Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D + Intel Arc B570

This combo ranks 2264th out of 2828 tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the field. The pairing of AMD's top-end 9000-series 8-core/16-thread CPU with Intel's mid-range Battlemage GPU produces playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but the Arc B570 becomes the clear limiting factor at 4K. The data shows a system that is CPU-rich and GPU-modest, which is exactly the kind of imbalance that shows up in resolution scaling behavior.

How This Combo Ranks

At position 2264 out of 2828 combos, this pairing sits in roughly the 20th percentile of tested configurations. That may sound worse than it is, the rank reflects the entire pool of combinations, including those with far more powerful GPUs paired with this same processor. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D is an exceptional CPU, ranking in the 87th percentile against all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 39768. Its nearest rivals are all within 1% of its score: the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS trails by 0.4%, the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 leads by 0.7%, the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450 trails by 0.7%, and the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 leads by 0.8%. This tells you the CPU is not the bottleneck in this pairing.

The Intel Arc B570, by contrast, ranks in the 65th percentile against all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 20556. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (0.1% ahead), the Intel Arc A750 (0.1% behind), the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (0.4% ahead), and the AMD Radeon R9 M390X (0.5% behind). The GPU is a solid mid-tier part, but it is outclassed by the CPU in relative terms. In Lockdown Protocol, the combo rank of 2264/2828 reflects that the GPU holds the system back from what the CPU could otherwise deliver. The 9800X3D's 3DMark 16-thread score of 10081 and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23230 show a processor that can feed any GPU, yet the Arc B570's PassMark G3D score of 14195 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2649 indicate where the ceiling sits.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 brings 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, delivering 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. It is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture at 5 nm with 19,600 million transistors on a 272 mm² die. The chip runs at a fixed 2500 MHz base and boost clock, with memory clocked at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). With 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, the card is configured for 1080p and 1440p gaming rather than 4K. Its pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s are respectable for the segment, but the FP32 throughput of 11.52 TFLOPS tells the real story.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU's role is most evident in the 4K results. At 3840x2160, the average frame rates range from 30 FPS on Ultra to 64 FPS on Low. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 34 FPS, which is a massive spread that indicates the GPU is the dominant factor. The 10 GB VRAM is sufficient for this game at 1080p and 1440p, where even Ultra settings do not appear to exceed the card's memory capacity. The 18 ray tracing cores are present, but the data does not include RT-specific measurements, so their impact on Lockdown Protocol remains unquantified here.

The GPU's benchmark profile shows a card that performs best in synthetic workloads, Geekbench Vulkan score of 96844 and OpenCL score of 83514 are strong, but its DirectX 12 PassMark score of 72 and DirectX 11 score of 118 suggest that real-world gaming performance may be more modest. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2649 aligns with the 4K results in this game, confirming that the Arc B570 is not a 4K-class card for demanding titles.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, which points squarely at the GPU as the limiting component. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 84 FPS at 1920x1080 to 62 FPS at 2560x1440, then to 40 FPS at 3840x2160. That is a 52% reduction from 1080p to 4K. At Low settings, the drop is from 136 FPS at 1080p to 100 FPS at 1440p to 64 FPS at 4K, a 53% reduction. The proportional scaling is nearly identical across settings, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario.

The CPU's ability to keep up is evident in the fact that the frame rates scale so predictably with resolution. If the Ryzen 7 9800X3D were the bottleneck, we would expect to see the 1080p numbers plateau or the scaling to flatten out at higher resolutions. Instead, the 1080p Low result of 136 FPS shows headroom remains, and the 4K Ultra result of 30 FPS shows the GPU hitting its wall. The 9800X3D's single-thread score of 1212 in 3DMark and 2080 in Cinebench R23, combined with its 96 MB shared L3 cache, make it more than capable of feeding the Arc B570 at any resolution.

The fact that the 4K Low result (64 FPS) is nearly identical to the 1440p High result (62 FPS) is telling. It suggests that the GPU's raw throughput, not the settings complexity, is the primary limiter at 4K. Dropping from High to Low at 4K recovers more performance (from 40 to 64 FPS, a 60% gain) than dropping from Ultra to High at 1440p (from 46 to 62 FPS, a 35% gain). This is a classic sign of a GPU that is starved for pixel throughput at the highest resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the data shows a usable range of performance across all settings. Low settings deliver 136 FPS average, Medium delivers 96 FPS with a minimum of 82 and maximum of 111, High delivers 84 FPS, and Ultra delivers 63 FPS. The step from Low to Medium costs 40 FPS, while the step from Medium to High costs 12 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 21 FPS. For competitive play, the Low setting at 136 FPS is the clear choice, but even Ultra at 63 FPS is playable if visual fidelity takes priority.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain respectable. Low settings hit 100 FPS, Medium averages 71 FPS with a range of 60 to 81, High averages 62 FPS, and Ultra drops to 46 FPS. The 1440p results show a similar pattern to 1080p, but the absolute numbers are lower. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 54 FPS, which is proportionally similar to the 73 FPS gap at 1080p. The Medium setting at 1440p provides a 71 FPS average with a 60 FPS minimum, which is the most balanced option for a 60 Hz display.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes dramatically. Low settings average 64 FPS, Medium averages 46 FPS with a range of 39 to 52, High averages 40 FPS, and Ultra averages 30 FPS. At 4K, only Low settings break past the 60 FPS threshold, and even that is marginal. The Medium setting's 39 FPS minimum indicates that the Arc B570 struggles to maintain smooth gameplay at this resolution. Ultra at 30 FPS is technically playable but not enjoyable for a fast-paced FPS. The data shows that 4K is not a viable resolution for this combo in Lockdown Protocol, except at Low settings.

