Lockdown Protocol

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread desktop processor built on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, fabricated on a 3 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock is 3.70 GHz and it boosts to 5.80 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The chip carries 36 MB of shared L3 cache, plus 3 MB of L2 per core and 192 KB of L1 per core. Memory support is dual-channel DDR5 with a bandwidth rating of 115.2 GB/s, and the CPU connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes from the processor itself.

In synthetic workloads, this CPU posts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731 and a single-core score of 7303. Its PassMark multi-thread score is 60860, and single-thread is 4823. The average benchmark score across all tests is 84003, which places it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. Compared to its nearest rivals, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K scores 83807, a delta of 0.2% — essentially a tie. The AMD EPYC 4584PX scores 83090 (1.1% slower), the AMD EPYC 9135 scores 82980 (1.2% slower), and the AMD EPYC 7F72 scores 85072 (1.3% faster). The 290K Plus sits right in that band, neither clearly ahead nor behind its closest competitors.

For Lockdown Protocol, an FPS title, the CPU's high single-thread performance matters for game logic, physics, and frame pacing. The 5.80 GHz boost clock is the headline figure here; that is what drives responsiveness in scenes with many actors or interactions. The 24 threads are more than enough for a game of this type, meaning the CPU should rarely be the bottleneck at lower resolutions. However, the measured FPS numbers suggest otherwise — at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 80 FPS, which is respectable but not stellar for a top-tier CPU. The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor even at 1080p, since the CPU is in the top 4% of all processors while the GPU sits in the bottom 5%.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel's 3 nm process. It has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz. The GPU features 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster output units, plus 10 ray tracing cores. Its pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s, texture rate is 96.00 GTexel/s, and FP32 throughput is 6.144 TFLOPS. The TDP is just 25 W, and it is an IGP with no power connectors and a bus interface of IGP. Memory is system shared, meaning it uses the CPU's DDR5 memory rather than dedicated VRAM; bandwidth is system dependent.

In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, this GPU scores 1184. That places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all older or lower-end parts: the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1186 (0.2% faster), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190 (0.5% faster), the AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192 (0.7% faster), and the AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1168 (1.4% slower). This is a very weak GPU by modern standards, and the benchmark results in Lockdown Protocol reflect that.

The integrated nature of this GPU means it shares system memory with the CPU, which can impact performance in a memory-bandwidth-sensitive game. The 2400 MHz boost clock is the maximum, but sustained clocks in a real game will depend on thermals and power limits within the host device. Given the 25 W TDP, the GPU is clearly designed for efficiency rather than raw performance. In Lockdown Protocol, this translates to sub-60 FPS at most settings and resolutions, with only the 1080p Low preset crossing the 60 FPS threshold.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern across resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo averages 80 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 58 FPS, a 27.5% reduction. At 4K Low, the average falls to 38 FPS, another 34.5% drop from 1440p. This scaling is steep — far steeper than what a CPU-bound scenario would show. When a system is CPU-limited, resolution changes typically have minimal impact on FPS because the CPU is doing the same amount of work regardless of pixel count. Here, the FPS falls consistently as resolution rises, indicating the GPU is the bottleneck.

The Medium preset tells a similar story. At 1080p Medium, the average is 57 FPS with a min of 48 and max of 65. At 1440p Medium, it drops to 42 FPS (min 35, max 48), a 26.3% decline. At 4K Medium, the average is 27 FPS (min 23, max 31), another 35.7% drop. The High preset shows the same pattern: 49 FPS at 1080p, 36 FPS at 1440p (26.5% lower), and 23 FPS at 4K (36.1% lower). Even Ultra, which starts at just 37 FPS at 1080p, falls to 27 FPS at 1440p and 18 FPS at 4K.

The consistency of these percentage drops across presets is telling. A GPU-bound system will show similar relative declines as resolution increases, because the pixel fill rate and shading load scale with resolution. The CPU's performance is essentially constant across resolutions, so if the CPU were the limiter, the FPS would stay flat. Instead, the data shows a nearly linear relationship between resolution and FPS, which is the classic signature of GPU limitation. The CPU's 96th percentile ranking versus the GPU's 5th percentile ranking confirms this interpretation.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1080p is the only resolution where any preset achieves playable frame rates. The 1080p Low preset averages 80 FPS, and 1080p Medium averages 57 FPS. At 1440p, the best result is 58 FPS on Low, but Medium drops to 42 FPS. At 4K, even Low only reaches 38 FPS.

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

A: The Arc B370 scores 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1186 (0.2% faster), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190 (0.5% faster), and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192 (0.7% faster). The AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1168 (1.4% slower). The Arc B370 is essentially on par with these older parts.

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

A: The CPU is in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 5th percentile. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K shows consistent drops of roughly 26-36% per resolution step, which indicates GPU limitation. The CPU has ample headroom, but the GPU cannot keep up.

