Control

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT produces a distinctly GPU-bound experience in Control, with frame rates that scale predictably with both resolution and graphical preset. The data shows a system capable of smooth 1080p gameplay at high settings, but one that becomes increasingly strained as pixel count and visual fidelity rise.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At 1080p with High settings, the combo delivers an average of 73 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings drops the average to 55 FPS, a reduction of 18 FPS. The jump to 3840x2160 further lowers the average to 37 FPS, which is roughly half of the 1080p figure. This scaling behavior is typical of a system where the GPU is the primary bottleneck; the CPU's high core count and boost clocks are not the limiting factor here.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p represents a 24.7% decrease in average FPS, while the jump from 1440p to 4K represents a 32.7% decrease. This steeper drop at higher resolutions strongly suggests that the Radeon RX 5700 XT's rendering throughput is being saturated. At 4K, the frame rates across all settings are below 60 FPS, with the Low preset hitting 59 FPS and the Ultra preset falling to 32 FPS. This indicates that 4K gaming is only viable at the lowest settings, and even then it is marginal.

The pattern holds for other settings as well. At Medium settings, the average FPS goes from 82 at 1080p to 62 at 1440p, and then to 42 at 4K. The Ultra preset follows a similar trajectory: 63 FPS at 1080p, 48 FPS at 1440p, and 32 FPS at 4K. The consistent and proportional drops across all presets confirm that resolution scaling is the dominant factor. This is not a CPU-limited scenario; if it were, the differences between resolutions would be much smaller. Instead, the data indicates that the GPU's pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth are the limiting components, particularly at 4K where the 8 GB VRAM buffer is likely under heavy demand.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT is built on the RDNA 1.0 architecture with a Navi 10 chip, featuring 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs. Its role in this game is to manage the rendering workload, and the benchmark results highlight its capabilities and limitations. The GPU has a base clock of 1605 MHz, a game clock of 1755 MHz, and a boost clock of 1905 MHz. The memory operates at 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective speed, which translates to a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s over a 256-bit bus. This memory subsystem is crucial for Control, a game known for its dense environments and high-resolution textures.

At 1080p, the GPU's performance is sufficient to maintain playable frame rates. The High preset achieves 73 FPS, while the Low preset reaches 115 FPS. This suggests that the GPU is not fully saturated at this resolution, and the CPU has enough headroom to feed it. However, as resolution increases, the GPU's compute units and memory bandwidth become the constraining factors. The 9.754 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but it struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K. The pixel rate of 121.9 GPixel/s and texture rate of 304.8 GTexel/s are also telling; these figures are modest by current standards, and they directly impact how quickly the GPU can fill the screen with pixels.

The GPU's benchmark scores provide further context. Its average benchmark score is 16361, with a Passmark G3D score of 16277 and a Passmark DirectX 12 score of 64. These numbers place it in the 59th percentile of all GPUs, which is a mid-range ranking. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M (0.1% faster), the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell (0.3% slower), and the AMD Radeon PRO W7500 (0.3% slower). This tight clustering indicates that the RX 5700 XT is a solid but not exceptional performer, and its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p but may be a limiting factor at 4K with high-resolution textures.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT holds a combo rank of 2767 out of 3720 total combos. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the rankings, which is consistent with the GPU's mid-range positioning. The CPU is a high-end part, but the GPU anchors the overall performance. The rank of 2767 suggests that many other combinations deliver better frame rates in Control, likely those with more powerful GPUs.

The CPU itself is a top-tier processor, ranking in the 91st percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 51947. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX (0.2% slower), the AMD EPYC 8124P (0.3% slower), the Intel Core i9-13900F (0.4% faster), and the Intel Core i7-14700 (0.7% slower). This indicates that the CPU is not a weak link in this combo. The low combo rank is therefore almost entirely attributable to the GPU. The data shows that the CPU has the computational headroom to support a faster GPU, but the RX 5700 XT cannot fully utilize it. For users with this CPU, upgrading the GPU would likely yield a significant improvement in frame rates, as the CPU is not the bottleneck.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings?

