Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus + Intel Arc B390

This combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus processor and the Intel Arc B390 integrated graphics represents an extreme pairing: a 24-core desktop flagship driving an IGP-class GPU in a fast-paced FPS. Benchmark results for Lockdown Protocol show a system that is fundamentally limited by its graphics component, with the CPU's substantial compute resources largely underutilized at every tested setting. The data reveals a configuration that can run the game at playable frame rates only at lower resolutions and settings, while higher presets quickly outpace what the Arc B390 can physically deliver.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process at TSMC. It operates with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, with a thermal design power of 125 W. The CPU features a 36 MB shared L3 cache, 3 MB of L2 cache per core, and 192 KB of L1 cache per core. In synthetic benchmarks, this processor achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51,731 and a single-core score of 7,303, placing it in the 96th percentile among all CPUs tested in the database.

In Lockdown Protocol, however, the CPU's raw capability does not translate into frame rate headroom. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the combination reaches 88 FPS average, while at 1080p Ultra it drops to 41 FPS. This pattern — where the CPU-heavy compute resources are paired with a graphics solution that cannot keep pace — indicates that the game's frame rate is dictated by GPU throughput rather than CPU processing. The processor's nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K with a 0.2% delta, the AMD EPYC 4584PX at 1.1%, and the AMD EPYC 9135 at 1.2%. These competitors all share similar synthetic scores, but none of that matters in this game context because the graphics bottleneck dominates.

The CPU's 24 threads could theoretically handle Lockdown Protocol's physics, AI, and network code with ease, especially given its Passmark multi-thread score of 60,860 and floating-point math score of 214,760. Yet the fact that FPS scales almost linearly with resolution and settings changes — rather than remaining flat as it would in a CPU-bound scenario — confirms that the processor is never the limiting factor. At 4K Ultra, the system produces only 19 FPS average, a figure that reflects the GPU's inability to fill frames, not any deficiency in the CPU's 5.80 GHz boost capability.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel's 3 nm process with the Panther Lake chip. It operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, featuring 1,536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output units. The GPU includes 12 ray tracing cores and delivers 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, with a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s. The thermal design power is 80 W, and it uses system shared memory with system-dependent bandwidth.

This GPU sits in the 9th percentile of all GPUs in the database, with an average 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1,482. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1.3% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1.5% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (2.5% higher), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (2.7% higher). These are all entry-level or legacy discrete GPUs, and the Arc B390's performance class is clearly below what Lockdown Protocol expects for smooth gameplay.

The GPU's 2,500 MHz boost clock is respectable for an integrated part, but the shared memory architecture and system-dependent bandwidth create a severe constraint. At 1080p Low, the combination achieves 88 FPS average, which is the only setting where the system approaches a comfortable frame rate. The gap between Low and Ultra settings at any given resolution is stark: at 1080p, the drop from 88 FPS (Low) to 41 FPS (Ultra) represents a 53% performance loss. The GPU's 24 ROPs and 7.680 TFLOPS FP32 throughput are simply insufficient for the pixel fill and shading demands of higher presets in a modern FPS.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 88 FPS at 1080p to 65 FPS at 1440p, then to 42 FPS at 4K. This represents a 26% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 52% drop from 1080p to 4K. At High settings, the progression is 55 FPS at 1080p, 40 FPS at 1440p, and 26 FPS at 4K — a 27% drop to 1440p and a 53% drop to 4K.

This scaling behavior is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. If the CPU were the limiting factor, frame rates would remain relatively constant across resolutions, since the processor's workload does not change significantly with pixel count. Instead, the nearly halving of FPS from 1080p to 4K at every settings tier indicates that the Arc B390's rendering throughput is the bottleneck. The Medium preset shows the same trend: 63 FPS at 1080p, 46 FPS at 1440p, and 30 FPS at 4K, with the 4K figure dropping to a minimum of 25 FPS and a maximum of 34 FPS.

The Ultra preset exhibits the most dramatic scaling, falling from 41 FPS at 1080p to 30 FPS at 1440p and finally to 19 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 4K drop of 54% mirrors the other settings, confirming that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth constraints scale predictably with pixel count. For a competitive FPS like Lockdown Protocol, the data suggests that 4K is not viable at any setting, and even 1440p requires Low settings to maintain a playable 65 FPS average.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Lockdown Protocol, this CPU-GPU pairing ranks 2,512 out of 2,828 total combinations. This places the system in the bottom 11% of all tested configurations, reflecting the Arc B390's position in the 9th GPU percentile. The combination's ranking is heavily weighted by the GPU's limited capabilities rather than the CPU's strengths, which is evident from the measured frame rates across all settings and resolutions.

