Lockdown Protocol

The pairing of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D with the Intel Arc B390 in Lockdown Protocol produces a heavily GPU-bound experience, where the integrated graphics engine is the clear performance bottleneck at every resolution. The data indicates that the CPU, a 16-core Zen 5 flagship, is operating well within its capabilities, while the Arc B390, an integrated GPU based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, determines the playability ceiling. The measured frame rates show a system that can handle competitive settings at 1080p but struggles to maintain smooth gameplay at higher resolutions or with maximum visual fidelity.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, confirming that the Intel Arc B390 is the limiting component. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 88 FPS at 1920x1080 to 65 FPS at 2560x1440, a 26% reduction, and then further down to 42 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 52% total decrease from the 1080p baseline. The pattern is similar at High settings, where the average FPS drops from 55 at 1080p to 40 at 1440p to 26 at 4K. This scaling behavior is typical of a GPU that is saturated by the increasing pixel count; the rendering workload grows faster than the integrated graphics unit can process it.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low (88 FPS) and Ultra (41 FPS) is 47 FPS. At 4K, the difference between Low (42 FPS) and Ultra (19 FPS) narrows to 23 FPS. This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so overwhelmed by the pixel fill rate that the additional shading and effects work from higher presets have less relative impact on the final frame time; the GPU is already at its limit. The fact that the 4K Ultra preset only manages 19 FPS average, while 4K Low achieves 42 FPS, means that even a significant reduction in graphical load cannot overcome the fundamental resolution bottleneck.

FAQ

*Q: Can I play Lockdown Protocol at 4K with this hardware?*

A: Technically, yes, but the experience is not smooth. The measured average frame rates at 3840x2160 range from 42 FPS on Low settings down to 19 FPS on Ultra. These figures fall below the 60 FPS threshold that most players consider necessary for a responsive FPS title, indicating that 4K is not a practical resolution for this combination.

*Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combo in Lockdown Protocol?*

A: Based on the data, 1920x1080 is the only resolution that provides a consistently playable experience. At this resolution, the Low preset achieves 88 FPS, Medium achieves 63 FPS, and High achieves 55 FPS. These are all above the 50 FPS mark, making 1080p the recommended target for this pairing.

Q: How much of a performance gain is there from using the Low preset over Ultra?

A: The gain is substantial at all resolutions. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 88 FPS compared to 41 FPS on Ultra, a 114% improvement. At 1440p, Low delivers 65 FPS versus 30 FPS on Ultra, a 116% improvement. At 4K, the difference is 42 FPS versus 19 FPS, a 121% improvement.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D holding back the Intel Arc B390?

A: No. The benchmark results reveal the opposite. The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 and GT 625 OEM. The CPU, in contrast, sits in the 95th percentile of all CPUs. The data strongly suggests the GPU is the bottleneck, as even the CPU's single-threaded performance is far above what the low frame rates indicate is being utilized.

Q: What is the average frame rate for the Medium preset at 2560x1440?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 yields an average frame rate of 46 FPS, with a minimum of 39 FPS and a maximum of 53 FPS. This shows a somewhat inconsistent frame time, which could be noticeable during intense gameplay.

Q: How does the Arc B390's performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Arc B390's average benchmark score is 1482. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, has an average score of 1463, which is 1.3% slower. The gap widens to 2.7% when compared to the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710, which scores 1443.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the definitive performance limiter in this configuration. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 puts it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, a very low standing that aligns with the measured frame rates. The GPU operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, but its integrated nature is its primary constraint. It relies on System Shared memory, with its bandwidth being system-dependent. This means the GPU is not only sharing the main system memory but also competing for bandwidth with the CPU, which can introduce latency and reduce effective throughput.

