Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with Intel Core i5-14400F + Intel Arc B370

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the Intel Arc B370 lands at rank 2611 out of 2828 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing this configuration in the bottom 8% of all tested systems. This is a combination where the GPU's integrated-class positioning (25 W TDP, System Shared memory) creates a severe bottleneck, despite the CPU being a solid mid-range desktop part that sits in the 83rd percentile among all CPUs. The measured frame rates across all resolutions and settings confirm that the Arc B370's 5th percentile GPU ranking overwhelmingly dictates the experience, with the i5-14400F's 10 cores and 16 threads rarely being the limiting factor. Benchmark results indicate this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming at lower presets, where it can approach playability, but it struggles to maintain smooth frame rates at higher resolutions or more demanding quality settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 2611 out of 2828 tested combinations places it in the bottom 7.7% of all configurations tested in Lockdown Protocol. This is a decisive indicator that the pairing is heavily constrained by the GPU side of the equation. The Intel Arc B370 sits at the 5th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. Its nearest rivals in synthetic testing include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (deltaPct -0.2%), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (deltaPct -0.5%), AMD Radeon HD 7650M (deltaPct -0.7%), and AMD FirePro M2000 (deltaPct 1.4%). These deltas are all within 1.4% of the Arc B370's score, meaning the GPU is performing at roughly the same level as these older, much less capable graphics solutions.

In contrast, the Intel Core i5-14400F holds an 83rd percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 32279. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U (deltaPct 0.1%), Intel Core i9-11900 (deltaPct 0.2%), AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS (deltaPct -0.2%), and Intel Core i7-12800H (deltaPct 0.5%). The CPU is essentially on par with these competitors, showing that the i5-14400F is a capable processor that would not typically be the source of severe frame rate limitations. The massive discrepancy between the CPU's 83rd percentile and the GPU's 5th percentile explains why this combo ranks so poorly in Lockdown Protocol — the data suggests the GPU is the overwhelming performance ceiling, and the CPU's potential is largely unrealized in this configuration.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 at Low settings delivers an average of 80 FPS, which is the highest measured frame rate across all tested configurations. At 2560x1440 Low, the average drops to 58 FPS, and at 3840x2160 Low, it falls to 38 FPS, indicating that 1080p is the only resolution where this combo approaches consistently smooth performance.

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

A: The Intel Arc B370 scores 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. Its closest competitors are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 at 1186 (0.2% faster), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 at 1190 (0.5% faster), and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M at 1192 (0.7% faster). The AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1168, which is 1.4% slower. All of these deltas are minimal, confirming the Arc B370's performance tier.

Q: Is the CPU holding back performance in this game?

A: No, the benchmark data does not suggest the CPU is the limiting factor. The Intel Core i5-14400F scores 21645 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3055 in single-core, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are within 0.5% of its average score. The GPU's 5th percentile ranking indicates it is the primary constraint.

Q: What FPS can I expect at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the measured average FPS is 42, with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 48 FPS. This represents a playable but not smooth experience, as the average falls below the typical 60 FPS target for competitive FPS games.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 18, which is well below playable thresholds. Even at 4K Low settings, the average only reaches 38 FPS, indicating that 4K is not a viable resolution for this combination in Lockdown Protocol.

Q: Are the measured FPS values consistent across different settings at the same resolution?

A: The data shows a clear scaling pattern. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 80 at Low, 57 at Medium, 49 at High, down to 37 at Ultra. This consistent drop across quality presets indicates the GPU is the bottleneck, as raising settings directly reduces frame rates in a predictable manner.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the defining component in this configuration, and its specifications explain the measured results. The GPU operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz, built on Intel's 3 nm process with the Xe3-LPG architecture. It features 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster output pipelines, along with 10 ray tracing cores. The pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 96.00 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance rated at 6.144 TFLOPS.

The most critical limitation is the memory subsystem. The Arc B370 uses System Shared memory, meaning its VRAM size, type, bus width, and bandwidth are all dependent on the host system's RAM. This is a fundamental constraint for a game like Lockdown Protocol, which requires consistent memory bandwidth for texture streaming and frame buffer operations. The GPU's 25 W TDP and integrated graphics form factor (IGP) further confirm its positioning as a low-power, entry-level solution. The DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) support and Vulkan 1.4 API compatibility are present, but the hardware's raw throughput is insufficient for demanding scenarios.

