Control

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 combination delivers a solid 1080p and 1440p experience in Control, with the system hitting 60 FPS or higher at every preset at those resolutions. At 4K, the system is more constrained, with only the Low preset maintaining playable performance, averaging 76 FPS. The data indicates a clear GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s strength ensures high framerates at lower settings.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Control at 4K with the High preset?

A: No. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the average FPS is 48, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The only playable 4K preset is Low, which averages 76 FPS.

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

A: The Ultra preset is playable at 2560x1440, averaging 62 FPS. This is the most demanding setting that stays above the 60 FPS threshold, with High, Medium, and Low also clearing it at 71, 80, and 113 FPS respectively.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in overall benchmark scores?

A: The Ryzen 7 9850X3D has an average benchmark score of 58386. Its closest rival, the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M, scores 58323, a delta of 0.1%, while the Intel Core i9-14900 scores 58115, a 0.5% delta. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 is slightly ahead at 58826, a -0.7% delta.

Q: Which component, CPU or GPU, is more critical for performance at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary constraint even at 1080p. While the CPU is in the 92nd percentile, the RTX 5060 is in the 72nd percentile. The framerate scaling from Low (149 FPS) to Ultra (82 FPS) at 1080p is largely driven by GPU workload.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS recorded at 1440p Medium?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the system recorded a minimum of 68 FPS, an average of 80 FPS, and a maximum of 92 FPS. This indicates consistent performance above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Is the RTX 5060's performance closer to the RX 6750 XT or the RX 5700 XT?

A: The RTX 5060’s average benchmark score is 26331. It is 1.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT (score 26011) and 0.8% behind the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary (score 26553). Its closest rival is the AMD Radeon 860M, with a delta of -0.3%.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data for Control reveals a system where the GPU becomes the dominant performance factor as resolution increases, while the CPU provides ample headroom at lower resolutions. The Ryzen 7 9850X3D, with its 92nd percentile ranking, is a high-end processor, but its influence on framerates in this title is secondary to the RTX 5060.

At 1080p, the scaling between presets shows a significant GPU workload. The average FPS drops from 149 on Low to 94 on High, a 37% reduction, and further to 82 on Ultra. This steep decline as visual fidelity increases points directly to the graphics card as the bottleneck. The CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at these rates, as evidenced by the very high 149 FPS on Low, but it is not the limiting factor. The GPU's performance percentile (72nd) is lower than the CPU's (92nd), reinforcing that the RTX 5060 is the component that determines the ceiling for framerates.

Moving to 1440p, the GPU's role becomes even more pronounced. The average FPS at Low is 113, which is 24% lower than the 1080p Low score. This reduction is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario where increased pixel count directly impacts fill rate and shading throughput. The spread between Low and Ultra at 1440p is from 113 to 62 FPS, showing that the GPU is still the primary driver of performance changes. The CPU's high single-thread and multi-thread scores (Cinebench R23 single-core 2228, multi-core 22807) are not being fully utilized here, as the framerate is dictated by the graphics workload.

At 4K, the system is heavily GPU-bound. The average FPS at High is 48, and at Ultra it drops to 42. Even the Low preset at 76 FPS is significantly lower than the 1080p Low result. This severe scaling with resolution confirms that the RTX 5060’s 8 GB of GDDR7 memory and its 128-bit memory bus are the limiting factors. The CPU’s performance is largely irrelevant at this resolution, as the GPU is unable to render frames fast enough to be constrained by the processor. The data clearly shows that for Control, users should focus on GPU settings at 1440p and 4K, while the CPU ensures a high performance ceiling at 1080p.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the best choice, as it is the most demanding setting that maintains an average of 82 FPS, well above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The system has enough performance headroom to run the game at maximum fidelity without dipping below playable levels.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset also delivers a playable experience, averaging 62 FPS. While it just clears the 60 FPS threshold, it is the highest quality option that remains playable. The High preset offers a more comfortable margin at 71 FPS, but Ultra is the best setting for visual quality that still meets the performance target.

For 3840x2160, the situation changes dramatically. The only playable preset is Low, which averages 76 FPS. All other presets—Medium (54 FPS), High (48 FPS), and Ultra (42 FPS)—fall below the 60 FPS threshold and are not recommended for a smooth experience. Users at 4K must accept Low settings to achieve playable framerates.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU and GPU in this system have distinct performance profiles compared to their nearest rivals. For the Ryzen 7 9850X3D, the benchmark data shows it is nearly identical in overall performance to several other high-end processors. The Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M (avg score 58323, +0.1% delta) and the Intel Xeon w5-2545 (avg score 58504, -0.2% delta) are essentially performance equals. The Intel Core i9-14900 (avg score 58115, +0.5% delta) is also within a fraction of a percent. Users with any of these CPUs would see virtually identical framerates in Control, as the game is not CPU-bound at the tested resolutions.

The GPU’s nearest rivals present a more interesting comparison. The RTX 5060 (avg score 26331) is closely matched with the AMD Radeon 860M (avg score 26401, -0.3% delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 (avg score 26421, -0.3% delta). This is surprising, as the 860M is an integrated GPU, but the benchmark scores suggest similar overall compute capability. However, in a game like Control, the dedicated RTX 5060’s 8 GB of VRAM and dedicated RT cores will likely provide a better real-world experience than an iGPU. The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary (avg score 26553, -0.8% delta) is slightly faster in synthetic benchmarks, while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT (avg score 26011, +1.2% delta) is slightly slower. In Control, these GPUs would produce framerates within a few FPS of the RTX 5060 at each resolution and preset, with the RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary potentially being 1-2 FPS faster and the RX 6750 XT being 1-2 FPS slower.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest framerates. On Low settings, the average FPS is 149. The Medium preset averages 106 FPS, with a minimum of 90 and a maximum of 122. High settings average 94 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 82 FPS. All presets at this resolution are well above the 60 FPS threshold, providing a smooth experience regardless of visual quality.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but shows the expected impact of increased resolution. The Low preset averages 113 FPS. Medium settings average 80 FPS, with a minimum of 68 and a maximum of 92. The High preset averages 71 FPS, and Ultra averages 62 FPS. The minimum FPS recorded at Medium (68 FPS) indicates that the system maintains playable performance even during demanding scenes.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the limiting factor. The Low preset averages 76 FPS, which is the only playable option. Medium settings average 54 FPS, with a minimum of 46 and a maximum of 62. This shows that even the minimum FPS at Medium is below the playable threshold. High settings average 48 FPS, and Ultra drops to 42 FPS. The data shows a clear and consistent decline in performance as both resolution and settings increase, with the gap between Low and Ultra growing from 67 FPS at 1080p to 34 FPS at 4K.

The Verdict

This PC can run Control, but the experience varies significantly by resolution. At 1920x1080, the system is fully capable, achieving over 60 FPS at every preset, including Ultra with an average of 82 FPS. This is the ideal resolution for this configuration, offering high framerates with maximum visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the system remains playable at all presets, but with less headroom. The Ultra preset averages 62 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold, but users seeking a more consistent framerate may prefer High, which averages 71 FPS. The data confirms that 1440p is a viable option for this hardware.

At 3840x2160, the system is not suitable for high-fidelity gaming. Only the Low preset, averaging 76 FPS, is playable. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below 60 FPS, with averages of 54, 48, and 42 FPS respectively. For a 4K experience, users would need to significantly reduce graphical settings and accept a lower visual quality. The benchmark results indicate that this combination of CPU and GPU is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming in Control, with 4K reserved for users willing to compromise on settings.