Control

Control, the 2019 action-adventure title, is a demanding showcase of environmental destruction and physics. The pairing of AMD's Ryzen 5 2600 and NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 5070 creates a significant generational gap, but the measured results here show that even this older six-core processor can keep up with a modern flagship GPU in this specific title. The data indicates this combo ranks in the 74th percentile of all tested combinations, placing it well ahead of the median for this game.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 brings six cores and twelve threads to the table, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 3.90 GHz. This is a Zen architecture part from the 2000 series, built on a 12 nm process, and it was released in April 2018. While its single-thread performance is modest by today's standards—scoring 1,579 in Cinebench R23 single-core—its multi-threaded score of 11,186 shows it retains respectable throughput for older games. The 16 MB of shared L3 cache is also a factor in how efficiently it feeds the GPU.

In Control, the data shows that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck even at lower resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 147.6 FPS, which is the highest measured frame rate in the entire dataset for this combination. This suggests that the Ryzen 5 2600 is capable of feeding the RTX 5070 enough data to reach high frame rates, despite its age. The processor's 65W TDP and dual-channel DDR4 memory support (with 46.9 GB/s bandwidth) are adequate for this workload, and the benchmark results confirm that the CPU does not artificially cap performance in this title until you push the resolution and settings to the absolute maximum.

Comparing it to its nearest rivals, the Ryzen 5 2600's average benchmark score of 19,616 is only 0.6% behind the Intel Core i5-1345U and 0.7% ahead of the Intel Core i7-10700F. This indicates that within its performance class, it is a well-balanced part. However, it is important to note that the CPU's 77th percentile ranking against all CPUs is far lower than the GPU's 83rd percentile, which hints that the processor is the weaker link in this particular pairing, even if it doesn't show in the 1080p results.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 5 2600 and RTX 5070 achieves a combo rank of 418 out of 1,636 tested combinations in Control. This places it in the upper quartile of all systems tested, which is a strong result given the CPU's age. The data shows this pairing is capable of delivering a smooth experience at most settings, but it is not at the very top of the charts, where newer, faster processors would be paired with this GPU.

The performance distribution across the measured rows shows a clear pattern: the system is far more responsive to changes in graphics settings than to changes in resolution, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario at higher settings. The single most important takeaway from the ranking is that the RTX 5070's raw power is not being wasted, but the Ryzen 5 2600 does prevent the system from reaching the absolute peak frame rates that a newer CPU might unlock. Even so, a 418th place finish out of 1,636 combos means the vast majority of systems are slower in this game.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1080p with High settings, the combo averages 127.4 FPS. Moving to 1440p High drops this to 99 FPS, a reduction of 22.3%. At 4K High, the frame rate falls to 69 FPS, which is a 45.8% drop from the 1080p result. This scaling indicates that the GPU is becoming the primary limiting factor as the pixel count increases, which is expected for a game with heavy visual effects.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings also widens with resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low (147.6 FPS) and Ultra (115.8 FPS) is 31.8 FPS. At 4K, that gap grows to 46.4 FPS, with Low producing 106.5 FPS and Ultra producing 60.1 FPS. This shows that at 4K, the RTX 5070 is working much harder to process the additional detail, while the CPU's role diminishes. The 4K Ultra result of 60.1 FPS is the lowest in the dataset, but it is still playable, which is noteworthy for a game from 2019 running on a modern GPU.

The data suggests that for a 1080p or 1440p monitor, the Ryzen 5 2600 has enough headroom to keep up, as the frame rate differences are more attributable to GPU load. However, at 4K, the system becomes firmly GPU-bound, which is where the RTX 5070's 12 GB of VRAM and 672.0 GB/s bandwidth are put to good use.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Control with this CPU and GPU combo?

A: According to the measured data, 1440p High provides a strong balance of visual quality and performance at 99 FPS average. 4K High is also playable at 69 FPS, but 1440p offers a much higher refresh rate headroom.

Q: How much faster is 1080p compared to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the 1080p average FPS of 127.4 is 84.6% higher than the 4K average of 69 FPS. This demonstrates the significant load that 4K resolution places on the GPU.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 2600 a bottleneck for the RTX 5070 in this game?

A: The data shows the CPU is not a hard bottleneck, as the 1080p Low result of 147.6 FPS is the highest in the dataset. However, the processor's lower single-thread score compared to modern CPUs suggests it may limit absolute peak frame rates in less demanding scenes.

Q: Is the RTX 5070's 12 GB VRAM sufficient for Control?

A: The benchmark results do not indicate any VRAM-related issues, as the 4K Ultra setting still achieves 60.1 FPS. The 12 GB of GDDR7 memory appears adequate for this title's requirements at all tested settings.

Q: How does the combo's ranking compare to other systems tested?

A: This combo ranks 418 out of 1,636 tested combinations, placing it in the 74th percentile. This means it performs better than roughly three-quarters of all systems tested in Control.

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

A: At 1440p, Low settings produce 133.8 FPS, while Ultra settings produce 89.4 FPS. This represents a 33.2% performance drop when moving from the lowest to the highest settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is the dominant component in this pairing. It is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process and features 6,144 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. Its 12 GB of GDDR7 memory runs at 28 Gbps effective, delivering 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth over a 192-bit bus. The boost clock of 2,512 MHz and 48 RT cores make it a formidable part for any modern game, and its performance in Control reflects this.

The GPU's passmark G3D score of 29,137 places it in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 41,687 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090, which trails by only 0.6%. This shows that the RTX 5070 is a high-end part that can handle the most demanding titles. In Control, the GPU is clearly the driving force behind the frame rates, as the performance scales directly with resolution and settings changes. The 4K Ultra result of 60.1 FPS reflects the GPU's ability to handle the game's complex rendering effects, including real-time ray tracing and particle physics, without dropping below playable frame rates.

The GPU's 250W TDP and dual-slot cooler are typical for this performance class, and its PCIe 5.0 x16 interface ensures it is not bandwidth-limited in this system. The data confirms that the RTX 5070 is the component that determines the upper limits of performance, while the older Ryzen 5 2600 serves as a capable, if not ideal, partner.

Settings Recommendations

For a smooth and visually impressive experience, the Medium preset is the sweet spot. At 1440p, Medium produces 111.1 FPS, which is a 12.2% improvement over High (99 FPS) but only a 4.5% drop from Low (133.8 FPS). This suggests that Medium captures most of the visual fidelity while maintaining high frame rates. At 1080p, Medium offers 129.6 FPS, which is also strong, and even at 4K, Medium achieves a playable 77.3 FPS.

If you have a 4K display and want the best image quality, High is the recommended setting, as it delivers 69 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Ultra at 4K dips to 60.1 FPS, which is technically playable but leaves no headroom for demanding scenes. For competitive play or high refresh rate monitors, Low settings at 1080p (147.6 FPS) or 1440p (133.8 FPS) are the best choices, as they prioritize frame rate above all else.

The data shows that the jump from Medium to High costs about 10-12% performance at 1440p and 4K, while the jump from High to Ultra costs roughly 9-10% more. Therefore, Medium or High are the most efficient presets for this hardware combination, providing a strong balance between visual quality and performance without the steep cost of Ultra.