Control

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti lands at rank 364 out of 1636 tested combos in Control, placing it comfortably in the top quarter of all configurations. That percentile position reflects a system that can deliver high-refresh-rate gameplay at mainstream resolutions while still handling 4K, though the aging six-core processor is clearly the limiting factor when pushing for maximum frame rates. The pairing is not a balanced one on paper, but the benchmark results show it is a workable one for this specific title.

How This Combo Ranks

Out of 1636 tested combinations, this CPU-GPU pairing ranks 364th in Control. That places it in the 78th percentile of all combos tested, which is a strong showing for a processor released in 2018 paired with a 2025 flagship-tier graphics card. The ranking indicates that while the RTX 5070 Ti is doing the heavy lifting, the Ryzen 5 2600 is not completely holding the system back in this game. The data shows a 77th percentile ranking for the CPU against all processors and an 87th percentile for the GPU, so the combo rank sits between those two figures, reflecting how Control distributes its load.

The gap between the CPU and GPU performance percentiles is telling. When a game relies heavily on the GPU, the combo rank will trend toward the GPU's percentile; when it is CPU-bound, it trends down. Here, the 364th place out of 1636 suggests that Control is neither purely GPU-bound nor purely CPU-bound at all settings. At lower resolutions and lower settings, the CPU becomes more relevant, which explains why the combo rank does not match the GPU's strong 87th percentile. The data indicates that a more modern CPU would likely push this combo much higher, but the 2600 still delivers a playable experience across the board.

GPU Role

The RTX 5070 Ti is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications explain why. It carries 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding 896.0 GB/s of bandwidth. That memory capacity is generous for Control, a game that does not typically stress VRAM at 1080p or 1440p, but it provides headroom at 4K Ultra where texture streaming can demand more. The GPU's boost clock of 2452 MHz and base clock of 2295 MHz are high figures, and the 8960 shading units process geometry and pixel data rapidly. The pixel rate of 235.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 686.6 GTexel/s are the raw throughput numbers that matter for filling the screen with the game's physics-driven debris and particle effects.

Benchmark scores reinforce this. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6604 and the Passmark G3D score of 32974 place the GPU in the 87th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the RTX 4080 with a delta of 0%, meaning they are effectively tied in synthetic benchmarks. The RTX 5070 Ti also holds a 2.5% advantage over the RTX A1000 and a 0.8% deficit against the RX 7700S, though those are different classes of hardware. In Control specifically, the GPU's role is clear: it is what enables the 1920x1080 Low result of 149.1 FPS and the 3840x2160 High result of 75.2 FPS. Without this card, those numbers would be drastically lower.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Control at 4K?*

A: Yes. At 3840x2160, the average frame rates are 65.6 FPS on Ultra, 75.2 FPS on High, and 83.3 FPS on Medium. Even the Low preset at 4K hits 118 FPS, so 4K is viable across all settings, though Ultra dips below the 70 FPS threshold that some players prefer.

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

A: The data suggests it is at lower resolutions. At 1920x1080 Low, the combo produces 149.1 FPS, which is only 9% higher than the 136.9 FPS at 2560x1440 Low. If the GPU were the only limit, the 1080p number would be much higher. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads with a 3.90 GHz boost clock are the constraint here.

Q: What is the best resolution to play at for a high refresh rate monitor?

A: For 144 Hz displays, 2560x1440 on Medium (118.6 FPS) or High (113.6 FPS) works well. At 1920x1080, all settings except Ultra exceed 124 FPS, with Low hitting 149.1 FPS. If you have a 120 Hz monitor, 4K High at 75.2 FPS is also smooth enough.

Q: How does the RTX 5070 Ti compare to its direct predecessor in terms of performance?

A: The nearest rival data shows the RTX 5070 Ti is essentially equal to the RTX 4080, with a deltaPct of 0%. This is a synthetic benchmark comparison, not a Control-specific one, but it indicates the 5070 Ti is a high-end card that competes with the previous generation's top tier.

*Q: Does the 16 GB VRAM matter for Control?*

A: The game was released in 2019 and does not require 16 GB of VRAM at the tested settings. However, the high bandwidth (896.0 GB/s) ensures that texture streaming and high-resolution rendering do not stutter. The VRAM headroom is not a limiting factor in any of the measured rows.

Q: Is the CPU's memory bandwidth a concern?

