Control

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is an exceptionally powerful combination for Control, delivering frame rates that far exceed the 60 FPS playability threshold across every tested resolution and settings preset. The data indicates this combo ranks 99th out of 3720 tested configurations, placing it in the top percentile for this title. At 4K Ultra, this system still produces an average of 77.4 FPS, demonstrating that the RTX 4090’s raw compute power is sufficient to handle even the most demanding visual settings without compromise. This analysis breaks down the measured performance data, optimal settings per resolution, the roles of the CPU and GPU, and provides a clear verdict on this system’s capabilities.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Control shows a clear performance hierarchy across the three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system achieves its highest frame rates, with the Low preset delivering an average of 274.2 FPS. Moving up the settings ladder, Medium produces 196.2 FPS, High reaches 174.5 FPS, and Ultra still maintains a very high 152.4 FPS average. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p represents a 44.4% drop in performance, but the absolute numbers remain far above what any display refresh rate would require.

At 2560x1440, the same pattern emerges with lower absolute values. The Low preset yields 206.9 FPS, which drops to 147.1 FPS on Medium, 132.7 FPS on High, and 113.5 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 45.1%, indicating that the GPU is handling the increased pixel count while maintaining a consistent performance scaling. The Ultra preset at 1440p still delivers more than double the 60 FPS threshold, making this resolution entirely comfortable for high-refresh-rate gaming.

The 3840x2160 results show the most significant impact of resolution scaling. At 4K, the Low preset produces 137.1 FPS, Medium drops to 101.6 FPS, High averages 88.6 FPS, and Ultra sinks to 77.4 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra at 4K is 43.5%, which is in line with the other resolutions. Crucially, even the most demanding Ultra preset at 4K remains above the 60 FPS playable threshold, which is a remarkable achievement for this combination. The minimum and maximum FPS values are not provided in the data, so the analysis relies solely on average frame rates, but the consistency of the scaling suggests stable performance across all settings.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 3840x2160, the best settings that stay at or above 60 FPS are Ultra, which produces an average of 77.4 FPS. This is the most demanding preset available, and the fact that it clears the 60 FPS threshold by a margin of 17.4 FPS means users can enable every visual feature without worrying about performance. While High and Medium also exceed 60 FPS, Ultra is the optimal choice because it provides the maximum visual fidelity while still maintaining a comfortable frame rate cushion.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are also Ultra, with an average of 113.5 FPS. This represents a 53.5 FPS buffer above the playable threshold, giving ample headroom for demanding scenes or future driver updates. The Ultra preset at 1440p is nearly 46.6% faster than the same preset at 4K, highlighting how resolution scaling affects the GPU workload. Users seeking the smoothest experience could opt for High at 132.7 FPS, but Ultra remains the recommended setting due to its superior visual quality and still-excellent frame rate.

For 1920x1080, Ultra is again the best settings, delivering an average of 152.4 FPS. This is more than 150% of the 60 FPS threshold, meaning the system is heavily GPU-bound even at the highest settings. The Low preset at 274.2 FPS would only be relevant for competitive play on a very high refresh rate monitor, but for most users, Ultra provides the best balance of visuals and performance. The 1080p Ultra result is 34.2% higher than the 1440p Ultra result, confirming that lower resolutions significantly reduce the rendering load on the RTX 4090.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance data reveals that the GPU is the dominant factor in Control across all resolutions, but the CPU’s role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions and higher frame rates. At 1920x1080, the difference between Low and Ultra is 121.8 FPS (from 274.2 down to 152.4), which indicates that the GPU is still the bottleneck even at the lowest settings. The CPU, a 6-core 12-thread AMD Ryzen 5 9600X with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, provides enough single-thread performance to keep up with the RTX 4090’s output at these high frame rates.

Scaling to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop proportionally, with the Low preset falling from 274.2 to 206.9 FPS. This 24.5% reduction is less than the pixel count increase (which is 77.8% more pixels than 1080p), suggesting that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor. The Ultra preset at 1440p (113.5 FPS) is 25.5% lower than the 1080p Ultra result (152.4 FPS), which aligns with the increased GPU workload from the higher resolution.

