Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with Intel Core i5-12400F + Intel Arc B370

This combination of the Intel Core i5-12400F and Intel Arc B370 ranks at position 2611 out of 2828 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the bottom 8% of all configurations. The data shows a system that is heavily constrained by its graphics solution, with the CPU demonstrating far more headroom than the GPU can utilize in this fast-paced FPS title.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 2611 out of 2828 places this configuration in the lower percentile of tested systems for Lockdown Protocol. This is a below-average position that reflects the significant bottleneck created by the Intel Arc B370, which sits at the 5th percentile among all GPUs. The CPU, by contrast, performs at the 73rd percentile among all processors, creating a stark imbalance that defines the entire performance profile of this system.

Benchmark results indicate that the GPU's average benchmark score of 1184 points places it in direct competition with legacy graphics cards from over a decade ago. Its nearest rivals include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (scoring 1186, just 0.2% faster), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (scoring 1190, 0.5% faster), and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M (scoring 1192, 0.7% faster). The only component it edges out is the AMD FirePro M2000, which scores 1168, making the Arc B370 1.4% faster. This positioning explains why the overall combo rank is so low—the GPU is competing with hardware from a different era.

The CPU, on the other hand, shows a much healthier standing. Its average benchmark score of 19039 aligns closely with the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS at 19047 (0% delta), the Intel Core 3 201E at 19056 (-0.1%), the Intel Core i5-1335U at 18982 (0.3%), and the AMD EPYC 7773X at 18979 (0.3%). This places the i5-12400F in solid mid-range territory, but that capability is largely wasted when paired with a GPU that ranks this low.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F brings six cores and twelve threads to this configuration, operating with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. This Alder Lake-S architecture processor, built on Intel's 10 nm process, features an L3 cache of 18 MB shared across all cores, with 80 KB of L1 cache per core and 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core. The CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory through a dual-channel interface, and its 65 W TDP makes it a modest power consumer.

Synthetic benchmarks paint a picture of a capable multi-threaded processor. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 12380 and single-core score of 1680 demonstrate strong performance for a mainstream desktop chip. Geekbench results show 9472 multi-core and 1964 single-core scores, while Passmark's multi-thread test yields 19433 and single-thread 3481. The 3DMark results reveal scaling from 1699 with 2 threads up to 5912 with max threads, indicating the processor can leverage additional threads effectively when the workload demands it.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role appears largely supplementary given the GPU bottleneck. The processor's 73rd percentile standing among all CPUs suggests it has ample capacity to feed frames to the graphics card, but the measured FPS numbers show the system is not CPU-limited at any resolution or settings level. The i5-12400F is essentially waiting on the Arc B370 throughout the test suite, with its 12 threads providing more than enough processing overhead for this FPS title.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the defining component of this system, and its specifications explain the performance ceiling. This integrated graphics solution, based on the Xe3-LPG architecture and Panther Lake chip, operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz. It features 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster operation pipelines, along with 10 ray tracing cores. The GPU's FP32 performance is rated at 6.144 TFLOPS, with pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s.

Memory configuration is unusual, as the Arc B370 uses system shared memory rather than dedicated VRAM, with bandwidth described as system dependent. The GPU's 25 W TDP and IGP slot width indicate it is designed for portable devices rather than desktop gaming, which aligns with its display outputs being portable device dependent. The 3 nm process node from Intel represents current-generation manufacturing, but the modest compute resources and shared memory architecture limit real-world gaming performance.

The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark score of 1184 places this GPU at the 5th percentile among all graphics cards. Its rival comparisons are telling: the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, a mobile GPU from roughly 2010, slightly outperforms it. The ATI Radeon HD 5770, a desktop card from the same era, is also faster. This positions the Arc B370 at a performance level that is simply inadequate for modern FPS gaming at acceptable frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data reveals a consistent pattern across all resolutions and settings, with the system struggling to maintain playable frame rates in most configurations. At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the Low preset delivers an average of 80 FPS, which is the only result in the entire dataset approaching smooth gameplay. The Medium preset drops to 57 FPS average with a range of 48 to 65 FPS, while High produces 49 FPS and Ultra falls to 37 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance degrades further across every settings level. Low yields 58 FPS average, Medium drops to 42 FPS with a range of 35 to 48 FPS, High produces 36 FPS, and Ultra manages only 27 FPS. These numbers show that even at 1440p, the system cannot consistently maintain 60 FPS at any quality level, and the higher presets fall well below acceptable thresholds for competitive play.

