Control

Control pairs a Zen-based six-core processor with a RDNA 2 graphics card, and the measured frame rates show a system that can handle the game at 1080p and 1440p, but struggles at 4K. The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT lands at rank 2650 out of 3720 tested combos for this title, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database. The data reveals a clear performance hierarchy across resolutions and settings, with the GPU becoming the primary bottleneck at higher pixel counts, while the CPU’s older architecture still proves adequate for the game’s demands at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, indicating that the Radeon RX 6600 XT is the limiting factor as resolution increases. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 74 at 1920x1080 to 56 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 18 frames, and then to 38 at 3840x2160, another 18-frame drop. This pattern of nearly equal absolute losses between each resolution step suggests a linear scaling relationship driven by pixel count, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario.

Low settings tell a similar story but with higher absolute numbers. The average frame rate at 1080p Low is 118 FPS, dropping to 89 at 1440p and then to 60 at 4K. The 4K Low result is particularly notable because it exactly matches the 60 FPS mark, which is often considered the baseline for smooth play, but the margin is razor-thin with no headroom for demanding scenes. The percentage loss from 1080p to 4K on Low settings is roughly 49%, while on High settings it is about 49% as well, showing that the scaling penalty is nearly identical regardless of the graphics preset.

The Medium preset, which includes minimum and maximum frame data, reinforces the scaling trend. At 1080p Medium, the average is 84 FPS with a range of 71 to 96. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 63 FPS with a range of 54 to 73. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 43 FPS with a range of 36 to 49. The minimum frame rates at 4K Medium dip below 40 FPS, which can cause noticeable stutter during combat or fast camera movement. The data shows that 4K is only viable on the lowest settings, and even then, the system is operating near the edge of acceptable performance.

The scaling behavior between 1440p and 4K is harsher than between 1080p and 1440p on a percentage basis. At Ultra settings, the average drops from 49 FPS at 1440p to 33 FPS at 4K, a 33% reduction, while the drop from 1080p Ultra at 65 FPS to 1440p Ultra at 49 FPS is only a 25% reduction. This indicates that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and raw compute are insufficient for the pixel throughput required at 4K, and the 8 GB VRAM buffer is likely being saturated at the higher resolution with Ultra details. The measured results suggest that users targeting 4K should expect to run the game at Low settings for a playable experience, and even then, frame pacing may be inconsistent.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT is built on the RDNA 2 architecture with a 7 nm process and features a boost clock of 2589 MHz and a game clock of 2359 MHz. The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. These specifications place the card at the 70th percentile among all GPUs in the database, and its average benchmark score of 24442 is within a narrow margin of its nearest rivals. The closest competitor, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630, trails by just 0.7%, while the Intel Arc A350M leads by 0.8%, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER is behind by 1.1% — all effectively statistical ties.

In Control, the GPU’s performance at 1080p is strong, with averages of 118 FPS on Low and 74 FPS on High, showing that the card can comfortably handle the game at mainstream resolutions. The jump from High to Ultra at 1080p costs 9 frames per second on average, from 74 to 65, which is a modest penalty for the extra visual fidelity. However, the gap widens dramatically at 4K, where the Ultra preset yields just 33 FPS average, making it unplayable for most users. The 4K High result of 38 FPS is barely better, and only the Low preset at 60 FPS approaches a smooth experience.

The GPU’s pixel rate of 165.7 GPixel/s and texture rate of 331.4 GTexel/s are the theoretical limits that explain the 4K performance collapse. At 3840x2160, the card must process over 8 million pixels per frame, and the measured frame rates indicate that the ROPs and memory subsystem cannot sustain the required throughput. The 128-bit memory bus, despite the high effective speed of 16 Gbps, is a limiting factor for higher resolution textures and effects. The benchmark data shows that the RX 6600 XT is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming in this title, with 1440p High yielding 56 FPS average, which is playable but not silky smooth.

The GPU’s compute capabilities, measured at 10.60 TFLOPS FP32, are sufficient for the game’s effects at lower resolutions, but the 4K results indicate a hard ceiling. The DirectX 12 benchmark score of 61 in PassMark is notably low compared to the DirectX 11 score of 163, suggesting that the card’s performance in modern APIs may vary by workload. In Control, which supports DirectX 12, the 4K numbers reflect this relative weakness. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K with High or Ultra settings, the memory size and bandwidth combine to create a bottleneck that the architecture cannot overcome.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is a six-core, twelve-thread processor based on the Zen+ architecture, manufactured on a 12 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 3.90 GHz, with 16 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU’s average benchmark score is 21484, placing it at the 75th percentile among all processors, and its nearest rivals are all within 1.2% of its score — the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V is 0.2% faster, the Intel Core i9-11900H is 0.5% faster, and the AMD EPYC 9454 is 1.2% faster, while the Intel Xeon D-1746TER is 0.7% slower. This positions the 2600 as a solid mid-range performer for its generation.

In Control, the CPU’s role is secondary at higher resolutions, but it becomes more relevant at 1080p where frame rates are high. At 1080p Low, the average FPS of 118 suggests that the processor can feed the GPU adequately, as this is a frame rate where CPU limitations often surface. The single-core performance, measured at 2239 in PassMark, is modest by modern standards, and the game’s physics and AI routines may stress individual cores. However, the fact that 1080p Low achieves nearly double the 4K Low result indicates that the GPU, not the CPU, is the primary constraint in this configuration.