The CPU alone ranks in the 96th percentile among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 84,003. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K at 83,807 (0.2% delta), the AMD EPYC 4584PX at 83,090 (1.1% delta), and the AMD EPYC 9135 at 82,980 (1.2% delta). The AMD EPYC 7F72 scores 85,072, which is 1.3% higher. These margins are all within a narrow band, indicating that the Ultra 9 290K Plus is competitive with top-tier server and desktop processors in synthetic workloads.

The GPU, conversely, ranks in the 9th percentile with an average score of 1,482, and its nearest rivals are all in the same performance class. The 1.3% to 2.7% deltas between the Arc B390 and the GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710 show that these GPUs are essentially interchangeable in terms of raw 3DMark performance. This explains why the combo ranks so low in Lockdown Protocol: the game's requirements far exceed what this GPU class can deliver, regardless of the CPU's exceptional compute headroom.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings for this combination depend entirely on the target resolution and the user's frame rate expectations. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 88 FPS average, which is the only configuration that approaches the 90 FPS threshold often desired in competitive FPS titles. The Medium preset at 1080p produces 63 FPS average with a minimum of 53 FPS and a maximum of 72 FPS, which is playable but with noticeable variance. The High preset drops to 55 FPS, and Ultra falls to 41 FPS, both of which may be acceptable for less competitive play but lack the smoothness of the Low setting.

At 1440p, the Low preset is the only playable option, delivering 65 FPS average. Medium drops to 46 FPS, High to 40 FPS, and Ultra to 30 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 39 FPS suggests occasional stutters during intense scenes, which could be problematic in a fast-paced FPS. At 4K, no setting achieves even 45 FPS: Low produces 42 FPS, Medium 30 FPS, High 26 FPS, and Ultra 19 FPS. The 4K Medium range of 25 to 34 FPS indicates that even the most consistent preset at this resolution falls below the 60 FPS standard.

The data suggests that 1080p Low is the best experience for this combination, offering the highest average frame rate with the least variance. If visual fidelity is prioritized over frame rate, 1080p Medium provides a reasonable middle ground at 63 FPS, though users should be prepared for the 53 FPS minimum. For 1440p users, Low is the only recommended preset, while 4K should be avoided entirely based on the measured performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this system?

A: The measured data shows that 1080p Low delivers 88 FPS average, the highest of any tested configuration. At 1440p, only Low (65 FPS average) approaches playable frame rates, while 4K at any setting produces 42 FPS or lower.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1,482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M, 2.5% higher than the GT 625 OEM, and 2.7% higher than the GT 710.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in Lockdown Protocol?

A: The frame rate scaling across resolutions indicates a GPU bottleneck. At Low settings, FPS drops from 88 at 1080p to 42 at 4K, a 52% reduction, which shows that rendering throughput, not CPU processing, limits performance.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, Low produces 88 FPS average while Ultra produces 41 FPS average, representing a 53% performance loss when moving from the lowest to the highest preset.

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

A: The data indicates that 4K is not viable. The best 4K result is 42 FPS at Low settings, while Ultra drops to 19 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K has a minimum of 25 FPS, which is below playable thresholds.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus rank among all CPUs?

A: The processor ranks in the 96th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 84,003. Its nearest rival is the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, which scores 83,807, a 0.2% delta.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rate data for Lockdown Protocol with this combination covers three resolutions and four settings tiers, providing a complete picture of performance scaling.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 88 FPS average, which is the highest frame rate recorded for this system. The Medium preset produces 63 FPS average with a minimum of 53 FPS and a maximum of 72 FPS. High settings deliver 55 FPS average, while Ultra drops to 41 FPS average. The progression from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a steady decline of roughly 25 FPS per settings tier, with the largest single drop occurring between Medium and High.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset reaches 65 FPS average, representing a 26% reduction from the 1080p Low result. Medium produces 46 FPS average with a minimum of 39 FPS and a maximum of 53 FPS. High settings deliver 40 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 30 FPS average. The 1440p results show that only Low settings maintain a frame rate above 60 FPS, while all other presets fall below that threshold.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset produces 42 FPS average, which is exactly half of the 1080p Low result. Medium delivers 30 FPS average with a minimum of 25 FPS and a maximum of 34 FPS, representing the only preset at 4K with complete min/max data. High settings achieve 26 FPS average, and Ultra drops to 19 FPS average. The 4K results demonstrate that no settings combination reaches even 45 FPS, making this resolution impractical for the Arc B390.

The complete dataset shows that the system's performance envelope spans from 88 FPS at 1080p Low down to 19 FPS at 4K Ultra, a range of 69 FPS. The consistency of the resolution scaling — roughly a 25-30% drop from 1080p to 1440p and another 35-40% drop from 1440p to 4K at each settings tier — confirms that the Arc B390's rendering pipeline is the dominant constraint. The CPU's 24 cores and 5.80 GHz boost clock provide ample headroom that the game never utilizes, as evidenced by the frame rates being entirely dependent on resolution and graphics settings rather than processor workload.