Control

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 presents a specific profile in Control, with measured results spanning three resolutions and four quality presets. The data reveals a system where the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher settings, while CPU headroom remains significant. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS to understand scaling behavior, component roles, and optimal configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, confirming that the Radeon RX 6600 is the limiting factor as pixel count increases. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 67.8 FPS at 1920x1080 to 51.9 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of approximately 23%. Moving to 3840x2160, the average drops further to 37.9 FPS, which is about 44% lower than the 1080p result. This trend is visible across all presets, but the magnitude of the drop varies with the workload.

At Low settings, the scaling is less punishing in absolute terms but still substantial. The system delivers 108.5 FPS at 1080p, 84.4 FPS at 1440p, and 53.6 FPS at 4K. The 1440p result is 22% lower than 1080p, while 4K is 51% lower. This indicates that even when graphical load is reduced, the pixel throughput requirement at 4K overwhelms the GPU’s capabilities. The gap between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings is 24.1 FPS, while the gap between 1440p and 4K is 30.8 FPS, showing that the resolution scaling is not linear and 4K presents a disproportionate challenge.

For Medium settings, the measured averages are 79.6 FPS at 1080p, 59.9 FPS at 1440p, and 36.8 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 24.7%, and from 1440p to 4K is 38.6%. This pattern suggests that the GPU’s memory bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s and 8 GB of GDDR6 memory become increasingly stressed at higher resolutions, with the 128-bit bus width limiting effective throughput. The Ultra preset shows the lowest absolute numbers: 60.5 FPS at 1080p, 47.8 FPS at 1440p, and 28.1 FPS at 4K. The 4K result is less than half the 1080p figure, a 53.6% reduction, which is the largest percentage drop of any preset.

The data points to the RX 6600, with its 1792 shading units and 64 ROPs, being the definitive constraint. The CPU, with 12 cores and 24 threads, is not causing the frame rate to collapse at higher resolutions; instead, the GPU’s rendering throughput dictates performance. The fact that 4K Ultra yields 28.1 FPS, while 4K Low yields 53.6 FPS, demonstrates that settings adjustments can recover significant performance, but the resolution itself remains a hard limit for smooth gameplay.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 9 5900X is a high-end desktop processor with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz, built on the Zen 3 architecture with 12 cores and 24 threads. In Control, the benchmark results show that this CPU is not the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the average FPS reaches 108.5, which is the highest measured value in the entire dataset. This indicates that the CPU can feed frames well above the GPU’s capability at lower resolutions.

Comparing the CPU’s synthetic benchmarks to the game results provides context. The 3dmark_max_threads score is 10075, and the 3dmark_single_thread score is 941, showing strong multi-threaded and single-threaded performance. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 33150 and single-core score of 4680 reinforce this. However, the game’s frame rates do not scale directly with these numbers; instead, the GPU’s 8.928 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is the ceiling. At 1080p Ultra, the system produces 60.5 FPS, which is a 44% drop from the Low preset at the same resolution, a clear sign that the GPU is working harder while the CPU remains underutilized.

The CPU’s 64 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s are ample for the game’s demands. The measured FPS at 1440p High (51.9) is nearly identical to the 4K Low result (53.6), suggesting that the CPU’s role is consistent across these scenarios. The Ryzen 9 5900X’s percentile ranking of 90 among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 39453, places it far above the GPU’s percentile of 69. This mismatch confirms that any performance ceiling in Control is attributable to the Radeon RX 6600, not the processor. The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-13700 with a deltaPct of -1, show similar aggregate performance, but none of this matters for the game’s FPS since the GPU is the limiting component.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Control?*

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 provides the most playable results across all settings, with averages ranging from 60.5 FPS at Ultra to 108.5 FPS at Low. The 2560x1440 results are lower, and 3840x2160 falls below 60 FPS in every preset.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at the same resolution?

A: At 1080p, Ultra delivers 60.5 FPS while High delivers 67.8 FPS, a difference of 7.3 FPS. At 1440p, the gap is 4.1 FPS (47.8 vs 51.9), and at 4K, the gap is 9.8 FPS (28.1 vs 37.9). The Ultra preset consistently costs more performance than High.

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 5900X holding back the RX 6600?

A: The data shows no evidence of CPU limitation. The 1080p Low result of 108.5 FPS indicates the CPU can push far beyond the GPU’s capabilities. The CPU’s benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 33150, are far higher than the GPU’s percentile ranking suggests is necessary.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Medium settings?

A: At 1080p, Low averages 108.5 FPS and Medium averages 79.6 FPS, a 28.9 FPS drop. At 1440p, Low averages 84.4 FPS and Medium averages 59.9 FPS, a 24.5 FPS drop. At 4K, Low averages 53.6 FPS and Medium averages 36.8 FPS, a 16.8 FPS drop.

