Control

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers a solid performance profile in Control, landing at rank 536 out of 3,720 tested combinations. This places the combo in the top 14.4% of all tested pairings, showing that this CPU-GPU match is well above the median. However, the ranking also indicates that while it is a strong combination, there are many other pairings that achieve higher frame rates in this specific title.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 536 out of 3,720 means this pairing outperforms roughly 85.6% of all tested combinations in Control. This is a strong showing, placing the CPU-GPU match in the upper echelon of tested setups. The high rank is a direct result of the RTX 4080's substantial graphics horsepower, which is the primary driver of frame rates in this game. The Ryzen 5 3600, while not a bottleneck at most settings, is not the top-tier CPU, so the ranking is largely carried by the GPU.

The percentile data for the GPU is also notable. The RTX 4080 sits in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, meaning it is more powerful than 86% of graphics cards. In contrast, the CPU is in the 71st percentile of all CPUs. This disparity in percentile rankings suggests a CPU-bound situation in certain scenarios, but the combination still manages to deliver a high rank because the GPU is doing the heavy lifting in Control.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the clear performance driver in this combination. It brings a substantial 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. For a game like Control, this large memory capacity and high bandwidth ensure that high-resolution textures and complex graphical effects are handled without issue, as evidenced by the strong frame rates at 4K.

Its core configuration is also very strong. The GPU has 9,728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, and 112 render output units. The core clock runs at 2205 MHz and boosts up to 2505 MHz, which is the actual clock the card runs at during gaming. These high clocks and immense processing power are responsible for the high average frame rates seen in the benchmark data.

The RTX 4080 also includes 76 ray tracing cores, which is relevant for Control, a title that heavily features ray-traced effects. The data shows the card is capable of handling the game well at all settings. The GPU's performance is so dominant that even at the most demanding preset, Ultra at 4K, it maintains an average of 69 FPS, which is still above the often-cited 60 FPS target.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear, predictable scaling pattern across the three resolutions, which is indicative of a system where the GPU is the primary limiting factor.

At 1080p, the CPU begins to play a more significant role. The average FPS is high across all settings. For example, with Medium settings, the average is 151 FPS, and with Low settings, it jumps to 171 FPS. The difference between High (145 FPS) and Ultra (135 FPS) is only 10 FPS. This is a sign that the CPU, which is in the 71st percentile, is starting to cap the frame rate. The GPU is so fast at 1080p that it can easily render the frames, and the CPU, running at a boost clock of 4.20 GHz, becomes the main limitation. The low frame rates are still incredibly high, but the scaling shows that the GPU's potential is not fully utilized.

Moving up to 1440p, the data shows the GPU starting to take on more work. At Medium settings, the 1440p average is 132 FPS, a significant drop from the 151 FPS at 1080p. The High preset drops from 145 FPS at 1080p to 118 FPS at 1440p, a 18.6% reduction. This shows that the resolution increase is beginning to shift the load back onto the GPU, which is the expected behavior.

At 4K (3840x2160), the GPU is definitively the bottleneck. The Average FPS for Medium preset is 89 FPS at 4K, which is a massive drop from the 132 FPS at 1440p. High settings drop from 118 FPS at 1440p to 79 FPS at 4K, and Ultra plummets from 102 FPS to 69 FPS. This is a clear indication that the RTX 4080 is being pushed to its limit at 4K for this title. The CPU is no longer the limiting factor; the GPU is fully saturated.

FAQ

Q: What is the performance difference between High and Ultra settings at 4K?

A: The data shows a substantial drop. At 3840x2160, the High preset averages 79 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 69 FPS. This is a 10 FPS difference, which is a 12.7% reduction in performance for the higher preset. This suggests that the Ultra preset is more demanding on the GPU, making it the better choice if you prioritize a higher frame rate.

Q: How does the combo perform at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows an average of 132 FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings. The minimum FPS is 113, and the maximum is 152. This indicates a solid performance and a steady frame rate for 1440p gaming.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck in this game?

A: The data suggests the CPU is a limiting factor at 1080p. At 1920x1080, the difference between Low (171 FPS) and Ultra (135 FPS) is 36 FPS. This is a 21% difference, showing that the GPU is not being fully utilized, and the CPU is likely the limiting component. At 4K, the GPU is the bottleneck, as shown by the high scaling from 1080p.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest minimum FPS is recorded at 3840x2160 with Medium settings, where the minimum is 76 FPS. At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the minimum is 113 FPS. The 1080p Medium setting has a minimum of 128 FPS.

Q: Is this combination better for 1080p or 4K gaming?

