Control

Control, Remedy’s 2019 action-adventure, is a demanding showcase for GPU-heavy effects like real-time ray tracing and physics-based destruction. The tested combination pairs AMD’s six-core Ryzen 5 5600GT with NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 4080, a 40-series flagship-class card. Benchmark results place this pairing at rank 328 out of 3,720 tested combos, putting it in the top percentile of systems for this title. The data indicates a system that leans heavily on its graphics card, with the CPU providing sufficient support across most settings, though the gap between low and ultra presets reveals where the bottleneck shifts.

How This Combo Ranks

Out of 3,720 tested processor and graphics card combinations in Control, this pairing sits at rank 328. That places it comfortably within the top 10% of all configurations tested, a strong showing for a system built around a mid-range 2024 CPU and a high-end 2022 GPU. The ranking reflects the game’s heavy reliance on the graphics subsystem; Control’s visual effects, particularly its use of asynchronous compute and ray-traced reflections, scale almost entirely with GPU throughput. The CPU’s contribution is secondary, which explains why this combo outperforms many pairings with faster processors but weaker graphics cards.

The composite position is driven almost entirely by the GPU’s raw performance. The RTX 4080 ranks in the 86th percentile among all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 54,247. Its nearest rivals are the RTX 4080 SUPER, which scores 54,209 (0.1% higher), and the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X at 54,828 (1.1% higher). The delta between the 4080 and its closest competitor is negligible, meaning the card sits at a performance plateau where architectural differences matter more than raw score. On the CPU side, the Ryzen 5 5600GT sits in the 74th percentile of all processors with an average score of 20,733. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Core i5-12490F at 20,802 (-0.3%), the Intel Xeon 6325P at 20,821 (-0.4%), and the Intel Core Ultra 5 125U at 20,826 (-0.4%). The CPU’s position is less influential, as Control’s frame rates at 4K and even 1440p are constrained by the GPU long before the processor’s six cores become a limiting factor.

The rank of 328 out of 3,720 indicates that roughly 91% of tested combos are slower in this game. This is a favorable position, but not an outlier; systems with the same GPU but faster CPUs, such as Ryzen 7000-series parts, would rank higher due to better minimum frame consistency. However, the measured data shows that the 5600GT does not hold back the 4080 in this title at any resolution tested, as the frame rates scale predictably with GPU load.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD103 chip, fabricated on TSMC’s 5 nm process. It carries 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die, with a transistor density of 121.1 million per mm². The card’s memory subsystem is substantial: 16 GB of GDDR6X on a 256-bit bus delivers 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth, with memory clocks running at 1,400 MHz base and 22.4 Gbps effective. The core clocks are 2,205 MHz base and 2,505 MHz boost. Compute resources include 9,728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, 112 ROPs, 76 ray tracing cores, and 304 tensor cores. Pixel fill rate is 280.6 GPixel/s, texture fill rate is 761.5 GTexel/s, and FP32 throughput is 48.74 TFLOPS, with FP16 at the same 48.74 TFLOPS (1:1).

These specifications translate directly to Control’s measured performance. At 4K High settings, the combo averages 79 FPS, while at 4K Ultra it drops to 69 FPS. The card’s large memory pool and high bandwidth prevent any VRAM-related stutters; Control at 4K Ultra with high-resolution textures stays well within the 16 GB frame buffer. The GPU’s DLSS and ray tracing capabilities are not directly measured in this dataset, but the raw rasterization performance alone is sufficient to push high frame rates at all tested resolutions.

The RTX 4080’s percentile ranking of 86% among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54,247, is corroborated by its nearest rivals: the RTX 4080 SUPER at 54,209 (0.1% faster) and the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X at 54,828 (1.1% slower). The close margins suggest that the 4080 is at the upper edge of its performance class, and in Control specifically, it delivers frame rates that rival much newer hardware. The card’s Triple-slot design and 320 W TDP require a 700 W power supply, but thermal performance is not a factor in the measured FPS data, which reflects a stable operating environment.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear, predictable scaling pattern from 1080p to 4K. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 224 FPS at 1920x1080 to 186 FPS at 2560x1440, then to 126 FPS at 3840x2160. That is a 44% reduction from 1080p to 4K, consistent with a GPU-bound workload where pixel count quadruples. At High settings, the progression is 156 FPS at 1080p, 118 FPS at 1440p, and 79 FPS at 4K—a 49% drop from 1080p to 4K. The slightly larger percentage drop at High compared to Low suggests that the higher preset adds shading and post-processing work that scales more than linearly with resolution.

