Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with AMD Ryzen 7 3700X + Intel Arc B570

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X paired with the Intel Arc B570 delivers a mid-pack experience in Lockdown Protocol, ranking 2264 out of 2828 tested combos. This places the combination in the lower third of all tested systems, though the data reveals a configuration that is surprisingly capable at lower resolutions while struggling to maintain playable framerates at 4K Ultra. The bottleneck profile shifts dramatically across the resolution spectrum, with the GPU becoming the clear limiting factor at higher settings while the CPU holds its own throughout.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable but steep decline as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, with the scaling pattern revealing important insights about where this system's limits lie. At Low settings, the average framerate drops from 136 FPS at 1920x1080 to 100 FPS at 2560x1440, representing a 26.5% performance loss from the resolution increase alone. Moving further to 3840x2160, the Low preset yields 64 FPS average, which is a 52.9% drop from the 1080p figure. This scaling behavior indicates that even at the lowest settings, the system is not purely CPU-bound at 1080p, as a fully CPU-limited scenario would show minimal FPS variation across resolutions.

The High preset tells a similar story with slightly different magnitudes. From 84 FPS at 1920x1080, the average falls to 62 FPS at 2560x1440 (a 26.2% reduction) and then to 40 FPS at 3840x2160 (a 52.4% reduction from 1080p). The consistency of these percentage drops across settings suggests that resolution scaling is governed primarily by the GPU's pixel throughput capabilities rather than any unexpected bottleneck. The Intel Arc B570's 80 ROPs and 200.0 GPixel/s pixel rate are directly relevant here, as these specifications determine how quickly the card can fill frames at increasing pixel counts.

The most dramatic scaling occurs between Medium and Ultra settings at 4K, where the average framerate plummets from 46 FPS to 30 FPS. This 34.8% drop from Medium to Ultra at 3840x2160 is far larger than the corresponding 1080p drop from 96 to 63 FPS (a 34.4% reduction), indicating that the highest settings impose a disproportionately heavy load on the GPU at 4K. The data suggests that the 10 GB GDDR6 memory buffer and 380.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate at lower resolutions but become stressed as both resolution and settings increase simultaneously.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570's specifications paint a picture of a capable mid-range graphics card that performs admirably in Lockdown Protocol but shows its limits at the extremes. The GPU operates at a fixed 2500 MHz base and boost clock, which is notable for its consistency but does not provide headroom for dynamic performance scaling. With 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, the card delivers 11.52 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and a texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s. These figures place the B570 in a competitive position against its nearest rivals, with an average benchmark score of 20556 sitting just 0.1% above the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile and 0.1% below the Intel Arc A750.

The GPU's memory configuration is particularly relevant to Lockdown Protocol's performance. The 10 GB GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus provides 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which appears sufficient for the game's demands at 1080p and 1440p but becomes a limiting factor at 4K Ultra. The 19 Gbps effective memory speed is competitive, yet the narrow bus width compared to higher-end cards means the B570 must rely on cache efficiency and compression to maintain throughput. The measured results suggest this approach works well up to 1440p High (62 FPS average) but falls below the 60 FPS threshold at 4K High (40 FPS average).

Benchmark data shows the B570 achieving a PassMark G3D score of 14195 and a PassMark GPU Compute score of 7281, with the card's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2649 confirming its DirectX 12 performance credentials. The DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) ensures full feature compatibility with Lockdown Protocol's rendering requirements. The GPU's Vulkan 1.4 and OpenGL 4.6 support provide alternative API paths that could potentially yield different performance characteristics, though the measured data does not distinguish between API implementations. The card's 150 W TDP and PCIe 4.0 x8 interface are adequate for the workloads observed, with the 450 W suggested PSU providing ample power delivery headroom.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X brings eight cores and sixteen threads based on the Zen 2 architecture, manufactured on TSMC's 7 nm process. With a base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz, this CPU provides solid multi-threaded performance that appears well-matched to Lockdown Protocol's requirements at lower resolutions. The 32 MB L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth contribute to the system's ability to feed the GPU with data, particularly at 1080p where the CPU's role is most prominent.

The CPU's benchmark results demonstrate its position in the market. The PassMark multithread score of 22458 and Geekbench multicore score of 8899 place the 3700X in the 84th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 34260. The nearest rivals are remarkably close: the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 scores 34222 (0.1% lower), the AMD EPYC 4244P scores 34220 (0.1% lower), and the Intel Core i5-13450HX scores 34333 (0.2% higher). This clustering indicates that the 3700X remains competitive despite its older architecture, particularly in multi-threaded workloads where its eight cores provide substantial parallelism.