Given the GPU's 5th percentile ranking and its nearest rivals being older mobile and desktop parts from over a decade ago, the measured FPS in Lockdown Protocol aligns with expectations. The 23 FPS average at 4K High and 18 FPS at 4K Ultra directly reflect the GPU's inability to handle high-resolution rendering with demanding settings. Even at 1080p Low, where the average reaches 80 FPS, the GPU is working near its limits, and the substantial frame rate drops at higher settings demonstrate the lack of headroom in this component.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of this combo's performance across three resolutions and four quality settings. At 1920x1080, the average FPS values are 80 at Low, 57 at Medium, 49 at High, and 37 at Ultra. The Medium setting includes a minimum of 48 FPS and a maximum of 65 FPS, showing a relatively wide variance. The 1080p Low result is the only configuration in the entire dataset that exceeds 60 FPS, making it the sole scenario where this combo delivers smooth, competitive gameplay.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages drop to 58 at Low, 42 at Medium, 36 at High, and 27 at Ultra. The Medium setting records a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 48 FPS. None of these averages reach 60 FPS, and even the Low preset falls short of that target. The 1440p results indicate that this resolution is only marginally playable at the lowest quality settings, with a 58 FPS average that would still experience noticeable drops during intense scenes.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes marginal to unplayable. The averages are 38 at Low, 27 at Medium, 23 at High, and 18 at Ultra. The Medium setting shows a minimum of 23 FPS and a maximum of 31 FPS. These numbers are well below the 30 FPS threshold typically considered the minimum for playable experiences, and the 18 FPS at Ultra is effectively a slideshow. The data across all resolutions shows a consistent pattern: each step up in quality settings costs roughly 15-20% of the average FPS, and each resolution increase from 1080p to 1440p to 4K costs approximately 30-40% of the average FPS.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the GPU-bound nature of this combination. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 80 at 1080p, to 58 at 1440p, and finally to 38 at 4K. This represents a 27.5% decrease from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 34.5% decrease from 1440p to 4K. At High settings, the progression is 49 at 1080p, 36 at 1440p, and 23 at 4K — a 26.5% drop followed by a 36.1% drop.

These scaling patterns are consistent with a GPU that is heavily limited by memory bandwidth and raw compute throughput. The Arc B370's System Shared memory means that higher resolutions directly increase the data transfer requirements between the GPU and system RAM, exacerbating the bandwidth bottleneck. The fact that the FPS drops are relatively proportional across resolution increases suggests that the GPU is consistently saturated, regardless of the resolution being rendered.

The data implies that the limiting component is unambiguously the GPU. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see smaller FPS differences between 1080p and 1440p at lower settings, as the CPU load would remain relatively constant while the GPU work increases. Instead, the FPS scales almost linearly with the number of pixels, which is the hallmark of a GPU-limited scenario. The i5-14400F's strong multi-core performance (21645 in Cinebench R23 multi-core) and high boost clock of 4.70 GHz are simply not being taxed to their full potential because the GPU cannot feed frames fast enough.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal configuration for this combo is 1920x1080 with Low settings, which delivers an average of 80 FPS. This is the only setting combination that achieves a frame rate above 60 FPS, making it the clear choice for players who prioritize smooth, responsive gameplay in Lockdown Protocol. The 1080p Medium preset, at 57 FPS average, is a viable alternative if visual quality is a priority, but it comes with the risk of dropping below 60 FPS during intense scenes, as the minimum recorded FPS is 48.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset at 58 FPS average is the best option, though it falls short of the 60 FPS target. Players with 1440p monitors should expect to make compromises, as even the lowest quality settings do not deliver consistent smoothness. The 1440p Medium preset at 42 FPS average is playable but noticeably less fluid, and the High and Ultra presets at 36 and 27 FPS respectively are not recommended for a competitive FPS game.

The 4K resolution should be avoided entirely for this combination. Even at Low settings, the 38 FPS average is below the playable threshold, and the Ultra preset at 18 FPS is unplayable. The data suggests that users should prioritize resolution over quality settings — dropping to 1080p Low yields an 80 FPS experience, which is 110% faster than 4K Low's 38 FPS. For a game like Lockdown Protocol where reaction time matters, the smooth 1080p Low experience is clearly preferable to any higher-resolution configuration.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F brings substantial processing power to this pairing, though its capabilities are largely untapped in Lockdown Protocol due to the GPU bottleneck. The CPU features 10 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. It is built on Intel's 10 nm process (Raptor Lake architecture) and supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i5-14400F demonstrates strong performance. It scores 21645 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3055 in single-core, along with 9090 in Cinebench R20 multi-core and 1283 in single-core. Geekbench results show 11268 multi-core and 2058 single-core. PassMark tests reveal a multithread score of 25470 and a single-thread score of 3701, with notable results in integer math (81524) and floating point math (61319). The CPU's 83rd percentile ranking among all CPUs and its nearest rivals being within 0.5% of its average score confirm that it is a capable mid-range processor.

For Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, physics calculations, and AI processing. The 10-core, 16-thread configuration provides ample headroom for these tasks, and the 4.70 GHz boost clock ensures strong single-threaded performance for scenarios that rely on a single primary thread. However, the measured FPS data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this combo. The consistent FPS drops across resolution increases, coupled with the GPU's 5th percentile ranking, indicate that the i5-14400F has significant unused potential. If paired with a more powerful GPU, this CPU would likely be capable of supporting much higher frame rates in Lockdown Protocol, but with the Arc B370, its performance is effectively capped by the graphics subsystem.