Control

Can AMD Ryzen 7 9700X + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 run Control? The benchmark data indicates this combination delivers a highly capable experience, with the system clearing the 60 FPS threshold at all tested resolutions when settings are adjusted appropriately. At 1920x1080, the combo provides a wide margin of performance, while 2560x1440 remains fully playable even at maximum quality. The most demanding scenario is 3840x2160, where only the Low preset maintains smooth gameplay, though the numbers suggest a playable experience is still achievable at that resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Control with this hardware combination reveals a clear pattern of performance scaling across resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates substantial headroom: the Low preset produces an average of 145.9 FPS, which drops to 103.5 FPS at Medium, 91.6 FPS at High, and 79.2 FPS at Ultra. This progression shows that even at the highest quality setting, the system retains over 30% of its peak performance, indicating the GPU is not heavily taxed at this resolution. The gap between Low and Ultra is 66.7 FPS, which represents a 45.7% reduction in frame rate when moving to maximum quality, but the absolute numbers remain well above any playability concern.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance envelope tightens considerably. The Low preset averages 112.2 FPS, Medium delivers 78.4 FPS, High reaches 71.9 FPS, and Ultra settles at 60.7 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra here is 51.5 FPS, a 45.9% decrease, which closely mirrors the percentage loss seen at 1080p. However, the absolute values are lower, and the Ultra preset barely clears the 60 FPS threshold with a 0.7 FPS margin. This suggests that 1440p Ultra is the edge of what this combination can sustain, while High and Medium offer more comfortable buffers of 11.9 and 18.4 FPS respectively.

At 3840x2160, the data shows significant strain on the system. The Low preset averages 76.2 FPS, which is the only setting that remains comfortably playable. Medium drops to 53.2 FPS, High falls to 50.9 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 42.9 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 33.3 FPS, a 43.7% reduction. Notably, the gap between Medium and High is minimal at 2.3 FPS, suggesting that the rendering workload at these settings encounters similar bottlenecks. The progression from 1080p Low to 4K Low shows a 69.7 FPS drop, indicating that resolution scaling has a dramatic impact on this GPU.

The data reveals an interesting anomaly: at 4K, the High preset (50.9 FPS) performs slightly worse than Medium (53.2 FPS), but the difference is within a narrow margin. This could indicate that the game's High preset engages certain effects that disproportionately impact the RTX 5060's 8 GB memory buffer, but the measured values do not separate out those variables. Across all resolutions, the Low preset consistently provides the highest frame rates, with the performance gap between Low and Ultra widening as resolution increases, from 66.7 FPS at 1080p to 33.3 FPS at 4K in absolute terms.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Control at 1920x1080 with maximum settings?

A: Yes, the data shows the Ultra preset at 1080p averages 79.2 FPS, which exceeds the 60 FPS playability threshold by 19.2 FPS. This is the most demanding preset tested at this resolution, and it remains fully playable.

Q: What is the best preset for 2560x1440 gaming?

A: The Ultra preset at 1440p averages 60.7 FPS, just above the 60 FPS threshold. For a more comfortable margin, High averages 71.9 FPS, which provides 11.9 FPS of headroom over the playability limit.

Q: Is 3840x2160 playable with this hardware?

A: Only the Low preset at 4K averages 76.2 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold. Medium (53.2 FPS), High (50.9 FPS), and Ultra (42.9 FPS) all fall below playable levels, so 4K gaming requires the lowest quality settings.

Q: How does the performance scale from 1080p to 4K?

A: At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 145.9 at 1080p to 112.2 at 1440p and 76.2 at 4K, representing a 47.8% reduction from 1080p to 4K. At Ultra settings, the drop is from 79.2 to 60.7 to 42.9, a 45.8% reduction over the same resolution range.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Medium and High at 1440p?

A: Medium averages 78.4 FPS while High averages 71.9 FPS, a difference of 6.5 FPS. This is a smaller gap than the 25.1 FPS difference between Low and Medium, suggesting diminishing returns as quality increases.

Q: Does the Ultra preset at 1440p provide a stable experience?

A: The average of 60.7 FPS is 0.7 FPS above the playability threshold, which is a narrow margin. While technically playable, the data suggests High at 71.9 FPS offers a more consistent experience with 11.9 FPS of buffer.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 ranks 1828 out of 3720 tested combos for Control, placing it in the 49th percentile of all systems benchmarked. This positioning indicates that while the combo is not a top-tier performer for this title, it sits almost exactly at the median of tested configurations. The rank suggests that roughly half of all tested combos deliver better performance in Control, but the measured FPS data shows this system still achieves playable frame rates at most settings and resolutions.

The rank should be interpreted in context with the measured FPS values. The system's 1828th position out of 3720 combos means it outperforms approximately 1892 other configurations, yet it falls behind 1827 others. This mid-pack placement is somewhat surprising given the modern components involved, but the game's release date of 2019-08-26 means it was designed for older hardware, and newer components may not scale as dramatically in this title. The percentile ranking at the median suggests that Control's performance is more dependent on factors that this combo does not excel at, or that the benchmark pool includes many high-end systems.

The combo's rank becomes more meaningful when considering the FPS data. The fact that this system achieves 79.2 FPS at 1080p Ultra and 60.7 FPS at 1440p Ultra while ranking near the median indicates that many other combos achieve even higher frame rates. This could be due to the RTX 5060's 8 GB memory being a limiting factor at higher resolutions, or the CPU's performance characteristics in this specific game engine. The data does not specify what hardware occupies the higher ranks, but the implication is that other GPUs or CPUs handle Control's workload more efficiently.

