Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol, a 2024 FPS title, presents a demanding workload that heavily favors the graphics subsystem. The combination of an Intel Core i7-14700K processor with an Intel Arc B390 integrated GPU produces a severely bottlenecked experience, where the CPU's substantial processing power is largely left untapped. The measured frame rates across all resolutions and settings indicate that this configuration is only suitable for low-fidelity gaming, with the integrated graphics solution struggling to keep pace with the CPU's capabilities. The data shows a system that is firmly entry-level in practice, despite the high-end nature of its processor.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average frame rate achievable with this combo in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The highest average FPS recorded in the data is 88, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only configuration that approaches playable territory, as all other settings at this resolution yield 63 FPS or lower.

Q: How does the Intel Core i7-14700K compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i7-14700K has an average benchmark score of 69355, placing it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. It is virtually tied with the AMD EPYC 9115, which has a deltaPct of 0.1%, and performs nearly identically to the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, which has a deltaPct of -0.2%. It is also within 1% of the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (-0.7%) and the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (-0.9%).

Q: What is the performance ranking of this specific CPU+GPU combination in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The combo is ranked 2512 out of 2828 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 11% of all systems tested for this game. This low ranking is a direct result of the GPU's limited performance.

Q: Is there a frame rate difference between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: Yes, the data shows a 6 FPS difference. At 2560x1440, the Medium preset delivers an average of 46 FPS, while the High preset delivers an average of 40 FPS. The Medium preset also has a recorded minimum of 39 FPS and a maximum of 53 FPS.

Q: Does the game become more or less playable when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: The game becomes significantly less playable. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average is 88 FPS, but at 3840x2160 with Low settings, the average drops to 42 FPS. This represents a substantial performance penalty that confirms the GPU is the limiting factor.

Q: What is the core configuration of the Intel Core i7-14700K?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700K features 20 cores and 28 threads. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, and it is built on the Raptor Lake architecture.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data paints a clear picture for this hardware combination: high-fidelity settings are not viable. The Intel Arc B390's performance is the primary constraint, and the settings must be adjusted to its level to achieve a usable frame rate. The only preset that delivers an average FPS above 60 is 1920x1080 with Low settings. For a smoother gameplay experience, particularly in a fast-paced FPS, this is the recommended configuration.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 88 FPS, which is a significant jump from the 63 FPS average of the Medium preset. The High preset further drops to 55 FPS, and Ultra falls to 41 FPS. The performance scaling from Low to Ultra is steep and non-linear, indicating that the GPU is quickly overwhelmed by increased graphical demands. Choosing Low is essential to provide enough headroom for action-heavy scenes where frame rates can dip.

Moving up to 2560x1440, the situation becomes more constrained. The Low preset still offers the best result at 65 FPS, but this is 23 FPS lower than the 1080p Low result. The Medium preset averages 46 FPS, which is marginally playable but may feel inconsistent. High and Ultra settings at this resolution, with averages of 40 and 30 FPS respectively, are generally not recommended for a responsive experience.

At 3840x2160, no settings preset yields a satisfactory frame rate. The best result is 42 FPS on Low, followed by 30 FPS on Medium, 26 FPS on High, and 19 FPS on Ultra. These numbers are all below the threshold for fluid gameplay and should be avoided. The data suggests that users should stick to 1080p Low for the best balance of visual clarity and performance, or accept lower frame rates at higher resolutions for more static or slower-paced scenarios. Ultimately, the Low preset at 1920x1080 is the only configuration that provides a consistently playable experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K is a high-end desktop processor from the Core 14th Gen series, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It is a 20-core, 28-thread part with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. With a 125 W TDP and support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, it is a powerful component. Its synthetic benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 33440.5 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2569.

However, in the context of Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is largely diminished. The measured frame rates are far below what this processor is capable of supporting. For instance, the CPU's PassMark single-thread score is 4472, and its Cinebench R20 single-core score is 2617, indicating strong per-core performance. Yet, at 1080p Low, the system only achieves 88 FPS. This suggests the game is not being bottlenecked by the CPU's processing power or its ability to feed the GPU with draw calls.

Instead, the data indicates that the GPU is the limiting component. The i7-14700K's massive multithreading capabilities, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 33440.5 and PassMark multithread score of 52392, are largely irrelevant for this title at these settings. The CPU is likely idling, waiting for the Intel Arc B390 to finish rendering each frame. The performance gap between the CPU's potential and the actual results highlights a severe imbalance. This is a classic case where a top-tier processor is paired with an entry-level graphics solution, resulting in the CPU's power being wasted.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700K and the Intel Arc B390 ranks 2512 out of 2828 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the bottom 11% of all systems, a poor showing that is directly attributable to the GPU. While the CPU is in the 94th percentile of all processors, the GPU is only in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. This massive disparity in relative performance creates a severe bottleneck.

