Lockdown Protocol

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the Intel Arc B570 places at rank 2264 out of 2828 tested combinations for Lockdown Protocol. This position, falling in the lower 20% of all tested combos, indicates that this pairing is not optimized for high-refresh-rate competitive play at maximum settings. The data shows a system that can deliver playable frame rates, but it requires careful settings management to avoid dipping into territory where the game's fast-paced FPS action becomes less fluid. The rank reflects a mid-to-low tier standing, meaning users should expect to make compromises, particularly at higher resolutions or with more demanding graphical presets.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 2264 out of 2828 places it in the bottom quintile of all tested systems for Lockdown Protocol. Benchmark results indicate this is a functional but not exceptional setup for this specific title. The position suggests that while the hardware can run the game, it does so with less headroom than the majority of tested configurations. For context, this rank puts the pairing below the median performer, meaning roughly 80% of tested combos deliver higher average frame rates.

The Intel Core i5-12400F component itself holds a 73rd percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19039. Its nearest rivals show marginal differences: the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS scores 19047 (0% delta), the Intel Core 3 201E scores 19056 (-0.1%), the Intel Core i5-1335U scores 18982 (0.3%), and the AMD EPYC 7773X scores 18979 (0.3%). These tiny deltas indicate the CPU is performing exactly as expected for its class, neither exceeding nor falling short of comparable processors.

The Intel Arc B570 GPU holds a 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 20556. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile at 20534 (0.1% delta), the Intel Arc A750 at 20582 (-0.1%), the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M at 20480 (0.4%), and the AMD Radeon R9 M390X at 20662 (-0.5%). The GPU's mid-pack standing relative to these competitors suggests it provides consistent, predictable performance without major outliers in either direction.

In Lockdown Protocol specifically, the combination's rank is notably lower than the individual component rankings would suggest. This discrepancy points to the game's specific engine demands, which may not favor this particular CPU-GPU pairing. The measured FPS data confirms this, showing that even at 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 136 FPS average, which is respectable but not outstanding for a competitive FPS title.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 brings 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, delivering 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base and boost clocks are both rated at 2500 MHz, with memory running at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). The GPU's 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units provide the raw processing power, while 18 ray tracing cores add hardware acceleration for supported effects.

The GPU's pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s indicate balanced throughput for its class. The FP32 performance of 11.52 TFLOPS places it in the mid-range tier, which aligns with its percentile ranking of 65 among all GPUs. The 150 W TDP and dual-slot design suggest it is a power-conscious option that should fit in most standard ATX cases without requiring exotic cooling.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU's memory configuration plays a significant role in the measured results. At 4K Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 30, suggesting the 10 GB VRAM buffer is sufficient but the processing throughput becomes the limiting factor. The transition from High to Ultra at 4K shows a 25% performance reduction (40 to 30 FPS), indicating that the highest settings introduce rendering loads that stress the GPU's compute capabilities.

The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) is relevant for a modern FPS title, as this API level enables advanced features that the game may leverage. The Vulkan 1.4 and OpenGL 4.6 support provide compatibility across different rendering paths. Benchmark scores show the GPU's DirectX 12 performance at 72, which is lower than its DirectX 11 score of 118, suggesting the architecture may have some overhead in newer API implementations that affect this game's performance.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimal settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 136 FPS average, which is the highest measured value across any configuration. The Medium preset drops to 96 FPS, while High yields 84 FPS and Ultra falls to 63 FPS. For competitive play where frame rate is paramount, the Low preset at 1080p offers the best experience, providing nearly double the refresh rate headroom compared to Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers 100 FPS average, which remains fluid for most gaming scenarios. The Medium preset at 71 FPS (with a minimum of 60 and maximum of 81) provides a balanced experience, while High drops to 62 FPS and Ultra to 46 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p appears to be the sweet spot for visual quality combined with acceptable performance, maintaining a minimum above 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the data shows diminishing returns. The Low preset achieves 64 FPS, which is the only 4K configuration that clears the 60 FPS threshold. Medium drops to 46 FPS (minimum 39, maximum 52), High to 40 FPS, and Ultra to 30 FPS. For 4K users, the Low preset is the only viable option for smooth gameplay, while Medium and above will introduce noticeable stuttering.

The recommendation based on measured results is to prioritize the 1080p Low preset for maximum fluidity, or the 1440p Medium preset for a balance of visual fidelity and performance. The 4K Low preset is playable but offers no visual advantage over 1440p Medium given the significant frame rate trade-off.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 provides the highest average frame rates across all settings, with the Low preset achieving 136 FPS. This is the recommended resolution for competitive play.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Lockdown Protocol?

