Control

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and Radeon RX 7600 combination delivers a playable but demanding experience in Control, with performance scaling that clearly identifies the GPU as the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The data shows a system that can handle 1080p Ultra comfortably, but requires settings adjustments to maintain smooth frame rates at 1440p and 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, revealing a classic GPU-limited scenario. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 121.3 at 1920x1080 to 64.2 at 3840x2160, a reduction of 47.1% when moving to 4K. This pattern intensifies at higher presets: High settings drop from 75.4 FPS at 1080p to 36.0 FPS at 4K, a 52.3% decline, while Ultra sees the average fall from 65.0 to 31.6 FPS, a 51.4% reduction.

The scaling between 1080p and 1440p is more moderate. For instance, High settings only lose 16.5 FPS (75.4 to 58.9) when moving from 1080p to 1440p, representing a 21.9% drop. However, the jump from 1440p to 4K is far more punishing, with High settings losing another 22.9 FPS (58.9 to 36.0). This nonlinear scaling indicates that the RX 7600's memory bandwidth and pixel throughput become the limiting factors at 4K, where the 128-bit memory bus and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth struggle to feed the massive pixel count.

The 1080p to 1440p transition shows the CPU still has headroom, but the 4K results are purely GPU-bound. The data suggests that the Ryzen 5 5500's 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient to keep up at lower resolutions, but the GPU's rendering capabilities cap performance as resolution increases. The 4K Low result of 64.2 FPS versus 1080p Low at 121.3 FPS demonstrates that even at minimal settings, the GPU cannot maintain high frame rates at 4K, confirming the graphics card as the bottleneck.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination ranks 1091 out of 1636 tested combos in Control, placing it in the lower third of all configurations. This rank is somewhat surprising given the individual component benchmarks, but it reflects the demanding nature of this specific title. The RX 7600 sits at the 63rd percentile among all GPUs, while the Ryzen 5 5500 is at the 79th percentile among all CPUs, yet their combined performance in Control falls below what those individual scores might suggest.

The GPU's nearest rivals provide context for its performance ceiling. The RX 7600 scores 0.6% lower than the RX 7600 XT and 0.8% lower than the RX 460 in average benchmark scores, which indicates that the 7600 is closely matched with its immediate competitors. However, it trails the RTX 3070 Mobile by 1.3% and the Intel Arc B570 by 1.5%. These small deltas suggest that the GPU is well-positioned among its peers, but the 1091st rank out of 1636 combos implies that the CPU-GPU pairing is not optimizing performance in Control.

The CPU's rival comparisons show a similar pattern. The Ryzen 5 5500 performs within 0.2% of the Intel Core i5-12500, the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE, and the Intel Core i5-12600T, with the EPYC 7J13 just 0.1% ahead. This clustering means that the CPU choice is not the differentiator in this ranking; rather, the overall system configuration and how it interacts with Control's engine determine the final position.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 5 5500 provides 6 cores and 12 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. Its benchmark scores show strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 16429 and a single-core score of 2319. The 3DMark results, particularly the 16-thread score of 5386 and max-thread score of 5411, indicate that the CPU can handle heavily threaded workloads without significant scaling issues.

In Control, the CPU's role is evident in the 1080p results. At Low settings, the system achieves 121.3 FPS, which is high enough to suggest the CPU is not the primary limiter at that resolution. However, the difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p (121.3 vs 65.0 FPS) shows that the GPU is still the dominant factor, as the CPU can maintain high frame rates when the GPU is not stressed. The 4K results further confirm this, as all settings produce similar relative performance gaps, indicating the CPU has ample headroom even at higher resolutions.

The CPU's 16 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for Control's demands. The benchmark data shows the CPU is not the bottleneck, as even the most demanding 4K Ultra scenario at 31.6 FPS is well above the CPU's minimum frame rate capabilities. The data indicates that upgrading the CPU would not yield significant FPS gains in this game, as the GPU is clearly the limiting component across all tested configurations.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Control?*

A: The 1920x1080 resolution provides the most consistent experience, with all settings achieving at least 65 FPS on Ultra and 121.3 FPS on Low, making it the only resolution where all presets are playable.

*Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Control?*

A: The 4K results are marginal at best. Ultra averages 31.6 FPS and High averages 36.0 FPS, both below the 60 FPS threshold, though Low settings at 64.2 FPS are playable.

