Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with AMD Ryzen 9 9900X + Intel Arc B580

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X paired with the Intel Arc B580 delivers a decidedly GPU-bound experience in Lockdown Protocol, with the measured frame rates showing that resolution scaling has a far more dramatic impact on performance than settings adjustments. This combination ranks 2795th out of 3714 tested combos, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database, yet the actual gameplay numbers reveal a system capable of smooth 1080p play at most presets. The data paints a clear picture: this is a pairing where the Intel Arc B580's 12 GB of VRAM and 2670 MHz boost clock become the determining factors, while the 12-core, 24-thread Ryzen 9 9900X with its 5.60 GHz boost clock sits largely underutilized in this particular title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep and consistent decline as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, which strongly indicates the GPU is the primary limiting component in this configuration. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 154 FPS at 1080p to 113 FPS at 1440p, then further to 73 FPS at 4K — a cumulative reduction of approximately 53% from the lowest to highest resolution. The High preset tells a similar story: 95 FPS at 1080p falls to 70 FPS at 1440p and bottoms out at 45 FPS in 4K. This pattern of roughly 25-30% performance loss with each resolution step-up is classic GPU-bound behavior, where the rendering load scales directly with pixel count while the CPU has ample headroom to keep feeding the graphics card.

The Medium preset, which includes minimum and maximum frame data, offers the clearest view of this scaling behavior. At 1080p Medium, the average is 109 FPS with a range of 93 to 126 FPS; at 1440p Medium, the average drops to 80 FPS with a range of 68 to 92 FPS; and at 4K Medium, the average falls to 52 FPS with a range of 44 to 59 FPS. The proportional drop from 1080p to 1440p is about 27%, and from 1440p to 4K it is about 35% — slightly steeper at higher resolutions, which is typical as the GPU becomes increasingly saturated. The minimum frame rates also scale proportionally, suggesting no sudden CPU-related stuttering or frame-time spikes are being introduced at higher resolutions.

The fact that the Ultra preset at 4K produces just 34 FPS average, while the same preset at 1080p yields 72 FPS, further confirms that pixel throughput, not processor capability, governs performance here. If the Ryzen 9 9900X were the bottleneck, we would expect to see relatively flat performance across resolutions, with frame rates clustering together regardless of pixel count. Instead, the data shows a smooth, predictable decline that tracks almost perfectly with the increasing pixel workload — a hallmark of a system where the Intel Arc B580 is doing all the heavy lifting and the CPU is waiting on it.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580's specifications align directly with the measured performance patterns in Lockdown Protocol. With 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus delivering 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth, this GPU has ample memory capacity and throughput for the game's demands at 1080p and 1440p, though the 4K Ultra result of 34 FPS suggests the rendering pipeline itself — not memory — becomes the constraint at extreme settings. The 2560 shading units operating at a fixed 2670 MHz base and boost clock provide the compute foundation, and the 80 ROPs handle pixel output at a theoretical 213.6 GPixel/s rate.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 68 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23021, places it in the upper-mid tier of graphics cards. Its nearest rivals in aggregate benchmarks include the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP at a delta of -0.2%, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 at +0.6%, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 at -0.7%, and the NVIDIA P106-100 at -1%. These deltas are remarkably small, indicating that the Arc B580 sits in a performance band where fractional differences separate it from both older and newer competitors. In Lockdown Protocol specifically, the 4K High average of 45 FPS and 1440p Ultra of 52 FPS suggest the GPU is being pushed to its practical limits for smooth competitive play at higher resolutions.

The memory configuration deserves particular attention given the game's genre. As an FPS, Lockdown Protocol likely benefits from the 456.0 GB/s bandwidth for texture streaming and scene complexity, and the 12 GB capacity ensures that even at 4K Ultra, the GPU is not spilling into system memory. The fact that the 4K Ultra result (34 FPS) is substantially lower than 4K High (45 FPS) — a 24% drop — indicates that the Ultra preset introduces rendering effects that heavily tax the compute or ROP units, rather than memory bandwidth being the limiting factor. The 19 Gbps effective memory clock and 2375 MHz memory clock are moderate, and the data suggests they are sufficient for the bandwidth needs at High and Medium, but the Ultra preset's additional effects overwhelm the GPU's computational resources.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and Intel Arc B580 achieves a rank of 2795 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the 25th percentile of all tested configurations. This ranking is notably lower than what either component's individual benchmark percentiles might suggest — the CPU sits at the 92nd percentile among all processors, while the GPU is at the 68th percentile — indicating that the game's performance is heavily weighted toward GPU capability and that this particular pairing does not boost the system's standing as much as the CPU's raw power might imply.

