Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol, a 2024-released FPS, presents a demanding workload for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 paired with the Intel Arc B370. The measured data across resolutions and settings reveals a system where the integrated graphics component is the clear performance bottleneck, while the 20-core processor demonstrates its capability in supporting the frame rates that are achievable. The following analysis breaks down the benchmark results, focusing on the optimal settings configuration, the role of the GPU's shared memory architecture, the scaling of frame rates across resolutions, and the overall ranking of this combination among all tested setups.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data provides a clear hierarchy of performance across the four available settings presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average frame rate of 80 FPS, which is the highest figure recorded for this combination at any resolution or setting. This is significantly higher than the Medium preset's 57 FPS, the High preset's 49 FPS, and the Ultra preset's 37 FPS. For users seeking the most fluid experience at 1080p, the Low preset is the only option that consistently provides frame rates above the 60 FPS threshold, making it the recommended choice for competitive or fast-paced play where responsiveness is paramount.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance landscape shifts downward. The Low preset averages 58 FPS, which is just shy of the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset drops to 42 FPS, High to 36 FPS, and Ultra to 27 FPS. At this resolution, the Low preset remains the most practical for achieving near-smooth gameplay, though the data suggests that users may need to accept minor dips below 60 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 16 FPS, indicating that the visual quality improvements from the Medium preset come at a substantial performance cost.

At 3840x2160, none of the presets achieve a playable 60 FPS. The Low preset is the fastest with an average of 38 FPS, followed by Medium at 27 FPS, High at 23 FPS, and Ultra at 18 FPS. The data indicates that 4K gaming is not a viable option for this hardware combination, even at the lowest settings. The Low preset is still the recommended option for users who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity, as it provides a 11 FPS advantage over the Medium preset and a 15 FPS advantage over High. Overall, the Low preset consistently provides the best performance experience across all three resolutions, and it is the only preset that approaches or exceeds 60 FPS at 1080p.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with a 25 W TDP, and its performance profile is central to understanding the measured frame rates. The GPU's memory configuration is system-shared, meaning it does not have dedicated VRAM but instead borrows from the system's DDR5 memory. The memory bus width and bandwidth are also listed as system-dependent, highlighting that its performance is intrinsically linked to the host system's memory capabilities. The GPU operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz, and these clocks, combined with its 1280 shading units, determine its raw compute throughput. The GPU's FP32 performance is rated at 6.144 TFLOPS, which is a modest figure that aligns with its low-power integrated design.

The benchmark results from 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 provide a score of 1184 for the Arc B370. This score places the GPU in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, indicating that it is among the slower performing graphics solutions. Its nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and the ATI Radeon HD 5770, with delta percentages of -0.2% and -0.5% respectively, meaning the Arc B370 is effectively on par with these older discrete parts. This low percentile ranking is consistent with the FPS data, which shows the GPU struggling to maintain high frame rates even at lower resolutions. The GPU's limited texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s further constrain its ability to handle the rendering demands of a modern FPS title like Lockdown Protocol. The data suggests that the Arc B370 is the limiting factor in this system, as the CPU has significantly more headroom than the GPU can utilize.

Resolution Scaling

The impact of resolution on frame rates is dramatic, illustrating the GPU's struggles as the pixel count increases. Starting from 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 80 FPS. At 2560x1440, the same preset drops to 58 FPS, a decrease of 22 FPS or 27.5%. Moving to 3840x2160, the Low preset further drops to 38 FPS, a 20 FPS decrease from 1440p and a 42 FPS decrease from 1080p. This scaling pattern reveals a nearly linear relationship between pixel count and frame rate, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario. The number of pixels in 1440p is roughly 1.78 times that of 1080p, and the frame rate drops to roughly 72.5% of the 1080p value, aligning closely with the increased pixel load.

