Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol presents a demanding workload for the Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the Intel Arc B370, and the measured data indicates that this combination is primarily constrained by the graphics processor. The Arc B370, operating as an integrated graphics solution, produces frame rates that are largely unplayable at higher resolutions and settings, with only the lowest configurations approaching acceptable smoothness. The data shows a clear performance hierarchy across the tested resolutions, with the gap between Low and Ultra settings widening as resolution increases, pointing to significant pressure on the graphics subsystem.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is severe and demonstrates that the Intel Arc B370 is the dominant limiting factor in this pairing. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 80 FPS, but this falls to 58 FPS at 1440p and further to 38 FPS at 4K—a reduction of 27.5% from 1080p to 1440p and another 34.5% from 1440p to 4K. This scaling pattern is consistent with a GPU that is running out of fillrate and shading capacity as pixel count increases, rather than a CPU bottleneck, since the Core i7-13700K’s 16 cores and 24 threads are far more capable than what this game demands at these settings.

The situation becomes more pronounced at higher quality presets. On Ultra settings, the average frame rate drops from 37 FPS at 1080p to 27 FPS at 1440p and 18 FPS at 4K—a cumulative decline of 51.4% from the lowest resolution to the highest. The relative penalty for moving from 1080p to 1440p is 27%, while moving from 1440p to 4K adds another 33% loss. This suggests that the Arc B370’s 20 ROPs and 40 TMUs are overwhelmed by the increased pixel and texture workload, with the 4K Ultra configuration producing a nearly cinematic 18 FPS average that is far outside the playable range.

Medium settings show a similar trend, with 57 FPS at 1080p, 42 FPS at 1440p, and 27 FPS at 4K. The scaling here is slightly less steep than Ultra, but the pattern remains: each resolution step costs roughly a quarter to a third of the previous frame rate. High settings follow the same trajectory, starting at 49 FPS at 1080p, dropping to 36 FPS at 1440p, and collapsing to 23 FPS at 4K. The consistency of the percentage drops across all four presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—indicates that resolution is the primary variable driving performance, with the GPU’s fixed computational resources being the bottleneck regardless of the quality preset selected.

How This Combo Ranks

In the context of all tested combinations for Lockdown Protocol, this pairing ranks 2611th out of 2828 combos, placing it in the bottom 7.7% of all systems tested. This rank reflects the Arc B370’s position in the GPU hierarchy, where its average benchmark score of 1184 places it at the 5th percentile among all GPUs. The integrated nature of this graphics solution, with its 25 W TDP and system-shared memory, severely limits its ability to compete with discrete graphics cards in a fast-paced FPS title like Lockdown Protocol.

The GPU’s nearest rivals in benchmark performance are older, low-end parts: the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1186 (0.2% higher), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190 (0.5% higher), and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192 (0.7% higher). Only the AMD FirePro M2000 scores lower at 1168, which is 1.4% behind the Arc B370. This puts the integrated GPU in the same performance class as mobile graphics solutions from over a decade ago, which explains why the combo rank is so low for a modern FPS that can leverage higher-end hardware.

The CPU, by contrast, is a strong performer. The Core i7-13700K sits at the 89th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46881. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, scores 46971, which is 0.2% higher, while the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 scores 47022 (0.3% higher). The Intel Xeon w3-2535 and AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX both score 46653, which is 0.5% lower than the i7-13700K. This demonstrates that the processor is not the limiting factor in this combo; the GPU’s low percentile rank drags the entire system’s standing down to near the bottom of the tested pool.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics processor built on the Xe3-LPG architecture with 1280 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 20 ROPs. Its base clock is 300 MHz with a boost clock of 2400 MHz, yielding a pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is 6.144 TFLOPS, with FP16 at 12.29 TFLOPS (2:1). These specifications put it in the entry-level segment, and the measured results in Lockdown Protocol reflect this positioning.

The GPU’s memory configuration is system-shared, with bandwidth described as system dependent and memory size also system shared. This means the Arc B370 relies on the host system’s DDR4 or DDR5 memory over a dual-channel bus, which introduces latency and bandwidth constraints that discrete GPUs with dedicated VRAM do not face. The lack of dedicated memory is particularly detrimental in a game like Lockdown Protocol, where texture streaming and frame buffer operations demand consistent memory bandwidth.

