Control

Similar Performance Alternatives

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 sits in a tightly contested segment of the processor market. The database shows its average benchmark score of 17,035 places it within 0.2% of several comparable chips. The Intel Core i7-1260P scores 17,007, a margin of 0.2% behind the Ryzen, while the Intel Core i5-11400 reaches 17,067, landing 0.2% ahead. Two server-class AMD EPYC parts, the 7573X and 7742, also cluster at 17,070 and 16,998 respectively, with deltas of -0.2% and 0.2%. In practical terms, a system built around any of these four processors would deliver nearly indistinguishable frame pacing in Control, since the CPU-side workload falls within a rounding error of the Ryzen 5 3600's output.

On the graphics side, the RTX 5090's average benchmark score of 79,842 places it at the 92nd percentile among all tested GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database are somewhat unexpected: the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB scores 79,605, a 0.3% gap, and the 12 GB variant scores 79,396, 0.6% behind. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT trails by 1.1% with 78,940, while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X sits 1.4% ahead at 80,959. These deltas are small enough that, for Control specifically, the choice among these cards would not meaningfully alter the average frame rates recorded in the measured data. The RTX 5090's advantage over the nearest rivals is real but narrow, and at lower resolutions the CPU becomes the limiting factor, which further narrows the observable difference.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured FPS data across resolutions reveals how the balance shifts between the Ryzen 5 3600 and the RTX 5090. At 1920x1080, the gap between Low and Ultra settings is 33 FPS (171 vs 138). At 2560x1440, that same spread grows to 40 FPS (156 vs 116). At 3840x2160, the spread widens further to 59 FPS (137 vs 78). This pattern indicates that as resolution increases, the GPU becomes progressively more dominant in determining performance, since the pixel throughput demand grows faster than the CPU's ability to feed frames.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Ultra settings shows a drop from 138 to 116 FPS, a 16% reduction. Moving from 1440p to 2160p at Ultra drops from 116 to 78 FPS, a 33% reduction. These percentages align with the GPU becoming the bottleneck at higher resolutions. Conversely, at Low settings, the 1080p to 1440p transition only drops from 171 to 156 FPS (9%), and the 1440p to 2160p step drops from 156 to 137 FPS (12%). The smaller relative declines at Low settings indicate that the CPU is holding the system back more at lower resolutions, preventing the GPU from fully stretching its legs. The RTX 5090 has enough headroom at 1080p Low that the Ryzen 5 3600 becomes the ceiling, whereas at 2160p Ultra the GPU is clearly the limiting factor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings average 171 FPS, Medium averages 151 FPS with a minimum of 128 and maximum of 173, High averages 145 FPS, and Ultra averages 138 FPS. All four presets clear the 60 FPS threshold by a wide margin, and even the minimum recorded frame at Medium (128 FPS) sits far above the playability line.

Stepping up to 2560x1440, the averages remain high but begin to separate more clearly. Low averages 156 FPS, Medium averages 137 FPS with a minimum of 117 and maximum of 158, High averages 132 FPS, and Ultra averages 116 FPS. The minimum at Medium, 117 FPS, still more than doubles the 60 FPS threshold. The spread from Low to Ultra is 40 FPS, showing that the GPU is taking on more work at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the performance curve steepens. Low averages 137 FPS, Medium averages 101 FPS with a minimum of 86 and maximum of 116, High averages 90 FPS, and Ultra averages 78 FPS. The minimum at Medium, 86 FPS, remains comfortably above 60 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra here is 59 FPS, the largest of any resolution, confirming that the GPU workload scales strongly with pixel count. Every measured preset at every resolution stays above the 60 FPS playability threshold, with no dips below that line in any recorded minimum.

The Verdict

The recorded data answers the question directly: this PC can run Control at every resolution and preset tested. The verdict by resolution shows all four settings at 3840x2160 are playable, with Ultra delivering 78 FPS on average. At 2560x1440, all settings are playable, and Ultra reaches 116 FPS. At 1920x1080, all settings are playable, with Ultra at 138 FPS. The lowest average across the entire measurement set is 78 FPS at 2160p Ultra, which still exceeds the 60 FPS threshold by 30%. The lowest recorded minimum is 86 FPS at 2160p Medium, meaning even worst-case frame times remain playable. No resolution or preset combination in the database dips below 60 FPS, so the system offers headroom at every configuration. The RTX 5090 is powerful enough to carry the Ryzen 5 3600 through even the most demanding settings, and the CPU does not bottleneck the system below playable levels in any scenario.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that maintains at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which averages 78 FPS. The database confirms all four presets at this resolution are playable, but Ultra is the best choice for visual fidelity while staying 30% above the threshold.

At 2560x1440, Ultra is again the most demanding playable preset, averaging 116 FPS. This nearly doubles the 60 FPS requirement, leaving substantial room for frame time spikes or background activity without dropping below playable levels.

At 1920x1080, Ultra averages 138 FPS, which is the highest Ultra average across all three resolutions. This setting provides the maximum visual quality while still delivering more than double the 60 FPS threshold. For players who prefer maximum frame rates, Low at 1080p reaches 171 FPS, but the Ultra preset offers the best balance of image quality and performance at this resolution.

FAQ

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: Yes. The measured average at 3840x2160 Ultra is 78 FPS, which is 30% above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the lowest recorded frame rate across all tested settings?

A: The lowest minimum in the database is 86 FPS, recorded at 3840x2160 Medium settings. This remains above the playable threshold.

Q: How much performance drops when moving from 1080p to 1440p at Ultra?

A: The average FPS falls from 138 at 1920x1080 to 116 at 2560x1440, a 16% reduction.

Q: Which component limits performance more at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the CPU becomes more influential at lower resolutions. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 33 FPS, while the same comparison at 2160p shows a 59 FPS gap, indicating the GPU dominates at higher resolutions and the CPU constrains more at 1080p.

Q: Is the 1440p Medium setting a good choice for smooth gameplay?

A: Yes. 2560x1440 Medium averages 137 FPS with a minimum of 117 FPS, providing a large safety margin above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Does the system ever drop below 100 FPS at 1440p?

A: No. The lowest average at 2560x1440 is 116 FPS at Ultra, and the lowest minimum recorded at this resolution is 117 FPS at Medium.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 358th out of 3,720 tested combos in Control. This places the pairing in the top 9.6% of all configurations in the database. The ranking reflects the unusual pairing of a mid-range 2019 CPU with a flagship 2025 GPU. The RTX 5090's raw graphics power carries the system to high frame rates across all resolutions, while the Ryzen 5 3600's 71st percentile standing among CPUs prevents it from becoming a severe bottleneck in most scenarios. The CPU's single-thread performance, evidenced by its 696 score in the 3DMark single-thread test and 2,124 in Cinebench R23 single-core, is sufficient for Control's gameplay requirements. The ranking of 358 out of 3,720 indicates that many other combinations achieve similar or better results, but this specific pairing remains comfortably in the upper tier of tested systems. The gap between this combo and the top-ranked configurations likely stems from the CPU's age rather than the GPU, since the RTX 5090 sits at the 92nd percentile among all GPUs while the Ryzen 5 3600 rests at the 71st percentile among CPUs.