Control

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and AMD Radeon RX 9060 combination delivers a compelling, if not class-leading, experience in Control, with benchmark data showing a clear progression from playable 1080p performance to a challenging 4K Ultra scenario. The measured results across three resolutions and four quality presets paint a detailed picture of where this system’s strengths and bottlenecks lie.

Resolution Scaling

The data reveals a stark and predictable decline in average frame rates as resolution increases, which is the primary indicator of the GPU’s workload scaling. At 1080p High settings, the combo achieves an average of 82 FPS. Moving to 1440p High drops this to 62 FPS, a 24.4% reduction. The jump to 4K High is far more punishing, with average FPS falling to 42, a further 32.3% decrease from the 1440p figure. This steepening curve suggests that the rendering pipeline becomes increasingly dominated by the pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth demands of higher resolutions.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets. At Low settings, the average frame rate goes from 130 FPS at 1080p, to 98 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 66 FPS at 4K. This represents a 24.6% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 32.7% drop from 1440p to 4K. The similarity in percentage drops across different quality settings is telling. It implies that the performance penalty for increasing resolution is relatively independent of the graphical complexity, which points directly at the GPU’s fixed-function hardware—the ROPs and the memory subsystem—as the limiting factor.

The most extreme example of this scaling is at Ultra settings, where the average FPS plummets from 71 at 1080p to 54 at 1440p and then to 36 at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is only 50.7% of the 1080p Ultra score, highlighting how the combination of the highest pixel count and the most demanding shading work creates a multiplicative load. The data strongly suggests that while the CPU is sufficient to drive high frame rates at lower resolutions, the RX 9060’s 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory interface become the definitive constraint as the render target expands.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz. Its defining feature is the large 96 MB of shared L3 cache, which is often beneficial for gaming workloads that rely on data locality. In terms of synthetic benchmarks, it posts a passmark_multithread score of 20363 and a passmark_single_thread score of 2941, placing it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs.

When examining its nearest rivals, the data shows it is virtually tied with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, which has an average score of 36945 and a deltaPct of 0.2, and the Intel Core Ultra 5 225, also with a deltaPct of 0.2. It trades blows with the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (-0.2 deltaPct) and the Intel Core i9-12900T (-0.3 deltaPct). This indicates that the 5500X3D is a solid mid-range performer, but its raw compute power is not exceptional.

In the context of Control, the CPU’s role appears to be supportive rather than dominant. The fact that frame rates scale so heavily with resolution suggests that the game is not being bottlenecked by the processor. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 130 FPS, which is a high enough frame rate to suggest the CPU is keeping up with the GPU’s output. However, the 5500X3D’s modest boost clock of 4.00 GHz might limit performance in the most CPU-intensive scenes, though the measured data does not isolate this scenario. The large L3 cache could help maintain consistent frame pacing, but the overall impression is that this processor is well-matched to the GPU, providing enough throughput to prevent major stutters without being the star of the show.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1440p with High settings?

A: The benchmark data shows an average of 62 FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings.

Q: How does the 4K Ultra performance compare to the 1080p Ultra performance?

A: The average frame rate at 4K Ultra is 36 FPS, which is exactly half of the 71 FPS average seen at 1080p Ultra.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 5500X3D a strong competitor against its nearest rivals?

A: Benchmark scores indicate it is essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and Intel Core Ultra 5 225, both showing a deltaPct of 0.2, and it is slightly ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 and Intel Core i9-12900T.

Q: What is the best performance result recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average frame rate in the measured data is 130 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Does the GPU perform better than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti in synthetic tests?

A: The data shows the RX 9060 has an average benchmark score of 16014, while the RTX 3060 Ti has a score of 16129, yielding a deltaPct of -0.7, meaning the NVIDIA card is slightly faster in this specific metric.

Q: At what settings does the combo achieve a 60 FPS average at 1440p?

A: The measured data shows that at 2560x1440, the High preset achieves 62 FPS and the Medium preset achieves 70 FPS, both of which clear the 60 FPS threshold.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a comprehensive look at the combo’s performance across the board. At 1920x1080, the results are consistently strong, with the Low preset delivering an average of 130 FPS, which is ideal for high refresh rate monitors. The Medium preset offers a solid 92 FPS, with a minimum of 78 FPS and a maximum of 106 FPS, indicating a stable experience. High settings reduce the average to 82 FPS, while Ultra drops it to 71 FPS. All 1080p configurations are comfortably playable.