At 3840x2160, the results become largely unplayable. Low settings produce 38 FPS average, Medium drops to 27 FPS with a range of 23 to 31 FPS, High falls to 23 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 18 FPS. These figures indicate that 4K resolution is simply not viable for this combination, even at the lowest quality settings, as the GPU lacks the raw throughput and memory bandwidth to handle the pixel workload.

FAQ

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

A: The 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings is the only configuration that achieves an average FPS above 60, delivering 80 FPS. All other resolution and settings combinations fall below this threshold.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400F scores 19039 on average, essentially matching the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS at 19047 (0% delta) and the Intel Core 3 201E at 19056 (-0.1%). It slightly outperforms the Intel Core i5-1335U by 0.3% and the AMD EPYC 7773X by 0.3%.

Q: Is the GPU bottlenecking the system?

A: Yes, the data clearly indicates the GPU is the limiting component. The Arc B370 ranks at the 5th percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU ranks at the 73rd percentile, creating a significant performance imbalance.

Q: What settings provide the highest frame rate at 1080p?

A: The Low preset at 1920x1080 delivers the highest average FPS at 80. Medium follows at 57 FPS, High at 49 FPS, and Ultra at 37 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming?

A: No, at 3840x2160 the best result is 38 FPS on Low settings, with Ultra producing only 18 FPS. These frame rates are not suitable for smooth gameplay in an FPS title.

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

A: The Arc B370 scores 1184 on 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, trailing the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 by 0.2%, the ATI Radeon HD 5770 by 0.5%, and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M by 0.7%. It only outperforms the AMD FirePro M2000 by 1.4%.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimizing the experience in Lockdown Protocol with this hardware. The Low preset at 1920x1080 is the only configuration that delivers a consistently playable frame rate, with an average of 80 FPS. This should be the default recommendation for any user seeking smooth gameplay, as it provides a significant margin above the 60 FPS threshold.

For users who prioritize visual quality over frame rate, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 offers a compromise with 57 FPS average and a range of 48 to 65 FPS. This setting provides improved visual fidelity while remaining near playable territory, though users may notice occasional dips below 60 FPS. The High preset at 49 FPS and Ultra at 37 FPS are difficult to recommend, as they push the system into territory where competitive gameplay becomes challenging.

At higher resolutions, the recommendations become more restrictive. At 2560x1440, only the Low preset approaches playability at 58 FPS, with Medium dropping to 42 FPS. The 3840x2160 resolution should be avoided entirely, as even Low settings only manage 38 FPS, which is insufficient for an FPS title where reaction time matters. The data suggests that users should stick to 1080p with Low or possibly Medium settings to get the best balance of performance and visual quality from this combination.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals the GPU's limitations clearly. At Low settings, performance scales from 80 FPS at 1920x1080 to 58 FPS at 2560x1440, representing a 27.5% decrease, then further to 38 FPS at 3840x2160, a 52.5% drop from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern shows that resolution increases have a disproportionate impact on performance, which is characteristic of a GPU that is already operating near its bandwidth and compute limits.

The Medium preset demonstrates similar scaling behavior: 57 FPS at 1080p, 42 FPS at 1440p (26.3% decrease), and 27 FPS at 4K (52.6% decrease). High settings follow the same trend with 49, 36, and 23 FPS respectively, while Ultra produces 37, 27, and 18 FPS. The consistent percentage drops across all settings levels indicate that the limiting factor is resolution-dependent pixel throughput rather than any specific settings feature.

This scaling behavior provides strong evidence that the GPU is the primary constraint in this system. The i5-12400F, with its 73rd percentile ranking and strong multi-threaded scores, would not be expected to show such dramatic FPS drops with increasing resolution. The Arc B370's shared memory architecture and modest compute resources struggle to keep up with the increasing pixel counts, making the system effectively unplayable at 4K regardless of settings. For users of this combination, the data strongly suggests that 1080p is the practical ceiling, with 1440p only viable at the lowest quality preset.