Control

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER combination delivers a playable but not spectacular experience in Control, with results that scale predictably across resolutions and settings. The data shows a system that hits smooth framerates at 1080p, remains viable at 1440p with settings tuning, and struggles at 4K except on the lowest preset. This pairing ranks 2650 out of 3720 tested combos, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database—a reflection of both components’ age and mid-range positioning.

Settings Recommendations

For this combo, the measured rows show a clear sweet spot at Medium settings across all resolutions. At 1920x1080, Medium produces 84 FPS average with a minimum of 71 FPS and a maximum of 96 FPS. That minimum is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold most players target, and the average leaves headroom for demanding scenes. Moving to High at 1080p drops the average to 74 FPS, still playable but with less margin. Ultra at 1080p yields 65 FPS average, which is acceptable but begins to approach the edge of smoothness during intense combat sequences.

At 2560x1440, Medium delivers 63 FPS average with a minimum of 54 FPS and a maximum of 73 FPS. The 54 FPS floor is noticeable during heavy particle effects or large-scale destruction, but it remains within a playable range. High at 1440p drops to 56 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 49 FPS—both below ideal smoothness. Low at 1440p gives 89 FPS, but the visual quality loss in a game like Control—where atmosphere and lighting are central—is not worth the gain.

For 3840x2160, Medium produces 43 FPS average with a minimum of 36 FPS and a maximum of 49 FPS. That is borderline playable but will feel stuttery in action. Low at 4K reaches 60 FPS average, which is technically smooth, but the graphical compromise is severe. High and Ultra at 4K (38 FPS and 33 FPS respectively) are effectively unplayable for most users.

The practical recommendation is Medium at 1080p or 1440p. At 1080p, Medium offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, with the 71 FPS minimum ensuring consistency. At 1440p, Medium remains the best choice, though players sensitive to framerate dips may prefer Low’s 89 FPS average. Ultra is only worth considering at 1080p for players who prioritize image quality over framerate stability, accepting the 65 FPS average.

GPU Role

The RTX 2060 SUPER carries the bulk of the rendering load in Control, and its specifications explain the performance ceiling. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. That memory configuration is adequate for 1080p and 1440p at Medium settings, but the 4K results suggest VRAM or bandwidth limitations become relevant at higher resolutions. The card’s boost clock of 1650 MHz and base clock of 1470 MHz are modest by modern standards, and the FP32 throughput of 7.181 TFLOPS reflects its mid-range Turing architecture.

The GPU’s benchmark scores place it in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 18093. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile (deltaPct -0.4), AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (deltaPct -0.5), AMD Radeon RX 460 (deltaPct -1.5), and Intel Arc A770M (deltaPct -1.6). The negative deltas indicate the RTX 2060 SUPER scores slightly lower than these alternatives, though the differences are small—within 1.6%. This suggests the GPU is competitive with those parts, but not ahead of them.

In Control, the GPU’s role is dominant. The framerate drops from 1080p to 4K are steep, and the settings scaling shows that reducing graphical load directly translates to higher FPS. The card’s 34 RT cores and 272 tensor cores are present but do not appear to provide a decisive advantage in this title’s measured results; the game’s real-time ray tracing features would tax these units, but the measured rows do not isolate RT performance. The 175 W TDP and single 8-pin power connector are typical for this class, and the 450 W suggested PSU indicates modest system power requirements.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a consistent pattern: as resolution increases, average framerate drops by roughly 25-30% per step. At Low settings, the progression is 118 FPS at 1080p, 89 FPS at 1440p, and 60 FPS at 4K. That represents a 24.6% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 32.6% drop from 1440p to 4K. At High settings, the numbers are 74 FPS, 56 FPS, and 38 FPS—drops of 24.3% and 32.1% respectively. Medium shows 84 FPS, 63 FPS, and 43 FPS, with drops of 25.0% and 31.7%. Ultra shows 65 FPS, 49 FPS, and 33 FPS, with drops of 24.6% and 32.7%.

These consistent percentage drops indicate the system is GPU-limited at all resolutions. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the framerate would plateau or drop less severely at higher resolutions because the CPU workload per frame would remain constant. Instead, the steady decline suggests the RTX 2060 SUPER is the limiting component, and its rendering throughput scales inversely with pixel count. The 4K Ultra result of 33 FPS is particularly telling—it is less than half the 1080p Ultra result of 65 FPS, confirming that the GPU cannot sustain the increased pixel workload.

