Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol Performance Analysis: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X + Intel Arc B390

The pairing of AMD's Ryzen 5 5600X with Intel's Arc B390 presents a curious case study in Lockdown Protocol, where a capable six-core CPU is paired with an integrated graphics solution that ranks in the 9th percentile among all GPUs. The measured data reveals a system that struggles to maintain playable frame rates at higher resolutions, yet shows surprising headroom at 1080p Low settings, where it achieves 88 FPS average. This combination sits at rank 2512 out of 2828 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 11% of systems tested for this title, a position that reflects the GPU's severe limitations rather than the CPU's capabilities.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate collapse from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lives. At 1080p Low settings, the system produces 88 FPS average, but dropping to 1440p Low reduces that to 65 FPS, a 26% decrease. Moving further to 4K Low yields just 42 FPS, representing a 52% drop from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern—where each resolution step costs roughly a quarter to half of the remaining performance—indicates a GPU-bound scenario. The Arc B390, with its 7.680 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 24 ROPs, simply cannot feed pixels fast enough as resolution increases.

The High settings curve reinforces this interpretation. At 1080p High, the average is 55 FPS; at 1440p High it falls to 40 FPS (27% reduction); and at 4K High it bottoms out at 26 FPS (53% reduction from 1080p). The consistency of these percentage drops across settings presets strongly suggests the limiting component is the GPU's raw fill rate and shading capacity, not memory bandwidth or CPU instruction throughput. The Ryzen 5 5600X, with its 32 MB L3 cache and 51.2 GB/s memory bandwidth, has ample headroom to feed frames at these rates.

What is particularly telling is the gap between Low and Ultra at each resolution. At 1080p, Low produces 88 FPS while Ultra produces 41 FPS—a 47 FPS spread. At 1440p, the spread narrows to 35 FPS (65 vs 30), and at 4K it tightens further to 23 FPS (42 vs 19). This convergence at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is becoming saturated even at Low settings, leaving less room for settings-based performance differentiation. The data implies that at 4K, even the lowest settings push the Arc B390 to its limits, while at 1080p there is enough spare capacity to absorb the additional workload of higher presets.

The Medium settings row provides additional insight, as it includes measured minimum and maximum frame times. At 1080p Medium, the average is 63 FPS with a min of 53 and max of 72, showing a 19 FPS variance. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 46 FPS with a min of 39 and max of 53 (14 FPS variance). At 4K Medium, the average is 30 FPS with a min of 25 and max of 34 (9 FPS variance). The shrinking variance at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is operating closer to its sustained limit, reducing frame time spikes because it is consistently saturated rather than occasionally catching up.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the dominant performance limiter in this configuration. Its benchmark profile shows a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the benchmark database are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (score 1463, 1.3% slower), GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% slower), GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5% slower), and GT 710 (1443, 2.7% slower). These comparisons place the Arc B390 in the company of entry-level mobile and OEM parts from over a decade ago, which contextualizes its inability to exceed 88 FPS at 1080p Low in Lockdown Protocol.

The GPU's specifications reveal why it struggles. Its base clock runs at 300 MHz with a boost of 2500 MHz, and it relies on System Shared memory, meaning bandwidth is "System Dependent" rather than dedicated. With 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, the pixel fill rate is 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s. These figures are modest by modern discrete GPU standards, and the FP32 throughput of 7.680 TFLOPS (with FP16 at 15.36 TFLOPS via 2:1 ratio) is insufficient for high-resolution gaming at demanding settings. The 12 ray tracing cores provide some future-proofing but do not help in Lockdown Protocol's rasterization-heavy workload.

The GPU's integrated nature (IGP slot width, no power connectors, 80 W TDP) means it shares system memory bandwidth with the CPU. This shared memory architecture explains why the frame rate drops are so steep at 4K—the memory subsystem becomes a bottleneck as resolution increases demand for texture data and frame buffer access. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (19 FPS average) is barely interactive, and even 4K Low (42 FPS) falls short of smooth gameplay standards. The data suggests that this GPU is best suited for 1080p gaming at low-to-medium settings, where it can maintain frame rates above 60 FPS only at the lowest preset.

