Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol is an FPS built on a foundation that heavily rewards raw GPU throughput, and this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus with the Intel Arc B580 produces a predictable curve of performance across resolutions. The data shows a system that is clearly capable of high refresh rates at 1080p but begins to buckle under the pixel load of 4K, particularly when visual fidelity settings are pushed to their limits. This is not a pairing that will dominate a 4K leaderboard, but it shows strong potential for competitive play at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a stark and consistent drop-off as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the "Low" preset, the average frame rate falls from 154 FPS at 1080p to 113 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 73 FPS at 4K. This represents a 47% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K, which is a significant hit, but one that still leaves the game playable. The scaling pattern is typical for a GPU-bound scenario; the Arc B580 is working progressively harder to fill the increasing number of pixels.

The behavior under the "High" preset is even more telling. The average FPS drops from 95 at 1080p to 70 at 1440p, and then plummets to 45 at 4K. The gap between 1440p and 4K is a 36% decrease, which is steeper than the 26% decrease seen from 1080p to 1440p. This suggests that the GPU is hitting a memory bandwidth or raw compute wall at the higher resolution. The "Ultra" preset makes the situation clear, with performance falling to 72 FPS at 1080p, 52 FPS at 1440p, and a demanding 34 FPS at 4K. The frame rate at 4K Ultra is nearly half of what it is at 1080p Ultra, indicating that the GPU is the primary limiting factor in this configuration.

The scaling pattern strongly indicates that the Arc B580 becomes the bottleneck at 4K. While the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a high-end processor with a 96th percentile ranking against all CPUs, its power is largely irrelevant when the GPU is struggling to render 8.3 million pixels. The data suggests that the sweet spot for this combination is 1440p, where the GPU can still push respectable frame rates without being completely overwhelmed. At 4K, the system relies on lowering settings to "Low" to achieve a playable 73 FPS average, which is a significant compromise.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is the heart of this system's gaming performance, and its specifications explain the observed results. It features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s. This is a substantial amount of memory, which is likely sufficient for Lockdown Protocol's textures and assets at 1080p and 1440p. However, at 4K, the demand for memory bandwidth and capacity increases, and the data suggests the B580's 456.0 GB/s becomes a limiting factor, contributing to the steep FPS drops at higher resolutions.

The GPU's clock speeds are listed with a base and boost clock of 2670 MHz. This consistent clock speed means the card is running at its maximum frequency under load, which is a positive sign for consistent performance. The Arc B580 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture and uses the BMG-G21 chip, which is a modern design. Its 2560 shading units and 80 ROPs are the workhorses that process the geometry and pixels, and they are sufficient for solid performance in this title at lower resolutions. The 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is a good indicator of its raw shader capability.

The B580's benchmark scores place it in the 68th percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23021. Its nearest rivals according to the data include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 and RTX 3080, with the B580 performing within 0.7% of the RTX 3080's average score. This is a key indicator that while the B580 is not a top-tier card, it sits in the same performance class as older high-end cards. In Lockdown Protocol, this translates to the 1080p and 1440p performance we see; it is capable of high frame rates, but not at the absolute highest settings and resolutions. The data confirms that for 4K gaming, the B580 is overextended, and the FPS results suffer accordingly.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured fps rows, the optimal balance of visual quality and performance for this combo is the "High" preset at 1440p. The data shows an average of 70 FPS at this setting, which is a solid baseline for a smooth experience in a fast-paced FPS. The "Medium" preset at 1440p offers a modest boost to 80 FPS, which is a 14% improvement, but the visual fidelity trade-off may not be worth it for most players. The "High" preset provides a better visual experience with only a 12% performance penalty compared to Medium.

For players prioritizing competitive play and high refresh rates, the "Low" preset at 1080p is the clear choice. The data shows a commanding 154 FPS average, which is well beyond the refresh rate of most standard monitors and provides a significant advantage in a game where reaction time is critical. The "Medium" preset at 1080p still offers a very playable 109 FPS, but the jump to 154 FPS on "Low" is a substantial gain that competitive players will likely prefer. The "Ultra" preset is not recommended for this pairing. The performance cost is steep, with an average of only 72 FPS at 1080p and 34 FPS at 4K, making it a poor choice for a game that benefits from high frame rates.

