Control

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for Control with the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 covers three resolutions and four quality presets. All figures are average frame rates; minimum and maximum frame data was not captured in this test run.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the system struggles to maintain playable performance. Low settings deliver an average of 55.4 FPS, which is the only preset that comes close to the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings drop to 38.4 FPS, High settings fall further to 36.6 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 30.1 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is substantial at 17 FPS, indicating that the resolution is heavily taxing the GPU regardless of visual quality.

Moving to 2560x1440, the picture improves considerably. Low settings average 83.9 FPS, giving comfortable headroom above the 60 FPS target. Medium settings sit at 57.6 FPS, just shy of playable. High settings average 53.3 FPS, while Ultra drops to 46.5 FPS. The scaling from Low to Medium costs 26.3 FPS, which shows how quickly quality presets eat into the performance margin at this resolution.

At 1920x1080, the combination performs much better. Low settings hit 110 FPS, which is the highest recorded average across all tests. Medium settings follow at 76.2 FPS, and High settings deliver 68.9 FPS. Ultra is the only preset that fails to reach 60 FPS, averaging 57 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 53 FPS, a wide spread that gives users plenty of tuning room.

The overall pattern shows that the RTX 2060 has enough power for 1080p gaming with most presets, but 4K is beyond its comfortable range. The data also reveals that the step from Medium to High costs less performance than the step from Low to Medium at every resolution, suggesting diminishing returns at the lower end of the quality spectrum.

Best Settings per Resolution

The playable threshold in the database is set at 60 FPS. With that target in mind, the best settings for each resolution are determined by finding the most demanding preset that still stays at or above that mark.

At 3840x2160, no preset clears 60 FPS. The closest is Low at 55.4 FPS, which falls short. This means the system cannot deliver playable frame rates at 4K with any quality setting. Users would need to either lower the resolution or accept a sub-60 FPS experience.

At 2560x1440, the best playable setting is Low, which averages 83.9 FPS. This gives a 23.9 FPS margin above the threshold. Medium settings at 57.6 FPS miss the target by only 2.4 FPS, so users who prioritize visuals over smoothness could try Medium, but the data shows it does not meet the stated playability criterion.

At 1920x1080, the best playable setting is High, averaging 68.9 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that remains above 60 FPS. Interestingly, Ultra at 57 FPS is only 3 FPS below the threshold, so it is close but not officially playable. Low settings at 110 FPS and Medium at 76.2 FPS also qualify, but High offers the best visual quality within the playable range.

The verdict by resolution confirms this: 2560x1440 has only Low as a playable option, while 1920x1080 has High, Low, and Medium as playable options. For users with a 1440p monitor, the Low preset is the recommended choice. For 1080p displays, High provides the best balance of fidelity and performance.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Control at 4K resolution?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the highest average FPS recorded is 55.4 on Low settings, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. Medium, High, and Ultra all average below 40 FPS.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: Low settings is the only preset that stays at or above 60 FPS at 2560x1440, with an average of 83.9 FPS. Medium comes close at 57.6 FPS but does not meet the playability standard.

Q: How does Ultra settings perform at 1080p?

A: Ultra settings at 1920x1080 average 57 FPS, which is 3 FPS below the 60 FPS threshold. It is not considered playable according to the database, but it is very close.

Q: What is the highest playable preset at 1080p?

A: High settings at 1920x1080 average 68.9 FPS, making it the most demanding preset that clears the 60 FPS bar. Low and Medium also qualify.

Q: How much performance is lost when going from Low to Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low averages 110 FPS while Ultra averages 57 FPS. That is a difference of 53 FPS, or roughly a 48% reduction in average frame rate.

Q: Is the RTX 2060 more of a 1080p or 1440p card for this game?

A: The data shows it is a solid 1080p card for Control, with three playable presets. At 1440p, only Low settings meet the 60 FPS threshold, so the card is limited to lower visual quality at that resolution.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The database ranks this CPU and GPU combination at position 2873 out of 3720 tested combos for Control, placing it in the lower-middle range of the field. The components themselves have nearby rivals that would produce similar gameplay behavior.

CPU comparisons: The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 has an average benchmark score of 19593 and sits at the 73rd percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rival is the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430, which scores 19617, a difference of -0.1%. The Intel Core i7-10700F scores 19499, which is 0.5% lower. The Intel Core i5-12500 scores 19668, 0.4% higher, and the Intel Core i5-11600KF scores 19723, 0.7% higher. These four processors are all within a 1% performance band, meaning any of them would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Control when paired with the same GPU. None of these alternatives would push the system into a higher playability tier at 1440p or 4K.

