Control

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and AMD Radeon RX 9060 pairing delivers a broad range of performance in Control, scaling from a locked 60 FPS experience at 1080p Ultra to a more constrained 4K presentation that requires reduced settings. The data, measured directly from the game, shows that this combination is most comfortable at 2560x1440, where it can maintain high frame rates with excellent visual quality.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo is decisively powerful. The Low preset produces an average frame rate of 130 FPS, offering a massive headroom for high-refresh-rate monitors. Moving to Medium sees the average drop to 92 FPS, with a recorded minimum of 78 FPS and a maximum of 106 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes. The High preset averages 82 FPS, which remains far above the 60 FPS playability threshold. For maximum visual fidelity, the Ultra preset still delivers a strong average of 71 FPS, keeping the experience fluid without requiring any compromises.

Stepping up to 2560x1440 reveals a predictable performance shift. The Low preset averages 98 FPS, keeping the experience very responsive. The Medium preset produces an average of 70 FPS, with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 80 FPS, placing it right at the edge of the playable threshold but with a slight risk of dipping below it. The High preset averages 62 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS line and represents the best balance of quality and performance at this resolution. The Ultra preset drops to an average of 54 FPS, falling short of the target for a consistently smooth experience.

At 3840x2160, the RX 9060's 8 GB memory capacity and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth begin to show their limits. The Low preset averages 66 FPS, clearing the playable bar. The Medium preset averages 47 FPS, with a minimum of 40 FPS and a maximum of 54 FPS, indicating a noticeable stutter in busy combat. The High preset falls to 42 FPS, and the Ultra preset bottoms out at 36 FPS, both of which are not suitable for a fluid action game.

FAQ

*Q: Can this PC run Control at 1920x1080 with maximum settings?*

A: Yes. The benchmark data shows the Ultra preset at 1920x1080 produces an average frame rate of 71 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Q: What is the highest quality setting that maintains 60 FPS at 2560x1440?

A: The High preset is the most demanding option that achieves this goal. It averages 62 FPS. The Ultra preset falls short, with an average of 54 FPS.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this hardware configuration?

A: It is limited. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset achieves a playable average frame rate of 66 FPS. All other presets fall below the 60 FPS target, with Medium at 47 FPS, High at 42 FPS, and Ultra at 36 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 9060 compare to its closest rival in terms of raw performance?

A: The RX 9060's average benchmark score is 16014, which is 0.7% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti's score of 16129. It is 1% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 7700's score of 15852.

Q: What is the frame time consistency like on the Medium preset at 1920x1080?

A: The data shows an average of 92 FPS with a minimum of 78 FPS and a maximum of 106 FPS. This 28 FPS range between minimum and maximum indicates generally stable frame pacing.

Q: Does the CPU become a bottleneck at lower resolutions?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary constraint. At 1920x1080, the frame rate scales significantly between presets (from 130 FPS on Low to 71 FPS on Ultra), indicating that the graphics card's workload is the limiting factor rather than the CPU's processing power.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions and presets clearly defines the roles of each component. The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, provides a sufficiently high performance ceiling for this game. The CPU's benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 20851 and a single-core score of 2943, indicate it has ample headroom for gaming workloads.

The RX 9060 is the decisive factor in this pairing. This is evident in the frame rate drops when moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 and then to 3840x2160. For instance, on the High preset, the average frame rate falls from 82 FPS at 1080p to 62 FPS at 1440p, and then to 42 FPS at 4K. This consistent decline with increasing pixel count is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario.

Furthermore, the difference between presets at the same resolution highlights the GPU's role. At 2560x1440, the gap between Low (98 FPS) and Ultra (54 FPS) is 44 FPS, a substantial range that is entirely dependent on the graphics card's ability to render more complex effects and higher detail levels. The CPU's performance remains constant, suggesting it is not the limiting factor in these scenarios.

The Verdict

Based on the measured frame rates, this system can run Control with playable performance at all tested resolutions, but with significant caveats at higher settings. The verdict by resolution is as follows:

• 3840x2160: The system is playable, but only on the Low preset, which achieves an average of 66 FPS. This is the only setting that clears the 60 FPS threshold.
• 2560x1440: This is the sweet spot for this hardware. The High preset is the most demanding playable option, with an average of 62 FPS. The Medium preset also clears the bar at 70 FPS, though its minimum of 59 FPS is a minor concern.
• 1920x1080: The system is fully capable here. All four presets, including Ultra with an average of 71 FPS, deliver frame rates above 60 FPS.

For the best experience, users should target 2560x1440 with the High preset. This configuration provides a strong balance between visual fidelity and performance, keeping the action smooth and responsive. While 4K is technically playable, the need to use the Low preset diminishes the visual experience significantly.

Best Settings per Resolution

The data identifies the most demanding preset that maintains an average frame rate at or above 60 FPS for each resolution.

• 3840x2160: The optimal choice is the Low preset, which yields an average frame rate of 66 FPS. This is the only viable option for a smooth experience at this resolution.
• 2560x1440: The High preset is the best choice, delivering an average of 62 FPS. This offers a substantial visual upgrade over the Low preset while still meeting the performance target.
• 1920x1080: The Ultra preset is the recommended setting, providing an average of 71 FPS. This allows for the highest level of graphical detail without sacrificing playability.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for Control, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and AMD Radeon RX 9060 ranks 2152nd out of 3720 tested combinations. This places it in the upper half of all tested systems, indicating a solid mid-range performance tier.

This ranking is consistent with the individual component performance. The CPU sits at the 77th percentile when compared to all other CPUs, while the GPU is at the 59th percentile. The GPU's performance is closely matched with its nearest rivals, being within 1% of the AMD Radeon RX 7700 and 0.7% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. The overall combo ranking suggests that while the system is capable of running the game well at 1080p and 1440p, it does not have the raw power to excel at 4K, which is reflected in its mid-pack position in the overall rankings.