Control

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and AMD Radeon RX 9060 combination delivers a playable yet stratified performance profile in Control, with the data revealing a system that transitions from a CPU-leaning setup at 1080p to a firmly GPU-limited one at 4K. The measured results across four settings presets and three resolutions show a clear hierarchy, with the 8 GB VRAM buffer and RDNA 4.0 architecture playing decisive roles in the upper bounds of performance. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to interpret how the components interact, where the combo ranks among tested systems, and which settings offer the most balanced experience.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, confirming that resolution scaling places increasing stress on the GPU. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 130 FPS at 1920x1080 to 98 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 32 FPS, and then further down to 66 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 49.2% decrease from 1080p to 4K at Low, indicating that the RX 9060’s compute throughput is the limiting factor as pixel count quadruples. The trend is similar at Medium settings, where averages drop from 92 FPS at 1080p to 70 FPS at 1440p and finally to 47 FPS at 4K — a 48.9% loss from the lowest to highest resolution.

At High settings, the scaling pattern intensifies. The average FPS at 1080p is 82, which falls to 62 at 1440p (a 24.4% drop) and then to 42 at 4K (a 32.3% drop from 1440p). The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling, with 71 FPS at 1080p, 54 FPS at 1440p, and only 36 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is less than half the 1080p Ultra figure, demonstrating that the combination of high-quality shading and 8.3 million pixels overwhelms the GPU’s 1792 shading units and 64 ROPs. Notably, the gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 30 FPS (66 vs. 36), whereas at 1080p the same settings gap is 59 FPS (130 vs. 71). This compression at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU saturates before the CPU can meaningfully influence frame rates, a classic sign of a pixel-bound workload.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU has headroom to push higher frame rates, evidenced by the 130 FPS Low result. However, as resolution increases, the GPU’s fixed pixel rate of 191.4 GPixel/s becomes the bottleneck. The 4K Medium result of 47 FPS with a minimum of 40 FPS shows that even moderate settings cannot sustain 60 FPS at this resolution, making 4K viable only for players willing to accept sub-60 averages or drop to Low. The scaling from 1440p to 4K at every preset is proportionally larger than the scaling from 1080p to 1440p, reinforcing that the RX 9060 is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming in Control.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060’s memory configuration and clock speeds directly explain its performance ceiling in Control. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This is a modest allocation for a 2019 title that can be texture-heavy at higher presets, and the benchmark results suggest that the Ultra preset at 4K (36 FPS average) may be constrained by both memory capacity and bandwidth. The 8 GB buffer is likely sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K with Ultra settings, texture streaming and high-resolution assets can exceed this capacity, causing the GPU to fall back to slower memory management.

Clock speeds are more favorable. The GPU’s boost clock of 2990 MHz and game clock of 2400 MHz, paired with a base clock of 1700 MHz, allow for strong shader throughput when thermal headroom permits. The FP32 performance of 21.43 TFLOPS is substantial, and the 21.43 TFLOPS FP16 (1:1) figure indicates no loss in half-precision operations, which can aid in certain rendering paths. The pixel rate of 191.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 334.9 GTexel/s are the physical limits that the 4K results bump against. For instance, the 4K High average of 42 FPS corresponds to roughly 191.4 million pixels rendered per second divided by 8.3 million pixels per frame, yielding about 23 frames per second of theoretical fill-rate capacity — the actual 42 FPS is higher due to depth buffer and overdraw efficiencies, but the trend is clear.

