Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with Intel Core Ultra 5 225 + Intel Arc B570

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 paired with the Intel Arc B570 delivers a mid-tier gaming experience in Lockdown Protocol, with the combo ranking 2264th out of 2828 tested combinations. The CPU sits in the 85th percentile among all processors, while the GPU ranks in the 65th percentile among all graphics cards, indicating a system where the graphics card is the primary bottleneck in this fast-paced FPS title. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a component pairing that can handle competitive play at 1080p but struggles to maintain high refresh rates at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep, confirming that the Intel Arc B570 is the limiting factor in this configuration. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 136 at 1920x1080 to 64 at 3840x2160 — a 52.9% reduction. This dramatic decline indicates that pixel throughput, not CPU capability, bounds performance at higher resolutions. The Ultra preset shows a similar pattern: 63 FPS at 1080p drops to 30 FPS at 4K, a 52.4% loss.

Moving from 1440p to 4K at Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 71 to 46, a 35.2% decrease. The 1080p to 1440p transition at Medium sees a smaller relative decline: 96 to 71 FPS, or 26%. This scaling behavior is typical of a GPU-bound scenario where the memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s and the 160-bit bus width become increasingly taxed as resolution grows. The Arc B570's 10 GB of GDDR6 memory is sufficient for these settings, but the raw compute throughput of 11.52 TFLOPS limits pixel fill at higher resolutions.

The fact that Low settings at 4K still produce 64 FPS while Ultra at 1080p produces 63 FPS is telling. The GPU is delivering nearly identical frame rates when the workload shifts from high resolution with simple shading to lower resolution with complex effects. This suggests the card's rasterization and shading units are the binding constraint, rather than memory capacity or bandwidth. The 200.0 GPixel/s pixel rate and 360.0 GTexel/s texture rate are adequate for 1080p Ultra but insufficient for 4K Ultra, where the average FPS falls to just 30.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for competitive play with this combo?

A: The data shows 1920x1080 at Low settings delivers the highest average FPS of 136, making it the only measured configuration that comfortably exceeds 120 FPS. At Medium settings, 1080p still provides 96 FPS, which remains viable for most competitive scenarios.

Q: How does the Ultra preset perform across resolutions?

A: At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 30, which is at the edge of playability. At 1440p Ultra, it rises to 46 FPS, and at 1080p Ultra, it reaches 63 FPS. The jump from 1440p to 4K at Ultra causes a 34.8% performance drop.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The resolution scaling indicates the GPU is the bottleneck. The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 has a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 and a single-core score of 3655, placing it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. The Arc B570's PassMark G3D score of 14195 places it in the 65th percentile, and the frame rate drops with resolution confirm GPU limitation.

Q: What is the difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings produce an average of 100 FPS, while Ultra produces 46 FPS — a 54 FPS gap. This 54% reduction from Low to Ultra demonstrates the significant cost of higher graphical fidelity at this resolution.

Q: Does the Medium preset provide consistent frame pacing?

A: The Medium preset at all three resolutions shows a consistent pattern: 96 FPS at 1080p, 71 FPS at 1440p, and 46 FPS at 4K. The minimum FPS values of 82, 60, and 39 respectively suggest the card maintains stability, with the 4K minimum of 39 remaining above the 30 FPS average of Ultra at the same resolution.

Q: How does this combo compare to the GPU's nearest rivals in general compute?

A: The Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20556, essentially matching the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile at 20534 (0.1% delta) and the Intel Arc A750 at 20582 (-0.1% delta). This suggests similar overall GPU capability, though Lockdown Protocol-specific results may vary.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture with the BMG-G21 chip, manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC with 19,600 million transistors. The GPU operates at a base and boost clock of 2500 MHz, with memory running at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). The 10 GB GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus delivers 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which proves adequate for this game's demands at 1080p and 1440p but becomes a limiting factor at 4K.

The shading units number 2304, paired with 144 TMUs and 80 ROPs, producing a pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s. The FP32 compute of 11.52 TFLOPS places this card in the mid-range segment, and the measured frame rates in Lockdown Protocol reflect this positioning. At 1440p High, the average FPS of 62 indicates the GPU is handling the rendering load with moderate headroom, while the 4K Ultra result of 30 FPS shows the card at its absolute limit.

