Control

Control is a demanding action-adventure title that stresses both CPU and GPU, and the combination of an AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 delivers a highly resolution-dependent experience. The measured data shows this pairing is capable of smooth gameplay at 1080p and 1440p with the right settings, while 4K requires significant compromises to stay above the 60 FPS threshold. This analysis breaks down the exact frame rates, component roles, and alternatives based strictly on the provided benchmark measurements.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 5050 paired with the Ryzen 7 5800XT shows a clear performance hierarchy across presets. The Low preset averages 124 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded for this combination at any resolution or setting. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 88 FPS, with a minimum of 75 FPS and a maximum of 101 FPS, indicating consistent performance well above the playable threshold. The High preset delivers an average of 78 FPS, while the Ultra preset still maintains a solid 68 FPS average. All four presets at 1080p exceed the 60 FPS playable threshold, making this resolution the most flexible for visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates scale down noticeably but remain playable for most settings. The Low preset produces an average of 94 FPS, which is still very smooth. The Medium preset averages 67 FPS, with a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 77 FPS, meaning occasional dips below 60 FPS can occur but the overall experience stays near the target. The High preset averages 59 FPS, just below the playable threshold, and the Ultra preset drops to 52 FPS. This resolution requires users to choose between Medium settings for a mostly stable experience or drop to Low for extra headroom.

At 3840x2160, the performance falls off significantly. The Low preset is the only option that averages above 60 FPS, hitting exactly 63 FPS. The Medium preset averages 45 FPS, with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 52 FPS, showing a wide variance that can feel stuttery during intense scenes. The High preset averages 40 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 35 FPS. These numbers indicate that 4K gaming is only viable at the lowest settings, and even then, the margin above 60 FPS is slim.

The data reveals a consistent pattern: each step up in resolution costs roughly 20-30 FPS on average for the same preset. For instance, High settings go from 78 FPS at 1080p to 59 FPS at 1440p, then to 40 FPS at 4K. Similarly, Medium settings drop from 88 to 67 to 45 FPS across the three resolutions. The only exception is Low, which stays above 60 FPS at both 1080p and 1440p, and just barely clears it at 4K with 63 FPS. The minimum and maximum FPS data is only available for Medium settings at each resolution, showing that the variance widens as resolution increases, from 75-101 at 1080p to 57-77 at 1440p and 38-52 at 4K.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results indicate that the RTX 5050 is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the Ryzen 7 5800XT provides ample headroom at lower settings. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a drop of approximately 25-30% in average FPS across all presets, which is typical for GPU-bound scenarios. The further drop from 1440p to 4K is even steeper, around 35-40%, confirming that the GPU’s 8 GB memory and 128-bit bus limit its ability to handle pixel-heavy workloads.

At 1080p, the CPU’s role becomes more apparent. The Ryzen 7 5800XT, with its 8 cores and 16 threads based on Zen 3 architecture, has enough compute power to feed the RTX 5050 effectively. The difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p is 56 FPS (124 vs 68), which is substantial but still keeps all presets above 60 FPS. This suggests that even at Ultra, the CPU is not holding back the GPU significantly, as the frame rate remains high.

The CPU’s relative strength is more visible when comparing the 1080p Low and 1440p Low results. The former hits 124 FPS while the latter reaches 94 FPS, a 30 FPS drop that is entirely attributable to the GPU working harder at higher pixel counts. Conversely, the Ryzen 7 5800XT’s single-thread performance, evidenced by a 3DMark single-thread score of 959 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3359, ensures that Control’s physics and AI calculations do not become a limiting factor at any resolution tested.

At 4K, the GPU is unequivocally the limiting component. The RTX 5050’s FP32 compute of 13.17 TFLOPS and memory bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s are simply insufficient for high preset levels at this resolution. The fact that Low settings only manage 63 FPS while Medium drops to 45 FPS underscores how quickly the GPU saturates. The CPU’s performance metrics, such as a PassMark multithread score of 28053 and a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 23794, would suggest it could handle more, but the GPU cannot deliver the frames.

In practical terms, the data shows that at 1080p, users can max out settings without worrying about CPU limitations. At 1440p, the balance tips toward the GPU, and users must reduce settings to Medium or below to maintain 60 FPS. At 4K, the GPU requires Low settings just to approach the threshold, and the CPU has no meaningful impact on the outcome. The RTX 5050’s 8 GB GDDR6 memory, while sufficient for lower resolutions, becomes a constraint at 4K where texture and buffer demands exceed what the card can efficiently manage.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT has an average benchmark score of 29879, placing it in the 81st percentile among all CPUs. Its closest competitor is the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H, with an average score of 29868 and a deltaPct of 0, meaning they perform essentially identically. The AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS and AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS both score 29955, which is 0.3% higher than the 5800XT, a negligible difference in real-world gaming. The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X scores 29713, which is 0.6% lower, also within the margin of error. Any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Control when paired with the same GPU.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 has an average benchmark score of 21035, placing it in the 66th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL, which scores 21153, a 0.6% difference favoring the Radeon. The AMD Radeon HD 8970M scores 21237, which is 1% higher, while the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile scores 21379, 1.6% higher. On the lower end, the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT scores 20713, which is 1.6% lower than the RTX 5050. These deltas are all within 2%, suggesting that swapping the RTX 5050 for any of these GPUs would result in nearly identical frame rates in Control, with differences of only 1-3 FPS at most.