At 4K, the data shows that the "Low" preset is the only viable option, yielding an average of 73 FPS. The "Medium" preset drops to 52 FPS, which is below the threshold for a smooth experience in a competitive FPS. The "High" and "Ultra" presets at 4K are effectively unplayable, with averages of 45 FPS and 34 FPS respectively. Therefore, the recommendation is clear: stick to "High" at 1440p for the best mix of visuals and performance, or drop to "Low" at 1080p for maximum frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the Intel Arc B580 ranks 2126th out of 2828 tested combinations for Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the 25th percentile of all tested combos, which is a lower-midrange ranking. This is a crucial data point because it shows that despite the high-end CPU, the overall gaming performance is dragged down by the GPU. The data suggests that many other combinations of hardware are capable of producing higher frame rates in this specific game.

This ranking is a direct result of the Arc B580's performance ceiling. While the CPU is a top-tier component, its benchmark scores and 96th percentile ranking do not translate into top-tier gaming performance when paired with a mid-range GPU. The combo's rank indicates that for the same CPU, pairing it with a more powerful GPU would yield a much higher rank. Conversely, for the same GPU, pairing it with a less powerful CPU would likely change the rank very little, as the GPU is the bottleneck in most scenarios, particularly at higher resolutions. This ranking is a clear indicator that the system is balanced for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but it is not a contender for high-end 4K performance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor with a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. It is a monster of a CPU, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731 and a single-core score of 7303. These numbers place it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, is only 0.2% faster on average. This is a top-tier processor for productivity and multi-threaded workloads, but its role in Lockdown Protocol is less about raw compute and more about feeding the GPU.

In this game, the CPU's role is to handle the game logic, physics, and draw calls, and to feed the GPU with rendering instructions. The data shows that at 1080p, the CPU is not a bottleneck, as the GPU is still able to achieve 154 FPS on "Low" settings. However, at 4K, the CPU's high core count and clock speed are largely irrelevant, as the GPU is the limiting factor. The 24 cores and 24 threads are more than sufficient for the game's threading model, and the high boost clock of 5.80 GHz ensures that single-threaded performance is excellent.

The benchmark scores for the CPU, such as the Passmark single-thread score of 4823 and the multi-thread score of 60860, indicate a processor that is not holding back the Arc B580 in any meaningful way. The data shows that the performance ceiling in this combo is set by the GPU, not the CPU. This is a classic sign of a balanced build for gaming at mainstream resolutions where the GPU is the primary determinant of frame rate. The CPU is providing a stable foundation, but it is not the star of the show in Lockdown Protocol.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a complete picture of performance across all resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080, the "Low" preset delivers an average of 154 FPS, which is the highest score in the entire dataset. The "Medium" preset averages 109 FPS, with a minimum of 93 and a maximum of 126 FPS. The "High" preset averages 95 FPS, and the "Ultra" preset averages 72 FPS. This shows a clear progression where each step up in settings costs a significant amount of performance.

Moving to 2560x1440, the "Low" preset averages 113 FPS, which is a 27% drop from the 1080p "Low" score. The "Medium" preset averages 80 FPS, with a minimum of 68 and a maximum of 92 FPS. The "High" preset averages 70 FPS, and the "Ultra" preset averages 52 FPS. The performance scaling here is consistent, with the "Ultra" preset being the only one that dips below the 60 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops are significant. The "Low" preset averages 73 FPS, which is still playable. The "Medium" preset averages 52 FPS, with a minimum of 44 and a maximum of 59 FPS, indicating that frame times can be inconsistent. The "High" preset averages 45 FPS, and the "Ultra" preset averages 34 FPS. The data for the "Medium" preset at 4K is the only set that includes min/max values, showing a 15 FPS variance, which can be noticeable in a fast-paced game. The overall picture is one of a GPU that is capable at 1080p and 1440p but struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K, especially on higher settings.