The discrepancy between component-level and combination-level rankings is informative. The Ryzen 9 9900X's average benchmark score of 57498 places it within 1.4% of rivals like the AMD EPYC 9015, AMD EPYC 7313, Intel Core i9-14900, and Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M. Yet in Lockdown Protocol, this CPU's considerable multi-threaded capability — evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32172 and a Passmark multithread score of 54643 — contributes little to the game's frame rates because the GPU becomes the bottleneck at nearly every resolution and setting. The combination rank thus reflects the GPU's position in the lower-mid tier rather than the CPU's high-end standing.

This ranking also implies that many other tested combos feature stronger GPUs paired with weaker CPUs, and those configurations outperform this one in Lockdown Protocol despite having less capable processors. The data suggests that for this specific game, the GPU selection matters far more than CPU choice — a system with a mid-range CPU and a high-end GPU would likely rank substantially higher than this combination. The 3714 total combos tested means there is a wide spread of hardware pairings, and the 2795th position indicates that roughly 75% of tested configurations deliver better performance in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the data shows a clear progression across settings with substantial headroom at the lower presets. Low settings produce an average of 154 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate of most standard monitors and indicates a very playable experience. Medium settings average 109 FPS with a range of 93 to 126 FPS, maintaining smooth gameplay even during demanding scenes. High settings drop to 95 FPS average, while Ultra falls to 72 FPS. The step from Low to Medium represents a 29% reduction in frame rate, while the step from Medium to High is only 13%, and High to Ultra is 24% — suggesting that the Low preset is not GPU-bound at this resolution, but the higher presets increasingly stress the Arc B580.

At 2560x1440, the pattern shifts as the GPU begins to feel the increased pixel load. Low settings still manage a strong 113 FPS average, but Medium drops to 80 FPS (range 68 to 92), High to 70 FPS, and Ultra to 52 FPS. The delta between Low and Medium at 1440p is 29%, identical to the 1080p figure, but the absolute values are lower across the board. Interestingly, the gap between High and Medium at 1440p is just 12.5%, while the gap between High and Ultra is 26% — showing that the Ultra preset imposes a disproportionately heavy cost at this resolution. The 1440p Medium minimum of 68 FPS still clears the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play, making this resolution viable for most presets.

At 3840x2160, the Arc B580 struggles to maintain high frame rates. Low settings yield 73 FPS average, which is playable but notably lower than the 113 FPS at 1440p. Medium drops to 52 FPS (range 44 to 59), High to 45 FPS, and Ultra to just 34 FPS. The 4K results show that only the Low preset provides a consistently smooth experience, while Medium hovers near the edge of playability with its minimum of 44 FPS. The 4K High and Ultra results are below the 60 FPS threshold and would likely be unsatisfactory for competitive FPS play. Across all resolutions, the Medium preset consistently shows the tightest min-max range relative to its average, suggesting stable frame delivery without severe spikes.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience across all three resolutions. At 1080p, Medium delivers 109 FPS average with a minimum of 93 FPS, providing both high frame rates and a safety margin above 60 FPS even in demanding moments. At 1440p, Medium maintains 80 FPS average with a 68 FPS minimum, which still comfortably exceeds the 60 FPS playability threshold. Even at 4K, Medium produces 52 FPS average with a 44 FPS minimum — borderline but potentially acceptable for slower-paced gameplay. The consistency of the Medium preset across resolutions, evidenced by its min-max data being the only preset with recorded ranges, suggests it is the most stable configuration for this hardware.

