Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol places this AMD Ryzen 7 3700X + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 combination in the bottom 5% of all tested configurations, with a combo rank of 1561 out of 1637. This pairing is fundamentally GPU-limited at every setting tier, but the data reveals a narrow window where the experience becomes acceptable. The following analysis breaks down the measured performance.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is severe and consistent across all settings, confirming the GTX 1650 as the primary bottleneck. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 73.7 FPS at 1920x1080 to 37.2 FPS at 3840x2160 — a reduction of roughly 50% when pixel count quadruples. This scaling pattern indicates the GPU is saturated even at the lowest visual fidelity.

The gap narrows at higher settings, but for the wrong reasons. At Ultra, the frame rate drops from 36.5 FPS at 1080p to 17.2 FPS at 4K, a 53% loss. The consistency of this percentage drop across settings—from 50% at Low to 53% at Ultra—suggests the 4 GB VRAM buffer and 128-bit memory interface are equally overwhelmed regardless of graphical complexity. The GTX 1650's 128.1 GB/s bandwidth becomes the hard ceiling.

At 2560x1440, the scaling is more forgiving. Low settings produce 56.2 FPS, which is 76% of the 1080p result. Medium at 1440p yields 40.6 FPS against 55.9 FPS at 1080p, a 73% retention. This suggests 1440p is the practical ceiling for playable frame rates, though only at Low or Medium presets. The 4K results are uniformly below 40 FPS, making that resolution effectively unusable for this game with this hardware.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data points to Low settings at 1920x1080 as the only configuration that delivers consistently smooth gameplay. The 73.7 FPS average at 1080p Low is the single highest recorded result for this combo, and it is the only row that clears the 60 FPS threshold by a comfortable margin. Medium at 1080p drops to 55.9 FPS, which is playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes.

For users who prioritize visual quality over raw frame rate, High at 1080p produces 47.8 FPS — a 35% reduction from Low but still above the 30 FPS floor for playability. Ultra at 1080p falls to 36.5 FPS, which is borderline but technically playable for slower-paced sections. However, the data suggests that the jump from Medium to High costs 8.1 FPS (from 55.9 to 47.8), while High to Ultra costs 11.3 FPS (from 47.8 to 36.5). The diminishing returns are steep.

At 1440p, only Low settings (56.2 FPS) approach playable territory. Medium at 1440p drops to 40.6 FPS, and High falls to 35.7 FPS. The recommendation is clear: stick to 1080p with Low or Medium settings for competitive play, or accept 1440p Low as a compromise for slightly sharper imagery.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X provides 8 cores and 16 threads with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz. This is a Zen 2 architecture chip on the AM4 socket with a 65 W TDP. Its benchmark standing is solid—the CPU sits in the 85th percentile of all processors, with an average benchmark score of 28631. It trades nearly evenly with the Intel Core i5-12600 (delta -0.1%), the Intel Core i5-12600H (delta -0.1%), and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT (delta 0.1%).

Given that the game is GPU-bound, the CPU's role here is to avoid becoming a secondary bottleneck. The multi-threaded performance is strong—Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 19087 and Geekbench multi-core of 8083—which suggests the 3700X can handle the game's background tasks and physics without issue. The single-threaded scores (Cinebench R23 single-core 2694, Geekbench single-core 1672) are adequate for FPS titles, though not class-leading.

The data indicates that the CPU is not the limiting factor in any measured scenario. The frame rate differences between settings at the same resolution are driven entirely by GPU load, not CPU capability. For a game like Lockdown Protocol, the 3700X's 32 MB L3 cache and 16 threads provide ample headroom, but this headroom is wasted because the GTX 1650 cannot feed frames fast enough to stress the CPU.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination ranks 1561 out of 1637 tested combos, placing it in the 4.6th percentile of all configurations. This is a bottom-tier result, expected for a mid-range 2019 CPU paired with an entry-level 2019 GPU. The rank reflects the GPU's position in the market—the GTX 1650 sits in the 43rd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 8713. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile (delta -0.4%), AMD Radeon 550X (delta -0.4%), and NVIDIA Quadro P2200 (delta 0.5%).

The CPU's strong relative standing (85th percentile) does little to lift the combo's overall position because the game's frame rates are so heavily weighted toward GPU performance. A better CPU would not meaningfully improve these results, as evidenced by the consistent GPU-bound behavior across all settings. The combo rank is effectively determined by the GTX 1650's capabilities, and those capabilities are modest for a 2024 FPS title.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is the decisive component in this pairing. With 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus delivering 128.1 GB/s, the card is constrained by both capacity and bandwidth. Its TU117 chip runs at 1485 MHz base and 1665 MHz boost, producing 2.984 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The 896 shading units and 32 ROPs are the same class as the rest of the GeForce 16-series, but the memory subsystem is a clear weak point.

The GPU's benchmark results are telling: PassMark G3D score of 7880 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 305. These place it just below the RTX 3050 A Mobile and Quadro P2200 in the nearest rival list. The DirectX 12 PassMark score of 35 is particularly low, suggesting this card struggles with modern API workloads. Lockdown Protocol, as a 2024 FPS, likely exercises the DX12 path heavily.

The 4 GB VRAM is the most likely culprit for the severe 4K performance collapse. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset produces just 17.2 FPS, and even Low only reaches 37.2 FPS. This pattern indicates the card is spilling into system memory or dropping to unplayable render resolutions. The 75 W TDP and lack of power connectors confirm this is a slot-powered card, which limits its sustained performance in demanding scenes.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the results are: Low 73.7 FPS, Medium 55.9 FPS, High 47.8 FPS, Ultra 36.5 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 37.2 FPS, representing a 50% performance penalty for maximum visual fidelity. The jump from Low to Medium costs 17.8 FPS, which is the largest single-step drop in the 1080p range.

At 2560x1440: Low 56.2 FPS, Medium 40.6 FPS, High 35.7 FPS, Ultra 26.3 FPS. The Low result here is 76% of the 1080p Low figure, showing that 1440p is partially viable. The Ultra result at 26.3 FPS is below playable thresholds for a competitive FPS.

At 3840x2160: Low 37.2 FPS, Medium 27.7 FPS, High 24.2 FPS, Ultra 17.2 FPS. None of these results are playable for a fast-paced shooter. The 4K Ultra figure is less than half of the 1080p Low figure, confirming that 4K is out of reach for this hardware.

FAQ

Q: What is the best setting for competitive play?

A: Low at 1920x1080, which yields 73.7 FPS. This is the only configuration that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS.

Q: Can this combo handle 1440p gaming?

A: Only at Low settings (56.2 FPS). Medium (40.6 FPS) and above fall below the 60 FPS threshold.

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

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The Ryzen 7 3700X ranks in the 85th percentile of CPUs, while the GTX 1650 sits in the 43rd percentile of GPUs.

Q: How does this combo rank against all tested configurations?

A: It ranks 1561 out of 1637 total combos, placing it in the bottom 5% of all tested systems.

Q: What is the 4K performance like?

A: Unplayable across all settings. The best 4K result is 37.2 FPS at Low, dropping to 17.2 FPS at Ultra.

Q: How does the GTX 1650 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: It trades within 0.5% of the RTX 3050 A Mobile, Radeon 550X, Quadro P2200, and Radeon Pro WX 5100 in average benchmark scores.