dips below 60 FPS, but the average remains above the threshold. At 1440p Low, the average is 65 FPS, but no minimum is recorded, so frame pacing is less certain.

For users with 1080p displays, this system is viable for casual play at Medium settings. For 1440p displays, Low settings are required. 4K is not a realistic option. The GPU's 80 W TDP and integrated form factor suggest this is a mobile or compact system, which aligns with its modest performance envelope.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The database contains exact measurements for this combo across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 3840x2160, the results are uniformly below the playable threshold. High settings average 26 FPS, Low averages 42 FPS, Medium averages 30 FPS with a minimum of 25 and maximum of 34, and Ultra averages 19 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 23 FPS, showing that the GPU struggles even at the lowest quality preset.

At 2560x1440, the numbers improve but remain limited. High settings average 40 FPS, Low averages 65 FPS, Medium averages 46 FPS with a minimum of 39 and maximum of 53, and Ultra averages 30 FPS. The Low preset is the only one that reaches above 60 FPS, and it does so with a comfortable margin of 5 FPS over the threshold.

At 1920x1080, the system shows its best performance. High settings average 55 FPS, Low averages 88 FPS, Medium averages 63 FPS with a minimum of 53 and maximum of 72, and Ultra averages 41 FPS. The Medium preset is the sweet spot, offering a 63 FPS average while maintaining a minimum above 50 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium is a 25 FPS reduction, indicating that Medium settings significantly increase GPU load. The drop from Medium to Ultra is 22 FPS, showing that Ultra settings are particularly demanding for this GPU.

The minimum and maximum FPS values are only recorded for Medium settings at each resolution. At 1080p, the range is 53 to 72 FPS. At 1440p, it is 39 to 53 FPS. At 4K, it is 25 to 34 FPS. These ranges show that frame pacing becomes more erratic as resolution increases, which is typical for a GPU operating near its limits.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the database identifies the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS. At 1920x1080, that preset is Medium, with an average of 63 FPS. This is the highest quality setting that remains playable at 1080p. The measured minimum of 53 FPS indicates occasional dips, but the average stays above the threshold.

At 2560x1440, the best playable setting is Low, with an average of 65 FPS. Any higher preset drops below 60 FPS, with Medium at 46 FPS and High at 40 FPS. The 1440p Low setting sacrifices visual quality for playability, but it is the only option that meets the threshold.

At 3840x2160, there is no best setting because no preset reaches 60 FPS. The highest average recorded at 4K is 42 FPS on Low, which is 18 FPS short of the threshold. The verdictByResolution field confirms that no playable settings exist at this resolution.

These best settings represent the maximum quality the combo can handle while maintaining a playable frame rate. Pushing beyond these settings will result in average FPS below 60, which the database classifies as unplayable.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for both components provides context for what other hardware might behave similarly. For the CPU, the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 has an average score of 2259, which is 0.2% lower than the i5-9400's 2254. The Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248, 0.3% higher. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, 0.4% higher, and the Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264, 0.4% lower. These processors would likely produce nearly identical CPU-limited performance in Lockdown Protocol, meaning they would not meaningfully change the combo's ranking.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are all older NVIDIA parts. The GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463, which is 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, and the GeForce GT 710 scores 1443, 2.7% higher. These deltas are small, meaning that swapping the Arc B390 for any of these GPUs would produce frame rates within a few percent of each other. The Arc B390 is effectively in the same performance class as decade-old entry-level NVIDIA parts.

The practical implication is that users considering this combo should expect performance similar to a system built with those rival parts. The CPU is not the differentiator; the GPU's low percentile ranking dominates the outcome. A system with a stronger GPU, even paired with a weaker CPU, would likely rank higher in the database. Conversely, upgrading the CPU alone would yield minimal gains in Lockdown Protocol, as the GPU is the binding constraint in every measured scenario.