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

A: The combo ranks 1308 out of 1636 tested combinations in Control, placing it in the lower portion of the database. This ranking reflects the GPU’s mid-range position, as the CPU is a top-tier part.

Q: Does the 4K Ultra setting provide a consistent experience?

A: No, the 4K Ultra result of 28.1 FPS is below playable thresholds. The 4K High setting at 37.9 FPS is also not smooth, and even 4K Low at 53.6 FPS is close to 60 FPS but not consistently there.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination ranks 1308 out of 1636 tested combos in Control, placing it in the 20th percentile of all configurations. This low ranking is driven entirely by the GPU, which has a percentile of 69 against all GPUs and an average benchmark score of 25235. The RX 6600’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6700M with a deltaPct of 0.2 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti with a deltaPct of 0.5, indicating that these cards perform within a tight margin of each other in synthetic tests. In-game, this translates to the measured FPS figures, which are moderate for 1080p but weak for 4K.

The CPU, by contrast, is a high performer. Its percentile of 90 and average benchmark score of 39453 place it well above the GPU. The Ryzen 9 5900X’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD EPYC 4245P with a deltaPct of 0.2 and the Intel Core i7-13700F with a deltaPct of 0.9, show that the CPU is competitive with modern parts. However, the combo’s overall rank is dragged down because the GPU cannot capitalize on the CPU’s headroom. The rank of 1308 means that the majority of tested combos deliver higher frame rates in Control, likely due to more powerful graphics cards paired with similar or lesser CPUs.

The data suggests that this is a balanced pairing for 1080p gaming, where the RX 6600 can deliver playable frame rates, but it is not a high-end combination. The gap between the CPU’s synthetic prowess and the GPU’s gaming results is stark. For example, the CPU’s 3dmark_16_threads score of 9075 is impressive, but the GPU’s 3dmark Steel Nomad score of 1492 is modest. The rank reflects this asymmetry, showing that the system is CPU-heavy and GPU-light for Control’s requirements.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the Low preset at 1920x1080 provides the highest average frame rate at 108.5 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. This setting is ideal for competitive or high-refresh-rate play, though it sacrifices visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 1080p, with an average of 79.6 FPS, offers a better balance between image quality and performance, still maintaining a comfortable margin above 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset yields 84.4 FPS, which is excellent, but the Medium preset drops to 59.9 FPS, just below 60. For a consistent 60 FPS experience at 1440p, Low is the only reliable choice. The High preset at 51.9 FPS is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. At 3840x2160, no preset achieves 60 FPS; the Low setting at 53.6 FPS is the closest, but it still falls short. The Ultra preset at 28.1 FPS is not recommended for any scenario.

Given the CPU’s strength, the limiting factor is always the GPU. Therefore, prioritizing lower settings is the most effective way to raise frame rates. The High preset at 1080p (67.8 FPS) is a reasonable middle ground, but the jump to Medium (79.6 FPS) provides a noticeable performance boost with only a modest visual trade-off. For the best overall experience, Medium at 1080p is the recommended starting point, with Low at 1440p as an alternative for higher resolution. Avoid Ultra settings at any resolution, as they reduce performance by 10-20% compared to High without a proportional visual gain.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are as follows: Low settings produce 108.5 FPS, Medium produces 79.6 FPS, High produces 67.8 FPS, and Ultra produces 60.5 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 48.0 FPS, showing a wide range of performance depending on quality. The Low setting is the only one that exceeds 100 FPS, while Ultra just barely hits 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 84.4 FPS for Low, 59.9 FPS for Medium, 51.9 FPS for High, and 47.8 FPS for Ultra. The Low setting remains highly playable, but Medium falls just short of 60 FPS. The Ultra setting is 36.6 FPS lower than Low. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across presets, with an average reduction of roughly 20-25%.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 53.6 FPS for Low, 36.8 FPS for Medium, 37.9 FPS for High, and 28.1 FPS for Ultra. Interestingly, the High preset at 37.9 FPS outperforms the Medium preset at 36.8 FPS by 1.1 FPS, which is a minor anomaly in the data but within measurement variance. The Ultra preset is the lowest of all measured results, at 28.1 FPS, which is 25.5 FPS below the Low setting at the same resolution. No 4K preset reaches 60 FPS, and only Low comes close at 53.6 FPS.

The data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p Low is the fastest configuration, while 4K Ultra is the slowest. The CPU’s capabilities are never fully utilized, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p Low. The GPU’s limitations are exposed at 4K, where even Low settings cannot achieve a locked 60 FPS. These measured numbers provide a definitive guide for tuning the game to match the user’s performance expectations.