Control

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 is a six-core, twelve-thread processor from the Ryzen 3000 series, built on the Zen 2 architecture (codenamed Matisse) using TSMC's 7 nm process node. It packs 3,800 million transistors on a 74 mm² die. The base clock is 3.60 GHz, with a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. The cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and a shared 32 MB L3 pool. Memory support is DDR4 over a dual-channel bus, yielding 51.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The CPU uses the AMD Socket AM4, supports PCIe Gen 4 with 16 lanes (CPU only), and has a TDP of 65 W. It does not include integrated graphics or ECC memory support. The multiplier is unlocked, and the launch MSRP was $199.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Ryzen 5 3600 shows a scaling pattern that matters for Control. The 3DMark single-thread score is 696, while 2-thread, 4-thread, 8-thread, and 16-thread scores are 1361, 2579, 3844, and 4605 respectively. The max-threads score is 4603, nearly identical to the 16-thread result. This suggests that beyond eight threads, the performance gains are minimal—the CPU saturates its multi-threaded capability around that point. Cinebench R23 multi-core is 15045, while single-core is 2124. Geekbench multi-core is 7372, single-core 1536. PassMark multi-thread is 17700, with single-thread at 2562.

For Control, an action-adventure game from 2019, the CPU load is typically moderate, with most of the rendering burden falling on the GPU. The Ryzen 5 3600's six cores and twelve threads are sufficient to feed a high-end GPU in most scenarios. The single-thread performance, as indicated by the 696 3DMark single-thread score, is adequate for the game's main thread logic, while the multi-thread scores show that background tasks and physics won't bottleneck. The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this combo; rather, it provides a stable foundation for the GPU to work from.

The nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the Intel Core i7-1260P (avgScore 17007, deltaPct 0.2), Intel Core i5-11400 (avgScore 17067, deltaPct -0.2), AMD EPYC 7573X (avgScore 17070, deltaPct -0.2), and AMD EPYC 7742 (avgScore 16998, deltaPct 0.2). The Ryzen 5 3600's average benchmark score is 17035, placing it within a tight band—less than 0.2% from any of these rivals. This indicates that the CPU's raw compute capability is well within the expected range for its class, though it is not exceptional. The percentile vs all CPUs is 71, meaning it outperforms 71% of all processors in the database.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is a flagship GPU from the GeForce 50-series, based on the GB202 chip with the Blackwell 2.0 architecture. It is manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC, with 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 122.9M per mm². The GPU features 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, 176 ROPs, 170 ray tracing cores, and 680 tensor cores. The base clock is 2017 MHz, with a boost clock of 2407 MHz. Memory clocks run at 1750 MHz, with 28 Gbps effective. The memory subsystem consists of 32 GB of GDDR7 on a 512-bit bus, providing 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. The pixel rate is 423.6 GPixel/s, texture rate is 1,636.8 GTexel/s, and FP32 throughput is 104.8 TFLOPS, with FP16 at the same 1:1 ratio. The TDP is 575 W, with a dual-slot cooler and a single 16-pin power connector. The suggested PSU is 950 W. It uses a PCIe 5.0 x16 interface and offers 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b outputs. The launch MSRP was 1,999 USD.

In synthetic tests, the RTX 5090 achieves a PassMark G3D score of 39650, a G2D score of 1413, and a GPU compute score of 26756. DirectX 9, 10, 11, and 12 scores are 395, 226, 341, and 185 respectively. Geekbench OpenCL is 334370, Vulkan is 376728, and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 is 18355. The percentile vs all GPUs is 92, indicating it ranks in the top 8% of all GPUs. The average benchmark score is 79842.

For Control, the RTX 5090's massive VRAM (32 GB) and high bandwidth (1.79 TB/s) are critical. Control is known for its use of volumetric lighting and particle effects, which can consume significant VRAM at high resolutions. The 32 GB GDDR7 ensures that even at 4K Ultra settings, the GPU won't run out of memory. The boost clock of 2407 MHz, combined with the 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 throughput, provides the raw compute needed for the game's physics and rendering. The ray tracing cores (170) are relevant if ray tracing is enabled, though the measured FPS data does not specify whether RT was on.

The nearest rivals in average benchmark score are the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (avgScore 79605, deltaPct 0.3), NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (avgScore 79396, deltaPct 0.6), AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (avgScore 78940, deltaPct 1.1), and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X (avgScore 80959, deltaPct -1.4). The RTX 5090 sits within 1.1% of these rivals, showing that while it is a high performer, the margin over older workstation cards is narrower than expected. However, the deltaPct values are small, and the RTX 5090's lead is not overwhelming in synthetic terms.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 in Control ranks 358th out of 3720 tested combos, placing it in the top 9.6% of all combinations. This is a strong result, but not top-tier. The GPU is clearly the dominant component, as the CPU is a mid-range part from 2019. The data indicates that the combo's rank is driven primarily by the GPU's ability to push high frame rates, while the CPU's limitations may cap performance in CPU-bound scenarios.

Benchmark results show that the combo delivers playable frame rates across all tested settings. At 1080p, the average FPS ranges from 138 (Ultra) to 171 (Low), with Medium at 151 and High at 145. At 1440p, the range is from 116 (Ultra) to 156 (Low), with Medium at 137 and High at 132. At 4K, the range is from 78 (Ultra) to 137 (Low), with Medium at 101 and High at 90. The GPU is clearly the bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the FPS drops are more pronounced from 1080p to 4K.

The rank of 358 out of 3720 means that 3362 combos perform worse, while 357 perform better. This places the combo in the top percentile of all tested systems. The CPU's 71st percentile and GPU's 92nd percentile contribute to this ranking, with the GPU carrying most of the weight.

