Lockdown Protocol

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

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 is a 6-core, 12-thread Zen 3 part built on TSMC's 7 nm process. It runs at a 3.60 GHz base clock and boosts up to 4.20 GHz, with 16 MB of L3 cache and a 65 W TDP. This is a desktop CPU on the AM4 socket, supporting DDR4 memory in dual-channel configuration with 51.2 GB/s of bandwidth. In synthetic workloads, its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 16429 and single-core score of 2319 indicate a solid mid-range processor that should not bottleneck a GPU of this class in most titles.

However, the benchmark data for Lockdown Protocol tells a different story. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 61.6 FPS average, which is the only measured result above 60 FPS. Dropping to 1080p Medium reduces the average to 42.2 FPS, and High settings yield 35.8 FPS. The pattern at 1440p and 4K shows even more severe degradation. This suggests the game is heavily GPU-bound, particularly at higher resolutions and quality presets, but the CPU's single-thread performance (3DMark single-thread score of 836) may still be a limiting factor for frame pacing in this FPS title.

The Ryzen 5 5500 sits at the 79th percentile among all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 20875. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-12500, scores 20897, a delta of -0.1%, meaning the two processors are effectively performance equals in general workloads. This CPU is not the primary constraint in this pairing — the GPU is far more restrictive. Still, the 12 threads provide headroom for background tasks, and the 4.20 GHz boost clock helps maintain responsiveness in CPU-light scenarios.

FAQ

Q: Why does 1080p Low hit 61.6 FPS but 1080p Medium drops to 42.2 FPS?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti has only 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, with 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus (112.1 GB/s bandwidth). Moving from Low to Medium increases shading and texture work significantly, and the Pascal GPU's 2.138 TFLOPS FP32 throughput cannot sustain higher frame rates. The measured data shows a 31.5% drop between those two presets, indicating the GPU is the bottleneck.

Q: Can this CPU handle this GPU without bottlenecking?

A: Yes. The Ryzen 5 5500's Cinebench R23 multicore score of 16429 and single-core score of 2319 are far above what this GPU requires. At 1080p Low, the CPU is likely not the limiting factor, as the 61.6 FPS result is constrained by the GPU's fill rate and pixel throughput (44.54 GPixel/s). The CPU's 79th percentile ranking versus all CPUs further confirms it is not the weak link.

Q: Is 4 GB of VRAM enough for Lockdown Protocol at higher settings?

A: The measured data indicates not. At 4K Ultra, the combo averages only 15.5 FPS, and even 1440p Ultra drops to 21 FPS. While VRAM capacity alone does not explain all the loss, the GTX 1050 Ti's 112.1 GB/s memory bandwidth is a serious constraint. The 4K results across all presets (15.5 to 28.5 FPS) are uniformly poor, suggesting memory pressure and bandwidth starvation at high pixel counts.

Q: How does this GPU compare to its nearest rivals in raw performance?

A: The GTX 1050 Ti's average benchmark score is 5316, with a percentile ranking of 30 among all GPUs. Its closest competitor, the NVIDIA GeForce 930A, scores 5317 (0% delta), while the GeForce 940M scores 5297 (0.4% ahead of the 1050 Ti). The AMD Radeon R7 240 scores 5280 (0.7% behind). These are all low-end parts, confirming the GPU's position near the bottom of the performance stack.

Q: What is the best preset to use at 1080p for smooth gameplay?

A: Based strictly on the measured rows, 1080p Low is the only preset that clears 60 FPS (61.6 average). Medium yields 42.2 FPS, High 35.8 FPS, and Ultra 29.9 FPS. If playable frame rates are the priority, Low is the only viable choice at 1080p. There is no measured preset at 1080p that combines high quality with acceptable performance.

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

The resolution scaling data reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 61.6 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low, the average drops to 44.9 FPS — a 27% reduction. At 4K Low, it falls further to 28.5 FPS, which is 54% lower than the 1080p result. This steep scaling curve is characteristic of a GPU that runs out of pixel throughput and memory bandwidth as resolution increases.

For High settings, the pattern is even more pronounced. 1080p High delivers 35.8 FPS, 1440p High drops to 30.4 FPS (15% loss), and 4K High plummets to 21 FPS (41% loss from 1080p). The GTX 1050 Ti's 32 ROPs and 44.54 GPixel/s pixel rate are simply insufficient for 4K workloads, regardless of quality preset. The 4K Ultra result of 15.5 FPS is effectively unplayable.

