Control

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 580 delivers a distinctly GPU-bound experience in Control, with frame rates that scale predictably with both resolution and preset. The data shows a system that can handle the game’s action-adventure demands at 1080p with adjusted settings, but one that struggles to maintain fluidity at higher resolutions.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Ryzen 5 5600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 5000 series, built on the Zen 3 architecture (Vermeer) using a 7 nm process. Its base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 4.60 GHz provide substantial single-thread headroom, which is critical for Control’s physics and AI systems. The CPU holds a 78th percentile ranking among all tested processors, and its average benchmark score of 20680 places it in a tight cluster with rivals: it trails the AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT by 0.3%, sits 0.3% behind the Intel Core i7-10700, and is 0.5% behind the Intel Core i5-12490F, while leading the Intel Xeon 6325P by 0.7%. In synthetic tests, the chip’s single-thread performance shines with a Geekbench single-core score of 2111 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2622, while multi-threaded results like the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 18578 and Passmark multithread score of 21858 confirm solid scaling across its 12 threads. For Control, this CPU is more than adequate; the measured frame rates show that the processor is not the bottleneck, as the GPU’s workload dominates at every resolution tested. The CPU’s 32 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support at 51.2 GB/s further ensure that texture streaming and game logic do not stall the pipeline.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is the clear limiting factor in this pairing. Based on the Polaris 20 chip with GCN 4.0 architecture and a 14 nm process, this GPU carries 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock of 1257 MHz and boost clock of 1340 MHz drive 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs, yielding a pixel rate of 42.88 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 193.0 GTexel/s. The GPU’s FP32 throughput of 6.175 TFLOPS is modest by modern standards, and its 53rd percentile ranking among all GPUs reflects its age. Its average benchmark score of 13559 is effectively tied with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 (0% delta) and GTX 950 (0.1% delta), while it leads the AMD Radeon Pro 455 by 1.1% and trails the NVIDIA P106-090 by 1.1%. In Control, the RX 580’s 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for textures, but the raw compute throughput dictates the frame rates. The GPU’s DirectX 12 benchmark score of 43 and Passmark G3D score of 8813 indicate that it can run the game, but its performance ceiling is low, which becomes evident in the measured FPS data.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings, the average frame rate drops from 39.2 FPS to 29.1 FPS, a reduction of approximately 26%. Scaling further to 3840x2160 at High settings yields just 23.0 FPS, a 41% drop from the 1440p result. This steep decline with resolution indicates that the RX 580’s pixel throughput is the primary constraint; the CPU’s performance headroom is not being utilized as resolution increases. The same pattern holds across all presets: at Low settings, the transition from 1080p (62.9 FPS) to 1440p (46.4 FPS) represents a 26% loss, and to 4K (34.3 FPS) a further 26% loss. The consistent percentage reductions across settings suggest that the GPU is saturated at every resolution, and the CPU is never the limiting factor. The data underscores that the Ryzen 5 5600X is waiting on the RX 580 at every step, with the frame rate deltas between resolutions directly reflecting the GPU’s fill-rate and shading limitations.

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

At 1920x1080, the system delivers playable results only at lower presets. Low settings produce an average of 62.9 FPS, which is smooth for this action-adventure title. Medium settings drop to 44.9 FPS, still acceptable for most players. High settings yield 39.2 FPS, which is borderline but workable. Ultra settings fall to 32.6 FPS, dipping below the threshold for fluid gameplay. At 2560x1440, the numbers become more restrictive: Low averages 46.4 FPS, Medium 33.3 FPS, High 29.1 FPS, and Ultra 27.5 FPS. The gap between Medium and High at 1440p is 4.2 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is just 1.6 FPS, indicating diminishing returns at higher presets. At 3840x2160, the RX 580 is overwhelmed: Low averages 34.3 FPS, Medium 25.1 FPS, High 23.0 FPS, and Ultra 20.1 FPS. None of these 4K results are playable, with even the lowest preset failing to reach 35 FPS. The data shows that the frame rate penalty from Low to Ultra is consistent across resolutions: at 1080p, Ultra is 48% slower than Low; at 1440p, 41% slower; and at 4K, 41% slower. This consistency reinforces that the GPU’s compute units are the sole bottleneck, with the CPU’s clock speed and core count having no measurable impact on the FPS deltas.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the Ryzen 5 5600X and RX 580 ranks 1513 out of 1636 tested combos in Control, placing it in the bottom 8% of all configurations. This low ranking is driven entirely by the GPU, as the CPU’s individual percentile (78th) is high, but the GPU’s (53rd) is mediocre. The ranking indicates that most other tested combos, even those with older CPUs, achieve higher frame rates due to more capable graphics cards. The data suggests that the CPU is being held back significantly; the Ryzen 5 5600X’s nearest rivals in CPU benchmarks (the 5600GT, i7-10700, and i5-12490F) would likely all produce similar FPS when paired with the same RX 580, since the GPU is the limiting factor. Conversely, the GPU’s nearest rivals (GTX 570, GTX 950, and Radeon Pro 455) would produce nearly identical frame rates in Control when paired with a faster CPU, as the RX 580’s performance ceiling is fixed. The combo rank of 1513 reflects the reality that this pairing is optimized for neither component; it is a legacy GPU matched with a modern CPU, and the game’s results are constrained by the older hardware.

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

Given the measured data, the optimal experience at 1920x1080 is achieved with Low settings, which delivers 62.9 FPS — the only preset that exceeds the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Medium settings at 44.9 FPS are a viable alternative if visual fidelity is prioritized over frame rate, but the 18 FPS drop from Low to Medium is substantial. High settings at 39.2 FPS and Ultra at 32.6 FPS are not recommended, as the frame rate falls below the 40 FPS comfort zone for an action game like Control. At 2560x1440, Low settings at 46.4 FPS is the only acceptable option, though it is still below 60 FPS; Medium at 33.3 FPS and above are too choppy for consistent play. At 3840x2160, all presets fail to reach 35 FPS, making 4K unplayable with this combo; users should avoid this resolution entirely. The data indicates that the best balance of visual quality and performance is achieved at 1080p with Medium settings, which offers 44.9 FPS, a 29% improvement over High while retaining most visual effects. For players who prioritize frame rate, 1080p Low is the clear choice; for those who prefer visuals, 1080p Medium is the highest preset that remains playable. The measured rows show no scenario where High or Ultra provides a worthwhile trade-off, as the FPS penalties are disproportionate to the graphical gains on this GPU.