Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with Intel Core i7-12700K + Intel Arc B390

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the Intel Arc B390 produces a fundamentally GPU-limited experience in Lockdown Protocol, a fast-paced FPS where frame pacing matters more than absolute visual fidelity. The measured data shows a combo that ranks near the bottom of the tested pool — 3302nd out of 3714 combinations — with average frame rates that range from 19 FPS at 4K Ultra to 88 FPS at 1080p Low. This is a configuration that demands careful settings management to approach playability, and even then, the Arc B390's performance ceiling is the dominant constraint across every resolution tested.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data indicates that the Low preset is the only settings tier that consistently delivers frame rates above 60 FPS, and it does so only at 1080p. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo averages 88 FPS, which is 25 FPS higher than the next-best preset at that resolution (Medium at 63 FPS). The gap between Low and Medium at 1080p is substantial — a 25 FPS difference — suggesting that the GPU's shading units and texture mapping units are heavily taxed by even modest increases in rendering complexity.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset yields an average of 65 FPS, which remains playable, but the Medium preset drops to 46 FPS, a 19 FPS penalty. For users prioritizing a consistent competitive experience, the Low preset at 1440p is the recommended balance, as it stays above the 60 FPS threshold while offering higher resolution than 1080p. The High preset at 1440p averages 40 FPS, which is marginal for a shooter, and Ultra at 1440p drops to 30 FPS, which is below acceptable thresholds for fast-twitch gameplay.

At 3840x2160, no settings preset achieves 60 FPS. The Low preset averages 42 FPS, Medium averages 30 FPS, High averages 26 FPS, and Ultra averages 19 FPS. The recommendation for 4K is to avoid this resolution entirely with this combo, as even the lowest settings produce frame rates that will feel sluggish in a competitive FPS. The data shows a clear pattern: the Low preset provides the best experience per measured row, with the highest average FPS at every resolution tested, and the largest margin of improvement over the next preset at 1080p.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the clear performance bottleneck in this configuration, and the data supports this conclusion through multiple indicators. The GPU's benchmark percentile ranks it in the 9th percentile of all tested GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1482 on the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. Its nearest rivals in the benchmark database are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710, all of which are separated by deltas of 1.3% to 2.7%, placing the Arc B390 in extremely modest company.

The GPU's architecture details further contextualize its performance. With 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output units, the Arc B390 has a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s. Its FP32 throughput is 7.680 TFLOPS, with FP16 at 15.36 TFLOPS (2:1). The GPU operates at a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, with a TDP of 80 W and an IGP slot width, indicating it is an integrated graphics solution. The memory configuration is "System Shared," with bandwidth listed as "System Dependent," which means the GPU relies on the host system's memory bandwidth — a significant limitation for a game like Lockdown Protocol that likely streams textures and geometry frequently.

The measured FPS data reinforces the GPU-bound nature of this combo. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 88 FPS, but increasing to Medium drops performance to 63 FPS — a 28% reduction. At 1440p, the Low-to-Medium transition costs 19 FPS (65 to 46), and at 4K, the same transition costs 12 FPS (42 to 30). These consistent, large penalties for modest settings increases are characteristic of a GPU that is saturated at even low rendering loads. The 12 RT cores and DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) support are present, but the raw throughput is insufficient to leverage these features meaningfully in this title.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 3302 out of 3714 tested combinations places this configuration in the bottom 11% of all tested pairings for Lockdown Protocol. This rank is a direct reflection of the Arc B390's position in the GPU hierarchy, as the CPU is a high-performing desktop part. The i7-12700K holds an 84th percentile rank across all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35287, and its nearest rivals — the Intel Core i5-13600T, Core i7-12700KF, Core i7-13700T, and Core 5 213PE — are all within 0.4% deltaPct of its score. This indicates the CPU is not the limiting factor in this pairing.

The contrast between the CPU's strong standing and the GPU's weak standing is stark. The Arc B390's nearest rivals in the GPU benchmark are all NVIDIA parts from the early 2010s, with the GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710 all scoring between 1443 and 1463, while the Arc B390 scores 1482. This places the GPU in a performance tier that is dramatically below what the CPU can support. In Lockdown Protocol, the combo's rank of 3302 reflects this imbalance — the GPU holds the pairing back from achieving even mid-pack status, and the data suggests that swapping the GPU for a more capable part would yield substantial FPS improvements, while swapping the CPU would yield almost none.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four settings presets, providing a complete picture of the combo's performance envelope. At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 88 FPS, the Medium preset averages 63 FPS with a minimum of 53 and maximum of 72, the High preset averages 55 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 41 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 47 FPS, with each settings tier costing between 8 and 25 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 65 FPS, the Medium preset averages 46 FPS with a minimum of 39 and maximum of 53, the High preset averages 40 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 30 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 35 FPS, with the Medium-to-High transition costing only 6 FPS, which is the smallest settings penalty observed across all resolutions.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 42 FPS, the Medium preset averages 30 FPS with a minimum of 25 and maximum of 34, the High preset averages 26 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 19 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra at 4K is 23 FPS, with the Low-to-Medium transition costing 12 FPS, the Medium-to-High costing 4 FPS, and the High-to-Ultra costing 7 FPS.

