Lockdown Protocol

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 sits in a tightly contested performance band. Its average benchmark score of 46062 places it within 0.2% of three competing processors. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 scores 46030, a delta of just 0.1% behind the Ultra 5 235. The Intel Core i9-13900HX is effectively identical at 46098, trailing by only 0.1%. Two server-class AMD parts, the EPYC 4364P and EPYC 7303, also land nearby with scores of 45970 and 45960 respectively, each within 0.2% of the Ultra 5 235. For gaming workloads that depend on CPU throughput, any of these four alternatives would deliver nearly indistinguishable frame pacing in Lockdown Protocol.

The Intel Arc B390 presents a far more isolated position. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile among all GPUs, a very low standing. The nearest rivals are all older NVIDIA parts with scores within 2.7%. The GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463, just 1.3% lower. The GeForce 800M follows at 1460, a 1.5% gap. The GeForce GT 625 OEM and GT 710 score 1446 and 1443, representing deltas of 2.5% and 2.7% respectively. None of these alternatives approach modern gaming performance, and the recorded data shows the Arc B390 is effectively in a class of its own in terms of low-end placement. Users coming from any of these four NVIDIA parts would see negligible differences in Lockdown Protocol's frame rates.

The CPU's 89th percentile ranking versus all CPUs contrasts sharply with the GPU's 9th percentile. This pairing creates a situation where the processor is a top-tier part while the graphics solution is a bottom-tier one. The benchmark database indicates that the CPU's nearest rivals all cluster within a 0.2% band, meaning CPU choice among these five parts is irrelevant for this game. The GPU's nearest rivals are all more than a decade old, and the Arc B390's 1482 score is the only measured data point for this part, so comparisons to those older parts rely entirely on their recorded 3DMark numbers.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured FPS data for Lockdown Protocol shows a decisive shift in bottleneck behavior across resolutions. At 3840x2160, the GPU is overwhelmingly the limiting factor. The Ultra preset averages 19 FPS, while the Low preset reaches 42 FPS. This 23 FPS spread between presets at 4K demonstrates that graphical settings directly control the frame rate, a hallmark of GPU-bound rendering. The CPU's high single-thread and multi-thread scores, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core result of 14769 and a single-core result of 2085, are irrelevant at this resolution because the Arc B390 cannot feed frames fast enough.

At 2560x1440, the same pattern holds but with slightly higher absolute numbers. Low preset averages 65 FPS, Medium drops to 46 FPS, and Ultra falls to 30 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra represents a 35 FPS reduction, again indicating that the GPU's pixel throughput is the primary constraint. The CPU's Passmark single-thread score of 4516 and multi-thread score of 37816 show ample headroom, but the data confirms the Arc B390 is the component that determines playability.

At 1920x1080, the GPU remains dominant but the CPU begins to show its influence at the highest settings. Low preset runs at 88 FPS, Medium at 63 FPS, and High at 55 FPS. The jump from Medium to High (8 FPS drop) versus Low to Medium (25 FPS drop) suggests that the GPU's 24 ROPs and 48 TMUs are saturated as settings rise. The Ultra preset drops to 41 FPS, a 14 FPS fall from High. The CPU's 14 cores and 24 MB of shared L3 cache provide no measurable relief because the game's frame generation is gated by the GPU's 7.680 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate. The scaling between resolutions reinforces this: at Low settings, 1080p yields 88 FPS versus 65 FPS at 1440p and 42 FPS at 4K. That halving of frame rate from 1080p to 4K is consistent with a GPU that has only 24 ROPs and a system-shared memory interface.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and Intel Arc B390 ranks 3302 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places the pairing in the bottom 11% of all recorded configurations. The rank reflects the GPU's severe limitation rather than the CPU's capability. The Ultra 5 235's 89th percentile standing among CPUs would normally push a combo much higher, but the Arc B390's 9th percentile GPU score drags the overall ranking down. The data shows that 412 other combos outperform this pairing, and only 412 fall below it.

The rank of 3302 means that the vast majority of tested systems deliver higher average frame rates in this game. The CPU's Cinebench R20 multi-core score of 6202 and Passmark multi-thread score of 37816 are strong numbers, but they do not compensate for the GPU's 1482 3DMark result. The combo rank is a holistic measure, and the recorded data indicates that Lockdown Protocol's FPS is dominated by the graphics component at every resolution and preset tested. Users considering this pairing should note that the CPU is not the weak link: the Arc B390's 9th percentile standing is the primary reason for the 3302 position.

The gap between the 89th percentile CPU and 9th percentile GPU creates an extreme imbalance. The database records 3714 total combos, and this pairing's rank of 3302 means only 412 configurations are worse. That is a slim margin, and the measured FPS values confirm the GPU is the sole bottleneck. The CPU's nearest rivals, including the Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and Core i9-13900HX, would produce nearly identical combo ranks if paired with the same GPU, since their average scores differ by less than 0.2% from the Ultra 5 235.

