Control

Control with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti presents a compelling study in how a mature game engine interacts with modern, high-bandwidth hardware. The data reveals a configuration that scales predictably with resolution, but with notable inflection points that separate CPU-bound scenarios from GPU-bound ones. This analysis breaks down the measured frame rates, component roles, and where this specific pairing stands among the thousands of tested combinations.

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, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. For a game like Control, which was released in 2019, this core configuration is generally more than sufficient to feed a high-end GPU. The processor’s 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 51.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth are key factors in maintaining stable frame pacing, particularly in scenes with complex physics and particle effects that the game is known for.

Benchmark results show the Ryzen 5 5600 sits in the 79th percentile against all CPUs, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 18309 and a single-core score of 2584. The single-thread performance is critical here, as Control’s engine often relies on a few heavily loaded threads for game logic and draw calls. The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is the primary limiter; the measured 217.4 FPS at Low settings is likely near the ceiling of what this processor can deliver in this title, regardless of GPU headroom. When compared to its nearest rivals, the Ryzen 5 5600 is effectively tied with the Intel Core i7-11700F, which is 0.9% ahead in average benchmark score, and the AMD EPYC 9554P, which is 0.6% behind.

The 6-core/12-thread layout is adequate for Control’s multi-threaded rendering tasks, but the data implies that pushing frame rates beyond the 200 FPS mark at lower resolutions would require a processor with higher single-thread throughput. The 3.50 GHz base clock is modest, but the 4.40 GHz boost ensures that the CPU can ramp up quickly for short bursts of intense computation, which is typical for action sequences. The fact that the CPU’s average benchmark score is 21765, with a Passmark multi-thread score of 21541, further confirms that this is a balanced mid-range part that won't bottleneck the RTX 5070 Ti at higher resolutions, but will dictate the absolute peak FPS at 1080p.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo, and at what settings?

A: The highest average FPS is 217.4, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is significantly higher than the 131.4 FPS recorded at the same resolution with Ultra settings, showing a 65.4% performance gap between the two presets.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 65.8. This is the lowest recorded frame rate in the dataset, indicating that the GPU is heavily taxed at this resolution and preset combination, but it remains playable.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the average FPS goes from 176.1 on Low to 99.4 on Ultra. This represents a 43.6% reduction in performance when moving from the lowest to the highest visual fidelity preset.

Q: Is the RTX 5070 Ti faster than the RTX 4080 in this database?

A: The average benchmark scores are nearly identical. The RTX 5070 Ti has an average score of 52086, while the RTX 4080 scores 52085, resulting in a deltaPct of 0.0. They are effectively tied in overall compute performance.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations for Control?

A: The combo ranks 157th out of 1636 tested combinations, placing it in the top 9.6% of all systems tested for this specific game.

Q: How much faster is the CPU at 1080p Low versus 4K Low?

A: At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 217.4, whereas at 4K Low it is 118.4. The 1080p result is 83.6% higher, demonstrating the increasing GPU load and reduced CPU dependency as resolution scales up.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured data shows a clear and consistent pattern of frame rate degradation as resolution increases, but the magnitude of the drop varies significantly by preset. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 217.4 at 1080p to 176.1 at 1440p (a 19% drop) and then to 118.4 at 4K (a 32.8% drop from 1440p). This progressive decline suggests that even at Low settings, the GPU begins to become the limiting factor at 1440p, with the gap widening considerably at 4K where pixel throughput demands dominate.

For High settings, the transition is similar but starts from a lower baseline. The average FPS is 148.7 at 1080p, dropping to 111.6 at 1440p (a 24.9% reduction) and then to 76.9 at 4K (a 31.1% reduction from 1440p). The percentage drops are relatively consistent, indicating a balanced scaling curve where the GPU load increases proportionally with pixel count. However, the absolute FPS values suggest that 1080p High is still partly CPU-limited, as the 148.7 FPS result is not dramatically higher than the 1440p result compared to the resolution increase.

The most telling data comes from the Ultra preset. Here, the FPS drops from 131.4 at 1080p to 99.4 at 1440p (a 24.4% reduction) and then to 65.8 at 4K (a 33.8% reduction from 1440p). The 4K Ultra result is less than half the 1080p Low result, which strongly indicates that the RTX 5070 Ti is the primary bottleneck at this extreme setting. The scaling behavior demonstrates that the Ryzen 5 5600 has sufficient headroom to drive the GPU effectively up to 1440p, but at 4K, the GPU’s raw compute and memory bandwidth become the sole determinants of performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 217.4 FPS on Low, 167.9 FPS on Medium, 148.7 FPS on High, and 131.4 FPS on Ultra. The spread between Low and Ultra is 86 FPS, representing a 65.4% performance penalty for maximum visual quality. The jump from Low to Medium is 49.5 FPS (a 29.5% reduction), while the jump from High to Ultra is only 17.3 FPS (an 11.6% reduction), suggesting diminishing returns on the highest preset.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS values are 176.1 on Low, 125.2 on Medium, 111.6 on High, and 99.4 on Ultra. The performance gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 76.7 FPS, but the percentage difference remains similar at 43.6% reduction. Notably, the difference between Medium and High at this resolution is only 13.6 FPS, which is a smaller relative gap than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is becoming more saturated.

