Control

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and Radeon RX 5700 XT combination delivers a solid 1080p experience in Control, but the data shows a clear trade-off between visual fidelity and frame rate. This pairing is best suited for High settings at 1080p, where it achieves 73 FPS on average. That is a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold, providing smooth gameplay without sacrificing the game’s signature atmosphere. While Ultra settings at 1080p drop to 67 FPS, the difference is minor, but High offers a better balance for consistent performance.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows show that Low settings at 1080p yield 117.2 FPS, which is excellent for competitive or high-refresh-rate play. However, Control is a visually driven action-adventure game, and the jump from Low to High at 1080p costs about 44 FPS but substantially improves lighting and particle effects. High settings at 1080p (73 FPS) is the sweet spot: it maintains fluid motion while keeping the game’s detailed environments intact. Medium settings at 1080p (81.2 FPS) is a viable alternative if you prefer a higher frame rate buffer, but the visual downgrade from High is noticeable.

At 1440p, High settings drop to 55.6 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced combat. Medium at 1440p (64.5 FPS) is the better choice here, as it stays above 60 FPS and retains reasonable detail. Ultra at 1440p (50.2 FPS) is too demanding for this combo, and Low at 1440p (85.8 FPS) looks sparse. For 4K, the data is clear: only Low settings (61.6 FPS) are viable for smooth play, while High (37.4 FPS) and Ultra (33.1 FPS) fall below acceptable thresholds. Medium at 4K (41.2 FPS) still stutters in action scenes. The recommendation is to prioritize High at 1080p or Medium at 1440p, and reserve 4K for Low settings or static exploration.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 5 2600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 2000 series, built on the Zen architecture with a 12 nm process node. Its base clock is 3.40 GHz with a boost clock of 3.90 GHz. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 1127 in Cinebench R15 multi-core and 159 in single-core, while Cinebench R23 shows 11186 multi-core and 1579 single-core. These scores place it in the 77th percentile among all CPUs, indicating it is a capable mid-range part. Compared to its nearest rivals, it sits within a tight band: the Intel Core i5-11600KF is 0.6% ahead, while the Intel Core i7-10700F is 0.7% behind. This means the 2600 is not a bottleneck in Control at 1080p, where the GPU is the primary driver of performance.

The game’s results show that dropping from 1080p Low (117.2 FPS) to 4K Low (61.6 FPS) reduces frame rate by 47%, which is a GPU-bound scaling pattern. The CPU’s 12 threads and 16 MB of shared L3 cache provide enough headroom for the game’s physics and AI, as evidenced by the fact that frame rates scale predictably with resolution rather than collapsing at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the 117.2 FPS result suggests the CPU can feed the GPU efficiently, but the GPU’s limits become apparent at higher settings. The Ryzen 5 2600 is not a weak link here; it delivers consistent results across all tested presets.

GPU Role

The Radeon RX 5700 XT is a 7 nm Navi 10 GPU with 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. It operates at a base clock of 1605 MHz and a boost clock of 1905 MHz, with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its compute power is 9.754 TFLOPS FP32, which is substantial for its class. The GPU scores 16277 in Passmark G3D and 2134 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it in the 68th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are closely matched: the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile is 0.1% behind, and the Intel Arc A350M is 0.3% ahead. This indicates the 5700 XT is a solid mid-range performer, but Control is demanding enough to push it to its limits at higher resolutions.

The data shows the GPU’s VRAM and bandwidth are sufficient for 1080p Ultra (67 FPS), but at 4K Ultra (33.1 FPS), the card is overwhelmed. The frame rate drops from High 1080p (73 FPS) to High 1440p (55.6 FPS), a 24% reduction, and then to High 4K (37.4 FPS), another 33% drop. This pattern demonstrates that the GPU is the limiting factor at 1440p and above. The 5700 XT’s 8 GB VRAM is adequate for this game at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K Ultra preset’s heavy textures likely exceed comfortable VRAM usage, contributing to the low 33.1 FPS. The card’s boost clock of 1905 MHz helps maintain performance at 1080p, where it can sustain high frame rates without thermal throttling.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combos for Control, this pairing ranks 1242 out of 1636 combinations. That places it in the lower-middle tier, which aligns with the hardware’s mid-range positioning. The rank reflects that many newer or higher-end CPUs and GPUs achieve better results, but this combo is far from the bottom. The Ryzen 5 2600’s 77th percentile CPU score and the RX 5700 XT’s 68th percentile GPU score both indicate above-average individual performance, yet their combination does not exceed the sum of its parts. The rank suggests that while this setup handles 1080p well, it struggles at 4K, which drags down its overall standing.

Compared to other tested combos, the 1242nd rank means roughly 76% of combinations outperform it. This is not surprising given the 2600’s age and the 5700 XT’s end-of-life status. However, the data shows this combo still delivers playable results at 1080p High (73 FPS) and 1440p Medium (64.5 FPS), which is more than adequate for many users. The ranking is a relative measure, and in absolute terms, this combo offers a competent 1080p experience.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a GPU-bound system. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 73 at 1080p to 55.6 at 1440p (a 24% decrease), and then to 37.4 at 4K (a 33% decrease from 1440p). At Low settings, the drop is from 117.2 at 1080p to 85.8 at 1440p (27% lower), and then to 61.6 at 4K (28% lower). The consistent percentage drops across settings indicate that the GPU’s fill rate and bandwidth are the primary constraints, not the CPU. The Ryzen 5 2600’s performance remains stable, as evidenced by the smooth scaling pattern rather than a cliff at lower resolutions.

The scaling also shows that the RX 5700 XT is better suited to 1080p and 1440p gaming. At 4K, even Low settings (61.6 FPS) barely cross the 60 FPS line, while Medium (41.2 FPS) and High (37.4 FPS) are below playable thresholds for action games. This suggests that owners of this combo should treat 4K as a niche option, only viable with reduced settings. The 1440p results are more encouraging: Medium settings (64.5 FPS) offer a good balance, and High (55.6 FPS) is playable if you tolerate occasional dips. For a smooth experience, 1080p remains the target resolution for this hardware.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for this combo at 1080p?

A: High settings at 1080p deliver 73 FPS on average, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Low settings are faster (117.2 FPS) but sacrifice visual quality, while Ultra (67 FPS) is marginally slower than High.

*Q: Can this combo handle 1440p gaming in Control?*

A: Yes, but with compromises. Medium settings at 1440p achieve 64.5 FPS, which is playable. High settings drop to 55.6 FPS, which may cause noticeable stutter in combat, and Ultra (50.2 FPS) is not recommended.

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

A: The RX 5700 XT scores 16277 in Passmark G3D, putting it in the 68th percentile. It is 0.1% behind the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile and 0.3% behind the Intel Arc A350M in average benchmark scores, showing it is closely matched with those parts.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck in this game?

A: No, the data suggests the GPU is the limiting factor. The Ryzen 5 2600 scores in the 77th percentile among CPUs, and frame rates scale predictably with resolution (117.2 FPS at 1080p Low vs. 61.6 FPS at 4K Low), indicating the CPU keeps up.

Q: What is the playable frame rate at 4K?

A: Only Low settings at 4K provide a playable 61.6 FPS average. Medium (41.2 FPS), High (37.4 FPS), and Ultra (33.1 FPS) are all below 60 FPS and not recommended for smooth play.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: It ranks 1242 out of 1636 tested combos for Control. This places it in the lower-middle tier, which is consistent with its mid-range hardware specifications and its limitations at higher resolutions.