Are some games simply impossible to run at full speed without speed hacks?

[vsub]

And again, having a graphics card would make no difference if the emulator isn't even fully utilizing the 2200g I have now.

Games can be cpu intensive,gpu  intensive or both
If the gpu is not doing its job fast enough,the cpu will just wait for the gpu to finish doing its job which will result in low cpu usage
Try running those same games that are not fully utilizing your cpu in software mode,you may see an improvement and your cpu will be fully utilized

For example on VP2 I will have MUCH lower speed(default settings)if I use my HD 530 gpu instead of my gtx1060

[spidgeon]

No, the emulators don't utilize 100% of your CPU or GPU.  Yuzu doesn't do that either.  PCSX2 only uses 2 of the 4 cores of the Ryzen 2200g.  This is why single thread performance is important.  For PCSX2 they recommend a minimum STP rating of 2000.  For 3D games, they recommend up to 2100 or higher.  The Ryzen 2200g STP rating is 2059, so it's going to suffer with the more demanding games.  And again, without a dedicated GPU, that's going to make it suffer even more.  Bottom line, despite the cpu usage, you're not going to get great performance

That helps thanks. I'll upgrade to a 5600g and see how I go.

[jesalvein]

Better add a dedicated GPU instead

[vsub]

That helps thanks. I'll upgrade to a 5600g and see how I go.

He is upping the minimum requirements and that's not true
I am on a i7-6700HQ laptop which is purposely limited to 2.5Ghz(which lowers my single threaded performance)
At full power according to passmark my stp is 1918 and you can reduce that because I am lowering the cpu speed

I am still getting full speed on almost any game by using the default settings BUT I have a dedicated gpu which helps A LOT

[jesalvein]

He is upping the minimum requirements and that's not true
I am on a i7-6700HQ laptop which is purposely limited to 2.5Ghz(which lowers my single threaded performance)
At full power according to passmark my stp is 1918 and you can reduce that because I am lowering the cpu speed

I am still getting full speed on almost any game by using the default settings BUT I have a dedicated gpu which helps A LOT

Give it up.
Op has been advised to get a GPU several times, but prefers ignoring advices.
I guess this thread is useless