Control

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 presents a compelling mid-range combination for playing Control, a 2019 Action Adventure title. The benchmark data shows that this system is highly capable at 1080p and 1440p, but faces significant challenges at 4K with higher graphical presets. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, contextualizes it against rival hardware, and provides clear guidance on the best settings to achieve a smooth 60 FPS experience.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Control at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, but only with reduced settings. The measured FPS shows the combination achieves 83.2 FPS on Low and 60.2 FPS on Medium at 3840x2160. High settings drop to 50.6 FPS, and Ultra falls to 41.7 FPS, both below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 1440p?

A: The data indicates that Ultra settings are playable at 2560x1440, with an average FPS of 66.5. All other presets (Low, Medium, and High) also clear the 60 FPS threshold, making 1440p the sweet spot for this hardware.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 5 9600X has an average benchmark score of 29,713, placing it in the 81st percentile of all CPUs. It is effectively tied with the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE, which is only 0.2% slower, and it outperforms the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H by 0.5% and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT by 0.6%.

Q: Is the RTX 3070's performance close to other GPUs in its class?

A: The RTX 3070's average benchmark score is 17,208, placing it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs. Its closest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT, which has an average score of 17,083, making the RTX 3070 only 0.7% faster. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 is also close, trailing by 1%.

Q: What is the highest FPS recorded for this system in the game?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 157.3, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This indicates the game is highly scalable and the CPU-GPU combination is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions and presets.

Q: Does the system maintain 60 FPS on Ultra at 1080p?

A: Yes, the data confirms that at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the system achieves an average of 87.5 FPS, well above the 60 FPS playable threshold. This makes 1080p Ultra a fully viable option.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions reveals a classic shift in workload balance. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 157.3 on Low to 87.5 on Ultra. This wide spread, a 69.8 FPS difference between the lowest and highest presets, indicates that the GPU is the primary driver of performance, as lower settings reduce the graphical load and allow the CPU to feed frames at a very high rate. The Ryzen 5 9600X, with its strong single-threaded performance (4,570 in Passmark single-thread score), is more than capable of keeping up at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the FPS range tightens to between 122.9 (Low) and 66.5 (Ultra), a 56.4 FPS spread. The overall frame rates drop, but the system still delivers playable performance on all presets. This suggests that while the GPU is now working harder, the CPU still has sufficient headroom to avoid becoming a limiting factor. The 1440p results show a balanced system where both components are being utilized effectively.

At 3840x2160, the dynamics change dramatically. The FPS range is 83.2 on Low to 41.7 on Ultra, a 41.5 FPS spread. The absolute numbers are much lower, and the system fails to hit 60 FPS on High and Ultra presets. This is a clear indicator that the 8 GB VRAM and the processing power of the RTX 3070 are being saturated by the 4K resolution's pixel count and texture demands. The CPU's role diminishes here; the GPU becomes the definitive bottleneck, as evidenced by the significant performance penalty at higher settings. The data implies that for 4K gaming, the graphical fidelity and resolution are the primary constraints, not the processor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at performance across all combinations of resolution and settings.

1920x1080: At this resolution, the system is exceptionally strong. Low settings deliver an average of 157.3 FPS, while Medium yields 110.6 FPS. High settings produce 99.7 FPS, and even Ultra maintains a smooth 87.5 FPS. All presets are far above the 60 FPS playable threshold, making 1080p an effortless scenario for this hardware.

2560x1440: Performance remains robust at 1440p. Low settings hit 122.9 FPS, Medium delivers 85.9 FPS, and High averages 73.9 FPS. Ultra settings still manage a solid 66.5 FPS. Every preset at this resolution is playable, confirming that 1440p is the ideal balance between visual quality and frame rate for this combo.

3840x2160: The situation becomes more demanding at 4K. Low settings are highly playable at 83.2 FPS, and Medium just clears the threshold with 60.2 FPS. However, High settings drop to 50.6 FPS, and Ultra falls to 41.7 FPS. The step from Medium to High represents a significant 9.6 FPS loss, indicating that the RTX 3070 struggles with the increased shading and texture complexity at this resolution. Gamers targeting 4K will need to compromise on visual fidelity to maintain smooth gameplay.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the synthetic benchmarks for the components, several alternatives would deliver similar performance in Control.

On the CPU side, the Ryzen 5 9600X's nearest rivals are all AMD processors with negligible performance differences. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE is only 0.2% slower, while the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H and AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT are 0.5% and 0.6% slower, respectively. The AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS is the furthest behind at 0.8% slower. In a game like Control, which is often GPU-bound at higher settings, these CPUs would likely produce nearly identical frame rates, as the variance in their synthetic scores (less than 1%) is unlikely to be a limiting factor.

For the GPU, the RTX 3070's closest competitor is the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT, which is only 0.7% slower in average benchmark score. This suggests that an RX 7600 XT would deliver almost identical performance in Control. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 and AMD Radeon HD 7970M are also close, with scores 1% and 1.1% lower, respectively. While these GPUs might show slightly lower average FPS, the difference would be minor. Interestingly, the NVIDIA Tesla K40c is 1.5% faster in synthetic tests, but as a compute-oriented card, its gaming drivers and features may not translate directly to better in-game performance.

The Verdict

The benchmark data clearly answers whether this PC can run Control: yes, with specific caveats based on resolution. According to the `verdictByResolution` field, at 1920x1080, all presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable, with the best setting being Ultra at 87.5 FPS. At 2560x1440, all presets are also playable, with Ultra being the best option at 66.5 FPS. The system is fully capable of delivering a high-refresh-rate experience at these resolutions.

The situation at 3840x2160 is more nuanced. The playable settings are limited to Low (83.2 FPS) and Medium (60.2 FPS). The best playable setting is Medium, which just meets the 60 FPS threshold. High and Ultra presets are not playable, as they fall below 60 FPS. Therefore, this PC can run Control at 4K, but users must be willing to sacrifice visual quality to maintain smooth gameplay.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations for Control, this specific pairing is situated in the middle of the pack. The `comboRankInGame` data shows it ranks 1,596 out of 3,720 combos. This places it in the 57th percentile of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms more than half of the other configurations but is still behind a significant number of higher-end builds.

This ranking is consistent with the hardware's individual positions. The RTX 3070, with a percentile rank of 61 among all GPUs, is a solid mid-to-high-end card. The Ryzen 5 9600X, ranked in the 81st percentile of CPUs, is a strong processor. However, the combination is not top-tier due to the GPU's limitations at 4K and the overall balance of the system. The 1,596 rank suggests that while this combo is very capable for 1080p and 1440p gaming, it is outclassed by systems with more powerful GPUs or newer architectures that can handle 4K Ultra settings more effectively.

Best Settings per Resolution

Based on the `verdictByResolution` data, the optimal settings to achieve the highest visual quality while maintaining at least 60 FPS are as follows:

1920x1080: The most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which achieves an average of 87.5 FPS. This is the clear recommendation for 1080p, as it provides the best visual experience without compromising on performance.

2560x1440: At this resolution, Ultra is also the best setting, delivering an average of 66.5 FPS. This maintains a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold, making 1440p Ultra a great choice for a high-quality experience.

3840x2160: For 4K, the best playable setting is Medium, with an average of 60.2 FPS. While Low offers a higher frame rate (83.2 FPS), Medium provides a significant visual upgrade while still clearing the 60 FPS line. Pushing to High or Ultra will result in stuttering and a sub-optimal experience, so Medium is the recommended ceiling for 4K gaming with this hardware.