The GPU's specifications, such as 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output pipelines, are modest for a modern game. It also features 12 ray tracing cores, but the overall performance of the chip is insufficient for the demands of Lockdown Protocol at high settings. The Arc B390's FP32 performance is rated at 7.680 TFLOPS, a figure that explains its struggles to maintain high frame rates. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the GPU can only produce an average of 19 FPS, and even at the more forgiving 1080p Low preset, it maxes out at 88 FPS. This suggests the GPU is fundamentally limited by its raw processing power and memory subsystem, not by any specific game setting.

Settings Recommendations

For this specific hardware combination, the priority must be maximizing frame rate, as the GPU is the bottleneck. The data shows a clear hierarchy of performance across the four measured presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset is the only one that delivers a frame rate (88 FPS) that would be considered ideal for a competitive FPS. The Medium preset at 63 FPS is also playable, and the High preset at 55 FPS is acceptable for a less demanding experience. The Ultra preset at 41 FPS is likely to feel sluggish.

At 2560x1440, the recommendation shifts. The Low preset, at 65 FPS, is the only one that breaks the 60 FPS barrier. The Medium preset's 46 FPS average, with a minimum of 39 FPS, could result in noticeable stutter during action sequences. The High and Ultra presets, at 40 FPS and 30 FPS respectively, are not recommended for a playable experience. At 3840x2160, none of the presets are recommended for serious play. The Low preset's 42 FPS average is the highest achieved, but it still falls short of a smooth 60 FPS target.

The best experience per the measured rows is found at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. This configuration yields an average of 88 FPS, which provides a responsive and fluid gameplay experience. If visual fidelity is a higher priority, the Medium preset at 1080p (63 FPS) offers a compromise, but the Low preset is the most consistent performer for this hardware.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured frame rates provides a detailed picture of the system's capabilities. At 1920x1080, the performance is as follows: Low preset averages 88 FPS. Medium preset averages 63 FPS, with a minimum of 53 FPS and a maximum of 72 FPS. High preset averages 55 FPS. Ultra preset averages 41 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop significantly. The Low preset averages 65 FPS. The Medium preset averages 46 FPS, with a minimum of 39 FPS and a maximum of 53 FPS. The High preset averages 40 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 30 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system's limitations become most apparent. The Low preset averages 42 FPS. The Medium preset averages 30 FPS, with a minimum of 25 FPS and a maximum of 34 FPS. The High preset averages 26 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 19 FPS.

The data shows a consistent pattern: the Low preset provides the highest average frame rate at every resolution, and the Ultra preset provides the lowest. The Medium preset consistently provides a moderate frame rate, with the measured minimum and maximum values showing some variance. This indicates that the GPU is performing as expected for its class, with the integrated design and shared memory architecture limiting its ability to handle the demands of higher resolutions and more complex graphical settings.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D is a high-end desktop processor that is clearly not the limiting factor in this configuration. It features 16 cores and 32 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture, with a base clock of 4.30 GHz and a boost clock of 5.70 GHz. The CPU's benchmark scores reflect its strength. It achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 42018 and a single-core score of 2259. Its Geekbench multicore score is 26736, and its single-core score is 3064. The 3DMark scores also show strong scaling, from 1292 in the single-thread test to 17184 in the max-thread test.

The CPU's performance percentile of 95% places it among the top processors available. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755, which is only 0.1% slower, and the Intel Core Ultra 9 285, which is 0.4% slower. This level of performance is far beyond what is needed to feed the Intel Arc B390. The measured frame rates in Lockdown Protocol, which top out at 88 FPS, are almost certainly limited by the GPU's rendering capabilities, not the CPU's processing power. The CPU is likely waiting on the GPU for most of the frame time, meaning its powerful cores and large cache are underutilized.

The CPU's 128 MB of L3 cache and support for DDR5 memory are features that would benefit a more powerful discrete GPU, but they do not compensate for the integrated graphics unit's limitations. The data strongly suggests that the CPU is operating in a state of excess capacity, with its high single-thread and multithread performance ensuring that it will never be the cause of a frame rate drop in this game. The bottleneck is unequivocally the GPU.