Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol, an FPS released in March 2024, presents a demanding workload for the Intel Core i5-10400F and Intel Arc B580 combination. Measured frame rates across resolutions and presets reveal a system that is capable at 1080p and 1440p, but struggles at 4K. The Arc B580, with a launch MSRP of 249 USD, pairs with a 6-core, 12-thread CPU to deliver playable performance in most scenarios.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern: as resolution increases, average frame rates drop by roughly half from 1080p to 4K across all presets. At High settings, the system delivers 94.1 FPS at 1920x1080, 71.9 FPS at 2560x1440, and 46.8 FPS at 3840x2160. That is a 23.6% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a 50.3% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The same scaling holds for Low, Medium, and Ultra presets. Low goes from 151.8 FPS at 1080p to 111.3 FPS at 1440p and 71.9 FPS at 4K — a 52.6% drop from 1080p to 4K. Medium falls from 110.4 to 82.6 to 49.9 FPS, and Ultra from 73.7 to 55.0 to 34.1 FPS.

This consistent halving of frame rates as pixel count quadruples indicates that the Intel Arc B580 is the primary limiting component at higher resolutions. The GPU’s 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and 456.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient to feed the render pipeline, but the raw compute throughput — 13.67 TFLOPS FP32 — becomes the bottleneck. At 1080p, the CPU has more headroom, as evidenced by the 151.8 FPS result on Low settings, which is high enough to suggest that the i5-10400F is not holding back the GPU at that resolution. The scaling pattern is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario: the FPS drop is proportional to the increase in pixel load, not to the CPU’s thread count or clock speed.

The difference between presets also scales predictably. At 1080p, Low to Ultra spans 151.8 to 73.7 FPS, a 51.5% reduction. At 1440p, the span is 111.3 to 55.0 FPS (50.6% reduction), and at 4K it is 71.9 to 34.1 FPS (52.6% reduction). This uniformity suggests that the GPU’s performance is the dominant factor across all settings, with the CPU contributing a relatively constant overhead.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: Based on measured FPS, 1080p provides the highest frame rates, with Low hitting 151.8 FPS and Ultra still at 73.7 FPS. At 1440p, Medium and High deliver 82.6 and 71.9 FPS respectively, while Ultra drops to 55.0 FPS. At 4K, only Low reaches 71.9 FPS; all other presets fall below 50 FPS.

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: Yes, at Medium and High presets the average FPS is 82.6 and 71.9 respectively. Ultra falls to 55.0 FPS, so for a 60 FPS target, Medium or High is recommended.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B580 compare to the GeForce RTX 4060?

A: In synthetic benchmarks, the B580’s average score is 23021, while the RTX 4060 scores 23181, a 0.7% difference. The B580 is also 0.1% above the Radeon 760M and 0.3% above the P106-100.

Q: What is the CPU’s performance relative to its nearest rivals?

A: The i5-10400F has an average benchmark score of 14168, which is 0.4% below the AMD EPYC 7552 (14115), and 0.8% above the Ryzen 3 7320C (14277), 1.1% above the i5-8500 (14332), and 1.2% above the Ryzen Embedded V2546 (14336).

Q: What is the combo’s rank in this game?

A: The combo ranks 1273 out of 1637 tested combos, placing it in the lower 22% of results. This is despite the CPU and GPU having above-average percentiles (73rd and 66th respectively).

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Comet Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. It has 12 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 memory in dual-channel mode. Its synthetic benchmark scores are solid for its class: Cinebench R23 multicore reaches 10297, single-core 1453, and Geekbench multicore 5783. The CPU sits in the 73rd percentile of all tested processors, meaning it outperforms 73% of CPUs in average benchmark score.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU’s role is evident from the frame rate data. At 1080p Low, the system produces 151.8 FPS, which is high enough to suggest that the CPU is not the limiting factor at that resolution. The boost clock of 4.30 GHz provides strong single-thread performance, which is critical for FPS games that rely on game logic and draw call submission. The 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient to handle the game’s multi-threaded workload, as indicated by the Cinebench R23 multicore score of 10297, which is 0.4% below the EPYC 7552 but 0.8% above the Ryzen 3 7320C.

However, the CPU’s influence diminishes as resolution increases. The consistent FPS drop from 1080p to 4K across all presets points to the GPU as the primary bottleneck. At 4K, even Low settings yield only 71.9 FPS, while the CPU’s performance remains unchanged. This suggests that the i5-10400F is capable of feeding the Arc B580 at 1080p and 1440p, but the GPU’s compute limits become the deciding factor at higher resolutions. The CPU’s 65 W TDP and 14 nm process node are modest by modern standards, but the measured results show that it does not prevent the system from reaching playable frame rates in this game.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimal settings. At 1080p, all presets exceed 60 FPS, with Low at 151.8, Medium at 110.4, High at 94.1, and Ultra at 73.7. For a high-refresh monitor, Low or Medium will push frame rates well above 100 FPS, while High still offers a smooth 94.1 FPS. Ultra is playable at 73.7 FPS, making it a viable choice for visual fidelity.

At 1440p, the situation tightens. Low delivers 111.3 FPS, Medium 82.6, High 71.9, and Ultra 55.0. For a 60 FPS target, Medium and High are the best options, with High providing a 71.9 FPS average that is close to the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra falls below 60 FPS, so it is not recommended for competitive play. At 4K, only Low achieves 71.9 FPS; Medium (49.9), High (46.8), and Ultra (34.1) all fall short of 60 FPS. Thus, for 4K gaming, Low is the only preset that maintains a playable frame rate.

The data suggests that the Arc B580’s 12 GB VRAM is not a limiting factor at these settings, as the frame rate differences between presets are consistent with compute load rather than memory capacity. For a balanced experience, Medium at 1440p offers 82.6 FPS, while High at 1080p offers 94.1 FPS. Players prioritizing frame rate should choose Low at 1080p for 151.8 FPS, while those seeking visual quality can use High at 1440p for 71.9 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-10400F + Intel Arc B580 combination ranks 1273 out of 1637 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the lower 22% of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms only 364 other combinations. This is a surprisingly low rank given that the CPU sits in the 73rd percentile and the GPU in the 66th percentile of their respective categories. The discrepancy suggests that the pairing is not well-suited to this specific game, or that the game is particularly demanding on the GPU.

The GPU’s nearest rival, the GeForce RTX 4060, has an average benchmark score of 23181, which is 0.7% higher than the B580’s 23021. While this synthetic difference is small, it may translate to a meaningful gap in Lockdown Protocol’s real-world performance. The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the EPYC 7552 (0.4% higher) and the Ryzen 3 7320C (0.8% lower), show that the i5-10400F is competitive in its class, but the combo’s low rank indicates that the overall system is not among the top performers in this game.

The rank of 1273 out of 1637 is a clear signal that while each component is individually above average, the combination does not deliver top-tier results in Lockdown Protocol. The measured FPS data confirms this: even at 1080p Low, the system reaches 151.8 FPS, which is respectable but not exceptional. At 4K, the system struggles to maintain 60 FPS on any preset except Low. For users seeking high frame rates at 1440p or 4K, this combo may require lower settings or a more powerful GPU. The data shows that the i5-10400F is not the bottleneck, but the Arc B580’s compute limits cap the system’s performance in this title.