Q: How does the RX 7600 compare to its closest rivals?

A: The RX 7600 scores 0.6% lower than the RX 7600 XT and 0.8% lower than the RX 460, while being 1.3% ahead of the RTX 3070 Mobile and 1.5% ahead of the Intel Arc B570 in average benchmark scores.

Q: Is the CPU holding back performance in this game?

A: No, the data shows the CPU is not the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 121.3 FPS, and the performance drops at higher resolutions follow GPU-bound patterns, indicating the CPU has sufficient headroom.

*Q: What is the combo's overall ranking in Control?*

A: This combination ranks 1091st out of 1636 tested combos, placing it in the lower third of all configurations tested in this game.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM limit performance at higher resolutions?

A: The 8 GB GDDR6 memory with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth appears adequate for 1440p, but 4K Ultra at 31.6 FPS suggests that VRAM capacity or bandwidth may be contributing to the performance drop at that resolution.

GPU Role

The Radeon RX 7600 is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 33 chip, featuring 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a key specification for understanding its performance in Control. The GPU's boost clock of 2655 MHz and game clock of 2250 MHz are moderate, but the 21.75 TFLOPS of FP32 performance shows significant compute capability.

The GPU's benchmark scores reveal its position among competitors. With a Passmark G3D score of 16634 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2310, the RX 7600 demonstrates solid DirectX 12 performance. Its Vulkan score of 90825 in Geekbench is notably higher than the OpenCL score of 82501, suggesting the architecture performs well with modern APIs. However, the 63rd percentile ranking among all GPUs indicates it is not a top-tier performer.

In Control, the GPU's limitations become apparent at higher resolutions. The 4K Ultra result of 31.6 FPS is particularly telling, as it shows the GPU struggling to maintain playable frame rates at maximum settings. The 1440p results are more reasonable, with High at 58.9 FPS and Ultra at 51.6 FPS, but still below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. The 1080p results are the most favorable, with all settings above 65 FPS, making this the resolution where the GPU's capabilities are best utilized.

Settings Recommendations

For a consistent 60+ FPS experience, the Low preset is the only option at 4K, delivering 64.2 FPS. At 1440p, High settings achieve 58.9 FPS, which is close to the 60 FPS target, while Medium at 67.1 FPS provides a comfortable margin. The Ultra preset at 1440p falls to 51.6 FPS, which may be acceptable for some users but is not ideal for fast-paced action.

At 1080p, all settings are viable, but the data suggests a sweet spot. High settings at 75.4 FPS provide a good balance between visual quality and performance, while Medium at 83.2 FPS offers additional headroom. Ultra at 65.0 FPS is still playable but shows a significant drop from High, indicating that the Ultra preset's additional effects have a measurable performance cost. The Low preset at 121.3 FPS is unnecessary for most users, as the visual quality reduction outweighs the frame rate benefit.

The measured data indicates that High settings at 1440p offer the best overall experience for users with 1440p monitors, as it nearly hits 60 FPS while maintaining good visual fidelity. For 4K users, dropping to Low is required for playability, while 1080p users can enjoy Ultra settings with acceptable performance. The medium preset seems to offer diminishing returns, with only a 9.7% improvement over High at 1080p (83.2 vs 75.4 FPS) but a significant visual quality reduction.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers 121.3 FPS on Low, 83.2 FPS on Medium, 75.4 FPS on High, and 65.0 FPS on Ultra. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 46.4% reduction in frame rate (121.3 to 65.0), with the largest single drop occurring between Low and Medium at 31.4% (121.3 to 83.2).

At 2560x1440, the results are 89.7 FPS on Low, 67.1 FPS on Medium, 58.9 FPS on High, and 51.6 FPS on Ultra. The drop from Low to Ultra is 42.5% (89.7 to 51.6), with the Low to Medium transition showing a 25.2% decrease (89.7 to 67.1). These numbers indicate that 1440p requires more conservative settings to maintain smooth frame rates.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly: 64.2 FPS on Low, 44.8 FPS on Medium, 36.0 FPS on High, and 31.6 FPS on Ultra. The Ultra preset at 4K is only 49.2% of the 1080p Ultra performance (31.6 vs 65.0), highlighting the GPU's struggle at this resolution. The Medium preset at 4K achieves 44.8 FPS, which is the highest playable setting for users who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity at this resolution.