The trend is consistent across all settings. For the Medium preset, the average FPS drops from 57 at 1080p to 42 at 1440p, a 15 FPS decrease, and then to 27 at 4K, another 15 FPS decrease. The High preset shows a similar pattern, with 49 FPS at 1080p, 36 FPS at 1440p, and 23 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with 37 FPS at 1080p, 27 FPS at 1440p, and 18 FPS at 4K. The consistent drop from 1440p to 4K, regardless of settings, underscores that the GPU is the limiting component. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see smaller differences between resolutions as the GPU would still be able to produce frames at a rate limited by the processor. Instead, the data shows that every resolution increase results in a significant FPS penalty, confirming that the Arc B370's rendering capabilities are exhausted well before the CPU's potential is reached.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured performance shows a clear spread across the four settings presets. The Low preset achieves an average of 80 FPS, which is the only result above 60 FPS. The Medium preset averages 57 FPS, with a minimum of 48 FPS and a maximum of 65 FPS, indicating some fluctuation but generally smooth gameplay. The High preset averages 49 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 37 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 43 FPS, highlighting the significant performance cost of higher visual fidelity at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the average frame rates for all presets are lower. The Low preset leads with 58 FPS, followed by Medium at 42 FPS, with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 48 FPS. The High preset averages 36 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 27 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra shrinks to 31 FPS, but the overall performance is reduced. The Medium preset's minimum of 35 FPS suggests that even at this setting, there can be noticeable stutters in demanding scenes.

At 3840x2160, the performance is marginal. The Low preset averages 38 FPS, which is the highest at this resolution. The Medium preset averages 27 FPS, with a minimum of 23 FPS and a maximum of 31 FPS. The High preset averages 23 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 18 FPS. The data shows that no preset can maintain a consistent 30 FPS at 4K, and the experience would be largely unplayable for an FPS title. The Medium preset's minimum of 23 FPS is particularly low, indicating that even the best-case average is subject to significant dips.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1080p gameplay with this hardware?

A: Based on the measured data, the Low preset is the best choice at 1920x1080, delivering an average of 80 FPS. This is the only preset that exceeds the 60 FPS threshold, while Medium averages 57 FPS, High averages 49 FPS, and Ultra averages 37 FPS.

Q: Can this system run Lockdown Protocol at 4K resolution?

A: The data indicates that 4K gaming is not viable. At 3840x2160, the highest average frame rate is 38 FPS on the Low preset, with Medium averaging 27 FPS, High averaging 23 FPS, and Ultra averaging 18 FPS. None of these results approach a playable 60 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Arc B370 has an average 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184. Its nearest rivals are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 with a score of 1186 (a -0.2% delta) and the ATI Radeon HD 5770 with a score of 1190 (a -0.5% delta). This places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: What is the CPU's performance percentile ranking?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 64640. Its nearest rival is the AMD EPYC 4464P, which has an average score of 64823, representing a -0.3% delta.

Q: What is the minimum FPS observed for the Medium preset at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440 with the Medium preset, the minimum FPS observed is 35, while the average is 42 FPS and the maximum is 48 FPS.

Q: Does the GPU have dedicated video memory?

A: No, the Intel Arc B370 uses system-shared memory. Its memory size, type, and bus width are all listed as "System Shared," and its bandwidth is "System Dependent," meaning it relies on the system's DDR5 memory.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process node. It has a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. The CPU's cache configuration includes a 30 MB shared L3 cache, and it supports dual-channel DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU demonstrates strong multi-threaded performance, scoring 42216 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 5960 in single-core. Its PassMark multithread score is 49682, and its single-thread score is 4689. These figures place the CPU in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 64640. Its nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 4464P, has an average score of 64823, a mere 0.3% difference.

Given the GPU's low performance percentile, the CPU's role in Lockdown Protocol is to provide a stable foundation that is never the primary limiter. The data shows that the frame rates are consistently low across all resolutions, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound workload. The CPU's high boost clock and substantial core count ensure that it can handle the game's physics and AI computations without introducing additional frame time penalties. The measured FPS differences between settings presets are primarily driven by the GPU's rendering load, not CPU processing. For example, at 1080p, the 43 FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings is a direct result of the increased pixel shading and texture work imposed on the Arc B370, not a change in CPU workload. The CPU is performing its role adequately, but the overall system performance is capped by the integrated GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and Intel Arc B370 combination is ranked 2611 out of 2828 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the bottom portion of the ranking, at roughly the 8th percentile of all system configurations. This low rank is consistent with the GPU's individual performance, which is in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. The CPU, on the other hand, is in the 93rd percentile, indicating a significant mismatch in performance capabilities. The combo's rank is heavily dragged down by the GPU's inability to deliver high frame rates. While the CPU is a high-end part, its power is largely untapped in this game because the GPU cannot render frames fast enough to utilize the processor's full potential. The data suggests that pairing this CPU with a more powerful discrete GPU would yield dramatically better results, but as configured, the integrated graphics solution limits the system to low-to-mid-range performance levels. The rank of 2611 out of 2828 indicates that most other tested combinations, including those with older or less capable dedicated GPUs, are able to achieve higher frame rates in this FPS title.