Control

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 combination delivers a playable Control experience at 1080p and 1440p, but struggles to maintain smooth frame rates at 4K. At 1920x1080, every preset from Low to Ultra clears the 60 FPS threshold, making this the sweet spot for the combo. At 2560x1440, the system achieves playability on Low and Medium settings, while 3840x2160 is only viable on Low. The data indicates a clear performance ceiling: this pairing is best suited for high-refresh 1080p gaming or moderate 1440p gaming in Control.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 5050 paired with the Ryzen 9 9900X shows strong performance across all presets. Low settings produce an average of 124 FPS, the highest frame rate recorded for this combination. Medium settings drop to 88 FPS average, with a minimum of 75 FPS and a maximum of 101 FPS. High settings deliver 78 FPS average, while Ultra settings still maintain a solid 68 FPS average. All four presets at 1080p comfortably exceed the 60 FPS playability threshold, with even the most demanding Ultra preset retaining an 8 FPS margin above the target.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scaling shows a noticeable step down. Low settings yield 94 FPS average, which is 30 FPS lower than the 1080p Low result. Medium settings average 67 FPS, with a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 77 FPS — this preset barely clears the 60 FPS average threshold but dips below it in minimum frame rate. High settings average 59 FPS, just short of playable, while Ultra settings fall to 52 FPS average. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 42 FPS, indicating that the GPU becomes a limiting factor as settings increase.

At 3840x2160, the performance picture weakens considerably. Low settings average 63 FPS, the only playable preset at this resolution. Medium settings drop to 45 FPS average, with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 52 FPS. High settings average 40 FPS, and Ultra settings bottom out at 35 FPS average. The resolution jump from 1440p to 4K at Low settings costs 31 FPS, demonstrating the heavy toll that 4K rendering takes on this GPU. The spread between Low and Ultra at 4K is 28 FPS, a smaller relative gap than at lower resolutions, which suggests the GPU is saturated even on Low settings.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is the primary bottleneck in this combination for Control, with the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X providing ample headroom. The Ryzen 9 9900X scores 32,172 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 2,253 in single-core tests, placing it in the 92nd percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-14900, which scores 58,115 average benchmark (1.1% higher), and the AMD EPYC 7313 at 57,399 (0.2% lower). This level of CPU performance is far beyond what Control requires, as evidenced by the consistent frame rates across presets.

The RTX 5050, in contrast, sits in the 66th percentile among GPUs with a Passmark G3D score of 17,326. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT at 20,713 (1.6% higher) and the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL at 21,153 (0.6% lower). The GPU's 8 GB GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 320.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which becomes a limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings. The 13.17 TFLOPS FP32 performance is modest for 4K gaming, and the data confirms this: 4K Ultra averages only 35 FPS.

The scaling between resolutions illustrates the GPU-bound nature of this pairing. At Low settings, 1080p delivers 124 FPS, 1440p delivers 94 FPS (a 24.2% drop), and 4K delivers 63 FPS (a 33.0% drop from 1440p). At Ultra settings, 1080p yields 68 FPS, 1440p yields 52 FPS (a 23.5% drop), and 4K yields 35 FPS (a 32.7% drop). The consistent percentage drops across presets indicate that resolution scaling is the dominant factor, not CPU performance. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect smaller frame rate differences between resolutions and larger differences between presets at the same resolution.

The CPU's role is further diminished when examining preset scaling. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra costs 56 FPS (from 124 to 68), while at 4K the same preset change costs only 28 FPS (from 63 to 35). This narrowing gap at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU is fully saturated at 4K, regardless of settings. The Ryzen 9 9900X's 12 cores and 24 threads, with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, are more than sufficient for this game's engine, leaving the RTX 5050 as the clear performance arbiter.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 combination ranks 2,296 out of 3,720 tested combos for Control, placing it in the 38.3rd percentile of all tested systems. This rank reflects the GPU's mid-range positioning rather than the CPU's high-end capabilities. The RTX 5050's 66th percentile standing among all GPUs drags the combo down, despite the Ryzen 9 9900X sitting in the 92nd percentile among CPUs.

