Control

# Control with AMD Ryzen 5 5600F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 delivers a playable but resolution-sensitive experience in Control, with the measured data revealing a system that shifts from capable at 1080p to struggling at 4K. The combo ranks 2274th out of 2888 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle tier of all systems benchmarked for this game, and the frame rate progression across resolutions and settings tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lies.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a dramatic drop as resolution increases, with the gap widening at higher settings. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 107 FPS at 1920x1080 to 81 FPS at 2560x1440, then to 55 FPS at 3840x2160 — a reduction of roughly 24% when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and another 32% when stepping up to 4K. This pattern indicates that even at the lowest quality preset, the GPU is becoming the limiting factor as pixel count rises, though the 1080p result of 107 FPS suggests the CPU can feed the graphics card adequately at lower resolutions.

At High settings, the scaling story intensifies. The system delivers 68 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 51 FPS at 1440p (a 25% decrease), and further to 35 FPS at 4K (a 31% drop from 1440p). The 4K High result falls below the 60 FPS threshold that many consider the baseline for smooth gameplay, and the 35 FPS average suggests the RTX 2060's 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are being taxed heavily by Control's visual effects at this resolution.

The Ultra preset reveals the most severe scaling penalty. Starting at 59 FPS in 1080p, the average drops to 45 FPS at 1440p (a 24% reduction), then to 30 FPS at 4K (a 33% decline). The jump from High to Ultra at 4K costs 5 FPS on average, moving from 35 to 30 FPS, which is a relatively small absolute change but pushes the experience firmly into slideshow territory. Interestingly, the Medium preset shows the smallest relative drops between resolutions — 76 FPS at 1080p, 58 FPS at 1440p, and 39 FPS at 4K — suggesting that this setting level balances the workload between CPU and GPU more evenly.

The data implies that at 1080p, the Ryzen 5 5600F with its 6 cores and 12 threads can keep pace with the RTX 2060, as evidenced by the 107 FPS Low result. However, as resolution climbs, the GPU's pixel throughput becomes the dominant constraint. The 4K Ultra result of 30 FPS exactly matches the common 30 FPS console target, but the lack of headroom means any demanding scene could cause noticeable stuttering.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo achieve 60 FPS in Control at 1080p?

A: Yes, at Low and Medium settings. The measured data shows 107 FPS at Low and 76 FPS at Medium for 1920x1080. At High settings, the average drops to 68 FPS, which still exceeds 60 FPS, but at Ultra the average falls to 59 FPS, just below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 1440p with this hardware?

A: The results vary significantly by preset. Low settings deliver 81 FPS, Medium provides 58 FPS, High yields 51 FPS, and Ultra drops to 45 FPS. Only the Low preset comfortably exceeds 60 FPS at this resolution.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with the RTX 2060 in this title?

A: Barely, and only at Low settings where the average is 55 FPS. Medium drops to 39 FPS, High to 35 FPS, and Ultra to 30 FPS. The 6 GB VRAM and 192-bit memory bus appear insufficient for smooth 4K performance at higher quality levels.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its nearest rivals in general GPU benchmarks?

A: The RTX 2060's average benchmark score is 15290, which is essentially tied with the GeForce GTX 580 (15283, 0% delta), slightly ahead of the AMD Radeon 680M (15270, 0.1% delta), 0.6% ahead of the RTX 3050 OEM (15199), and 0.8% ahead of the Radeon RX 7600 (15171). This suggests the card sits in a crowded performance tier.

Q: What is the CPU's multithreaded performance relative to its rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 5600F scores 19236 in PassMark multithread tests, placing it near the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 (36938 avg, 0% delta), AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (37018, -0.2% delta), AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (37093, -0.4% delta), and Intel Core i9-12900T (37112, -0.5% delta) in average benchmark score, though the specific multithread score shows strong 6-core/12-thread performance.

Q: Does the measured data include minimum FPS values?

A: Only for Medium settings at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 65 FPS with a maximum of 88 FPS; at 1440p Medium, 49 to 66 FPS; at 4K Medium, 33 to 45 FPS. Other presets lack min/max data in the benchmark results.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F brings 6 cores and 12 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture, code-named Vermeer, manufactured on TSMC's 7 nm process. With a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz, this processor maintains a 65 W TDP and supports DDR4 memory in dual-channel configuration, delivering 51.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The 32 MB shared L3 cache provides ample room for game data, and the 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates solid overall performance.

In Control, the CPU's role becomes apparent when examining the 1080p Low result of 107 FPS. This high frame rate at a low-quality preset suggests the Ryzen 5 5600F can process game logic and draw calls efficiently, allowing the RTX 2060 to render frames without waiting on the processor. The PassMark single-thread score of 2872 reinforces this capability, as Control likely benefits from strong per-core performance for physics and AI calculations.

However, the data shows diminishing CPU influence as resolution increases. The drop from 107 FPS at 1080p Low to 55 FPS at 4K Low — a 52 FPS difference — cannot be attributed to the CPU, as the processor's workload remains relatively constant regardless of resolution. Instead, this scaling points to the GPU becoming the primary constraint. The Ryzen 5 5600F's 12 threads may also help with background tasks and streaming, but the measured results indicate that at 4K, even the fastest CPU would not rescue the frame rates.