At Medium settings, the averages are 175 FPS at 1080p, 132 FPS at 1440p, and 89 FPS at 4K, with minimum and maximum FPS recorded only for this preset: at 1080p, min 149 and max 201; at 1440p, min 113 and max 152; at 4K, min 76 and max 103. The min-to-max spread narrows as resolution increases, from 52 FPS at 1080p to 27 FPS at 4K, indicating that the GPU becomes more consistently saturated at higher pixel counts, reducing frame time variance. At Ultra settings, the averages are 135 FPS at 1080p, 102 FPS at 1440p, and 69 FPS at 4K—a 49% drop from 1080p to 4K, matching the High preset’s scaling.

These scaling figures indicate that the limiting component is the GPU across all resolutions. A CPU-bound system would show smaller FPS deltas between 1440p and 4K, as the processor would cap the frame rate regardless of resolution. Instead, the 4K-to-1080p ratio of roughly 0.35 to 0.45 across presets is typical of a GPU that is fully utilized. The RTX 4080’s 716.8 GB/s memory bandwidth and 48.74 TFLOPS FP32 throughput are the resources being taxed; the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU without becoming a bottleneck, which the data confirms it does.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the full preset ladder is available. Low settings yield an average of 224 FPS. Medium settings average 175 FPS, with a minimum of 149 and a maximum of 201. High settings average 156 FPS. Ultra settings average 135 FPS. The gap from Low to Ultra is 89 FPS, or 40% of the Low value. This suggests that Ultra’s additional effects—likely higher-quality shadows, volumetric lighting, and post-processing—cost a significant portion of the frame rate, but the 135 FPS average is still well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay on standard displays.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 186 FPS at Low, 132 FPS at Medium (min 113, max 152), 118 FPS at High, and 102 FPS at Ultra. The delta between Low and Ultra is 84 FPS, a 45% reduction. The 1440p results show that even at Ultra, the combo maintains triple-digit frame rates, which is notable for a game with Control’s visual complexity. The Medium preset’s min of 113 FPS indicates that even worst-case frames stay above 100 FPS, providing a smooth experience on high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 126 FPS at Low, 89 FPS at Medium (min 76, max 103), 79 FPS at High, and 69 FPS at Ultra. The Low-to-Ultra delta is 57 FPS, a 45% reduction, consistent with the 1440p scaling. The 4K Ultra result of 69 FPS is just below the 70 FPS mark, but it remains playable on a 60 Hz display, and the Medium preset’s 89 FPS average offers headroom for VRR displays. The min FPS at 4K Medium is 76, which means the system never dips below 75 FPS in the measured data, a strong result for 4K gaming.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset is the only one with min and max values recorded, which allows for a direct assessment of frame consistency. At 1080p Medium, the spread from min to max is 52 FPS; at 1440p, it is 39 FPS; at 4K, it is 27 FPS. The narrowing spread at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU’s utilization becomes more uniform, reducing the likelihood of sudden frame drops. The Low and Ultra presets lack min/max data, but the averages alone are sufficient to characterize the system’s behavior.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance across all resolutions. At 1920x1080, Medium delivers 175 FPS average with a minimum of 149 FPS, meaning the system never drops below the refresh rate of a standard 144 Hz monitor. At 2560x1440, Medium averages 132 FPS with a minimum of 113 FPS, which is still above 100 FPS for most of the duration. At 3840x2160, Medium averages 89 FPS with a minimum of 76 FPS, providing a comfortable margin above 60 FPS even in demanding scenes. The recorded min/max data for Medium—unavailable for other presets—demonstrates that this preset maintains consistent frame pacing, avoiding the stutters that can occur when the GPU is pushed to its limits.