A: At 3840x2160, only the Low preset achieves a playable 64 FPS average. Medium produces 46 FPS, High 40 FPS, and Ultra 30 FPS, which are below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance affect this game?

A: The i5-12400F scores 12380 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 5912 in 3DMark max threads. These scores place it in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs, indicating sufficient processing power that is not likely the primary bottleneck in most scenarios.

Q: What is the GPU's DirectX 12 performance relative to its DirectX 11 score?

A: The Arc B570 scores 72 in PassMark DirectX 12 and 118 in DirectX 11. This suggests the GPU performs better with older API implementations, which may impact Lockdown Protocol's modern rendering pipeline.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rival in terms of benchmark score?

A: The Arc B570's average benchmark score of 20556 is nearly identical to the Intel Arc A750 at 20582 (-0.1% delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile at 20534 (0.1% delta).

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

A: The measured data shows an average of 71 FPS with a minimum of 60 FPS and maximum of 81 FPS at 2560x1440 Medium settings, providing consistent performance above the 60 FPS threshold.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS progression from 1080p to 4K reveals the limiting component clearly. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 136 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 100 FPS, a 26.5% reduction. At 4K Low, the frame rate falls to 64 FPS, another 36% reduction from 1440p. This scaling pattern indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as resolution increases place exponentially greater demands on the rendering pipeline.

For the Medium preset, the scaling is similar: 96 FPS at 1080p, 71 FPS at 1440p (26% reduction), and 46 FPS at 4K (35% reduction from 1440p). The High preset shows 84 FPS at 1080p, 62 FPS at 1440p (26.2% reduction), and 40 FPS at 4K (35.5% reduction). The Ultra preset follows the same trajectory: 63, 46, and 30 FPS respectively.

The consistent percentage reductions across all settings suggest the GPU's compute and memory bandwidth scale predictably with resolution. The 380.0 GB/s memory bandwidth becomes increasingly stressed at higher resolutions, and the 10 GB VRAM capacity may approach its limits at 4K Ultra. The CPU's role appears secondary, as the frame rate drops align more closely with GPU-bound scaling patterns than with CPU thread limitations.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F provides 6 cores and 12 threads with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its 18 MB shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache support the game's data access patterns. The 10 nm process node and Alder Lake architecture deliver a balanced single-thread and multi-thread performance profile.

Benchmark scores show strong multi-threaded capability: Cinebench R23 multi-core scores 12380, while single-core scores 1680. The 3DMark results range from 909 in single-thread to 5912 in max-threads, indicating good scaling across thread counts. PassMark multi-thread score of 19433 and single-thread score of 3481 further confirm this balance.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (136 FPS) approaches typical CPU-bound territory for FPS titles, but the consistent scaling across resolutions suggests the GPU remains the limiting factor. The CPU's 73rd percentile ranking among all CPUs and its negligible deltas to nearest rivals (0% to 0.3%) indicate it performs exactly as expected, neither enhancing nor diminishing the gaming experience beyond its class.

The 65 W TDP and dual-channel memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5 provide flexibility, though the game's performance does not appear to be memory-bandwidth sensitive based on the measured data. The CPU's PCIe Gen 5 support with 20 lanes ensures the GPU can communicate at full bandwidth, though the Arc B570 uses PCIe 4.0 x8, which is sufficient for this workload.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 136 FPS, the highest measured in the entire dataset. The Medium preset averages 96 FPS with a minimum of 82 and maximum of 111, showing tight frame pacing. High averages 84 FPS, while Ultra drops to 63 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 53.7% reduction in average FPS, highlighting the significant cost of higher settings.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 100 FPS, maintaining high fluidity. Medium averages 71 FPS with a minimum of 60 and maximum of 81, keeping gameplay above the 60 FPS threshold. High averages 62 FPS, while Ultra falls to 46 FPS. The Medium preset at this resolution provides the most consistent experience, with the minimum FPS matching the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 64 FPS, the only 4K configuration that maintains playable performance. Medium averages 46 FPS with a minimum of 39 and maximum of 52, indicating noticeable frame drops during intense scenes. High averages 40 FPS, while Ultra averages 30 FPS. The 4K Ultra experience is essentially unplayable for a fast-paced FPS, with frame rates below 30 FPS being common in demanding moments.

The data shows a clear pattern: each resolution step from 1080p to 1440p reduces average FPS by approximately 26%, and each step from 1440p to 4K reduces it by approximately 36%. This non-linear scaling is typical of GPU-bound workloads where pixel count increases exponentially. The Medium settings consistently provide the most balanced experience across all resolutions, offering the best compromise between visual quality and frame rate stability.