Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol with an AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and Intel Arc B390 presents a highly unusual performance profile, one where the integrated graphics solution is the clear bottleneck at every turn. The measured data shows a system that can produce playable frame rates at 1080p with reduced settings, but which struggles significantly as resolution and graphical fidelity increase, placing this combination near the bottom of the benchmark database for this title.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is severe, confirming that the Intel Arc B390's integrated graphics are overwhelmed by the pixel throughput demands of Lockdown Protocol. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 88 FPS at 1920x1080 to 65 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 26%. Pushing further to 3840x2160, the average plummets to 42 FPS, which represents a 52% decrease from the 1080p baseline. This steep curve indicates that the GPU's shading units, texture mapping units, and raster operations pipelines are saturated well before the CPU's capabilities are ever tested.

The scaling pattern at Medium settings tells a similar story but with lower absolute numbers. The average frame rate drops from 63 FPS at 1080p to 46 FPS at 1440p, and then to 30 FPS at 4K. The 4K result is particularly telling, as it comes with a minimum frame rate of just 25 FPS, suggesting that the system is not merely averaging low performance but is experiencing significant stutter and frame pacing issues at the highest resolution. The gap between 1440p and 4K at Medium settings is 16 FPS, which is a 35% performance loss for a 2.25x increase in pixel count, indicating that the Arc B390 is not scaling efficiently with resolution.

High settings show a similar trajectory, with average frame rates of 55 FPS at 1080p, 40 FPS at 1440p, and just 26 FPS at 4K. The 4K High result is below the threshold for smooth gameplay in a fast-paced FPS title. Ultra settings are essentially unplayable at 4K, with an average of 19 FPS, and even at 1440p, the average of 30 FPS is marginal. The data strongly suggests that this configuration is bound by the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth, which is listed as "System Shared" and "System Dependent," respectively, meaning the Arc B390 has no dedicated video memory and must contend with the system's DDR5 memory for data access.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is an exceptionally powerful processor that is entirely underutilized in this pairing. With 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture, this CPU has a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. Its benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 20485 and a single-core score of 2211. In the broader database, this processor sits in the 86th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37943, placing it just 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i9-14901E and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370.

However, these CPU capabilities are largely irrelevant to the frame rates observed in Lockdown Protocol. The performance drops across resolutions are so steep that they can only be attributed to the GPU. For example, the 46 FPS drop from 1080p Low to 4K Low is entirely a graphics workload issue. The processor's 3DMark scores, including a max-thread score of 9771 and a 16-thread score of 9824, demonstrate ample headroom for the game's logic and physics. The Ryzen 7 9700X's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 89.6 GB/s of bandwidth are more than sufficient for this title.

The data indicates that the CPU is not the limiting factor in any of the measured scenarios. If it were, we would expect to see frame rates plateau across different resolutions, as the CPU would be unable to feed frames faster than a certain rate. Instead, the frame rates scale inversely with resolution, which is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario. The processor's high single-thread performance, as evidenced by its Geekbench single-core score of 3023 and 3DMark single-thread score of 1280, ensures that game logic and draw call submission are handled without introducing a bottleneck. In this configuration, the Ryzen 7 9700X is a high-end engine attached to a very small propeller.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the sole reason for this system's low performance ranking, which places it 2512th out of 2828 combinations for Lockdown Protocol. This GPU, based on the Xe3-LPG architecture and codenamed Panther Lake, is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with a 3 nm process node. It has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, with 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operations pipelines. Its raw compute is rated at 7.680 TFLOPS for FP32 operations, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The benchmark data for this GPU is sparse, with only a single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482. This score places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, which is a very low standing. Its nearest rivals in the database are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, which is 1.3% faster, and the NVIDIA GeForce 800M, which is 1.5% faster. These are entry-level mobile parts from years ago, highlighting how limited the Arc B390's performance is. The fact that it is an IGP with "System Shared" memory means its performance is also dependent on the system's memory speed and latency, which is a further disadvantage compared to discrete GPUs with dedicated VRAM.