High settings are a reasonable alternative for users prioritizing image quality over frame rate, but the data shows a noticeable cost. At 1080p, High drops to 156 FPS (11% lower than Medium). At 1440p, High averages 118 FPS (11% lower than Medium). At 4K, High averages 79 FPS (11% lower than Medium). The consistency of this 11% penalty across resolutions indicates that High adds a fixed workload per frame, likely from higher-quality shadows and reflections, which is not worth the visual gain for most users when Medium already looks excellent.

Ultra settings are only advisable at 1080p, where the 135 FPS average remains high. At 1440p, Ultra’s 102 FPS is still playable, but the 23% reduction from Medium makes it a less attractive option. At 4K, Ultra’s 69 FPS average is borderline; it dips below the 70 FPS threshold and could cause visible judder on a 60 Hz display without VRR. Low settings, while delivering 224 FPS at 1080p and 126 FPS at 4K, sacrifice too much visual quality for a game that is known for its atmospheric lighting and destructible environments; the frame rate gains over Medium are 28% at 1080p and 42% at 4K, but the loss of shadows and reflections diminishes the experience.

The recommended preset is Medium for all resolutions. It provides the highest minimum FPS of any preset with recorded min data, ensuring a smooth experience in combat-heavy scenes where particle effects and debris can cause frame drops. For users with 144 Hz displays, Medium at 1440p is the sweet spot, as it stays above 113 FPS with headroom to spare. For 4K users, Medium’s 89 FPS average leaves room for enabling DLSS or other upscaling techniques, which are not measured here but would push the frame rate even higher.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT is a 5000-series processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Cezanne, fabricated on TSMC’s 7 nm process with 10,700 million transistors on a 180 mm² die. It has 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. The cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and 16 MB of L3. Memory support is DDR4 in a dual-channel configuration, providing 51.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The CPU is unlocked for overclocking and fits the AMD Socket AM4, with a TDP of 65 W. Its integrated Radeon Vega 7 graphics are present but irrelevant when paired with a discrete GPU.

In Control, the CPU’s role is to feed the RTX 4080 with draw calls and physics updates. The game’s engine, Northlight, is known for its heavy use of asynchronous compute and multi-threaded physics, which can stress CPUs with fewer than 8 cores. The 5600GT’s 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient to maintain high frame rates, as evidenced by the measured data: at 1080p Low, the system hits 224 FPS, which is well above the point where a weaker CPU would cap the frame rate. The 3DMark benchmarks support this: the CPU scores 5,523 in the 16-thread test, 1,794 in the 2-thread test, and 913 in the single-thread test. These scores indicate a balanced processor that can handle both lightly-threaded game logic and more demanding multi-threaded workloads.

The CPU’s percentile ranking of 74% among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 20,733, places it near the Intel Core i5-12490F (20,802, -0.3%) and the Intel Xeon 6325P (20,821, -0.4%). In Control specifically, the CPU does not appear in the bottleneck analysis; the FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K is entirely consistent with a GPU-bound workload. If the CPU were limiting, the 1080p Low result of 224 FPS would not be achievable, and the gap between 1080p and 1440p would be smaller than observed. The 5600GT’s boost clock of 4.60 GHz and 16 MB of L3 cache are adequate for Control’s single-threaded game logic, and its 12 threads provide enough parallelism for the engine’s background tasks.

The CPU’s memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s is a potential concern for a game that streams large textures, but the RTX 4080’s 16 GB VRAM mitigates this by holding assets on the GPU. The measured data shows no evidence of texture pop-in or stutter that would indicate a CPU-side bottleneck. The 5600GT’s performance in Cinebench R23 (17,272 multi-core, 2,438 single-core) and Geekbench (7,986 multi-core, 1,843 single-core) further confirms that it delivers enough compute headroom for Control’s requirements. In summary, the CPU is a capable partner for the RTX 4080 in this title, providing sufficient throughput to avoid limiting the GPU at any resolution or preset tested.