Lockdown Protocol

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for Lockdown Protocol with the Intel Core i9-14900K and Intel Arc B370 shows a clear performance curve tied to resolution and quality settings. Across the three tested resolutions, the average frame rates range from a low of 18 FPS at 4K Ultra to a high of 80 FPS at 1080p Low, with intermediate values revealing the system's limits.

At 3840x2160, the results are consistently below the 60 FPS playability threshold. The High preset delivers an average of 23 FPS, while Low improves to 38 FPS. Medium sits between them at 27 FPS average, with recorded minimum and maximum values of 23 and 31 FPS respectively. The Ultra preset drops further to 18 FPS average, the lowest figure in the entire dataset. None of these settings approach a smooth experience, and the gap between Low and Ultra is 20 FPS, indicating that quality scaling has a substantial impact at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the numbers improve but remain under the threshold for most settings. High yields an average of 36 FPS, Low reaches 58 FPS, and Medium averages 42 FPS with a range of 35 to 48 FPS. Ultra again trails at 27 FPS. The Low preset is closest to 60 FPS, missing it by only 2 FPS, which suggests that slight tweaks in other areas might push it over, but as measured, it falls short. The spread from Low to Ultra is 31 FPS, reinforcing that resolution scaling heavily taxes the graphics pipeline.

At 1920x1080, the picture changes. Low achieves an average of 80 FPS, comfortably clearing the playable threshold. Medium averages 57 FPS, with minimum and maximum values of 48 and 65 FPS, narrowly missing the 60 FPS target. High drops to 49 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 37 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium is 23 FPS, while Medium to High is 8 FPS, and High to Ultra is 12 FPS. This pattern indicates that Low is the only preset that provides headroom, while every other setting at 1080p sits below 60 FPS on average.

How This Combo Ranks

The database ranks this CPU and GPU combination at 3427 out of 3714 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the lower percentile of systems evaluated. With a percentile of 5 for the GPU against all GPUs, the Arc B370 is positioned near the bottom of the performance distribution, which aligns with the observed frame rates. The CPU, however, is a different story: the i9-14900K sits in the 95th percentile against all CPUs, indicating that the processor is not the limiting factor in this pairing.

The combo rank of 3427 means that roughly 92% of tested systems outperform this setup in this specific game. This is a significant gap, and it directly correlates with the GPU's low relative standing. The data shows that even with a top-tier CPU, the overall system performance is dragged down by the graphics component. In practical terms, for Lockdown Protocol, this combo ranks among the weaker configurations, and the measured FPS figures confirm that it struggles at higher resolutions and presets.

The discrepancy between the CPU percentile (95) and GPU percentile (5) is stark. It suggests that any improvement in the graphics card would likely yield substantial gains, while upgrading the CPU would have minimal effect, as the current processor already operates at a high level relative to the broader hardware landscape.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured FPS across resolutions reveals a clear division of labor. At 3840x2160, the frame rates are uniformly low, from 18 to 38 FPS, with no setting reaching even half of the 60 FPS target. This indicates that the GPU is the dominant constraint at 4K, as the i9-14900K's strong single-thread and multi-thread scores (2262.5 in Cinebench R23 single-core, 39399.5 in multi-core) are not being utilized to their potential. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K shows a 20 FPS drop, which is a direct consequence of the GPU's limited pixel throughput (48.00 GPixel/s) and texture rate (96.00 GTexel/s).

At 2560x1440, the pattern shifts slightly. Low reaches 58 FPS, nearly hitting the threshold, while Medium and High sit at 42 and 36 FPS respectively. The 31 FPS spread from Low to Ultra is wider than at 4K, suggesting that the GPU still governs performance, but the CPU begins to matter more as resolution drops. The i9-14900K's high boost clock of 6.00 GHz and 32 threads provide ample processing capacity, yet the Arc B370's 1280 shading units and 6.144 TFLOPS FP32 throughput cap the output.

