Control

How This Combo Ranks

The pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 lands at rank 2950 out of 3720 tested combinations for Control. That places this build in the bottom fifth of all tested configs, which is expected given the GPU's age and tier relative to the game's release window and the demands of its physics-heavy action sequences. The rank is not a reflection of the CPU, which sits in a strong percentile among all processors, but rather a direct consequence of the RTX 2060's position in the current GPU landscape.

Benchmark data confirms this split. The CPU holds a 77th percentile rank among all CPUs, while the GPU sits at a 58th percentile among all GPUs. The delta between those two figures is substantial, and in a title like Control — where visual effects, ray tracing, and resolution scaling heavily tax the graphics card — the GPU becomes the primary governor of frame rates. The combo's overall rank of 2950/3720 is therefore not a statement about CPU inadequacy, but about the balance of this specific pairing.

Against its nearest measured rivals, the RTX 2060's average benchmark score of 15290 is essentially tied with the GeForce GTX 580 (15283, delta 0%), and within a whisker of the AMD Radeon 680M (15270, +0.1%) and the RTX 3050 OEM (15199, +0.6%). The Radeon RX 7600 trails slightly at 15171 (+0.8%). These are all sub-1% differences, meaning the RTX 2060 is positioned in a dense cluster of mid-range GPUs where no single card holds a decisive synthetic advantage. In Control specifically, that translates to playable but not exceptional frame rates, particularly at higher resolutions.

The CPU side of the equation is more favorable. The Ryzen 5 7500F's average benchmark score of 24964 sits within 0.4% of its nearest rivals — the Intel Core i7-11850H (24935, +0.1%), AMD Ryzen 5 8400F (25005, -0.2%), Intel Core i7-13620H (24911, +0.2%), and Intel Core 5 210H (24872, +0.4%). None of these deltas exceed half a percent, so the 7500F is not a bottleneck in any meaningful sense for this game. The pairing's rank is therefore a GPU-limited story, and the measured FPS data below makes that limitation explicit.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor built on the Zen 4 architecture, codenamed Raphael, and fabricated on TSMC's 5 nm process. It runs at a base clock of 3.70 GHz and boosts up to 5.00 GHz. The CPU package includes 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 32 MB L3 cache. It supports dual-channel DDR5 memory with a theoretical bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s and connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 24 lanes. The chip is unlocked for overclocking, which is relevant for users who want to extract more headroom, though Control's frame rates are unlikely to benefit much given the GPU constraint.

In synthetic benchmarks, the 7500F posts strong single-thread and multi-thread numbers. Cinebench R23 multi-core scores 22799, while single-core reaches 3218. Geekbench multi-core is 12362, single-core 2374. PassMark multithread is 26825, and single-thread 3841. The 3DMark thread scaling shows 6376 for 16 threads, 5372 for 8 threads, 3621 for 4 threads, and 1902 for 2 threads — a nearly linear scaling pattern that indicates the CPU handles multi-threaded workloads well. That matters for Control because the game's physics and AI systems do use multiple threads, but the game is not a CPU stress test in the way that a strategy title or a simulation might be.

For Control, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls, handle game logic, and manage the asynchronous compute that the game uses for its particle effects and destructible environments. The 7500F's high boost clock and efficient Zen 4 cores are more than sufficient for this task. The measured FPS data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the GPU is least stressed, the average frame rate reaches 107 FPS — a figure that suggests the CPU is not holding the system back at lower settings. At 1080p Ultra, the average drops to 59 FPS, but that is a GPU-side effect of increased shading and memory pressure, not a CPU limitation.

The 7500F's 65 W TDP and 5 nm process also mean it runs cool and efficient, which is a secondary benefit in a system paired with a 160 W GPU. The CPU's release date of 2023-07-21 places it well after Control's launch in 2019, so there is no question of the CPU lacking the instruction set or architecture features the game expects.

FAQ

*Q: Is the Ryzen 5 7500F strong enough for Control at high settings?*

A: Yes. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22799 and single-core of 3218 put it well above the threshold needed for Control's physics and AI. The measured FPS at 1080p High (68 FPS) and 1440p High (51 FPS) show the CPU is not the limiting factor; the GPU is.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its closest GPU rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 2060's average benchmark score is 15290. That is within 0.8% of the GeForce GTX 580 (15283), AMD Radeon 680M (15270), RTX 3050 OEM (15199), and Radeon RX 7600 (15171). These are effectively tied scores, so the RTX 2060 is not outperforming or underperforming its immediate peers by any meaningful margin.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The measured average is 76 FPS, with a minimum of 65 FPS and a maximum of 88 FPS. That is a smooth, consistent experience for most players, and the minimum stays above common refresh thresholds.

Q: Is 4K playable with this combo?

A: At 4K Ultra, the average is 30 FPS, which is borderline for action games. At 4K High, it rises to 35 FPS, and at 4K Medium it is 39 FPS. Only at 4K Low does it reach a more comfortable 55 FPS. For a game like Control with fast-paced combat, 4K is not recommended above Low settings.

Q: Does the CPU's 77th percentile ranking mean it is a bottleneck?

A: No. The CPU's percentile reflects its standing among all CPUs, not its performance in Control. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the system reaches 107 FPS, which is well above what the GPU can sustain at higher settings. The bottleneck is the GPU, which ranks at the 58th percentile.

