Lockdown Protocol

Lockdown Protocol is a demanding FPS title, and the pairing of the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 produces a heavily GPU-limited experience across all tested resolutions. The data indicates that this combination ranks at 3580 out of 3714 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 4% of all hardware pairings for this game, which means users should expect significant compromises to achieve playable frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates reveal a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 76 FPS, which drops to 56 FPS at 1440p and further to 36 FPS at 4K. This represents a 53% performance reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, a steep decline that clearly indicates the GTX 1650 is the limiting factor rather than the Ryzen 9 5900X.

The scaling behavior becomes even more pronounced when examining the High preset. The system delivers 47 FPS at 1080p, 35 FPS at 1440p, and only 22 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K at High settings is 37%, while the 1080p to 1440p reduction is 26%. This non-linear scaling is characteristic of a GPU that is running out of pixel throughput and memory bandwidth as resolution increases, with the GTX 1650's 128.1 GB/s bandwidth and 4 GB of GDDR5 memory becoming increasingly inadequate.

At Ultra settings, the pattern continues but with even lower absolute numbers. The system produces 35 FPS at 1080p, 26 FPS at 1440p, and 17 FPS at 4K. The fact that even 1080p Ultra cannot maintain 60 FPS confirms that the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The Ryzen 9 5900X, with its 12 cores and 24 threads, is nowhere near being stressed by this game, as evidenced by the CPU's 87th percentile ranking among all processors versus the GPU's 40th percentile ranking among all graphics cards.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Lockdown Protocol at 60 FPS on any settings?

A: No. The data shows that the highest average frame rate achieved is 76 FPS at 1080p Low settings. At Medium settings, the maximum average is 54 FPS at 1080p, which falls short of 60 FPS. All other settings and resolutions produce lower averages.

Q: What is the best resolution for this hardware combination?

A: 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the system approaches playable frame rates across most presets. The 1080p results range from 76 FPS at Low to 35 FPS at Ultra. At 1440p, even Low settings only reach 56 FPS, and at 4K, the maximum average is 36 FPS at Low.

Q: How does the GTX 1650 compare to its closest rivals in terms of raw performance?

A: The GTX 1650 has an average benchmark score of 7472, which places it just 0.3% above the AMD Radeon HD 8850M and 0.4% above the Intel UHD Graphics 750. It is 1% behind the Intel Arc A310, which has an average score of 7550.

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 5900X bottlenecking the GTX 1650 in this game?

A: No. The CPU is far more powerful than the GPU, ranking in the 87th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 41376. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 7 366H, scores 41263, just 0.3% behind. The GPU, ranking in the 40th percentile, is clearly the performance ceiling.

Q: What is the frame time consistency like at Medium settings?

A: The data shows that at Medium settings, the minimum frame rates are 46 FPS at 1080p, 34 FPS at 1440p, and 22 FPS at 4K. The maximum frame rates reach 62, 46, and 29 FPS respectively, indicating a relatively narrow frame time range.

Q: How does the GTX 1650's memory configuration affect 4K performance?

A: The 4 GB GDDR5 memory with a 128-bit bus and 128.1 GB/s bandwidth is severely limiting at 3840x2160. The highest 4K average is 36 FPS at Low settings, dropping to 17 FPS at Ultra, which strongly suggests the card is running out of both capacity and bandwidth at this resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is the definitive performance limiter in this configuration. Based on the Turing architecture on a 12 nm process, this card features 896 shading units, 56 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output units. It operates at a base clock of 1485 MHz with a boost clock of 1665 MHz, and its memory runs at 2001 MHz (8 Gbps effective) across a 128-bit bus. The resulting 128.1 GB/s memory bandwidth and 4 GB of GDDR5 VRAM are simply insufficient for Lockdown Protocol's demands at higher resolutions and settings.

The benchmark data places this GPU in the 40th percentile of all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 7472. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon HD 8850M at 7447 (0.3% behind), the Intel UHD Graphics 750 at 7441 (0.4% behind), and the AMD Radeon R7 350 at 7425 (0.6% behind). The Intel Arc A310 is the closest competitor above it, scoring 7550, which is 1% higher. This positioning makes it clear that the GTX 1650 is an entry-level part that struggles with modern FPS titles.

