Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol presents an unusual pairing when equipped with the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and the Intel Arc B390. The data indicates a massive imbalance, where a top-tier 12-core processor is paired with an integrated graphics solution that ranks in the bottom percentile of all GPUs. The benchmark results show that this combination is heavily GPU-limited, with performance in the game dictated almost entirely by the Arc B390's capabilities rather than the substantial processing power of the Ryzen 9 9900X.

The measured frame rates across all resolutions and settings are consistently low, positioning this combo at rank 2512 out of 2828 tested combinations. This places it in the bottom tier of systems for Lockdown Protocol, indicating that while the CPU can handle the game's logic with ease, the GPU is unable to render frames at a playable pace for most users. The data suggests this configuration is only suitable for the lowest fidelity settings at 1080p, where it can approach playability, but it falls short of a smooth experience at higher resolutions or quality presets.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is a high-end desktop processor built on the Zen 5 architecture and codenamed Granite Ridge. It features 12 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. This configuration provides substantial multi-threaded and single-threaded performance, as evidenced by its benchmark scores. For instance, it achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 32172 and a single-core score of 2253, alongside a Geekbench multicore score of 22174 and a single-core score of 3010. Its Passmark multithread score of 54643 and single-thread score of 4672 further confirm its strong computational capabilities.

In the context of Lockdown Protocol, an FPS title, the CPU's job is to handle game logic, physics, and AI, which are often single-thread or lightly-threaded tasks. The Ryzen 9 9900X's high boost clock of 5.60 GHz and strong single-thread performance ensure that it is not a bottleneck in these areas. The data shows that the processor performs in the 92nd percentile when compared to all other CPUs, indicating that it is far more powerful than what this game requires. Its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i9-14900 with an average score of 58115 and a delta of -1.1%, and the AMD EPYC 9015 with an average score of 57555 and a delta of -0.1%, are all in a similar performance bracket, confirming the 9900X's high-end status.

However, the benchmark results for the combined system show that this CPU power is left largely untapped. The frame rates in Lockdown Protocol are far below what the CPU could support, which indicates that the processor is never the limiting factor. Even at 1080p Low settings, where the average FPS is 88, the CPU is likely only using a fraction of its capacity. The 64 MB of L3 cache and 24 PCIe Gen 5 lanes are more than sufficient for the demands of this game. The conclusion from the data is clear: the Ryzen 9 9900X provides an enormous performance headroom that is not utilized in this specific configuration, making its role in the final FPS results minimal. The bottleneck lies entirely on the graphics side.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) that is the antithesis of the Ryzen 9 9900X in terms of performance class. It is based on the Xe3-LPG architecture and is built on a 3 nm process. Its clock speeds are listed as a base of 300 MHz and a boost of 2500 MHz, but its memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it uses a portion of the system's DDR5 RAM rather than dedicated VRAM. The GPU has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output pipelines, with 12 ray tracing cores. Its theoretical performance is rated at 7.680 TFLOPS for FP32 and 15.36 TFLOPS for FP16.

The arc B390's benchmark results are exceptionally low. It scores 1482 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, which places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all older, low-end discrete or integrated solutions, such as the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX with a score of 1463 and a delta of 1.3%, and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 with a score of 1443 and a delta of 2.7%. This data clearly shows that the Arc B390's graphics processing power is minimal, making it entirely unsuitable for rendering modern FPS games at high fidelity.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU is the sole determinant of performance. The measured FPS data shows a direct correlation between the GPU's workload and the resulting frame rate. At 1080p Low settings, the average FPS is 88, but this drops to 55 at High settings and 41 at Ultra. At 4K, the numbers are even more severe, with an average of 19 FPS at Ultra and 26 FPS at High. The lack of dedicated VRAM and the reliance on system memory for graphics data likely contributes to these poor results, especially at higher resolutions where memory bandwidth becomes critical. The data indicates that the Arc B390 is a severe bottleneck, capping the system's performance at a level that is far below what the CPU is capable of delivering. The GPU's 80W TDP and IGP form factor are consistent with its low performance ceiling, confirming that it is designed for basic tasks, not gaming.

FAQ

Q: Based on the benchmark data, what is the best resolution and settings to play Lockdown Protocol with this combo?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 with Low settings provides the highest average FPS at 88, which is the only configuration that approaches a playable frame rate.

Q: How does the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 9 9900X has an average benchmark score of 57498. It is 0.1% slower than the AMD EPYC 9015 and 0.2% faster than the AMD EPYC 7313. It is also 1.1% faster than the Intel Core i9-14900 and 1.4% faster than the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M.

Q: Is the Intel Arc B390 a dedicated graphics card?

