Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with AMD Ryzen 5 7600 + Intel Arc B390

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600 paired with the Intel Arc B390 delivers a playable but heavily GPU-limited experience in Lockdown Protocol, with the combination ranking in the bottom 11% of tested configurations. The data shows a system where the CPU's substantial compute headroom is consistently constrained by a GPU that sits in the 9th percentile of all tested graphics cards, resulting in frame rates that range from 19 FPS at 4K Ultra to 88 FPS at 1080p Low.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance cliff as resolution increases, confirming that the Intel Arc B390 is the primary bottleneck across all tested settings. At 1080p High, the combo produces 55 FPS, while moving to 1440p High drops that to 40 FPS, a 27% reduction. The jump to 4K High further reduces performance to 26 FPS, representing a 53% loss from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU that exhausts its pixel throughput capabilities well before the CPU becomes a limiting factor.

The resolution scaling is even more pronounced at lower quality settings. At Low settings, the system delivers 88 FPS at 1080p, 65 FPS at 1440p, and 42 FPS at 4K. The 1440p to 4K transition at Low settings shows a 35% performance drop, suggesting the GPU's memory bandwidth and shading resources are saturated even at the lowest graphical demands. The 1080p to 1440p gap at Low settings is 26%, which is proportionally similar to the High setting drop, indicating consistent GPU-bound behavior rather than any CPU-related ceiling.

The Medium preset provides the only complete FPS range data (min, avg, max) in the measured results, offering additional insight into the scaling behavior. At 1080p Medium, the average is 63 FPS with a range of 53 to 72 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average falls to 46 FPS with a 39 to 53 FPS range, and at 4K Medium it drops to 30 FPS with a 25 to 34 FPS range. The tight min-max spread at each resolution suggests relatively stable frame pacing, with the GPU operating near its sustained capability rather than experiencing intermittent spikes or stutters.

Ultra settings represent the most demanding scenario, with the system producing 41 FPS at 1080p, 30 FPS at 1440p, and 19 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop of 27% and the 1440p to 4K drop of 37% both exceed the corresponding reductions at High settings, indicating that the additional graphical features in Ultra place progressively heavier demands on the GPU's fixed resources. The 4K Ultra result of 19 FPS is below the threshold for comfortable play in a fast-paced FPS title.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific CPU-GPU combination ranks 2512 out of 2828 tested configurations for Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the bottom 11% of all combos evaluated. The ranking reflects the significant mismatch between the CPU's capability and the GPU's output, with the Intel Arc B390 constraining overall system performance to a level well below what the Ryzen 5 7600 could support with a more powerful graphics card.

The Ryzen 5 7600 itself performs admirably in isolation, sitting in the 78th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 26324. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX (scoring 26274, just 0.2% lower), the AMD Ryzen 7 7435HS (scoring 26402, 0.3% higher), the Intel Core i9-11900KF (scoring 26212, 0.4% lower), and the AMD Ryzen 5 8540U (scoring 26187, 0.5% lower). These rival deltas are all within one percentage point, indicating that the 7600 sits in a tightly contested mid-range CPU tier where no single processor has a decisive advantage.

In contrast, the Intel Arc B390 ranks in the 9th percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 1482. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (scoring 1463, 1.3% lower), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (scoring 1460, 1.5% lower), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (scoring 1446, 2.5% lower), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (scoring 1443, 2.7% lower). The B390's performance is within 3% of these entry-level mobile and OEM parts, confirming its position at the very bottom of the GPU performance hierarchy.

The combination rank of 2512 out of 2828 is consistent with the GPU's low percentile standing. The data suggests that pairing this CPU with a GPU from the 9th percentile yields system-level performance that trails the vast majority of tested configurations, even though the CPU itself could support significantly higher frame rates in less GPU-limited scenarios.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390's specifications reveal a design focused on integrated graphics efficiency rather than raw gaming performance. Built on Intel's 3 nm process with the Xe3-LPG architecture, this GPU features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output units. The core clock operates between a 300 MHz base and a 2500 MHz boost, with a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s. The FP32 compute throughput is measured at 7.680 TFLOPS, with FP16 performance at 15.36 TFLOPS using a 2:1 ratio.

Memory configuration is entirely system-shared, with the GPU relying on the host system's DDR5 memory rather than dedicated VRAM. The memory bus width is listed as system shared, and bandwidth is system dependent, meaning performance scales with the CPU's memory capabilities. The Ryzen 5 7600 supports dual-channel DDR5 with a memory bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s, which becomes the effective bandwidth ceiling for the GPU. This shared memory architecture likely contributes to the steep performance drops at higher resolutions where memory pressure increases.

The GPU includes 12 ray tracing cores and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The 80 W TDP and IGP form factor indicate this is designed as an integrated solution, with display outputs described as portable device dependent. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile, with the nearest rivals all being NVIDIA parts from the GT 500, 600, and 700 series generations.

In Lockdown Protocol specifically, the GPU's limited pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s becomes the binding constraint. At 4K resolution, the system must fill over 8.3 million pixels per frame, and even at 26 FPS average on High settings, the GPU is operating near its theoretical fillrate limits. The 19 FPS result at 4K Ultra suggests that additional shading and texture work in the Ultra preset pushes the GPU beyond its sustainable throughput, resulting in sub-20 FPS performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Lockdown Protocol?

A: Based on the measured data, 1080p provides the most playable experience across all settings, with average FPS ranging from 41 at Ultra to 88 at Low. The 1440p results are borderline playable (30-65 FPS depending on settings), while 4K performance falls below 42 FPS even at Low settings.