The GPU’s benchmark scores provide context. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3322 and the Passmark G3D score of 17631 place it in the 59th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, has an average score of 16129, which is 0.7% lower, indicating the RX 9060 is essentially performance-equivalent to that card in synthetic tests. However, in Control, the measured FPS shows the RX 9060’s real-world behavior: strong at 1080p, adequate at 1440p, and marginal at 4K. The 132 W TDP and 300 W suggested PSU suggest the card is power-efficient, but efficiency does not compensate for the 128-bit memory bus when pixel counts climb.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested CPU-GPU combinations for Control, this pairing ranks 1632 out of 2888 combos, placing it in the lower-middle tier of all systems. This rank reflects the aggregate performance across all measured settings and resolutions, and it is consistent with the GPU’s 59th percentile standing among all GPUs and the CPU’s 74th percentile among all CPUs. The combo outperforms the bottom 43.5% of tested systems, but it sits well below top-tier configurations that would feature higher-end GPUs with larger memory buses and more shading units.

The rank is likely dragged down by the 4K results, which are below 60 FPS at all settings. At 1080p, the combo’s performance is competitive, with the Low preset hitting 130 FPS and Ultra reaching 71 FPS, but the database’s rank considers all resolutions equally. The CPU’s nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks — the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V (0.1% higher average score), AMD Ryzen 5 8500G (0.2% higher), and AMD EPYC 9454P (0.2% higher) — all have similar CPU-side capabilities, so the variance in Control FPS is dominated by the GPU. The GPU’s nearest rival, the RTX 3060 Ti, has a 0.7% higher average score, but in this game, the RX 9060’s 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus may cause it to trail in memory-intensive scenes, which would explain the 1632 rank rather than a higher placement.

It is important to note that the rank of 1632 out of 2888 does not mean the combo is unplayable; rather, it indicates that many other tested systems achieve higher frame rates, particularly at higher resolutions. For a player targeting 1080p, this combo would rank much higher than the aggregate suggests, as the 130 FPS Low result is well above average. The data indicates this is a mid-range entry with a clear ceiling defined by the GPU’s memory subsystem.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal balance of frame rate and visual quality depends heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers 92 FPS average with a minimum of 78 FPS and maximum of 106 FPS, which is smooth and responsive. High settings at 1080p yield 82 FPS, still playable, but the 10 FPS loss from Medium may not justify the visual uplift for competitive play. Ultra at 1080p produces 71 FPS, which is acceptable for a single-player action-adventure title, but the 21 FPS gap between Ultra and Medium suggests diminishing returns. For 1080p, Medium is the sweet spot: it maintains high frame rates while offering better visuals than Low (130 FPS but likely sparse geometry and lighting).

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset again stands out, with an average of 70 FPS, a minimum of 59 FPS, and a maximum of 80 FPS. This is just at the edge of 60 FPS consistency, and the minimum of 59 FPS indicates rare dips below the target. High at 1440p drops to 62 FPS average, which is still playable but with less headroom. Low at 1440p hits 98 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh monitors, but the visual downgrade may be too severe for a game like Control that relies on atmospheric lighting. Ultra at 1440p yields 54 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold and may feel stuttery during intense combat. For 1440p, Medium is the recommended preset, as it offers the best compromise between the 98 FPS Low and the 54 FPS Ultra.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more constrained. Low settings produce 66 FPS average, which is playable but sacrifices most visual fidelity. Medium at 4K drops to 47 FPS with a minimum of 40 FPS, which is noticeable and may impact gameplay fluidity. High at 4K yields 42 FPS, and Ultra falls to 36 FPS. Given that no preset at 4K reaches 60 FPS, the choice becomes whether to prioritize frame rate (Low at 66 FPS) or visual quality (Medium at 47 FPS). For most players, Medium at 4K is the best balance, as it retains more of the game’s art direction while staying within a tolerable frame rate range, though those with variable refresh rate displays may prefer Low for smoother motion.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Control?*

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the most comfortable, with all presets averaging above 71 FPS. 2560x1440 is viable with Medium settings at 70 FPS, while 3840x2160 requires Low settings (66 FPS) for playable frame rates.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM limit performance at 4K?

A: The measured results show a significant drop at 4K across all presets — from 66 FPS at Low to 36 FPS at Ultra — which is consistent with the 8 GB buffer and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth being insufficient for high-resolution textures at high settings.

