Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol, a 2024-released FPS, places the Intel Core i9-14900K and Intel Arc B570 combination at rank 2264 out of 2828 tested combos. This places the pairing in the lower half of the database, suggesting that while the CPU is a top-tier performer, the GPU is the primary constraint in this title. The data shows a system that can deliver playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but struggles to maintain smooth performance at 4K, especially with higher graphical presets.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame of 2264 out of 2828 positions this pairing in the 20th percentile of all tested configurations for Lockdown Protocol. This is a low ranking, which is surprising given the individual components' standings. The Intel Core i9-14900K holds a percentileVsAllCpus of 95, meaning it outperforms 95% of all CPUs in the database. Conversely, the Intel Arc B570 holds a percentileVsAllGpus of 65, indicating it outperforms 65% of all GPUs. The discrepancy between the CPU's high percentile and the combo's low game rank highlights a significant bottleneck scenario where the GPU cannot keep pace with the CPU's capabilities.

Benchmark results indicate that the CPU's average benchmark score of 79097 places it within 1.7% of its nearest rivals, including the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 which scores 77740. The Intel Core i9-14900KF scores 79371, a deltaPct of -0.3% relative to our CPU, while the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus scores 79574, a deltaPct of -0.6%. These differences are minimal, confirming that the i9-14900K is at the absolute peak of CPU performance. For the GPU, the Arc B570's average benchmark score of 20556 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, which scores 20534, a deltaPct of 0.1%. The Intel Arc A750 scores 20582, a deltaPct of -0.1%. This means the Arc B570 is essentially a performance peer to those cards in synthetic benchmarks, yet the game rank suggests that Lockdown Protocol may not be optimized for this specific GPU architecture.

The combination's rank suggests that in this specific FPS title, the hardware pairing is not delivering a balanced experience. The CPU is overqualified for the workload, while the GPU is holding back the overall performance. This is a classic case where the bottleneck is so severe that the system's overall rank suffers despite having a top-tier processor. The data implies that for Lockdown Protocol, users would see similar performance with a much less powerful CPU paired with this GPU, as the frame rates are almost entirely dictated by the graphics card.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture, also known as Battlemage (Arc 5), and is fabricated on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It features 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. The GPU has a base and boost clock of 2500 MHz, with memory running at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). These specifications lead to a pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance rated at 11.52 TFLOPS.

For Lockdown Protocol, the GPU's role is critical, as the measured FPS data shows a clear dependence on the graphics settings and resolution. At 1080p, the GPU can deliver an average of 136 FPS on Low settings, which drops to 84 FPS on High. At 1440p, the average FPS on Low is 100, falling to 62 on High. At 4K, the averages drop to 64 on Low and 40 on High. This scaling pattern shows that the GPU is the limiting factor in most scenarios, as the CPU is more than capable of handling the game's logic.

The 10 GB VRAM capacity is a notable feature, and in the context of Lockdown Protocol, the data shows that even at 4K Ultra settings, the game runs at 30 FPS average, which suggests the memory capacity is sufficient but the raw compute power is not. The GPU's benchmark scores, such as the Geekbench Vulkan score of 96844 and OpenCL score of 83514, indicate it has respectable compute capabilities. However, the PassMark G3D score of 14195 and the DirectX 12 score of 72 suggest that its gaming-specific performance may not be as strong as its compute numbers imply.

The GPU's nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, has nearly the same average benchmark score (20534 vs 20556), which would suggest similar gaming performance. However, the measured FPS in Lockdown Protocol shows that the Arc B570's performance is heavily influenced by the game's engine and driver optimization. The fact that the combo ranks so low despite the GPU being in the 65th percentile indicates that this specific game may not fully utilize the Arc B570's architecture, leading to lower than expected frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers an average of 136 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset provides a 96 FPS average, still very smooth, while High drops to 84 FPS. Ultra at 1080p yields 63 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for competitive FPS play. For the best experience at 1080p, the Low preset offers the highest performance, but Medium provides a good balance if visual fidelity is desired.

