Control

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT delivers a versatile 1080p and 1440p experience in Control, with 4K available for those who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate. The measured data reveals a clear performance hierarchy across the four settings presets, making the optimal choice highly dependent on the target resolution.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark results indicate that the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance across all tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, Medium produces an average of 88 FPS with a minimum of 75 FPS and a maximum of 101 FPS, providing a smooth experience that comfortably exceeds the 60 FPS threshold for most displays. The jump from Low to Medium costs only 36 FPS on average (from 124 to 88 FPS) but delivers substantially improved visual fidelity, making it the most efficient upgrade in the settings hierarchy.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset again proves optimal, delivering 67 FPS average with a 57 FPS minimum and 76 FPS maximum. This keeps gameplay fluid while maintaining the enhanced detail that Medium settings provide over Low. The High preset at this resolution drops to 59 FPS average, which is playable but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes. For users with high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors, the Low preset at 94 FPS average is the only option that fully exploits such displays, though it sacrifices the atmospheric lighting and particle effects that define Control’s visual identity.

The 3840x2160 results tell a different story. Here, the Medium preset delivers 45 FPS average with a 38 FPS minimum and 52 FPS maximum, which is marginal for action-oriented gameplay. The Low preset at 63 FPS average is the only 4K option that maintains acceptable fluidity, making it the recommended choice for 4K users who prioritize responsiveness. High and Ultra at 4K produce 40 and 35 FPS averages respectively, which are better suited for screenshot-taking or slower-paced exploration rather than combat scenarios.

For users with variable refresh rate (VRR) displays, the Medium preset at 1440p or 1080p provides the best experience, as the minimum FPS values (57 and 75 respectively) stay within a range where VRR can effectively eliminate tearing without introducing noticeable judder. The data suggests that pushing beyond Medium at these resolutions yields diminishing returns, as the FPS penalties from High and Ultra are steep relative to the visual gains.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT serves as the primary performance driver in this configuration, with its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus providing 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration proves ample for Control’s demands across all tested settings, as evidenced by the consistent scaling from Low to Ultra without any memory-related stutters indicated in the frame time data.

The GPU’s clock behavior is notable: it operates at a 1980 MHz base clock with a 2470 MHz game clock and 2755 MHz boost clock. The boost clock is particularly relevant for Control, as the game’s dynamic environments and physics-heavy combat scenes benefit from the GPU’s ability to sustain higher clocks under load. The 22.57 TFLOPS FP32 compute throughput provides the raw processing power needed for the game’s particle effects and destructible environments, while the 32 ray tracing cores enable the game’s signature reflective surfaces when enabled, though the measured data does not isolate ray tracing performance.

The GPU’s 60th percentile ranking among all tested GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17083, places it in the mid-range tier. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, which scores 17208 (0.7% higher), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 at 17037 (0.3% lower). This tight clustering indicates that the RX 7600 XT performs competitively with these cards in synthetic benchmarks, and the Control results confirm this positioning. The 16 GB VRAM capacity, while exceeding what Control requires at these settings, future-proofs the configuration for games with higher memory demands.

The GPU’s 128-bit memory bus and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for Control’s texture streaming, as evidenced by the smooth frame time behavior at Medium settings. However, the transition from Medium to High at 4K shows a 5 FPS drop (from 45 to 40), suggesting that memory bandwidth becomes a limiting factor at higher resolutions and quality settings. The GPU’s PCIe 4.0 x8 interface provides adequate bandwidth for the CPU-GPU data transfer, and the 190 W TDP with a 450 W suggested PSU indicates power headroom for sustained boost clocks during extended gaming sessions.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 2560x1440 in Control?

A: Yes, but only at Medium settings, which deliver 67 FPS average with a 57 FPS minimum. The High preset falls to 59 FPS average, and Ultra drops further to 51 FPS, making Medium the only 1440p preset that consistently exceeds 60 FPS.

Q: What is the best preset for 1920x1080 gaming?

A: Medium provides the best balance at 88 FPS average, but Low offers 124 FPS for competitive play. High (78 FPS) and Ultra (68 FPS) are viable for visually demanding users, though Ultra’s frame rate is only slightly above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Is 4K playable with this configuration?

A: Playable with compromises. The Low preset achieves 63 FPS average, which is smooth, but Medium drops to 45 FPS and is only recommended for VRR displays. High (40 FPS) and Ultra (35 FPS) are not recommended for action sequences.

Q: How does the RX 7600 XT compare to the RTX 3070 in Control?

A: The measured data shows the RTX 3070 has a 0.7% higher average benchmark score (17208 vs 17132), but in Control specifically, the RX 7600 XT’s 16 GB VRAM and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth appear sufficient to avoid memory-related bottlenecks, as frame rates scale predictably with settings.

Q: What frame rates can I expect with V-Sync enabled at 1440p?

A: At Medium settings, the 67 FPS average with a 57 FPS minimum means V-Sync at 60 Hz would produce occasional frame drops to 57 FPS, causing judder. The Low preset at 94 FPS average would hold 60 FPS consistently with V-Sync enabled.

