Lockdown Protocol

The AMD Ryzen 5 4600G paired with the Intel Arc B570 presents a fascinating study in system bottlenecks within the fast-paced FPS title, Lockdown Protocol. The data reveals a configuration where the CPU, a 2020 release with a Zen 2 architecture, is tasked with feeding a modern 2025 GPU from Intel's Battlemage generation. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings show a system that is capable of high performance at lower resolutions but becomes increasingly constrained as graphical demands rise, making it a compelling example of how component generations can interact in unexpected ways.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall performance rank of this CPU and GPU combination in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The combo is ranked 2264 out of 2828 tested combinations, placing it in the lower 20% of all tested systems for this specific game.

Q: At which resolution and settings does this combo achieve its highest average frame rate?

A: The highest recorded average frame rate is 136 FPS, which is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the CPU's 3DMark multi-threaded score compare to its closest rival, and what does that imply?

A: The Ryzen 5 4600G scores 4889 in the 3DMark max thread test. Its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 5355GE, has an average benchmark score that is only 0.1% higher, indicating that this CPU's multi-threaded performance is effectively on par with its nearest competitor in the database.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile relative to all other tested GPUs?

A: The Intel Arc B570 sits in the 65th percentile for all GPUs in the database, meaning it outperforms approximately two-thirds of the tested graphics cards.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440 resolution, the average frame rate drops from 100 FPS on Low settings to 46 FPS on Ultra settings, a significant 54 FPS decrease.

Q: Is the measured data for this combo based on actual testing or estimates?

A: The data is marked as measured, indicating that the FPS figures come from direct testing of this specific hardware configuration.

How This Combo Ranks

The data places this pairing at rank 2264 out of 2828 possible combinations in Lockdown Protocol. This ranking is a crucial indicator that while both components are individually capable, their synergy in this particular title leaves room for improvement. The CPU, which holds a 71st percentile rank among all CPUs, and the GPU, in the 65th percentile among all GPUs, would suggest a system expected to perform well above this lowly 2264th rank. This discrepancy points to a potential bottleneck or compatibility inefficiency that is preventing the hardware from reaching its combined potential.

The ranking is particularly telling when considering the CPU's position. With an average benchmark score of 17507, the Ryzen 5 4600G is just 0.1% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 5355GE and 0.6% ahead of the Intel Core 7 150U, yet it trails the AMD Ryzen 3 8300GE by 0.6% and the Intel Core i3-14100T by 0.8%. This places it in a tight cluster of mid-range processors, suggesting its compute power is a limiting factor in a game like Lockdown Protocol, which may require high single-thread performance to feed the GPU efficiently. The 2264th rank out of 2828 combos means that 564 other combinations performed worse, but the vast majority delivered a better experience, highlighting that this is not an ideal match for high-refresh-rate competitive play.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is the newer and more powerful component in this pairing, and its specifications point to a strong foundation for 1080p and 1440p gaming. It comes equipped with 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing a total bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is a key asset, as it provides ample capacity and throughput for modern game assets at higher resolutions. The GPU's core is the BMG-G21 chip, built on TSMC's 5 nm process, which contributes to its efficiency and performance capabilities. Its base and boost clocks are both set at 2500 MHz, delivering a consistent level of processing power.

The measured FPS data clearly shows the GPU's influence scaling with resolution and settings. At 1080p, the GPU is able to push frame rates to 136 FPS on Low settings, indicating that it is not the primary bottleneck at this level. However, as the resolution increases to 4K, the GPU's workload becomes much more intensive. The frame rate at 4K Low is 64 FPS, a significant drop from the 136 FPS at 1080p Low. This demonstrates that the Arc B570 is being increasingly taxed at higher resolutions, and its performance is directly tied to the pixel count being rendered. The GPU's compute power, measured at 11.52 TFLOPS FP32, is sufficient for smooth 1440p gameplay but is strained when pushing 8.3 million pixels at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

Analyzing the measured FPS data, the optimal balance between visual quality and performance is found at Medium settings. At both 1080p and 1440p, the Medium preset delivers a substantial improvement over High and Ultra while maintaining high frame rates. At 1080p, Medium yields 96 FPS, which is 12 FPS higher than High (84 FPS) and 33 FPS higher than Ultra (63 FPS). This suggests that the jump from Medium to High incurs a disproportionate performance cost for the visual gain.