GPU comparisons: The RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 15290 and ranks at the 58th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580, which scores 15283 with a delta of 0%. The AMD Radeon 680M scores 15270, just 0.1% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM scores 15199, 0.6% lower, and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 scores 15171, 0.8% lower. These GPUs are effectively identical in raw benchmark performance. In practice, swapping the RTX 2060 for any of these would yield very similar FPS numbers in Control. The RX 7600 being only 0.8% lower is notable, as it suggests modern entry-level options do not meaningfully outperform this older card in this title.

The combination rank of 2873 out of 3720 indicates that many other pairings deliver better results, but the closest component rivals would not change the fundamental picture: 1080p is playable up to High, 1440p is playable only on Low, and 4K is not playable.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured data allows us to isolate which component matters more for Control at each resolution. The CPU, a 6-core, 12-thread Zen 3 part with a boost clock of 4.20 GHz, has a passmark multithread score of 19330 and a single-thread score of 3058. The GPU, a Turing-based card with 1920 shading units and 6 GB of GDDR6 memory, has a passmark G3D score of 14111.

At 1920x1080, the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The jump from Low (110 FPS) to Medium (76.2 FPS) costs 33.8 FPS, and the jump from Medium to High (68.9 FPS) costs another 7.3 FPS. The Ultra preset (57 FPS) drops 11.9 FPS from High. This steep scaling with quality settings points to the GPU being fully utilized, while the CPU has enough headroom to feed frames. The 110 FPS average on Low suggests the CPU could push even higher if the GPU allowed it.

At 2560x1440, the GPU becomes even more dominant. Low settings drop from 110 FPS at 1080p to 83.9 FPS, a 26.1 FPS reduction purely from resolution scaling. Medium drops from 76.2 to 57.6 FPS, High from 68.9 to 53.3 FPS, and Ultra from 57 to 46.5 FPS. The consistent 20-25% reduction across all presets indicates the GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU workload does not change significantly with resolution.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is overwhelmingly the bottleneck. Low settings fall to 55.4 FPS, and every other preset drops below 40 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 17 FPS, and between Medium and High is just 1.8 FPS, showing that the GPU is so saturated that visual quality settings have less impact relative to the resolution cost. The CPU's role here is minimal; even a faster GPU would be needed to make 4K playable.

The scaling between Low and Ultra presets also tells a story. At 1080p, Ultra costs 48% of the Low FPS (57 vs 110). At 1440p, Ultra costs 55% of Low (46.5 vs 83.9). At 4K, Ultra costs 54% of Low (30.1 vs 55.4). The consistent ratio across resolutions confirms that the GPU handles the visual load, while the CPU maintains a steady frame delivery.

In summary, the Ryzen 5 5500 is more than adequate for this game. The RTX 2060 is the limiting factor at every resolution, and the CPU would not meaningfully change the playability verdict even if swapped for a faster model.

The Verdict

Can this PC run Control? Yes, but with important caveats based on resolution and settings.

At 1920x1080, the system delivers a clear yes. High settings average 68.9 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold with an 8.9 FPS margin. Low settings at 110 FPS and Medium at 76.2 FPS also qualify. Ultra at 57 FPS is the only miss, falling just 3 FPS short. For most users, playing at 1080p with High settings is the recommended configuration, as it offers strong visual quality without sacrificing smoothness.

At 2560x1440, the answer is a conditional yes. Low settings average 83.9 FPS, which is playable and gives good headroom. However, Medium at 57.6 FPS, High at 53.3 FPS, and Ultra at 46.5 FPS all fail the 60 FPS test. Users with 1440p monitors must accept Low settings for a locked playable experience. Those willing to tolerate slightly lower frame rates could push to Medium, but the data does not classify it as playable.

At 3840x2160, the answer is no. No preset reaches 60 FPS. Low settings come closest at 55.4 FPS, followed by Medium at 38.4 FPS, High at 36.6 FPS, and Ultra at 30.1 FPS. This system is not suitable for 4K gaming in Control, regardless of quality settings.

The overall verdict, based on the database's playable threshold of 60 FPS, is that this PC is a solid 1080p machine for Control, a limited 1440p machine (Low settings only), and not a viable 4K option. The RTX 2060's 6 GB of VRAM and 192-bit memory bus are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p Low, but the card lacks the raw compute power for higher resolutions. The Ryzen 5 5500 handles the game's CPU demands without issue, as evidenced by the consistent frame delivery across all tested configurations. If you own this combination, your best experience will be at 1080p with High settings, where the game looks good and runs smoothly.