The Verdict

This PC cannot run Lockdown Protocol at 60 FPS in most configurations. At 3840x2160, no preset reaches the playable threshold of 60 FPS. The best recorded average at 4K is 42 FPS on Low settings, which falls 18 FPS short. Medium averages 30 FPS, High averages 26 FPS, and Ultra averages 19 FPS. The verdict data lists no playable settings at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the system clears 60 FPS only on Low settings, where it averages 65 FPS. Medium falls to 46 FPS, High to 40 FPS, and Ultra to 30 FPS. The verdict identifies Low as the best playable setting at 1440p, with an average of 65 FPS. This is a playable but limited configuration, requiring the lowest graphical preset to hit the threshold.

At 1920x1080, the system achieves 60 FPS on both Low and Medium settings. Low averages 88 FPS, and Medium averages 63 FPS. The verdict selects Medium as the best playable setting, with an average of 63 FPS. High drops below the threshold at 55 FPS, and Ultra averages 41 FPS. The data indicates that 1080p Medium is the highest quality preset that consistently holds 60 FPS. The playable threshold of 60 FPS is met at 1080p Medium with only 3 FPS of headroom, so any frame rate variance could push it below the line. The Medium preset also has recorded minimum and maximum values of 53 and 72 FPS, meaning dips below 60 FPS are possible during intense scenes.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the recorded averages are 26 FPS on High, 42 FPS on Low, 30 FPS on Medium, and 19 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset includes minimum and maximum values of 25 and 34 FPS, showing a tight 9 FPS range. The other presets lack min/max data, but the averages alone demonstrate that 4K is not viable for 60 FPS gameplay under any settings.

At 2560x1440, High averages 40 FPS, Low averages 65 FPS, Medium averages 46 FPS, and Ultra averages 30 FPS. The Medium preset records a minimum of 39 FPS and a maximum of 53 FPS, a 14 FPS spread. Low's 65 FPS average provides 5 FPS of margin above the 60 FPS threshold, but no min/max values are recorded for Low, so the stability of that 65 FPS figure is unverified. The 1440p data shows a clear cliff: Low is playable, Medium is not.

At 1920x1080, the full preset stack was measured. High averages 55 FPS, Low averages 88 FPS, Medium averages 63 FPS, and Ultra averages 41 FPS. The Medium preset records a minimum of 53 FPS and a maximum of 72 FPS. This 19 FPS range means the average of 63 FPS includes periods below the 60 FPS threshold. Low's 88 FPS average is the strongest result across all resolutions and presets, providing a 28 FPS buffer. The gap between Medium's 63 FPS and High's 55 FPS is 8 FPS, indicating that the High preset's additional graphical load crosses the playability line.

The scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution shows consistent drops: at 1080p, 88 to 41 FPS (47 FPS drop); at 1440p, 65 to 30 FPS (35 FPS drop); at 4K, 42 to 19 FPS (23 FPS drop). The diminishing absolute drops at higher resolutions reflect the GPU's pixel-rate ceiling. At 4K, even Low settings cannot overcome the 60.00 GPixel/s limit, while at 1080p, Low settings allow the GPU to operate closer to its 7.680 TFLOPS potential.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this system?

A: The best playable configuration is 1920x1080 on Medium settings, which averages 63 FPS. The 2560x1440 Low preset also clears 60 FPS with an average of 65 FPS, but the 1080p Medium preset offers higher visual quality while staying above the threshold.

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

A: No. At 3840x2160, the highest recorded average is 42 FPS on Low settings. Medium averages 30 FPS, High averages 26 FPS, and Ultra averages 19 FPS. None of these meet the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 averages 46062 in benchmark scores. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 scores 46030 (0.1% lower), the Intel Core i9-13900HX scores 46098 (0.1% higher), and the AMD EPYC 4364P and EPYC 7303 score 45970 and 45960 (both 0.2% lower). These differences are negligible for Lockdown Protocol.

Q: Why is the combo rank so low despite the strong CPU?

A: The combo ranks 3302 out of 3714 tested combinations. The Intel Arc B390 sits in the 9th percentile among all GPUs with a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482. The CPU's 89th percentile standing cannot compensate for the GPU's 9th percentile performance, which is the limiting factor in this game.

Q: What GPU performance level is similar to the Intel Arc B390?

A: The nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1.3% lower score), GeForce 800M (1.5% lower), GeForce GT 625 OEM (2.5% lower), and GeForce GT 710 (2.7% lower). All of these parts are within 2.7% of the Arc B390's 1482 score.

Q: Does the Ultra preset ever hit 60 FPS?

A: No. The Ultra preset averages 41 FPS at 1920x1080, 30 FPS at 2560x1440, and 19 FPS at 3840x2160. The highest recorded average for any preset is 88 FPS at 1080p Low, and the highest for Ultra is 41 FPS at 1080p.