Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with Intel Core Ultra 5 245 + Intel Arc B580

Lockdown Protocol, a 2024-released FPS title, presents a demanding workload at higher resolutions, and the measured data for this combination of Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and Intel Arc B580 shows a system that scales predictably with settings. The benchmark results indicate a pairing that can deliver smooth gameplay at 1080p and 1440p with adjusted presets, but struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K. This analysis breaks down how the 14-core processor and the Battlemage-generation graphics card each contribute to the observed performance metrics across all tested configurations.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 sits at the heart of this system, providing the processing foundation for Lockdown Protocol. This Arrow Lake-S architecture chip features 14 cores and 14 threads, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. The processor operates with a 65 W TDP and uses the Intel Socket 1851. The 3 nm process node from TSMC houses 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die. Cache configuration includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support is DDR5 over a dual-channel bus, offering a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s.

In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU demonstrates strong multi-threaded capability. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924 and single-core score of 4648 indicate a processor well-suited for modern gaming workloads. PassMark results reinforce this, with a multi-thread score of 38706 and a single-thread score of 4394. The data compression test score of 400942 and floating-point math score of 120548 further highlight computational strength. The CPU holds a 90th percentile ranking among all tested processors, placing it in the upper tier of general computing performance.

Relative to its nearest rivals, the Core Ultra 5 245 shows tight competition. Against the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, it trails by a mere 0.4% in average benchmark score. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900 sits 0.5% ahead, while the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H is 0.6% behind. The Intel Core i5-14600K comes in at 0.8% lower than this chip. These narrow deltas indicate that for CPU-bound scenarios in Lockdown Protocol, the Core Ultra 5 245 delivers performance consistent with its peer group, even though the game's frame rates at higher resolutions are more likely constrained by the GPU.

The processor's 14 threads provide adequate parallelism for the game's simulation and AI tasks, but the measured FPS data suggests that at 1080p and above, the graphics card becomes the primary bottleneck. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves 154 FPS average, which is the highest recorded figure across all tests. This suggests the CPU can feed the GPU efficiently at lower graphical loads. However, as resolution and settings increase, the frame rate drops significantly, pointing to GPU limitations rather than CPU constraints.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data across three resolutions and four quality presets provides clear guidance for optimal gameplay experiences. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 154 FPS average, which is exceptionally smooth for competitive play. Medium settings at this resolution yield 109 FPS average with a minimum of 93 FPS and maximum of 126 FPS, offering a balanced experience with improved visual fidelity while maintaining high refresh rates. High settings drop to 95 FPS average, still respectable for most displays, while Ultra falls to 72 FPS average.

For 2560x1440, the data shows that Medium settings provide the best experience-to-performance ratio. The Medium preset achieves 80 FPS average with a minimum of 68 FPS and maximum of 92 FPS, which remains playable on standard 60 Hz monitors and approaches the threshold for 75 Hz displays. High settings at this resolution produce 70 FPS average, which is also viable but with less headroom for demanding scenes. Low settings reach 113 FPS average, but the visual compromise may not be worth the frame rate gain for many players. Ultra at 1440p drops to 52 FPS average, which introduces noticeable stutter in fast-paced FPS action.

At 3840x2160, the results are more constrained. Medium settings yield 52 FPS average with a minimum of 44 FPS and maximum of 59 FPS, which is borderline playable but not ideal for competitive gameplay. High settings produce 45 FPS average, while Low reaches 73 FPS average. Ultra at 4K is the weakest configuration at 34 FPS average. For 4K users, Low settings offer the most fluid experience, though the visual downgrade is significant. The data suggests that 1440p Medium or 1080p High/Ultra are the optimal configurations for balancing visual quality with responsive gameplay in Lockdown Protocol.

FAQ

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

A: The measured data indicates 1920x1080 with Low settings provides the highest average FPS at 154, making it the most responsive configuration for competitive play. For a balance of visuals and performance, 1080p Medium at 109 FPS average is a strong alternative.

Q: Can this system handle 1440p gaming in Lockdown Protocol?

A: Yes, 2560x1440 is viable with the right settings. Medium settings achieve 80 FPS average with a minimum of 68 FPS, while High settings produce 70 FPS average. Ultra drops to 52 FPS average, which may be too low for fast-paced gameplay.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B580 perform at 4K in this game?

A: 4K performance is limited. Low settings reach 73 FPS average, Medium drops to 52 FPS average, High manages 45 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 34 FPS average. Users targeting 4K should expect to use Low settings for acceptable frame rates.

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

A: The frame rate scaling across resolutions and settings points to the GPU as the primary bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 154 FPS, but increasing resolution to 4K Low drops performance to 73 FPS, indicating the graphics card limits higher-resolution output.

Q: What settings provide the most consistent frame times?

