Control

Control with an AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and AMD Radeon RX 9060 presents a classic pairing where the GPU is the primary driver of performance, but the aging CPU still holds the reins at lower resolutions. The measured data shows a clear hierarchy across resolutions and settings, making it a straightforward build to analyze for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K being a demanding stretch.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is sharp and consistent, indicating that the AMD Radeon RX 9060 is the limiting component as resolution increases. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 82 at 1920x1080 to 62 at 2560x1440, and then to 42 at 3840x2160. This represents a 24% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 32% reduction from 1440p to 4K, showing that the GPU’s rendering load scales heavily with pixel count.

The pattern holds across all presets. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 130 at 1080p to 98 at 1440p and then to 66 at 4K. Even at Medium, where min and max FPS data is available, the trend is identical: 92 average at 1080p, 70 at 1440p, and 47 at 4K. The consistent scaling across presets confirms that the RX 9060’s compute and memory bandwidth are being saturated at higher resolutions, rather than any single setting causing a bottleneck.

Interestingly, the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low (130 FPS) and Ultra (71 FPS) is 59 FPS. At 4K, the gap shrinks to just 30 FPS (66 vs 36). This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so heavily loaded that even dropping to Low settings cannot fully compensate for the pixel count, whereas at 1080p, the GPU has enough headroom to respond more dramatically to settings changes. The data reveals that 4K is only viable for lower framerates, while 1080p and 1440p are where this combo shines.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the Medium preset appears to be the sweet spot for this combination, offering a balanced trade-off between visual quality and performance. At 1920x1080, Medium delivers an average of 92 FPS with a minimum of 78 FPS, which is smooth for most action-adventure gameplay. The jump from Medium to High costs 10 FPS at 1080p (82 vs 92), while the jump from Medium to Ultra costs 21 FPS (71 vs 92), making Medium the most efficient choice for maintaining high framerates.

At 2560x1440, Medium remains the best option, producing an average of 70 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS. This is playable, though the minimum dips close to 60 FPS, which could be noticeable in intense scenes. High at 1440p drops to 62 FPS average, which is still playable but leaves less margin for dips. Ultra at 1440p falls to 54 FPS average, which is borderline for smooth gameplay. For 1440p, Medium is the clear recommendation to stay above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves a comfortable average above 60 FPS. Low settings hit 66 FPS average, which is the only preset to break that barrier, but the visual compromise is significant. Medium and High sit at 47 and 42 FPS respectively, which feel sluggish for a fast-paced action game. Ultra is a slideshow at 36 FPS. For 4K, the data suggests either playing on Low for a playable experience or accepting lower framerates on higher presets. The measured rows point to Medium as the best all-around choice for 1080p and 1440p, with High being a viable alternative for those prioritizing visuals over a few extra frames.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Zen architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 3.90 GHz. Its benchmark scores show it is a mid-range performer, with a Cinebench R15 multi-core score of 1248 and a single-core score of 157.3. In Geekbench, it scores 5648 multi-core and 1154 single-core. These numbers place it in the 75th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is still competent but not a top-tier part.

The CPU’s role in this game becomes apparent when examining the FPS scaling. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo hits 130 FPS average, which is a high framerate. However, the fact that the CPU does not bottleneck this result suggests it has enough headroom to feed the GPU at lower resolutions. The Ryzen 5 2600’s multi-threaded performance, evidenced by its PassMark multi-thread score of 13160, helps maintain smooth frame pacing in a game like Control, which can utilize multiple cores for physics and AI.

However, the CPU’s age shows in its single-thread performance. The PassMark single-thread score of 2239 is modest, and this could limit peak framerates in CPU-bound scenarios. Yet, the data does not show a CPU bottleneck at 1080p, as the FPS scales consistently with resolution. The nearest rivals to the Ryzen 5 2600 include the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V (0.2% faster), Intel Core i9-11900H (0.5% faster), and AMD EPYC 9454 (1.2% slower), showing it is closely matched to other mid-range and older high-end parts. For this game, the CPU provides sufficient performance to avoid being the limiting factor, especially since the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and AMD Radeon RX 9060 ranks 1632 out of 2888 combos for Control. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the rankings, which is consistent with the hardware’s age and tier. The rank reflects the overall performance across all tested settings and resolutions, and it shows that while this combo is functional, it is far from the top of the leaderboard.

