Control

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core i5-10400F sits in a tightly contested performance band. Its average benchmark score of 14,185 places it within a fraction of a percent of several very different processors. The nearest rival, the Intel Xeon 6756E, scores 14,163, a negligible 0.2% difference. The AMD EPYC 7552 trails by a similar margin at 14,115, which is 0.5% behind. On the other side, the Intel Core 7 160UL manages 14,232, outperforming the i5-10400F by only 0.3%, while the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C leads the group with 14,277, a 0.6% advantage over the i5-10400F.

What this means in practice is that any of these four processors would deliver nearly identical frame pacing in Control. The Core i5-10400F's 6 cores and 12 threads, with a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, are sufficient to feed the RX 6600 at the resolutions tested. The data shows that swapping to any of these rivals would not meaningfully alter the gaming experience, as the performance deltas are all well under 1%.

For the GPU, the AMD Radeon RX 6600 occupies a similar position in the graphics hierarchy. Its average benchmark score of 19,036 is matched almost exactly by the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 at 19,030, a 0% difference. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile scores 19,049, just 0.1% higher, while the NVIDIA Tesla K20m reaches 19,089, a 0.3% edge. The NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation trails slightly at 18,954, which is 0.4% behind the RX 6600. In Control specifically, these GPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates, so users coming from any of these cards should see no measurable change in performance.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that maintains at least 60 FPS is High. The recorded average is 70.5 FPS, which provides a comfortable margin above the playable threshold. The Ultra preset drops to 57.4 FPS, just short of the target, while Medium runs at 78.8 FPS and Low at 108.6 FPS. For a 60 FPS target, High is the optimal choice, balancing visual fidelity with headroom.

Moving to 2560x1440, the best playable setting is Medium, with an average of 60.1 FPS. This is barely above the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that this resolution pushes the combination to its limits. Low runs at 81.5 FPS, while High drops to 52.5 FPS and Ultra to 47.2 FPS. The data shows that Medium is the only preset above Low that clears the target, and it does so by a razor-thin margin.

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves 60 FPS. The highest average comes from Low at 54.2 FPS, followed by Medium at 38.4 FPS, High at 36 FPS, and Ultra at 31.1 FPS. The verdict data lists no playable settings at this resolution, meaning the system cannot sustain 60 FPS even at the lowest quality preset. Users targeting 4K would need to accept frame rates in the 30 to 54 FPS range or lower the resolution.

CPU and GPU Roles

The division of labor between the Core i5-10400F and the Radeon RX 6600 shifts noticeably across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the GPU is the primary constraint. The frame rate scales directly with graphical settings: Low produces 108.6 FPS, Medium 78.8 FPS, High 70.5 FPS, and Ultra 57.4 FPS. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient at this resolution, as evidenced by the relatively small performance gap between Medium and High. The 38% drop from Low to Medium and the additional 11% drop from Medium to High point to GPU-bound rendering.

At 2560x1440, the GPU becomes even more dominant. The scaling from Low (81.5 FPS) to Medium (60.1 FPS) represents a 26% reduction, while High (52.5 FPS) and Ultra (47.2 FPS) show diminishing returns. The gap between Low and Ultra is 42%, which is consistent with a GPU-limited scenario where the CPU has ample headroom. The i5-10400F's single-thread performance, as measured by its 3DMark single-thread score of 688, is more than adequate to keep up with the RX 6600's output at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is almost entirely responsible for the frame rate. The RX 6600's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth are stretched thin, as shown by the steep drop from Low (54.2 FPS) to Medium (38.4 FPS), a 29% decline. The difference between High (36 FPS) and Ultra (31.1 FPS) is smaller, suggesting that the GPU is hitting architectural limits rather than memory bandwidth constraints. The CPU's role is minimal here; even a significantly faster processor would not improve these numbers because the GPU is the bottleneck.

Across all resolutions, the pattern is consistent: the Radeon RX 6600 dictates performance, while the Core i5-10400F provides sufficient compute headroom. The recorded data shows no scenario where CPU limitations manifest as a frame rate plateau independent of GPU load.

The Verdict

This PC can run Control, but the playable resolutions depend heavily on the quality preset. At 1920x1080, the system clears 60 FPS on High, Low, and Medium settings, with High offering the best visual quality at 70.5 FPS. The Ultra preset falls short at 57.4 FPS, so users should stick to High for a locked 60 FPS experience.

At 2560x1440, the verdict is more restrictive. Only Low and Medium are playable, with Medium averaging 60.1 FPS. This is a marginal pass, so users should expect occasional dips below the threshold during intense scenes. High (52.5 FPS) and Ultra (47.2 FPS) do not meet the 60 FPS target.

At 3840x2160, the system is not playable at any setting. The best result is Low at 54.2 FPS, which is still below the 60 FPS threshold. Users with 4K displays should plan to run at 1440p or below for a smooth experience.

Overall, the combination of the Intel Core i5-10400F and AMD Radeon RX 6600 is a capable 1080p gaming setup for Control, with enough headroom for 1440p at medium settings. The 4K results are not competitive, but that is expected given the GPU's mid-range positioning.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the frame rates are as follows: Low averages 108.6 FPS, Medium 78.8 FPS, High 70.5 FPS, and Ultra 57.4 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 51.2 FPS, indicating that the graphical settings have a substantial impact on performance. The step from High to Ultra is the largest proportional drop at 13.1 FPS, suggesting that Ultra introduces effects that are particularly demanding on the RX 6600.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 81.5 FPS for Low, 60.1 FPS for Medium, 52.5 FPS for High, and 47.2 FPS for Ultra. The transition from Low to Medium costs 21.4 FPS, while Medium to High costs 7.6 FPS and High to Ultra costs 5.3 FPS. The diminishing returns at higher presets are clear: each step up in quality yields a smaller frame rate penalty, but the absolute numbers remain below the 60 FPS target for High and Ultra.

At 3840x2160, the results are 54.2 FPS for Low, 38.4 FPS for Medium, 36 FPS for High, and 31.1 FPS for Ultra. The gap between Low and Medium is 15.8 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is only 4.9 FPS. This compression at the top end indicates that the GPU is saturated, and additional quality settings have diminishing returns on visual output relative to the frame rate cost.

The database records no minimum or maximum frame rates for any configuration, so the averages represent the central tendency of each run. Users should treat these figures as indicative rather than absolute, as scene complexity in Control can vary significantly.

How This Combo Ranks

Among all tested combinations in the database, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-10400F and AMD Radeon RX 6600 ranks 2,866 out of 3,720 for Control. This places it in the lower-middle tier of systems, which is consistent with the measured frame rates. The 1080p results are solid, but the 1440p and 4K numbers pull the overall ranking down.

The rank of 2,866 means that roughly 77% of tested systems outperform this combo in Control. This is not surprising given the RX 6600's mid-range positioning and the i5-10400F's age. However, the combination still delivers playable performance at 1080p and 1440p on medium settings, so the ranking does not tell the full story. For users with 1080p monitors, this system is more than adequate. For 4K enthusiasts, it falls short.

The relative performance between this combo and others in the database is driven primarily by the GPU. The RX 6600's 63rd percentile ranking among all GPUs means it sits above the median, but the 2,866 rank in Control suggests that the game is more demanding than average. The CPU's 68th percentile ranking provides a slight boost, but it cannot compensate for the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions.

In summary, this system is a competent 1080p machine for Control, with the ability to stretch to 1440p at medium settings. The ranking reflects the overall landscape, but the practical takeaway is that users should target 1080p for the best experience.