A: The Medium preset at each resolution includes minimum and maximum FPS data. At 1080p Medium, the range is 93-126 FPS; at 1440p Medium, it is 68-92 FPS; and at 4K Medium, it is 44-59 FPS. The narrower range at 1440p suggests more consistent frame pacing.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: This combination ranks 2126 out of 2828 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the overall ranking despite the CPU's strong benchmark scores.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and Intel Arc B580 ranks 2126 out of 2828 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places the pairing in the 25th percentile of all configurations tested, meaning roughly three-quarters of tested systems deliver higher frame rates in this game. The ranking reflects the GPU's mid-tier positioning more than the CPU's strength; the Core Ultra 5 245 sits at the 90th percentile among all CPUs, while the Arc B580 ranks at the 68th percentile among all GPUs.

The GPU's average benchmark score of 23021 places it close to several established cards. The AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP scores 23061, just 0.2% higher, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 scores 22895, which is 0.6% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 scores 23172, 0.7% higher, and the NVIDIA P106-100 scores 23249, 1% higher. These small deltas suggest the Arc B580 competes with older high-end cards and newer mid-range options, which aligns with its 68th percentile GPU ranking.

The combo's rank in Lockdown Protocol indicates that while the CPU provides ample processing power, the GPU limits overall gaming performance. This is consistent with the measured FPS data showing significant drops as resolution increases. The 14-core processor with its high single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4648) ensures that even at lower resolutions where the GPU is less taxed, the system can deliver high frame rates. However, the GPU's 12 GB GDDR6 memory and 456.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient to maintain high FPS at 4K Ultra settings.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is the graphics engine powering this configuration. Based on the Xe2-HPG architecture with the BMG-G21 chip, this Battlemage-generation card features 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units. It includes 20 ray tracing cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2670 MHz and a boost clock of 2670 MHz, with memory clocked at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). The 12 GB GDDR6 memory runs on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s. The card supports PCIe 4.0 x8 and DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 APIs.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Arc B580 shows moderate DirectX performance. The PassMark DirectX 12 score of 76 and DirectX 11 score of 128 indicate decent API support, while the PassMark G3D score of 15748 and GPU compute score of 7729 reflect its overall computational capability. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3068, Geekbench OpenCL score of 92821, and Geekbench Vulkan score of 109672 provide additional performance metrics. The GPU's 68th percentile ranking among all GPUs places it above average but not in the top tier.

The GPU's measured performance in Lockdown Protocol aligns with its synthetic benchmarks. At 1080p Low, the card delivers 154 FPS average, showing it can handle lighter loads easily. As settings increase to Medium, the frame rate drops to 109 FPS, and High produces 95 FPS. Ultra at 1080p yields 72 FPS. At 1440p, the scaling continues: Low hits 113 FPS, Medium 80 FPS, High 70 FPS, and Ultra 52 FPS. At 4K, the GPU's limitations become apparent with Low at 73 FPS, Medium at 52 FPS, High at 45 FPS, and Ultra at 34 FPS. The 12 GB VRAM and 456.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but 4K Ultra exceeds the card's comfortable operating range.

Given the GPU's performance relative to its rivals, the Arc B580 competes with the RTX 2080 and RTX 3080 in average benchmark scores. In Lockdown Protocol specifically, the card's frame rates at 1440p Medium (80 FPS) and High (70 FPS) suggest it is best suited for mainstream resolutions rather than enthusiast 4K gaming.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system achieves its highest scores. Low settings produce 154 FPS average, which is the peak performance across all tests. Medium settings yield 109 FPS average with a minimum of 93 FPS and maximum of 126 FPS. High settings reach 95 FPS average, while Ultra delivers 72 FPS average. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a consistent decline, with Ultra representing a 53% reduction from Low.

At 2560x1440, performance scales as expected. Low settings reach 113 FPS average, which is a 27% drop from 1080p Low. Medium settings produce 80 FPS average with a minimum of 68 FPS and maximum of 92 FPS, representing a 27% reduction from the 1080p Medium result. High settings achieve 70 FPS average, a 26% decrease from 1080p High. Ultra at 52 FPS average is a 28% reduction from 1080p Ultra. The consistent percentage drops across settings indicate that the GPU's performance scales linearly with pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become pronounced. Low settings deliver 73 FPS average, which is a 53% reduction from 1080p Low. Medium settings achieve 52 FPS average with a minimum of 44 FPS and maximum of 59 FPS, a 52% drop from 1080p Medium. High settings produce 45 FPS average, a 53% decrease from 1080p High. Ultra at 34 FPS average is a 53% reduction from 1080p Ultra. The uniform percentage drops across all settings at 4K suggest the GPU is uniformly bandwidth or compute-limited at this resolution.

The data reveals that the transition from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 25-28% of frame rate, while the jump to 4K costs an additional 50% or more. For the best experience, 1080p High or Ultra provides 95 FPS and 72 FPS respectively, both playable on high-refresh displays. At 1440p, Medium at 80 FPS is the sweet spot, while 4K requires Low settings at 73 FPS for acceptable performance. The minimum FPS values recorded at Medium settings (93 at 1080p, 68 at 1440p, 44 at 4K) indicate that even the lowest frame dips remain within playable ranges for the two lower resolutions.