The data indicates that the limiting component is overwhelmingly the GPU. The CPU's performance does not scale with resolution in the same way — a CPU-bound title would show similar FPS across resolutions. Instead, the FPS drops consistently as pixel count rises, confirming that the GTX 1050 Ti's 2.138 TFLOPS FP32 and 112.1 GB/s bandwidth are the bottlenecks. At 1080p Low, the combo approaches playable territory, but any resolution increase or quality bump pushes it into slideshow territory.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti ranks 1623 out of 1637 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. That places it in the bottom 1% of all combinations in the database. The rank reflects the GPU's severe limitations — the GTX 1050 Ti sits at the 30th percentile among all GPUs, meaning 70% of GPUs outperform it.

The CPU's strong relative performance (79th percentile) does little to boost the combo's standing because the game is GPU-bound at nearly every resolution and preset tested. The only scenario where the combo approaches competitive performance is 1080p Low at 61.6 FPS, which is still below what many mid-range GPUs achieve at higher settings. The data suggests that pairing a high-percentile CPU with a low-percentile GPU results in a combo that is ultimately constrained by the weakest link, and the rank of 1623 reflects this imbalance.

For context, the GPU's nearest rivals (GeForce 930A, GeForce 940M, Radeon R7 240) all score within 0.8% of the GTX 1050 Ti in average benchmark scores, so any of those pairings would likely land in a similar rank range. The combo's position near the very bottom of the database is not surprising given the GPU's age (released 2016) and end-of-life production status.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured FPS data provides a clear hierarchy. At 1080p, Low is the only preset that delivers a playable experience, averaging 61.6 FPS. Medium drops to 42.2 FPS, High to 35.8 FPS, and Ultra to 29.9 FPS. For any competitive FPS gameplay, 1080p Low is the only reasonable choice. The 61.6 FPS average is just above the 60 FPS threshold that most players consider minimum for smooth play.

At 1440p, no preset achieves 60 FPS. Low averages 44.9 FPS, Medium and High both hit 30.4 FPS, and Ultra drops to 21 FPS. The 1440p Low result is playable for single-player or casual play, but it is a significant step down from 1080p. At 4K, all presets are below 30 FPS, with Low at 28.5 FPS, High at 21 FPS, Medium at 19.4 FPS, and Ultra at 15.5 FPS. None of these are recommended for any gameplay type.

The best experience per the measured data is unequivocally 1080p Low. It offers the highest average FPS (61.6) of any configuration tested. If the player values visual quality over frame rate, 1080p Medium (42.2 FPS) is the next best option, offering a 47% FPS gain over High settings while still being above 30 FPS. However, for a fast-paced FPS like Lockdown Protocol, the 1080p Low preset is the only one that provides the frame rate needed for responsive aiming and movement.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 61.6 FPS average — the only measured result above 60 FPS for this combo.
• Medium: 42.2 FPS average — a 31.5% drop from Low, indicating significant GPU load increase.
• High: 35.8 FPS average — further degradation, now 42% below Low.
• Ultra: 29.9 FPS average — just under 30 FPS, marginal playability.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 44.9 FPS average — the best 1440p result, but 27% slower than 1080p Low.
• Medium: 30.4 FPS average — equal to High settings at this resolution.
• High: 30.4 FPS average — identical to Medium, suggesting the GPU is saturated.
• Ultra: 21 FPS average — a 53% drop from 1440p Low.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 28.5 FPS average — the only 4K result above 20 FPS.
• High: 21 FPS average — barely above the 20 FPS threshold.
• Medium: 19.4 FPS average — below 20 FPS, effectively unplayable.
• Ultra: 15.5 FPS average — the worst measured result, 75% below 1080p Low.

The data shows that at 1440p, Medium and High produce identical average FPS (30.4), indicating that the GPU's shading resources are exhausted and additional quality settings do not change the outcome. Similarly, at 4K, the spread from Low to Ultra is only 13 FPS (28.5 to 15.5), a narrow range that underscores the GPU's inability to handle high pixel counts. The GTX 1050 Ti's 4 GB VRAM and 112.1 GB/s bandwidth are the hard limits here, and no settings adjustment can overcome those physical constraints.