Control

Control, Remedy’s 2019 action-adventure, presents a fascinating case study in hardware scaling when paired with an AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti. The data shows a system where the GPU is clearly the dominant force, yet the aging CPU leaves a subtle but measurable fingerprint on the results. Benchmark results indicate a combination that is capable of exceptional frame rates, but the pattern of performance across resolutions and settings reveals where the bottlenecks truly lie.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable yet telling decline as resolution increases, but the magnitude of that decline is the real story. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 150.2 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops that to 139.2 FPS, a relatively modest 11 FPS decrease. However, the jump to 4K at Low settings brings the average down to 116.1 FPS, which is a substantial 34 FPS drop from the 1440p figure. This pattern indicates that at lower resolutions, the CPU is starting to limit the system's ability to feed frames to the GPU, but the GPU still has enough headroom to push high numbers.

The scaling becomes even more pronounced when looking at the heavier presets. At High settings, the frame rate goes from 124.7 FPS at 1080p, to 110.4 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 73.9 FPS at 4K. The 4K figure represents a 50.8 FPS drop from 1080p, a much steeper percentage decline than what we see on Low. This strongly suggests that as the graphical load increases, the RTX 4070 Ti becomes the primary limiting factor. The GPU's 12 GB of VRAM and 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth are being taxed heavily at 4K, while the CPU's workload remains relatively constant, shifting the bottleneck firmly to the graphics card.

The Ultra preset data reinforces this conclusion. At 4K Ultra, the system manages 65.6 FPS, which is the lowest average recorded. The gap between 1080p Ultra (118.6 FPS) and 4K Ultra (65.6 FPS) is a massive 53 FPS. This is a clear indicator that the game's most demanding settings are entirely GPU-bound at this resolution. The data implies that for 4K gaming, the Ryzen 5 2600 is sufficient to keep up, as the GPU is working so hard that the CPU's potential limitations are masked. Conversely, at 1080p, the smaller frame rate differences between Low and Medium settings (150.2 vs 132.8 FPS) hint that the CPU is beginning to exert its influence, preventing the GPU from reaching even higher frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested configurations, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti holds a combo rank of 368 out of 1636 tested combos for Control. This places it in the top 22.5% of all combinations, which is a strong showing. The data suggests that while the CPU is older, it is not holding the combo back from outperforming the vast majority of systems.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 85 against all GPUs indicates it is a top-tier component, and its average benchmark score of 44900 puts it in the same performance class as rivals like the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile and the Intel Arc A730M. However, the CPU's percentile rank of 77 against all CPUs tells a different story. Its average benchmark score of 19616 is nearly identical to the Intel Core i5-1345U and AMD Ryzen 5 7530U, showing it is a mid-range performer in the current landscape. The combination of a high-ranking GPU with a mid-ranking CPU results in a combo that is strong overall but leaves performance on the table in CPU-light scenarios.

The rank of 368 suggests that there are 367 other combinations that perform better in this specific game. Given the GPU's high percentile, it is likely that many of those superior combos feature more modern CPUs that can better feed the RTX 4070 Ti at lower resolutions. The data implies that this combo is well-balanced for 4K gaming, where the GPU is the bottleneck, but it may be outclassed by combos with newer processors in 1080p and 1440p scenarios where the CPU's influence is more pronounced.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is the undeniable star of this configuration. Its performance data shows it is a powerhouse, with a Passmark G3D score of 31624 and an average benchmark score of 44900. This places it in the 85th percentile of all GPUs, making it a top-tier part. Its architecture is Ada Lovelace, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, and it comes with 7680 shading units. The GPU's boost clock of 2610 MHz and base clock of 2310 MHz are key to its high frame rates.

The 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. This memory configuration proves sufficient for Control at all tested settings, even at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS stays above 60. The data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, as the frame rates drop significantly from 1080p to 4K. For instance, at High settings, the 4K average of 73.9 FPS is a 40.7% reduction from the 1080p average of 124.7 FPS. This is the signature of a GPU that is being pushed to its limits.

The GPU's raw compute power, estimated at 40.09 TFLOPS for FP32, is more than enough to handle the physics and particle effects that Control is known for. The data suggests that the RTX 4070 Ti is not a bottleneck at 1080p and 1440p, as it can achieve very high frame rates. However, the 4K results show that even this powerful GPU has its limits, and the game's demands at that resolution will tax its resources to the fullest.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution. For 4K gaming, the Ultra preset is playable at 65.6 FPS, but the High preset offers a better balance, delivering 73.9 FPS. The jump from High to Ultra costs 8.3 FPS, which may not be worth the marginal visual improvement for some. The Medium preset at 4K provides 83.5 FPS, which is a significant boost over High and may be preferable for those seeking higher frame rates on a 4K display.

