Control

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Control at 1080p with playable performance?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings. The recorded data shows an average of 66.2 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings, which clears the 60 FPS playable threshold. Medium settings drop to 46.1 FPS, so the playable window is narrow.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p on this hardware?

A: None. The verdict data lists no playable settings at 2560x1440. Even at Low settings, the average FPS is 46.5, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold. The best case is not sufficient for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the RX 580 compare to its closest GPU rivals in raw benchmark scores?

A: The RX 580 has an average benchmark score of 12928. It sits 0.1% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (12940), 0.4% behind the GTX 1660 SUPER (12986), and 0.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon 740M (12870). The differences are negligible in practice.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 5500 a strong CPU for this game?

A: The CPU is not the limiting factor here. Its average benchmark score of 19593 places it in the 73rd percentile among all CPUs. Rivals like the Intel Core i5-12500 (19668, 0.4% ahead) and Intel Core i7-10700F (19499, 0.5% behind) behave nearly identically.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 4K with this combination?

A: Poor performance across the board. At 3840x2160, Low settings average 30.0 FPS, Medium averages 23.7 FPS, High averages 22.1 FPS, and Ultra averages 17.4 FPS. None of these approach the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested system configurations?

A: It ranks 3384 out of 3720 tested combinations, placing it in the lower portion of the database. This is consistent with the GPU's 53rd percentile ranking among all GPUs, which indicates an older mid-range part.

Best Settings per Resolution

3840x2160 (4K): No playable preset exists for this hardware. The highest recorded average is 30.0 FPS at Low settings, which is exactly half the 60 FPS target. Medium produces 23.7 FPS, High drops to 22.1 FPS, and Ultra falls to 17.4 FPS. There is no settings combination that reaches a playable state at this resolution.

2560x1440 (1440p): Similarly, no preset achieves the playable threshold. Low settings yield 46.5 FPS, which is the best result but still 13.5 FPS short of the target. Medium averages 36.6 FPS, High averages 28.7 FPS, and Ultra averages 26.5 FPS. The data indicates this combination cannot maintain smooth gameplay at 1440p under any tested configuration.

1920x1080 (1080p): Low settings is the only playable preset, delivering an average of 66.2 FPS. This clears the 60 FPS threshold with a modest margin. Medium settings drop to 46.1 FPS, High to 40.0 FPS, and Ultra to 35.4 FPS, all below the playable line. For users who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity, Low at 1080p is the sole viable option.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear GPU bottleneck across all resolutions. The Ryzen 5 5500, with its 6 cores and 12 threads based on Zen 3 architecture, provides ample processing headroom. Its benchmark scores (Cinebench R23 multicore at 16429, single-core at 2319) indicate solid CPU performance in the 73rd percentile. The RX 580, however, ranks in the 53rd percentile among GPUs and is the component that determines playability.

The scaling between resolutions confirms this. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 66.2 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops the average to 46.5 FPS, a 29.8% reduction. At 4K Low, the average falls to 30.0 FPS, another 35.5% reduction from 1440p. These steep drops with increasing resolution are characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario, where the Polaris 20 chip with 2304 shading units simply cannot fill more pixels.

The preset scaling further supports this interpretation. At 1080p, going from Low to Medium reduces FPS from 66.2 to 46.1 (30.4% drop). Low to High reduces to 40.0 (39.6% drop). Low to Ultra reduces to 35.4 (46.5% drop). The consistent penalty across presets indicates the GPU is saturated at every quality level. The CPU is not stressed enough to influence these results, as its multi-threaded performance is far above what Control's engine demands.

The verdict data confirms the GPU's dominance in this pairing. No playable settings exist at 1440p or 4K, regardless of how low the quality preset goes. This is a classic case where upgrading the GPU would yield substantial gains, while the CPU could remain unchanged for future GPU upgrades.

The Verdict

This PC can run Control, but only within strict limitations. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system produces an average of 66.2 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS playable threshold. This is the only combination of resolution and preset that achieves playable performance.

At 2560x1440, the verdict is clear: no playable settings exist. The best result is 46.5 FPS at Low, which falls short of the threshold by 13.5 FPS. Even reducing quality to its minimum does not compensate for the GPU's lack of raw throughput at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the situation is worse. The maximum average is 30.0 FPS at Low settings, exactly half the target. This resolution is entirely out of reach for this hardware combination.

For practical purposes, this system functions as a 1080p Low settings machine for Control. Players who accept reduced visual quality can enjoy the game at a playable frame rate. Those who want higher presets or higher resolutions will need a more capable GPU. The CPU is not the bottleneck, so a GPU upgrade alone would extend the system's capabilities significantly.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest CPU rivals, based on average benchmark scores, all behave within 0.7% of the Ryzen 5 5500. The AMD Ryzen AI 5 430 scores 19617 (0.1% lower), the Intel Core i5-12500 scores 19668 (0.4% higher), the Intel Core i7-10700F scores 19499 (0.5% lower), and the Intel Core i5-11600KF scores 19723 (0.7% higher). For Control, any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates when paired with the same GPU. The choice between them comes down to platform features rather than gaming performance.

On the GPU side, the nearest rivals are similarly close. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile scores 12940 (0.1% higher), the GTX 1660 SUPER scores 12986 (0.4% higher), the AMD Radeon 740M scores 12870 (0.5% lower), and the AMD FirePro W5100 scores 12847 (0.6% lower). A system with the Ryzen 5 5500 and any of these GPUs would deliver essentially the same playable settings: 1080p Low at around 66 FPS, with no playable options at higher resolutions. The GTX 1660 SUPER offers a marginal edge, but the difference is within measurement noise.

For users considering a change, swapping the RX 580 for a GPU in the same performance class would not meaningfully alter the gaming experience. A meaningful upgrade would require moving to a higher-tier GPU, which would shift the bottleneck dynamics entirely.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and AMD Radeon RX 580 ranks 3384 out of 3720 tested system configurations in the database. That places it in the bottom 9% of all tested combos. The ranking reflects the GPU's age and performance tier, as the CPU is comparatively strong.

The CPU alone sits in the 73rd percentile, which is respectable for a 6-core desktop processor. The GPU, however, sits in the 53rd percentile, which drags the overall system ranking down. The combination of a modern mid-range CPU with an older mid-range GPU produces a system that is CPU-heavy and GPU-light.

For Control specifically, the ranking is consistent with the measured frame rates. A system in the bottom 9% of tested combos would be expected to struggle at higher resolutions, and the data confirms this. The 1080p Low result of 66.2 FPS is the bright spot, but the lack of playability at 1440p and 4K reinforces the low overall rank.

Users with this system should plan around its strengths: 1080p gaming at lower presets. The CPU has headroom for future GPU upgrades, but as configured, this combo is best suited for esports titles and older or less demanding games. Control, with its heavy rendering requirements, sits at the edge of what this hardware can handle.