Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with Intel Core i7-13700K + Intel Arc B580

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the Intel Arc B580 presents a compelling mid-range combination for Lockdown Protocol, a fast-paced FPS title that demands both strong CPU headroom and consistent GPU throughput. Benchmark data shows this combo achieves a rank of 2795 out of 3714 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-to-mid portion of the database. The measured frame rates reveal a system that is heavily GPU-limited at higher resolutions, while the 16-core processor provides ample headroom for the game's physics and AI workloads. The Arc B580's 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and 456.0 GB/s bandwidth prove sufficient for the game's asset streaming, though the data suggests that settings choices matter more than raw resolution for achieving smooth gameplay.

FAQ

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

A: The combo ranks 2795 out of 3714 tested combinations, which places it in the 75th percentile of all tested systems. This indicates that while it is not a top-tier performer, it sits comfortably above the majority of tested configurations.

Q: How does the Intel Core i7-13700K compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The i7-13700K has an average benchmark score of 46881, which is 0.2% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (46971) and 0.3% lower than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (47022). It is 0.5% higher than both the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX (46654) and Intel Xeon w3-2535 (46653), showing near-identical performance across these four rivals.

Q: What is the best measured FPS at 1080p for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS at 1920x1080 is 154, achieved with Low settings. Medium settings deliver 109 FPS, High settings deliver 95 FPS, and Ultra settings deliver 72 FPS. The Medium preset also provides a minimum FPS of 93 and a maximum of 126.

Q: How much VRAM does the Intel Arc B580 have and does it matter for this game?

A: The Arc B580 has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus. This capacity is more than sufficient for Lockdown Protocol at all tested settings and resolutions, as evidenced by the consistent scaling from Low to Ultra without any signs of memory-related stuttering or crashes in the measured data.

Q: What is the CPU's single-threaded performance in Cinebench R23?

A: The i7-13700K scores 2116 points in Cinebench R23 single-core and 30745 points in multi-core. These scores suggest strong per-core performance that is beneficial for game logic, while the multi-core score indicates significant headroom for background tasks and streaming workloads.

Q: Does the combo perform better at 1440p or 4K?

A: Data shows the combo performs better at 2560x1440 than at 3840x2160 across all settings. For example, High settings yield 70 FPS at 1440p versus 45 FPS at 4K, and Low settings yield 113 FPS versus 73 FPS. The 1440p results offer a better balance of visual quality and frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and Intel Arc B580 achieves a rank of 2795 out of 3714 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This position indicates that roughly 75% of tested systems outperform this pairing, yet it still outranks nearly 919 other configurations. The rank suggests that while the components are individually capable, the combination is not optimized for this specific game's engine. The i7-13700K ranks in the 89th percentile among all CPUs, with a PassMark multithread score of 45887, indicating that the processor is far from being a bottleneck. The Arc B580, however, ranks in the 68th percentile among all GPUs with a PassMark G3D score of 15748, suggesting that the graphics card is the more limiting factor in this pairing.

The deltaPct values for the CPU's nearest rivals are all within a tight band of -0.3% to +0.5%, which means that swapping the i7-13700K for a Ryzen 9 5900 or a Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 would yield almost identical performance in this game. This tells us that the CPU choice is not the primary driver of the combo's rank; rather, the GPU's positioning against its own rivals (RTX 2080 at +0.6%, RTX 3080 at -0.7%) reveals that the Arc B580 sits in a performance class where small GPU differences will directly impact the final rank. The data implies that the combo's rank would improve more from a GPU upgrade than a CPU swap.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC, featuring 19,600 million transistors on a 272 mm² die. Its base and boost clocks are both locked at 2670 MHz, with memory running at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). The 12 GB of GDDR6 memory provides a bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s, which is a key specification for a game like Lockdown Protocol that involves rapid texture loading and environment streaming. The 192-bit bus width and 80 ROPs deliver a pixel rate of 213.6 GPixel/s, while the 160 TMUs produce a texture rate of 427.2 GTexel/s.

In the measured results, the GPU's performance scaling is consistent with its specifications. At 4K Ultra, the combo drops to 34 FPS, which is a 78% reduction from the 154 FPS seen at 1080p Low. This steep decline is characteristic of a GPU that is being pushed beyond its comfortable range. The Arc B580's FP32 throughput of 13.67 TFLOPS is modest by current standards, and the 2560 shading units are tasked heavily at 4K resolutions. The data shows that the GPU's 68th percentile ranking among all GPUs translates to playable but not exceptional performance in this FPS title. The 12 GB VRAM is never a limiting factor in the measured rows; even at 4K Ultra with 34 FPS, there are no reported memory-related issues, confirming that bandwidth and compute are the primary constraints rather than capacity.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers an average of 154 FPS on Low settings, which is the highest measured result across all configurations. Medium settings reduce this to 109 FPS, with a minimum of 93 FPS and a maximum of 126 FPS. High settings yield 95 FPS, while Ultra settings produce 72 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 82 FPS, indicating that the GPU has significant headroom at 1080p but that Ultra settings impose a heavy load on the 2560 shading units.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops are notable but manageable. Low settings still achieve 113 FPS, which is playable for competitive FPS play. Medium settings deliver 80 FPS with a minimum of 68 FPS and a maximum of 92 FPS. High settings produce 70 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 52 FPS. The 1440p results show that the combo can handle medium-to-high settings for a smooth experience, but Ultra becomes marginal.

