Control

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combination delivers a strong performance profile for Control, a 2019 Action Adventure title. The benchmark data shows this pairing is capable of high frame rates across all tested resolutions, with the primary limitation appearing only at 4K with the highest preset. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, component roles, and how this specific hardware stacks up against alternatives.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the RTX 3080 handles the Ultra preset with an average of 102.3 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS playable threshold by a wide margin. This is the most demanding preset available, and the data shows no need to compromise on visual quality at this resolution. The GPU provides enough headroom that even the most intensive settings remain well above the playable threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Ultra preset remains the best choice, delivering an average of 77.5 FPS. While this is a noticeable step down from the 1080p result, it still comfortably exceeds 60 FPS. The data indicates that the combination maintains high visual fidelity without sacrificing smooth gameplay at this resolution. The 17.5 FPS drop from 1080p Ultra to 1440p Ultra reflects the increased pixel count, but the result remains solidly in playable territory.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes. The Ultra preset averages 53.7 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The best settings that stay at or above 60 FPS are Medium, which achieves an average of 66.2 FPS. The data shows that High settings produce 59.4 FPS, just barely missing the threshold, making Medium the optimal choice for 4K gaming. This represents a significant compromise in visual quality compared to lower resolutions, but it is necessary to maintain smooth performance.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results reveal a clear pattern in how the CPU and GPU contribute to performance across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are exceptionally high, with Low settings reaching 186.6 FPS and Ultra hitting 102.3 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at this resolution shows a performance reduction of approximately 45%, which suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck, but the CPU is still capable of feeding it sufficient data to maintain these high frame rates.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates scale down proportionally with the increased resolution. Low settings produce 140.1 FPS, while Ultra produces 77.5 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is similar to 1080p, indicating that the GPU workload is scaling as expected. The CPU remains sufficient at this resolution, as the frame rates are still high enough that the GPU is likely the limiting factor.

The 3840x2160 results show the most significant shift in component roles. Low settings achieve 95.1 FPS, while Ultra drops to 53.7 FPS. The reduction from Low to Ultra is about 43%, which is consistent with the other resolutions. However, the absolute frame rates indicate that the GPU is now heavily stressed, particularly at Ultra settings where it cannot maintain 60 FPS. The CPU is not the bottleneck here; the data suggests that the RTX 3080's rendering capabilities are the limiting factor at 4K with high visual fidelity.

The scaling between resolutions provides further insight. Moving from 1080p Ultra to 1440p Ultra reduces performance by about 24%, and from 1440p Ultra to 4K Ultra reduces it by about 31%. This progressive decline indicates that the GPU workload increases substantially with resolution, while the CPU's role remains relatively constant. The Ryzen 9 5950X, with its 16 cores and 32 threads, provides ample processing power, but the data shows that the GPU is the determining factor for performance in this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average frame rates are as follows: Low settings produce 186.6 FPS, Medium produces 131.8 FPS, High produces 120 FPS, and Ultra produces 102.3 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a steady decline, with the largest drop occurring between Low and Medium, a reduction of 54.8 FPS. The gap between Medium and High is relatively small at 11.8 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 17.7 FPS. This indicates that the Medium preset offers a significant performance advantage over Low, but the differences between Medium, High, and Ultra are more moderate.

At 2560x1440, the results show: Low settings produce 140.1 FPS, Medium produces 97.9 FPS, High produces 86.7 FPS, and Ultra produces 77.5 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 42.2 FPS, which is the largest single-step reduction. The difference between Medium and High is 11.2 FPS, and between High and Ultra is 9.2 FPS. The scaling pattern is similar to 1080p, but the absolute values are lower due to the increased resolution.

At 3840x2160, the data shows: Low settings produce 95.1 FPS, Medium produces 66.2 FPS, High produces 59.4 FPS, and Ultra produces 53.7 FPS. The reduction from Low to Medium is 28.9 FPS, which is substantial. The difference between Medium and High is 6.8 FPS, and between High and Ultra is 5.7 FPS. At this resolution, the Medium preset is the only one above the 60 FPS threshold, with High and Ultra both falling below it. The data shows that the performance gap between presets narrows as resolution increases, indicating that the GPU is becoming the dominant constraint.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the Ryzen 9 5950X has an average benchmark score of 51947, with a percentile rank of 91 among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX with a score of 52073, which is 0.2% higher. The AMD EPYC 8124P scores 52121, also 0.3% higher. The Intel Core i9-13900F scores 51730, which is 0.4% lower. The Intel Core i7-14700 scores 52301, which is 0.7% higher. These rivals would produce nearly identical performance in Control, as the differences are within a single percentage point. Any of these CPUs paired with the RTX 3080 would likely yield similar frame rates.

For the GPU, the RTX 3080 has an average benchmark score of 23172, with a percentile rank of 68 among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA P106-100 with a score of 23249, which is 0.3% higher. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 scores 23250, also 0.3% higher. The AMD Radeon RX 6600M scores 23273, which is 0.4% higher. The AMD Radeon R9 M290X scores 23276, which is 0.4% higher. These GPUs would behave almost identically to the RTX 3080 in this game, with performance differences that are negligible. Users with these alternative GPUs should expect similar results across all resolutions and presets.

The Verdict

This PC configuration can run Control effectively at 1080p and 1440p with all settings, including Ultra. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset achieves 102.3 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset achieves 77.5 FPS, also comfortably above the threshold. The system provides a smooth experience at these resolutions without requiring any visual compromises.

At 3840x2160, the system can run the game at Medium settings with an average of 66.2 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold. The Low preset achieves 95.1 FPS, providing even more headroom. However, the High preset falls just short at 59.4 FPS, and Ultra drops to 53.7 FPS. The verdict for 4K is that the system is playable, but only with Medium settings or lower. Users seeking the highest visual quality at 4K will need to accept frame rates below 60 FPS.

Overall, this combination is a strong performer for Control. It delivers high frame rates at mainstream resolutions and remains playable at 4K with adjusted settings. The data confirms that the system meets the 60 FPS playable threshold in most scenarios, with the only exception being the most demanding 4K presets.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combination ranks 1058 out of 3720 tested combos for Control. This places it in the upper portion of the tested configurations, roughly in the 72nd percentile of all combos. The rank reflects the strong performance of both components, with the CPU ranking in the 91st percentile and the GPU in the 68th percentile.

The ranking indicates that this system outperforms a majority of other tested combinations. The high CPU percentile suggests that the processor is among the top tier for this game, while the GPU's lower percentile still places it above average. The combined result shows that this configuration is well-suited for Control, particularly at 1080p and 1440p where it delivers excellent frame rates. At 4K, the system remains competitive but requires lower settings to maintain playable performance. The data shows that this combo is a solid choice for gamers prioritizing high frame rates at mainstream resolutions.