Control

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 delivers a playable, though not flawless, experience in Control, with performance heavily dictated by the graphics preset and resolution. The data reveals a configuration that is clearly GPU-bound at higher settings, while the CPU’s strong single-threaded performance ensures the frame rate remains respectable even at lower presets. This analysis examines the measured FPS data to understand the balance between the processor and graphics card, and what it means for achieving the best visual experience in this action-adventure title.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Control?*

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 offers the most consistent performance, with average FPS ranging from 59.7 at Ultra settings to 109.2 at Low. While 2560x1440 is playable at Medium and High presets, the frame rates drop significantly, and 3840x2160 only approaches 60 FPS at the Low preset.

Q: How does the RTX 2060's benchmark score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 16074, which places it 0.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7600S and 1.8% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W5500. It trails the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and AMD Radeon Pro 5700 by 1.7%.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 5600X a limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The data suggests it is not a significant limiting factor. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 109.2 FPS, indicating the CPU can feed the GPU sufficiently. The CPU's strong single-thread score of 917 in 3DMark suggests it has the headroom to handle the game's logic without being the primary bottleneck.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the average FPS drops from 78.4 at Low settings to 46.2 at Ultra settings. This represents a significant 32.2 FPS decrease, showing that the GPU is heavily taxed by the higher visual fidelity settings.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 1319 out of 1636 tested combinations for Control. This places it in the lower percentile of tested systems, confirming that while it can run the game, many other configurations are capable of higher performance.

Q: Does the game's performance scale well with resolution changes?

A: The scaling is not linear. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings results in a 12.9 FPS drop, while moving from 1440p to 4K at High settings results in a 19.8 FPS drop, indicating the GPU struggles more as resolution increases.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is the primary driver of performance in Control, especially as resolution and graphical fidelity increase. The data shows a clear pattern: the higher the settings, the lower the average FPS, which points to the GPU being the limiting component. The card's 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s, which is sufficient for the game's textures at 1080p and 1440p but appears to be a constraint at 4K, where even the Low preset only manages 58.2 FPS.

The GPU’s core configuration, with 1920 shading units and a boost clock of 1680 MHz, delivers a measured performance that puts it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs. Its compute capabilities, including 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores, are present in the hardware, though the benchmark data does not specifically isolate ray-tracing performance in Control. The average benchmark score of 16074 shows the card is competitive with its immediate rivals, but the FPS data reveals its limitations in this specific title. At 1080p, the GPU has enough headroom to produce high frame rates at lower presets, but at 4K, its pixel rate of 80.64 GPixel/s and texture rate of 201.6 GTexel/s are clearly overwhelmed, leading to average FPS figures in the low 30s for High and Ultra presets.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for this combo shows a pronounced impact from resolution scaling, confirming the GPU as the primary bottleneck. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the average FPS is 66.0. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings drops the average to 53.1, a 12.9 FPS decrease. The jump to 3840x2160 is even more severe, with the average FPS falling to 33.3, a further 19.8 FPS drop. This pattern is consistent across all settings presets, with the gap between 1440p and 4K being larger than the gap between 1080p and 1440p.

This non-linear scaling suggests that at 4K, the RTX 2060's 6 GB VRAM and memory bandwidth are being maxed out, causing a more dramatic performance hit. For instance, at Low settings, the FPS drops from 109.2 at 1080p to 78.4 at 1440p (a 30.8 FPS loss), but then only drops to 58.2 at 4K (a 20.2 FPS loss). This indicates that while the GPU is still the main constraint, the CPU begins to play a more significant role at lower settings and resolutions, helping to maintain a playable frame rate. The data implies that for a smooth 60 FPS experience, 1080p is the target resolution, while 1440p is best suited for Medium settings or lower to stay above the 50 FPS mark.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data suggests that the ideal balance between visual quality and performance for this combination is the Medium preset at 1920x1080 resolution. At this setting, the combo achieves an average of 79.9 FPS, which is a significant improvement over the 59.7 FPS at Ultra while still offering a substantial upgrade from the 109.2 FPS at Low. This provides a smooth and responsive experience without sacrificing the game's intended atmosphere.

For users with a 2560x1440 monitor, the Medium preset is also the recommended starting point, yielding an average of 57.5 FPS. While this is close to the 60 FPS target, it is not a locked frame rate. The High preset at 1440p yields 53.1 FPS, which may be acceptable for some, but the Medium preset offers a more consistent experience. At 3840x2160, no preset achieves a consistently smooth 60 FPS; the Low preset is the only option that approaches playability with an average of 58.2 FPS. The data clearly indicates that Ultra settings are not viable at any resolution for this hardware, with the highest FPS at 1080p being 59.7, which is only marginally playable.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is positioned in the lower tier of tested systems for Control, with a rank of 1319 out of 1636. This means that 317 other combinations performed worse in this specific game. The ranking is likely influenced by the GPU's performance ceiling, as the CPU is a capable component on its own, with an average benchmark score of 20680 and a percentile of 78 against all CPUs.

The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT and Intel Core i7-10700, have nearly identical average scores, with deltas of -0.3%. This suggests the CPU is not a differentiator in this ranking. Instead, the combo's position is likely due to the GPU, which sits in the 58th percentile for all GPUs. The data implies that while this system is fully capable of running Control, it does not offer the high-end performance found in the top 20% of tested configurations. It is a mid-range setup that will require compromises in settings to achieve a desired frame rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is the complete measured FPS data for this combo in Control:

• 3840x2160 (4K):
• Ultra: 32.0 FPS average
• High: 33.3 FPS average
• Medium: 39.8 FPS average
• Low: 58.2 FPS average

• 2560x1440 (1440p):
• Ultra: 46.2 FPS average
• High: 53.1 FPS average
• Medium: 57.5 FPS average
• Low: 78.4 FPS average

• 1920x1080 (1080p):
• Ultra: 59.7 FPS average
• High: 66.0 FPS average
• Medium: 79.9 FPS average
• Low: 109.2 FPS average

The data shows a clear performance hierarchy. The difference between the Low and Ultra presets is substantial at every resolution, with the largest absolute gap at 1080p (49.5 FPS) and the smallest at 4K (26.2 FPS). This indicates that at higher resolutions, the GPU is so constrained that even reducing settings has a diminishing return on frame rate.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X plays a supporting role in this configuration, providing enough processing power to avoid becoming a major bottleneck in Control. With 6 cores and 12 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture, its multi-threaded capabilities are solid, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 18578. However, it is the processor's single-thread performance that is more critical for gaming. Its 3DMark single-thread score of 917 and Cinebench R20 single-core score of 1101 indicate strong per-core performance, which is essential for handling game logic and physics.

The benchmark data supports this conclusion. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 109.2 FPS, which is a high frame rate that indicates the CPU is not limiting the GPU. If the CPU were the primary constraint, we would see frame rates plateau or drop regardless of resolution. Instead, the FPS scales inversely with resolution and settings, which is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU's high boost clock of 4.60 GHz and 32 MB of L3 cache help maintain consistent frame pacing, allowing the RTX 2060 to operate at its full potential. While a more powerful CPU might push frame rates slightly higher in CPU-bound scenarios, the data for this game shows that the GPU is the component to upgrade for significant performance gains.