Control

This PC configuration, pairing an AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060, delivers a strong performance profile for Control, though the experience varies significantly by resolution. The data indicates that 1080p and 1440p gaming are excellent, while 4K requires a compromise on settings to maintain smooth gameplay. The following analysis breaks down the measured performance, component roles, and practical recommendations for this specific title.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest graphics preset that maintains an average of 60 FPS or higher at 1920x1080?

A: At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset achieves an average of 82 FPS, making it the most demanding setting that clears the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset runs at 94 FPS, Medium at 106 FPS, and Low at 149 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle 4K (3840x2160) gaming with high settings?

A: No, at 3840x2160 with High settings, the average FPS drops to 48, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The only preset that maintains 60 FPS or higher at this resolution is Low, which produces an average of 76 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's benchmark score compare to its closest rival, the Intel Core i5-14600?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D has an average benchmark score of 44573. Its rival, the Intel Core i5-14600, has an average score of 44889, which is 0.7% higher. The performance difference is negligible in practical terms.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS recorded for the Medium preset at 2560x1440?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the minimum FPS recorded is 68 and the maximum is 92, with an average of 80 FPS. This indicates a stable performance window with no significant dips below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Is the GPU's performance closer to the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT or the NVIDIA GeForce MX550?

A: The RTX 5060's average benchmark score is 26331. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT scores 26011, which is 1.2% lower, while the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 scores 26421, which is 0.3% higher. The RTX 5060 is more closely matched to the MX550 in this metric, though both are within a negligible margin.

Q: According to the verdict data, which resolutions have more than one playable settings preset?

A: Both 2560x1440 and 1920x1080 have all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) listed as playable. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset is considered playable.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals how the workload shifts between the CPU and GPU across different settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the performance scaling from Low to Ultra shows a clear pattern: the average FPS drops from 149 on Low to 82 on Ultra, a reduction of approximately 45%. This significant drop indicates that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as settings increase, since the CPU has ample headroom at this resolution to feed frames. The Ryzen 5 7500X3D's strong single-thread score of 3494 in Passmark suggests it is well-equipped for the game's logic and physics.

As the resolution increases to 2560x1440, the GPU's role becomes more dominant. The FPS at Low settings drops from 113 to 71 at High, and further down to 62 at Ultra. The difference between Low and Ultra is still substantial, but the absolute numbers are lower, showing that the GPU is doing more work per frame. The CPU's influence diminishes here, as the rendering load grows. The fact that the 1440p Ultra preset maintains 62 FPS indicates a balanced pairing where neither component is severely holding the other back.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is unequivocally the limiting factor. The average FPS at Low is 76, which drops to 48 at High and 42 at Ultra. The scaling is steep and consistent, with the GPU struggling to maintain 60 FPS at any setting above Low. The CPU's benchmark percentile of 89% against all CPUs means it ranks highly, but this does little to help at 4K where the RTX 5060's 8 GB of GDDR7 memory and 128-bit bus width are taxed heavily. The data suggests that players should prioritize GPU settings over CPU-related options at 4K, as the GPU is the clear bottleneck.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at performance across three resolutions and four presets. At 1920x1080, the system is highly capable. The Low preset delivers an average of 149 FPS, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium settings yield 106 FPS with a minimum of 90 and a maximum of 122, showing a tight frame pacing. High settings produce 94 FPS on average, while Ultra drops to 82 FPS. All presets at this resolution exceed the 60 FPS playable threshold by a wide margin.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows more variance. The Low preset averages 113 FPS, which is still excellent. Medium settings average 80 FPS with a range of 68 to 92 FPS, ensuring consistent gameplay. High settings average 71 FPS, and Ultra averages 62 FPS. The Ultra preset is just above the 60 FPS line, making it suitable for players who prioritize visual fidelity over a large FPS buffer. The data shows no instances of the minimum FPS dropping below 60 at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes dramatically. The Low preset is the only one that averages above 60 FPS, hitting 76 FPS. Medium settings average 54 FPS with a minimum of 46 and a maximum of 62, meaning there will be noticeable dips below the playable threshold. High settings average 48 FPS, and Ultra averages 42 FPS. None of these higher presets maintain a stable 60 FPS experience, so players at 4K must accept a significant reduction in visual quality to achieve smooth gameplay.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Based on the nearestRivals data for the CPU, the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D performs similarly to several other processors. The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H has an average score of 44466, which is 0.2% lower than the 7500X3D's 44573, making it a near-identical match in synthetic benchmarks. The Intel Core i9-13950HX scores 44342, a 0.5% difference, and the AMD Ryzen AI Max 385 scores 44309, a 0.6% difference. On the other side, the Intel Core i5-14600 scores 44889, which is 0.7% higher. In practical gaming terms, these deltas are within the margin of error, meaning any of these CPUs would deliver a similar experience in Control.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060's closest rivals are a mix of integrated and discrete solutions. The AMD Radeon 860M scores 26401, just 0.3% higher than the RTX 5060's 26331, while the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 scores 26421, also 0.3% higher. The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary scores 26553, which is 0.8% higher, and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT scores 26011, which is 1.2% lower. These results suggest that a system with any of these GPUs would produce FPS numbers very close to those measured here, though the RTX 5060's feature set, such as its 12 Ultimate DirectX support, might offer advantages beyond raw frame rates.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the best settings are Ultra, which delivers an average of 82 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that stays above the 60 FPS threshold, and it provides the highest visual quality without sacrificing playability. Players with high-refresh displays could also consider High (94 FPS) or Medium (106 FPS) for even smoother motion, but Ultra is the sweet spot for image quality.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset also emerges as the best choice, with an average of 62 FPS. This is a tight margin above the 60 FPS line, so players who prioritize frame rate stability might prefer High at 71 FPS. However, the data shows that Ultra is technically playable and offers the best visual experience at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the only viable option is Low, which averages 76 FPS. The Medium preset falls to 54 FPS, which is below the playable threshold. Therefore, players at 4K must use Low settings to maintain a smooth experience. There is no way to run higher presets at this resolution without encountering significant frame rate drops.

The Verdict

The verdict data is clear: this PC can run Control very well at 1080p and 1440p, but struggles at 4K. At 1920x1080, all four presets are playable, with Ultra achieving 82 FPS and the best overall experience. At 2560x1440, all presets are also playable, with Ultra just clearing the 60 FPS mark at 62 FPS. This makes 1440p the highest resolution where the system can run the game at maximum settings.

At 3840x2160, the system is limited to Low settings, which average 76 FPS. The Medium, High, and Ultra presets all fall below the 60 FPS threshold, with averages of 54, 48, and 42 FPS respectively. For players with a 4K monitor, this means accepting a significant reduction in graphical fidelity to play the game smoothly. The RTX 5060's 8 GB memory capacity is a likely factor in this limitation, as higher resolutions and presets demand more video memory. Overall, the system is a strong performer for this game at mainstream resolutions, but not a 4K powerhouse.