A: The data shows the system is capable of very high frame rates at 1080p, with all presets exceeding 135 FPS. At 4K, the frame rates are lower but still playable, with Ultra at 69 FPS and High at 79 FPS. The choice depends on if you prefer high refresh rates at 1080p or higher detail settings at 4K.

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured data shows an average of 118 FPS at 2560x1440 with the High preset. This is a strong performance for a high refresh rate 1440p monitor.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear path for settings in Control. The data shows that the High preset is a sweet spot, but the Ultra preset is also playable.

At 4K, the Ultra preset achieves an average of 69 FPS. This is a playable frame rate and would be suitable for a 60Hz monitor. However, on a high refresh rate 4K display, the 10 FPS difference between Ultra and High (79 FPS) is noticeable. For the most consistent experience, the High preset provides a higher average frame rate of 79 FPS and is likely a more stable option, as the Ultra preset's minimum FPS is not listed but is likely lower. The data suggests that High is the best choice for 4K if you want a higher frame rate, while Ultra is for those who prioritize the best visual quality over a few extra frames.

At 1440p, the system is very capable. The Ultra preset averages 102 FPS, which is excellent for a high-refresh monitor. The Medium preset averages 132 FPS, and the High preset is at 118 FPS. Since all settings exceed 100 FPS, the choice depends on whether you want to maximize visual fidelity (Ultra) or frame rate (Medium). The High preset is a balanced sweet spot, offering a high average frame rate without the full compromise of Ultra.

At 1080p, the Ultra preset averages 135 FPS, which is a high frame rate. The High preset is 145 FPS, and the Medium is 151 FPS. The Low is the highest at 171 FPS. The performance differences are smaller, showing that the CPU is a limiting factor. For the best visual experience, Ultra is viable, but for maximum smoothness, Medium is recommended. The data shows the system can handle any setting at 1080p.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Zen 2 architecture. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. In the context of Control, this CPU is a competent partner for the powerful GPU, but its performance is not as dominant as the GPU's.

The CPU's performance benchmarks show it is a strong mid-range part. Its multi-core scores are good but not outstanding. For example, its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 15045, and its Geekbench multicore score is 7372. These scores place it in the 71st percentile of all CPUs, showing it is better than most, but not a top-tier chip. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-1260P, has a nearly identical average score, showing they are tightly matched.

The data shows that the CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the frame rates are high, but the differences between settings are smaller. For instance, the drop from Medium (151 FPS) to Ultra (135 FPS) is just 16 FPS, which is a 10.6% reduction. This contrasts with the 4K numbers, where the same settings change results in a 20 FPS drop (89 to 69 FPS). This pattern indicates that at 1080p, the CPU is the limiting factor, preventing the GPU from rendering more frames.

The CPU's 12 threads and 32 MB of L3 cache are sufficient for Control, but it's not the fastest for gaming. The combination of a mid-range CPU with a high-end GPU means the system is GPU-bound at 1440p and 4K, but CPU-bound at 1080p. The performance is still excellent, but it means that a more powerful CPU could potentially increase frame rates further at 1080p, though the gain would be moderate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark results for this combo in Control are as follows, with resolution and settings.

At 1920x1080:

• Low: Average 171 FPS. This is the highest frame rate achieved in this test.
• Medium: Average 151 FPS, with a minimum of 128 FPS and a maximum of 173 FPS.
• High: Average 145 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 135 FPS.

The scaling at 1080p shows a difference of 36 FPS or 21.5% between the Low and Ultra presets. This is a relatively small difference, indicating that the CPU is limiting the GPU's full potential.

At 2560x1440:

• Low: Average 156 FPS.
• Medium: Average 132 FPS, with a minimum of 113 FPS and a maximum of 152 FPS.
• High: Average 118 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 102 FPS.

The scaling at 1440p shows a wider gap. The difference between Low and Ultra is 54 FPS, or 34.6%. The GPU is starting to take more of the workload, but still not fully.

At 3840x2160:

• Low: Average 126 FPS.
• Medium: Average 89 FPS, with a minimum of 76 FPS and a maximum of 103 FPS. This is the only setting with a reported minimum and maximum.
• High: Average 79 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 69 FPS.

At 4K, the scaling is steep. The difference between the Low and Ultra settings is 57 FPS, or 45.2%. The GPU is fully utilized here, and the performance drops significantly with each increase in quality, as expected for a demanding title. The 4K resolution is the most demanding, and the data shows the RTX 4080 is pushed to its limits, but the 3600 CPU is no longer the bottleneck. The 4K results also show the performance is very close to the 60 FPS target of a standard display, with the high preset maintaining 79 FPS.