Control

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination delivers a compelling 4K experience in Control, but the benchmark data reveals a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, with the CPU’s 8-core/16-thread configuration proving more than adequate for the game's demands. The measured frame rates across all settings and resolutions show a clear hierarchy, with the RTX 5090's immense compute power being the primary driver of performance, while the 5700X keeps pace without becoming a bottleneck.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep but predictable for a game like Control, which features heavy visual effects and complex scenes. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo averages 229.1 FPS, a figure that drops to 205.1 FPS at 1440p and 145.2 FPS at 4K. This represents a 36.6% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating that even at the lowest graphical preset, the resolution scaling is significant.

The pattern is consistent across all settings. At High, the system delivers 176.8 FPS at 1080p, 135.1 FPS at 1440p, and 92.6 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K at High is 31.5%, while the drop from 1080p to 1440p is 23.6%. This suggests that as resolution increases, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, with the RTX 5090's 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth being taxed by the higher pixel counts.

At Ultra settings, the resolution scaling is the most pronounced. The system averages 154.8 FPS at 1080p, which falls to 118.1 FPS at 1440p and 78.5 FPS at 4K. The 49.3% performance loss from 1080p to 4K at Ultra indicates that the game's most demanding settings, likely including ray tracing and high-resolution textures, place a massive load on the GPU. The data shows no evidence of CPU limitation at any resolution, as even the lowest frame rates at 4K Ultra remain well above what a CPU-bound scenario would produce.

FAQ

Q: How does the RTX 5090 compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5090 scores 84,306 on average in benchmarks, which is 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D (84,241) and 0.2% higher than the RTX 5050 Mobile (84,171). It also outperforms the AMD Radeon PRO W6600 (83,209) by 1.3%, but trails the NVIDIA CMP 40HX (85,637) by 1.6%.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS is 229.1, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is a significant jump from the 205.1 FPS at 1440p Low, showing that 1080p is where the system reaches its peak performance ceiling.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 5700X a bottleneck at 4K?

A: No. At 4K with Ultra settings, the system still averages 78.5 FPS, which is a playable frame rate. The CPU’s 8 cores and 16 threads, based on Zen 3 architecture, provide sufficient processing power. Its 3DMark max threads score of 6,850 and Cinebench R23 multicore score of 22,620 indicate strong multi-threaded performance that does not limit the GPU.

Q: How does the 5700X compare to its closest rivals?

A: The 5700X has an average benchmark score of 26,214, placing it 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i9-11900KF (26,196) and 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500GT (26,161). It is 0.2% behind both the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U (26,262) and the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X (26,272).

Q: What is the performance difference between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium settings yield an average of 150.1 FPS, while High settings yield 135.1 FPS. This is a 10% performance reduction for the visual upgrade that High settings provide, making High a reasonable choice for users with high refresh rate monitors.

Q: Does the 5700X support overclocking?

A: Yes, the multiplier is unlocked. With a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, the CPU can be manually overclocked to extract additional performance, though the data shows it is not necessary for this game at these resolutions.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X is a Zen 3-based processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, clocked at 3.40 GHz base and 4.60 GHz boost. Its 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 7 nm process node make it a capable gaming CPU. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 9,500 in Cinebench R20 multicore and 3,193 in Cinebench R23 single-core, demonstrating a solid balance between multi-threaded and single-threaded performance.

In Control, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and handle game logic. The data shows that the 5700X does not bottleneck the RTX 5090 at any resolution or settings combination. Even at 1080p Low, where the GPU is least stressed, the system achieves 229.1 FPS, indicating that the CPU can keep up with the GPU's output. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 6,858 and max-thread score of 6,850 suggest that the CPU's multi-threading capabilities are well-utilized, but not saturated.

The 5700X's performance relative to its rivals is close, with its 26,214 average benchmark score sitting within 0.2% of the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X and 0.1% of the Intel Core i9-11900KF. This means that in CPU-bound scenarios, users would see negligible differences between these processors. In this game, however, the CPU is not the limiting factor, as the GPU takes on the majority of the workload at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings average 229.1 FPS, Medium averages 197.3 FPS, High averages 176.8 FPS, and Ultra averages 154.8 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra represents a 32.4% performance drop, which is the smallest percentage difference across all resolutions, confirming that 1080p is the most CPU-friendly resolution for this combo.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but begin to show GPU limitations. Low settings average 205.1 FPS, Medium averages 150.1 FPS, High averages 135.1 FPS, and Ultra averages 118.1 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 42.4%, indicating that the GPU's rendering load is increasing significantly. The RTX 5090's 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is being pushed harder at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the system still delivers playable frame rates, but the GPU is clearly the dominant factor. Low settings average 145.2 FPS, Medium averages 104.5 FPS, High averages 92.6 FPS, and Ultra averages 78.5 FPS. The performance drop from Low to Ultra is 46.0%, the largest percentage difference of any resolution. This shows that Control's Ultra settings, which likely include advanced post-processing and high-resolution textures, heavily tax the GPU's 32 GB of VRAM and 423.6 GPixel/s pixel rate.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the clear performance driver in this combination. With 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 raster output units, it is a massive GPU. Its 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus provides 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth, which is crucial for Control's high-resolution textures and effects. The GPU's boost clock of 2407 MHz and 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power allow it to handle the game's demanding scenes with ease.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 5090 scores 14,411 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 and 39,650 in Passmark G3D, placing it in the 94th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the RTX 5090 D, scores 84,241 on average, a 0.1% difference, while the RTX 5050 Mobile scores 84,171, a 0.2% difference. These margins are negligible, showing that the 5090 is at the top of the performance stack.

The GPU's role in Control is evident in the frame rate scaling. At 4K Ultra, the system drops to 78.5 FPS, which is still smooth but demonstrates the game's appetite for GPU resources. The 5090's 170 RT cores are likely handling ray tracing effects at Ultra settings, which would explain the significant performance cost. The GPU's 1.79 TB/s memory bandwidth ensures that texture streaming is not a bottleneck, even at 4K with high-quality assets.

Settings Recommendations

For users targeting 60 FPS or higher at 4K, the High preset is the optimal choice. It averages 92.6 FPS, providing a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while maintaining visual quality. The Ultra preset, at 78.5 FPS, is also viable for users who prioritize visuals over frame rate, but the 15% performance cost over High may not be worth the marginal visual improvement in most scenes.

At 1440p, High settings (135.1 FPS) are recommended for high refresh rate displays, as they provide a smooth experience well above 120 FPS. Users with 144Hz monitors can also consider Ultra (118.1 FPS), which still exceeds the 100 FPS threshold. The Medium preset (150.1 FPS) is a good fallback for those who want to ensure maximum frame consistency.

At 1080p, all settings are playable, with even Ultra averaging 154.8 FPS. For competitive play, Low settings (229.1 FPS) offer the highest frame rates, but the visual compromise is significant. The Medium preset (197.3 FPS) strikes the best balance between visual fidelity and performance, ensuring that the game remains responsive on high refresh rate monitors. The data suggests that High (176.8 FPS) is the most balanced choice for most users, as it provides excellent visuals without sacrificing frame rate.