Stepping up to 2560x1440, the performance remains respectable but starts to show the GPU’s limits. The Low preset still delivers a high 98 FPS average. The Medium preset produces a 70 FPS average with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 80 FPS, which is right on the edge of a consistent 60 FPS experience. The High preset averages 62 FPS, while the Ultra preset falls to 54 FPS. This suggests that 1440p is the sweet spot for High settings, but Ultra may require some compromises for a locked 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the data shows a significant challenge. The Low preset manages an average of 66 FPS, which is playable. However, the Medium preset drops to a 47 FPS average, with a minimum of 40 FPS and a maximum of 54 FPS. High settings average 42 FPS, and Ultra settings average just 36 FPS. These lower frame rates at 4K indicate that the RX 9060 is not designed for high-refresh 4K gaming, and users will need to rely on upscaling technologies or lower settings to achieve smoother gameplay.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. It has a boost clock of 2990 MHz and a game clock of 2400 MHz. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 17631 in passmark_g3d and has an average benchmark score of 16014, placing it in the 59th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which scores 16129, a deltaPct of -0.7.

The GPU’s role in Control is clearly the primary driver of performance, especially at higher resolutions. The 4K results are particularly telling. With only 8 GB of VRAM, the card may be forced to manage texture data more aggressively, but the more significant constraint appears to be the memory bandwidth. The 288.0 GB/s bandwidth is moderate, and the high pixel count of 4K resolutions demands a massive amount of data to be moved to and from the frame buffer. This explains why the frame rate drops so significantly from 1080p to 4K, regardless of the quality preset.

The GPU’s compute capabilities are also a factor. Its FP32 performance is rated at 21.43 TFLOPS, which is competent for a mid-range card. However, the shading units and texture units, while sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, are overwhelmed by the workload at 4K Ultra. The data implies that the RX 9060 is best utilized as a 1080p high-refresh and 1440p high-fidelity card, with 4K gaming requiring substantial settings reductions.

Settings Recommendations

Based strictly on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience depends heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset provides an average of 71 FPS, which is a great balance of visual fidelity and smoothness. For players who prioritize frame rate, the High preset at 82 FPS or even the Medium preset at 92 FPS are excellent choices. The Low preset at 130 FPS is only recommended for competitive play where maximum frame rate is paramount.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is the clear recommendation, as it delivers a solid 62 FPS average that should feel smooth in most scenarios. The Medium preset, with a 70 FPS average and a minimum of 59 FPS, is a safer bet for those who want to ensure they stay above 60 FPS at all times. The Ultra preset at 54 FPS is borderline, and while it offers the best image quality, the frame rate is too low for a consistently fluid experience.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more restrictive. The Low preset is the only setting that achieves a playable average frame rate of 66 FPS. The Medium preset at 47 FPS and the High preset at 42 FPS are playable but may exhibit noticeable stuttering. The Ultra preset at 36 FPS is not recommended for a comfortable experience. For 4K gaming, users should stick to Low settings or consider lowering the resolution to 1440p for a better balance of quality and performance.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of all tested hardware combinations for Control, this specific pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and AMD Radeon RX 9060 ranks 1632 out of 2888 tested combos. This places it in the middle of the pack, which is consistent with the performance profile observed in the measured FPS data. It is neither a top-tier enthusiast setup nor a low-end entry-level one.

The ranking suggests that while this combo can handle the game well at mainstream resolutions, it does not excel in the most demanding scenarios. The 1632nd position out of 2888 means there are a significant number of combinations that perform better, likely featuring more powerful GPUs or CPUs. However, it also means the combo outperforms a substantial portion of the tested configurations, confirming its viability as a solid mid-range gaming system for titles like Control. The data indicates that the combo’s performance is well-rounded, offering a good balance between CPU and GPU capabilities without a severe bottleneck in either direction, but ultimately it is the GPU’s 4K limitations that cap its overall ranking.