Control

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 produces a distinct performance profile in Control, with results that shift significantly across resolutions and presets. The measured data shows a system that can handle the game comfortably at 1080p with headroom, becomes more selective at 1440p, and requires strict settings discipline at 4K. The following analysis breaks down the exact frame rates, identifies the best configurations, and contextualizes the combo's standing among other tested hardware.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. The Low preset averages 124 FPS, which is the highest recorded figure across the entire test matrix. Stepping up to Medium reduces the average to 88 FPS, with a minimum of 75 FPS and a maximum of 101 FPS. The High preset averages 78 FPS, while the Ultra preset, the most demanding configuration, still holds an average of 68 FPS. All four presets at this resolution remain well above the 60 FPS playable threshold, indicating that the CPU-GPU pairing is not heavily stressed at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance curve steepens. The Low preset averages 94 FPS, a 30 FPS drop from the 1080p Low result. Medium produces an average of 67 FPS, with a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 77 FPS. The High preset falls to 59 FPS, just one frame short of the playable threshold. Ultra drops further to 52 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 42 FPS, showing that the GPU's workload scales considerably with each settings tier.

At 3840x2160, the results show a system nearing its limits. The Low preset averages 63 FPS, barely clearing the 60 FPS threshold. Medium averages 45 FPS, with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 52 FPS. High averages 40 FPS, and Ultra averages 35 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at 4K is 28 FPS, which is narrower than at 1440p, suggesting that the GPU is becoming the primary bottleneck regardless of settings. The minimum FPS at 4K Medium (38 FPS) is particularly low, indicating potential stutter in demanding scenes.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 3840x2160, the only preset that maintains an average at or above 60 FPS is Low, which achieves 63 FPS. This is the best playable setting available at 4K, but the margin is slim. Medium at 45 FPS, High at 40 FPS, and Ultra at 35 FPS all fall short of the playable threshold.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset delivers 67 FPS on average, making it the highest-quality setting that stays above 60 FPS. Low also clears the threshold at 94 FPS, but Medium offers a meaningful visual upgrade while retaining a comfortable 7 FPS margin over the playable line. High at 59 FPS and Ultra at 52 FPS are not recommended for consistent 60 FPS gameplay.

For 1920x1080, all four presets exceed 60 FPS, so the best setting is Ultra, which averages 68 FPS. This provides the highest visual fidelity while still maintaining a playable frame rate. The margin of 8 FPS over the threshold is acceptable, though users seeking extra headroom could drop to High at 78 FPS or Medium at 88 FPS.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Control at 4K with High settings?

A: No. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the average FPS is 40, which is 20 FPS below the 60 FPS playable threshold. Only the Low preset at 4K achieves 60 FPS or higher, with an average of 63 FPS.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming on this combo?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 is the best choice that stays at or above 60 FPS, averaging 67 FPS. It provides a higher visual quality than Low (94 FPS) while keeping the frame rate above the playable line.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 perform in DirectX 12 benchmarks?

A: The GPU scores 66 in the Passmark DirectX 12 test, which is lower than its DirectX 11 score of 150 and DirectX 10 score of 103. This suggests that raw API-level performance varies, but the measured game FPS shows the card can handle Control at playable levels at 1080p and 1440p with appropriate settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to limit performance at 1080p Ultra?

A: At 1920x1080 Ultra, the combo averages 68 FPS, which is the lowest result at that resolution. The fact that all four presets at 1080p remain above 60 FPS, combined with the significant FPS drops when moving to 1440p, indicates the GPU is the limiting factor even at 1080p Ultra.

Q: What are the minimum FPS figures for Medium settings across resolutions?

A: At 1920x1080 Medium, the minimum is 75 FPS. At 2560x1440 Medium, the minimum is 57 FPS. At 3840x2160 Medium, the minimum drops to 38 FPS. These figures show that 4K Medium can experience frame drops well below the average.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations for Control?