The Ryzen 5 5500, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is not the constraining factor here. Its benchmark scores—Cinebench R23 multicore of 16429, single-core of 2319, and Geekbench multicore of 7976—are solid for a mid-range CPU. The 73rd percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19593, places it slightly below rivals like the Intel Core i5-12500 (deltaPct -0.4) and Intel Core i5-11600KF (deltaPct -0.7), but above the Intel Core i7-10700F (deltaPct 0.5). None of these small differences would change the GPU-bound nature of Control at these settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080: The best performance comes at Low settings, where the system averages 118 FPS. This is the only preset that exceeds the 100 FPS mark, making it suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors, though the visual compromise is significant. Medium produces 84 FPS average with a minimum of 71 FPS and a maximum of 96 FPS—the most balanced option. High delivers 74 FPS average, a 11.9% reduction from Medium. Ultra drops to 65 FPS average, which is still playable but represents a 22.6% reduction from Medium. The spread between Low and Ultra is 53 FPS, indicating that settings have a substantial impact at this resolution.

2560x1440: Low settings yield 89 FPS average, which is smooth and responsive. Medium produces 63 FPS average with a minimum of 54 FPS and a maximum of 73 FPS—the minimum is the key number, as it shows the system can dip below 60 FPS during demanding moments. High averages 56 FPS, a 11.1% drop from Medium. Ultra averages 49 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target but still technically playable for less demanding players. The gap between Low and Ultra here is 40 FPS, narrower than at 1080p, suggesting the GPU is becoming more stressed.

3840x2160: This resolution is clearly beyond the comfortable range for this combo. Low settings produce 60 FPS average, which is exactly at the playability threshold, but the visual quality is heavily degraded. Medium averages 43 FPS with a minimum of 36 FPS and a maximum of 49 FPS—the minimum is below 40 FPS, indicating noticeable stutter. High averages 38 FPS, and Ultra averages 33 FPS. Neither High nor Ultra is recommended for serious play. The 4K results show a 27 FPS difference between Low and Ultra, the smallest spread across all resolutions, confirming that the GPU’s rendering capacity is exhausted.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 2650 out of 3720 tested combinations places this system in the 28th percentile of all tested CPU-GPU pairings. This is a low-middle ranking, consistent with the component choices: the Ryzen 5 5500 is a budget-oriented CPU from 2022, and the RTX 2060 SUPER is an end-of-life GPU from 2019. Neither component is top-tier, and their combination does not boost either part’s standing.

The CPU’s individual ranking is higher than the combo’s overall ranking. The Ryzen 5 5500 sits in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19593. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430 (deltaPct -0.1), Intel Core i5-12500 (deltaPct -0.4), Intel Core i7-10700F (deltaPct 0.5), and Intel Core i5-11600KF (deltaPct -0.7). These deltas are all within 1%, meaning the 5500 is statistically equivalent to those CPUs in synthetic benchmarks. The GPU’s ranking is lower: the RTX 2060 SUPER sits in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 18093.

The discrepancy between the CPU’s 73rd percentile and the combo’s 28th percentile ranking suggests the GPU is the limiting factor in this pairing. In Control, where the measured FPS scales heavily with resolution and settings, the GPU’s mid-range performance drags down the overall experience. A stronger GPU paired with the same CPU would likely achieve a higher combo rank, while a stronger CPU paired with the same GPU would see minimal gains in this title. The data supports the conclusion that for Control, the RTX 2060 SUPER is the component to upgrade first.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for this combo at 1080p?

A: Medium settings provide 84 FPS average with a minimum of 71 FPS, offering the best balance of visual quality and framerate stability. Ultra runs at 65 FPS average but has no reported minimum, and Low reaches 118 FPS at significant visual cost.

*Q: Can this system handle 1440p gaming in Control?*

A: Yes, but only at Medium or Low settings. Medium delivers 63 FPS average with a 54 FPS minimum, while Low reaches 89 FPS average. High (56 FPS) and Ultra (49 FPS) fall below the 60 FPS target.

Q: Is 4K playable with this hardware?

A: Only at Low settings, which produces 60 FPS average. Medium drops to 43 FPS with a 36 FPS minimum, and High/Ultra run at 38 FPS and 33 FPS respectively. These results indicate the GPU is not suitable for 4K at higher presets.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score of 18093 is 0.4% lower than the RTX 3060 Mobile, 0.5% lower than the Radeon Pro 5700, 1.5% lower than the Radeon RX 460, and 1.6% lower than the Intel Arc A770M. These differences are minor in synthetic tests.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 5500 holding back the RTX 2060 SUPER in this game?

A: No. The consistent FPS drops across resolutions indicate a GPU bottleneck. The CPU’s benchmark scores place it in the 73rd percentile, and its nearest rivals (i5-12500, i7-10700F) show deltas under 1%, suggesting the CPU is not the limiting factor in Control.

Q: What is this combo’s overall ranking among tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 2650 out of 3720 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle tier. This reflects the GPU’s 62nd percentile ranking and the CPU’s 73rd percentile ranking, with the GPU being the weaker component.