A: The Ryzen 5 2600 supports dual-channel DDR4 with a theoretical bandwidth of 46.9 GB/s. This is low compared to the GPU's 896.0 GB/s, but Control is not a memory-bandwidth-sensitive title. The measured frame rates show no signs of memory starvation.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers high frame rates across all presets. The Low preset averages 149.1 FPS, Medium drops to 132.8 FPS, High sits at 124.4 FPS, and Ultra is still above 120 FPS at 119.1 FPS. This resolution is clearly CPU-limited at the Low preset, as the jump from Low to Medium is only 11%, while the jump from Medium to High is 6%. The spread from Low to Ultra is 30 FPS, which shows that the GPU has ample headroom here.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong. Low averages 136.9 FPS, Medium hits 118.6 FPS, High is at 113.6 FPS, and Ultra drops to 96.7 FPS. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 8-10% at each setting, which is a modest penalty for the resolution increase. At this resolution, the GPU is starting to become the limiting factor, but the CPU still influences the Low preset result, which is only 18 FPS higher than Medium.

At 3840x2160, the GPU takes over completely. Low averages 118 FPS, Medium hits 83.3 FPS, High is at 75.2 FPS, and Ultra falls to 65.6 FPS. The scaling here is steep: Low to Medium is a 29% drop, Medium to High is a 10% drop, and High to Ultra is a 13% drop. This is classic GPU-bound behavior. The 4K Ultra result of 65.6 FPS is playable on a 60 Hz display, but not ideal for high-refresh monitors. The 4K High result of 75.2 FPS is the sweet spot for 4K/60 Hz gaming with some headroom.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 5 2600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 3.90 GHz. It was released in 2018 with a launch MSRP of $199 and has a 65 W TDP. Its benchmark scores show it is a mid-range CPU: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11186 and a single-core score of 1579. The Passmark single-thread score is 2239, which is modest by modern standards. The CPU's percentile ranking against all CPUs is 77th, meaning it outperforms 77% of all processors ever tested, but it is far from a top-tier chip.

In Control, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p and low settings. The data shows that at 1920x1080 Low, the system hits 149.1 FPS, but at 2560x1440 Low, it only drops to 136.9 FPS. If the GPU were the bottleneck, the 1440p result would be much lower relative to 1080p. The fact that the difference is only 8% suggests that the CPU is holding the system back at 1080p Low. The 3.90 GHz boost clock is low compared to modern CPUs, and the 16 MB of shared L3 cache is small, which can affect frame pacing in physics-heavy scenes. However, at 4K, the CPU's limitations are masked by the GPU's workload, as evidenced by the 118 FPS Low result at 3840x2160.

The nearest rival data for the CPU shows it trades blows with the Intel Core i5-11600KF (-0.6% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (+0.6% delta). These are all mid-range parts, and the 2600 holds its own. The bottleneck is real but not crippling. For a game like Control that emphasizes GPU effects, the 2600 is sufficient for 60+ FPS at all resolutions and settings, which confirms the RTX 5070 Ti's power.

Settings Recommendations

For 1920x1080 gaming, the data suggests using the High preset at 124.4 FPS or the Medium preset at 132.8 FPS. The Ultra preset at 119.1 FPS is only 4% slower than High, so if you want the best visuals without sacrificing smoothness, Ultra is a viable choice here. The Low preset at 149.1 FPS is only useful if you have a 144 Hz monitor and want maximum frame rates, but the visual downgrade is significant.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 113.6 FPS is the best balance of visual quality and performance. The Medium preset at 118.6 FPS is nearly identical in performance, so the choice depends on whether you prefer higher shadows and textures. The Ultra preset at 96.7 FPS is still above 90 FPS, which is smooth on most displays, but the 17 FPS drop from High to Ultra is noticeable. For a 144 Hz monitor, you will need to use Low (136.9 FPS) or Medium (118.6 FPS) to get close to that refresh rate.

For 3840x2160, the High preset at 75.2 FPS is the recommended choice for a 60 Hz display, as it provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 65.6 FPS is playable but sits close to the 60 FPS threshold, which could result in occasional dips in heavy scenes. The Medium preset at 83.3 FPS is a good option if you want more headroom for VRR displays. The Low preset at 118 FPS is overkill for 4K and sacrifices too much visual fidelity. Overall, the data shows that High settings at 4K offer the best experience, with Medium as a fallback for higher refresh rates.