The practical implication is that a system with a Ryzen 7 7840H or Ryzen 5 9600X would behave almost indistinguishably from the 5800XT in this game. Similarly, a build featuring an RX 5600 XT or RX Vega M GL would deliver Control performance within a few frames of the RTX 5050. The data does not support any of these alternatives being significantly better or worse, so users with any of these components can expect the same general playability profile: 1080p at all settings, 1440p at Medium or Low, and 4K only at Low.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Control at 60 FPS on 1080p?

A: Yes, all four presets at 1920x1080 exceed 60 FPS. The lowest average is 68 FPS on Ultra, while Low reaches 124 FPS, Medium 88 FPS, and High 78 FPS.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gameplay?

A: Medium is the best preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, averaging 67 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS. High averages 59 FPS, just below the threshold, and Ultra averages 52 FPS.

Q: Is 4K playable with this combination?

A: Only on Low settings, which average 63 FPS. Medium averages 45 FPS, High 40 FPS, and Ultra 35 FPS, all below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 compare to the RX 5600 XT for this game?

A: The RTX 5050 has an average benchmark score of 21035, while the RX 5600 XT scores 20713, a deltaPct of 1.6% in favor of the RTX 5050. In Control, this would translate to roughly 1-2 FPS difference, making them effectively equivalent.

Q: Does the Ryzen 7 5800XT bottleneck the RTX 5050?

A: The data does not indicate a CPU bottleneck. The CPU’s performance is sufficient across all resolutions, as frame rates scale consistently with GPU load. The 5800XT’s 8 cores and 16 threads provide ample headroom for Control’s demands.

Q: What is the minimum FPS on Medium settings at 1080p?

A: The minimum FPS on Medium at 1920x1080 is 75 FPS, with a maximum of 101 FPS and an average of 88 FPS, ensuring a smooth experience without drops below 60.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that maintains at least 60 FPS is Ultra, which averages 68 FPS. This allows users to enable all visual features without compromising playability. The margin above the threshold is modest, but the average stays comfortably above 60, and no minimum data is available to suggest otherwise.

At 2560x1440, the best playable preset is Medium, averaging 67 FPS. While the minimum dips to 57 FPS, the average remains above 60, and the maximum of 77 FPS shows that the experience is generally smooth. High settings average 59 FPS, which is just below the threshold, so Medium is the recommended choice for a consistent frame rate.

At 3840x2160, the only preset that clears 60 FPS is Low, averaging 63 FPS. This is a marginal pass, with no minimum data available, but it does meet the playable threshold. Medium and above all fall below 60 FPS, making Low the sole viable option for 4K gaming with this combo.

The data suggests that users should prioritize resolution over presets or vice versa depending on their display. For a 1080p monitor, maxing out settings is the obvious choice. For 1440p, Medium settings strike the best balance between visual fidelity and performance. For 4K, Low settings are mandatory, and even then, the frame rate is close to the edge of playability.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 ranks 2296 out of 3720 tested combos for Control, placing it in the 62nd percentile of all systems tested. This means it outperforms roughly 62% of the other CPU-GPU pairings in the database for this game, but it is also outclassed by the top 38% of configurations.

The ranking reflects the fact that the RTX 5050 is a mid-range GPU, as indicated by its 66th percentile standing among all GPUs, while the CPU is stronger, sitting in the 81st percentile among all CPUs. The combo’s overall rank is dragged down by the GPU’s limitations at higher resolutions, but the CPU’s strength ensures that it does not become a liability. Systems ranked above 2296 likely feature more powerful GPUs, such as higher-tier RTX 50-series cards or AMD equivalents, which would enable higher frame rates at 1440p and 4K.

In practical terms, this rank means the combo is solid for 1080p gaming and acceptable for 1440p, but it will struggle at 4K. Users with this pairing should not expect to compete with high-end systems in Control’s most demanding scenarios, but for the majority of gaming at mainstream resolutions, it performs adequately. The rank also shows that the combination is well-balanced, as the CPU does not waste performance on a GPU that cannot keep up, nor does the GPU outclass the CPU in a way that would create a bottleneck.

The Verdict

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 can run Control, but the playability depends heavily on resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the verdict is clear: all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) maintain averages above 60 FPS, with Ultra at 68 FPS being the best visual option. This is a fully playable experience with no compromises needed.

At 2560x1440, the system can run the game at Low and Medium settings, both averaging above 60 FPS. Medium is the better choice at 67 FPS, though the minimum of 57 FPS means occasional dips below 60 are possible. High and Ultra fall short, averaging 59 FPS and 52 FPS respectively, so they are not recommended for a smooth experience.

At 3840x2160, only Low settings meet the 60 FPS threshold, averaging 63 FPS. This is a borderline pass, and users should be aware that any increase in visual quality will drop the frame rate significantly. Medium averages 45 FPS, High 40 FPS, and Ultra 35 FPS, all of which are unplayable for a game requiring 60 FPS.

The verdict by resolution is straightforward: 1080p is fully playable at any preset, 1440p is playable at Medium or lower, and 4K is only playable at Low with a slim margin. The CPU is not a limiting factor at any point, and the GPU defines the boundaries of performance. For users seeking a stable 60 FPS experience, 1080p is the safest choice, while 1440p requires a slight settings compromise and 4K should be avoided unless visual quality is deprioritized. This combination is a capable mid-range setup for Control, but it is not suited for high-resolution high-settings gaming.