Control

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

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor built on the Zen 3 (Vermeer) architecture using TSMC's 7 nm process. It carries a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz, with 64 MB of L3 cache. This is a high-end desktop part that launched with a launch MSRP of $549, and its multi-threaded muscle is substantial: Cinebench R23 multicore scores reach 16262, while the single-core score is 1527. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 9075 and max-thread score of 10075 confirm that the CPU can feed even demanding game engines with plenty of parallel work.

In Control, the CPU's role is less about raw thread count and more about sustaining consistent frame pacing across physics and AI simulations. Benchmark results indicate that the 5900X's single-thread performance — a PassMark single-thread score of 3469 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2083 — is strong enough to avoid becoming a bottleneck at lower resolutions where the GPU has headroom. The processor's 87th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 41376, places it just 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 366H (avg score 41263) and 0.4% ahead of both the Intel Core Ultra 7 356H and AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 440 (avg scores 41215 and 41208). It lags the Intel Core i7-14650HX by 0.5% (avg score 41576), but these deltas are negligible in real-world gaming.

For Control specifically, the data shows a clear pattern: at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS reaches 118, which is a strong indicator that the CPU can push high frame rates when the GPU is not the limiting factor. The 12 cores and 24 threads provide ample headroom for background tasks and future game patches, but the single-thread efficiency of Zen 3 is what keeps frame times stable in this action-adventure title. The CPU's 105 W TDP and dual-channel DDR4 memory support (51.2 GB/s bandwidth) are typical for a desktop part of this generation; the PCIe Gen 4 interface ensures that the GPU and NVMe storage are not starved for bandwidth.

It is worth remembering Control is not a CPU-bound game at higher settings. The measured FPS drops from 118 at 1080p Low to 65 at 1080p Ultra, which is a 45% reduction — this is almost entirely driven by GPU load. The CPU's benchmark scores, including PassMark integer math at 140851 and floating-point math at 77700, suggest that any physics or particle effects in Control will be handled without issue. The 5900X's 3DMark 2-thread score of 1852 and 4-thread score of 3588 indicate that even lightly-threaded game engines will see solid performance. In sum, the CPU provides a stable foundation, and the measured results show it does not bottleneck the RX 6600 XT at any tested resolution or setting.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT is a RDNA 2.0 architecture GPU (Navi 23 chip) manufactured on TSMC's 7 nm process. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock is 1968 MHz, with a game clock of 2359 MHz and a boost clock of 2589 MHz. Memory runs at 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective). The card has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and 32 ray accelerators, with a pixel rate of 165.7 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 331.4 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 10.60 TFLOPS. The launch MSRP for this GPU is 379 USD.

In Control, the RX 6600 XT's 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for all tested settings, but the data shows that memory bandwidth becomes a constraint at higher resolutions. The measured FPS at 3840x2160 (4K) ranges from 60 at Low settings to 33 at Ultra — a 45% drop. At 2560x1440, the range is 89 at Low to 49 at Ultra, and at 1920x1080, it is 118 at Low to 65 at Ultra. The GPU's 70th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 24442, places it 0.7% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 (24277) and 0.8% ahead of the GTX 780 Ti (24236), but 0.8% behind the Intel Arc A350M (24647) and 1.1% behind the RTX 2080 SUPER (24170). These are tight margins, indicating that the RX 6600 XT sits in a very competitive mid-range tier.

The 4K results are the most telling. At 4K High, the average FPS is 38, which is below the 60 FPS target for smooth play. At 4K Medium, the average is 43 with a minimum of 36 and maximum of 49. Only at 4K Low does the card reach exactly 60 FPS average. This suggests that the GPU's 256.0 GB/s bandwidth and 8 GB VRAM are adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but 4K pushes the card to its limits. The RT cores are present (32 of them), but Control's ray tracing features, if enabled, would further stress the GPU; however, the measured data does not include a ray tracing preset, so we focus on the standard settings.

The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 16461 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1804 provide synthetic confirmation of its mid-range positioning. In Control, the card's performance scales predictably with resolution: 1080p is playable at all settings (65 FPS at Ultra), 1440p is playable at Medium (63 FPS) but drops to 49 at Ultra, and 4K is only smooth at Low (60 FPS). The 8 GB VRAM does not appear to cause texture pop-in or stuttering in the measured data, as the minimum FPS values (where available) show reasonable frame consistency — for example, 1080p Medium has a 71 FPS minimum and 96 FPS maximum, and 1440p Medium has a 54 FPS minimum and 73 FPS maximum. The GPU's compute performance (PassMark GPU compute score of 7520) suggests that any physics-based effects in Control will be processed efficiently.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the most consistent resolution, with average FPS ranging from 65 at Ultra to 118 at Low. At 2560x1440, the average FPS ranges from 49 at Ultra to 89 at Low, which is still playable. At 3840x2160, only Low settings achieve 60 FPS average; High and Ultra drop to 38 and 33 FPS respectively.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 9 5900X has an average benchmark score of 41376, which is 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 366H (41263) and 0.4% ahead of both the Intel Core Ultra 7 356H (41215) and AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 440 (41208). It is 0.5% behind the Intel Core i7-14650HX (41576). These differences are minimal, meaning the 5900X performs on par with these alternatives.

Q: Is the RX 6600 XT capable of 4K gaming in Control?

A: The measured results indicate that 4K is only viable at Low settings, where the average FPS is exactly 60. At Medium, the average drops to 43 FPS (min 36, max 49), while High and Ultra averages are 38 and 33 FPS respectively. For a smooth 60 FPS experience, 1080p or 1440p is recommended.

Q: What is the frame consistency like at Medium settings?