Q: Does the 8-core CPU bottleneck the GPU in this game?

A: The data indicates the Ryzen 7 5800X’s 8 cores and 16 threads are sufficient, as frame rates scale almost linearly with GPU settings. The CPU’s 81st percentile ranking among all CPUs, with a passmark multithread score of 27732, suggests it is not the limiting factor at any tested resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves the highest average at 124 FPS, followed by Medium at 88 FPS (with 75 FPS minimum and 101 FPS maximum), High at 78 FPS, and Ultra at 68 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 36 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is 10 FPS, and High to Ultra is another 10 FPS. This demonstrates diminishing returns as settings increase, with the largest visual-per-frame-rate trade-off occurring between Low and Medium.

At 2560x1440, the pattern shifts. Low delivers 94 FPS average, Medium drops to 67 FPS (57 minimum, 76 maximum), High comes in at 59 FPS, and Ultra at 51 FPS. The percentage drops from 1080p to 1440p are consistent: Low loses 24.2% (124 to 94 FPS), Medium loses 23.9% (88 to 67 FPS), High loses 24.4% (78 to 59 FPS), and Ultra loses 25% (68 to 51 FPS). This uniform scaling indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 1440p, with resolution affecting all settings equally.

The 3840x2160 results show more pronounced scaling challenges. Low achieves 63 FPS average, Medium drops to 45 FPS (38 minimum, 52 maximum), High falls to 40 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 35 FPS. The transition from 1440p to 4K costs 33% of performance at Low (94 to 63 FPS), 32.8% at Medium (67 to 45 FPS), 32.2% at High (59 to 40 FPS), and 31.4% at Ultra (51 to 35 FPS). This slightly improving scaling at higher settings suggests that Ultra is less resolution-sensitive, likely due to the increased GPU load masking other bottlenecks.

The Medium preset at all three resolutions shows the most consistent frame time behavior, with the 1080p minimum of 75 FPS representing a 14.8% deviation from the 88 FPS average, the 1440p minimum of 57 FPS a 14.9% deviation from 67 FPS, and the 4K minimum of 38 FPS a 15.6% deviation from 45 FPS. This consistency indicates that Medium settings provide the most stable experience across the resolution spectrum.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X + AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT combination ranks 2363rd out of 3720 tested combos in Control, placing it in the 36.5th percentile of all configurations. This ranking reflects the mid-range positioning of both components: the CPU sits in the 81st percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU ranks in the 60th percentile among all GPUs. The combo’s ranking is lower than either component’s individual percentile, suggesting that Control’s performance is more GPU-limited than CPU-limited at the tested settings.

The ranking context becomes clearer when examining the GPU’s nearest rivals. The RX 7600 XT’s average benchmark score of 17083 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (17037, 0.3% lower) and the AMD Radeon HD 7970M (17019, 0.4% lower), while the RTX 3070 (17208) is 0.7% higher. This tight clustering means that swapping to any of these GPUs would likely shift the combo’s ranking by only a few positions in Control, assuming the CPU remains constant.

The 2363rd ranking out of 3720 combos means the configuration outperforms approximately 1357 tested combinations but falls behind 2362 others. Given that the data only includes this specific CPU-GPU pairing, the ranking reflects how this combo compares to all other pairings in the database, including those with faster CPUs and GPUs. The 16 GB VRAM of the RX 7600 XT provides an advantage over lower-VRAM cards at 4K, where the Medium preset’s 45 FPS suggests the memory capacity is not a limiting factor despite the 128-bit bus.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X provides the computational foundation for this combo, with 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture (Vermeer codename) built on TSMC’s 7 nm process. The CPU operates at a 3.80 GHz base clock and boosts to 4.70 GHz, with 32 MB of L3 cache and 512 KB of L2 cache per core. Its 105 W TDP and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth provide adequate data throughput for Control’s physics and AI systems.

The CPU’s benchmark results demonstrate strong multi-threaded performance: a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15476 and a Passmark multithread score of 27732. Single-thread performance is equally robust, with a Geekbench single-core score of 2032 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1574.5. These scores place the CPU in the 81st percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29123. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H, scores 29093 (0.1% lower), while the AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT scores 28940 (0.6% lower), indicating the 5800X holds a slight edge over these alternatives.

In Control specifically, the CPU’s role is secondary to the GPU, as evidenced by the consistent frame rate scaling across resolutions. The 8-core, 16-thread configuration ensures that the game’s physics calculations, AI pathfinding, and streaming systems never starve the GPU of data. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 7586 and 8-thread score of 6035 show strong scaling, while the single-thread score of 943 indicates that even lightly-threaded workloads are handled efficiently.

The CPU’s 4.70 GHz boost clock is particularly beneficial for Control’s frame pacing, as the game’s dynamic environments require consistent CPU responsiveness. The Passmark data compression score of 345414 and floating point math score of 52639 suggest the CPU can handle the game’s procedural destruction and particle calculations without introducing frame hitches. The combination of 16 threads and high single-thread performance ensures that Control’s engine can utilize available CPU resources effectively, allowing the RX 7600 XT to operate at near-peak efficiency across all tested settings and resolutions.