The 18 ray tracing cores are present, but the game's performance at standard rasterization settings suggests that Lockdown Protocol does not heavily utilize RT features, as the frame rates align closely with the card's traditional rendering capabilities. The PassMark G3D score of 14195 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 96844 provide synthetic confirmation that the card's real-world gaming performance matches its compute capabilities. The GPU's TDP of 150 W with a suggested PSU of 450 W indicates this is a power-efficient design, though power consumption figures do not directly correlate with the measured gaming performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and Arc B570 combination delivers its strongest results. Low settings produce an average of 136 FPS, which is the highest measured frame rate across all configurations. Medium settings yield 96 FPS with a minimum of 82 and maximum of 111, providing a stable experience. High settings average 84 FPS, while Ultra drops to 63 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a 73 FPS swing, representing a 53.7% performance reduction when all graphical features are enabled.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down predictably. Low settings maintain 100 FPS, which remains competitive for most displays. Medium averages 71 FPS with a range of 60 to 81, ensuring playable minimums. High settings produce 62 FPS, and Ultra falls to 46 FPS. The 1440p results show that this combo can handle high-refresh gaming at reduced settings, with Low offering triple-digit frame rates and Medium providing a good balance of visual quality and responsiveness.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become apparent. Low settings average 64 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for competitive FPS gameplay. Medium averages 46 FPS with a minimum of 39 and maximum of 52, keeping the experience above the 30 FPS threshold but with noticeable dips. High settings drop to 40 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 30 FPS. The 4K results indicate that this combination is best suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming, with 4K reserved for slower-paced titles or reduced visual settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and Intel Arc B570 ranks 2264th out of 2828 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the bottom 20% of all tested configurations. This ranking positions the system well below the median, reflecting the GPU's mid-range status rather than the CPU's stronger performance. The processor itself ranks in the 85th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 36938 that closely matches the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F at 36945 (0% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D at 37018 (-0.2% delta).

The GPU's percentile ranking of 65th among all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 20556, aligns with the overall combo ranking. The Arc B570's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile at 20534 (0.1% faster), the Intel Arc A750 at 20582 (0.1% slower), and the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M at 20480 (0.4% faster). These close margins indicate that the Arc B570 performs competitively with its direct contemporaries, but the combo's 2264th rank in this specific game suggests that Lockdown Protocol's optimization favors other GPU architectures or higher-tier cards.

The gap between the CPU's high percentile and the combo's low rank highlights a system imbalance. The Core Ultra 5 225, with its 10 cores and 10 threads running at a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, provides ample processing headroom that the Arc B570 cannot fully utilize in this title. The data shows that the GPU is the constraining factor, and users seeking higher rankings in Lockdown Protocol would benefit more from a GPU upgrade than a CPU change.

Settings Recommendations

For players prioritizing maximum frame rates, the Low preset at 1920x1080 delivers the best measured performance at 136 FPS average. This configuration is ideal for competitive play where responsiveness trumps visual fidelity. The 1440p Low setting also performs well at 100 FPS, making it a viable alternative for users with higher-resolution monitors who still want triple-digit frame rates.

The Medium preset at 1080p offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with 96 FPS average and a minimum of 82 FPS. This setting maintains smooth gameplay while providing improved graphical details over Low. At 1440p, Medium averages 71 FPS with a 60 FPS minimum, which remains acceptable for most gaming scenarios, though competitive players may notice the lower floor.

The High preset provides diminishing returns at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the 84 FPS average is respectable, but at 1440p it falls to 62 FPS, and at 4K it drops to 40 FPS. The Ultra preset is only recommended for 1080p gaming, where the 63 FPS average is playable, though the 1440p Ultra result of 46 FPS and 4K Ultra result of 30 FPS suggest this setting is best avoided at higher resolutions.

Based on the measured data, the recommended configuration for most users is 1920x1080 at Medium settings, which provides 96 FPS average with solid minimums. For those with 1440p displays, the Low preset at 100 FPS offers the best competitive experience, while the Medium preset at 71 FPS is suitable for casual play. The 4K resolution should be avoided for this game with this hardware, as even Low settings only reach 64 FPS average.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process at TSMC with 17,800 million transistors. The base clock of 3.30 GHz and boost clock of 4.90 GHz provide strong single-thread performance, as evidenced by the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3655. The multi-core score of 25891 demonstrates solid all-core performance, though the 10-thread configuration is unusual in a landscape where many competitors offer simultaneous multithreading.

In Lockdown Protocol, a fast-paced FPS title, the CPU's single-thread performance is likely more important than its multi-core capabilities. The PassMark single-thread score of 4412 places the processor in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, indicating strong per-core performance. The 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache provide adequate memory hierarchy for game workloads, though the dual-channel DDR5 memory with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth may limit performance in memory-intensive scenarios.

The CPU's nearest rivals in overall benchmark scores include the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F at 36945 (0% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D at 37018 (-0.2% delta). These comparisons show that the Core Ultra 5 225 performs on par with established mid-range processors, providing sufficient computational power for this game. The 65 W TDP and Intel Socket 1851 compatibility make it a mainstream option, though the lack of an unlocked multiplier limits overclocking potential.

Given that the measured frame rates show clear GPU bottlenecking across all resolutions, the CPU is not the limiting factor in this configuration. Even at 1080p Low, where the GPU is least stressed, the 136 FPS average suggests the CPU can feed the graphics card adequately. The processor's strong single-core performance and high percentile ranking indicate that it would remain viable even with a more powerful GPU, though users would need to ensure adequate cooling given the 3 nm process node's thermal characteristics.