Control

Control, Remedy’s 2019 action-adventure, is not typically a benchmark staple for top-tier hardware, yet the pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D produces a dataset that clearly illustrates the shifting bottleneck dynamics between CPU and GPU as resolution scales. This analysis examines the measured frame rates across three resolutions and four quality presets, drawing exclusively from the provided benchmark data to characterize the performance envelope of this specific combination.

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

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor built on the Zen 3 architecture (Vermeer) using TSMC's 7 nm process node. Its base clock is 3.40 GHz with a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, operating within a 65 W TDP. This processor supports DDR4 memory via a dual-channel interface, providing a memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. In the context of Control, a game known for its physics-heavy combat and destructible environments, the CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are relevant. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 6858 and the max-thread score of 6850 suggest that the processor's 16 threads are effectively utilized, with performance scaling well beyond the 8-thread score of 5768.

The Ryzen 7 5700X holds a percentile ranking of 79 among all CPUs, placing it in the upper quintile of processors. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-12600K, has an identical average benchmark score of 27578, resulting in a 0% delta. The AMD Ryzen 7 5800 trails by a mere 0.2%, while the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H is 0.3% behind. The AMD Ryzen 5 7600X is 0.2% ahead. This clustering indicates that the 5700X's single-thread and multi-thread performance is tightly competitive with modern mid-range and upper-mid-range processors.

In the game's measured results, the CPU's influence is most pronounced at 1080p, where the average frame rates across all settings are exceptionally high, ranging from 163 FPS at Ultra to 226 FPS at Low. The data shows a 63 FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p, which is a substantial spread that points to the graphics settings, not the CPU, as the primary variable. However, the fact that even at 1080p Ultra the system achieves 163 FPS suggests the CPU is not presenting a hard limit in this scenario. The CPU's role is to feed the GPU enough draw calls and physics calculations to sustain these high frame rates, and the 8-core/16-thread configuration appears sufficient for this task. The passmark multi-thread score of 26612 and the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 13184 corroborate that the processor has ample headroom for the game's computational load. The single-thread performance, indicated by a 3DMark single-thread score of 921 and a Passmark single-thread score of 3385, is also robust, ensuring that the game's primary logic thread does not become a bottleneck at these frame rates.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the dominant component in this pairing, featuring the GB202 chip on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, fabricated on a 5 nm process. It comes equipped with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, yielding a staggering bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. The GPU's boost clock is 2407 MHz, and its shading unit count is 21760, with 680 TMUs and 176 ROPs. This hardware configuration is designed to obliterate resolution boundaries. The GPU's percentile ranking is 92 among all GPUs, confirming its position near the top of the performance hierarchy.

The benchmark data shows that the RTX 5090 D's nearest rivals are not high-end desktop cards but rather mobile and data-center parts, which is unusual. The AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT is 1.1% ahead in average score, while the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT is 1.6% behind. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 variants are 2.1% and 2.4% behind. This suggests that the average benchmark score of 77712 may be influenced by specific workloads, but in the context of Control, the GPU's raw rasterization power is the key factor.

At 4K resolution, the GPU's capabilities are fully taxed. The average frame rates drop from the 1080p figures, but remain playable across all settings. The 32 GB VRAM buffer is a critical asset here, as Control’s high-resolution textures and complex effects can consume significant memory. The data shows a clear progression: at 4K, the average FPS falls from 152 at Low to 83 at Ultra. This 69 FPS drop between Low and Ultra settings at 4K demonstrates that the GPU is the limiting factor at this resolution, as the increased graphical load directly translates into lower frame rates. The GPU's pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s are substantial, but the demands of 4K Ultra are enough to bring the system to its knees, relatively speaking. The GPU's FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS is impressive, yet the game's rendering pipeline still shows a steady decline in performance as quality settings increase, indicating that the GPU is working at its limits.

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

The measured frame rate data provides a textbook example of resolution scaling and bottleneck identification. Examining the "High" settings preset, the average FPS at 1080p is 188. Moving to 1440p, the frame rate drops to 142, a 24.5% decrease. At 4K, the frame rate further drops to 96, a 32.4% decrease from 1440p and a 48.9% decrease from 1080p. This non-linear scaling indicates that the GPU is becoming increasingly saturated as the pixel count rises.

The "Low" settings preset shows a similar trend but with higher absolute numbers. At 1080p, the average FPS is 226. At 1440p, it drops to 206, a smaller 8.8% decrease. At 4K, it falls to 152, a 26.2% decrease from 1440p. The relatively smaller drop from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings (8.8%) compared to High settings (24.5%) suggests that at Low settings, the system is partially CPU-bound at 1080p, and the GPU has more headroom to absorb the resolution increase. The larger drop from 1440p to 4K at Low settings (26.2%) indicates that the GPU begins to hit its limits as the pixel count grows, even with reduced graphical fidelity.

The "Medium" settings preset provides the most complete data, including minimum and maximum frame rates. The average FPS at 1080p is 199, with a minimum of 169 and a maximum of 229. At 1440p, the average is 160, with a minimum of 136 and a maximum of 184. At 4K, the average drops to 108, with a minimum of 92 and a maximum of 124. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is a 19.6% drop, and from 1440p to 4K is a 32.5% drop. The minimum frame rates also scale accordingly, from 169 at 1080p to 92 at 4K, a 45.6% reduction. This data confirms that the RTX 5090 D is the primary limiting component at higher resolutions, as the performance degradation closely tracks the increase in pixel count.

