Control

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 570 presents a stark contrast in a game like Control: a top-tier 16-core processor from 2020 driving a 2017-era graphics card designed for 1080p. The benchmark data shows this is a GPU-bound scenario, where the RX 570’s 4 GB VRAM and Polaris architecture are the deciding factors for playability. The results are modest, with the combo ranking near the bottom of the database, suggesting that while the CPU has immense headroom, the GPU limits performance to low-to-medium settings at 1080p. Below is a breakdown of how this pairing handles the game.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this CPU and GPU in Control?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 with Low settings yields the highest average FPS at 58.9, which is the only configuration in the measured results that approaches a consistent 60 FPS. Medium settings at the same resolution drop to 42.7 FPS, while High and Ultra fall to 33.5 and 31.2 FPS, respectively.

Q: Can this combo handle 1440p or 4K gaming in Control?

A: At 2560x1440, the best result is 44.7 FPS on Low settings, but Medium drops to 33 FPS and High to 26.5 FPS. At 3840x2160, the results are not playable, with Low averaging 30.4 FPS and Ultra dropping to 15.6 FPS. The data indicates that 1440p is only viable on Low, while 4K is not a practical option.

Q: How does the RX 570’s VRAM affect performance in this game?

A: The RX 570 has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The benchmark results show that increasing settings from Low to Medium significantly reduces average FPS at every resolution, suggesting that the 4 GB frame buffer is a limiting factor for texture and asset loading.

Q: What is the CPU’s contribution to the gaming performance here?

A: The Ryzen 9 5950X has 16 cores and 32 threads with a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. Its high multi-threaded scores, such as 38607 in Cinebench R23, indicate that it is far from a bottleneck in this pairing. The data suggests the CPU is providing ample processing power, with the GPU being the primary constraint.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested systems in Control?

A: The combo ranks 1550 out of 1636 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom percentile of systems. This ranking reflects the GPU’s age and position, as the RX 570 sits in the 74th percentile among all GPUs, but the pairing performs poorly due to the game’s demands.

Q: Is the CPU’s performance close to that of its rivals?

A: The Ryzen 9 5950X is nearly identical in average benchmark score to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-14600K, with a deltaPct of -0.2%. This means the CPU has no significant performance deficit or advantage over that rival, confirming that the GPU is the limiting factor in this setup.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is the definitive bottleneck in this pairing. Its architecture, GCN 4.0, is built on a 14 nm process and features 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The core clocks are 1168 MHz base and 1244 MHz boost, with a memory clock of 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective). These specs are dated, and the measured FPS in Control reflects that. The GPU’s 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus is sufficient for 1080p Low, but the data shows a sharp decline when settings are raised.

At 1920x1080, the difference between Low and Medium is 16.2 FPS (58.9 to 42.7), and the gap between Low and Ultra is 27.7 FPS (58.9 to 31.2). This pattern is consistent at higher resolutions: at 2560x1440, Low scores 44.7 FPS while High falls to 26.5 FPS. The GPU’s memory bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s is clearly taxed by Control’s asset streaming, as the game is known for its detailed environments. The FP32 performance is 5.095 TFLOPS, which is modest by modern standards, but the data suggests the VRAM capacity is the more critical issue.

The GPU’s percentile rank among all GPUs is 74, but that is based on synthetic benchmarks. In real-world gaming, the measured FPS shows that this card is only capable of 1080p Low for a smooth experience. The 4K results are particularly telling: High and Medium both average 18.9 FPS, and Ultra drops to 15.6 FPS. These are unplayable numbers, and even Low at 30.4 FPS is below the threshold for comfortable action gameplay. The RX 570’s 150 W TDP and dual-slot design are not relevant to performance here, but the data makes it clear that this GPU is the primary constraint.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 9 5950X and RX 570 ranks 1550 out of 1636 tested combos in Control. This places it in the bottom 5% of all systems in the database, which is a direct result of the GPU’s limitations. The CPU is a high-end part, ranking in the 93rd percentile among all CPUs, but it cannot overcome the GPU’s performance ceiling. The data shows that the combo is overwhelmingly GPU-bound, and the rank reflects the GPU’s age rather than the CPU’s capability.