A: The data provides minimum and maximum FPS values only for Medium settings. At 1920x1080, the average is 84 FPS with a minimum of 71 and maximum of 96. At 2560x1440, the average is 63 FPS with a minimum of 54 and maximum of 73. At 3840x2160, the average is 43 FPS with a minimum of 36 and maximum of 49. This indicates good frame pacing at 1080p and 1440p, with more variability at 4K.

Q: How does the GPU rank relative to other tested GPUs?

A: The RX 6600 XT has an average benchmark score of 24442, placing it in the 70th percentile of all GPUs. It is 0.7% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 (24277) and 0.8% ahead of the GTX 780 Ti (24236). It trails the Intel Arc A350M by 0.8% (24647) and the RTX 2080 SUPER by 1.1% (24170). These deltas are small, indicating the card is competitive with these models.

Q: What settings give the best balance of FPS and visual quality at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium settings produce an average of 63 FPS with a minimum of 54, which is the best balance for smooth gameplay. High settings average 56 FPS, while Ultra drops to 49 FPS. Low settings reach 89 FPS but sacrifice visual fidelity.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data for this combo covers three resolutions and four settings presets, with average FPS provided for all and min/max FPS available for Medium settings.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 60 FPS average
• Medium: 43 FPS average (min 36, max 49)
• High: 38 FPS average
• Ultra: 33 FPS average

At 4K, the performance curve is steep. The difference between Low and Ultra is 27 FPS (from 60 down to 33), representing a 45% reduction. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 36 FPS, which means there will be noticeable stutter during intense scenes. This resolution is only recommended for Low settings if the target is 60 FPS.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 89 FPS average
• Medium: 63 FPS average (min 54, max 73)
• High: 56 FPS average
• Ultra: 49 FPS average

At 1440p, the card performs more comfortably. Low settings exceed 60 FPS by a wide margin (89 FPS), and Medium maintains a 63 FPS average with a 54 FPS minimum, which is playable. High and Ultra dip below 60 FPS, with Ultra at 49 FPS average. The step from Low to Medium costs 26 FPS, while the step from Medium to High costs only 7 FPS, suggesting diminishing returns at higher presets.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 118 FPS average
• Medium: 84 FPS average (min 71, max 96)
• High: 74 FPS average
• Ultra: 65 FPS average

At 1080p, all settings are playable. Low settings hit 118 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium maintains 84 FPS with a solid 71 FPS minimum, and even Ultra stays above 60 FPS at 65 FPS average. The scaling from Low to Ultra costs 53 FPS (from 118 to 65), but the game remains smooth throughout. The Medium preset shows the tightest frame pacing of any resolution, with a 25 FPS spread between minimum and maximum.

How This Combo Ranks

This combo — AMD Ryzen 9 5900X paired with AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT — ranks 2650 out of 3720 tested combos in Control. This places it in the 28.7th percentile of all tested combinations, meaning roughly 71% of tested combos deliver higher performance in this game. The rank reflects the GPU's mid-range positioning; the CPU is a top-tier part (87th percentile), but the GPU's 70th percentile holds the combo back.

The rank is consistent with the measured FPS data. At 1080p Ultra, the combo delivers 65 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold but not by a large margin. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 49 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 33 FPS. These numbers suggest that the combo is optimized for 1080p gaming at high settings, with 1440p requiring Medium to maintain playable frame rates.

Comparing the CPU and GPU to their nearest rivals provides context. The CPU's average benchmark score (41376) is within 0.5% of all four nearest rivals, meaning the processor is not the differentiating factor. The GPU's average benchmark score (24442) is also within 1.1% of its nearest rivals. This means the combo's rank is determined more by the overall system balance than by any single component's superiority. The data indicates that the 5900X provides more CPU headroom than the RX 6600 XT can utilize in Control, which is a common pattern for mid-range GPUs paired with high-end CPUs.

The rank of 2650 out of 3720 suggests that there are many combos with faster GPUs that will outperform this pairing in Control. However, the combo is not at the bottom of the ranking; the 28.7th percentile still leaves room for slower GPUs below it. For players targeting 1080p, this combo is competitive; for 1440p or 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, and the high-end CPU does little to compensate.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate.

For 1920x1080: The Ultra preset delivers a 65 FPS average, which is above 60 FPS and provides the best visual quality. If a higher refresh rate is preferred, Medium settings at 84 FPS average (min 71) offer an excellent balance of visual fidelity and smoothness. Low settings at 118 FPS are only recommended for competitive play or extreme refresh rates, as the visual downgrade is substantial.

For 2560x1440: The Medium preset is the clear recommendation, with a 63 FPS average and a 54 FPS minimum. This keeps the game above 60 FPS for most of the experience while maintaining decent visuals. High settings at 56 FPS average are acceptable if the player can tolerate occasional dips below 60 FPS, but Ultra at 49 FPS average is not recommended for smooth gameplay. Low settings at 89 FPS sacrifice too much visual quality for the performance gain.

For 3840x2160: Only the Low preset achieves 60 FPS average, but the visual downgrade is severe. The Medium preset at 43 FPS average (min 36) is playable for those who prioritize resolution over smoothness, but the frame pacing will be inconsistent. High and Ultra settings (38 and 33 FPS averages) are not recommended for action sequences. For 4K, the data suggests that this combo is best used at Low settings if 60 FPS is the target, or Medium if 30-40 FPS is acceptable.

The overall best experience from the measured rows is 1920x1080 at Medium settings, which provides an 84 FPS average with a 71 FPS minimum. This preset offers a high frame rate, good frame consistency, and a balanced visual presentation. For players with 1440p monitors, Medium at 1440p (63 FPS average) is the best alternative, though the minimum of 54 FPS means there will be occasional drops below 60. In all cases, the data shows that the Medium preset provides the best trade-off between performance and visual quality for this combo, regardless of resolution.