Control

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT delivers a strong showing in Control, ranking in the 357th position out of 1636 tested combinations. This places the combo in the top 22% of all tested systems, a solid result that reflects the GPU's high-end positioning and the CPU's ability to keep up without becoming a severe bottleneck. The pairing is well-balanced for this title, as the data shows the GPU is doing the heavy lifting while the six-core processor provides sufficient support to avoid major frame rate collapses.

How This Combo Ranks

Out of 1636 tested CPU-GPU combinations, this specific pairing ranks 357th in Control. That is a strong percentile placement, putting it ahead of roughly 78% of all tested combos. The ranking suggests that while the RX 7900 XT is capable of very high frame rates, the Ryzen 5 5500 holds the system back from the very top tier. The GPU alone sits in the 82nd percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU is in the 79th percentile among all CPUs — both are above average, but the CPU is the weaker link in this specific game title.

The GPU's average benchmark score of 38358 places it nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile (38349, delta 0%) and slightly ahead of the NVIDIA CMP 70HX (38225, delta 0.3%). It also edges out the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile (38135, delta 0.6%). On the CPU side, the Ryzen 5 5500's average score of 20875 is essentially neck-and-neck with the Intel Core i5-12500 (20897, delta -0.1%) and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE (20900, delta -0.1%). This means the processor is performing right at expectations for its class. For Control, the result is that you get very playable frame rates at all resolutions, but the 4K Ultra preset is the only setting where the system dips below 60 FPS.

FAQ

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 5500 enough for the RX 7900 XT in Control?

A: Yes, the data shows the combination is well-matched. At 1080p, the system achieves 203 FPS on Low and 114.2 FPS on Ultra. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads with a boost clock of 4.20 GHz are adequate to feed the GPU, as the frame rates scale predictably with resolution rather than collapsing due to CPU limits.

Q: How does this combo compare to similar hardware in benchmark scores?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 38358, which is within 0.6% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile. The CPU's average score of 20875 is within 0.2% of the Intel Core i5-12500. Both components perform at parity with their closest rivals.

Q: Can this system hit 60 FPS at 4K?

A: Yes, but not at the highest settings. At 4K High, the average FPS is 69.4, which is above 60. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 58.9 FPS, so you will need to lower settings to maintain a 60 FPS lock at 4K.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: The sweet spot is 1440p. At this resolution, High settings produce 99.1 FPS, Medium produces 112.1 FPS, and even Ultra stays above 60 at 86.5 FPS. This offers a good balance between visual fidelity and high refresh rates.

Q: How much of a performance difference is there between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: The difference is 88.8 FPS. At 1080p Low, the average is 203 FPS, while at 1080p Ultra, it drops to 114.2 FPS. This indicates the GPU has significant headroom at lower settings, suggesting the CPU is not a limiting factor at this resolution.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary limiter at higher resolutions. From 1080p to 4K, frame rates drop significantly (e.g., 129.9 FPS at 1080p High vs 69.4 FPS at 4K High), which is typical of GPU-bound scenarios. The CPU's performance remains constant, as its benchmark scores show it is competitive with similar processors.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data clearly indicates that the High preset offers the best experience across all resolutions. At 1080p, High delivers 129.9 FPS, which is excellent for fast-paced action. At 1440p, High still provides 99.1 FPS, comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Even at 4K, High maintains an average of 69.4 FPS, making it the only preset besides Low that stays above 60 FPS at that resolution.

The Ultra preset is not recommended for this game with this hardware. At 1080p Ultra, the average drops to 114.2 FPS, which is still playable, but at 1440p it falls to 86.5 FPS, and at 4K it hits 58.9 FPS — just below the 60 FPS target. The visual upgrade from High to Ultra is rarely worth the performance cost, especially since High already delivers over 60 FPS at 4K. For competitive play, the Low preset at 1080p offers a massive 203 FPS, but the Medium preset at 146.9 FPS is a better balance for those who want higher visuals without sacrificing too much speed.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the system shows its full potential. The Low preset produces an average of 203 FPS, which is the highest measured value in the entire dataset. Medium follows at 146.9 FPS, High at 129.9 FPS, and Ultra at 114.2 FPS. All presets are well above 100 FPS, making this resolution ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Moving to 1440p, the numbers remain strong. Low drops to 155.2 FPS, Medium to 112.1 FPS, High to 99.1 FPS, and Ultra to 86.5 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 68.7 FPS, showing that the GPU is still capable of delivering high frame rates even at this demanding resolution.

At 4K, the performance scales down further. Low produces 106.9 FPS, which is surprisingly high. Medium drops to 74.2 FPS, High to 69.4 FPS, and Ultra to 58.9 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 48 FPS, which is the largest relative drop in the dataset, indicating that the GPU is increasingly stressed at this resolution.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a clear pattern of frame rate reduction as resolution increases. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS drops by approximately 30% across all settings. For example, High goes from 129.9 FPS at 1080p to 99.1 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 30.8 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K is even more pronounced: High falls from 99.1 FPS to 69.4 FPS, a 30% decrease again.

This scaling behavior indicates that the system is GPU-bound. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see similar frame rates across resolutions, since the CPU workload does not change with resolution. Instead, the frame rate drops proportionally with the increase in pixel count, which is characteristic of a system where the RX 7900 XT is doing the majority of the work. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient to keep up, as evidenced by the smooth scaling.

The fact that 4K Low still achieves 106.9 FPS further confirms the GPU's strength. At lower settings, the GPU has more headroom, and the CPU does not become a bottleneck until frame rates approach the 200 FPS range at 1080p Low. This suggests that for users with 1440p or 4K monitors, the CPU will not be a concern.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture. It runs at a base clock of 3.60 GHz and boosts up to 4.20 GHz. With 16 MB of L3 cache and a 65W TDP, it is a mainstream desktop chip that performs well in gaming workloads. Its benchmark scores show it is competitive with the Intel Core i5-12500, with a delta of -0.1%, meaning the two are nearly identical in average performance.

In Control, the CPU's role is to feed the RX 7900 XT with enough data to keep it busy. The benchmark data shows that the CPU is not a major limiting factor until frame rates exceed 200 FPS at 1080p Low. At that point, the 6-core processor may struggle to keep up with the GPU's output, but this is an edge case. For the more common settings of High or Ultra, the CPU provides adequate support, as evidenced by the consistent frame rates across resolutions.

The CPU's multi-threaded performance is also notable. In Cinebench R23, it scores 16429 in multi-core and 2319 in single-core. This indicates it can handle the background tasks and physics calculations required by Control without causing frame drops. The 12 threads allow for smooth multitasking, and the 3.60 GHz base clock ensures consistent performance under load. Overall, the CPU is a capable partner for the RX 7900 XT in this game, though users aiming for the absolute highest frame rates at 1080p might benefit from a stronger processor.