Control

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 combination delivers a strong performance profile in Control, with measured results showing a clear scaling pattern across resolutions and settings. At 1080p, the pairing is overwhelmingly capable, while 1440p remains highly playable at maximum quality. The 4K results are more constrained, requiring a reduction in settings to maintain a consistent frame rate above the 60 FPS threshold. The data indicates that this combo is best suited for high-refresh 1080p and smooth 1440p gaming, with 4K available only at lower presets.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates for this combination in Control provide a detailed look at how the hardware scales with resolution and graphical load. At 1920x1080, the performance is consistently high across all presets. With Low settings, the average frame rate reaches 158 FPS, indicating a massive headroom for high-refresh-rate monitors. Moving to Medium settings, the average drops to 112 FPS, with a minimum of 96 FPS and a maximum of 129 FPS, showing excellent frame pacing and stability. High settings produce an average of 100 FPS, and even the most demanding Ultra preset maintains an average of 87 FPS, which is well above the playable threshold.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains robust but shows a more pronounced impact from the increased pixel count. The Low preset yields an average of 120 FPS, which is still exceptionally smooth. Medium settings average 85 FPS, with a minimum of 72 FPS and a maximum of 98 FPS, indicating that the 1% lows remain comfortably above the 60 FPS mark. High settings average 76 FPS, while the Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, still manages an average of 66 FPS. This suggests that 1440p gaming at maximum quality is viable, though the frame rate is closer to the boundary of the 60 FPS threshold.

The 3840x2160 resolution presents a more significant challenge. At Low settings, the average frame rate is 81 FPS, which is playable. The Medium preset averages 57 FPS, with a minimum of 49 FPS and a maximum of 66 FPS, indicating that frame rates can dip below the target. High settings average 51 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 44 FPS. The data shows a clear trend: at 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, and only the Low preset consistently clears the 60 FPS threshold.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the optimal settings are defined as the most demanding preset that maintains an average frame rate at or above 60 FPS. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset qualifies, as it delivers an average of 87 FPS. This allows users to experience the game with all graphical features enabled while retaining a significant margin above the playable threshold.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset also remains the best choice, with an average of 66 FPS. While this is closer to the 60 FPS line than at 1080p, the average still exceeds the target, and the minimum frame rate of 72 FPS on the Medium preset suggests that the Ultra preset's frame times are likely stable enough for a smooth experience.

For 3840x2160, the situation changes. The Low preset is the only one that stays above 60 FPS, averaging 81 FPS. The Medium preset falls short at 57 FPS, making it unsuitable for a consistent 60 FPS experience. Therefore, at 4K, users must compromise on visual quality to achieve smooth gameplay.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Examining the nearest rivals for both the CPU and GPU provides context for what other hardware might deliver similar performance in Control. The CPU, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X, has an average benchmark score of 21771. Its closest competitors include the AMD Ryzen 7 4800H, which scores 21749, a negligible delta of 0.1% faster. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U and Intel Core i7-11700 both score slightly higher at 21874 and 21891, respectively, with deltas of -0.5% relative to the 5600X. The AMD EPYC 9554P also falls into this range with a score of 21899, a -0.6% delta. In practical terms, these CPUs would perform nearly identically in Control, as the game is not likely to be bottlenecked by any of these processors at the tested resolutions.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 has an average benchmark score of 17208. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT with a score of 17083, which is 0.7% slower. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 scores 17037, a 1% delta, and the AMD Radeon HD 7970M scores 17019, a 1.1% delta. On the other end, the NVIDIA Tesla K40c scores 17468, which is 1.5% faster. These deltas are all within a small margin, meaning that a system with any of these GPUs would likely produce frame rates very close to those measured for the RTX 3070 in Control, particularly at higher resolutions where the GPU is the primary bottleneck.

The Verdict

The data from the verdictByResolution field clearly indicates that this PC can run Control successfully across most configurations. At 1920x1080, all presets are playable, and the Ultra setting provides an average of 87 FPS, which is far above the 60 FPS playable threshold. This makes 1080p gaming a non-issue, with performance to spare for high refresh rate displays.

At 2560x1440, the system also clears the 60 FPS bar on all presets, with Ultra averaging 66 FPS. While the margin is thinner than at 1080p, the performance is still solidly playable. The minimum frame rate data from the Medium preset (72 FPS) suggests that the Ultra preset's lows are likely to remain near or above the target, providing a smooth experience.

The 3840x2160 resolution is the only area where the system struggles to maintain 60 FPS at higher settings. The Low preset averages 81 FPS, which is playable, but Medium drops to 57 FPS, and High and Ultra fall to 51 FPS and 44 FPS, respectively. Therefore, at 4K, users must lower settings to Low to ensure a consistent frame rate above the threshold. In summary, this combo is a strong performer for 1080p and 1440p, with 4K requiring significant graphical compromises.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system run Control at 4K with maximum settings?*

A: No. The Ultra preset at 3840x2160 yields an average of 44 FPS, which is well below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the highest settings preset that achieves over 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 averages 66 FPS, making it the most demanding playable option at that resolution.

Q: How does the frame rate at 1080p Medium compare to 1440p Medium?

A: At 1080p Medium, the average is 112 FPS, while at 1440p Medium, the average is 85 FPS, showing a 27 FPS difference due to the increased resolution.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum frame rates recorded at 1080p Medium?

A: The minimum recorded frame rate is 96 FPS, and the maximum is 129 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at 4K resolution?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, as the performance drops significantly with higher settings, while the CPU's performance is likely sufficient based on its high benchmark scores.

Q: Which preset at 4K provides an average frame rate closest to 60 FPS?

A: The Medium preset at 3840x2160 averages 57 FPS, which is the closest to the 60 FPS threshold among the 4K presets, but it still falls short.

How This Combo Ranks

In the context of all tested hardware combinations for Control, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 ranks 1607 out of 3720 combos. This places it in the upper half of all tested systems, indicating that it is a solid performer for this title. The rank reflects the overall capability of the system across the tested resolutions and settings, and the measured frame rates show that it is particularly strong at 1080p and 1440p. The fact that it falls within the 43rd percentile of combos suggests that while there are many faster systems, this one offers a well-balanced performance that handles Control effectively in most scenarios.

CPU and GPU Roles

The division of labor between the CPU and GPU in Control becomes evident when examining the scaling of frame rates across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the performance is exceptionally high, with the Low preset hitting 158 FPS and Ultra at 87 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 71 FPS, which shows that the GPU is handling the increased graphical load, but the CPU is still able to feed it enough data to maintain high frame rates.

As the resolution increases to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop across all presets, but the relative gap between settings remains similar. Low averages 120 FPS, and Ultra averages 66 FPS, a difference of 54 FPS. This indicates that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor as the pixel count rises, but the CPU is still adequately supporting the workload.

At 3840x2160, the pattern shifts decisively. The difference between Low and Ultra is 37 FPS (81 FPS vs 44 FPS), but the absolute frame rates are much lower. This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as its raw rendering power is insufficient to maintain high frame rates at higher presets. The CPU's role becomes less critical at this resolution, as the GPU's workload dominates the performance equation. Overall, the data shows that the GPU has a larger impact on performance at higher resolutions and settings, while the CPU is more than capable of keeping up at 1080p and 1440p, making the RTX 3070 the key component for determining playability in Control.