Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D + Intel Arc B390

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D paired with the Intel Arc B390 produces a combination that ranks 2512 out of 2828 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the bottom 11% of systems. This is a stark contrast to the CPU’s strong standalone standing — the Ryzen 5 7500X3D sits at the 89th percentile among all CPUs — while the GPU sits at only the 9th percentile among all GPUs. The data clearly indicates that the integrated graphics solution on the Arc B390 is the limiting factor in this pairing, dragging the overall gaming experience down despite a capable processor. Benchmark results from the measured FPS table confirm that this system is best suited for lower resolutions and lower presets, with performance degrading sharply as graphical demands increase.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Lockdown Protocol shows a clear and predictable pattern: as resolution increases, average frame rates drop substantially across all settings. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves 88 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at Low drops that to 65 FPS, a 26% reduction. At 3840x2160 at Low, the average falls to 42 FPS, which is a 52% reduction from the 1080p figure. This scaling behavior suggests that the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as the frame rate loss is much steeper than what would be expected if the CPU were limiting performance at lower resolutions.

The gap between resolutions widens at higher settings. At High settings, the system delivers 55 FPS at 1080p, 40 FPS at 1440p, and 26 FPS at 4K. At Ultra settings, the numbers are 41 FPS at 1080p, 30 FPS at 1440p, and just 19 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at Ultra is approximately 54%, which is similar to the Low setting drop. This consistency across presets indicates that the Arc B390’s rendering capabilities are being saturated in a uniform manner, with pixel count being the dominant variable.

The 4K Medium preset shows an average of 30 FPS with a minimum of 25 and maximum of 34, which is only marginally better than the 4K High result of 26 FPS. This suggests that at 4K, the system is so heavily GPU-bound that preset changes yield diminishing returns. The difference between Low and Medium at 4K is just 12 FPS (42 vs 30), while the difference between Medium and Ultra is only 11 FPS (30 vs 19). This compression of performance at high resolution points to the integrated GPU’s memory bandwidth and compute resources being exhausted, rather than any CPU limitation.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel’s 3 nm process. It features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operation units, along with 12 ray tracing cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, with a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is rated at 7.680 TFLOPS. The memory configuration is listed as "System Shared," meaning the GPU relies on the CPU’s DDR5 memory, with bandwidth described as "System Dependent."

The GPU’s benchmark standing is remarkably low. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1482, placing it at the 9th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the benchmark database are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (score 1463, delta 1.3%), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (score 1460, delta 1.5%), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (score 1446, delta 2.5%), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (score 1443, delta 2.7%). This places the Arc B390 in the same performance tier as decade-old entry-level discrete GPUs, which explains why Lockdown Protocol struggles to maintain playable frame rates at higher settings.

The system-shared memory architecture is likely a contributing factor to the poor gaming performance. Since the GPU has no dedicated VRAM, it must compete with the CPU for memory bandwidth, which is listed as 83.2 GB/s for the system. At 4K resolution, the memory bandwidth demands of the game increase substantially, and the shared pool becomes a bottleneck. The measured FPS at 4K High (26 FPS) versus 1080p High (55 FPS) illustrates this constraint, as the resolution increase more than doubles the pixel count but the frame rate drops by more than half.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 2512 out of 2828 tested combinations places this system in the bottom 11.2% of all tested hardware pairings for Lockdown Protocol. This is a poor result that reflects the GPU’s limitations rather than the CPU’s capabilities. The Ryzen 5 7500X3D has an average benchmark score of 44573, with a percentile rank of 89 among all CPUs. Its nearest CPU rivals include the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H (score 44466, delta 0.2%), the Intel Core i9-13950HX (score 44342, delta 0.5%), the AMD Ryzen AI Max 385 (score 44309, delta 0.6%), and the Intel Core i5-14600 (score 44889, delta -0.7%). This places the CPU in a very competitive performance tier, essentially neck-and-neck with high-end laptop and desktop processors.

In contrast, the GPU’s percentile rank of 9 puts it in the bottom decile of all GPUs. The delta percentages to its nearest rivals are all within 1.3% to 2.7%, indicating that the Arc B390 is clustered with the very weakest GPUs in the database. The combination of a top-decile CPU with a bottom-decile GPU creates an extreme imbalance, where the CPU is effectively idle while waiting for the GPU to complete rendering tasks. The benchmark results show that even at 1080p Low, where the CPU should be most relevant, the system only achieves 88 FPS, which is far below what the Ryzen 5 7500X3D could potentially deliver with a discrete GPU.

The rank of 2512 out of 2828 suggests that the vast majority of tested systems outperform this combo in Lockdown Protocol. This makes sense given that most gaming systems use discrete GPUs, while the Arc B390 is an integrated solution. The data indicates that this combo is only suitable for light or older games, and even then, only at low resolutions and settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best performance. With Low settings, the average FPS is 88, which is the highest recorded figure for any resolution or preset. Medium settings at 1080p yield an average of 63 FPS, with a minimum of 53 and maximum of 72. High settings produce 55 FPS average, and Ultra settings drop to 41 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 47 FPS, showing that the GPU has some headroom at this resolution but is still limited.