To put this in perspective, the RX 570’s nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060, with a deltaPct of 0.2%, meaning the RX 570 is actually slightly ahead of that card in average benchmark score. However, this is a synthetic metric. In Control, the RX 570’s 4 GB VRAM and older architecture produce the low FPS numbers seen in the measured data. The CPU’s nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-14600K, has a deltaPct of -0.2%, so the CPU is on par with that rival. This means the system’s poor rank is entirely attributable to the GPU pairing.

The rank of 1550 suggests that most other tested combos, even those with significantly weaker CPUs, achieve better performance in Control because they are paired with more capable graphics cards. The Ryzen 9 5950X is a powerful processor, but it is wasted in this configuration for this game. The data indicates that users with this CPU should consider a GPU upgrade to move up the rankings, as the CPU has ample headroom to support a much faster graphics card.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the only sensible recommendation for this combo is 1920x1080 with Low settings. This yields 58.9 FPS, which is the closest to a stable 60 FPS experience. Medium settings at the same resolution drop to 42.7 FPS, which is playable but less fluid, and High settings at 33.5 FPS are borderline. Ultra at 31.2 FPS is not recommended for a game like Control, which requires quick reactions and smooth camera movement.

For users who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate, 2560x1440 on Low is an option at 44.7 FPS, but this is a compromise. The data shows that Medium at 1440p yields 33 FPS, and High drops to 26.5 FPS, which is likely too choppy for comfortable play. At 3840x2160, no settings are viable, as even Low only achieves 30.4 FPS, and the higher presets are in the 15-19 FPS range.

The pattern is clear: this GPU cannot handle high or ultra presets at any resolution in a playable manner. The best experience is achieved by sacrificing visual quality for frame rate. Low settings at 1080p are the sweet spot, offering a 58.9 FPS average. If the game is more forgiving with motion blur or if the user can tolerate lower frame rates, Medium at 1080p is the next step, but the data suggests that the VRAM limitation will cause stuttering when textures are loaded. For a consistent experience, stick to Low at 1080p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combo’s capabilities in Control. At 3840x2160, the results are consistently poor: High averages 18.9 FPS, Medium also 18.9 FPS, Low 30.4 FPS, and Ultra 15.6 FPS. These numbers confirm that 4K is not a realistic target for this hardware. The lack of variation between High and Medium is notable, indicating that the GPU is hitting a hard limit.

At 2560x1440, the results improve but remain below ideal: Low averages 44.7 FPS, Medium 33 FPS, High 26.5 FPS, and Ultra 25.3 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium is 11.7 FPS, and the difference between Low and Ultra is 19.4 FPS. This shows that the GPU can handle 1440p only at the lowest settings, and even then, the frame rate is not high enough for a competitive or fast-paced experience.

The 1920x1080 results are the most relevant for this combo. Low settings achieve 58.9 FPS, which is the only measured result above 60 FPS. Medium drops to 42.7 FPS, High to 33.5 FPS, and Ultra to 31.2 FPS. The scaling is steep: moving from Low to Medium costs 16.2 FPS, and from Low to High costs 25.4 FPS. This indicates that the 4 GB VRAM is being saturated as settings increase, likely causing texture thrashing. The data suggests that 1080p Low is the only tier that provides a smooth experience, with 1080p Medium being a viable alternative for users who can tolerate lower frame rates.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, with a 105 W TDP. The CPU’s benchmarks are impressive: it scores 38607 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, 16214 in R20 multi-core, and 11597 in 3DMark max threads. Its percentile rank among all CPUs is 93, placing it in the top 7% of processors. This is a high-end part for productivity and multi-threaded workloads.

In the context of Control, however, the CPU is not the limiting factor. The game is an Action Adventure title that benefits from strong single-thread performance, and the Ryzen 9 5950X delivers a single-thread score of 5450 in Cinebench R23. The data shows that the CPU can handle the game’s physics and AI calculations without issue, as the frame rates are dictated by the GPU’s capabilities. The 64 MB of L3 cache and 51.2 GB/s memory bandwidth are ample for gaming.

The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i5-14600K, have nearly identical average benchmark scores, with a deltaPct of -0.2%. This means the CPU is performing exactly as expected for its class. The fact that this combo ranks 1550 out of 1636 confirms the GPU bottleneck, not a CPU deficiency. If paired with a more powerful GPU, the Ryzen 9 5950X would likely rank much higher, as its processing power is more than sufficient for Control’s demands. The data indicates that the CPU is a future-proof component, but the RX 570 holds it back in this specific pairing.