FAQ

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 a bottleneck for the RTX 5090 in Control?

A: Based on the measured FPS data, the CPU is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 171 FPS, and at 1080p Ultra, 138 FPS. The CPU's single-thread and multi-thread scores (696 and 4605 in 3DMark) are sufficient to keep up with the GPU's output. However, at 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, as FPS drops to 78 at Ultra, indicating that the CPU has headroom.

Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 5090 have, and is it enough for Control at 4K?

A: The RTX 5090 has 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus. For Control, even at 4K Ultra settings, the game's VRAM usage is unlikely to exceed this capacity. The memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s ensures that texture streaming and particle effects are handled without stutter. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra is 78 FPS, which is playable.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the RTX 5090?

A: The launch MSRP of the RTX 5090 is 1,999 USD. This is stated once as the official launch price, with no additional cost analysis.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 3600 compare to its nearest rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The Ryzen 5 3600 has an average benchmark score of 17035. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-1260P (17007, deltaPct 0.2), Intel Core i5-11400 (17067, deltaPct -0.2), AMD EPYC 7573X (17070, deltaPct -0.2), and AMD EPYC 7742 (16998, deltaPct 0.2). The differences are within 0.2%, meaning the CPU performs essentially identically to these parts in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: What is the combo's rank in Control compared to all tested combos?

A: The combo ranks 358th out of 3720 tested combos. This places it in the top 9.6% of all combinations, with 3362 combos performing worse and 357 performing better. The GPU's high percentile (92) contributes more to this rank than the CPU's 71st percentile.

Q: Does the RTX 5090 support DirectX 12 Ultimate?

A: Yes, the RTX 5090 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), as well as OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4. This is relevant for Control, which uses DirectX 11 or 12 depending on the settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows how the combo scales across resolutions. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 171. Moving to 1440p Low, it drops to 156, a decrease of 8.8%. At 4K Low, it falls to 137, a further 12.2% drop from 1440p. For Medium settings, 1080p yields 151 FPS, 1440p yields 137 FPS (a 9.3% drop), and 4K yields 101 FPS (a 26.3% drop from 1440p). For High settings, 1080p is 145 FPS, 1440p is 132 FPS (a 9% drop), and 4K is 90 FPS (a 31.8% drop). For Ultra settings, 1080p is 138 FPS, 1440p is 116 FPS (a 15.9% drop), and 4K is 78 FPS (a 32.8% drop).

The pattern is clear: as resolution increases, the FPS drop becomes more severe, especially at higher settings. At Low, the drop from 1080p to 4K is 19.9% (from 171 to 137). At Medium, it is 33.1% (from 151 to 101). At High, it is 37.9% (from 145 to 90). At Ultra, it is 43.5% (from 138 to 78). This indicates that the GPU is the limiting component at higher resolutions, as the increased pixel count and shading load reduce frame rates. The CPU's influence is minimal at 4K, as the FPS is entirely GPU-bound.

The scaling also suggests that the RTX 5090 is not fully utilized at 1080p, as the CPU may be limiting frame rates. At 1080p Low, 171 FPS is high, but the GPU's raw power (104.8 TFLOPS) suggests it could go higher if the CPU allowed it. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck, as the FPS drops are proportional to the pixel count increase (from 1440p to 4K is 2.25x pixels, but FPS drops are less than that).

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the best experience per setting depends on the target resolution. At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers 151 FPS average, with minimums at 128 and maximums at 173. This is a good balance, as High (145 FPS) and Ultra (138 FPS) offer diminishing returns. For a smooth experience with high refresh rates, Medium is recommended at 1080p, as it provides a 38 FPS cushion over the 100 FPS threshold.

At 1440p, Medium yields 137 FPS average, with minimums at 117 and maximums at 158. This is above the 60 FPS standard and close to 144 Hz. High (132 FPS) and Ultra (116 FPS) are also viable, but Medium offers the best frame time consistency, as indicated by the min/max spread. For competitive play or high refresh monitors, Medium is the sweet spot.

At 4K, the situation changes. Medium delivers 101 FPS average, with minimums at 86 and maximums at 116. This is playable, but the minimums are close to the 60 FPS threshold. High (90 FPS) and Ultra (78 FPS) are also playable, but Ultra's 78 FPS may feel less smooth. For 4K, Medium is recommended, as it provides a 23 FPS margin over the 60 FPS line, while High offers 30 FPS over, but with a lower average.

Overall, the Medium preset is the best choice across all resolutions, as it offers the highest frame rates with acceptable visual quality. Low settings (171 FPS at 1080p) are only for competitive play, while Ultra (138 FPS at 1080p) provides marginal visual gains over High. The data suggests that Medium is the optimal balance for this combo.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table summarizes the measured FPS for all tested resolutions and settings. Note that some entries only have average FPS, while Medium settings include minimum and maximum values.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|---------|---------|

| 1920x1080 | Low | 171 | — | — |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 151 | 128 | 173 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 145 | — | — |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 138 | — | — |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 156 | — | — |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 137 | 117 | 158 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 132 | — | — |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 116 | — | — |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 137 | — | — |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 101 | 86 | 116 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 90 | — | — |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 78 | — | — |

The data shows that at 1080p, the FPS range is narrow (from 138 to 171), with a 33 FPS difference between Low and Ultra. At 1440p, the range is from 116 to 156, a 40 FPS spread. At 4K, the range is from 78 to 137, a 59 FPS spread. This widening range at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU's workload scales significantly with pixel count, while the CPU's contribution remains constant. The Medium settings consistently provide the most stable frame times, as evidenced by the min/max values across all resolutions.