Control

FAQ

Q: What is the overall performance ranking of this CPU/GPU combination in Control?

A: This combo ranks 2307 out of 2888 tested combinations in the database for Control, placing it in the lower half of all tested systems despite the hardware being relatively modern.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Arc B570's average benchmark score of 20556 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534, deltaPct 0.1) and the Intel Arc A750 (20582, deltaPct -0.1). It sits slightly above the Quadro M4000M (0.4% faster) and slightly below the Radeon R9 M390X (-0.5%).

Q: What kind of frame rates can this system achieve at 1080p with High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with High settings, the measured average FPS is 63. The Medium preset delivers 71 FPS average, while Low reaches 101 FPS average. Ultra drops to 55 FPS average.

Q: Does the Ryzen 5 3600 hold up well against comparable CPUs in multi-threaded workloads?

A: The Ryzen 5 3600 scores 15045 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 17035 average benchmark score overall. Its nearest rivals are tightly clustered: the Intel Core i7-1260P is 0.2% faster, the Intel Core i5-11400 is 0.2% slower, and the AMD EPYC 7573X and EPYC 7742 are both 0.2% slower.

Q: Is the Arc B570's 10 GB VRAM sufficient for Control at higher resolutions?

A: The 10 GB GDDR6 memory with 380.0 GB/s bandwidth appears adequate based on the measured results, but the GPU still struggles at 4K—the Ultra preset at 3840x2160 only achieves 28 FPS average, suggesting VRAM capacity is not the primary limiting factor.

Q: What is the best preset to use at 1440p for a smooth experience?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset yields 54 FPS average (with minimum 46 FPS), while High drops to 48 FPS. For a 60 FPS target, you would need to use Low at 76 FPS average, as no higher preset reaches that threshold.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 brings 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, delivering 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base and boost clocks are both 2500 MHz, with memory clocked at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). The GPU packs 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units, along with 18 ray tracing cores. Peak theoretical performance is 11.52 TFLOPS FP32 and 23.04 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1 ratio).

In Control, the GPU's role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution scales up. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra presets spans from 101 FPS to 55 FPS—a 46 FPS spread that shows the GPU has headroom at lower settings. Moving to 1440p, the spread narrows to 34 FPS (76 to 42 FPS), and at 4K it tightens further to 23 FPS (51 to 28 FPS). This pattern indicates the Arc B570's compute and memory resources are being progressively saturated as pixel count rises.

The GPU's 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs places it comfortably in the mid-range tier. Its synthetic benchmark results show strong DirectX 11 performance (Passmark score 118) but weaker DirectX 12 (72) and DirectX 10 (65) scores. The Geekbench Vulkan score of 96844 is notably higher than OpenCL at 83514, which may hint at better optimization for Vulkan titles. For a 2019 game like Control, the B570's modern architecture with DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) ensures full feature compatibility, though the measured frame rates suggest real-world performance trails synthetic expectations.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable scaling pattern across resolutions. Starting at 1080p Low with 101 FPS average, moving to 1440p Low drops performance to 76 FPS (a 25% reduction), and 4K Low further reduces it to 51 FPS (a 33% drop from 1440p). The same trend holds across all presets: High goes from 63 FPS at 1080p to 48 FPS at 1440p (24% loss) and 32 FPS at 4K (33% loss from 1440p).

The scaling behavior indicates a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the Ryzen 5 3600's single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2124, 3DMark single-thread score of 696) is sufficient to keep the Arc B570 reasonably fed, as evidenced by the 101 FPS Low result. However, the dramatic FPS drops when moving to 4K—particularly the 32 FPS High and 28 FPS Ultra results—show the GPU simply cannot sustain playable frame rates at that resolution regardless of settings.

The delta between Low and Ultra presets shrinks as resolution increases: 46 FPS at 1080p, 34 FPS at 1440p, and 23 FPS at 4K. This compression suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so heavily loaded that even reducing settings to Low cannot unlock significant additional performance—the bottleneck has shifted from settings-dependent workload to raw pixel throughput and memory bandwidth limits. The 380.0 GB/s bandwidth and 160-bit bus are likely constraining factors at 4K, where the 10 GB VRAM buffer is also under greater pressure.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1080p (1920x1080):

• Low: 101 FPS average
• Medium: 71 FPS average (min 61, max 82)
• High: 63 FPS average
• Ultra: 55 FPS average

At 1080p, this system delivers playable frame rates across all presets. Low settings provide a comfortable margin above 100 FPS, while Medium and High both exceed 60 FPS. Ultra is the only preset that dips below 60 FPS, but 55 FPS is still within a playable range for a single-player action-adventure title. The gap between Low and Medium (30 FPS) is larger than between Medium and High (8 FPS), suggesting diminishing returns from Medium to High.