For players prioritizing maximum frame rates, the Low preset at 1080p delivers an exceptional 154 FPS average, and at 1440p it still achieves 113 FPS. This preset is ideal for competitive play where frame rate trumps visual fidelity. The High preset represents a middle ground: 95 FPS at 1080p and 70 FPS at 1440p are both solid, but the drop to 45 FPS at 4K makes it a poor choice for that resolution. The Ultra preset should be avoided at 1440p and above, as its 52 FPS at 1440p and 34 FPS at 4K fail to provide smooth gameplay, though at 1080p the 72 FPS average is acceptable for those who prioritize visual quality.

The data indicates that the optimal configuration depends on the target resolution. For 1080p gamers, High or Ultra offers a good balance of visual quality and playability. For 1440p users, Medium is clearly the sweet spot, delivering 80 FPS with stable minimums. For 4K, only Low provides a consistently smooth experience at 73 FPS, while Medium approaches playability. There is no scenario where the Ultra preset at 4K is recommended, given its 34 FPS average falls well below playable thresholds for an FPS title.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this hardware in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The data shows 1080p Medium provides 109 FPS average with a 93 FPS minimum, making it the most balanced choice. For maximum frame rates, 1080p Low delivers 154 FPS average. At 1440p, Medium is recommended at 80 FPS average, while 4K is only viable at Low settings with 73 FPS average.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B580's performance in Lockdown Protocol compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B580's average benchmark score of 23021 places it within 1% of the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, and NVIDIA P106-100. In this game, the measured results reflect this mid-tier positioning, with 1080p High achieving 95 FPS.

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 9900X holding back the Intel Arc B580 in this game?

A: No, the data indicates the system is GPU-bound. The frame rates scale almost perfectly with resolution changes, which is characteristic of GPU limitation. The 12-core, 24-thread CPU with its 5.60 GHz boost clock has substantial headroom, as evidenced by the smooth scaling pattern.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1440p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured data shows 1440p Ultra averages 52 FPS with no minimum or maximum recorded. This is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth FPS gameplay, so Medium settings at 80 FPS average are recommended instead.

Q: Does the 12 GB VRAM capacity of the Arc B580 cause any issues at 4K?

A: The 4K results suggest memory capacity is not the primary constraint. The 4K Ultra result of 34 FPS and 4K High of 45 FPS indicate computational limits rather than memory exhaustion, as the GPU's 456.0 GB/s bandwidth and 12 GB capacity appear sufficient for the game's demands.

Q: How does this combination rank compared to all tested configurations?

A: This combo ranks 2795th out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. The ranking reflects the GPU's mid-tier positioning (68th percentile) rather than the CPU's high-end standing (92nd percentile), confirming the game's GPU-bound nature.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X's substantial processing capabilities appear largely underutilized in Lockdown Protocol, based on the measured FPS patterns. With 12 cores and 24 threads running at a 4.40 GHz base clock and 5.60 GHz boost clock, this Zen 5 architecture processor from the Granite Ridge codename family provides far more compute throughput than the game appears to demand. The CPU's benchmark scores reinforce this: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32172, Geekbench multi-core of 22174, and Passmark multithread of 54643 all indicate a processor capable of handling extremely demanding workloads, yet the game's frame rates are consistently limited by the GPU.

The evidence for CPU headroom is strongest in the resolution scaling data. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see frame rates that remain relatively constant as resolution increases, because the CPU's workload is largely independent of pixel count. Instead, the average FPS drops by roughly 25-35% with each resolution step-up across all settings presets, which is the signature of GPU-bound performance. The 1080p Low result of 154 FPS is particularly telling — even at this high frame rate, the CPU is not showing signs of saturation, as the 1440p Low result of 113 FPS and 4K Low of 73 FPS demonstrate the GPU is being progressively overwhelmed while the CPU waits.

The CPU's 64 MB of L3 cache, 1 MB L2 cache per core, and 80 KB L1 cache per core provide ample fast memory for game logic and scene management, while the dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth ensures data can flow to the GPU without creating a system-level bottleneck. The 24 PCIe Gen 5 lanes offer more than enough bandwidth for the GPU's PCIe 4.0 x8 interface. In practical terms, the Ryzen 9 9900X could likely support a significantly more powerful GPU in Lockdown Protocol, as the measured frame rates suggest the CPU is operating well below its maximum capability — the data indicates this processor would not constrain frame rates even if paired with a much stronger graphics card.