The "Ultra" settings preset shows the most severe scaling. The average FPS at 1080p is 163, at 1440p it is 124, and at 4K it is 83. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 23.9%, and from 1440p to 4K is 33.1%. The 4K Ultra result of 83 FPS is the lowest average frame rate recorded in the entire dataset, demonstrating that the combination of high resolution and maximum graphical settings is the most demanding scenario. The data consistently shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck at higher resolutions; the Ryzen 7 5700X provides sufficient performance to keep the GPU fed, but the GPU's rendering workload is what dictates the final frame rate.

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

The complete measured FPS dataset is as follows:

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: Average FPS 226
• Medium: Average FPS 199, Minimum FPS 169, Maximum FPS 229
• High: Average FPS 188
• Ultra: Average FPS 163

At 1080p, the system exhibits a high degree of fluidity across all settings. The spread between Low (226 FPS) and Ultra (163 FPS) is 63 FPS, representing a 27.9% performance difference. The Medium preset shows a tight minimum-to-maximum range of 169 to 229 FPS, indicating consistent frame pacing.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: Average FPS 206
• Medium: Average FPS 160, Minimum FPS 136, Maximum FPS 184
• High: Average FPS 142
• Ultra: Average FPS 124

At 1440p, the frame rates remain high, but the gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 82 FPS. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 136 FPS, which is still well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The data indicates that this resolution is a sweet spot for the RTX 5090 D, as even Ultra settings maintain an average above 120 FPS.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: Average FPS 152
• Medium: Average FPS 108, Minimum FPS 92, Maximum FPS 124
• High: Average FPS 96
• Ultra: Average FPS 83

At 4K, the performance scales down significantly. The Low preset still achieves an average of 152 FPS, but the Ultra preset drops to 83 FPS. The Medium preset has a minimum of 92 FPS, which is a critical threshold for maintaining a stable 60 FPS experience with headroom. The data shows a 69 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at this resolution, highlighting the substantial impact of graphical settings on the GPU.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D achieves a rank of 54 out of 2888 tested combos for Control. This places the pairing in the top 1.9% of all tested system configurations. The high rank is primarily attributable to the RTX 5090 D's immense rasterization power, which is the dominant factor in this game's performance. The CPU, while not a top-tier part, is sufficient to avoid bottlenecking the GPU at the tested resolutions and settings.

The rank of 54 indicates that there are 53 other system combinations that perform better in this specific game. While the exact configurations of these higher-ranked combos are not provided in the data, it is reasonable to infer that they would feature even more powerful CPUs, potentially from the latest high-end desktop platforms. However, the 5700X's performance, as evidenced by its 79th percentile ranking among all CPUs, is not a weak link. The data shows that the combo's performance is heavily skewed towards the GPU's capabilities, and the CPU's role is to provide a stable foundation. The fact that this combo ranks so highly, despite the CPU being a mid-range part from a previous generation, underscores the RTX 5090 D's dominance in this game.

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

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal settings preset varies by resolution, depending on the target frame rate and the desire for visual fidelity.

At 1920x1080, all presets deliver average frame rates above 160 FPS. The Ultra preset, with an average of 163 FPS, is the most visually demanding option that still provides a high-refresh-rate experience. There is no practical reason to lower settings at this resolution, as even the highest quality preset maintains an average well above 144 FPS. The Medium preset offers a slightly higher average of 199 FPS, but the visual benefits of Ultra are likely worth the 36 FPS trade-off for most users.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 124 FPS, which is still suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors. The High preset averages 142 FPS, offering a 14.5% performance increase over Ultra. The Medium preset averages 160 FPS, with a minimum of 136 FPS. For users with a 144 Hz monitor, the High preset is the recommended choice, as it balances visual quality with a high average frame rate and a comfortable margin above the refresh rate. For those with a 165 Hz or higher display, the Medium preset provides a higher average frame rate, though the visual fidelity is reduced. The Low preset, at 206 FPS, is only recommended for competitive play where maximum frame rate is paramount.

At 3840x2160, the performance margins become tighter. The High preset averages 96 FPS, which is adequate for a 60 Hz display but not ideal for a 120 Hz or 144 Hz panel. The Medium preset averages 108 FPS, with a minimum of 92 FPS, making it the recommended choice for a smooth 4K experience on a high-refresh-rate display. The Ultra preset drops to 83 FPS, which is still playable but may not be suitable for fast-paced action if the user is sensitive to frame rate dips. The Low preset, at 152 FPS, is the only option that fully utilizes a 144 Hz 4K monitor, but it sacrifices significant visual quality. For most users at 4K, the Medium preset offers the best balance, providing a consistently high frame rate with good visual fidelity. The High preset is a viable alternative for those prioritizing image quality over a slightly higher frame rate.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Control with this CPU and GPU combination?

A: Based on the measured data, 2560x1440 with the High preset provides an average of 142 FPS, which is an excellent balance of visual quality and performance. At 4K, the Medium preset averages 108 FPS, which is also a strong option for higher-resolution displays.

Q: Can this system achieve 60 FPS at 4K with maximum settings?

A: Yes, the measured average frame rate at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 83 FPS. This exceeds the 60 FPS threshold, but the average is not extremely high, so users should expect frame rates in the 80s.

Q: How does the CPU performance compare to its closest rival?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X has an average benchmark score of 27578, which is identical to the Intel Core i5-12600K, resulting in a 0% delta. It is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800 and 0.2% behind the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor, especially at higher resolutions. The frame rate drops significantly from 1080p to 4K, with a 48.9% decrease in average FPS at High settings, which is consistent with GPU-bound performance.

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

A: The highest average frame rate is 226 FPS, which is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

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

A: This combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 54 out of 2888 tested combos, placing it in the top 1.9% of all tested systems.