In practice, the GPU's limitations are clear in the measured FPS. At 1080p Low, it manages 88 FPS, which is the only result that approaches a high-refresh experience. However, at 1080p Ultra, the average drops to 41 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 19 FPS. The GPU's 24 ROPs are likely the primary constraint at higher resolutions, as they determine the pixel fill rate. With a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s, it is simply not capable of outputting enough pixels at 4K to maintain a smooth frame rate. The texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s is also modest, which impacts performance when texture detail is increased.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the only viable configuration for a playable experience is 1080p with Low settings, which yields an average of 88 FPS. This is the only scenario that provides a frame rate comfortably above 60 FPS. The 1080p Medium preset produces an average of 63 FPS, which is acceptable, but the minimum frame rate of 53 FPS suggests occasional dips that could be noticeable in fast-paced action. For users who prioritize frame rate stability over visual fidelity, 1080p Low is the clear choice.

Moving to 1440p, the Low preset yields 65 FPS, which is playable but requires a significant drop in visual quality. The High and Ultra presets at 1440p are not recommended, as they produce averages of 40 FPS and 30 FPS, respectively, which are below the threshold for a responsive FPS experience. At 4K, no settings preset is recommended for competitive play. The Low preset at 4K produces 42 FPS, which is playable for casual scenarios but not ideal for a twitch shooter. The Medium, High, and Ultra presets at 4K produce 30 FPS, 26 FPS, and 19 FPS, respectively, all of which are too low for a smooth experience.

The data suggests that the "sweet spot" for this hardware combination is 1080p with Low or Medium settings. The jump from Low to Medium at 1080p costs 25 FPS (from 88 to 63), which is a substantial performance penalty for improved visuals. The jump from Medium to High costs another 8 FPS, and from High to Ultra costs 14 FPS. Given the diminishing returns and the importance of frame rate in an FPS, the Low preset at 1080p is the most sensible recommendation. For users with a 1440p monitor, the Low preset is the only option that avoids significant stutter, though it comes with a 26% performance reduction compared to the same settings at 1080p.

FAQ

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X a good match for the Intel Arc B390 in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The data indicates a severe imbalance. The CPU is in the 86th percentile of all processors, while the GPU is in the 9th percentile. The frame rates are entirely GPU-bound, with the CPU's performance headroom left unused.

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

A: 1920x1080 is the only resolution that provides playable frame rates across multiple settings. At 1440p, only the Low preset is acceptable, and at 4K, all presets struggle to maintain smooth gameplay.

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

A: In the benchmark database, the Arc B390 is 1.3% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and 1.5% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce 800M, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs.

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

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 88 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 41 FPS. This represents a 53% performance reduction for the highest visual quality settings.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Lockdown Protocol?

A: Technically, yes, but the results are poor. The best 4K result is 42 FPS on Low settings, and the Ultra preset averages only 19 FPS. These frame rates are not suitable for a competitive FPS.

Q: Does the CPU's 5.50 GHz boost clock help improve frame rates?

A: The CPU's boost clock is not the bottleneck. The frame rates are limited by the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth. The CPU's high clock speed ensures it does not hinder performance, but it cannot compensate for the GPU's limitations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured frame rates for Lockdown Protocol with the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and Intel Arc B390 is as follows:

1920x1080:

• Low: Average 88 FPS
• Medium: Average 63 FPS, Minimum 53 FPS, Maximum 72 FPS
• High: Average 55 FPS
• Ultra: Average 41 FPS

2560x1440:

• Low: Average 65 FPS
• Medium: Average 46 FPS, Minimum 39 FPS, Maximum 53 FPS
• High: Average 40 FPS
• Ultra: Average 30 FPS

3840x2160:

• Low: Average 42 FPS
• Medium: Average 30 FPS, Minimum 25 FPS, Maximum 34 FPS
• High: Average 26 FPS
• Ultra: Average 19 FPS

These numbers reveal a consistent pattern: the Intel Arc B390 is the limiting component in every scenario. The CPU's high performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 20485 and its 86th percentile ranking, is wasted in this configuration. The GPU's 9th percentile ranking and its nearest rivals, all of which are over a year old, underscore its lack of performance. The system's best case scenario is a 1080p Low preset, which delivers an average of 88 FPS, but any attempt to increase resolution or graphical fidelity results in a rapid decline in frame rates. The overall combination rank of 2512 out of 2828 for this game confirms that this is one of the least capable setups in the database for Lockdown Protocol.