Control

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 delivers a solid, high-refresh-rate experience at 1080p in Control, but the data shows a clear and expected drop-off as resolution increases. The measured FPS averages indicate that this combo is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, with the CPU’s six Zen 3 cores providing ample headroom for the graphics card to stretch its legs at 1080p.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a textbook GPU-limited scenario. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces an average of 93 FPS. Moving to 1440p High drops that average to 71 FPS, a reduction of roughly 24%. The jump to 4K High is far more punishing, with the average falling to 48 FPS. This represents a 48% decrease from the 1080p High result and a 32% decrease from the 1440p High result. The pattern is consistent across all settings presets, confirming that the Radeon RX 7700 is the primary bottleneck at 4K.

The data shows that the gap between 1080p and 1440p is much smaller than the gap between 1440p and 4K. For instance, at Low settings, the average FPS is 148 at 1080p, 112 at 1440p, and 76 at 4K. The 36 FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p is significant, but the 36 FPS drop from 1440p to 4K is proportionally more severe, given the lower starting point. This indicates that while the CPU can keep up with the GPU at 1440p, the sheer pixel count at 4K overwhelms the GPU’s compute and memory bandwidth.

At 4K, the lowest recorded average is 41 FPS on the Ultra preset, which is below the generally accepted 60 FPS threshold for smooth action gameplay. The 4K Medium preset fares slightly better with an average of 54 FPS, but it still misses that target. The data suggests that 4K gaming is only viable with Low settings, which yields 76 FPS, but this comes with a significant visual compromise. For a game like Control with its complex physics and destructible environments, the visual fidelity at Low is a major step down.

The scaling behavior is consistent with the GPU’s specifications. The RX 7700 has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s. While this is ample for 1080p and 1440p, the data shows that the memory subsystem and the GPU’s 96 ROPs are strained by the 4K resolution, leading to the observed frame rate collapse. The 1080p results, with averages ranging from 81 FPS on Ultra to 148 FPS on Low, demonstrate that the combo is well-suited for high-refresh-rate monitors at that resolution. The 1440p results are also respectable, with High and Medium presets hovering around the 71-80 FPS mark.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F 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. Its benchmark scores show a strong single-thread performance of 2872 in the PassMark single-thread test, which is critical for games that rely on a few heavily loaded threads. The processor also has a PassMark multi-thread score of 19236, indicating its capacity to handle multiple background tasks while gaming.

The CPU’s role in this combo is to provide a stable foundation. The data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the average FPS reaches 148, a number that suggests the CPU is not a limiting factor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a plateau in FPS across different resolutions or settings. Instead, the FPS scales consistently with resolution, which is a clear sign that the GPU is the performance ceiling. The Ryzen 5 5600F’s 32 MB of shared L3 cache is a significant asset for gaming, as it helps reduce memory latency and improves data access efficiency for the game’s engine.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the Ryzen 5 5600F’s average benchmark score of 36945 places it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. It sits nearly identically to the Intel Core Ultra 5 225, which has a deltaPct of 0. It is just 0.2% behind the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and 0.4% behind the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450. This suggests that the 5600F is a very competent gaming CPU, capable of feeding the RX 7700 with enough data to maintain high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p. The 65W TDP also means it runs cool and efficiently, leaving more thermal headroom for the GPU in a system build.

The CPU’s PassMark physics score of 1043 and integer math score of 59339 further illustrate its ability to handle the game’s physics calculations and general logic, which are not typically the main bottleneck in a GPU-intensive title like Control. The processor's architecture, with its 7nm process node and 4,150 million transistors, provides a balanced package that complements the GPU well. In this specific game, the CPU's role is to maintain a high minimum frame rate, which the data indirectly supports through the consistent scaling pattern.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is the workhorse of this combo, and its specifications are directly reflected in the measured FPS. It features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s. This memory configuration is more than sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K results show where it starts to struggle. The GPU has 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, which are the key components for rendering geometry and pixels. Its boost clock of 2459 MHz and game clock of 2041 MHz provide the raw compute power.

The GPU’s benchmark scores place it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 15852. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon R9 370X, is nearly identical with a deltaPct of -0.1. The RX 7700 also sits close to the AMD Radeon RX 9060 (deltaPct -1) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (deltaPct -1.7). This indicates that the RX 7700 is a mid-range performer, which aligns with the game’s FPS results. At 1080p, the GPU can push out an average of 148 FPS on Low, but this drops to 81 FPS on Ultra, showing that the Ultra preset’s effects (like higher resolution textures and ray tracing) are taxing the GPU.

