Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with Intel Core i5-10400F + Intel Arc B390

The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the Intel Arc B390 produces a combination that ranks at position 2512 out of 2828 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the bottom 11% of all configurations. This pairing of a 2020 six-core Comet Lake CPU with a 2026 integrated-class GPU delivers playable frame rates at 1080p with lower settings, but the data clearly shows the GPU as the dominant performance constraint across all resolutions. The Arc B390, with its 1536 shading units and 24 ROPs, sits at the 9th percentile among all GPUs, while the i5-10400F performs at the 68th percentile among CPUs — a significant mismatch that shapes every benchmark result in this FPS title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep and consistent performance degradation as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 55 FPS at 1080p to 40 FPS at 1440p (a 27% reduction) and then to 26 FPS at 4K (a 53% reduction from the 1080p baseline). This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting component, as the frame rate falls nearly proportionally with the pixel count increase — 1080p has roughly 2.07 million pixels, 1440p has 3.69 million (1.78x more), and 4K has 8.29 million (4x more). The observed FPS ratios (55:40:26) do not perfectly match pixel ratios, suggesting some CPU headroom at lower resolutions, but the overall trend is unmistakably GPU-bound.

At Low settings, the same resolution scaling appears even more pronounced: 88 FPS at 1080p drops to 65 FPS at 1440p (26% reduction) and then to 42 FPS at 4K (52% reduction). The consistency of these percentage drops across different quality presets strongly suggests that resolution scaling is independent of settings — the GPU is saturated at every quality level, and adding pixels costs the same relative performance regardless of whether the scene is rendered with Low or High detail.

The Medium preset provides the only complete dataset with min and max FPS values, offering additional insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the average is 63 FPS with a range from 53 to 72 FPS; at 1440p Medium, the average falls to 46 FPS with a range from 39 to 53 FPS; and at 4K Medium, the average drops to 30 FPS with a range from 25 to 34 FPS. The frame range narrows proportionally at higher resolutions — the spread is 19 FPS at 1080p, 14 FPS at 1440p, and 9 FPS at 4K — indicating that as the GPU becomes more saturated, the frame delivery becomes more consistent but at a cost of significantly lower average performance.

The Ultra preset shows the most severe resolution penalty: 41 FPS at 1080p, 30 FPS at 1440p, and 19 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 19 FPS is barely interactive, and the 52% drop from 1080p to 4K mirrors the scaling seen at other settings. This consistency across all four quality presets — High, Low, Medium, and Ultra — provides strong evidence that the limiting component is the GPU, not the CPU, since a CPU-bound scenario would show much smaller FPS differences when resolution changes.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-10400F and Intel Arc B390 achieves a combo rank of 2512 out of 2828 tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol. This places the pairing in the bottom 11.2% of all configurations, which is consistent with the GPU's low benchmark standing. The Arc B390's average benchmark score of 1482 places it at the 9th percentile among all GPUs, with its nearest rivals being the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (score 1463, deltaPct 1.3), NVIDIA GeForce 800M (score 1460, deltaPct 1.5), NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (score 1446, deltaPct 2.5), and NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (score 1443, deltaPct 2.7). The Arc B390 outperforms these older discrete GPUs by margins of 1.3% to 2.7%, but they are all entry-level or legacy parts, underscoring the B390's position at the bottom of the GPU performance hierarchy.

In contrast, the CPU side presents a much more favorable picture. The i5-10400F has an average benchmark score of 14185, placing it at the 68th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon 6756E (score 14163, deltaPct 0.2), Intel Core 7 160UL (score 14232, deltaPct -0.3), AMD EPYC 7552 (score 14115, deltaPct 0.5), and AMD Ryzen 3 7320C (score 14277, deltaPct -0.6). The i5-10400F sits within 0.6% of these rivals, indicating that its compute capability is well within the mainstream range for modern CPUs.