FAQ

Q: Why does the frame rate drop so sharply from 1080p to 4K?

A: The Arc B390's memory is System Shared and bandwidth is System Dependent, meaning it has no dedicated VRAM. As resolution increases, the demand on shared memory bandwidth grows, and the GPU's 24 ROPs and 60.00 GPixel/s fill rate cannot keep pace. The data shows a 52% reduction from 1080p Low (88 FPS) to 4K Low (42 FPS).

Q: Can this system achieve 60 FPS in Lockdown Protocol at any resolution?

A: Yes, but only at 1080p Low settings, where the measured average is 88 FPS. At 1080p Medium the average drops to 63 FPS, which still exceeds 60 FPS, but with minimum frame times of 53 FPS that may cause occasional stutter. At 1440p, even Low settings only reach 65 FPS average.

Q: How does the Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which is 1.3% faster than the GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% faster than the GeForce 800M (1460), 2.5% faster than the GT 625 OEM (1446), and 2.7% faster than the GT 710 (1443). These are all legacy entry-level parts.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: The data shows 1440p Low yields 65 FPS average, which is the only 1440p preset above 60 FPS. 1440p Medium drops to 46 FPS average, and 1440p High falls to 40 FPS. For smooth gameplay, 1440p Low is the only viable option, while 1440p Medium may be acceptable for less demanding play.

Q: Does the Ryzen 5 5600X bottleneck the GPU in this game?

A: No. The CPU's performance profile—with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11838 and single-core score of 1541—far exceeds what the GPU can utilize. The frame rates are consistently GPU-limited, as evidenced by the steep resolution scaling and the fact that even at 1080p Low, the system only reaches 88 FPS, which is well below the CPU's capability.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems?

A: This combination ranks 2512 out of 2828 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the bottom 11% of systems. This low ranking is directly attributable to the GPU's 9th percentile performance class, not the CPU, which sits in the 75th percentile among all processors.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system produces its best results. Low settings deliver an average of 88 FPS, which is the highest measured frame rate across all configurations. Medium settings reduce the average to 63 FPS, with a minimum of 53 and maximum of 72 FPS, showing a playable but not consistently smooth experience. High settings further reduce the average to 55 FPS, while Ultra settings drop to 41 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a 47 FPS spread, indicating that the GPU has some headroom at this resolution but cannot sustain high presets without significant frame rate penalties.

At 2560x1440, performance becomes marginal. Low settings produce 65 FPS average, which is the only 1440p configuration exceeding 60 FPS. Medium settings average 46 FPS, with minimum 39 and maximum 53 FPS, revealing frame times that will produce visible stutter in fast-paced gameplay. High settings average 40 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 30 FPS. The 35 FPS spread between Low and Ultra at this resolution is narrower than at 1080p, indicating the GPU is becoming the primary constraint regardless of settings.

At 3840x2160, all configurations fall below playable thresholds. Low settings average 42 FPS, which is technically playable but far from smooth. Medium settings average 30 FPS, with minimum 25 and maximum 34 FPS, showing consistent sub-60 performance. High settings average 26 FPS, and Ultra settings average just 19 FPS. The 23 FPS spread between Low and Ultra at 4K demonstrates that the GPU is so severely limited that even reducing settings has limited impact on frame rates. The Arc B390 simply lacks the fill rate and memory bandwidth to handle 4K rendering in this game.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data points to a clear hierarchy of playable configurations. At 1080p, Low settings provide the best experience with 88 FPS average, offering smooth gameplay with the lowest visual fidelity. Medium settings at 1080p (63 FPS average) represent the best balance of visual quality and performance, as the minimum frame rate of 53 FPS is high enough to avoid major stutter in most scenarios. High settings (55 FPS) and Ultra (41 FPS) at 1080p are technically playable but sacrifice the smoothness that competitive FPS titles benefit from.