At 1080p Low, the system achieves 136 FPS average, which suggests the CPU is capable of driving framerates well above the 60 FPS target in this game. The single-thread performance, evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 1593 and PassMark single-thread score of 2656, is sufficient to avoid becoming a significant bottleneck at lower resolutions. However, the data shows diminishing returns as resolution increases, with the CPU's influence waning in favor of GPU limitations. The 65 W TDP and unlocked multiplier allow for potential overclocking headroom, though the measured results reflect stock configuration performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive picture of this combination's performance across the full matrix of resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system delivers playable framerates across all settings: Low averages 136 FPS, Medium averages 96 FPS with a minimum of 82 FPS and maximum of 111 FPS, High averages 84 FPS, and Ultra maintains 63 FPS. The 1080p results show that even the most demanding preset stays above the 60 FPS threshold, making this resolution the sweet spot for the combination.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance degrades progressively. Low settings deliver 100 FPS average, which remains highly playable. Medium settings produce 71 FPS average with a range of 60 to 81 FPS, indicating some frame time variance but maintaining playability. High settings drop to 62 FPS average, while Ultra falls to 46 FPS, crossing below the 60 FPS threshold and entering territory where competitive players might notice reduced smoothness. The 1440p data suggests that Medium or High settings are the practical ceiling for maintaining consistently smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the limitations become pronounced. Low settings achieve 64 FPS average, which is playable but represents a significant drop from lower resolutions. Medium settings average 46 FPS with a range of 39 to 52 FPS, showing noticeable frame pacing inconsistencies. High settings fall to 40 FPS average, and Ultra bottoms out at 30 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable first-person shooter gameplay. The 4K results clearly indicate that this combination is not suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at this resolution, with only Low settings providing a reasonably smooth experience.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 2264 out of 2828 tested combinations places this system in the 20th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning approximately 80% of tested systems perform better in Lockdown Protocol. This ranking reflects the combination of a mid-generation CPU with a mid-range GPU, neither of which is at the top of its respective performance tier. The CPU's 84th percentile ranking among all CPUs contrasts sharply with the GPU's 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs, suggesting that the GPU is the more significant performance limiter in this pairing.

The CPU's nearest rivals in benchmark performance are all within 0.5% of its average score, indicating that the 3700X is well-positioned relative to modern processors despite its 2019 release date. The GPU's nearest rivals show similar tight clustering, with the RTX 3070 Mobile at 0.1% higher average score and the Arc A750 at 0.1% higher. This competitive positioning at the component level does not translate to strong overall ranking, primarily because Lockdown Protocol appears to favor configurations with stronger GPU performance relative to CPU performance.

The rank suggests that users seeking better performance in this specific game would benefit more from a GPU upgrade than a CPU upgrade, as the current GPU is the more constrained component. The measured FPS data supports this interpretation: at 1080p Low, the system maintains 136 FPS, which is far from the CPU's theoretical limit, while at 4K Ultra, the 30 FPS result indicates the GPU is severely taxed. The ranking also reflects the fact that many tested combos likely include higher-tier GPUs paired with similar or better CPUs, creating a competitive field where this mid-range configuration falls behind.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combination depend heavily on the target resolution and desired framerate. At 1920x1080, the High preset at 84 FPS average provides an excellent balance between visual quality and performance, while Ultra at 63 FPS remains playable for those prioritizing graphics fidelity. For competitive play where framerate is paramount, the Low preset at 136 FPS offers the smoothest experience, though the Medium preset at 96 FPS provides a better visual experience while still maintaining high framerates.

For 2560x1440 displays, the Medium preset at 71 FPS average is the recommended choice, as it maintains framerates above 60 FPS while delivering reasonable visual quality. The High preset at 62 FPS is also viable for those who prefer better graphics, though the narrower margin above the 60 FPS threshold means occasional dips could occur. The Ultra preset at 46 FPS is not recommended for this resolution, as the framerate drops below playable thresholds for a fast-paced FPS title.

At 3840x2160, the only recommended setting is Low, which achieves 64 FPS average. Medium at 46 FPS and High at 40 FPS are below the smoothness threshold for competitive gameplay, while Ultra at 30 FPS is effectively unplayable for an FPS title. Users with 4K displays should either accept the visual compromises of Low settings or consider lowering the resolution to 1440p for a better experience. The data clearly indicates that this combination is best utilized at 1080p or 1440p with Medium to High settings, offering the best balance of visual quality and performance for Lockdown Protocol.