Control

Control is an action-adventure title from 2019 that stresses both the CPU and GPU depending on the resolution and settings. The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT produces a wide spread of frame rates, from highly playable at 1080p to a struggle at 4K. The data shows a system that is well-balanced for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with the GPU becoming the primary bottleneck as resolution increases.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Control at 4K?

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. The measured FPS shows an average of 63 FPS at 4K Low, which drops to 44 FPS at Medium and 39 FPS at High. At 4K Ultra, the average falls to 34 FPS, which is below the smooth threshold for most action games.

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU/GPU pairing in Control?

A: 1080p is the strongest territory. The data shows an average of 77 FPS at High settings and 122 FPS at Low settings. At 1440p, High settings still deliver a respectable 58 FPS average, making that a good alternative for higher fidelity.

Q: How demanding is the Ultra preset compared to High?

A: The Ultra preset is significantly more demanding. At 1440p, the average FPS drops from 58 on High to 51 on Ultra. At 1080p, it drops from 77 on High to 67 on Ultra. At 4K, the drop is from 39 on High to 34 on Ultra.

Q: Is the 8 GB VRAM on the RX 6650 XT a limiting factor in Control?

A: The benchmark data does not explicitly report VRAM usage, but the performance scaling between settings suggests that the GPU's computational limits are the primary factor rather than a hard VRAM cap. The RDNA 2.0 architecture with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory is sufficient for the tested configurations.

Q: How does this CPU compare to its nearest rivals in general benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 5 5500X3D is very closely matched with its nearest rivals. It is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and the Intel Core Ultra 5 225, and 0.2% behind the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450, with a score of 37018.

Q: How does this GPU compare to its nearest rivals in general benchmarks?

A: The RX 6650 XT is also tightly clustered with its nearest rivals. It is 0.7% ahead of the AMD FirePro D300, 0.8% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro K5200, and 0.6% behind the NVIDIA Tesla K40m, with an average score of 19765.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with the Navi 23 chip. It operates with a base clock of 2055 MHz and a boost clock of 2635 MHz, with a game clock rated at 2410 MHz. The GPU is equipped with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 280.3 GB/s. The memory clock is listed as 2190 MHz, which translates to 17.5 Gbps effective. These specifications place the GPU in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, indicating it is a solid mid-range performer.

In Control, the GPU's role is critical, but the degree to which it bottlenecks the system changes with settings. At 1080p Low, the GPU can push out an average of 122 FPS, which suggests the CPU is capable of feeding it enough data. However, as the settings are increased to High and Ultra at 1080p, the average FPS drops to 77 and 67 respectively, showing the GPU's workload increasing. The pattern is more pronounced at higher resolutions. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. The average FPS at 4K Low is 63, but this falls to 44 at Medium and 39 at High, showing a steep performance curve as the GPU struggles to fill the increased pixel count. The 4K Ultra result of 34 FPS confirms that the RX 6650 XT is not designed for maximum fidelity at this resolution in this title.

The GPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks, such as a Passmark G3D score of 17166, aligns with its in-game results. It has a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1859, which is a modern test reflecting its DirectX 12 Ultimate capabilities. The GPU's compute potential is shown by its Passmark GPU Compute score of 7532. The texture rate of 337.3 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 168.6 GPixel/s are adequate for the game's visual effects, but the 4K results indicate they are not sufficient for high-detail 4K rendering.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 5 5500X3D and the RX 6650 XT ranks 1875 out of 2888 tested combos for Control. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the database, which is a reasonable position given the hardware's specifications. The rank is likely pulled down by the GPU's performance at higher resolutions, where many other combos with more powerful graphics cards will have a significant advantage.