Q: What FPS can I expect at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 42, with a minimum of 35 and a maximum of 48. This is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay in a fast-paced FPS.

Q: How does the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus compare to the Core Ultra 9 285K?

A: The 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84003, while the 285K scores 83807. The delta is 0.2%, meaning the 290K Plus is marginally faster. This difference is negligible in real-world gaming scenarios.

Q: Does the Arc B370 have dedicated VRAM?

A: No. The memory configuration is listed as "System Shared" for size, type, bus width, and bandwidth. The GPU uses the system's DDR5 memory, and bandwidth is system dependent. This can impact performance in memory-heavy scenes.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and Intel Arc B370 ranks 2611 out of 2828 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. That puts it in the bottom 7.7% of all tested systems. This is a remarkably low ranking for a CPU that is in the 96th percentile of all processors, and it underscores how severely the GPU drags down the overall experience.

The ranking is driven entirely by the GPU's poor performance. The Arc B370's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1184 places it in the 5th percentile, and its nearest rivals are all legacy parts from ATI and AMD. In Lockdown Protocol, the combo fails to reach 60 FPS at any resolution above 1080p Low, and even at 1080p, only the Low preset exceeds 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1080p averages just 37 FPS, which is stuttery for an FPS title.

The data suggests that this combo is not well-suited for Lockdown Protocol. The CPU is overqualified for the task, while the GPU is severely underpowered. If the goal is to play this game smoothly, the GPU would need to be replaced with a discrete solution. However, the CPU's strong single-thread performance means that pairing it with a capable discrete GPU would likely yield excellent results — the bottleneck would be removed, and the CPU's 5.80 GHz boost clock would shine in this FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results. The Low preset averages 80 FPS. Medium averages 57 FPS, with a minimum of 48 and maximum of 65. High averages 49 FPS. Ultra averages 37 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 43 FPS, which is substantial. The min-to-max range on Medium shows that frame times are not entirely stable, but the 48 FPS minimum is still above the 30 FPS playability floor for most users.

At 2560x1440, performance drops significantly. Low averages 58 FPS, which is the only 1440p result above 50 FPS. Medium averages 42 FPS (min 35, max 48). High averages 36 FPS. Ultra averages 27 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across presets, with reductions of 27.5% for Low, 26.3% for Medium, 26.5% for High, and 27.0% for Ultra. This uniformity reinforces the GPU-bound nature of the system.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low averages 38 FPS. Medium averages 27 FPS (min 23, max 31). High averages 23 FPS. Ultra averages 18 FPS. The 4K Medium preset shows a min of 23 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth motion. Even the Low preset at 38 FPS is borderline for an FPS, where frame pacing and response time matter. The 4K results are largely unusable for competitive play.

Looking at the full matrix, the pattern is clear: this combo is only viable at 1080p, and even then, only on Low or Medium settings. The 80 FPS at 1080p Low is the single highest measured result. The 57 FPS at 1080p Medium is the second-highest. Everything else falls below 50 FPS. The data does not include min or max FPS values for most presets, but the Medium preset at each resolution shows that min FPS is approximately 84% of the average, indicating some frame time variance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the best experience in Lockdown Protocol with this combo is at 1920x1080 with the Low preset, which averages 80 FPS. This is the only configuration that provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold. The 1080p Medium preset averages 57 FPS, which is close but below 60 — playable, but with occasional dips (minimum 48 FPS) that could be noticeable in fast action.

At 1440p, the Low preset averages 58 FPS, which is similar to 1080p Medium but with lower visual quality. If the user prioritizes resolution over settings, 1440p Low is a reasonable compromise, but the 1080p Medium preset likely offers a better visual balance given the GPU's limited fill rate. At 4K, no preset is recommended, as even Low only reaches 38 FPS, and the Medium preset's minimum of 23 FPS falls below acceptable playability.

The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 37 FPS; at 1440p Ultra, it is 27 FPS; at 4K Ultra, it is 18 FPS. The visual quality gains from Ultra over High or Medium are unlikely to compensate for the frame rate penalties. The High preset, while slightly better than Ultra, still falls below 50 FPS at every resolution except 1080p (49 FPS), which is marginal.

For users who must play at higher resolutions, the data suggests dropping to Low settings. The gap between Low and Medium at 1440p is 16 FPS (58 vs 42), which is significant. At 4K, the gap is 11 FPS (38 vs 27). The Low preset appears to reduce the GPU's workload enough to provide the best frame rate at each resolution. Given the GPU's 5th percentile ranking, sacrificing visual fidelity for frame rate is the logical choice in this FPS title. The CPU's strength cannot compensate for the GPU's weakness, so settings must be tuned to reduce the GPU's burden.