The measured frame rates confirm the GPU bottleneck. At 1080p, the card delivers 76 FPS at Low, 54 FPS at Medium, 47 FPS at High, and 35 FPS at Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra at the same resolution is 41 FPS, or 54%, which is a substantial range that reflects how heavily the GPU is taxed by the game's visual effects. The 4 GB VRAM capacity is particularly problematic, as Lockdown Protocol at High or Ultra settings likely requires more memory than available, causing the card to rely on slower memory paging.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system produces its most playable results. Low settings deliver an average of 76 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded for this combination. Medium settings produce 54 FPS average with a minimum of 46 FPS and a maximum of 62 FPS, showing a fairly stable frame time distribution. High settings drop to 47 FPS average, while Ultra settings fall to 35 FPS average. The step from Low to Medium is a 22 FPS reduction, while the step from Medium to High is only 7 FPS, and High to Ultra is 12 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance becomes marginal for smooth gameplay. Low settings reach 56 FPS average, which is playable but not ideal for a competitive FPS. Medium settings produce 40 FPS average with a minimum of 34 FPS and a maximum of 46 FPS. High settings drop to 35 FPS average, and Ultra settings fall to 26 FPS average. The 1440p results show a 16 FPS reduction from 1080p at Low settings, and a 12 FPS reduction at High settings, indicating that resolution scaling has a consistent impact across presets.

At 3840x2160, the system is effectively unplayable for a fast-paced FPS. Low settings achieve 36 FPS average, Medium settings produce 26 FPS with a minimum of 22 FPS and a maximum of 29 FPS, High settings fall to 22 FPS, and Ultra settings bottom out at 17 FPS. The 4K results demonstrate that this GPU cannot handle the pixel count, with even the lowest settings failing to maintain 40 FPS. The frame time consistency at Medium settings, with a range of 7 FPS between minimum and maximum, shows that the GPU is consistently saturated rather than experiencing intermittent spikes.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X plays a minimal role in Lockdown Protocol's performance, as the GTX 1650 is the clear bottleneck. This 12-core, 24-thread processor from the 5000 series operates at a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz, with a 64 MB L3 cache and 51.2 GB/s memory bandwidth on DDR4. The CPU's benchmarks are exceptionally strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 16262 and a single-core score of 1527, along with a Geekbench multicore score of 14118 and a single-core score of 2083.

The Ryzen 9 5900X ranks in the 87th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 41376. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Core Ultra 7 366H at 41263 (0.3% behind), the Intel Core Ultra 7 356H at 41215 (0.4% behind), and the AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 440 at 41208 (0.4% behind). The Intel Core i7-14650HX is slightly ahead at 41576, which is 0.5% higher. This processor is vastly more capable than needed for pairing with a GTX 1650, and the measured frame rates show no indication of CPU limitation.

The CPU's 3DMark scores provide further context: 941 for single-thread, 1852 for 2 threads, 3588 for 4 threads, 6601 for 8 threads, 9075 for 16 threads, and 10075 for max threads. These results show excellent scaling across thread counts, but Lockdown Protocol does not appear to leverage the CPU's full potential in this configuration. The fact that frame rates drop consistently with resolution and settings, regardless of CPU capability, confirms that the GPU is the limiting component. For this game, the Ryzen 9 5900X is overkill, and users could achieve identical frame rates with a less powerful processor.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured data, the optimal configuration for this hardware is 1920x1080 with Low settings, which delivers 76 FPS average. This is the only preset that provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, which is important for a fast-paced FPS where smoothness directly impacts gameplay responsiveness. The CPU's headroom ensures that frame times remain consistent, as the GPU is the only component being fully utilized.

For users who prioritize visual quality over frame rate, 1080p Medium settings at 54 FPS average is a reasonable compromise. The minimum frame rate of 46 FPS means that most of the experience stays above 45 FPS, which is acceptable for less competitive play. The 1080p High preset at 47 FPS is also viable, but it does not offer a significant visual improvement over Medium to justify the 7 FPS drop in average performance.

At 1440p, Low settings at 56 FPS average is the only viable option, but it is still below the 60 FPS threshold. Users with 1440p monitors should consider running at 1080p with higher settings instead, as the visual difference between 1440p Low and 1080p Medium is likely minimal, while the frame rate difference is substantial (56 FPS versus 54 FPS, with better consistency at 1080p). The 4K resolution is not recommended for this hardware, as even Low settings only achieve 36 FPS, which is below the playable threshold for a competitive FPS.

The Ultra preset should be avoided entirely. Even at 1080p, it only produces 35 FPS average, which is insufficient for a game where quick reactions are critical. The 4K Ultra result of 17 FPS is effectively a slideshow. The data clearly indicates that the GTX 1650's 4 GB VRAM and 128.1 GB/s bandwidth are the primary constraints, and the Ryzen 9 5900X's substantial processing power cannot compensate for this GPU limitation. For the best experience, users should accept the visual trade-offs of Low settings at 1080p to maintain a smooth, responsive frame rate.