This ranking is not a measure of failure, but rather a reflection of the combo's target market. It is a pairing designed for 1080p gaming, where its performance is strong. The ranking is also influenced by the CPU's capabilities. The Ryzen 5 5500X3D has a Passmark single-thread score of 2941 and a multithread score of 20363, which are solid numbers. The CPU's performance in the game is sufficient to keep the GPU well-fed at lower resolutions, but as the resolution increases, the GPU's limitations become the primary factor in the combo's overall ranking. The data indicates that this combo performs best relative to others when the resolution is low, and its position in the rankings worsens as the resolution and settings are increased.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the combo's capabilities across different settings and resolutions.

At 1920x1080, the results are strong. On Low settings, the average FPS is 122, which is far beyond the refresh rate of most standard monitors. On Medium settings, the average FPS is 87, with a minimum of 74 and a maximum of 100. This is an excellent experience. Moving to High settings, the average FPS drops to 77, which is still very smooth. On Ultra settings, the average FPS is 67, which is still playable and provides a high level of visual detail.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains solid but begins to show the GPU's limits. On Low settings, the average FPS is 93, which is great. On Medium settings, the average FPS is 66, with a minimum of 56 and a maximum of 76. This is a good experience for most players. On High settings, the average FPS drops to 58, which is adequate for a slower-paced game but may be a concern for fast-paced action. On Ultra settings, the average FPS is 51, which is a more noticeable dip.

At 3840x2160, the performance is a challenge. On Low settings, the average FPS is 63, which is borderline playable. On Medium settings, the average FPS is 44, with a minimum of 38 and a maximum of 51. This is a significant drop. On High settings, the average FPS is 39, which is not a smooth experience. On Ultra settings, the average FPS is 34, which is the lowest result in the data set. These numbers clearly show that 4K is not the intended use case for this hardware in this game.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K illustrates the relationship between the CPU and GPU. At 1080p High, the combo achieves 77 FPS. At 1440p High, this drops to 58 FPS, which is a 24.7% decrease. At 4K High, the frame rate falls to 39 FPS, which is a 49.4% decrease from the 1080p result. These are substantial drops, but they are typical for a GPU in this performance class.

The pattern is similar at other settings. At Low settings, the frame rate goes from 122 FPS at 1080p, to 93 FPS at 1440p, to 63 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K is a 48.4% reduction. At Medium settings, the frame rate goes from 87 FPS at 1080p, to 66 FPS at 1440p, to 44 FPS at 4K, a 49.4% reduction. This consistent percentage drop across settings indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor as resolution increases. The CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, has enough headroom to process the game logic at these frame rates, so the performance scaling is tied almost entirely to the GPU's pixel-pushing capabilities.

The 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus of the RX 6650 XT are sufficient for the bandwidth needs at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the increased data demands likely contribute to the steep performance drop. The GPU's 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs are the physical resources that must render the higher resolution frames, and the benchmark data shows they are overwhelmed at 4K Ultra.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer. It has a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz. A key feature is its large 96 MB of shared L3 cache, which is characteristic of the X3D series and helps with gaming performance. The CPU is built on a 7 nm process and supports DDR4 memory with a dual-channel bus, giving it a memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s.

In the context of Control, the CPU's role is to handle the game's physics, AI, and other simulation tasks. The data suggests that the Ryzen 5 5500X3D is not the bottleneck in this pairing. At 1080p Low, the CPU is able to feed the GPU enough data to achieve 122 FPS. Even at 4K, where the GPU is clearly struggling, the CPU is still capable of maintaining the frame rate, as the bottleneck is the GPU's rendering speed, not the CPU's ability to send draw calls.

The CPU's general benchmark scores support this conclusion. It has a Passmark multithread score of 20363 and a single-thread score of 2941. These scores are respectable and place it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. Its closest rivals have nearly identical average scores, with the Ryzen 5 5600F being 0.2% slower and the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 being 0.2% slower, while the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 is 0.2% faster. This tight grouping indicates that the CPU has sufficient processing power for modern games, and its performance in Control is likely more than adequate to avoid limiting the RX 6650 XT. The 105 W TDP and AM4 socket are standard for this generation, and the lack of an unlocked multiplier is a minor limitation for overclocking, but it does not affect its stock performance in this game.