A: The combo ranks 2296 out of 3720 tested combinations, placing it in the lower half of the database. This ranking reflects its mid-tier GPU performance relative to other CPU-GPU pairings tested for this game.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 2296 out of 3720 tested configurations places it in the 38th percentile of all systems tested for Control. This means that roughly 62% of tested combos perform better, while 38% perform worse. The ranking is influenced primarily by the RTX 5050's mid-range standing, as the GPU's percentile versus all GPUs is 66, while the CPU's percentile versus all CPUs is 91. In practical terms, the system sits in the lower-middle tier of performance for Control, capable of running the game at 1080p Ultra and 1440p Medium, but struggling at 4K beyond Low settings. The large gap between the CPU's high percentile and the GPU's moderate percentile suggests that upgrading the GPU would yield greater performance gains than upgrading the CPU for this game.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals show that the Ryzen 9 5950X's average benchmark score of 51947 is closely matched by several other processors. The Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX scores 52073, which is 0.2% higher. The AMD EPYC 8124P scores 52121, 0.3% higher. The Intel Core i9-13900F scores 51730, 0.4% lower. The Intel Core i7-14700 scores 52301, 0.7% higher. All four rivals fall within a 1.1% band of the 5950X's average score, indicating that swapping the CPU for any of these would produce nearly identical CPU-bound performance in Control.

On the GPU side, the RTX 5050's average benchmark score of 21035 is closely aligned with several other graphics cards. The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL scores 21153, 0.6% higher. The AMD Radeon HD 8970M scores 21237, 1% higher. The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT scores 20713, 1.6% lower. The NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile scores 21379, 1.6% higher. These deltas are all within a 3.2% range, meaning that any of these GPUs would deliver similar frame rates in Control, assuming no other system bottlenecks. The RX 5600 XT, being the closest rival on the lower side, would likely produce nearly identical FPS numbers to the RTX 5050 across all resolutions and presets.

The Verdict

This PC can run Control, but the experience varies dramatically by resolution. At 1920x1080, the system clears the 60 FPS threshold on all four presets, with Ultra averaging 68 FPS, High at 78 FPS, Medium at 88 FPS, and Low at 124 FPS. This is the only resolution where every preset is fully playable.

At 2560x1440, the system remains playable on two presets. Low averages 94 FPS and Medium averages 67 FPS, both above the threshold. High falls just short at 59 FPS, and Ultra drops to 52 FPS. Users targeting 1440p should stick to Medium for a stable experience.

At 3840x2160, only Low is playable, with an average of 63 FPS. Medium (45 FPS), High (40 FPS), and Ultra (35 FPS) all fail to reach 60 FPS. The 4K experience is therefore limited to Low settings, and even then, the 3 FPS margin over the threshold leaves little room for demanding scenes. Overall, the system is a solid 1080p performer, a capable 1440p machine with settings adjustments, and a marginal 4K option only on the lowest preset.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data shows that the GPU is the dominant factor in determining performance for Control, particularly as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves 124 FPS on Low and 68 FPS on Ultra, a range of 56 FPS. At 2560x1440, the range narrows to 42 FPS (94 FPS Low versus 52 FPS Ultra). At 3840x2160, the range narrows further to 28 FPS (63 FPS Low versus 35 FPS Ultra). This pattern indicates that as resolution rises, the GPU becomes more saturated, reducing the performance gap between settings.

The CPU's role is less pronounced but still relevant. The Ryzen 9 5950X, with its 16 cores and 32 threads, ranks in the 91st percentile among all CPUs, ensuring that it does not bottleneck the RTX 5050 in most scenarios. The CPU's single-thread score of 944 in 3DMark and multi-thread score of 11597 provide ample headroom for Control's physics and AI calculations. However, the GPU's 66th percentile ranking means the RTX 5050 is the constraining component.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a consistent FPS drop across presets. Low drops from 124 to 94 FPS (24% reduction), Medium from 88 to 67 FPS (24% reduction), High from 78 to 59 FPS (24% reduction), and Ultra from 68 to 52 FPS (24% reduction). This uniformity suggests that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at both resolutions. The transition from 1440p to 4K shows larger relative drops: Low drops from 94 to 63 FPS (33% reduction), Medium from 67 to 45 FPS (33% reduction), High from 59 to 40 FPS (32% reduction), and Ultra from 52 to 35 FPS (33% reduction). This steeper decline at 4K confirms that the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute resources are the limiting factor, with the CPU contributing little to the performance variation. In summary, the RTX 5050 dictates the frame rates, while the Ryzen 9 5950X ensures the system never becomes CPU-bound, even at 1080p Low where the GPU has the least work to do.