Control

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 delivers a varied performance profile across Control’s settings and resolutions, with results that shift from highly playable to demanding depending on the configuration. The data shows a clear progression: at 1080p, the combo handles every preset above the 60 FPS threshold, while 1440p requires a reduction to Medium or lower, and 4K only remains smooth at Low settings. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS, compares nearby hardware alternatives, and provides a definitive answer on what this system can achieve in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates reveal a consistent pattern across all three resolutions, with the gap between Low and Ultra settings widening as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the combo starts at 118.5 FPS average on Low, drops to 83.5 FPS on Medium, settles at 74.4 FPS on High, and reaches 67.4 FPS on Ultra. Every preset at this resolution clears the 60 FPS playability threshold, with the Ultra setting still providing a 7.4 FPS margin above the target.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance envelope tightens noticeably. The Low preset delivers 91.2 FPS average, Medium holds at 64.7 FPS, High dips to 57.5 FPS, and Ultra falls to 48.3 FPS. The drop from Medium to High represents a 7.2 FPS reduction, while the jump from High to Ultra costs another 9.2 FPS. Only Low and Medium configurations stay at or above 60 FPS at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the RX 7600’s 8 GB memory and 128-bit bus become limiting factors. Low settings yield 62.4 FPS average, which is the only playable configuration at 4K. Medium falls to 46.1 FPS, High drops to 35.8 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 32.6 FPS. The scaling from Low to Medium at 4K represents a 16.3 FPS loss, nearly double the 8 FPS drop seen at 1440p between the same settings. No min or max FPS values were recorded in the data, so the analysis relies on average frame rates only.

The resolution scaling shows that this combo loses approximately 26.1 FPS from 1080p Low to 1440p Low, and another 28.8 FPS from 1440p Low to 4K Low. This suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the CPU’s 16 cores and 32 threads provide ample headroom for the game’s physics and AI systems.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Control at 60 FPS on 4K?

A: Yes, but only with Low settings. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 on Low is 62.4, clearing the 60 FPS threshold by 2.4 FPS. Medium settings drop to 46.1 FPS average, which falls short of the playable threshold.

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

A: Medium is the highest preset that maintains 60 FPS at 2560x1440, with an average of 64.7 FPS. High settings drop to 57.5 FPS average, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the combo perform at 1080p Ultra?

A: The system achieves 67.4 FPS average on Ultra at 1920x1080, providing a 7.4 FPS buffer above the playable threshold. This makes 1080p the only resolution where the highest preset is fully playable.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more responsible for the 4K performance drop?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, as the CPU’s benchmark percentile of 91 places it well above the GPU’s 57th percentile. The RX 7600’s 8 GB VRAM and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth struggle with the higher resolution’s memory demands.

Q: What frame rate can be expected on High settings at 1080p?

A: High settings at 1920x1080 produce an average of 74.4 FPS, which is 14.4 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold. This setting balances visual fidelity with performance for 1080p gaming.

Q: Does the combo rank high among all tested hardware?

A: The combo ranks 2532 out of 3720 tested combinations, placing it in the 32nd percentile. This reflects the GPU’s mid-range positioning, as the CPU alone ranks in the 91st percentile among all tested processors.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X’s average benchmark score of 51947 places it within a tight cluster of rivals. The Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX scores 52073, a delta of -0.2%, while the AMD EPYC 8124P reaches 52121, also -0.3%. The Intel Core i9-13900F comes in at 51730, a +0.4% difference, and the Intel Core i7-14700 scores 52301, -0.7% relative to the Ryzen. These processors would deliver nearly identical CPU-bound performance in Control, with all four rivals falling within a 1% band of the 5950X.

On the GPU side, the AMD Radeon RX 7600’s average benchmark score of 15171 is closely matched by several alternatives. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM scores 15199, a -0.2% delta, while the AMD Radeon Pro 560X reaches 15082, +0.6%. The AMD Radeon 680M integrated GPU scores 15270, -0.7%, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti comes in at 15063, +0.7%. These GPUs would produce similar frame rates in Control, though the RX 7600’s 8 GB VRAM and RDNA 3.0 architecture may offer better driver optimization for newer titles.

For the overall combo, the nearest CPU rivals paired with a similarly performing GPU would yield nearly identical results in Control. The Intel Core i7-14700’s slightly higher CPU score of 52301 might provide a marginal advantage in CPU-bound scenarios, but the delta is small enough that the GPU remains the primary constraint in all tested settings.