At 2560x1440, performance degrades noticeably. Low settings average 65 FPS, Medium averages 46 FPS (min 39, max 53), High averages 40 FPS, and Ultra averages 30 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings is 23 FPS (88 to 65), which is a 26% reduction. At Ultra settings, the drop is 11 FPS (41 to 30), a 27% reduction. The consistency of these percentage drops suggests that the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors, as the relative performance penalty scales linearly with pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings average 42 FPS, Medium averages 30 FPS (min 25, max 34), High averages 26 FPS, and Ultra averages 19 FPS. The 4K Low result is the only 4K preset that approaches playability, and even then, it is below the 60 FPS target that most gamers prefer. The gap between 1440p Low (65 FPS) and 4K Low (42 FPS) is 23 FPS, which is a 35% reduction. This steeper drop at lower settings suggests that the GPU is hitting a hard memory bandwidth ceiling at 4K, as the pixel fill rate alone should scale more predictably.

The Medium preset is the only one with full min/max data across all resolutions. At 1080p, the range is 53 to 72 FPS; at 1440p, it is 39 to 53 FPS; and at 4K, it is 25 to 34 FPS. The narrowing of the range at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is becoming more consistently bottlenecked, with less variance in frame times.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 7000 series, based on the Zen 4 (Raphael) architecture. It has a base clock of 4.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.50 GHz, with a TDP of 65 watts. The cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and a substantial 96 MB of shared L3 cache. This large L3 cache is a hallmark of the X3D series and is designed to improve gaming performance by reducing memory latency. The CPU supports DDR5 memory with dual-channel configuration and a memory bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s. It uses the AMD Socket AM5 and has a PCIe Gen 5 interface with 24 lanes.

In PassMark benchmarks, the CPU scores 25047 in multithread, 3494 in single-thread, 43594 in floating point math, 70774 in integer math, and 271649 in data compression. These scores indicate a very capable processor for general computing tasks. The percentile rank of 89 among all CPUs confirms that it outperforms the vast majority of processors in the database. However, in Lockdown Protocol, the CPU’s potential is largely untapped due to the GPU bottleneck.

The measured FPS data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 88 FPS, which is likely below what the CPU could support. The fact that performance drops consistently as resolution increases, regardless of settings, is a clear indicator of GPU limitation. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar FPS across resolutions at the same settings, but that is not the case.

The CPU’s 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient for modern FPS games like Lockdown Protocol, which typically scale well with multi-threaded processors. The high boost clock of 4.50 GHz and the large L3 cache should provide excellent single-threaded performance for game logic and physics. However, the integrated GPU simply cannot keep up with the CPU’s output, resulting in a system that is severely imbalanced.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo can achieve in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 88, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Is this combo capable of running Lockdown Protocol at 4K?

A: At 4K, the system delivers 42 FPS on Low, 30 FPS on Medium, 26 FPS on High, and 19 FPS on Ultra. None of these reach the 60 FPS threshold typically considered smooth gameplay.

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

A: The Intel Arc B390 has a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482, which is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M, 2.5% higher than the GT 625 OEM, and 2.7% higher than the GT 710.

Q: What is the CPU’s percentile ranking among all processors?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D is at the 89th percentile, with an average benchmark score of 44573, placing it in the top 11% of all CPUs.

Q: What is the combo’s overall rank in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The combination ranks 2512 out of 2828 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 11% of all tested systems for this game.

Q: Which resolution and settings pair offers the most consistent frame times?

A: The Medium preset shows the most complete data with min/max values. At 1080p, the range is 53-72 FPS; at 1440p, 39-53 FPS; and at 4K, 25-34 FPS. The narrowest relative range is at 4K, indicating more consistent bottlenecking.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for Lockdown Protocol with this hardware is at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings, which delivers 88 FPS average. This is the only configuration that approaches the 90 FPS range, and it provides a smooth experience for fast-paced FPS gameplay. If visual fidelity is a priority, the 1080p Medium preset at 63 FPS is a reasonable compromise, offering better graphics while maintaining playable frame rates. The 1080p High preset at 55 FPS is also acceptable, but the Ultra preset at 41 FPS may feel less responsive.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset at 65 FPS is the only recommended option for competitive play, as the Medium preset at 46 FPS and High at 40 FPS may feel sluggish. The 1440p Ultra at 30 FPS is not recommended for FPS gameplay, as frame rates below 40 FPS can hinder target tracking and reaction time.

At 3840x2160, the system should be avoided for serious gameplay. Even the Low preset at 42 FPS is borderline, and the Medium preset at 30 FPS is marginal. The High preset at 26 FPS and Ultra at 19 FPS are not viable for an FPS title. If 4K is required, users should consider lowering the resolution to 1440p and using Low settings instead.

The data indicates that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming with medium or low settings. The system’s strength lies in its CPU, which can handle the game’s logic and physics without issue, but the integrated GPU limits the overall experience. For users who prioritize frame rate over visual quality, the 1080p Low preset is the clear choice. For those who want a balance, the 1080p Medium preset offers 63 FPS with better visuals. Avoid 4K except for testing or non-competitive play.