Q: How does the 7500F compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The 7500F's average benchmark score of 24964 is within 0.4% of the Intel Core i7-11850H (24935), AMD Ryzen 5 8400F (25005), Intel Core i7-13620H (24911), and Intel Core 5 210H (24872). There is no practical performance difference between these chips.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160) and four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra). All data points are measured, not estimated.

At 1080p, the RTX 2060 delivers its best results. Low settings average 107 FPS, which is the highest figure across the entire dataset. Medium drops to 76 FPS, with a minimum of 65 and a maximum of 88. High averages 68 FPS, and Ultra averages 59 FPS. The step from Low to Medium is a 31 FPS loss (107 to 76), while the step from Medium to High is 8 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 9 FPS. The biggest single drop occurs between Low and Medium, which suggests that the Medium preset engages significant additional GPU work — likely higher-resolution textures and more complex lighting.

At 1440p, the pattern shifts. Low averages 81 FPS, which is a 26 FPS drop from 1080p Low. Medium averages 58 FPS (min 49, max 66), High averages 51 FPS, and Ultra averages 45 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 23 FPS, again the largest step. The Ultra preset at 1440p (45 FPS) is still above the 4K Ultra figure (30 FPS), but below the 1080p Ultra figure (59 FPS).

At 4K, the GPU clearly struggles. Low averages 55 FPS, which is the only 4K preset above 40 FPS. Medium averages 39 FPS (min 33, max 45), High averages 35 FPS, and Ultra averages 30 FPS. The 4K Medium range of 33-45 FPS shows notable variance, indicating that scenes with heavy particle effects or dynamic lighting can push the frame rate toward the lower end.

Across all presets, the data shows a consistent trend: the RTX 2060 is a 1080p-class card for Control. At 1080p, every preset except Ultra stays above 60 FPS. At 1440p, only Low stays above 60 FPS. At 4K, no preset reaches 60 FPS.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across settings. At Low, the drop is from 107 to 55 FPS, a 52 FPS loss (51%). At Medium, it is from 76 to 39 FPS, a 37 FPS loss (49%). At High, it is from 68 to 35 FPS, a 33 FPS loss (49%). At Ultra, it is from 59 to 30 FPS, a 29 FPS loss (49%). The consistent ~50% reduction across all presets indicates that the scaling is purely resolution-driven, not setting-driven.

The 1440p figures sit roughly halfway between 1080p and 4K in most cases. At Low, 1440p is 81 FPS, which is 76% of 1080p Low and 147% of 4K Low. At Medium, 1440p is 58 FPS, which is 76% of 1080p Medium and 149% of 4K Medium. At High, 1440p is 51 FPS (75% of 1080p High, 146% of 4K High). At Ultra, 1440p is 45 FPS (76% of 1080p Ultra, 150% of 4K Ultra). This near-linear scaling suggests that the GPU's memory bandwidth (336.0 GB/s) and 6 GB GDDR6 memory are being saturated as pixel count increases.

The scaling behavior points to the GPU as the limiting component. The RTX 2060 has 1920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs, with a pixel rate of 80.64 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 201.6 GTexel/s. At 4K, the pixel workload is four times that of 1080p, and the GPU's fill rate cannot keep up. The CPU, by contrast, is not affected by resolution in the same way — its workload is largely constant regardless of pixel count. Since the FPS drops are proportional to resolution, the data confirms that the GPU is the bottleneck at all resolutions above 1080p Low.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience with this combo, the data points to 1080p Medium as the sweet spot. The average of 76 FPS with a minimum of 65 FPS ensures consistent frame pacing, and the visual uplift from Low to Medium is significant in Control — the game's environments rely on detailed textures and dynamic lighting that are heavily reduced at Low. The 65 FPS minimum is above the 60 FPS threshold, so there is no perceptible stutter during combat.

If the player prioritizes frame rate over visuals, 1080p Low at 107 FPS is the clear choice. This is the only preset in the entire dataset that exceeds 100 FPS, and it is ideal for high-refresh-rate displays. The drop to Medium costs 31 FPS, which is a substantial trade-off. However, for a game like Control where atmosphere and environmental storytelling are central, the visual fidelity of Medium is likely worth the frame rate cost.

At 1440p, the recommendation shifts. Low at 81 FPS is the only 1440p preset that clears 60 FPS comfortably. Medium at 58 FPS is close but has a minimum of 49 FPS, which could produce noticeable dips during intense scenes. High at 51 FPS and Ultra at 45 FPS are below the 60 FPS target. For 1440p users, Low is the only preset that delivers a consistently smooth experience, though Medium is acceptable for players who tolerate occasional frame drops.

At 4K, no preset is ideal. Low at 55 FPS is the best option, but it requires significant visual compromises. Medium at 39 FPS (min 33) is playable for slower exploration but will struggle in combat. High and Ultra are not recommended, as 35 FPS and 30 FPS respectively are below the threshold for responsive action gameplay. The data suggests that 4K is not a viable target for this GPU in Control, and players should either drop to 1440p or accept Low settings at 4K.

The overall recommendation is 1080p Medium for the best balance of visual quality and performance, with 1080p Low as the fallback for players who want maximum smoothness. The RTX 2060's 6 GB memory and 192-bit bus are adequate for 1080p Medium, but the card's limits become apparent as resolution climbs.