At 1440p, the Low preset gives 100 FPS, which is excellent. Medium drops to 71 FPS, still a solid experience. High gives 62 FPS, which is acceptable for slower-paced gameplay, but for a fast-paced FPS like Lockdown Protocol, the Low or Medium presets are recommended. Ultra at 1440p falls to 46 FPS, which is noticeably less smooth and not recommended for competitive play. The data suggests that 1440p Low or Medium are the sweet spots for this resolution.

At 4K, the performance becomes more challenging. The Low preset gives 64 FPS, which is borderline playable. Medium drops to 46 FPS with a minimum of 39 and maximum of 52, indicating noticeable frame time variance. High gives 40 FPS, and Ultra drops to 30 FPS. For 4K, only the Low preset approaches playable levels, and even then, the frame rate may not be stable enough for competitive play. The Medium preset at 4K is the highest setting that remains above 40 FPS average, but the min FPS of 39 suggests occasional stutters.

The measured rows show that for most users, the best experience will be at 1080p or 1440p with Low or Medium settings. The Ultra preset is only viable at 1080p where it achieves 63 FPS, but the jump from High to Ultra costs 21 FPS, which may not be worth the visual improvement. The data implies that this combo is best suited for high-refresh-rate 1080p gaming or smooth 1440p gaming, rather than 4K content creation or high-fidelity play.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 136 FPS average, the highest recorded in the entire dataset. Medium averages 96 FPS, with a minimum of 82 and maximum of 111. High averages 84 FPS, and Ultra averages 63 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 73 FPS, showing a significant performance cost for higher settings.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 100 FPS, a 36 FPS drop from 1080p Low. Medium averages 71 FPS, with a min of 60 and max of 81. High averages 62 FPS, and Ultra averages 46 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 54 FPS. The 1440p Medium preset shows a minimum of 60 FPS, which is exactly the threshold for many displays, suggesting that this setting is on the edge of smoothness.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 64 FPS, which is a 36 FPS drop from 1440p Low and a 72 FPS drop from 1080p Low. Medium averages 46 FPS, with a min of 39 and max of 52. High averages 40 FPS, and Ultra averages 30 FPS. The 4K Ultra setting is the lowest recorded, at 30 FPS, which is often considered the minimum for playability, but it lacks the headroom for consistent smoothness.

The data shows that the Medium preset is the only one with min and max FPS recorded across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the range is 82-111 FPS, a 29 FPS variance. At 1440p Medium, the range is 60-81 FPS, a 21 FPS variance. At 4K Medium, the range is 39-52 FPS, a 13 FPS variance. This suggests that as resolution increases, the frame rate becomes more stable, but the average drops significantly. The variance data implies that the GPU is more consistently stressed at higher resolutions, leading to less frame time variation.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Lockdown Protocol?

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1920x1080 offers the highest frame rates, with the Low preset hitting 136 FPS average. 2560x1440 is also viable, with Low at 100 FPS and Medium at 71 FPS. 3840x2160 is only playable on Low, at 64 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Core i9-14900K compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The i9-14900K has an average benchmark score of 79097. Its closest rival, the Intel Core i9-14900KF, scores 79371, which is a deltaPct of -0.3%. The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 scores 77740, a deltaPct of 1.7%. These differences are minimal, showing the CPU is at the top of its class.

Q: Is the Intel Arc B570's 10 GB VRAM sufficient for this game?

A: The data shows that the GPU can run the game at all settings without running out of memory, as evidenced by the playable frame rates at 4K Ultra (30 FPS). The VRAM capacity is not the limiting factor; instead, the GPU's compute performance is the bottleneck.

Q: What is the frame rate at 1440p Ultra settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Ultra settings, the measured average FPS is 46. This is below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that Ultra settings at 1440p are not recommended for a smooth experience.

Q: How does the GPU's benchmark score compare to its nearest rival?