At 3840x2160, the measured FPS drops to 118.4 on Low, 87.1 on Medium, 76.9 on High, and 65.8 on Ultra. The absolute difference between Low and Ultra is now 52.6 FPS. Interestingly, the relative penalty for Ultra versus Low is 44.4%, which is similar to the 1440p result, but the absolute values are much lower. This suggests that the rendering complexity of the Ultra preset scales consistently with resolution, while the GPU’s ability to handle it degrades predictably with pixel count.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is a formidable GPU with 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 896.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is more than adequate for Control at any resolution, as the game’s texture and geometry demands are unlikely to exceed the available VRAM even at 4K Ultra. The GPU’s base clock of 2295 MHz and boost clock of 2452 MHz are relatively high, and it features 8960 shading units, which directly contribute to its pixel and texture processing rates of 235.4 GPixel/s and 686.6 GTexel/s, respectively.

The GPU’s benchmark results place it in the 87th percentile among all GPUs, with a Passmark G3D score of 32974 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 231226. Its average benchmark score of 52086 is effectively identical to the RTX 4080, which scores 52085. The data shows that the RTX 5070 Ti is the dominant factor in the measured FPS at 4K, where the 65.8 FPS Ultra result is likely constrained by the GPU’s raw compute power rather than any memory or bandwidth limitations. The 16 GB VRAM ensures that there is no texture swapping or stuttering, allowing the GPU to maintain consistent frame delivery even in complex scenes.

The GPU’s FP32 performance of 43.94 TFLOPS is substantial, and it directly influences the rendering of Control’s destructible environments and physics-based combat. The RTX 5070 Ti’s performance at 1080p Low (217.4 FPS) is not constrained by the GPU itself, as the CPU is likely the limiting factor at that point. However, as settings and resolution increase, the GPU’s role becomes paramount, with the 4K Ultra result being nearly 70% lower than the 1080p Low result, highlighting the GPU’s workload scaling.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Analyzing the measured FPS across all resolutions and presets, the High settings at 2560x1440 offer the most balanced experience. At 111.6 FPS, this configuration provides a smooth, high-refresh-rate experience while maintaining visual fidelity that is significantly better than Medium (125.2 FPS) or Low (176.1 FPS). The 13.6 FPS difference between Medium and High is a small price to pay for the improved lighting and shadow quality that Control is known for.

For users with 1080p displays, the High preset at 148.7 FPS is recommended over Ultra (131.4 FPS). The 17.3 FPS gain from dropping from Ultra to High is substantial, and the visual difference between these two presets is often imperceptible during fast-paced gameplay. Pushing to Medium at 167.9 FPS offers an additional 19.2 FPS, but this comes at the cost of reduced texture detail and ambient occlusion, which can detract from the game’s atmospheric horror elements.

At 4K, the situation is more nuanced. The Ultra preset’s 65.8 FPS is playable but may not be ideal for a game that requires precise aiming and quick reactions. The High preset at 76.9 FPS provides a 16.9% improvement over Ultra and is the recommended choice for 4K. The Medium preset at 87.1 FPS offers an additional 10.2 FPS, but the visual downgrade is more noticeable at this resolution. The data suggests that High at 4K is the sweet spot, balancing frame rate and visual quality without sacrificing the game’s core presentation.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti ranks 157th out of 1636 tested combos for Control, placing it in the top 9.6% of all systems. This is a strong result that places the combo well above the median, but it is not at the absolute top tier. The rank reflects the CPU’s mid-range positioning; while the GPU is exceptionally powerful, the Ryzen 5 5600’s performance ceiling at lower resolutions likely prevents this combo from climbing higher in the rankings.

The CPU’s percentile of 79 against all CPUs indicates that it is outperformed by a significant portion of the tested processors, particularly in single-threaded workloads that are crucial for high-FPS gaming. However, the GPU’s 87th percentile ranking ensures that the combo remains competitive in GPU-intensive scenarios, such as 4K gaming. The 157th rank suggests that while this combo is excellent for high-resolution, high-settings gaming, there are many systems with faster CPUs that achieve higher frame rates at 1080p and 1440p.

The nearest rival CPUs, such as the Intel Core i7-11700F, which is 0.9% faster in average benchmark score, would likely yield a slightly higher rank in this game due to better single-thread performance. However, the RTX 5070 Ti’s raw power ensures that the gap in actual gaming performance is minimal at resolutions above 1080p. The data indicates that this combo is a well-balanced pairing for Control, capable of delivering excellent frame rates at 1440p and solid 4K performance, with the rank reflecting its position as a high-performing but not top-tier configuration.