At 3840x2160, the GPU’s dominance is unmistakable. The Low preset drops to 137.1 FPS, which is 33.7% lower than the 1440p Low result. The Ultra preset falls to 77.4 FPS, a 31.8% reduction from the 1440p Ultra figure. These percentages are close to the pixel count difference between 1440p and 4K (which is 2.25x), indicating that the RTX 4090 is the primary constraint. The Ryzen 5 9600X, with its 32 MB of shared L3 cache and Zen 5 architecture, provides sufficient IPC to avoid becoming a bottleneck, as evidenced by the consistent performance scaling across resolutions. If the CPU were limiting performance, we would expect to see smaller frame rate differences between resolutions, particularly at the Low presets where the GPU load is lighter.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Control at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the measured data shows an average of 77.4 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold. This makes Ultra the best settings for 4K, as it provides the highest visual quality while maintaining smooth performance.

Q: What is the fastest settings preset at 1080p?

A: The Low preset at 1920x1080 produces an average of 274.2 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded across all tested configurations. This is ideal for competitive play or high-refresh-rate monitors, though Ultra at 152.4 FPS is still exceptionally fast.

Q: How does the 1440p Ultra performance compare to 4K Ultra?

A: At 2560x1440 with Ultra settings, the system averages 113.5 FPS, which is 46.6% higher than the 4K Ultra result of 77.4 FPS. The significant difference highlights how much additional GPU workload 4K rendering imposes.

Q: Is the RTX 4090 the main performance bottleneck in Control?

A: Yes, the data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor, especially at higher resolutions. The frame rate drops proportionally with resolution increases while the CPU maintains consistent performance, as shown by the 44.4% drop from Low to Ultra at 1080p versus the 43.5% drop at 4K.

Q: Which settings preset should be used for 1440p gaming?

A: Ultra is the recommended preset, delivering an average of 113.5 FPS. This provides a substantial 53.5 FPS buffer above the 60 FPS threshold, allowing for maximum visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness.

Q: Does the system ever drop below 60 FPS in any tested scenario?

A: No, every resolution and settings combination in the measured data exceeds 60 FPS. The lowest recorded average is 77.4 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is still 17.4 FPS above the playable threshold.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination ranks 99th out of 3720 tested configurations for Control, placing it in the 97.3rd percentile of all tested systems. This rank reflects the exceptional performance of the RTX 4090, which sits at the 88th percentile among all GPUs, and the Ryzen 5 9600X, which is at the 81st percentile among all CPUs. The GPU’s nearest rivals include the Intel Arc Pro A60 (with a deltaPct of 0) and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (0.3% higher), but these are workstation-oriented cards that do not represent the gaming performance of the RTX 4090. The CPU’s nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE (0.2% higher), AMD Ryzen 7 7840H (0.5% lower), and AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT (0.6% lower), all of which are within a fraction of a percent in average benchmark scores.

The high combo ranking is driven by the GPU’s massive performance headroom, as the RTX 4090’s 82.58 TFLOPS FP32 compute and 24 GB of GDDR6X memory provide ample resources for Control’s rendering demands. The CPU’s 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient for this title, which is not heavily multithreaded, and the 5.40 GHz boost clock ensures strong single-thread performance. The near-top ranking indicates that only a handful of other combinations (likely with even more powerful GPUs or newer CPUs) can outperform this setup in Control, making it one of the most capable systems for this game.

The Verdict

This PC can absolutely run Control, and it does so with remarkable ease. The verdict by resolution confirms that all three tested resolutions—3840x2160, 2560x1440, and 1920x1080—are fully playable at every settings preset, including Ultra. At 4K Ultra, the system achieves an average of 77.4 FPS, comfortably above the 60 FPS playable threshold. At 1440p Ultra, it produces 113.5 FPS, and at 1080p Ultra, it reaches 152.4 FPS. The data shows no scenario where the system falls below 60 FPS, meaning users can push the game to its maximum visual quality without compromise.

The RTX 4090 is the clear driver of this performance, with the Ryzen 5 9600X providing adequate CPU support to avoid bottlenecks. The measured FPS scaling across resolutions and presets follows the expected GPU-bound pattern, confirming that the system is well-balanced for this game. With a combo rank of 99 out of 3720, this setup is in the top tier for Control, delivering an experience that is not just playable but exceptionally smooth at the highest settings. For users with 4K displays or high-refresh-rate monitors, this combination offers the headroom needed for a premium gaming experience.