The rank discrepancy between the CPU (68th percentile) and GPU (9th percentile) explains the overall combo ranking. The data suggests that the i5-10400F is not the bottleneck in this system; rather, the Arc B390's limited rasterization throughput — evidenced by its 7.680 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate — constrains the entire combination to near-bottom rankings. The 2512th position out of 2828 is driven almost entirely by the GPU's limitations, as the CPU's 68th percentile standing would otherwise support a mid-tier ranking.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F provides 6 cores and 12 threads with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 42.7 GB/s bandwidth are typical for a 2020 mainstream desktop processor. In benchmark tests, the CPU achieves a 3DMark max threads score of 4735 and a single-thread score of 688, along with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 10283 and single-core score of 1451. These numbers place it at the 68th percentile among all CPUs, indicating solid multi-threaded performance for its generation.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU, based on the resolution scaling analysis. If the i5-10400F were the limiting factor, we would expect to see similar FPS across different resolutions at the same settings — a CPU-bound scenario. Instead, the dramatic FPS drops from 1080p to 4K (e.g., 88 to 42 FPS at Low settings) indicate that the GPU is saturated while the CPU still has headroom. The 6-core/12-thread configuration with boost clocks up to 4.30 GHz is sufficient to feed the Arc B390 at 1080p, where the GPU's modest output (88 FPS at Low) does not demand extreme CPU throughput.

The i5-10400F's 3DMark 16-thread score of 4748 and 8-thread score of 3929 suggest that the CPU can handle modern game workloads with multiple threads, but Lockdown Protocol's performance is not CPU-limited in this configuration. The data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the CPU would be most likely to bottleneck, the system achieves 88 FPS — a result that is constrained by the GPU's capabilities rather than the CPU's. The CPU's PassMark multithread score of 12115 and single-thread score of 2541 further confirm that it is not a weak component; rather, it is paired with a GPU that cannot fully utilize its potential.

The CPU's 65W TDP and 14nm process node are modest specifications, but they do not translate into performance limitations in this game. The benchmark results indicate that the i5-10400F is operating well within its capabilities, with the GPU being the clear performance ceiling. The 68th percentile CPU ranking versus the 9th percentile GPU ranking creates a 59-percentage-point gap, and the measured FPS data reflects this imbalance — the system performs at the level of its weakest component, which is the Arc B390.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS across settings ranges from 41 to 88. The Low preset delivers the highest average at 88 FPS, followed by Medium at 63 FPS (with a range of 53 to 72 FPS), High at 55 FPS, and Ultra at 41 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 47 FPS, representing a 53% performance difference between the lowest and highest quality presets. The Medium preset's min-max range of 53-72 FPS shows a 19 FPS spread, which is the widest of any resolution at this setting, indicating more frame time variability at 1080p where the GPU has more headroom.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS drops across all settings: Low delivers 65 FPS, Medium averages 46 FPS (range 39-53 FPS), High averages 40 FPS, and Ultra averages 30 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra gap narrows to 35 FPS (54% difference), and the Medium range tightens to 14 FPS. The 1440p results show a 26-28% reduction from 1080p at each corresponding setting, consistent with the resolution scaling analysis.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes marginal for most settings: Low averages 42 FPS, Medium averages 30 FPS (range 25-34 FPS), High averages 26 FPS, and Ultra averages 19 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra gap is 23 FPS (55% difference), and the Medium range narrows to 9 FPS. Only the Low preset achieves a playable average above 40 FPS at 4K, while Ultra at 19 FPS is effectively unplayable for a fast-paced FPS title.

The complete dataset shows a consistent pattern: each resolution step up (1080p to 1440p to 4K) costs roughly 25-28% of the average FPS at each settings level. The Medium preset's min and max FPS values provide the only frame time data, and they show that the spread tightens as resolution increases — from 19 FPS at 1080p to 9 FPS at 4K — indicating that the GPU becomes more consistently saturated at higher resolutions, reducing frame time variance but also reducing average performance to potentially unplayable levels.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics solution from the Arc Graphics-M (Panther Lake) generation, built on a 3nm process with the Xe3-LPG architecture. It features 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, 24 ROPs, and 12 ray tracing cores, with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. The GPU's memory is system shared with a bandwidth described as system dependent, and it achieves a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s. Its FP32 performance is 7.680 TFLOPS, with FP16 at 15.36 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio).

The GPU's benchmark results are sparse, with only a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482, placing it at the 9th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all legacy NVIDIA parts — the GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710 — with the B390 leading them by 1.3% to 2.7%. This positioning is consistent with the measured FPS data in Lockdown Protocol, where the GPU's limited rasterization throughput (60 GPixel/s and 7.680 TFLOPS) constrains performance to sub-90 FPS even at 1080p Low.