The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184 confirms the GPU’s low-end status, with a 5th percentile ranking among all GPUs. The boost clock of 2400 MHz is respectable for an integrated solution, but the 25 W TDP and IGP slot width mean it cannot sustain high performance under sustained load. The measured FPS data shows that even at 1080p Low, the GPU produces 80 FPS, which is playable, but any increase in settings or resolution quickly degrades performance. At 4K Ultra, the 18 FPS average is a direct consequence of the GPU’s limited shading units and ROP count struggling to process the higher pixel count.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 80 FPS, which is the only configuration in this entire dataset that reaches a clearly smooth frame rate for a competitive FPS. Medium settings drop to 57 FPS, with a minimum of 48 FPS and a maximum of 65 FPS, indicating playable but not ideal performance. High settings yield 49 FPS, while Ultra settings fall to 37 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a 53.8% performance loss, with the step from High to Ultra being the most costly at 24.5% reduction.

Moving to 2560x1440, the same pattern holds but at lower absolute values. Low settings average 58 FPS, which is still playable, but Medium drops to 42 FPS (min 35, max 48), High to 36 FPS, and Ultra to 27 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 53.4%, nearly identical to the 1080p percentage, which suggests the GPU’s relative scaling behavior is consistent across these two resolutions. The minimum FPS value of 35 on Medium settings at 1440p indicates potential frame time spikes that could be noticeable in fast-paced gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes marginal at best. Low settings average 38 FPS, which may be tolerable for some players, but Medium falls to 27 FPS (min 23, max 31), High to 23 FPS, and Ultra to 18 FPS. The 4K Low to Ultra spread is 52.6%, again maintaining the same proportional loss as lower resolutions. The minimum FPS of 23 on Medium at 4K shows that even the mid-range preset can dip to near-unplayable levels, while the 18 FPS Ultra average is below the threshold for any serious FPS play. The data indicates that 4K is only viable at Low settings, and even then, the 38 FPS average leaves little headroom for demanding scenes.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the only configuration that provides a consistently smooth experience is 1920x1080 with Low settings, which yields an average of 80 FPS. This is the sole preset across all three resolutions that exceeds 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for players who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity in this FPS title. The 1080p Medium setting at 57 FPS is a secondary option for those who want better visuals, but it carries the risk of dipping to 48 FPS in demanding moments, which may be noticeable.

At 1440p, Low settings at 58 FPS is the only viable preset, but it requires the same Low quality as the 1080p recommendation, offering no visual benefit for the resolution increase. The 1440p Medium preset at 42 FPS is playable for less competitive players, but the 35 FPS minimum is a concern for fast reaction scenarios. For 4K, no setting is fully recommended, with Low at 38 FPS being the only option that approaches playability, but it still falls short of the smooth 60 FPS target that competitive FPS games typically require.

The data suggests that players should prioritize resolution and settings together, rather than treating them separately. The 1080p Low configuration is the only one that delivers a definitive competitive advantage in terms of frame rate. For those with higher-resolution displays, dropping to Low settings at 1440p provides the best compromise, as the 58 FPS average is close to the 1080p Low result, but the visual clarity of the higher resolution may offset the slightly lower frame rate. The step from 1440p Low to 4K Low costs 34.5% of performance, which is too steep a penalty for most users.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. It features 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 2 MB of L2 cache per core, and 30 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU’s benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 30745 and a single-core score of 2116, while Geekbench multicore reaches 19429 and single-core 2529. These results place it at the 89th percentile among all CPUs, demonstrating that it is more than capable of feeding the GPU in Lockdown Protocol.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in overall benchmark performance are all within a fraction of a percent, with the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 at 46971 (0.2% higher) and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 at 47022 (0.3% higher). The Intel Xeon w3-2535 and AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX are 0.5% lower at 46653. This tight grouping indicates that the i7-13700K is squarely in the mid-to-high-end desktop CPU tier, and its performance is not a limiting factor in this combo’s low rank.

In Lockdown Protocol specifically, the CPU’s role is to handle game logic, physics, and draw call submission, tasks for which its 16 cores and 24 threads provide ample headroom. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the bottleneck at all resolutions and settings, as evidenced by the severe frame rate drops when increasing resolution—a purely GPU-bound workload. The CPU’s high single-thread performance, as indicated by the 3DMark single-thread score of 1136 and PassMark single-thread score of 4333, ensures that it can maintain frame pacing without becoming a constraint. The combo rank of 2611 out of 2828 is almost entirely attributable to the Arc B370’s 5th percentile GPU standing, not the i7-13700K’s 89th percentile CPU standing.