Control

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and AMD Radeon RX 580 pairing delivers a distinctly last-generation experience in Control, with benchmark data showing significant performance limitations at higher resolutions. While the combination is capable of playable frame rates at 1080p with adjusted settings, the demanding nature of the game’s physics and rendering quickly overwhelms the GPU, resulting in sub-30 FPS averages at 4K across all quality presets. The data reveals a system where the RX 580 acts as the primary bottleneck, with the Ryzen 5 5500’s six-core Zen 3 architecture providing sufficient processing headroom.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo achieves in Control?*

A: The best measured result is 66.2 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only configuration in the dataset that surpasses the 60 FPS threshold.

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

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the average frame rate drops to 28.7 FPS. This is below the 30 FPS playability baseline, indicating that the RX 580 cannot sustain smooth gameplay at this resolution and quality level.

Q: Is there a significant performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: Yes, the data shows a substantial gap. Low settings yield 66.2 FPS, while Ultra settings produce only 35.4 FPS. This represents a 30.8 FPS difference, highlighting the heavy impact of the game’s visual effects on the GPU.

Q: What is the combo’s overall ranking among tested configurations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 1512 out of 1636 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 8% of all configurations. This indicates that the pairing is considerably weaker than the majority of systems tested with Control.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 5500 compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-12500?

A: The Ryzen 5 5500 has an average benchmark score of 20875, which is 0.1% lower than the Intel Core i5-12500’s score of 20897. This puts the two processors at near-parity in synthetic testing.

Q: What is the GPU’s percentile ranking among all tested graphics cards?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 580 sits in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs in the database. This places it in the middle of the pack, with its average benchmark score of 13559 being closely matched by rivals like the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580, based on the Polaris 20 chip and GCN 4.0 architecture, is the dominant component in this pairing’s Control performance. Its 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for the game’s textures at 1080p but becomes strained as resolution increases. The GPU’s base clock of 1257 MHz and boost clock of 1340 MHz drive 2304 shading units, yet the data shows that this configuration cannot maintain high frame rates in Control’s demanding environments.

The GPU’s performance ceiling is evident in the measured FPS data. At 3840x2160, even the lowest settings yield only 30 FPS, while Ultra settings plummet to 17.4 FPS. This pattern indicates that the RX 580’s raw compute power, rated at 6.175 TFLOPS FP32, is insufficient for the game’s high-resolution rendering load. The 185 W TDP and dual-slot design reflect the card’s age, and the benchmark results confirm that it is better suited to 1080p gaming than higher resolutions.

The RX 580’s 53rd percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13559, places it in the mid-range tier. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570, scores 13564, representing a 0% deltaPct. This close competition underscores that the RX 580 is a capable but dated solution, and the Control results reflect this positioning. The GPU’s passmark G3D score of 8813 further illustrates its mid-pack standing, while its DirectX 12 score of 43 indicates moderate API performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 5 5500 and RX 580 ranks 1512 out of 1636 tested combos in Control, placing it in the bottom 7.6% of all configurations. This low ranking is driven almost entirely by the GPU’s limitations, as the CPU’s synthetic scores show it to be a competent performer. The Ryzen 5 5500’s average benchmark score of 20875 puts it in the 79th percentile of all CPUs, with its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-12500, scoring 20897 for a deltaPct of -0.1%.

This stark contrast between CPU and GPU performance tiers explains the combo’s poor ranking. The Ryzen 5 5500, with its 6 cores and 12 threads based on Zen 3 architecture, provides more than enough processing power for Control. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 16429 and single-core score of 2319 indicate strong computational capabilities. However, the RX 580’s 53rd percentile GPU ranking and its average score of 13559, which is nearly identical to the much older GTX 570, bottleneck the system.

The combo’s ranking is further contextualized by the fact that it is outclassed by 124 other combinations in the database. This means that the majority of systems tested with Control achieve better performance, even if some use older or less capable CPUs. The data suggests that upgrading the GPU would yield a far more significant performance improvement than upgrading the CPU, as the Ryzen 5 5500 is already positioned well above the average in synthetic benchmarks.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo shows its best performance, with Low settings delivering 66.2 FPS, Medium at 46.1 FPS, High at 40 FPS, and Ultra at 35.4 FPS. This represents a clear scaling curve where each quality step costs roughly 5-10 FPS, with the largest drop occurring between Low and Medium. The 66.2 FPS result at Low settings is the only playable configuration, while the Ultra setting’s 35.4 FPS falls below the 40 FPS threshold that many players consider minimally acceptable.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance degrades significantly. Low settings yield 46.5 FPS, which is still playable, but Medium drops to 36.6 FPS, High to 28.7 FPS, and Ultra to 26.5 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium at this resolution is 9.9 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra narrows to just 2.2 FPS. This pattern suggests that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor, as the higher resolution places more demand on the pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles across all settings. Low settings produce 30 FPS, which is borderline playable, but Medium drops to 23.7 FPS, High to 22.1 FPS, and Ultra to 17.4 FPS. The performance degradation from Low to Ultra is 12.6 FPS, representing a 42% reduction. This data confirms that the RX 580 is not viable for 4K gaming in Control, as even the lowest settings barely reach 30 FPS, and higher settings become unplayable.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is severe across all settings, revealing the GPU’s inability to handle the increased pixel count. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 66.2 at 1080p to 46.5 at 1440p and 30 at 4K. This represents a 54.7% reduction from 1080p to 4K. At Ultra settings, the drop is even more pronounced: from 35.4 FPS at 1080p to 26.5 FPS at 1440p and 17.4 FPS at 4K, a 50.8% reduction.

The scaling pattern indicates that the RX 580’s 256.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 42.88 GPixel/s pixel rate are the primary constraints. As resolution increases, the GPU must process more pixels, and its 8 GB of GDDR5 memory, while adequate in capacity, lacks the speed to maintain frame rates. The 14 nm Polaris chip, with its 193.0 GTexel/s texture rate, also struggles with the game’s high-resolution textures.

The data also shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck. The Ryzen 5 5500’s high synthetic scores, including a passmark multithread score of 19330 and a 3dmark single-thread score of 836, suggest it can keep up with the GPU’s output. The fact that frame rates drop consistently with resolution and settings points to the GPU as the limiting component. For players seeking higher resolutions, the RX 580 would need to be replaced with a more powerful card, while the Ryzen 5 5500 could remain in the system without causing additional bottlenecks.