1440p (2560x1440):

• Low: 76 FPS average
• Medium: 54 FPS average (min 46, max 62)
• High: 48 FPS average
• Ultra: 42 FPS average

At 1440p, only Low settings achieve a 60+ FPS average. Medium manages 54 FPS with a minimum of 46 FPS, which may cause noticeable stuttering in combat-heavy scenes. High and Ultra both fall below 50 FPS. The Medium preset's min/max range (46-62 FPS) shows significant variance, indicating the GPU is working near its limits.

4K (3840x2160):

• Low: 51 FPS average
• Medium: 36 FPS average (min 31, max 42)
• High: 32 FPS average
• Ultra: 28 FPS average

4K performance is marginal across the board. Even Low settings only achieve 51 FPS, and every other preset falls below 40 FPS. The Ultra preset at 28 FPS is essentially unplayable for a fast-paced action game. Medium's minimum of 31 FPS highlights the inconsistency—frame times would likely be noticeable even during less demanding scenes.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on Zen 2 architecture (Matisse) on a 7 nm process. It runs at 3.60 GHz base and 4.20 GHz boost, with 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 512 KB L2 per core. Memory support is DDR4 dual-channel with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth. The CPU ranks in the 71st percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17035.

In Control, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU at higher resolutions, but it still matters at 1080p. The single-thread performance—Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2124, 3DMark single-thread score of 696, and Passmark single-thread score of 2562—is adequate for the game's physics and AI workloads. The multi-threaded capabilities (Cinebench R23 multi-core 15045, Passmark multithread 17700) are unlikely to be fully utilized, as Control is not known for heavy multi-threading.

The 1080p Low result of 101 FPS suggests the CPU can drive the Arc B570 to respectable frame rates when the GPU is not the bottleneck. However, the fact that the 1080p Ultra result (55 FPS) is still above the 4K Low result (51 FPS) indicates that CPU limits do not manifest until the GPU is heavily loaded. At 1080p, the CPU contributes to the FPS ceiling—the 101 FPS Low result is likely near the CPU's practical limit for this game, as the GPU should be capable of higher frame rates at Low settings.

The CPU's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-1260P (0.2% faster), Intel Core i5-11400 (0.2% slower), and two AMD EPYC server chips (both 0.2% slower). This tight clustering shows the Ryzen 5 3600 remains competitive with newer mainstream parts despite its 2019 release date. For Control specifically, the CPU's 3DMark 2-thread score of 1361 and 4-thread score of 2579 provide context for how it handles the game's thread scheduling, though the game's engine is not particularly demanding on CPU resources.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on your target resolution and desired frame rate.

At 1080p: The Medium preset (71 FPS average, min 61) delivers the best balance of visual quality and performance. It maintains a minimum above 60 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay during action sequences. High (63 FPS) is also viable if you prefer better visuals, but it has less headroom for frame drops. Ultra (55 FPS) is playable but risks dipping below 50 FPS in demanding scenes. Low (101 FPS) is unnecessary unless you have a 144 Hz display and prioritize maximum smoothness over visuals.

At 1440p: Only Low (76 FPS) provides a consistently smooth experience above 60 FPS. Medium (54 FPS average, min 46) is borderline—the minimum FPS suggests occasional stutters, but many players would find it acceptable for a single-player game. High (48 FPS) and Ultra (42 FPS) are best reserved for players who prioritize image quality over frame rate and can tolerate 40-50 FPS gameplay. If you have a variable refresh rate monitor, Medium is the recommended choice for the best compromise.

At 4K: No preset delivers a truly smooth experience. Low (51 FPS) is the only option above 50 FPS, while Medium (36 FPS) and High (32 FPS) are marginal. Ultra (28 FPS) should be avoided. If you must play at 4K, Low is the only reasonable choice, but expect occasional frame drops. For a better experience, consider reducing to 1440p where Medium provides a playable 54 FPS.

Overall recommendation: For most players targeting 60 FPS, the Medium preset at 1080p or 1440p offers the best experience. The step from Medium to High (8 FPS at 1080p, 6 FPS at 1440p) is relatively small, so High is a reasonable choice if you have a capable display. Avoid Ultra unless you prioritize maximum visual fidelity and can accept frame rates in the 40-55 FPS range. The data clearly shows diminishing returns beyond Medium settings, making it the sweet spot for this hardware combination.