The GPU's 80W TDP and IGP slot width indicate it is designed for portable devices, and its display outputs are described as portable device dependent. This form factor explains its low percentile ranking — it is not a discrete desktop GPU but rather an integrated solution that competes with decade-old discrete parts. The measured FPS data confirms this: at 1080p Ultra, the 41 FPS average is below the 60 FPS threshold commonly desired for FPS games, while at 4K Ultra, the 19 FPS average is far below playability.

The GPU's 2500 MHz boost clock and 1536 shading units provide a theoretical maximum throughput, but the actual performance in Lockdown Protocol is limited by its memory bandwidth (system dependent) and ROP count (24). The 60 GPixel/s pixel rate translates directly to the resolution scaling observed — at 4K (8.29 million pixels), the fill rate is insufficient to maintain high frame rates, resulting in the 19-42 FPS range across settings. The GPU's role as the primary bottleneck is unambiguous: the CPU operates at the 68th percentile while the GPU operates at the 9th percentile, and the FPS data reflects the GPU's limitations at every resolution and settings combination.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 is the only resolution where any preset achieves an average above 60 FPS — Low delivers 88 FPS and Medium delivers 63 FPS. At 1440p, the maximum average is 65 FPS at Low, and at 4K, even Low only reaches 42 FPS.

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

A: The Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482, which is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (score 1463), 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M (score 1460), 2.5% higher than the GT 625 OEM (score 1446), and 2.7% higher than the GT 710 (score 1443). All these rivals are legacy entry-level parts.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this configuration?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The i5-10400F ranks at the 68th percentile among CPUs, while the Arc B390 ranks at the 9th percentile among GPUs. The FPS drops consistently by 25-28% for each resolution increase, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, not a CPU-bound one.

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 41 FPS. This is the lowest average at 1080p, compared to 55 FPS at High, 63 FPS at Medium, and 88 FPS at Low.

Q: How does the i5-10400F's benchmark performance compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The i5-10400F has an average benchmark score of 14185, which is 0.2% above the Intel Xeon 6756E (score 14163), 0.3% below the Intel Core 7 160UL (score 14232), 0.5% above the AMD EPYC 7552 (score 14115), and 0.6% below the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C (score 14277).

Q: What frame rate range can be expected at 1440p Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows an average of 46 FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings, with a minimum of 39 FPS and a maximum of 53 FPS, representing a 14 FPS range.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimal settings in Lockdown Protocol with this hardware combination. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset offers the best balance between visual quality and performance: 63 FPS average with a range of 53 to 72 FPS keeps the experience above 60 FPS most of the time and provides smoother frame delivery than the Low preset's 88 FPS average would suggest, since the Medium range shows acceptable variance. The High preset at 55 FPS is a viable alternative for users prioritizing visual fidelity, but it dips below the 60 FPS threshold, making Medium the recommended choice for consistent gameplay.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset is the only option that maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, delivering 65 FPS average. The Medium preset at 46 FPS (range 39-53 FPS) is borderline for an FPS title, with the minimum falling to 39 FPS during demanding scenes. Users at 1440p should select Low settings to prioritize frame rate, as the High preset at 40 FPS and Ultra at 30 FPS are too low for responsive aiming in a competitive shooter.

At 3840x2160, the data shows that no preset achieves a consistently playable frame rate — the best option is Low at 42 FPS average, followed by Medium at 30 FPS, High at 26 FPS, and Ultra at 19 FPS. For 4K gaming, the Low preset is the only choice that approaches playability, but even it falls below the 60 FPS ideal and will require significant graphical compromises. Users with 4K displays should strongly consider running the game at a lower resolution such as 1440p to achieve better frame rates.

The overall recommendation based on the measured rows is to run Lockdown Protocol at 1920x1080 with Medium settings, which provides the highest average FPS above 60 (63 FPS) with a documented range of 53-72 FPS. This combination of resolution and settings maximizes the playable experience given the GPU's 9th percentile performance, while the CPU's 68th percentile standing ensures it is not a limiting factor at these settings. For users who prefer higher resolutions, the Low preset at 1440p (65 FPS) is the only alternative that maintains playable frame rates, but the 1080p Medium option offers better visual quality at a similar performance level.