Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with Intel Core i5-9400 + Intel Arc B370

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the Intel Arc B370 represents a low-positioned combination in the Lockdown Protocol benchmark database, ranking 2611th out of 2828 tested combos. This places the pairing in the bottom 8% of all configurations, a position driven primarily by the Arc B370's integrated-class GPU performance profile. The benchmark data shows this combo can deliver playable frame rates at 1080p with reduced settings, but it struggles significantly at higher resolutions and demanding presets.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall rank of this CPU-GPU combination in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The combo ranks 2611th out of 2828 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom percentile of all configurations tested for this game.

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo achieves at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 80 FPS, which is the highest recorded frame rate across all tested resolutions and settings.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B370 scores 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. It is 0.2% behind the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186), 0.5% behind the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190), 0.7% behind the AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192), and 1.4% ahead of the AMD FirePro M2000 (1168).

Q: What is the CPU's multi-core performance relative to its nearest rivals?

A: The i5-9400's average benchmark score is 2254. It is 0.2% behind the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (2259), 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core i7-10710U (2248), 0.4% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (2246), and 0.4% behind the Intel Core i3-10305 (2264).

Q: Does this combo achieve 60 FPS at 1440p in Lockdown Protocol?

A: No. At 2560x1440, the highest average FPS recorded is 58 with Low settings. All other settings at this resolution fall below 60 FPS, with Medium at 42, High at 36, and Ultra at 27.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration?

A: The Intel Arc B370 uses System Shared memory, meaning the memory size, type, bus width, and bandwidth are all system-dependent rather than dedicated VRAM.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and Intel Arc B370 sits at rank 2611 out of 2828 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places the pairing in the 92nd percentile from the bottom, meaning roughly 92% of all tested configurations deliver better performance in this game. The ranking reflects a fundamental mismatch between the game's demands and the GPU's capabilities.

The CPU itself is not the primary bottleneck in this pairing. The i5-9400 holds a 47th percentile ranking among all CPUs, which is a middling position but far from the bottom. Its average benchmark score of 2254 places it within a tight cluster of rivals: the i7-1068NG7 scores 2259 (0.2% ahead), the i7-10710U scores 2248 (0.3% behind), the Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246 (0.4% behind), and the i3-10305 scores 2264 (0.4% ahead). These are all sub-1% differences, indicating the CPU is competitive with its direct peers.

The GPU, by contrast, sits at the 5th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1184. Its nearest rivals are all legacy or low-end parts: the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186, 0.2% ahead), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, 0.5% ahead), the AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192, 0.7% ahead), and the AMD FirePro M2000 (1168, 1.4% behind). This places the Arc B370 in a performance tier that is simply not designed for demanding FPS titles at high settings.

The combination's 2611th rank is therefore overwhelmingly a GPU-limited outcome. The data shows that even with a reasonably competent six-core CPU, the integrated-class GPU cannot push Lockdown Protocol into comfortable frame rate territory at higher settings or resolutions.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is built on the Xe3-LPG architecture with a Panther Lake chip, fabricated on a 3 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz, with a power envelope of 25 W. The GPU integrates 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 render output units, along with 10 ray tracing cores.

The memory configuration is entirely system-dependent. The Arc B370 uses System Shared memory, meaning there is no dedicated VRAM; the memory type, bus width, and bandwidth all depend on the host system's configuration. This is a critical limitation for a game like Lockdown Protocol, which benefits from fast, dedicated graphics memory.

The GPU's compute capabilities include 6.144 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 12.29 TFLOPS FP16 performance (at 2:1 ratio). Pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s and texture rate is 96.00 GTexel/s. These numbers are modest by modern standalone GPU standards, and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184 confirms this — the GPU sits at the 5th percentile among all GPUs.

In Lockdown Protocol specifically, the GPU's limitations manifest clearly. At 1080p, the GPU can manage 80 FPS on Low settings, which suggests the title is playable when visual demands are minimized. However, as settings increase to Medium (57 FPS), High (49 FPS), and Ultra (37 FPS), the frame rate drops sharply. The pattern indicates that the GPU's fill rate and shading resources are quickly saturated by the game's rendering load.

The ray tracing cores (10) might suggest some future-proofing, but the GPU's overall throughput is insufficient to leverage them meaningfully in this title. The 25 W TDP also confirms this is an integrated-class part, not designed for sustained high-load gaming.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions (1080p, 1440p, and 4K) across four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, and Ultra). The results show a clear and consistent performance hierarchy.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 80 FPS average
• Medium: 57 FPS average (min 48, max 65)
• High: 49 FPS average
• Ultra: 37 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 58 FPS average
• Medium: 42 FPS average (min 35, max 48)
• High: 36 FPS average
• Ultra: 27 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 38 FPS average
• Medium: 27 FPS average (min 23, max 31)
• High: 23 FPS average
• Ultra: 18 FPS average

The 1080p Low setting is the only configuration that exceeds 60 FPS, hitting 80 FPS average. The 1080p Medium preset delivers 57 FPS, which is close to but technically below the 60 FPS threshold. At 1440p, the Low preset achieves 58 FPS, just missing 60 FPS. All other settings at all resolutions fall below 60 FPS.