The 4K data is the most telling for the GPU’s role. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 41, which is a demanding workload. The GPU’s pixel rate of 236.1 GPixel/s and texture rate of 393.4 GTexel/s are high, but they are not sufficient to maintain 60 FPS at 4K with High or Ultra settings. The data shows a clear hierarchy: Low settings at 4K provide 76 FPS, Medium provides 54 FPS, High provides 48 FPS, and Ultra provides 41 FPS. This 35 FPS spread across presets at 4K highlights how sensitive the GPU is to the quality settings. The 16 GB VRAM is not the limiting factor here, as Control does not typically exceed 8 GB even at 4K with textures maxed out; the bottleneck is raw compute and fill rate.

The GPU’s RDNA 3.0 architecture, with its 40 ray tracing cores, is capable of handling the game’s ray-traced reflections, but the performance cost is evident in the Ultra preset results. The FP32 performance of 25.18 TFLOPS is substantial, yet the 4K Ultra results show that this is not enough for a smooth experience. The data suggests that for this GPU, 1440p is the sweet spot for high-quality visuals, while 1080p is where the user can fully exploit high refresh rates.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p gaming, the High preset is the best choice for a balance of visual quality and performance, delivering an average of 93 FPS. The Ultra preset is also viable at 1080p, with an average of 81 FPS, which is still smooth for most players. For those seeking the highest possible frame rates on a 144Hz monitor, the Medium preset at 105 FPS is an excellent choice, while Low at 148 FPS is only for competitive scenarios where every frame counts.

At 1440p, the data recommends the High preset for a solid experience, with an average of 71 FPS. The Medium preset offers a slightly lower average of 80 FPS, but the High preset’s visual improvements are worth the ~11% performance hit. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 61 FPS, which is playable but may feel less fluid during intense combat sequences. For a smoother 1440p experience, the Medium preset provides a good margin of safety above 60 FPS, with a minimum FPS of 68 recorded.

At 4K, the data is clear: the Low preset is the only option for a playable frame rate above 60 FPS, with an average of 76 FPS. The Medium preset at 54 FPS is borderline, and the High (48 FPS) and Ultra (41 FPS) presets are not recommended for a satisfying experience. If a user insists on 4K, they must accept the visual downgrade to Low settings. However, a better approach based on the data is to use 1440p with High settings, which provides a far superior visual experience at a higher frame rate. The measured rows indicate that the 1440p High preset offers the best overall compromise of image quality and performance, making it the recommended configuration for this hardware combination.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and AMD Radeon RX 7700 ranks 1294 out of 2888 tested combos in Control. This places it in the upper-middle tier of all hardware combinations tested, which is consistent with the CPU’s 85th percentile ranking and the GPU’s 58th percentile ranking. The rank percentile suggests that while this combo is not a top-tier enthusiast setup, it significantly outperforms the majority of tested systems. The CPU’s high percentile ranking helps boost the combo’s position, as it avoids being a bottleneck.

The combo’s rank is heavily influenced by the GPU’s mid-range performance. The RX 7700’s average benchmark score of 15852 is close to the RTX 3060 Ti, which is a known 1080p/1440p performer. The data indicates that this combo’s ranking would be higher if the GPU had a better percentile ranking. However, the CPU’s strength ensures that the combo is not held back by processor limitations, allowing the GPU to perform to its full potential. In the context of all tested combos, this pairing offers a balanced experience that is well-suited for 1080p high-refresh gaming and capable 1440p gaming.

The ranking is also a reflection of the game’s specific demands. Control is known for its physics-heavy gameplay and use of ray tracing, which can be taxing on the GPU. The combo’s rank of 1294 suggests that it handles these demands adequately but not spectacularly. The data shows that the combo is more capable at lower resolutions, which is where it likely gains most of its ranking position. For users with 1080p or 1440p monitors, this combo provides a strong experience, but for 4K, the ranking will be less favorable due to the GPU’s limitations.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1080p with High settings is 93 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Control?

A: It can, but only with Low settings, which yields an average of 76 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K drops to 54 FPS, and High/Ultra presets result in 48 FPS and 41 FPS respectively, making them less desirable for a smooth experience.

Q: Which resolution and preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance?

A: The data suggests the 1440p High preset is the best compromise, delivering an average of 71 FPS. This is a significant visual upgrade over 1080p High (93 FPS) while maintaining a playable frame rate.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 5600F compare to its nearest rival in CPU benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 5 5600F has an average benchmark score of 36945, which is essentially identical to the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 (deltaPct 0) and just 0.2% lower than the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D.

Q: What is the GPU’s memory bandwidth and how does it affect performance?

A: The Radeon RX 7700 has a memory bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s. The data shows that this is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K results indicate that the bandwidth is a limiting factor at that resolution.

Q: What is the combo’s overall ranking among all tested combos in Control?

A: This combo ranks 1294 out of 2888 total tested combinations, placing it in the upper-middle tier of all systems tested for this game.