Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the Intel Arc B570 delivers a playable experience in Lockdown Protocol, but the degree of success is heavily tied to resolution and graphics settings. At 1080p, this combo is fully capable, while 1440p requires a settings compromise, and 4K is only viable on the lowest settings.

Best Settings per Resolution

Based on measured frame rates, the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS at each resolution is as follows.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the only playable setting is Low, which produces an average of 64 FPS. The jump to Medium drops the average to 46 FPS, which falls below the playability threshold. High settings yield 40 FPS, and Ultra is the least playable at 30 FPS.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), the best playable preset is High, achieving an average of 62 FPS. This is a notable achievement, as it clears the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings run at 71 FPS, and Low at 100 FPS, but High is the most demanding preset that still qualifies as playable. Ultra settings drop to 46 FPS, which is not sufficient.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the most demanding playable setting is Ultra, which posts an average of 63 FPS. This is the only resolution where the maximum preset is playable. High settings run at 84 FPS, Medium at 96 FPS, and Low at 136 FPS.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data indicates a clear shift in component bottleneck behavior as resolution changes. At 1080p, the CPU has more headroom, as evidenced by the ability to run Ultra settings at 63 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a drop from 136 FPS to 63 FPS, a reduction of 73 FPS, indicating that the GPU is handling the increased graphical load effectively, while the CPU maintains sufficient frame pacing.

At 1440p, the GPU becomes more of a limiting factor. The best playable setting drops to High, with an average of 62 FPS, compared to 84 FPS at the same High preset in 1080p. This 22 FPS decline between 1080p and 1440p at High settings demonstrates that the Arc B570's rendering throughput is the primary constraint at higher pixel counts. The CPU, Intel Core Ultra 5 245, with its 14 cores and 14 threads, provides enough processing power to support these frame rates, but the GPU's work per frame increases with resolution.

At 4K, the GPU is the dominant bottleneck. The average FPS at High settings is 40 FPS, and even Low settings only reach 64 FPS. The difference between 1440p High (62 FPS) and 4K High (40 FPS) is a 22 FPS drop, showing the steep performance cost of rendering over four times the pixels. The CPU's role diminishes further at this resolution, as the GPU is clearly unable to keep up with the demand.

The scaling between presets also reveals the GPU's limits. At 1080p, the difference between Medium and Ultra is 33 FPS (96 FPS to 63 FPS). At 1440p, the same preset comparison shows a difference of 25 FPS (71 FPS to 46 FPS). This narrowing gap suggests that the GPU is saturating its compute resources as resolution increases, making the CPU's contribution less impactful.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Lockdown Protocol at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, but only on Low settings, which achieve an average of 64 FPS. Medium, High, and Ultra presets all fall below the 60 FPS playable threshold, with averages of 46 FPS, 40 FPS, and 30 FPS respectively.

Q: What is the highest playable setting at 1440p?

A: The High preset is the most demanding playable option at 1440p, with an average of 62 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 46 FPS, which is not playable.

Q: Is the Intel Arc B570 or the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The GPU is the primary constraint. The CPU can support Ultra settings at 63 FPS at 1080p, but this is the maximum preset. The data shows that the GPU's performance ceiling is reached at this resolution, as the CPU has enough headroom to allow the GPU to be fully utilized.

Q: How does the frame rate drop from 1080p to 1440p at High settings?

A: The average frame rate drops from 84 FPS at 1080p to 62 FPS at 1440p, a decline of 22 FPS. This indicates that the GPU's rendering load increases significantly with resolution.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum frame rates recorded at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 1440p Medium settings, the average FPS is 71, with a minimum of 60 FPS and a maximum of 81 FPS. The minimum of 60 FPS exactly meets the playable threshold.

Q: Which resolution allows for the highest average frame rate?

A: The highest average frame rate is achieved at 1080p with Low settings, which produces 136 FPS. This is significantly higher than the best at 1440p (100 FPS at Low) and 4K (64 FPS at Low).

Similar Performance Alternatives

The benchmark data for the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 shows it performs comparably to several other CPUs. Its average benchmark score is 48995, and it sits in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. The nearest rivals, based on average score, include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, which scores 49196 and is 0.4% faster, and the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, which scores 49228 and is 0.5% faster. On the other side, the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H scores 48698 and is 0.6% slower, while the Intel Core i5-14600K scores 48618 and is 0.8% slower. In gaming, these small percentage differences translate to nearly identical performance, so a system with any of these CPUs would deliver similar frame rates in Lockdown Protocol.

For the GPU, the Intel Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20556 and is in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, which scores 20534 and is 0.1% faster. The Intel Arc A750 is essentially tied, scoring 20582 and being 0.1% slower. The NVIDIA Quadro M4000M scores 20480 and is 0.4% faster, and the AMD Radeon R9 M390X scores 20662 and is 0.5% slower. These GPUs would be expected to deliver similar frame rates at the same settings in this game, given the negligible score differences.

The Verdict

This PC can run Lockdown Protocol, but the playable settings vary significantly by resolution. At 1920x1080, the system is fully capable, running Ultra settings at an average of 63 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold with a small margin. All four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the system remains playable but with restrictions. The High preset achieves 62 FPS, Medium runs at 71 FPS, and Low at 100 FPS. The Ultra preset is not playable, as it drops to 46 FPS. For a stable experience, users should stick to High or lower.

At 3840x2160, the system is only playable on the Low preset, which averages 64 FPS. All other presets—Medium (46 FPS), High (40 FPS), and Ultra (30 FPS)—fall below the playable threshold. This resolution is only recommended for users who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity.

Overall, the combo is well-suited for 1080p gaming and can handle 1440p with some settings adjustments. 4K is a marginal experience limited to low-quality visuals.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Lockdown Protocol, this specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and Intel Arc B570 ranks 2987 out of 3714 total combos. This places it in the lower half of tested systems, which is consistent with the GPU's mid-range positioning. The ranking reflects that while the system is playable at 1080p and 1440p, it struggles at 4K and does not achieve high frame rates at maximum settings, particularly at higher resolutions. This rank indicates that many other hardware combinations will deliver better performance, especially at 1440p and 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average frame rates, with minimum and maximum values where available, for each resolution and settings preset tested.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: Average 64 FPS
• Medium: Average 46 FPS, Minimum 39 FPS, Maximum 52 FPS
• High: Average 40 FPS
• Ultra: Average 30 FPS

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: Average 100 FPS
• Medium: Average 71 FPS, Minimum 60 FPS, Maximum 81 FPS
• High: Average 62 FPS
• Ultra: Average 46 FPS

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: Average 136 FPS
• Medium: Average 96 FPS, Minimum 82 FPS, Maximum 111 FPS
• High: Average 84 FPS
• Ultra: Average 63 FPS

The data shows that the Arc B570's performance scales predictably with resolution and settings. The most consistent playable experience is at 1080p, where even the Ultra preset maintains an average above 60 FPS. The 1440p Medium preset shows a minimum of 60 FPS, which is exactly at the playable threshold, indicating potential frame dips during intense scenes. The 4K results are the weakest, with only the Low preset providing a playable average.