The consistency of the Medium settings measurements, with minimum and maximum values recorded at all three resolutions, provides some insight into frame pacing. At 1080p Medium, the range is 82 to 111 FPS, a 29 FPS spread. At 1440p Medium, the range is 60 to 81 FPS, a 21 FPS spread. At 4K Medium, the range is 39 to 52 FPS, a 13 FPS spread. The narrowing range at higher resolutions suggests the GPU becomes more consistently saturated, reducing the variance that comes from CPU-side frame delivery.

Settings Recommendations

The best experience per the measured rows depends on your display and priorities. For 1080p, the Medium preset at 96 FPS average with an 82 FPS minimum is the sweet spot. It provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS and the minimum of 82 FPS ensures no major dips below refresh-rate territory for most monitors. High at 84 FPS is acceptable, but the 12 FPS cost over Medium buys relatively little visual improvement in the data. Ultra at 63 FPS is borderline for a 60 Hz display, and the lack of minimum FPS data makes it harder to recommend.

For 1440p, the Medium preset at 71 FPS average with a 60 FPS minimum is the only setting that guarantees a 60 FPS floor. High at 62 FPS is close, but without a recorded minimum, you risk dips below 60 FPS. Low at 100 FPS is the choice for high-refresh-rate 1440p panels, though it sacrifices visual quality. Ultra at 46 FPS is not recommended for a competitive FPS, as the average already falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

For 4K, the options are limited. Low at 64 FPS is the only setting that clears 60 FPS on average, but the lack of a recorded minimum means you could see dips. Medium at 46 FPS with a 39 FPS minimum is the most consistent option, but it will not feel smooth. High at 40 FPS and Ultra at 30 FPS are both below playable thresholds for an FPS. If you have a 4K display, the data suggests dropping to 1440p or lowering settings to Low for the best experience.

The practical recommendation is to run this combo at 1080p Medium or 1440p Medium, depending on your monitor. The 9800X3D has more than enough headroom to handle any settings, so the GPU dictates the choice. For players who prioritize frame rate over visuals, 1080p Low at 136 FPS is the maximum performance option, while 1440p Medium at 71 FPS is the best balance of smoothness and fidelity.

FAQ

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D bottlenecked by the Intel Arc B570 in Lockdown Protocol?

A: Yes. The CPU ranks in the 87th percentile overall with an average benchmark score of 39768, while the GPU ranks in the 65th percentile with an average score of 20556. The resolution scaling data, 136 FPS at 1080p Low dropping to 64 FPS at 4K Low, shows the GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU's performance headroom is evident in the 1080p results.

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

A: 1440p Medium is the best overall choice, delivering 71 FPS average with a 60 FPS minimum. At 1080p, Medium offers 96 FPS average with an 82 FPS minimum, which is better for high-refresh displays. The data shows 4K is only playable at Low settings (64 FPS average), and even then, the lack of a recorded minimum makes it a riskier option.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B570's average benchmark score of 20556 puts it within 0.5% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534, 0.1% ahead), Intel Arc A750 (20582, 0.1% behind), NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20480, 0.4% ahead), and AMD Radeon R9 M390X (20662, 0.5% behind). These are effectively tied scores, indicating the Arc B570 sits in a tightly contested performance band.

Q: Does the Ryzen 7 9800X3D's 3D V-Cache help in this game?

A: The CPU's 96 MB shared L3 cache is a defining feature, and its benchmark scores, Cinebench R23 multi-core of 23230 and single-core of 2080, show strong performance. However, the data does not include a direct comparison with a non-3D V-Cache CPU in Lockdown Protocol, so the specific benefit in this game cannot be quantified from the measured FPS alone.

Q: What are the minimum FPS figures for the Medium settings across resolutions?

A: At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 82 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 60 FPS. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 39 FPS. These are the only settings with recorded minimum FPS values in the measured data, providing the most complete picture of frame consistency.

Q: Is this combo suitable for competitive play in Lockdown Protocol?

A: At 1080p Low, the 136 FPS average is suitable for competitive play, as is 1440p Low at 100 FPS. The 1080p Medium setting at 96 FPS average with an 82 FPS minimum also works well. For 4K, none of the settings provide a minimum FPS above 39, which is not ideal for a competitive FPS.