Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol is a fast-paced FPS that demands a balanced system, and the combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 with the Intel Arc B570 delivers a playable, though not high-refresh-rate, experience at most settings. The data indicates that this pairing is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can achieve smooth frame rates, but it struggles to maintain playability at 4K with higher graphical presets. The benchmark results show a clear hierarchy of performance dictated by both resolution and settings, revealing the strengths and limitations of this specific hardware configuration.

Settings Recommendations

The measured frame rates point to the Medium preset as the optimal balance between visual fidelity and performance for this combo across all tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, Medium yields an average of 96 FPS, which is a substantial 33 FPS improvement over High settings (84 FPS) and only a 15 FPS drop from Low (136 FPS). This indicates that the Medium preset efficiently captures most of the available performance headroom while providing a significantly better visual experience than Low. The 1440p results reinforce this: Medium produces a 71 FPS average, which is perfectly playable, whereas High drops to 62 FPS and Ultra falls to a less desirable 46 FPS.

For users prioritizing competitive play and maximum frame rates, the Low preset is the only option that guarantees a high refresh rate experience. At 1080p, it achieves a 136 FPS average, and at 1440p, it maintains a 100 FPS average. This makes Low the go-to choice for 144Hz displays at 1080p or 100Hz displays at 1440p. However, the visual sacrifice is considerable. The Ultra preset is not recommended for this pairing. While it produces a playable 63 FPS at 1080p, it drops to 46 FPS at 1440p and a stuttering 30 FPS at 4K, making it unsuitable for a smooth experience at higher resolutions. The data suggests that High is a viable middle ground for users with 60Hz displays, as it provides 84 FPS at 1080p and 62 FPS at 1440p, but Medium offers more headroom for demanding scenes.

The performance scaling from Low to Ultra is not linear. The jump from Low to Medium costs a significant amount of performance, with a 40 FPS drop at 1080p and a 29 FPS drop at 1440p. The subsequent jumps to High and Ultra are less severe. This suggests that the Medium preset is where the most significant visual quality improvements are made for the performance cost, making it the most efficient choice. Given the data, the practical recommendation is clear: use Medium for a balanced experience, Low for competitive play, and avoid Ultra if you want to stay above 60 FPS at any resolution above 1080p.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is the primary driver of performance in this configuration, particularly at higher resolutions. The data shows a direct correlation between the GPU's workload and frame rates. The Arc B570, built on the Xe2-HPG architecture, features 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration appears sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, as the frame rates scale predictably with resolution. However, the 4K results suggest the GPU's processing power, rated at 11.52 TFLOPS FP32, becomes the limiting factor.

At 4K, the GPU is clearly overburdened. The average frame rates of 40 FPS on High and 30 FPS on Ultra are below the threshold for a smooth experience. The 64 FPS average at 4K Low is the only playable result at that resolution, indicating that the GPU must drastically reduce its workload to keep up. This is typical behavior for a mid-range GPU when pushed to 4K; the sheer number of pixels overwhelms the processing units. The 10 GB VRAM buffer is likely not the bottleneck here, as even the most demanding settings at 4K would not typically require more than 10 GB for a game of this type, but the raw compute power is insufficient for high-fidelity 4K.

The GPU's performance is further contextualized by its benchmark scores. It holds a 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs and an average benchmark score of 20556. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, which is a mere 0.1% slower, and the Intel Arc A750, which is 0.1% faster. This places the Arc B570 in a competitive mid-range tier. The 2500 MHz clock speed is consistent across base and boost, suggesting a stable performance profile. In this game, the GPU's role is to handle the rendering load, and the data shows it performs admirably at 1080p and 1440p, but its limitations become evident when the resolution is pushed to 4K.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 provides a solid foundation for the Arc B570, ensuring the GPU is not severely starved of data at lower resolutions. With 6 cores and 12 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture, it offers a capable processing base. Its boost clock of 4.20 GHz provides adequate single-thread performance, which is crucial for game logic and physics. The CPU's 16 MB of L3 cache is sufficient for most gaming workloads. The data suggests that at 1080p and 1440p, the CPU is keeping pace with the GPU, as the frame rates are not artificially capped by a CPU bottleneck.