At 1920x1080, the CPU's role becomes more apparent. Low achieves 80 FPS, which is the only setting above the threshold, and the drop to Medium (57 FPS) and High (49 FPS) indicates that the GPU is still the bottleneck, but the margin is narrower. If the CPU were weaker, the Low preset might not even clear 60 FPS, but with the i9-14900K, the system has enough headroom to reach 80 FPS at the lowest settings. However, the GPU's shared memory architecture and system-dependent bandwidth mean that at higher presets, the frame rate collapses quickly, pointing to a GPU-limited scenario across all resolutions.

The data implies that the CPU is not the issue here. The i9-14900K's benchmark scores, such as 58674 in Passmark multithread and 4697 in single-thread, place it among the fastest processors available. The bottleneck is unequivocally the GPU, which is reflected in the fact that no resolution above 1080p achieves a playable average frame rate, regardless of settings.

The Verdict

Can this PC run Lockdown Protocol? The answer depends on the resolution and settings, but the recorded data provides a clear verdict. At 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS, with the best average being 38 FPS at Low. The system is not playable at 4K, and even the lowest settings fail to provide a smooth experience. At 2560x1440, the situation is similar: no settings are playable, as the highest average is 58 FPS at Low, which still falls short of the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset at 1440p averages 42 FPS, and High and Ultra are worse at 36 and 27 FPS respectively.

At 1920x1080, the verdict improves. The Low preset achieves an average of 80 FPS, clearing the playable threshold with a 20 FPS margin. Medium, however, averages 57 FPS, which is below 60, so it does not qualify as playable according to the database's threshold. High (49 FPS) and Ultra (37 FPS) are also below the mark. Therefore, this PC can run Lockdown Protocol only at 1080p with Low settings, and it delivers a smooth experience in that specific configuration. For any other resolution or preset, the frame rates fall short, making the system unsuitable for higher-quality gaming.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The highest average FPS is 80, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Does the system reach 60 FPS at 2560x1440?

A: No. The best average at 1440p is 58 FPS at Low settings, which is 2 FPS below the playable threshold.

Q: What is the frame rate range at 4K Medium settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 27, with minimum and maximum values of 23 and 31 FPS.

Q: Which component is more responsible for the low performance in this game?

A: The GPU. The Arc B370 ranks in the 5th percentile against all GPUs, while the i9-14900K ranks in the 95th percentile against all CPUs, indicating the graphics card is the limiting factor.

Q: Is the system playable at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: No. The Medium preset at 1080p averages 57 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold, with a minimum of 48 FPS.

Q: How many tested combos does this system outperform in Lockdown Protocol?

A: It ranks 3427 out of 3714 combos, meaning it outperforms 287 tested configurations, which is less than 8% of the total.

Best Settings per Resolution

Based on the measured data, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS varies by resolution. At 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS, so there is no playable setting; the best average is 38 FPS at Low. At 2560x1440, the same applies: no preset clears 60 FPS, with the highest average being 58 FPS at Low. At 1920x1080, the Low preset is the only playable option, delivering an average of 80 FPS. Medium at 1080p averages 57 FPS, which is below the threshold, so it cannot be recommended for a consistent 60 FPS experience. The database's verdict confirms that 1080p Low is the sole playable configuration, with an average FPS of 80 at that setting.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the GPU, the Arc B370's average benchmark score of 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 is closely matched by several older cards. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1186, which is 0.2% higher, while the ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190, 0.5% higher. The AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192, 0.7% higher, and the AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1168, which is 1.4% lower. These cards would behave similarly in Lockdown Protocol, meaning they would likely produce comparable frame rates: sub-60 at most settings and resolutions, with only the lowest settings at 1080p approaching playability.

For the CPU, the i9-14900K's nearest rivals show that its performance is near the top of the stack. The Intel Core i9-14900KF has an average score of 79371, which is 0.3% lower, while the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus scores 79574, 0.6% lower. The AMD EPYC 7413 scores 80041, 1.2% lower, and the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 scores 77740, which is 1.7% higher. These CPUs would not change the gaming outcome for this GPU pairing, as the bottleneck remains the Arc B370. Swapping the i9-14900K for any of these alternatives would yield nearly identical FPS in Lockdown Protocol, since the graphics card is the limiting factor across all tested resolutions and settings.