Control

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X paired with the Intel Arc B570 delivers a playable experience in Control, but only up to 1440p and with significant setting compromises at higher resolutions. At 1080p, this combo is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold with High settings, but 4K is entirely out of reach, with even Low settings failing to hit 60 FPS. The data indicates a system that is well-balanced for 1080p gaming but becomes GPU-bound quickly as resolution increases.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates reveal a clear performance hierarchy across resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080, the system starts at 101 FPS on Low settings, which is the highest average recorded across all tests. Dropping to Medium yields 71 FPS, with a minimum of 61 FPS and a maximum of 82 FPS, showing that even the lower bounds of performance stay within playable territory. High settings at 1080p produce 63 FPS average, still above the 60 FPS target, while Ultra drops to 55 FPS, marking the first preset at this resolution that falls below the threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance penalty is substantial. Low settings produce 76 FPS average, which remains playable, but Medium falls to 54 FPS with a minimum of 46 FPS and a maximum of 62 FPS. This indicates that while the average is close to the target, frame pacing suffers, with dips that will be noticeable during intense action sequences. High settings at 1440p yield 48 FPS, and Ultra drops further to 42 FPS, both clearly below the playable threshold.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles across the board. Low settings average 51 FPS, which is the only preset at this resolution that comes close to 60 FPS but still misses it. Medium averages 36 FPS with a minimum of 31 and a maximum of 42 FPS, while High averages 32 FPS and Ultra plummets to 28 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium at 4K is 15 FPS, which is the largest single-setting jump observed in the data, highlighting how quickly the GPU saturates at this resolution.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that maintains an average of 60 FPS or higher is High, which delivers 63 FPS. This is the recommended setting for a smooth experience, as it balances visual quality with performance. Medium also clears the threshold at 71 FPS, but High offers superior visuals for only an 8 FPS loss. Ultra at 55 FPS is not recommended, as it sacrifices the playable frame rate for marginal visual gains.

At 2560x1440, the only setting that achieves 60 FPS or better is Low, which averages 76 FPS. This is a significant compromise, as Low settings typically reduce texture quality, shadow detail, and post-processing effects. Medium at 54 FPS is close but fails to meet the threshold, and its minimum of 46 FPS suggests that combat scenarios will see noticeable stutter. High and Ultra are not viable at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS. Low comes closest at 51 FPS, but even this falls short. The data shows that this resolution is not playable with this hardware combination, regardless of settings. Users targeting 4K would need to consider a more powerful GPU, as the B570’s 10 GB memory and 160-bit bus are insufficient for the demands of Control at this resolution.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling between resolutions and presets clearly identifies the GPU as the primary bottleneck in this configuration. At 1080p, the CPU’s strong single-thread performance, evidenced by its 2183.5 Cinebench R23 single-core score and 1253 3DMark single-thread score, is sufficient to feed the GPU, allowing the system to reach 101 FPS on Low. However, as resolution increases, the frame rate drops disproportionately, which is a classic sign of GPU saturation rather than CPU limitation.

Comparing 1080p Low at 101 FPS to 1440p Low at 76 FPS yields a 25 FPS drop, which is a 24.8% reduction. This scaling is more aggressive than what would be expected from purely CPU-bound workloads, confirming that the Arc B570 is the limiting factor. The GPU’s 14195 Passmark G3D score places it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, which is modest for modern titles, and its 11.52 TFLOPS FP32 performance is adequate for 1080p but not for higher resolutions.

The CPU’s role becomes even less significant at 4K, where Low settings only achieve 51 FPS compared to 76 FPS at 1440p. This 25 FPS drop at the same settings further emphasizes GPU limitation. The Ryzen 5 9600X, with its 6 cores and 12 threads and a 30027 Passmark multithread score, is more than capable of handling Control’s CPU demands, which are moderate for a 2019 title. The data suggests that even a weaker CPU would produce similar results at 1440p and 4K, while a stronger GPU would yield significant gains.

The Verdict

This PC can run Control, but the playable range is strictly limited to 1080p and 1440p with specific settings. At 1920x1080, the system clears the 60 FPS threshold with High settings, delivering 63 FPS average, and also with Medium at 71 FPS and Low at 101 FPS. This makes 1080p the definitive resolution for this combo, offering smooth gameplay with good visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the system is technically playable only on Low settings, which average 76 FPS. This is a playable experience, but the visual compromise is significant. The verdict data confirms that Low is the best setting at this resolution, with no other preset reaching 60 FPS. For users who prioritize resolution over quality, this is a viable option, but those who want Medium or higher should stick to 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the system fails to deliver a playable experience at any setting. The best result is 51 FPS on Low, which still falls below the 60 FPS target. The verdict lists no playable settings for 4K, meaning this resolution is effectively unsupported. The combination of the Arc B570’s 10 GB VRAM and 380.0 GB/s bandwidth is insufficient for Control’s 4K textures and effects. Overall, the system is a solid 1080p performer, a marginal 1440p option, and a non-starter at 4K.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X’s nearest rivals in the benchmark database are all within a narrow performance band. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE scores 29656, which is 0.2% lower than the 9600X’s 29713 average. The AMD Ryzen 7 7840H scores 29868, 0.5% higher, while the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT scores 29879, 0.6% higher. The AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS scores 29955, 0.8% higher. These deltas are negligible, meaning any of these CPUs would produce virtually identical frame rates in Control, as the game is not CPU-bound at the tested resolutions.

For the GPU, the Intel Arc B570’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, which scores 20534, just 0.1% lower than the B570’s 20556 average. The Intel Arc A750 scores 20582, 0.1% higher, indicating that these two Intel cards are essentially interchangeable in performance. The NVIDIA Quadro M4000M scores 20480, 0.4% lower, and the AMD Radeon R9 M390X scores 20662, 0.5% higher. Given these tiny deltas, any of these GPUs would deliver nearly identical FPS in Control, meaning the playability verdict at each resolution would remain the same.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and Intel Arc B570 ranks 2995 out of 3720 combos for Control. This places it in the bottom 19.5% of all tested systems, which is a low ranking for a modern CPU and a current-generation GPU. The ranking reflects the GPU’s relative weakness, as Control’s performance is heavily dependent on graphics hardware. The CPU’s high percentile ranking of 81 among all CPUs is offset by the GPU’s 65th percentile ranking, resulting in a combined score that is below average.

The low combo rank suggests that while this system is capable of running Control at 1080p, it sits far below the performance ceiling of most tested configurations. Users with this combo should not expect to compete with high-end systems, but the data confirms that it meets the minimum requirements for a playable experience at lower resolutions. The rank also implies that many other CPU-GPU pairings would offer better performance, particularly those with more powerful GPUs, which would be the primary upgrade path for improving Control’s frame rates.