The evidence for this lies in the resolution scaling. When the resolution is increased from 1080p to 1440p, the frame rate on Medium settings drops from 96 FPS to 71 FPS, a 26% decrease. This is a classic GPU-bound scenario; the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at the lower resolution, but the GPU's rendering time increases with pixel count, causing the frame rate to drop. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rates at 1080p and 1440p would be much closer together.

However, the CPU's performance ceiling is not limitless. Its benchmark results, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 16429 and a single-core score of 2319, position it well within the mid-range tier. It holds a 73rd percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19593. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430, which is 0.1% slower, and the Intel Core i5-12500, which is 0.4% faster. This indicates that while the Ryzen 5 5500 is a competent processor, it is not a high-end part. In CPU-intensive games or scenes with many entities, it could become a limiting factor, but the data for Lockdown Protocol shows that the GPU is the primary constraint at higher resolutions, with the CPU providing adequate support at 1080p and 1440p.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested configurations, this specific pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and Intel Arc B570 performs in the lower half of the spectrum. The combo ranks 2264 out of 2828 total combinations tested for Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the bottom 20% of all systems. This ranking is a strong indicator that while the system is capable of playing the game, there are many other hardware combinations that will deliver significantly higher frame rates.

This ranking is not surprising given the individual components' performance percentiles. The CPU's 73rd percentile ranking is respectable, but the GPU's 65th percentile ranking drags the combo down. The combination of a mid-range CPU and a mid-range GPU does not result in a top-tier gaming system. It is a balanced pairing that avoids severe bottlenecks, but it does not excel in any particular area. The rank suggests that users with this system should have modest expectations for high-end performance, particularly at 4K. The system is more than adequate for 1080p gaming and can handle 1440p with adjusted settings, but it will not compete with high-end rigs that feature top-tier CPUs and GPUs. The 2828 total combos tested shows that there is a wide variety of hardware out there, and this combo sits in the lower portion of that pool.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data reveals a clear and predictable pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, a classic sign of a GPU-limited system. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 on Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 96 to 71, a 26% reduction. This is a significant hit, but the resulting 71 FPS is still well within the playable range for a fast-paced FPS. The scaling is not perfectly linear, but the trend is consistent across all settings.

The jump from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 is even more punishing. On Medium settings, the frame rate plummets from 71 FPS to 46 FPS, a 35% drop. This indicates that the GPU is being overwhelmed by the sheer number of pixels at 4K. The 4K results for High and Ultra are even worse, at 40 FPS and 30 FPS, respectively, rendering these settings unplayable for a smooth experience. This pattern strongly suggests that the Intel Arc B570 is the limiting component. The CPU's workload does not increase significantly with resolution, while the GPU's does. The data shows that the system is well-suited for 1080p and capable at 1440p, but it is not a viable 4K gaming solution unless the settings are dropped to Low, which yields a playable 64 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured frame rates provides a detailed picture of this combo's performance. At 1920x1080, the system is most comfortable. The Low preset delivers an average of 136 FPS, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium provides a smooth 96 FPS, with a minimum of 82 FPS and a maximum of 111 FPS, indicating good frame pacing. High settings are still playable at 84 FPS. Ultra is the only setting at this resolution that dips below the 60 FPS threshold, but its 63 FPS average is still manageable.

At 2560x1440, the system's performance becomes more constrained. The Low preset maintains a strong 100 FPS average, making it viable for 144Hz gaming. Medium settings produce a solid 71 FPS, with a minimum of 60 FPS, ensuring a stable experience. High drops to 62 FPS, which is on the edge of comfort for many players. Ultra falls to 46 FPS, which is not smooth enough for a competitive FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles significantly. The Low preset is the only playable option, yielding a 64 FPS average. Medium settings produce 46 FPS, with a minimum of 39 FPS, which will be noticeable in fast-paced action. High settings drop to 40 FPS, and Ultra is nearly unplayable at 30 FPS. This data confirms that 4K is beyond the capabilities of this hardware for anything but the lowest settings. The frame time data for Medium settings shows a 13 FPS spread at 1080p, a 21 FPS spread at 1440p, and a 13 FPS spread at 4K, suggesting that while the average frame rate drops, the frame pacing remains relatively consistent, which is a positive sign for the overall smoothness of the experience at playable settings.