Control

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor built on the Zen 3 architecture (Vermeer). It operates at a base clock of 3.50 GHz and boosts up to 4.40 GHz, with a 65W TDP. This CPU sits in the 79th percentile against all processors in the database, indicating solid mainstream performance. In synthetic threaded workloads, the chip scores 5,641 in 3DMark's 16-thread test and 5,659 at max threads, showing that its multi-threading scaling is nearly flat beyond 8 threads (4,798). Single-thread performance is respectable at 882 in 3DMark's single-thread test, which matters for Control's game logic and physics.

For Control, an Action Adventure title, the CPU's role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and handle the game's physics simulation. The Ryzen 5 5600's 32 MB of shared L3 cache helps maintain consistent frame pacing. The benchmark data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the combo reaches 142.6 FPS average, which suggests the CPU is not a hard bottleneck even at lower resolutions where GPU load is reduced. However, the gap between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p is 66.2 FPS (142.6 down to 76.4), indicating that the GPU becomes the limiting factor as visual complexity rises. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multicore score of 18,309 and single-core score of 2,584 place it well within the range needed for smooth gameplay in this title.

The processor's nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the Intel Xeon D-1746TER (deltaPct 0.6) and the AMD EPYC 9554P (deltaPct -0.6). In practical terms, the Ryzen 5 5600 sits within 1% of these server-class chips in overall compute, though those parts target different workloads. For Control specifically, the 6-core/12-thread configuration is sufficient; the game does not appear to scale heavily beyond 8 threads based on the 3DMark results (8-thread score of 4,798 versus max-thread score of 5,659, a gain of only 17.9%). The CPU's memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s over dual-channel DDR4 is adequate for feeding the Radeon RX 6700 XT's 384.0 GB/s of graphics memory bandwidth.

FAQ

Q: Does the Ryzen 5 5600 bottleneck the RX 6700 XT in Control at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 142.6 FPS, which is the highest measured value across all settings and resolutions in the dataset. The CPU's single-thread score of 882 in 3DMark and multi-thread score of 5,659 indicate it can sustain high frame rates, but the 66.2 FPS drop from Low to Ultra at 1080p suggests the GPU is the primary limiter once settings increase.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in raw compute?

A: The Ryzen 5 5600 has an average benchmark score of 21,765, which is 0.6% ahead of the Intel Xeon D-1746TER (21,635) and 0.6% behind the AMD EPYC 9554P (21,899). Against the Intel Core i7-11700F (21,957), it trails by 0.9%. These differences are negligible in gaming scenarios.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured data shows an average of 69.3 FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings. This is a 21.1% reduction from the 1080p High result of 87.8 FPS, indicating that resolution scaling has a linear effect on performance in this configuration.

Q: Is the RX 6700 XT's 12 GB memory sufficient for Control at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo produces 37.4 FPS average, which is playable but not smooth. The GPU's 12 GB GDDR6 memory and 384.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for the game's assets, but the compute load at 4K pushes the GPU to its limits, as shown by the 71.1 FPS at Low settings versus 37.4 FPS at Ultra.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 927th out of 1,636 tested combinations in Control, placing it in the 56.7th percentile. This suggests it performs better than a majority of setups but is not near the top tier for this specific game.

Q: What is the scaling efficiency from 1080p to 1440p?

A: At High settings, the frame rate drops from 87.8 FPS at 1080p to 69.3 FPS at 1440p, a 21.1% decrease for a 77.8% increase in pixel count. This indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU has sufficient headroom to handle the additional resolution load.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound performance across all resolutions. Starting at 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo delivers 87.8 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings, the frame rate drops to 69.3 FPS, a reduction of 21.1%. At 3840x2160 High, the average falls to 44.5 FPS, representing a further 35.8% drop from 1440p. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at High settings results in a 49.3% total reduction in frame rate, which aligns with the pixel count increase from 2.07 million to 8.29 million (a 4x increase).

The Low settings data shows a similar trend but with higher absolute values. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 142.6 FPS, dropping to 105.5 FPS at 1440p (26.0% reduction) and 71.1 FPS at 4K (32.6% reduction from 1440p). The fact that even at Low settings the frame rate drops significantly with resolution indicates the GPU's rasterization throughput is the primary bottleneck. The RX 6700 XT's FP32 performance of 13.21 TFLOPS and pixel rate of 165.2 GPixel/s are the limiting factors, not the CPU.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference is 66.2 FPS (142.6 vs 76.4). At 1440p, the gap narrows to 46.3 FPS (105.5 vs 59.2). At 4K, it further narrows to 33.7 FPS (71.1 vs 37.4). This suggests that at higher resolutions, the GPU is saturated even at Low settings, leaving less headroom for settings-based performance differences. The data indicates that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can maintain playable frame rates at medium-to-high settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 142.6 FPS average
• Medium: 100.4 FPS average
• High: 87.8 FPS average
• Ultra: 76.4 FPS average

At 1080p, the combo delivers its best performance, with Low settings producing a 142.6 FPS average that would satisfy high-refresh-rate displays. The jump from Low to Medium costs 42.2 FPS, while the jump from Medium to High costs another 12.6 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra is 11.4 FPS, suggesting diminishing returns at the top end.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 105.5 FPS average
• Medium: 75.8 FPS average
• High: 69.3 FPS average
• Ultra: 59.2 FPS average

At 1440p, the combo still performs well, with Low settings exceeding 100 FPS. Medium settings provide a playable 75.8 FPS, while High drops to 69.3 FPS. Ultra settings fall below 60 FPS at 59.2 FPS, making it marginally playable for smooth gameplay. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1440p shows a 43.9% reduction in frame rate.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 71.1 FPS average
• Medium: 50.0 FPS average
• High: 44.5 FPS average
• Ultra: 37.4 FPS average

At 4K, the combo struggles to maintain high frame rates. Low settings deliver a playable 71.1 FPS, but Medium drops to 50.0 FPS, High to 44.5 FPS, and Ultra falls to 37.4 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is 73.8% lower than the 1080p Low result, highlighting the GPU's limitations at this resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 927th out of 1,636 tested combinations in Control, placing it in the 56.7th percentile of all tested systems. This means it outperforms roughly 56.7% of the configurations in the database for this specific game, but it is not in the top half by a wide margin. The ranking reflects a mid-to-upper-tier position, consistent with the hardware's specifications.

The RX 6700 XT holds a 77th percentile ranking among all GPUs in the database, while the Ryzen 5 5600 sits at the 79th percentile among CPUs. The GPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6800 (deltaPct 0.7), which is slightly ahead, and the NVIDIA RTX A5000 (deltaPct 1.3), also ahead. The AMD Radeon HD 7950 and RX 480 are 1.0% behind. These small deltas suggest that the GPU's performance is tightly clustered with several other cards, meaning the combo's rank is heavily influenced by the CPU-GPU pairing and game-specific optimization.

The CPU's nearest rivals show a similar pattern, with the Intel Xeon D-1746TER just 0.6% ahead and the AMD EPYC 9554P 0.6% behind. The Intel Core i7-11700F trails by 0.9%. This level of performance parity means the combo's ranking is not determined by a single component's dominance but rather by their combined efficiency in Control. The 56.7th percentile ranking indicates that while this is a capable setup for many games, Control's specific demands — likely its physics and rendering pipeline — limit this combo to a mid-pack position. For comparison, the data shows that the combo delivers 76.4 FPS at 1080p Ultra, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, but its 4K Ultra result of 37.4 FPS places it well below the threshold for high-refresh-rate 4K gaming.