Q: How does this combo compare to the RTX 3060 Ti?

A: The RX 9060’s average benchmark score is 16014, which is 0.7% lower than the RTX 3060 Ti’s 16129. In Control, the rank of 1632 out of 2888 suggests the RX 9060’s 128-bit memory bus may cause it to trail in memory-intensive scenes.

Q: What CPU performance can be expected with this GPU?

A: The Ryzen 5 5600 scores 18309 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2584 in single-core, placing it in the 74th percentile of all CPUs. Its 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient to avoid bottlenecking the GPU at 1080p, where the 130 FPS Low result indicates CPU headroom.

Q: Is the Ultra preset ever recommended?

A: Only at 1080p, where it averages 71 FPS. At 1440p and 4K, Ultra averages 54 FPS and 36 FPS respectively, which are below the 60 FPS target and are not recommended based on the measured data.

Q: What is the minimum FPS at Medium settings?

A: At 1920x1080 Medium, the minimum is 78 FPS. At 2560x1440 Medium, the minimum is 59 FPS. At 3840x2160 Medium, the minimum is 40 FPS. These figures show increasing frame-time variance at higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer, built on TSMC’s 7 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU’s 32 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth provide solid memory latency characteristics for gaming. Its synthetic benchmarks, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 18309 and a single-core score of 2584, place it in the 74th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20468.

In Control, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 130 FPS, which is a high rate that requires the CPU to process frames quickly. The 3DMark single-thread score of 882 and the Passmark single-thread score of 3256 indicate strong per-core performance, which is critical for a game like Control that has complex physics and AI systems. The Cinebench R20 single-core score of 1085 further confirms that the 5600 can handle single-threaded workloads efficiently.

However, the CPU’s influence diminishes at higher resolutions. At 4K, the frame rates are 36-66 FPS depending on settings, and these numbers are far below the CPU’s capability to generate 130+ FPS. This suggests that the GPU is the limiting component at 4K, and the CPU has headroom. The nearest CPU rivals — the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V, AMD Ryzen 5 8500G, and AMD EPYC 9454P — all have average scores within 0.2% of the 5600, meaning any of these would produce nearly identical results in Control when paired with the same GPU. The 5600’s 12 threads and 6 cores are well-matched to the RX 9060’s 1792 shading units in this game, as neither component consistently bottlenecks the other across all settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the data shows a clear progression across settings. Low settings produce an average of 130 FPS, which is the highest measured result for this combo. Medium settings reduce the average to 92 FPS, with a minimum of 78 FPS and a maximum of 106 FPS, indicating a stable frame delivery with a 28 FPS range. High settings yield 82 FPS average, and Ultra settings produce 71 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 59 FPS, showing that the GPU has substantial headroom to render at lower loads.

At 2560x1440, the averages drop across the board. Low settings achieve 98 FPS, which is still high enough for fast-paced gameplay. Medium settings average 70 FPS, with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 80 FPS — the minimum is just below the 60 FPS threshold, which could cause occasional stutters. High settings average 62 FPS, and Ultra settings average 54 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p narrows to 44 FPS, indicating the GPU is becoming more stressed.

At 3840x2160, the performance is the most constrained. Low settings average 66 FPS, which is the only preset at 4K to exceed 60 FPS. Medium settings average 47 FPS, with a minimum of 40 FPS and a maximum of 54 FPS — the 14 FPS range suggests moderate frame-time variance. High settings average 42 FPS, and Ultra settings average 36 FPS. The total spread from Low to Ultra at 4K is 30 FPS, which is the smallest of any resolution, confirming that the GPU’s pixel throughput is the dominant factor. The 4K Medium result of 47 FPS is notably close to the 42 FPS High result, suggesting that the incremental settings have diminishing returns at this resolution. Overall, the measured FPS data indicates that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K requiring significant settings compromises to remain playable.