Control

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 combination delivers a clear, resolution-dependent performance story in Control. At 1920x1080, the system is fully playable at every preset, while 2560x1440 requires dropping to Medium for a stable experience. At 3840x2160, only Low settings keep the average above the 60 FPS threshold. The benchmark data shows this pairing is a capable 1080p and entry-level 1440p machine for this title, with 4K only viable at reduced visual fidelity.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Control reveals a predictable scaling pattern across resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080, the RTX 5050 starts strong: Low settings produce an average of 124 FPS, Medium drops to 88 FPS (with a minimum of 75 and maximum of 101), High averages 78 FPS, and Ultra maintains a solid 68 FPS average. This resolution shows no weakness—every preset clears the 60 FPS playable threshold with room to spare.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages step down noticeably. Low settings deliver 94 FPS, Medium averages 67 FPS (with a minimum of 57 and maximum of 77), High drops to 59 FPS, and Ultra falls to 52 FPS. The Medium preset is the sweet spot here, staying just above the 60 FPS line, while High and Ultra dip below it. The minimum FPS figure of 57 at Medium indicates occasional frame dips below the average, but the overall experience remains fluid.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 5050's 8 GB memory and 128-bit bus begin to show their limits. Low settings yield an average of 63 FPS—just barely playable. Medium drops to 45 FPS (with a minimum of 38 and maximum of 52), High averages 40 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 35 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium at 4K is substantial, suggesting that the jump in rendering load at higher presets overwhelms the GPU's capabilities. Interestingly, the data does not list minimum or maximum FPS for the 4K Low, High, or Ultra presets, only for Medium, which limits a full frame-time analysis at that resolution.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Benchmark data places this CPU and GPU combination at specific points relative to other hardware. The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D sits at the 95th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 75779. Its nearest rivals are remarkably close: the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755 scores 75738 (0.1% slower), the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755X3D scores 75716 (0.1% slower), the AMD EPYC 8224P scores 75582 (0.3% slower), and the Intel Core Ultra 9 285 scores 75488 (0.4% slower). In practical terms, any of these processors would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Control, since the game's performance at most settings is bound by the GPU rather than the CPU.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 ranks at the 66th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 21035. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL (21153, 0.6% faster), the AMD Radeon HD 8970M (21237, 1% faster), the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT (20713, 1.6% slower), and the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile (21379, 1.6% faster). These delta percentages are small enough that a user swapping between any of these GPUs would see nearly indistinguishable performance in Control. The RX 5600 XT, in particular, is a near-match that would behave almost identically across the measured presets and resolutions.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS is as follows:

• 3840x2160: Low settings, averaging 63 FPS. This is the only playable preset at 4K; Medium falls to 45 FPS, which is well below the threshold.
• 2560x1440: Medium settings, averaging 67 FPS. Low runs faster at 94 FPS, but Medium is the highest preset that clears 60 FPS. High averages 59 FPS, missing the mark by just one frame.
• 1920x1080: Ultra settings, averaging 68 FPS. This is the highest preset available, and it stays comfortably above the 60 FPS line. All lower presets also clear the threshold, making 1080p fully flexible.

These selections prioritize visual quality while respecting the playable threshold. At 1440p, the jump from Medium to High costs 8 FPS on average, which is a meaningful trade-off for marginal visual gains. At 1080p, Ultra is the obvious choice since it delivers a smooth experience without requiring any compromise.

The Verdict

This PC can run Control, but the playable envelope depends heavily on target resolution. The verdict data confirms that at 1920x1080, all four presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable, with the best average FPS at Ultra being 68. This is a fully capable 1080p experience with no settings restrictions.

At 2560x1440, the system offers two playable presets: Low (94 FPS average) and Medium (67 FPS average). High and Ultra fall short at 59 and 52 FPS respectively. For a 1440p monitor, Medium is the recommended choice, as it balances visual fidelity with a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160, only Low settings are playable, averaging 63 FPS. All higher presets—Medium (45 FPS), High (40 FPS), and Ultra (35 FPS)—are not viable for smooth gameplay. The data makes clear that 4K is only an option if the user accepts significant visual compromises. Overall, this is a 1080p-first system for Control, with 1440p viable at mid settings and 4K relegated to low-detail play.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions and presets indicates that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is the primary bottleneck in this system for Control. At 1920x1080, the GPU delivers 124 FPS on Low and 68 FPS on Ultra—a 56 FPS spread that shows the GPU's workload scaling with preset complexity. The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D, with its 16 cores, 32 threads, and 128 MB L3 cache, is far more than this game needs at any resolution; its benchmark scores (e.g., 42018 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, 2259 in single-core) place it in the top 5% of all CPUs, which means it will not hold the GPU back.

As resolution increases from 1080p to 1440p to 4K, the average FPS drops across every preset, confirming that the GPU's rendering load grows with pixel count. At 4K, the RTX 5050's 8 GB memory buffer and 320.0 GB/s bandwidth become limiting factors, particularly at higher presets where the frame rate collapses from 63 FPS on Low to 35 FPS on Ultra. The CPU's role is largely static—it provides the headroom for the GPU to operate at its limits, but Control's engine does not appear to demand more than a fraction of the 9950X3D's capabilities.

The delta between presets also shifts with resolution. At 1080p, the gap between Low and Ultra is 56 FPS, while at 4K, that same gap narrows to 28 FPS. This compression at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU becomes the dominant constraint, and the CPU's influence on frame rate diminishes further. In short, for Control, the RTX 5050 determines the experience; the 9950X3D is a high-end companion that ensures no CPU-side limitations interfere.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Control at 60 FPS on Ultra settings?

A: Yes, but only at 1920x1080, where Ultra averages 68 FPS. At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 52 FPS, and at 3840x2160, Ultra averages 35 FPS—both below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

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

A: Medium settings, which average 67 FPS. This is the highest preset at 1440p that clears 60 FPS; High averages 59 FPS, just missing the threshold.

Q: Is 4K playable with this hardware?

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

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

A: The RTX 5050 scores 21035 on average. The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT is 1.6% slower, while the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL is 0.6% faster, and the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile is 1.6% faster. These differences are minor, so rival GPUs would perform similarly in Control.

Q: Does the CPU matter much for this game?

A: The data suggests minimal CPU influence. The Ryzen 9 9950X3D ranks in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rivals (e.g., Ryzen 7 PRO 9755 at 0.1% slower) would produce nearly identical frame rates, since the GPU is the limiting factor at all resolutions.

Q: What are the minimum FPS figures at playable settings?

A: At 1920x1080 Medium, the minimum is 75 FPS. At 2560x1440 Medium, the minimum is 57 FPS. At 3840x2160 Medium (not playable), the minimum is 38 FPS. No minimum FPS data is listed for Low, High, or Ultra presets at any resolution.