Control

Control with the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and AMD Radeon RX 9070 presents a clear case study in how a modern GPU can extend the life of an older CPU. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings show a system that is consistently GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while the CPU's influence becomes apparent only at the lowest settings. This analysis walks through the measured FPS data, the GPU's characteristics, and the CPU's role in shaping the experience.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a predictable and steep decline in average FPS as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At High settings, the transition from 1080p to 1440p costs 23.6 FPS (113.6 to 90), and moving to 4K costs another 31.8 FPS (90 to 58.2). This pattern indicates that the rendering load is scaling directly with pixel count, which is the expected behavior for a game like Control. The drop from 1440p to 4K is proportionally larger than the drop from 1080p to 1440p, suggesting that at 4K, the GPU is nearing its limits with this particular CPU pairing.

The scaling behavior changes significantly when looking at Low settings. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 150.1 FPS, but at 4K Low, it drops to 91.4 FPS. The 1080p result is notably high, and the gap between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings is only 12.9 FPS (150.1 to 137.2). This smaller gap at lower settings suggests that the CPU is beginning to limit performance at 1080p Low, preventing the GPU from fully stretching its legs. The frame rate ceiling at 1080p appears to be around 150 FPS, which is likely tied to the Ryzen 5 2600's single-thread performance rather than the GPU's raw capabilities.

At Ultra settings, the resolution scaling is the most punishing. The system drops from 98 FPS at 1080p to 75 FPS at 1440p, and then to 51.3 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is the lowest measured in the dataset, and it falls below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that this configuration is not ideal for maximum fidelity at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Ultra is a 46.7 FPS loss, which is a 47.6% reduction, showing that the GPU is the primary limiting component at this quality level.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is a substantial piece of hardware, built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with a 4 nm process. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s, which is more than sufficient for Control's textures and effects at any resolution. The GPU's boost clock of 2520 MHz and game clock of 2070 MHz help drive high frame rates, but the measured results show that the card is not always the bottleneck.

The benchmark data confirms that the RX 9070 is a high-end part. Its Passmark G3D score of 25381 places it in the 79th percentile among all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 34780 is competitive with its nearest rivals. The closest rival, the NVIDIA A2, scores 34866, which is only 0.2% higher. This indicates that the RX 9070 is performing at the expected level for its class, and the results in Control are consistent with this positioning.

The GPU's 56 ray tracing cores and DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) are relevant for Control, which features ray-traced reflections and other advanced effects. However, the measured FPS data does not specify whether ray tracing is enabled, so the results likely reflect rasterized performance. The 128 ROPs and 224 TMUs are well-suited for the game's rendering needs, and the card's 36.13 TFLOPS of FP32 compute provides ample headroom for the physics and particle effects that Control is known for.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS measured for this configuration?

A: The highest average FPS is 150.1, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How does the system perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 51.3, which is below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p Low?

A: The data suggests the CPU is limiting at 1080p Low, as the frame rate of 150.1 is likely capped by the Ryzen 5 2600's processing power rather than the GPU's capabilities.

Q: What is the difference in FPS between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium settings yield 97.6 FPS, while High settings yield 90 FPS, a difference of 7.6 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 9070 compare to its closest rival in the GPU benchmark?

A: The RX 9070 has an average benchmark score of 34780, which is 0.2% lower than the NVIDIA A2's score of 34866.

Q: What is the frame rate at 4K with Medium settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 63.7, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear picture of which settings offer the best balance of visual quality and performance. For a 60 FPS target at 4K, Medium settings are the only viable option, delivering 63.7 FPS. High settings at 4K drop to 58.2 FPS, which is close but slightly below the target, and Ultra settings at 51.3 FPS are not recommended for a smooth experience. The 4K Medium result is the highest fidelity option that maintains playable frame rates.

At 1440p, the system has more headroom. High settings produce 90 FPS, which is comfortable for most displays, while Ultra settings drop to 75 FPS. For those who prioritize visual fidelity, Ultra at 1440p is a reasonable choice, as it stays well above 60 FPS. Medium settings at 97.6 FPS offer a smoother experience, but the jump to High is only a 7.6 FPS loss, making High the better balance of quality and performance at this resolution.

At 1080p, the situation is different. Ultra settings deliver 98 FPS, which is excellent, but the frame rate ceiling at Low settings (150.1 FPS) suggests that the CPU is the limiting factor. The best experience at 1080p is likely High settings at 113.6 FPS, which provides a significant visual upgrade over Low while still maintaining a high frame rate. Ultra settings at 98 FPS are also viable, but the 15.6 FPS gain from High to Ultra is modest, making High the recommended choice for most users.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the configuration achieves 150.1 FPS on Low, 130 FPS on Medium, 113.6 FPS on High, and 98 FPS on Ultra. The scaling from Low to Ultra is a 52.1 FPS drop, which is a 34.7% reduction. The step from Medium to High is 16.4 FPS, and the step from High to Ultra is 15.6 FPS, showing a consistent cost for each quality tier.

At 2560x1440, the results are 137.2 FPS on Low, 97.6 FPS on Medium, 90 FPS on High, and 75 FPS on Ultra. The drop from Low to Medium is substantial at 39.6 FPS, which is a 28.9% reduction. The gap between Medium and High is only 7.6 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 15 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset is significantly more demanding.

At 3840x2160, the measured FPS are 91.4 on Low, 63.7 on Medium, 58.2 on High, and 51.3 on Ultra. The scaling from Low to Medium is a 27.7 FPS drop, which is a 30.3% reduction. The step from Medium to High is 5.5 FPS, and the step from High to Ultra is 6.9 FPS. At 4K, the differences between Medium, High, and Ultra are smaller in absolute terms, but the percentage drops are consistent, and all three settings fall below the 4K High result from other resolutions.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen+ architecture, running at a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 3.90 GHz. Its Cinebench R23 scores of 11186 multi-core and 1579 single-core place it in the 77th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19616. The nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-11600KF, scores 19740, which is 0.6% higher, indicating that the Ryzen 5 2600 is performing near the expected level for its age.

The CPU's role in Control is most evident at 1080p Low, where the frame rate of 150.1 appears to be capped by the processor. The 12 threads and 16 MB of shared L3 cache are sufficient for the game's logic, but the single-thread performance of 1579 in Cinebench R23 limits how fast the game can issue draw calls. This is why the 1080p Low result is only 12.9 FPS higher than the 1440p Low result, as the GPU is not fully utilized in either case.

At higher settings and resolutions, the Ryzen 5 2600 is less of a bottleneck. The GPU's workload increases, and the CPU has enough headroom to keep up. The 65W TDP and dual-channel DDR4 memory support at 46.9 GB/s are adequate for this game, and the PCIe Gen 3 interface does not appear to hinder performance given the measured results. The data shows that this CPU, while older, can still deliver playable frame rates when paired with a modern high-end GPU, provided the settings are adjusted appropriately.