The multi-threaded capability of the 2600, with a PassMark multithread score of 13160, provides ample headroom for background tasks and the game’s streaming systems. The 12 threads allow the game to distribute workload across the cores, which is beneficial for a title like Control that features complex environments and destructible objects. The CPU’s memory bandwidth of 46.9 GB/s on a dual-channel DDR4 interface is moderate, but it does not appear to be a bottleneck based on the measured FPS at 1080p. The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor in any of the tested configurations, as the frame rate scaling follows the GPU’s expected performance curve.

The processor’s age, released in April 2018, means it lacks the IPC improvements of newer architectures, but the benchmark results indicate it still holds its own in this game. The cinebench R15 single-core score of 157.3 and multi-core score of 1248 are indicative of its generation. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS of 65 is likely close to what the CPU can sustain in demanding scenes, but the lack of minimum frame data for that preset makes it hard to confirm. The overall picture is that the Ryzen 5 2600 is a capable partner for the RX 6600 XT in Control, with no evidence of CPU-induced stuttering at the tested settings.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the most comfortable resolution, with averages ranging from 65 FPS on Ultra to 118 FPS on Low. At 2560x1440, the High preset yields 56 FPS average, which is playable, but 4K at 3840x2160 only reaches 60 FPS on Low and drops to 38 FPS on High.

Q: Can this system run Control at 4K?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where the average FPS is exactly 60. The Medium preset at 4K produces 43 FPS average with a minimum of 36, and High and Ultra settings fall to 38 and 33 FPS respectively, making them unsuitable for smooth play.

Q: How does the RX 6600 XT compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score of 24442 is within 1.1% of all four nearest rivals. The Intel Arc A350M is 0.8% faster, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 is 0.7% faster, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER is 1.1% slower, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti is 0.8% slower.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 2600 a bottleneck in this game?

A: The data does not indicate a CPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 118 FPS, and the frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K follows a pattern consistent with GPU limitation. The CPU’s 75th percentile ranking and multi-thread score of 13160 suggest it can keep up with the GPU in this title.

Q: What are the minimum FPS numbers for the Medium preset?

A: The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum FPS values. At 1080p, the minimum is 71 FPS; at 1440p, it drops to 54 FPS; and at 4K, it falls to 36 FPS. These lows indicate that 4K Medium will experience noticeable frame dips.

Q: How much performance is lost going from 1080p to 1440p?

A: On High settings, the average FPS drops from 74 to 56, a 24% reduction. On Low settings, it drops from 118 to 89, a 25% reduction. On Medium, it drops from 84 to 63, a 25% reduction. The loss is consistent across presets, showing a uniform scaling penalty.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best performance across all presets. The Low setting produces an average of 118 FPS, which is the highest measured value in the entire dataset. Medium follows at 84 FPS with a minimum of 71 and a maximum of 96, providing a solid balance. High drops to 74 FPS, and Ultra yields 65 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 53 FPS, showing that the GPU has plenty of headroom at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the averages step down noticeably. Low settings still deliver a strong 89 FPS, but Medium falls to 63 FPS with a range of 54 to 73. High settings produce 56 FPS, and Ultra drops to 49 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 40 FPS, narrower than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is starting to feel the pixel load. The 1440p Medium minimum of 54 FPS is still above the 50 FPS threshold, making it a viable option for smoother play.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly. Low settings yield exactly 60 FPS average, which is the only playable result at this resolution. Medium falls to 43 FPS with a minimum of 36 and a maximum of 49, which will feel stuttery in action scenes. High settings produce 38 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 33 FPS. The 4K results show a clear cliff, with the GPU unable to maintain frame rates above 60 FPS except at the lowest settings. The Medium preset’s minimum of 36 FPS is particularly concerning, as it approaches the threshold where motion blur and input lag become noticeable.

Settings Recommendations

For users with a 1920x1080 monitor, the High preset at 74 FPS average is the best choice for visual quality without sacrificing smoothness. The jump from High to Ultra only costs 9 FPS, but the visual difference may not justify the drop to 65 FPS for those who prefer frame rate headroom. The Medium preset at 84 FPS is a strong alternative for competitive play or if the user wants to ensure consistent frame times, as the minimum of 71 FPS is very stable. Low settings at 118 FPS are excessive for this resolution and should only be used if the user prioritizes maximum refresh rate over all else.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 56 FPS is the sweet spot for a balance between fidelity and playability. The Medium preset at 63 FPS is better for those who want to stay above 60 FPS, and the minimum of 54 FPS is acceptable. Ultra at 49 FPS may be tempting for the extra details, but the average below 50 FPS risks noticable slowdowns in busy scenes. Low at 89 FPS is overkill for most users, but it serves as a good fallback if the system needs to maintain high frame rates for a high-refresh-rate monitor.

For 3840x2160, the only viable option is the Low preset at 60 FPS average. Every other setting falls below 45 FPS, which is not recommendable for a game like Control that features fast-paced action and environmental destruction. Medium at 43 FPS with a minimum of 36 is playable for those who prioritize visuals over smoothness, but the frame dips will be noticeable. High and Ultra at 38 and 33 FPS respectively are effectively unplayable for most users. The data strongly suggests that 4K owners should either lower the resolution to 1440p or accept Low settings to maintain a consistent frame rate.