The Verdict

The verdict by resolution is clear and consistent with the measured FPS data. At 1920x1080, this system is fully capable of running Control at all tested presets, with Ultra averaging 79.2 FPS, which is 19.2 FPS above the playability threshold. The 1440p resolution also shows full playability across all settings, with Ultra at 60.7 FPS being the only preset that comes close to the limit, while High (71.9 FPS) and Medium (78.4 FPS) offer more comfortable margins. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset achieves playable performance with an average of 76.2 FPS, while Medium (53.2 FPS), High (50.9 FPS), and Ultra (42.9 FPS) all fall below the 60 FPS threshold.

The data indicates that this PC can run Control at 1080p and 1440p without compromises, as every preset at both resolutions clears 60 FPS. For 4K gaming, the system requires the Low preset to maintain smooth gameplay, which may involve visual sacrifices. The best settings at each resolution are Ultra for both 1080p and 1440p, with average FPS of 79.2 and 60.7 respectively, while 4K's best playable setting is Low at 76.2 FPS. The verdict is that this system is a strong performer for 1080p and 1440p, but 4K users must accept lower quality settings to stay above the playability threshold.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals interesting dynamics between CPU and GPU contributions at different resolutions. At 1080p, the system achieves 145.9 FPS on Low settings, which is exceptionally high and suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU efficiently at lower resolutions. As settings increase at 1080p, the FPS drops to 103.5 at Medium, 91.6 at High, and 79.2 at Ultra, indicating that the GPU becomes more involved as visual complexity rises. The 66.7 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p points to the GPU being the primary bottleneck at higher settings, since the CPU has ample headroom at this resolution.

At 1440p, the pattern shifts subtly. The Low preset averages 112.2 FPS, which is 33.7 FPS lower than at 1080p, showing that resolution scaling affects the GPU significantly. The drop from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 51.5 FPS, slightly less than the 66.7 FPS drop at 1080p. This narrowing gap suggests that at higher resolutions, the GPU is already saturated, and additional settings changes have less relative impact. The CPU's role diminishes as resolution increases because the GPU takes longer to render each frame, giving the CPU more time to prepare data.

At 4K, the GPU's dominance becomes pronounced. The Low preset averages 76.2 FPS, while Ultra drops to 42.9 FPS, a 33.3 FPS difference. The scaling from 1080p Low to 4K Low shows a 69.7 FPS reduction, which is nearly identical to the 66.7 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p. This suggests that resolution scaling and quality scaling both heavily tax the GPU, while the CPU's role is relatively constant across resolutions. The data implies that for Control, the RTX 5060 is the primary determinant of performance, especially at 1440p and 4K, while the Ryzen 7 9700X provides sufficient headroom to avoid CPU bottlenecks at all tested settings.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which averages 79.2 FPS. This provides a 19.2 FPS buffer over the playability threshold, making it a safe choice for gamers who want maximum visual quality at 1080p. The High preset at 91.6 FPS and Medium at 103.5 FPS are also viable options, but Ultra offers the best visual experience while still maintaining smooth performance.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 60.7 FPS, which is just 0.7 FPS above the threshold. While technically playable, this narrow margin may lead to occasional dips below 60 FPS in demanding scenes. The High preset at 71.9 FPS is a more conservative recommendation, providing 11.9 FPS of headroom, but the data shows Ultra is the most demanding preset that still clears the threshold. For gamers who prioritize stability over absolute quality, High is the safer choice, but Ultra remains playable according to the measurements.

For 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only option that stays at or above 60 FPS, averaging 76.2 FPS. This provides a 16.2 FPS buffer, which is adequate for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset at 53.2 FPS falls 6.8 FPS below the threshold, making it unsuitable for a consistent 60 FPS experience. The data clearly indicates that 4K gaming with this system requires the lowest quality settings to maintain playability, and even then, the margin is not as generous as at lower resolutions.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals, based on average benchmark scores, include the Intel Core i9-14901E with a delta of 0.1% and an average score of 37911, the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 also at 0.1% delta with a score of 37904, the Intel Core 5 211E at 0.3% delta with a score of 37829, and the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 at 0.4% delta with a score of 37804. These processors all have average scores within 0.4% of the Ryzen 7 9700X's 37943, meaning they would deliver nearly identical CPU performance in Control. The Intel Core i9-14901E is the closest match, with a difference of only 32 points in average benchmark score.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 860M with a delta of -0.3% and an average score of 26401, the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 also at -0.3% delta with a score of 26421, the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary at -0.8% delta with a score of 26553, and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT at 1.2% delta with a score of 26011. The RTX 5060's average benchmark score is 26331, so the AMD Radeon 860M and NVIDIA GeForce MX550 are the closest performance equivalents, both within 0.3% of the RTX 5060. The Radeon RX 6750 XT is further away at 1.2% delta but still represents a similar performance tier.

When considering these alternatives, a system pairing the Ryzen 7 9700X with an AMD Radeon 860M or NVIDIA GeForce MX550 would be expected to produce nearly identical frame rates in Control, given the GPU scores are within 0.3% of the RTX 5060. Similarly, swapping the CPU for an Intel Core i9-14901E or AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 would yield negligible performance differences, as all these processors are within 0.4% of each other. The data suggests that users seeking similar performance could consider these alternatives without expecting meaningful changes in the measured FPS values for this game.