At 1440p, the Medium setting provides 71 FPS, which is a very playable frame rate for an FPS title, while High drops to 62 FPS and Ultra falls to 46 FPS. For the smoothest experience, the Low preset at 1080p offers the highest frame rate of 136 FPS, but this comes at the cost of most visual fidelity. The data suggests that for players with 1080p or 1440p monitors, the Medium preset is the sweet spot, offering a clear performance advantage over higher settings while still providing a detailed image. At 4K, the Medium setting is the only viable option for playable performance, as it is the only setting with a reported minimum FPS (39 FPS), while High and Low drop to 40 and 64 FPS respectively, and Ultra falls to 30 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a clear picture of the system's performance envelope. At 1920x1080, the resolution most likely to be used for competitive play, the combo shows strong results. Low settings produce an average of 136 FPS, Medium drops to 96 FPS (with a min of 82 and max of 111), High settles at 84 FPS, and Ultra brings it down to 63 FPS. This shows a clear linear degradation in performance as settings are increased, with a 73 FPS difference between the lowest and highest presets.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance cost of more pixels is evident. The Low setting still provides a very playable 100 FPS, but Medium falls to 71 FPS (min 60, max 81). High settings deliver 62 FPS, and Ultra drops to 46 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is now 54 FPS, showing that the GPU is beginning to struggle with the higher resolution. Finally, at 3840x2160, the system is heavily taxed. The Low preset manages an average of 64 FPS, but Medium drops to 46 FPS (min 39, max 52). High settings yield 40 FPS, and Ultra is only able to produce 30 FPS on average. The data clearly indicates that 4K gaming is only viable on the Low preset, and even then, the frame rate is not ideal for a competitive FPS.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 4600G is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 2 architecture, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. Its specs show it has an 8 MB shared L3 cache and supports dual-channel DDR4 memory. In the context of Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, physics, and draw calls, feeding the GPU with instructions. Its multi-threaded performance, as evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 13593, is respectable, but its single-thread performance is more moderate, with a Geekbench single-core score of 1460.

The data suggests that the CPU is a limiting factor, particularly at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the bottleneck. The fact that the combo ranks so low (2264th) despite the GPU's capability points to CPU constraints. While the GPU can render frames quickly at 1080p, the CPU may not be able to process the game's simulation and issue draw calls fast enough to keep up, preventing the system from fully utilizing the Arc B570's potential. This is supported by the relatively modest single-thread benchmark scores, which are often critical for FPS games. The CPU's percentile rank of 71 among all CPUs is decent, but its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i3-14100T, which it trails by 0.8%, highlight that it sits at the lower end of modern processors that could be paired with this GPU.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data across resolutions reveals a classic pattern of a system transitioning from a CPU-bound state to a GPU-bound state. At 1080p Low, the high frame rate of 136 FPS suggests the CPU is working at its limit to provide frames to the GPU. When the resolution is increased to 1440p Low, the frame rate drops to 100 FPS, and at 4K Low, it falls to 64 FPS. This scaling shows that as the pixel count increases, the GPU's rendering time becomes a larger portion of the total frame time, gradually shifting the bottleneck from the CPU to the GPU.

This is confirmed by comparing the performance drop at different settings. At 1080p, the difference between Low (136 FPS) and Ultra (63 FPS) is 73 FPS, a 54% reduction. At 1440p, this difference is 54 FPS (100 to 46), a 54% reduction. At 4K, the difference is 34 FPS (64 to 30), a 53% reduction. The consistency of this percentage drop across resolutions suggests that the GPU is handling the increased settings load in a linear fashion. However, the absolute frame rates are much lower at 4K, indicating that the GPU is becoming the primary limiting factor. The system is only able to achieve its highest FPS at 1080p Low, where the CPU's limitations are less exposed, and the GPU has the headroom to render frames quickly. This indicates that for this combination, 1080p is the resolution where the CPU and GPU are most balanced, while 4K is firmly in the field of the GPU being the dominant constraint.