At 1440p, the High preset delivers an excellent 110.4 FPS, which is smooth and responsive. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 92.2 FPS, still very playable, but the 18.2 FPS difference between High and Ultra is notable. For competitive play or high refresh rate monitors, the Low preset at 1440p yields 139.2 FPS, which is a substantial increase. However, the visual compromise of Low settings is often too great for a game like Control, which has a strong atmospheric aesthetic.

At 1080p, the Ultra preset achieves 118.6 FPS, which is a great experience. The High preset at 124.7 FPS is nearly identical, and the difference is within the margin of error. The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU begins to limit performance, as the frame rates across Low, Medium, High, and Ultra are all within a narrow band of 150.2 to 118.6 FPS. This indicates that the GPU has plenty of headroom, and users should select the highest settings their eyes can tolerate, as the performance cost is minimal.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo can achieve?

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 150.2, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Control?

A: Yes, the data shows playable frame rates at 4K. At High settings, the average FPS is 73.9, and at Ultra settings, it drops to 65.6.

Q: How much does the RTX 4070 Ti's 12 GB VRAM impact performance?

A: The 12 GB of GDDR6X memory with 504.2 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for all tested settings. The 4K Ultra preset still achieves 65.6 FPS, suggesting VRAM capacity is not a limiting factor.

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

A: The data suggests it can be at lower resolutions. At 1080p, frame rates are compressed across settings (150.2 to 118.6 FPS), indicating the CPU may be limiting the GPU's potential.

Q: What is the performance difference between High and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 110.4 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 92.2 FPS, a difference of 18.2 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: It ranks 368th out of 1636 tested combos for Control, placing it in the top 22.5% of all tested systems.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen+ architecture, built on a 12 nm process. Its base clock is 3.40 GHz with a boost clock of 3.90 GHz. While this was a capable CPU at its launch in 2018, its benchmark scores show it is now a mid-range part. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 11186, and its single-core score is 1579. Its average benchmark score of 19616 places it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, with rivals like the Intel Core i5-11600KF and AMD Ryzen 5 7530U showing similar performance.

In the context of Control, the CPU's role is to process the game's logic, physics calculations, and draw calls. The data suggests that at 4K, the CPU is not the primary bottleneck. The significant FPS drops from 1080p to 4K are almost entirely due to the GPU's workload. However, at 1080p, the data tells a different story. The frame rates at 1080p are relatively close across all settings, which is a classic sign of a CPU bottleneck. The Ryzen 5 2600 is likely struggling to feed the RTX 4070 Ti enough data to push frame rates beyond the 150 FPS mark, regardless of the graphics settings.

This is further supported by the Passmark data. The CPU's multithread score is 13160, and its single-thread score is 2239. While these are respectable, they are not top-tier. The 6-core, 12-thread configuration is still relevant for modern games, but its lower IPC (instructions per clock) compared to newer architectures means it can struggle in CPU-heavy scenarios. In Control, this manifests as a performance ceiling at 1080p. The data implies that upgrading to a newer CPU would yield higher frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but the current combo is well-suited for 4K gaming where the GPU is the limiting factor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset offers a clear picture of performance across all tested configurations.

At 1920x1080, the results are:

• Low: 150.2 FPS average
• Medium: 132.8 FPS average
• High: 124.7 FPS average
• Ultra: 118.6 FPS average

At 2560x1440, the results are:

• Low: 139.2 FPS average
• Medium: 118.3 FPS average
• High: 110.4 FPS average
• Ultra: 92.2 FPS average

At 3840x2160, the results are:

• Low: 116.1 FPS average
• Medium: 83.5 FPS average
• High: 73.9 FPS average
• Ultra: 65.6 FPS average

The data shows a consistent trend: every step up in resolution or settings results in a lower average FPS. The most significant single drop occurs when moving from 1440p High to 4K High, which is a 36.5 FPS decrease. The smallest drop is from 1080p High to 1080p Ultra, which is only a 6.1 FPS difference. This pattern reinforces the conclusion that the GPU is the dominant factor in performance scaling, with the CPU's influence becoming more apparent at lower resolutions. The 4K Low setting at 116.1 FPS is a standout figure, showing that even with minimal graphical load, the GPU can still push high frame rates at that resolution, though the CPU's ceiling is likely just above this point.