For 1440p gaming, Low settings (65 FPS average) are the only configuration that maintains a playable frame rate above 60 FPS. Medium settings at 1440p (46 FPS average) may be acceptable for single-player experiences but will struggle in competitive multiplayer where frame consistency matters. The minimum frame rate of 39 FPS at 1440p Medium indicates that intense combat sequences could see noticeable drops. High and Ultra settings at 1440p (40 FPS and 30 FPS respectively) are not recommended for any serious gameplay.

At 4K, no settings preset delivers a satisfactory experience. Low settings (42 FPS average) are the least objectionable, but the frame rate will still feel sluggish in a fast-paced FPS. Medium settings (30 FPS average) are borderline playable for slow exploration but inadequate for combat. High (26 FPS) and Ultra (19 FPS) are effectively unplayable. Given the data, the optimal configuration for this system is 1080p Medium, which balances the 63 FPS average with improved visual quality over Low, while maintaining a minimum frame rate above 50 FPS.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is a formidable processor that far outclasses the GPU in this pairing. With 6 cores and 12 threads running at a base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost up to 4.60 GHz, this Zen 3 architecture chip (codename Vermeer) delivers strong single-threaded and multi-threaded performance. Its Cinebench R23 scores of 11838 multi-core and 1541 single-core place it in the 75th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 21771. The nearest rivals—AMD Ryzen 7 4800H (21749, 0.1% slower), AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U (21874, 0.5% faster), Intel Core i7-11700 (21891, 0.5% faster), and AMD EPYC 9554P (21899, 0.6% faster)—are all within 1% of its average score, confirming its competitive position.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic updates. The 32 MB L3 cache and 51.2 GB/s dual-channel DDR4 memory bandwidth provide ample data throughput for the GPU's needs. The 3DMark thread scaling shows strong multi-threading: 5582 for 16 threads, 4811 for 8 threads, 3363 for 4 threads, and 1793 for 2 threads, with a single-thread score of 917. This scaling pattern suggests the CPU can handle both lightly-threaded game logic and more heavily-threaded background tasks without becoming a limiting factor.

The evidence that the CPU is not the bottleneck is the frame rate behavior. If the CPU were limiting, we would expect frame rates to remain similar across resolutions, as the CPU workload would not change significantly with resolution. Instead, the data shows frame rates dropping by roughly half from 1080p to 4K, which is the signature of a GPU throughput limit. Even at 1080p Low (88 FPS), the CPU is likely delivering frames faster than the GPU can render them, meaning the Ryzen 5 5600X has substantial untapped headroom in this title. The CPU's release in November 2020 and active production status indicate it remains a relevant gaming processor, but its capabilities are wasted when paired with a GPU of this performance class.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination ranks 2512 out of 2828 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the bottom 11% of all systems. This ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's position in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, which drags down an otherwise capable CPU that sits in the 75th percentile. The Ryzen 5 5600X's average benchmark score of 21771 is within 0.6% of the AMD EPYC 9554P, a data center processor, illustrating how capable the CPU is on its own merits. Yet in this game, the system's overall performance is constrained by the Arc B390's 1482 Steel Nomad score.

The discrepancy between CPU and GPU performance classes is stark. The CPU outperforms 75% of all processors, while the GPU outperforms only 9% of all GPUs. This creates a heavily imbalanced system where the CPU is never the limiting factor—the data shows that even at the lowest settings and resolution, the GPU is the constraint. The combo rank of 2512 out of 2828 reflects this imbalance, as systems with more balanced pairings (even with weaker CPUs but stronger GPUs) would likely achieve higher frame rates in Lockdown Protocol.

For context, the GPU's nearest rivals—the GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710—are all legacy parts from the early 2010s. The Arc B390's 1.3% to 2.7% performance advantage over these GPUs is marginal, meaning this system is competing with hardware that is over a decade old. In a game like Lockdown Protocol, which is an FPS with likely moderate graphics requirements, this GPU class simply cannot deliver competitive frame rates at higher resolutions. The ranking data confirms that this combo is designed for very modest gaming scenarios—1080p at low settings—and will struggle with anything more demanding.