The data shows that the Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values, indicating more consistent frame pacing at that setting across all resolutions. The minimum FPS values — 53 at 1080p, 39 at 1440p, and 25 at 4K — suggest that even the Medium preset experiences noticeable frame drops, which could be problematic in a fast-paced FPS where consistency is critical.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling behavior confirms that the GPU is the limiting component. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at the Low preset reduces average FPS from 88 to 65, a 23 FPS drop (26%). Moving from 1440p to 4K at the Low preset reduces average FPS from 65 to 42, a 23 FPS drop (35%). The total drop from 1080p Low to 4K Low is 46 FPS, which represents a 52% reduction in performance.

At the Medium preset, the scaling is similar but with slightly smaller absolute drops: 1080p Medium averages 63 FPS, 1440p Medium averages 46 FPS (a 17 FPS drop), and 4K Medium averages 30 FPS (a 16 FPS drop). The total drop from 1080p Medium to 4K Medium is 33 FPS (52%). At the High preset, 1080p averages 55 FPS, 1440p averages 40 FPS, and 4K averages 26 FPS, with a total drop of 29 FPS (53%). At the Ultra preset, 1080p averages 41 FPS, 1440p averages 30 FPS, and 4K averages 19 FPS, with a total drop of 22 FPS (54%).

The consistent ~52-54% total reduction from 1080p to 4K across all settings presets is a classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the percentage drop would be much smaller at higher resolutions, because the GPU would be less stressed at lower resolutions and the CPU would cap performance. Instead, the near-constant percentage drop indicates that the Arc B390 is saturated at all resolutions, and the additional pixel count at 1440p and 4K directly translates to proportional FPS losses. The system shared memory configuration likely exacerbates this, as memory bandwidth scales with the host system's capabilities, and higher resolutions require more memory bandwidth for frame buffer operations.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-12700K the bottleneck in this combo for Lockdown Protocol?

A: No. The CPU holds an 84th percentile rank across all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 35287, and its nearest rivals are all within 0.4% deltaPct. The measured FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a consistent ~52-54% drop across all settings, which indicates the GPU is the limiting component.

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo can achieve?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 88 at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. At 2560x1440 with the Low preset, the average drops to 65 FPS, and at 3840x2160 with the Low preset, it drops to 42 FPS.

Q: Can this combo run Lockdown Protocol at 4K?

A: Yes, but only at frame rates below 60 FPS. The best 4K result is 42 FPS average at the Low preset, with the Medium preset at 30 FPS, High at 26 FPS, and Ultra at 19 FPS. None of these are ideal for a competitive FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 on the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, which is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M (1460), 2.5% higher than the GT 625 OEM (1446), and 2.7% higher than the GT 710 (1443). It ranks in the 9th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: What settings preset provides the most consistent frame pacing?

A: The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values at all resolutions. At 1080p, it ranges from 53 to 72 FPS with a 63 FPS average; at 1440p, it ranges from 39 to 53 FPS with a 46 FPS average; and at 4K, it ranges from 25 to 34 FPS with a 30 FPS average.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The combo ranks 3302nd out of 3714 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 11% of all tested pairings. This low rank is driven by the GPU's weak performance relative to the CPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process with a die size of 215 mm². It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, with a TDP of 125 W. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 25 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, and it offers PCIe Gen 4 with 20 lanes from the CPU. The processor includes UHD Graphics 770 as integrated graphics, though the Arc B390 is the active GPU in this pairing.

The CPU's benchmark results are strong across the board. In Cinebench R23, it scores 19784 in multi-core and 1850.5 in single-core. In Geekbench, it scores 15790 in multi-core and 2308 in single-core. PassMark results show a multithread score of 34404 and a single-thread score of 4013. The 3DMark results range from 1043 in single-thread to 9979 in max-threads, with 16-thread at 9276, 8-thread at 7202, 4-thread at 4011, and 2-thread at 2065.

In the context of Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls, physics calculations, and game logic. The data shows that the i7-12700K is more than capable of handling this workload, as evidenced by its 84th percentile rank and its nearest rivals being within 0.4% deltaPct. The measured FPS scaling pattern — where performance drops proportionally with resolution increases — confirms that the CPU is not introducing a bottleneck. If the CPU were limiting, the FPS would plateau at lower resolutions, but instead, the FPS scales consistently with the GPU's rendering load. The CPU's 20 threads provide ample headroom for the game's multi-threaded workloads, and its 5.00 GHz boost clock ensures strong single-threaded performance for game logic that may not scale across cores. The combination of high multi-core and single-core scores indicates that the i7-12700K is delivering its part of the performance equation; the Arc B390 simply cannot keep pace.