At 3840x2160, the GPU clearly struggles. Low settings yield 73 FPS, which is surprising given the 4K resolution, but Medium drops to 52 FPS (44-59 FPS range) and High falls to 45 FPS. Ultra settings bottom out at 34 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable gameplay in a fast-paced FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 4K is steep: at Low settings, 154 FPS drops to 73 FPS (a 53% reduction), and at Ultra, 72 FPS drops to 34 FPS (a 53% reduction). This consistent percentage drop across settings indicates that the GPU is the limiting component at all quality levels.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample fast memory for game assets and physics calculations. In Cinebench R23, the CPU scores 2116 single-core and 30745 multi-core, which positions it as a high-end desktop processor. The 3DMark scores show strong scaling from 2 threads (2262) to 16 threads (10717) and max threads (12412), indicating that the processor scales well with additional threads.

For Lockdown Protocol, an FPS game, single-thread performance is often critical for game logic. The 1136 3DMark single-thread score and 2116 Cinebench R23 single-core score suggest that the i7-13700K is more than capable of handling the game's simulation threads. The PassMark single-thread score of 4333 further confirms this. However, the measured FPS data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck: at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 154 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's limit for the game's frame rate, but at higher settings and resolutions, the GPU becomes the constraint. The CPU's 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs and its near-identical performance to rivals like the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (deltaPct of -0.2%) mean that the CPU is not what holds this combo back in Lockdown Protocol.

The processor's 125W TDP and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory give system builders flexibility, but the data indicates that the CPU's role here is to provide stable, high-frame-rate headroom without ever becoming the limiting factor. The 16 cores and 24 threads also ensure that background tasks and game streaming do not interfere with the game's performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance across all resolutions. At 1080p, Medium delivers 109 FPS with a minimum of 93 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a smooth experience. At 1440p, Medium yields 80 FPS with a minimum of 68 FPS, which is still comfortable for competitive play. Even at 4K, Medium produces 52 FPS with a minimum of 44 FPS, which is borderline but playable for less demanding scenarios.

High settings are a viable alternative at 1080p (95 FPS) and 1440p (70 FPS), offering better visual quality at the cost of roughly 10-14% fewer frames compared to Medium. However, at 4K High, the 45 FPS average is below the ideal range for a fast-paced FPS. Ultra settings should be avoided unless the user prioritizes visuals over frame rate, as it only achieves 72 FPS at 1080p, 52 FPS at 1440p, and 34 FPS at 4K.

For the best experience, the data suggests using Medium settings at 1080p or 1440p. The Medium preset also has the most complete data (with min and max FPS recorded), indicating that it is a stable configuration. Low settings at 1080p (154 FPS) or 1440p (113 FPS) are recommended for players who prioritize maximum frame rate and competitive advantage, as the higher FPS can reduce input latency.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drops from 1080p to 4K are significant and reveal the GPU-bound nature of this combo. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 154 at 1080p to 113 at 1440p (a 26.6% decrease) and then to 73 at 4K (a 52.6% decrease from 1080p). At Medium settings, the drop is from 109 at 1080p to 80 at 1440p (a 26.6% decrease) and 52 at 4K (a 52.3% decrease). At High settings, the drop is from 95 at 1080p to 70 at 1440p (a 26.3% decrease) and 45 at 4K (a 52.6% decrease). At Ultra settings, the drop is from 72 at 1080p to 52 at 1440p (a 27.8% decrease) and 34 at 4K (a 52.8% decrease).

The consistent percentage drops across all settings show that the scaling is resolution-driven rather than settings-driven. The GPU's fillrate and bandwidth limits are being hit at 4K, and the 213.6 GPixel/s pixel rate is insufficient to maintain high frame rates at that resolution. The 1440p results show a more reasonable scaling pattern, with FPS drops of approximately 26-28% from 1080p, which is typical for a GPU with the Arc B580's specifications.

The data indicates that the limiting component at 1080p is the CPU, as the GPU can push 154 FPS on Low but the CPU's single-thread performance may cap higher frame rates. At 1440p and 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, as evidenced by the proportional FPS drops. This suggests that for players using a 1080p monitor, the i7-13700K provides enough headroom, but for 1440p or 4K displays, the Arc B580 will be the primary constraint. The 12 GB VRAM is not a limiting factor at any resolution, as the memory bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s is sufficient for the game's asset demands.