Control

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 presents a mid-range combination capable of running Control, but the playable experience depends heavily on resolution. The data indicates a clear pattern: 1080p is fully playable at maximum settings, 1440p requires a setting reduction, and 4K is limited to the lowest preset.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the RTX 5050 and Ryzen 5 5600 combination has enough headroom to run Control at the Ultra preset. The measured average frame rate at Ultra is 68 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS playable threshold. This is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS. Lower presets at this resolution yield higher frame rates — Medium averages 88 FPS, High averages 78 FPS, and Low averages 124 FPS — but Ultra remains the optimal choice for visual fidelity without sacrificing playability.

At 2560x1440, the best playable preset is Medium. The data show an average of 67 FPS at Medium, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold. High settings at this resolution drop to 59 FPS on average, which is below the playable threshold. Ultra at 1440p averages 52 FPS, making it unsuitable for a smooth experience. Low settings at 1440p average 94 FPS, but Medium provides a better visual balance while still maintaining the required frame rate.

At 3840x2160, the combination can only manage a playable experience on the Low preset. The average frame rate at Low is 63 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium at 4K averages 45 FPS, High averages 40 FPS, and Ultra averages 35 FPS. No other preset at this resolution reaches the playable threshold, making Low the only viable option.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results across resolutions indicate that this game is significantly more GPU-bound than CPU-bound, particularly at higher resolutions. The scaling from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at Medium settings shows a drop from 88 FPS to 67 FPS, a reduction of 21 FPS or roughly 24%. Moving from 1440p Medium to 4K Medium further reduces the average from 67 FPS to 45 FPS, a 33% decrease. This consistent and substantial frame rate degradation with increasing resolution points to the GPU being the limiting factor.

The RTX 5050's memory bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s and its 8 GB GDDR6 memory are likely the constraints at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the GPU has sufficient resources to push Ultra settings at 68 FPS, but the workload becomes too heavy for the GPU at 1440p beyond Medium and at 4K beyond Low. The CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads based on Zen 3 architecture, appears to be keeping up with the GPU's demands. The data does not show a CPU bottleneck at any resolution; the frame rate scaling purely follows the GPU's resolution workload.

The fact that the 1080p Ultra preset (68 FPS) yields a higher average frame rate than the 1440p Ultra preset (52 FPS) reinforces that the GPU's rendering pipeline is the primary determinant of performance. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see more consistent frame rates across resolutions at the same settings. The measured FPS scaling instead shows that the RTX 5050's core performance and memory bandwidth are the key constraints.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160 resolution, the benchmark results show a narrow range of performance across the lower presets. The Low settings average 63 FPS (no min/max data provided). Medium settings average 45 FPS with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 52 FPS. High settings average 40 FPS, and Ultra averages 35 FPS. The data indicate that only the Low preset is playable at 4K.

At 2560x1440, the measured results are more varied. Low settings average 94 FPS (no min/max data). Medium settings average 67 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 77 FPS. High settings average 59 FPS, and Ultra settings average 52 FPS. The Medium preset is the only one that clears the 60 FPS threshold, and its minimum frame rate of 57 FPS shows there can be drops below the threshold, though the average remains playable.

At 1920x1080, all presets are playable. Low settings average 124 FPS. Medium settings average 88 FPS with a minimum of 75 FPS and a maximum of 101 FPS. High settings average 78 FPS, and Ultra settings average 68 FPS. The minimum frame rate at Medium is well above the threshold, indicating a stable experience. The Ultra setting's average of 68 FPS, while playable, is closer to the threshold, implying less headroom for demanding scenes.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU provide context for what other hardware would produce similar benchmark results. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 has an average benchmark score of 20468, with its closest rival being the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V at 20454 (0.1% lower). Other close competitors include the AMD Ryzen 5 8500G (20425, 0.2% lower), the AMD EPYC 9454P (20422, 0.2% lower), and the AMD EPYC 7713 (20363, 0.5% lower). In practical terms, these CPUs would deliver nearly identical frame rates to the Ryzen 5 5600 in this game, as their aggregate performance is within a margin of error.

On the GPU side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 has an average benchmark score of 21035. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL (21153, -0.6% delta, meaning the rival is 0.6% faster), the AMD Radeon HD 8970M (21237, -1.0%), and the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT (20713, 1.6% delta, meaning the RTX 5050 is 1.6% faster). The NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile (21379, -1.6%) is also close. These GPUs would produce similar frame rates to the RTX 5050 in Control, with the RX 5600 XT being slightly slower and the mobile workstation parts being slightly faster.

A system using any of these rival CPUs paired with the RTX 5050 would show the same performance profile: playable at 1080p Ultra, playable at 1440p Medium, and limited to 4K Low. Conversely, pairing the Ryzen 5 5600 with a GPU like the RX 5600 XT would shift the bottleneck slightly, but the overall conclusion about playable settings would remain unchanged.

The Verdict

Yes, this PC can run Control, but the playing experience is conditional on the resolution. The verdict by resolution is clear. At 1920x1080, the system is fully playable at all settings, with the Ultra preset achieving an average of 68 FPS. This is the ideal environment for this hardware. At 2560x1440, the system is playable at Low and Medium settings, with Medium being the best playable option at 67 FPS average. High and Ultra settings at 1440p do not meet the 60 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160, the system is only playable at Low settings, which achieve an average of 63 FPS. The data shows that 4K Medium, High, and Ultra are not playable. For a smooth experience at 4K, you must use the Low preset, which still clears the threshold but with minimal visual quality. The verdict is that this combo is a solid 1080p machine for Control, a capable 1440p machine on medium settings, and a 4K machine only on the lowest settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest graphical preset that maintains at least 60 FPS at 1920x1080?

A: The Ultra preset is the highest playable setting, with an average FPS of 68 at 1920x1080. High (78 FPS), Medium (88 FPS), and Low (124 FPS) also clear the threshold.

Q: Is the game playable at 2560x1440 with this hardware?

A: Yes, but only on Low (94 FPS) and Medium (67 FPS) presets. The High preset averages 59 FPS, and Ultra averages 52 FPS, both below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: How many playable settings are there at 3840x2160?

A: Only one. The Low preset has an average of 63 FPS. Medium (45 FPS), High (40 FPS), and Ultra (35 FPS) are all below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for the Medium preset at 1920x1080?

A: The minimum FPS measured at 1080p Medium is 75, with a maximum of 101 and an average of 88 FPS.

Q: Which component limits performance in this game at 4K?

A: Performance scaling indicates the GPU is the primary constraint. Frame rates drop significantly with each resolution increase, while the CPU's 6-core/12-thread configuration appears sufficient to feed the GPU.

Q: How does the RTX 5050's performance compare to the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT?

A: Based on average benchmark scores, the RTX 5050 is 1.6% faster than the RX 5600 XT, meaning frame rates would be very similar in Control.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 ranks 2296 out of 3720 tested combos in this game. This places it in the lower half of all possible hardware configurations that have been benchmarked in Control. The rank is representative of the hardware's overall standing, considering the CPU and GPU are both mid-range parts with percentile rankings of 74th for the CPU and 66th for the GPU among all tested parts.

The rank above 60% of all tested combos suggests there is a substantial number of more powerful configurations available. The 2296th position indicates that while this build is competent for 1080p gaming, it is not a high-end solution. The measured FPS results align with this rank. The system performs as expected for its class, offering a playable experience at 1080p and 1440p with compromises, but falling short at 4K. The data show that this is a balanced combination where the GPU holds the system back from higher resolutions, a fact reflected in its median ranking.