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

A: The B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M (1460), 2.5% higher than the GT 625 OEM (1446), and 2.7% higher than the GT 710 (1443). All rival deltas are under 3%, placing these GPUs in a similar performance tier.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 7600 the bottleneck in this system?

A: No. The CPU benchmarks show the 7600 in the 78th percentile of all CPUs with a 26324 average score, while the GPU sits in the 9th percentile. The resolution scaling pattern shows consistent FPS drops proportional to pixel count increases, which is characteristic of GPU-bound performance.

Q: What FPS can I expect at 1440p Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows an average of 46 FPS at 1440p Medium, with a minimum of 39 FPS and a maximum of 53 FPS. This represents the most complete FPS range data available in the measured results.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: This specific pairing ranks 2512 out of 2828 tested combinations for Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the bottom 11% of all combos. The low ranking is primarily driven by the GPU's 9th percentile standing rather than any CPU deficiency.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the average FPS drops from 88 at Low to 41 at Ultra, representing a 53% reduction in frame rate when enabling all graphical features. The High setting produces 55 FPS, and Medium produces 63 FPS, showing a progressive scaling pattern.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data indicates that the Low preset at 1080p provides the only consistently smooth experience, with an average of 88 FPS. This represents the highest measured frame rate for this combo and falls comfortably within the range expected for a fast-paced FPS title. The 1080p Medium setting at 63 FPS also provides playable performance with improved visual quality, and the measured minimum of 53 FPS suggests the system can maintain reasonable frame pacing.

For users prioritizing visual fidelity over frame rate, the 1080p High setting at 55 FPS is a viable option, though it approaches the lower boundary of what most players would consider acceptable for a competitive FPS. The 1080p Ultra setting at 41 FPS is marginal, as the average frame rate drops below the 60 FPS target that many FPS players prefer, and the additional graphical features may not justify the 35% performance penalty over High.

At 1440p, only the Low setting at 65 FPS provides a clearly playable experience. The Medium setting at 46 FPS is borderline, with the 39 FPS minimum potentially causing noticeable hitches during intense gameplay sequences. The High and Ultra settings at 1440p produce 40 FPS and 30 FPS respectively, which are generally too low for a responsive FPS experience.

The 4K resolution is not recommended for this combo, as even the Low setting at 42 FPS falls short of smooth gameplay, and the High, Medium, and Ultra settings at 26, 30, and 19 FPS respectively are all well below playable thresholds. The data suggests that users should either stick to 1080p with High or lower settings, or consider a more powerful GPU if higher resolutions are required.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600 provides substantial processing capability that is largely underutilized in this configuration. This 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 7000 series uses the Zen 4 architecture on a 5 nm TSMC process, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. The 65 W TDP and AM5 socket placement position it as a mainstream desktop part, with the 6,570 million transistors on a 71 mm² die representing a dense, efficient design.

The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache, providing a total of 38 MB of on-die storage for frequently accessed data. Memory support includes dual-channel DDR5 with ECC capability, offering 83.2 GB/s of bandwidth that also serves the Intel Arc B390's system-shared memory. The PCIe Gen 5 interface with 24 lanes provides ample connectivity for storage and expansion.

Benchmark results demonstrate the 7600's strong multithreaded and single-threaded performance. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 12735 and single-core score of 1852 indicate solid productivity and gaming capability. Geekbench results show 13413 multicore and 2521 single-core scores, while 3DMark thread tests range from 999 for single-thread to 6503 for max threads. PassMark tests show particularly strong integer math (80581) and floating-point math (48107) performance, along with a multithread score of 27058.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is to feed frames to the GPU, and the data indicates it has ample headroom. The consistent GPU-bound scaling across all resolutions and settings means the 7600 is never the limiting factor. Even at 1080p Low where the system achieves 88 FPS, the CPU's 78th percentile standing suggests it could support significantly higher frame rates with a more capable GPU. The nearest rival CPUs — all within 0.5% of the 7600's average score — would likely produce identical results in this GPU-limited scenario.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system produces its best results across all four tested presets. The Low setting delivers an average of 88 FPS, the highest measured value for this combo. Medium produces 63 FPS average with a minimum of 53 and maximum of 72 FPS. High achieves 55 FPS average, and Ultra drops to 41 FPS average. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 53% reduction in frame rate at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, performance decreases across every preset. Low delivers 65 FPS average, representing a 26% drop from the 1080p Low result. Medium produces 46 FPS average with a range of 39 to 53 FPS, a 27% reduction from 1080p Medium. High achieves 40 FPS average, down 27% from 1080p High. Ultra produces 30 FPS average, a 27% drop from the 1080p Ultra result. The consistent percentage drops across all presets at this resolution step indicate a uniform scaling penalty.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low delivers 42 FPS average, a 35% drop from 1440p Low. Medium produces 30 FPS average with a range of 25 to 34 FPS, down 35% from 1440p Medium. High achieves 26 FPS average, a 35% reduction from 1440p High. Ultra drops to 19 FPS average, a 37% decline from 1440p Ultra. The slightly larger percentage drop at Ultra settings suggests the most demanding preset places additional strain on the GPU's limited resources beyond the pure pixel count increase.

The complete dataset shows a total performance span from 19 FPS at 4K Ultra to 88 FPS at 1080p Low. The Medium preset at each resolution provides the only min-max FPS data, allowing for frame pacing analysis. The 1080p Medium range of 53 to 72 FPS around a 63 FPS average indicates relatively stable performance, while the 4K Medium range of 25 to 34 FPS around a 30 FPS average shows slightly more relative variance. This pattern suggests the GPU maintains consistent frame delivery even when operating near its performance limits.