The 4K results are uniformly poor. The best 4K result is 38 FPS on Low settings, which is barely playable for a fast-paced FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 18 FPS, which is effectively unplayable. The minimum frame rates at Medium settings (23 FPS at 4K, 35 FPS at 1440p, 48 FPS at 1080p) indicate that frame pacing becomes inconsistent as resolution increases.

The data shows a pattern of roughly halving frame rates when moving from Low to Ultra at each resolution. At 1080p, the drop from Low (80) to Ultra (37) is a 54% reduction. At 1440p, the drop from Low (58) to Ultra (27) is a 53% reduction. At 4K, the drop from Low (38) to Ultra (18) is a 53% reduction. This consistency suggests the GPU is the limiting factor across all settings, with no sudden CPU-related cliff.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the only preset that delivers a consistently smooth experience is 1080p Low, which averages 80 FPS. This provides a significant margin above the 60 FPS target, allowing for some headroom during intense gameplay moments.

For users who prioritize visual quality over raw frame rate, 1080p Medium is a viable option at 57 FPS average. The minimum frame rate of 48 FPS suggests occasional dips below 60 FPS, but the experience remains largely fluid. The step from Medium to High at 1080p yields only a 8 FPS average reduction (from 57 to 49), but the High preset's lack of min/max data means frame pacing is less predictable.

At 1440p, the Low preset at 58 FPS is the only reasonable choice. It comes close to 60 FPS and is likely the best balance of resolution and smoothness this combo can achieve. The Medium preset at 1440p (42 FPS) is playable but will feel less responsive, especially in a fast-paced FPS.

The 4K resolution should be avoided entirely. Even the Low preset at 38 FPS is below the threshold for comfortable play, and the Ultra preset at 18 FPS is a slideshow. For this game and this combo, 4K is not a practical option.

The optimal strategy based on the data is to run Lockdown Protocol at 1080p with Low settings for maximum frame rate, or 1080p Medium if visual fidelity matters more. At 1440p, Low settings is the only sensible choice. Higher settings at any resolution result in frame rates that compromise gameplay responsiveness.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, fabricated on a 14 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 64 KB L1 per core, 256 KB L2 per core, and 9 MB of shared L3 cache.

The CPU supports DDR4 memory in dual-channel configuration with a memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s. It connects via PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes from the CPU. The processor is unlocked for overclocking? No — the multiplier is locked, so users cannot push clocks beyond the factory boost.

In benchmark terms, the i5-9400 achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 6629 and a single-core score of 935. Its Geekbench multi-core score is 5141, with a single-core score of 1389. These figures place the CPU at the 47th percentile among all CPUs, indicating it is a mid-range performer by modern standards.

The CPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database are all within 0.4% of its average score. The i7-1068NG7 (2259) is 0.2% ahead, the i3-10305 (2264) is 0.4% ahead, while the i7-10710U (2248) and Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (2246) are 0.3% and 0.4% behind respectively. This tight clustering shows the i5-9400 is a solid, if unspectacular, processor for gaming.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU. The benchmark results show that frame rates scale almost entirely with GPU settings and resolution. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see frame rates plateau regardless of resolution changes. Instead, the data shows a consistent 53-54% drop from Low to Ultra at every resolution, which is a GPU-bound signature.

The six cores and six threads are sufficient for this title's CPU demands, especially at lower settings where the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. The 2.90 GHz base clock and 4.10 GHz boost provide adequate single-thread performance for game logic and physics. The 9 MB L3 cache is modest but workable.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the GPU as the dominant bottleneck in this configuration. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 80 at 1080p to 58 at 1440p (a 27.5% reduction) and then to 38 at 4K (a 34.5% reduction from 1440p, or 52.5% from 1080p). This is a steep decline that tracks with the pixel count increase — 4K has four times the pixels of 1080p, and the frame rate roughly halves, which is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario.

At Medium settings, the progression is 57 FPS at 1080p, 42 FPS at 1440p (26.3% reduction), and 27 FPS at 4K (35.7% reduction from 1440p). The min FPS at Medium settings shows the same pattern: 48 at 1080p, 35 at 1440p, and 23 at 4K. The max FPS similarly scales: 65, 48, and 31.

At High settings, the drop is from 49 FPS at 1080p to 36 FPS at 1440p (26.5% reduction) and 23 FPS at 4K (36.1% reduction). At Ultra, the progression is 37 to 27 to 18 FPS, representing a 27% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 33.3% reduction from 1440p to 4K.

The consistency of these percentage drops across all settings presets is telling. Whether at Low or Ultra, the resolution scaling penalty is nearly identical. This uniformity indicates that the GPU's pixel throughput is the limiting factor, and the CPU is not introducing additional constraints as resolution increases.

If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see smaller FPS differences between 1080p and 1440p, since the CPU workload would remain similar while the GPU workload increased. Instead, the FPS drops proportionally with pixel count, confirming the Arc B370's integrated-class GPU is the performance ceiling.

The practical implication is that users should prioritize resolution reduction over setting reduction. Dropping from 1440p to 1080p at Low settings yields a 22 FPS improvement (from 58 to 80), while dropping from Low to Ultra at 1440p yields a 31 FPS improvement (from 58 to 27). The resolution change is more impactful for perceived smoothness, making 1080p the recommended target for this combo.