The ranking is influenced by the GPU’s performance, which sits in the 59th percentile of all GPUs. The RX 9060’s average benchmark score is 16014, placing it near the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (0.7% faster), AMD Radeon R9 370X (1% slower), and AMD Radeon RX 7700 (1% slower). This indicates the GPU is a solid mid-range performer, but not a high-end card. The CPU’s 75th percentile ranking is higher than the GPU’s, meaning the GPU is the weaker link in this pairing.

Given the combo rank of 1632 out of 2888, it is clear that this setup is not optimized for maximum performance in Control. Many other combinations with newer CPUs or higher-tier GPUs will outperform it. However, the rank also shows that it is not a bottom-tier setup either, as it beats a significant portion of the tested combos. For a builder on a mid-range budget, this rank suggests the combo delivers acceptable performance, but it should not be expected to compete with high-end systems. The data indicates that the GPU is the primary constraint, and upgrading it would yield a larger performance gain than upgrading the CPU.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is the star of this show, and its specifications directly explain the measured FPS. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. The memory clock runs at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective), and the boost clock reaches 2990 MHz. With 1792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, it delivers a pixel rate of 191.4 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 334.9 GTexel/s. Its FP32 performance is 21.43 TFLOPS, which is respectable for a mid-range card.

The GPU’s benchmark scores confirm its position. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 3322, and in Geekbench Vulkan, it scores 39476. Its PassMark G3D score is 17631, with a DirectX 12 score of 44. These numbers place it in the 59th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals include the RTX 3060 Ti (0.7% slower), R9 370X (1% faster), and RX 7700 (1% faster). The RX 9060’s performance is clearly limited by its 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus, which are constraints at higher resolutions.

In Control, the GPU’s role is paramount. The FPS data shows that at 4K, the card struggles to maintain high framerates, with the best average being 66 FPS on Low settings. The 8 GB VRAM is likely a limitation at 4K Ultra, where textures and effects demand more memory. At 1440p, the GPU performs admirably on Medium, hitting 70 FPS average, but the memory bandwidth and compute power are still taxed. At 1080p, the card has enough headroom to deliver high framerates, but the gap between Low and Ultra (59 FPS) shows that it is still the primary driver of performance. The RX 9060 is a capable GPU for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but its 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus make it ill-suited for 4K beyond Low settings.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo handle Control at 1080p with high settings?

A: Yes, the measured data shows an average of 82 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings. This is smooth for most gameplay, though Medium offers a higher average of 92 FPS with a minimum of 78 FPS for more headroom.

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU pairing?

A: Based on the data, 2560x1440 on Medium settings is the best balance, delivering an average of 70 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS. At 1080p, you get higher framerates, but 1440p offers a better visual experience without dropping below playable levels.

Q: How does the RX 9060 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RX 9060’s average benchmark score is 16014, which is 0.7% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, and 1% faster than both the AMD Radeon R9 370X and AMD Radeon RX 7700. It is a mid-range card, sitting in the 59th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 2600 a bottleneck for the RX 9060 in Control?

A: The data does not indicate a CPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 130 FPS average, and the FPS scales consistently with resolution, suggesting the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU’s 75th percentile ranking supports that it is not holding back the GPU significantly.

Q: What settings should I use for 4K gaming?

A: For 4K, Low settings are the only preset to achieve an average above 60 FPS, at 66 FPS. Medium and High deliver 47 and 42 FPS respectively, which are playable but not ideal. Ultra is the worst at 36 FPS, so it is best avoided.

Q: How does this combo rank overall for Control?

A: It ranks 1632 out of 2888 tested combos, placing it in the lower-middle tier. This reflects the GPU’s mid-range performance, as the RX 9060 is in the 59th percentile, while the CPU is in the 75th percentile. Upgrading the GPU would improve the rank more than upgrading the CPU.