Lockdown Protocol

This analysis covers the performance of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 in Lockdown Protocol. The data indicates a system heavily constrained by its graphics card, with the CPU providing ample headroom for the GPU's workload across most settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and dramatic drop in performance as resolution increases, which is the primary indicator of a GPU-bound scenario. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 73.7 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings, the average falls to 55.4 FPS, a reduction of roughly 25%. At 3840x2160, the average plummets to 35.2 FPS, which is less than half of the 1080p result. This scaling pattern is consistent with the GTX 1650's 4 GB memory buffer and its overall compute throughput being the limiting factor.

The trend holds true across all settings presets. At High settings, the system goes from 46.1 FPS at 1080p, to 38.1 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 23.4 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 4K is significant, with the 4K result being roughly half of the 1080p figure. This indicates that the GPU is being saturated by the pixel count at higher resolutions, leaving the Ryzen 5 5600GT with performance to spare.

The data suggests that the limiting component is unequivocally the GPU. The CPU's benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 17272 and a single-core score of 2438, indicate a processor capable of handling high frame rates. However, the GTX 1650's 2.984 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 128.1 GB/s of memory bandwidth are simply not sufficient to maintain high frame rates at higher resolutions. The FPS drop is a direct result of the GPU's inability to process the increased number of pixels in real-time, not a bottleneck from the CPU.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Lockdown Protocol smoothly at 1080p?

A: Yes, at 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 73.7 FPS. At Medium settings, it still hits 52.3 FPS, which is playable. However, at High settings, the average drops to 46.1 FPS, and at Ultra, it falls to 34.1 FPS.

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

A: The benchmark results indicate the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is the limiting component. As resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, the average FPS at Low settings drops from 73.7 to 35.2, demonstrating the GPU's performance ceiling is being reached.

Q: What is the best resolution to use with this hardware?

A: According to the measured FPS, 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the system consistently provides playable frame rates above 50 FPS, and only at Low and Medium settings. At 2560x1440, the highest average FPS recorded is 55.4 at Low settings, which may be acceptable for some users.

Q: How does the GTX 1650's performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The GTX 1650 has an average benchmark score of 8713. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile, scores 8746, a delta of -0.4%. This places the GTX 1650 effectively on par with these cards in synthetic tests, but the game's FPS data shows its real-world limits.

Q: Does the Ryzen 5 5600GT hold the GPU back?

A: No. The CPU's performance percentile ranks it at 78, and its multi-threaded score of 20325 in Passmark suggests it has significant processing power. The FPS scaling pattern points to the GPU, not the CPU, as the performance limiter in this game.

Q: What is the expected performance at 4K with High settings?

A: The data shows an average of 23.4 FPS at 3840x2160 with High settings. This is not a smooth gaming experience and indicates that 4K is not a viable resolution for this combination with these settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is the defining component in this system's gaming performance. Its 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 128.1 GB/s of bandwidth. This is a modest amount for modern games, and the data shows that it is easily saturated by higher resolutions and settings.

The GPU's clock speeds are a base of 1485 MHz and a boost of 1665 MHz. These clocks are standard for the card, but they cannot compensate for the limited memory capacity and raw compute power. The card's 896 shading units and 32 ROPs are the physical limits that dictate its fill rate of 53.28 GPixel/s. This explains why the FPS drops so sharply when the render resolution increases.

In Lockdown Protocol, the GPU's role is the primary determinant of the final frame rate. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves 73.7 FPS. When the settings are raised to Ultra at the same resolution, the FPS drops to 34.1, a reduction of more than half. This is a direct consequence of the GPU's limited processing power being tasked with more complex shaders and effects. The card's performance percentile of 43 places it in the lower half of all GPUs, which is consistent with its observed performance in this game.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 ranks at 1594 out of 1637 tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the bottom 3% of all tested systems, highlighting that this is a very low-performance configuration for this specific game.

This ranking is a direct result of the GPU's limitations. The CPU, while not top-tier, is a competent processor. Its average benchmark score of 20740 is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-10700, which scores 20746 (a delta of 0%). However, the GPU's average benchmark score of 8713 is only slightly above the NVIDIA Quadro P2200's score of 8671. In a game like Lockdown Protocol, which appears to be sensitive to GPU load, the weak GPU drags the entire combo's ranking down.

The data suggests that the CPU is not the reason for this low rank. The Ryzen 5 5600GT's performance is sufficient for many tasks, but the GTX 1650's 4 GB of VRAM and modest compute power are simply inadequate for achieving high frame rates in this game at higher quality settings. The combo's rank is a reflection of its GPU bottleneck.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the system's performance across three resolutions and four settings presets.

At 1920x1080, the system shows its best performance. With Low settings, it averages 73.7 FPS, which is the highest recorded in the entire dataset. Medium settings produce an average of 52.3 FPS, while High settings yield 46.1 FPS. Pushing to Ultra settings drops the average to 34.1 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

At 2560x1440, the performance decreases noticeably. The Low preset averages 55.4 FPS, which is a playable level. Medium and High settings produce similar averages of 39.7 and 38.1 FPS, respectively. The Ultra preset falls to 27.3 FPS, which is not ideal for a fast-paced FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles. The Low preset averages 35.2 FPS, while Medium and High settings drop to 26.7 and 23.4 FPS, respectively. The Ultra preset is nearly unplayable, with an average of just 14.9 FPS. These numbers confirm that 4K is outside the capabilities of this hardware for this game.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the optimal experience for this combo is at 1920x1080 with Low settings, which delivers an average of 73.7 FPS. This is the only configuration that consistently provides a frame rate above 70, which is beneficial for a competitive FPS title.

For a better visual experience without a significant performance hit, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 is a viable option, averaging 52.3 FPS. This offers a noticeable improvement in visual quality while maintaining a frame rate that is generally considered acceptable for most players.

The High preset at 1920x1080 is also playable, with an average of 46.1 FPS, but users may notice occasional dips in busy scenes. The Ultra preset should be avoided at all resolutions, as it consistently produces the lowest frame rates, including a 14.9 FPS average at 4K. For users with a 1440p monitor, the Low preset is the only setting that offers a playable experience, with an average of 55.4 FPS.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT plays a supporting role in this configuration, and the data suggests it is more than capable for this game. With 6 cores and 12 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture, it has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. This processing power is reflected in its benchmark scores, such as a Geekbench single-core score of 2035 and a multi-core score of 7986.

The CPU's performance is not the main factor limiting the frame rates. The FPS data shows a consistent drop when resolution increases, which is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rate would be more consistent across resolutions, as the CPU's workload does not change significantly with resolution.

The Ryzen 5 5600GT's high performance, relative to the GPU, means it is likely waiting for the GTX 1650 to finish its work. This is supported by the fact that the system's average benchmark score of 20740 places it near the top of its class, with a percentile of 78. The CPU provides a solid foundation, but the gaming experience is ultimately defined by the GPU's capabilities. The system's low ranking in the game's combo list is not a reflection of CPU weakness but rather the consequence of a highly mismatched GPU.