Control

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 pairing in Control produces a dataset that clearly delineates the responsibilities of each component. At 1080p with Low settings, the combination reaches an average of 284.2 FPS, a figure that drops to 155.1 FPS at Ultra settings. This spread indicates a system where the CPU’s Zen 5 architecture, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, provides ample headroom for the GPU to operate, even when the render load is light. The processor’s boost clock of 5.40 GHz and single-thread performance, evidenced by a 3dmark_single_thread score of 1253, are the primary drivers for maintaining high frame rates when the GPU is not the bottleneck.

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

The Ryzen 5 9600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor built on the Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Granite Ridge, on a 4 nm process. Its base clock of 3.90 GHz and boost clock of 5.40 GHz are the key metrics for a game like Control, which relies on strong per-core performance for physics and AI calculations. The CPU’s 3dmark_8_threads score of 6726 and 3dmark_max_threads score of 7590 suggest that the 12 threads are sufficient to handle the game’s multi-threaded workload without becoming a limiting factor, especially when compared to the GPU’s output.

The data shows that the CPU’s influence on frame rates is most pronounced at lower resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the average FPS of 284.2 is more than double the 4K High result of 91.9 FPS, indicating that the CPU is capable of feeding the RTX 5090 with enough data to saturate its rendering pipeline at lower loads. The processor’s PassMark single-thread score of 4570 and Geekbench single-core score of 3363 further underscore its strength in the lightly-threaded tasks that often dominate game logic. In contrast, the CPU’s multi-threaded scores, such as the Cinebench R23 multi-core result of 25525, are less relevant here, as Control does not appear to scale frame rates with core count beyond the 6 physical cores provided.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

Within the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Ryzen 5 9600X and RTX 5090 achieves a combo rank of 2 out of 1636 tested combos in Control. This places it in the top percentile of all systems tested, indicating that the pairing is exceptionally well-balanced for this title. The data suggests that the RTX 5090’s raw power is the primary driver of this high ranking, as the GPU’s benchmark scores, such as a PassMark G3D score of 39650 and a 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 14411, are near the top of the database, with a percentile rank of 94 against all GPUs.

While the CPU is not the top performer in its own right—its percentile rank is 85 against all CPUs—it does not drag the combo down. The nearest rivals for the CPU, such as the Intel Core i5-13490F with a deltaPct of 0.3 and the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS with a deltaPct of -0.4, show that the 9600X is in a tight performance cluster. This means that the CPU’s contribution to the combo’s rank is neutral; it is the GPU that boosts the pair to the number 2 spot. The deltaPct values for the GPU’s rivals, including the RTX 5090 D at 0.1 and the AMD Radeon PRO W6600 at 1.3, are also small, confirming that the GPU is performing as expected for its class.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a consistent scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1080p High, the combo produces 178.2 FPS, which drops to 135.2 FPS at 1440p High and further to 91.9 FPS at 4K High. This represents a 48.4% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at High settings, a clear sign that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor as the pixel count increases. The RTX 5090’s 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth are more than sufficient for Control’s textures, but the rendering workload at 4K is substantial.

The scaling from Low to Ultra settings at each resolution further confirms this. At 1080p, the FPS drops from 284.2 at Low to 155.1 at Ultra, a 45.4% decrease. At 4K, the drop is from 143.9 at Low to 80.9 at Ultra, a 43.8% decrease. The fact that the percentage drop is similar across resolutions suggests that the CPU is keeping pace, and the frame rate is primarily dictated by the GPU’s fill rate and shader throughput. The RTX 5090’s boost clock of 2407 MHz and 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance are the specifications that govern these results.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Control with this combo?*

A: Based on the data, 1440p Ultra provides a strong balance, yielding an average of 119.5 FPS. This is significantly higher than the 4K Ultra result of 80.9 FPS, while still offering the visual fidelity of Ultra settings.

Q: How much faster is the RTX 5090 compared to its nearest rival in this context?

A: The RTX 5090’s average benchmark score is 84306, which is 1.3% higher than the AMD Radeon PRO W6600’s score of 83209. Against the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D, the delta is just 0.1%, showing near-identical performance.

*Q: Does the Ryzen 5 9600X bottleneck the RTX 5090 in Control?*

A: The data suggests not. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 284.2 FPS, and the CPU’s single-thread score of 1253 in 3dmark indicates strong per-core performance. The CPU’s rank of 85th percentile is respectable, and the combo’s rank of 2 out of 1636 indicates a balanced pairing.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Medium and High settings at 4K?

A: At 4K Medium, the average FPS is 103.1, while at 4K High it is 91.9. This is a difference of 11.2 FPS, or roughly a 10.9% reduction in performance for the higher setting.

Q: How does the CPU’s multi-threaded performance compare to its rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 9600X has an average benchmark score of 28246. It is 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core i5-13490F and 0.5% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14500T, but 0.4% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS. These are all within a narrow performance band.

*Q: Is the RTX 5090’s memory bandwidth a factor in Control?*

A: The GPU’s 1.79 TB/s bandwidth is a key specification, but the data shows that the frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K is more consistent with compute-bound limitations. The 32 GB of memory is ample for the game’s assets.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the dominant component in this pairing for Control, and its specifications align directly with the measured performance. The GPU’s 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s, which is more than adequate for the game’s textures and effects at any resolution. The boost clock of 2407 MHz, combined with 21760 shading units, produces a pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s, both of which are critical for rendering the game’s physics-based destruction and particle effects.

The GPU’s benchmark scores reinforce its top-tier status. A PassMark G3D score of 39650 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 379571 place it in the 94th percentile of all GPUs. The 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 14411 is a direct measure of DirectX 12 performance, which Control uses. The data shows that the GPU is the primary determinant of frame rates at 4K, where the average FPS at High settings is 91.9, and at Ultra is 80.9. These figures are consistent with a GPU that is being fully utilized, as the CPU is not the bottleneck. The RTX 5090’s 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is the raw compute capacity that drives the high frame rates at lower resolutions, where the CPU can keep up with the GPU’s output.