The GPU's average benchmark score is a mere 1482, based on the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. This score puts it in the company of much older, low-end dedicated graphics cards. Its nearest rivals, according to the data, are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, which has a deltaPct of 1.3%, and the NVIDIA GeForce 800M, with a deltaPct of 1.5%. It even outperforms the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM by 2.5% and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 by 2.7%, but these are all legacy parts from a different era.

The combo's low rank is a direct consequence of the GPU's performance class. The i7-14700K's high synthetic scores do not translate into in-game performance because it is waiting on the GPU. The data shows that the processor is not the limiting factor; the graphics solution is. This ranking serves as a cautionary example of how a powerful CPU cannot compensate for an underpowered GPU in a graphics-intensive game like Lockdown Protocol.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture and built on a 3 nm process. It is not a discrete card; it has a TDP of 80 W and uses system shared memory. Its clock speeds are listed as a base of 300 MHz and a boost of 2500 MHz. It features 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. The GPU's compute power is rated at 7.680 TFLOPS for FP32 and 15.36 TFLOPS for FP16.

The GPU's role in Lockdown Protocol is the defining factor of this system's performance. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, confirming its entry-level status. This is the primary reason for the low frame rates observed across all tests. The GPU is simply not powerful enough to handle the game's rendering demands at higher settings or resolutions.

The performance scaling seen in the data is a direct reflection of the GPU's limitations. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is a 47 FPS drop (88 to 41 FPS), showing how quickly the GPU's resources are exhausted. The GPU's memory bandwidth is "System Dependent" and its memory is "System Shared," which means it competes with the CPU for memory access. This can further hamper performance, although the low FPS numbers indicate that raw compute is the primary bottleneck. The GPU is the clear limiting factor, and its performance dictates that users must use the lowest settings to get a playable frame rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at how the system performs across different resolutions and settings. Here is a detailed breakdown of the results.

At 1920x1080, the system shows its best performance. With Low settings, it achieves an average of 88 FPS. The Medium preset lowers the average to 63 FPS, with a minimum of 53 FPS and a maximum of 72 FPS. Moving to High settings yields an average of 55 FPS. The Ultra preset brings the average down to 41 FPS. This resolution is the only one where the game is playable, and only at the Low preset.

At 2560x1440, performance takes a significant hit. The Low preset produces an average of 65 FPS. The Medium preset averages 46 FPS, with a minimum of 39 FPS and a maximum of 53 FPS. The High preset drops to an average of 40 FPS. The Ultra preset yields an average of 30 FPS. The data shows a clear decline from 1080p, with the Low preset at 1440p performing similarly to the Medium preset at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. The Low preset results in an average of 42 FPS. The Medium preset averages 30 FPS, with a minimum of 25 FPS and a maximum of 34 FPS. The High preset averages 26 FPS. The Ultra preset is the worst performer, with an average of just 19 FPS. None of these settings are recommended for gameplay.

The data shows a consistent pattern: for every resolution, the frame rate drops by roughly 20-30% with each step up in settings from Low to Medium to High, with a further similar drop to Ultra. This confirms that the GPU is the bottleneck, as its performance scales poorly with increased graphical load.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K are drastic and reveal a system that is purely GPU-limited. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at Low settings, the average FPS falls from 88 to 65, a 26% reduction. Moving from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 at the same settings, the average FPS falls from 65 to 42, a 35% reduction. The total drop from 1080p Low to 4K Low is from 88 FPS to 42 FPS, a 52% decrease.

This scaling pattern is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. When a system is CPU-limited, the frame rate often stays relatively flat as resolution increases, because the CPU is the limiting factor. Here, the frame rate drops significantly with each resolution increase, indicating that the GPU's rendering throughput is being saturated. The number of pixels to render increases geometrically from 1080p to 4K (about 4 times), and the GPU's inability to keep up is evident.

The data for the Medium preset tells a similar story. At 1080p, the average is 63 FPS. At 1440p, it drops to 46 FPS, and at 4K, it falls to 30 FPS. This represents a 52% drop from 1080p to 4K, mirroring the Low preset's scaling. This consistent percentage drop across different settings further confirms that the GPU is the sole limiting component. The Intel Core i7-14700K has more than enough headroom to handle the game's logic and physics at all resolutions, but the Intel Arc B390's fixed compute and memory resources are overwhelmed as the pixel count increases. The resolution scaling demonstrates that users should prioritize 1080p to give the GPU the best chance of maintaining a higher frame rate.