Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol is an FPS title that stresses both the CPU and GPU, but in this configuration the graphics solution is the clear limiting factor. The recorded data for the Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the Intel Arc B370 shows a system that is capable of hitting the 60 FPS threshold only at the lowest settings at 1920x1080, while all other tested configurations fall short of that mark.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the highest resolution tested, the performance is consistently below the 60 FPS playable threshold. With the High preset, the average frame rate is 23 FPS. Dropping to Medium improves the average to 27 FPS, with a minimum of 23 FPS and a maximum of 31 FPS. The Low preset delivers a higher average of 38 FPS, but this is still far from the 60 FPS target. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, producing an average of only 18 FPS. No minimum or maximum values were recorded for the High, Low, and Ultra presets at this resolution, but the averages alone indicate a severe performance deficit. The gap between the Low preset and the Ultra preset is 20 FPS, which shows that the settings menu has a significant impact on the frame rate, but even the most optimized setting cannot make this resolution playable.

At 2560x1440, the situation improves but remains below the playable threshold across all presets. The Low preset yields an average of 58 FPS, which is the closest any setting gets to 60 FPS at this resolution. The Medium preset averages 42 FPS, with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 48 FPS. The High preset averages 36 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 27 FPS. The data shows a clear progression: lowering the settings from Ultra to Low increases the average frame rate by 31 FPS. However, even the best case at Low is 2 FPS short of the 60 FPS target, which means that a smooth experience is not achievable here. The recorded minimum for Medium is 35 FPS, indicating that frame drops can be substantial during intense scenes.

At 1920x1080, the only playable configuration appears. The Low preset achieves an average of 80 FPS, which comfortably clears the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset averages 57 FPS, with a minimum of 48 FPS and a maximum of 65 FPS. This is just 3 FPS below the target average, but the minimum of 48 FPS suggests noticeable stutters during gameplay. The High preset averages 49 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 37 FPS. The scaling from Ultra to Low at this resolution is substantial, with a 43 FPS increase in average frame rate. The data indicates that the Low preset is the only reliable option for smooth gameplay, as the Medium preset’s minimum frame rate falls well below the 60 FPS threshold even though its average is close.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core i7-14700KF sits in a strong position relative to other CPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score is 70163, which places it in the 94th percentile among all tested CPUs. The nearest rivals are all within a narrow margin. The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F scores 69996, which is 0.2% lower. The AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX scores 69875, a 0.4% deficit. The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X scores 69515, which is 0.9% behind. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K scores 70879, which is 1% ahead. These deltas are minimal, meaning that swapping the i7-14700KF for any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical CPU-bound performance in Lockdown Protocol. The CPU is not the bottleneck in this system, so users with any of these rivals would see the same frame rates as long as the GPU remains the Intel Arc B370.

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Panther Lake chip with Xe3-LPG architecture. Its average benchmark score is 1184, which places it in the 5th percentile among all tested GPUs. This is an extremely low position, and the nearest rivals reflect that. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1186, which is 0.2% higher. The ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190, a 0.5% advantage. The AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192, which is 0.7% ahead. The AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1168, which is 1.4% behind. These are all older or low-power graphics solutions, and the delta between them is small. In practical terms, any of these GPUs would deliver frame rates very close to what the Arc B370 produces in Lockdown Protocol. The GPU is the dominant factor in this pairing, and the measured FPS data reflects its limited capabilities.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data shows a clear division of labor between the CPU and GPU in this system. The Intel Core i7-14700KF has a high average benchmark score of 70163 and ranks in the 94th percentile, while the Intel Arc B370 scores 1184 and ranks in the 5th percentile. This massive gap indicates that the GPU is the limiting component for Lockdown Protocol. The CPU provides ample headroom, but the GPU cannot translate that into high frame rates.

Looking at the resolution scaling, the frame rates drop as resolution increases, which is typical for GPU-bound scenarios. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average is 80 FPS. At 2560x1440 with Low settings, the average falls to 58 FPS, a 27.5% reduction. At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the average is 38 FPS, another 34.5% reduction from the 1440p figure. This pattern holds across all presets. For example, with Medium settings, the averages are 57 FPS at 1080p, 42 FPS at 1440p, and 27 FPS at 4K. The consistent drop with each resolution increase points to the GPU’s pixel throughput being the primary constraint. The Arc B370 has a pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s, which are modest figures for modern gaming.

The settings presets also demonstrate GPU-bound behavior. At a fixed resolution, lowering the preset from Ultra to Low produces a large frame rate gain. At 1920x1080, Ultra averages 37 FPS and Low averages 80 FPS, a 116% improvement. At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 27 FPS and Low averages 58 FPS, a 115% improvement. At 3840x2160, Ultra averages 18 FPS and Low averages 38 FPS, a 111% improvement. This consistent scaling across resolutions indicates that the GPU’s shading and memory bandwidth are the bottlenecks, not the CPU. The CPU’s 20 cores and 28 threads are more than sufficient for this game, and its benchmark scores confirm it is not struggling.

The CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with frames, and it does so without issue. The i7-14700KF has a boost clock of 5.60 GHz and a strong single-thread performance, as shown by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6235. The recorded FPS data shows no indication of CPU stalls, as the minimum frame rates are close to the averages in the cases where they are recorded. For instance, at 1920x1080 Medium, the minimum is 48 FPS versus an average of 57 FPS, which is a typical variance for a GPU-limited scenario. At 2560x1440 Medium, the minimum is 35 FPS versus an average of 42 FPS. These deltas are not extreme, suggesting the CPU is keeping up with the GPU’s output.

The Verdict

Can this PC run Lockdown Protocol? Based on the measured data, the answer is yes, but only under a narrow set of conditions. The verdict by resolution is clear. At 3840x2160, there are no playable settings. None of the presets reach the 60 FPS threshold, with the best average being 38 FPS at Low. At 2560x1440, the same situation applies. No preset clears 60 FPS, and the closest is Low at 58 FPS. At 1920x1080, the Low preset is the only playable option, with an average of 80 FPS.

This means that for a smooth experience at 60 FPS or higher, the user must run the game at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. The Medium preset at 1080p averages 57 FPS, which is below the threshold. The High preset averages 49 FPS, and Ultra averages 37 FPS. The database’s playable threshold is 60 FPS, and only the Low preset at 1080p meets or exceeds that. The Low preset at 1440p is very close at 58 FPS, but it does not qualify as playable according to the recorded data.

The system is not capable of running Lockdown Protocol at higher resolutions or higher settings. The GPU’s low percentile ranking of 5% among all tested GPUs is consistent with this outcome. Users seeking higher visual quality would need a more capable GPU, as the current configuration is firmly limited by the graphics solution. The CPU is not the issue, as its 94th percentile ranking shows it has ample performance headroom.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is the target. Based on the verdict data, only one resolution has a playable setting.

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves 60 FPS. The best average is 38 FPS at Low, but that is below the threshold. There is no best setting to recommend for this resolution, as all options fail the playability criterion.

At 2560x1440, the same is true. The Low preset averages 58 FPS, which is 2 FPS short of the target. No setting is playable, so there is no best setting to report.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset is the only playable option. It averages 80 FPS, which is 33% above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset averages 57 FPS, which is below the threshold, so it cannot be recommended as the best playable setting. The Low preset is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, and it delivers an average of 80 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest resolution at which this system can run Lockdown Protocol at 60 FPS?

A: The only resolution with a playable setting is 1920x1080. At this resolution, the Low preset achieves an average of 80 FPS.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700KF or the Intel Arc B370 the bottleneck in this system?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The i7-14700KF ranks in the 94th percentile among CPUs with an average score of 70163, while the Arc B370 ranks in the 5th percentile among GPUs with an average score of 1184.

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

A: The Arc B370 scores 1184. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1186, which is 0.2% higher. The ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190, a 0.5% advantage. The AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192, which is 0.7% ahead. The AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1168, which is 1.4% behind.

Q: What frame rate does the system achieve at 2560x1440 with the Low preset?

A: The average frame rate is 58 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The minimum and maximum values were not recorded for this setting.

Q: Can the system run Lockdown Protocol at 1920x1080 with the Medium preset?

A: No. The Medium preset averages 57 FPS, with a minimum of 48 FPS and a maximum of 65 FPS. The average is below the 60 FPS threshold, so it does not qualify as playable.

Q: What is the system’s rank among all tested combos for Lockdown Protocol?

A: The combo ranks 3427 out of 3714 tested combinations. This places it in the lower portion of the database, consistent with the GPU’s low performance percentile.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and the Intel Arc B370 ranks 3427 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the bottom 8% of all systems in the database. The ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU, as the CPU’s performance is strong. The i7-14700KF’s 94th percentile CPU ranking does not translate into a high combo rank because the Arc B370’s 5th percentile GPU ranking drags the overall system down.

The measured frame rates confirm this low ranking. At 1920x1080, the best case is 80 FPS at Low settings, which is playable but far from the performance of higher-end systems. At higher resolutions, the system fails to reach 60 FPS entirely. The combo’s position at 3427 out of 3714 indicates that most other tested configurations outperform it. The nearest GPU rivals, such as the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and the ATI Radeon HD 5770, would produce very similar frame rates, as their benchmark scores are within 0.5% of the Arc B370.

The CPU’s nearest rivals, including the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, would not change the outcome if paired with the same GPU. The delta between these CPUs is at most 1%, which is negligible in a GPU-bound scenario. Therefore, the combo’s rank is a direct reflection of the GPU’s limited capabilities. Users looking for better performance in Lockdown Protocol would need to replace the GPU with a more powerful discrete solution, as the current integrated graphics cannot deliver acceptable frame rates beyond the lowest settings at 1080p.