The CPU's benchmark scores reveal a processor that punches near its weight class. The PassMark integer math score of 59339 and floating point math score of 34548 show competent arithmetic performance, while the encryption score of 13839 and compression score of 232836 suggest the CPU handles data-intensive tasks well. These metrics correlate with game performance in CPU-bound scenarios, but Control's measured FPS data demonstrates that the game becomes GPU-bound quickly as resolution climbs.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience across all three resolutions. At 1080p, Medium delivers 76 FPS on average with a minimum of 65 FPS and maximum of 88 FPS, providing a smooth experience with visual quality improvements over Low. The 65 FPS minimum ensures that even demanding scenes stay above the 60 FPS target, making this the safest choice for consistent gameplay.

For 1440p, Medium again emerges as the recommended setting, with an average of 58 FPS and a minimum of 49 FPS. While the average falls slightly below 60 FPS, the visual fidelity gain over Low (81 FPS) may be worth the trade-off for players with adaptive sync displays. The 49 FPS minimum, however, indicates occasional drops that could be noticeable in fast-paced action sequences.

At 4K, the choice becomes more difficult. Low settings provide 55 FPS average, which is playable but visually sparse, while Medium drops to 39 FPS with a 33 FPS minimum. For players prioritizing frame rate at 4K, Low is the only viable option, but the 55 FPS result still falls short of 60 FPS. The High preset at 4K, at 35 FPS, and Ultra at 30 FPS, are best avoided unless the player prioritizes visual quality over smoothness.

The High preset at 1080p, delivering 68 FPS average, represents a reasonable middle ground for those who want better visuals than Medium without sacrificing too much performance. However, the jump from Medium to High at 1080p costs 8 FPS on average, while the jump from High to Ultra costs 9 FPS — suggesting diminishing returns at the highest settings. For the best overall experience, Medium at any resolution provides the most headroom for maintaining playable frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination ranks 2274th out of 2888 tested combos in Control, placing it in the 21st percentile of all systems benchmarked. This ranking reflects the hardware's position relative to more modern and higher-end configurations, and the measured FPS data confirms that this combo struggles at higher resolutions and settings compared to top-tier systems.

The ranking suggests that approximately 614 tested combinations perform worse than this setup, while 2273 perform better. This places the combo in the lower half of the distribution, which aligns with the RTX 2060's percentile ranking of 58 among all GPUs — a mid-range position — and the CPU's 85th percentile ranking among all processors. The discrepancy between CPU and GPU percentiles indicates that the graphics card is the limiting factor in this pairing, holding back the otherwise capable Ryzen 5 5600F.

In the context of Control specifically, the game's demanding visual effects and physics simulation likely amplify the GPU's shortcomings. The combo's rank of 2274 out of 2888 suggests that many systems with similar or slightly better GPUs achieve higher frame rates in this title, and the 4K results — where even Low settings only reach 55 FPS — illustrate why this combo falls behind. The 6 GB VRAM capacity may also contribute to the lower ranking, as Control's textures and effects at higher resolutions can exceed this limit.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured results span a wide range depending on settings. Low settings produce an average of 107 FPS, Medium delivers 76 FPS (minimum 65, maximum 88), High achieves 68 FPS, and Ultra reaches 59 FPS. The spread from 59 to 107 FPS demonstrates significant scaling headroom at this resolution, with each step from Low to Ultra costing approximately 15-25% performance.

At 2560x1440, the averages compress to a narrower band. Low provides 81 FPS, Medium offers 58 FPS (minimum 49, maximum 66), High yields 51 FPS, and Ultra drops to 45 FPS. The range from 45 to 81 FPS shows that even at 1440p, the Low preset can maintain high frame rates, but the higher settings begin to strain the GPU.

At 3840x2160, the results show the most severe limitations. Low averages 55 FPS, Medium drops to 39 FPS (minimum 33, maximum 45), High falls to 35 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 30 FPS. The 25 FPS gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is the smallest of any resolution, indicating that the GPU is saturated regardless of settings. The Medium preset's minimum of 33 FPS at 4K highlights the risk of stuttering during intense scenes.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, based on the TU106 chip and Turing architecture, brings 1920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output processors to the table. With 30 ray tracing cores and 240 tensor cores, the GPU supports advanced features, though Control's implementation of these technologies likely impacts performance. The 6 GB GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which appears insufficient for 4K gaming in this title.

The GPU's clock speeds — 1365 MHz base and 1680 MHz boost — combined with its 12 nm process node from TSMC, yield a 6.451 TFLOPS FP32 performance figure. In Control, this compute capability translates to the measured frame rates, which show the GPU as the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The 58th percentile ranking among all GPUs places the RTX 2060 in the mid-range tier, and the measured data confirms this positioning.

The PassMark G3D score of 14111 and DirectX 12 score of 53 reflect the GPU's overall capabilities, while the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1242 provides a modern benchmark comparison. The nearest rivals — GTX 580, Radeon 680M, RTX 3050 OEM, and Radeon RX 7600 — all score within 0.8% of the RTX 2060's average, indicating a tightly contested performance segment. However, in Control specifically, the 6 GB VRAM capacity may cause texture streaming issues at 4K Ultra settings, contributing to the 30 FPS average.

The GPU's 160 W TDP and suggested 450 W PSU requirement suggest moderate power demands, and the dual-slot cooler with a single 8-pin connector should handle thermal loads. The PCIe 3.0 x16 interface, while older than PCIe 4.0, does not appear to bottleneck performance based on the measured results. The RTX 2060's role in this combo is clear: it provides adequate 1080p performance, acceptable 1440p at lower settings, and limited 4K capability, making it the constraining component in this pairing.