A: The Intel Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20556. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile scores 20534, which is a deltaPct of 0.1%. The Intel Arc A750 scores 20582, a deltaPct of -0.1%. This places the B570 in a performance tie with these GPUs.

Q: Does the combo rank improve at lower resolutions?

A: The comboRankInGame of 2264 out of 2828 is based on all tested data. The measured FPS shows that at 1080p Low, the combo can achieve 136 FPS, which is very high, but the overall rank is dragged down by the poor 4K performance, where Ultra averages only 30 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, specifically the Raptor Lake-R refresh. It has a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz, with a TDP of 125 W. The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration and has 36 MB of shared L3 cache. It also includes integrated graphics in the form of UHD Graphics 770.

In Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, physics, and other non-graphics tasks. Given that the CPU ranks in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, it is more than capable of feeding the GPU with data. The benchmark scores show extreme performance: Cinebench R23 multicore scores 39399.5, and Geekbench multicore scores 21697. These numbers indicate that the CPU is not a bottleneck in any scenario.

The measured FPS data supports this, as the performance scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent with a GPU-bound workload. For example, at 1080p Low, the FPS is 136, but at 4K Low, it drops to 64. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would see similar FPS across resolutions. Instead, the FPS drops by over 50% when moving from 1080p to 4K, which is a clear sign that the GPU is the limiting factor.

The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i9-14900KF and the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, have nearly identical average benchmark scores. The deltaPct values of -0.3% and -0.6%, respectively, show that the i9-14900K is not meaningfully faster or slower than these alternatives. This means that swapping the CPU for a rival would have no measurable impact on Lockdown Protocol's frame rates, because the GPU is the constraint.

The CPU's 24 cores and 32 threads are far more than what a typical FPS game requires. The high single-thread performance, evidenced by the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2262.5, is more relevant for gaming. However, even this is likely overkill for Lockdown Protocol, as the data shows the GPU is the primary determinant of frame rate. The CPU's presence in this combo is essentially a non-factor for the game's performance, aside from ensuring there is no CPU-induced stutter or frame drops.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of resolution scaling. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 136 at 1080p to 100 at 1440p, a 26.5% decrease. From 1440p to 4K, the FPS drops from 100 to 64, a 36% decrease. The total drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is 72 FPS, or 52.9%. This scaling is consistent with a GPU that is being increasingly stressed as the pixel count increases.

At Medium settings, the FPS drops from 96 at 1080p to 71 at 1440p, a 26% decrease. From 1440p to 4K, it drops from 71 to 46, a 35.2% decrease. The total drop from 1080p to 4K at Medium is 50 FPS, or 52.1%. At High settings, the FPS drops from 84 at 1080p to 62 at 1440p, a 26.2% decrease, and then from 62 to 40 at 4K, a 35.5% decrease. The total drop is 44 FPS, or 52.4%.

At Ultra settings, the FPS drops from 63 at 1080p to 46 at 1440p, a 27% decrease, and then from 46 to 30 at 4K, a 34.8% decrease. The total drop is 33 FPS, or 52.4%. The consistency of these percentage drops across all settings is notable. It suggests that the performance scaling is purely a function of resolution and not significantly affected by the graphical settings. This is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where the frame rate is determined by the number of pixels being rendered.

The consistent ~26% drop from 1080p to 1440p and ~35% drop from 1440p to 4K indicates that the GPU is the limiting component. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the frame rate to be more consistent across resolutions, as the CPU's workload does not scale with resolution in the same way. The fact that the frame rate halves when moving from 1080p to 4K shows that the Arc B570 is being pushed to its limits at higher resolutions.

The data also shows that the frame rate at 4K Ultra is exactly half of the frame rate at 1080p Ultra (30 vs 63 FPS). This linear scaling is a strong indicator that the GPU's pixel throughput is the determining factor. The GPU's pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s are the specifications that likely limit performance at higher resolutions. The measured FPS data confirms that for this combo, 1080p is the resolution where the GPU can fully stretch its legs, while 4K is only viable on the lowest settings.