The Verdict

The verdict by resolution is clear and consistent with the measured data. At 1920x1080, all four presets — Low, Medium, High, and Ultra — are playable, with average frame rates of 118.5, 83.5, 74.4, and 67.4 FPS respectively. The best playable setting at 1080p is Ultra, which maintains a 7.4 FPS margin above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, only Low and Medium settings clear 60 FPS, with averages of 91.2 and 64.7 FPS. High settings at 57.5 FPS and Ultra at 48.3 FPS fall short of the playable threshold. The best playable setting at 1440p is Medium, providing a 4.7 FPS buffer.

At 3840x2160, only Low settings are playable, with an average of 62.4 FPS. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below 60 FPS, with averages of 46.1, 35.8, and 32.6 FPS respectively. The best playable setting at 4K is Low, with a slim 2.4 FPS margin above the threshold.

This PC can run Control at 60 FPS, but the playable settings depend heavily on resolution. For a consistent 60 FPS experience with high visual fidelity, 1080p is the recommended resolution, while 1440p requires Medium settings and 4K demands Low settings.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 67.4 FPS. This setting provides the full visual experience at 1080p, including ray tracing effects and high-resolution textures, while maintaining a playable frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the most demanding playable preset is Medium, with an average of 64.7 FPS. This configuration balances visual quality with performance, offering a 4.7 FPS margin above the threshold. High settings at 57.5 FPS and Ultra at 48.3 FPS are not viable at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the only playable preset is Low, with an average of 62.4 FPS. This setting sacrifices most visual enhancements to achieve the 60 FPS target, with a 2.4 FPS margin. Medium settings at 46.1 FPS and higher presets are not recommended at 4K.

The scaling between resolutions shows that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and capacity are significant factors. The 8 GB VRAM and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 1080p Ultra but become limiting at 1440p High and above, and severely constrain 4K performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X + AMD Radeon RX 7600 combination ranks 2532 out of 3720 tested combos in Control, placing it in the 32nd percentile of all tested hardware configurations. This ranking reflects the GPU’s mid-range positioning, as the CPU alone ranks in the 91st percentile among all tested processors.

The GPU’s percentile of 57 against all GPUs indicates that the RX 7600 sits slightly above the median, while the CPU’s 91st percentile places it in the top 10% of processors. The combo ranking of 2532 out of 3720 suggests that many other GPU configurations, even with weaker CPUs, outperform this pairing in Control due to the game’s GPU-intensive nature.

The low combo rank is not surprising given the resolution scaling observed. At 1080p, the combo performs admirably, but at 4K, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. This ranking would improve significantly at 1080p, where the CPU’s high multi-threaded performance (Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 26017) can contribute to physics and AI calculations, but the overall percentile still reflects the GPU’s mid-range standing.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data shows a clear shift in component importance as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the CPU and GPU share the workload more evenly, with the Ryzen 9 5950X’s 16 cores and 32 threads providing ample headroom for Control’s physics and AI systems. The 1080p Ultra average of 67.4 FPS suggests that neither component is fully saturated, allowing for the highest preset to remain playable.

At 2560x1440, the GPU begins to dominate the performance envelope. The drop from 91.2 FPS at Low to 64.7 FPS at Medium (a 26.5 FPS reduction) is more pronounced than the CPU’s workload increase would suggest. The CPU’s 3dmark 16-thread score of 10810 and max-thread score of 11597 indicate sufficient processing power, but the RX 7600’s 21.75 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 169.9 GPixel/s pixel rate become the limiting factors.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is unambiguously the bottleneck. The 4K Low average of 62.4 FPS versus the 1080p Low average of 118.5 FPS represents a 47.4% reduction in frame rate, while the CPU’s workload scales minimally with resolution. The GPU’s 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus width are insufficient for the memory bandwidth demands of 4K rendering, as evidenced by the steep drop from Low to Medium at this resolution (62.4 to 46.1 FPS, a 16.3 FPS loss).

The scaling between presets further confirms this analysis. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 51.1 FPS (118.5 to 67.4), while at 1440p, the same preset range shows a 42.9 FPS difference (91.2 to 48.3), and at 4K, the difference narrows to 29.8 FPS (62.4 to 32.6). This narrowing gap at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is reaching its absolute limits, with the CPU’s performance becoming increasingly irrelevant beyond 1080p. For players targeting 1440p or 4K, the RX 7600 is the primary constraint, while at 1080p, the Ryzen 9 5950X provides a solid foundation for high frame rates across all presets.