The CPU's nearest rivals provide context for its contribution. The AMD EPYC 9015 scores 57,555 (0.1% higher), the AMD EPYC 7313 scores 57,399 (0.2% lower), and the Intel Core i9-14900 scores 58,115 (1.1% higher). These deltas are all within 1.5% of the Ryzen 9 9900X's average benchmark score of 57,498, indicating that the CPU is not a differentiator in this combo's ranking. The GPU's nearest rivals — the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL (0.6% lower), AMD Radeon HD 8970M (1.0% lower), and AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT (1.6% higher) — show similar clustering, but the RTX 5050's absolute score of 21,035 places it firmly in mid-range territory.

The rank of 2,296 suggests that the majority of tested combos outperform this pairing in Control. This is consistent with the measured frame rates: the combo only achieves playable performance at 1080p across all settings and at 1440p on Low and Medium. Systems ranked higher likely feature more powerful GPUs that can handle 4K or higher refresh rates. The data indicates that swapping the RTX 5050 for a stronger GPU would yield larger gains than upgrading the CPU, which already outperforms its nearest rivals in most metrics.

The Verdict

Can this PC run Control? Yes, but with significant caveats depending on resolution. At 1920x1080, the system is fully playable across all four presets. Ultra settings average 68 FPS, High averages 78 FPS, Medium averages 88 FPS, and Low averages 124 FPS. Every preset clears the 60 FPS playable threshold, making 1080p the definitive resolution for this combo.

At 2560x1440, the system is partially playable. The verdict data lists Low and Medium as playable settings, with Medium achieving 67 FPS average and Low achieving 94 FPS average. High settings fall just short at 59 FPS average, and Ultra drops to 52 FPS. Players targeting 1440p should stick to Medium or Low to maintain smooth gameplay, though the Medium preset's minimum of 57 FPS indicates occasional dips below the threshold.

At 3840x2160, only Low settings clear the 60 FPS bar, averaging 63 FPS. Medium averages 45 FPS, High averages 40 FPS, and Ultra averages 35 FPS. The 4K experience is limited to Low settings for consistent playability, and even then, the margin is thin at only 3 FPS above the threshold. The data shows this combo is not suited for high-quality 4K gaming in Control.

The verdict is clear: this system excels at 1080p, handles 1440p with adjusted settings, and is marginal at 4K. For the best experience, users should prioritize 1080p gaming or be willing to compromise on settings at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Can the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X + RTX 5050 run Control at 60 FPS on Ultra settings?

A: At 1920x1080, yes — Ultra settings average 68 FPS. At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 52 FPS, falling short of 60 FPS. At 3840x2160, Ultra averages only 35 FPS, well below the threshold.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Control?

A: 1920x1080 is the best resolution, as all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) average above 60 FPS. The highest average is 124 FPS on Low settings, and even Ultra maintains 68 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 5050 scores 21,035 on average benchmark, with a Passmark G3D score of 17,326. It trails the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL by 0.6% and the AMD Radeon HD 8970M by 1.0%, while leading the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT by 1.6%.

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 9900X powerful enough for Control?

A: Yes, the CPU is far from a bottleneck. It scores 32,172 in Cinebench R23 multicore and ranks in the 92nd percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-14900, scores only 1.1% higher on average.

Q: What settings should I use for 1440p gaming?

A: Medium settings are the best playable option at 2560x1440, averaging 67 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS and maximum of 77 FPS. Low settings average 94 FPS if you prefer higher frame rates.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Control?

A: Only at Low settings, which average 63 FPS. Medium (45 FPS), High (40 FPS), and Ultra (35 FPS) all fall below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the only playable preset is Low, which averages 63 FPS. This is the most demanding setting that stays at or above 60 FPS at this resolution. The 3 FPS margin above the threshold is slim, so players may experience occasional drops below 60 FPS in busy scenes.

At 2560x1440, Medium settings are the best playable option, averaging 67 FPS. This preset provides a balance between visual quality and performance, though the minimum frame rate of 57 FPS indicates some dips below the target. Low settings average 94 FPS for those who prioritize smoothness over fidelity.

At 1920x1080, Ultra settings are the best playable preset, averaging 68 FPS. This allows players to experience Control at maximum visual quality while maintaining a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold. The 8 FPS buffer ensures relatively stable performance, though High settings at 78 FPS offer more headroom for demanding sequences.