Control

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination lands at rank 1950 out of 3720 tested combos for Control, placing it in the 48th percentile of all tested systems. This is a mid-pack result, meaning the combo sits almost exactly at the median of all hardware pairings benchmarked for this title. The data indicates this is a capable but not exceptional pairing for Control; it will run the game comfortably at standard resolutions, but it is not near the top of the performance hierarchy. The rank reflects a balanced system where neither component is a dramatic bottleneck, but also where neither pushes the combo into upper-tier territory.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1950 out of 3720 tested combinations places it in the lower-middle portion of the performance distribution. To contextualize this, the CPU sits at the 77th percentile when measured against all CPUs, while the GPU is at the 61st percentile against all GPUs. The gap between these two percentiles is telling: the processor is relatively stronger than the graphics card in the broader hardware landscape. For Control specifically, this means the GPU is more likely to be the limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings, as the CPU has more headroom relative to its peers than the GPU does. The measured frame rates confirm this dynamic, with the GPU's workload scaling heavily with resolution and preset changes. The rank of 1950 is a holistic measure, but the individual component percentiles suggest that upgrading the GPU would yield larger gains in this game than upgrading the CPU.

CPU and GPU Roles

The division of labor between the Ryzen 5 8400F and the RTX 4060 becomes clear when examining frame rate scaling across resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 141.3 FPS on Low settings, which drops to 88.2 FPS on High and 76.9 FPS on Ultra. This is a 45% performance hit from Low to Ultra at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is doing heavy lifting even at the lowest resolution. The CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads based on Zen 4 architecture, has ample headroom at 1080p; the frame rate differences are driven almost entirely by GPU load from increased settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, the pattern shifts. Low settings yield 107.8 FPS, High produces 69.8 FPS, and Ultra lands at 60.3 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra here is 44%, nearly identical to the 1080p scaling. This suggests that the GPU remains the dominant factor at 1440p, as the relative performance penalty for higher settings stays consistent. The CPU's role does not become more prominent at this resolution; the scaling between resolutions at the same settings shows a clear GPU boundary. For instance, High settings drop from 88.2 FPS at 1080p to 69.8 FPS at 1440p, a 21% reduction that aligns with the increased pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is unequivocally the bottleneck. Low settings produce 69.9 FPS, but Medium drops to 52.8 FPS, High to 47.3 FPS, and Ultra to 42.1 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is a 40% reduction, but the absolute numbers are low across the board. The CPU's influence here is minimal; the RTX 4060's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 272.0 GB/s bandwidth is strained by 4K rendering. The data shows that the CPU can feed the GPU fast enough at 4K, as the frame rate drops are consistent with GPU-bound behavior, but the GPU simply lacks the raw throughput for high settings at this resolution.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which delivers 76.9 FPS. This is a clear recommendation: the combo has enough performance headroom at 1080p to run the game at maximum settings with a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold. The data shows High settings at 88.2 FPS and Medium at 98.4 FPS, but Ultra at 76.9 FPS is the optimal choice for visual quality without sacrificing playability.

At 2560x1440, Ultra settings produce 60.3 FPS, which is just barely above the 60 FPS playable threshold. This is technically playable, but the margin is slim. High settings deliver 69.8 FPS, offering a more comfortable buffer. The data supports Ultra as the best settings for 1440p, but with the caveat that any demanding scene could push it below 60 FPS. For a smoother experience, High settings are a safer bet, though the benchmark data shows Ultra technically clears the bar.

At 3840x2160, the only preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Low, which delivers 69.9 FPS. Medium drops to 52.8 FPS, making it unplayable by the 60 FPS standard. This is a stark contrast to lower resolutions. The RTX 4060 is simply not powerful enough for 4K gaming at medium or higher settings in Control. Low settings are the only viable option, and even then, the 69.9 FPS average leaves little room for frame rate dips in intense combat sequences.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Ryzen 5 8400F provide a clear picture of what other CPUs would behave similarly. The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F has an average score of 24964, which is only 0.2% different from the 8400F's 25005 average benchmark score. This is effectively a performance tie; swapping between these two CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Control. The Intel Core i7-11850H and Intel Core i7-13620H are also within 0.4% of the 8400F's score, with averages of 24935 and 24911 respectively. These are mobile-based chips, but the benchmark data shows they would perform at the same level. The AMD EPYC 9474F is 0.4% faster on average, but this is a server-class processor that would behave similarly in gaming workloads despite its different design goals.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are less intuitive. The AMD Radeon HD 7790 has an average score of 17666, which is 0.2% higher than the RTX 4060's 17639. This is a much older card, but the benchmark data shows it lands in the same performance tier. The AMD Radeon 780M integrated graphics score 17588, just 0.3% lower, making it a surprisingly close match for the RTX 4060 in average benchmarks. The AMD Radeon Pro 560 and Pro 460 are 0.5% and 0.7% lower respectively. These comparisons are based on aggregate benchmark scores, not Control-specific frame rates, so real-world gaming performance may vary more than these deltas suggest. However, the data indicates that any of these GPUs would land within a narrow performance band of the RTX 4060 in synthetic tests.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Control at 1080p with max settings?

A: Yes. The benchmark data shows Ultra settings at 1920x1080 produce an average of 76.9 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for Control at 1440p?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. At 2560x1440, frame rates drop by 44% from Low to Ultra settings, while the CPU's benchmark percentile (77th) is higher than the GPU's (61st), indicating the GPU has less headroom relative to its peers.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 4K?

A: Low settings at 3840x2160 deliver 69.9 FPS, making it the only playable preset. Medium drops to 52.8 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest GPU rival?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 7790 has an average benchmark score of 17666, which is 0.2% higher than the RTX 4060's 17639. This puts them in the same performance tier in synthetic tests.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 8400F a strong match for this game?

A: The CPU sits at the 77th percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rival, the Ryzen 5 7500F, is only 0.2% different in average score. This indicates the CPU provides solid performance that does not bottleneck the GPU at most settings.

Q: Does the combo have headroom above 60 FPS at 1440p Ultra?

A: Barely. Ultra settings at 2560x1440 produce 60.3 FPS on average, which is just 0.3 FPS above the playable threshold. This leaves minimal margin for frame rate dips in demanding scenes.

The Verdict

This PC can run Control, but the experience depends heavily on resolution. At 1920x1080, the combo is fully capable of running Ultra settings at 76.9 FPS, providing a smooth and visually rich experience. At 2560x1440, Ultra settings are technically playable at 60.3 FPS, but the margin is razor-thin; High settings at 69.8 FPS are a more stable choice. At 3840x2160, only Low settings clear the 60 FPS bar at 69.9 FPS, making 4K a compromised experience. The verdict is clear: this system is a solid 1080p and acceptable 1440p machine for Control, but 4K requires significant graphical sacrifices. The RTX 4060's 8 GB memory capacity and 128-bit bus are the primary constraints at higher resolutions, while the CPU provides ample support throughout. For a 1080p gamer, this combo is a strong choice; for 4K enthusiasts, it falls short of the mark.