A: No, the data lists it as an IGP (Integrated Graphics Processor) with a slot width of "IGP" and memory type of "System Shared," meaning it uses shared system memory rather than having its own dedicated VRAM.

Q: What is the performance ranking of this specific CPU and GPU combo in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The combo ranks at 2512 out of 2828 tested combinations in the game, placing it in the bottom 11% of systems tested.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390's 3DMark score compare to the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad, which is 2.7% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710's score of 1443.

Q: Does the data suggest that the CPU or the GPU is the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data strongly suggests the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU is in the 92nd percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 9th percentile, and the frame rates are consistently low across all settings, indicating a graphics bottleneck.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and Intel Arc B390 combination is ranked 2512 out of 2828 tested combos for Lockdown Protocol. This ranking puts it in the bottom 11% of all systems, which is a direct reflection of the GPU's poor performance. The CPU's high percentile ranking (92nd) does not compensate for the GPU's low ranking (9th), and the final outcome is a severely underperforming system for this game.

This rank of 2512 means that 2511 other combinations of CPUs and GPUs deliver better performance in Lockdown Protocol. The data implies that even a much weaker CPU paired with a modestly better GPU would likely achieve a higher rank and better frame rates. The combo's position is a clear indicator that the Arc B390 is not a viable option for gaming, as it creates a massive bottleneck that negates the capabilities of the high-end Ryzen 9 9900X. The measured FPS data confirms this, as the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates even at the lowest settings and resolution. This pairing is a study in imbalance, where the strengths of one component are completely nullified by the weaknesses of the other.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the only configuration that provides a consistently playable experience is 1920x1080 with the Low preset. At this setting, the system achieves an average of 88 FPS, which is the highest of any tested combination. All other settings at 1080p result in lower frame rates: Medium averages 63 FPS, High averages 55 FPS, and Ultra drops to 41 FPS. While 63 FPS at Medium is technically playable, the jump from Low to Medium represents a significant 25 FPS drop, suggesting the GPU struggles with the increased load.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset provides an average of 65 FPS, which is also playable, but the drop from 1080p Low is substantial (from 88 to 65 FPS). The Medium preset at 1440p averages 46 FPS, which starts to feel less smooth, and High and Ultra presets fall to 40 FPS and 30 FPS, respectively. At 3840x2160, no settings produce a playable result, with the highest average being 42 FPS at Low, and the Ultra preset dropping to just 19 FPS.

Therefore, the recommendation for the best experience is to play at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. This provides the highest frame rate and the most stable experience, as evidenced by the data. If a user prioritizes visual quality over frame rate, the Medium preset at 1080p (63 FPS) is the next best option, but it comes with a noticeable performance cost. The data indicates that the Arc B390 is only capable of handling this game at its lowest fidelity settings, and any attempt to increase the resolution or quality will result in a poor experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is a detailed breakdown of the measured average FPS for the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and Intel Arc B390 combination in Lockdown Protocol, organized by resolution and settings.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Ultra: The average FPS is 41. This is the lowest result at 1080p, showing the GPU is heavily taxed by the highest settings.
• High: The average FPS is 55. This is a significant drop from Low, indicating a large performance cost for the High preset.
• Medium: The average FPS is 63, with a minimum of 53 and a maximum of 72. This provides a somewhat smoother experience than High but is still well below the Low preset.
• Low: The average FPS is 88. This is the best performance of any configuration in the data, and the only one that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Ultra: The average FPS is 30. This is at the threshold of playability and marks a significant drop from the 41 FPS seen at 1080p Ultra.
• High: The average FPS is 40. This is a 15 FPS drop from the same settings at 1080p, showing the impact of the higher resolution.
• Medium: The average FPS is 46, with a minimum of 39 and a maximum of 53. This is a playable but not smooth experience, with frame times that may feel inconsistent.
• Low: The average FPS is 65. This is a playable result, but it is 23 FPS lower than the 1080p Low setting, making 1080p the preferred choice.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Ultra: The average FPS is 19. This is the worst result in the entire dataset and is unplayable.
• High: The average FPS is 26. This is also unplayable, showing the GPU is overwhelmed at this resolution.
• Medium: The average FPS is 30, with a minimum of 25 and a maximum of 34. This is at the edge of playability but likely to feel very choppy.
• Low: The average FPS is 42. This is the best result at 4K, but it is still a poor experience and significantly lower than the 88 FPS achievable at 1080p Low.

The data across all resolutions and settings paints a consistent picture: the Intel Arc B390 is the limiting factor. The system's performance scales predictably with the graphical load, and it is only at the lowest resolution and quality settings that the frame rates become acceptable for a fast-paced FPS game.