A: The average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 73 FPS.

Q: How does the performance at 4K compare to 1080p?

A: At 3840x2160, the average FPS drops significantly. With High settings, the 4K average is 37 FPS, which is about half of the 73 FPS seen at 1080p.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: The benchmark data indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The CPU ranks in the 91st percentile, while the GPU ranks in the 59th percentile, and the frame rates scale strongly with resolution, which is a sign of GPU limitation.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves an average of 87 FPS, while the Medium preset achieves 62 FPS. For a balance of quality and performance, the Medium preset is a viable option, but High drops to 55 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming?

A: The data shows that 4K gaming is not ideal. The highest average FPS at 3840x2160 is 59 FPS on the Low preset, which is borderline. The Medium preset drops to 42 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 32 FPS.

Q: How does the combo rank compare to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 2767th out of 3720 tested combos, placing it in the lower-middle range. This is due to the GPU's mid-range performance, despite the high-end CPU.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture (Vermeer codename). It operates on the AMD Socket AM4 platform with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. This high boost clock, combined with a large 64 MB L3 cache, makes it exceptionally capable of handling the game's logic and physics. Its benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 26017 and a single-core score of 1614. The Geekbench multi-core score of 15233 and single-core score of 2083 further underscore its strength.

In Control, the CPU's role is to manage the game's simulation, AI, and rendering commands. The data shows that it performs this role without becoming a bottleneck. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 115 FPS, which is a high frame rate that requires a responsive CPU. The CPU's single-thread performance is particularly important for game engines that rely on a main thread. The Passmark single-thread score of 3470 and the 3DMark single-thread score of 944 demonstrate that this processor has the necessary single-core speed. The 16 cores and 32 threads are more than sufficient for Control, which is not known for being heavily multi-threaded. The CPU's performance relative to its rivals is strong; it is only 0.2% slower than the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX and 0.4% faster than the Intel Core i9-13900F in average benchmark scores. This indicates that the CPU is not a limiting factor in this system.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p, the High preset delivers an average of 73 FPS, which is smooth and responsive. The Medium preset offers a higher average of 82 FPS with a minimum of 70 FPS and a maximum of 94 FPS. For players who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity, the Low preset at 115 FPS is the best choice. The Ultra preset at 63 FPS is also playable, but it does not offer a significant visual improvement over High for the performance cost.

For 1440p, the Low preset is the only one that consistently delivers high frame rates, with an average of 87 FPS. The Medium preset at 62 FPS is a reasonable compromise, providing a smoother experience than High (55 FPS) while maintaining better visual quality than Low. The Ultra preset at 48 FPS is playable but may feel less responsive in fast-paced action sequences. For 4K, the Low preset at 59 FPS is the only viable option for a near-60 FPS experience. The Medium preset at 42 FPS and High at 37 FPS are below the ideal threshold, and Ultra at 32 FPS is not recommended. The data suggests that the best experience overall is achieved at 1080p with Medium settings, which offers a balance of high frame rates and visual quality.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average FPS for each resolution and settings combination:

• 1920x1080:
• Low: 115 FPS
• Medium: 82 FPS (min 70, max 94)
• High: 73 FPS
• Ultra: 63 FPS

• 2560x1440:
• Low: 87 FPS
• Medium: 62 FPS (min 53, max 71)
• High: 55 FPS
• Ultra: 48 FPS

• 3840x2160:
• Low: 59 FPS
• Medium: 42 FPS (min 36, max 48)
• High: 37 FPS
• Ultra: 32 FPS

The data shows a clear hierarchy: lower resolutions and lower settings yield higher frame rates. The minimum and maximum FPS values for the Medium settings at each resolution provide additional insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p, the minimum of 70 FPS and maximum of 94 FPS indicate a stable experience. At 1440p, the range is 53 to 71 FPS, which is still relatively consistent. At 4K, the range is 36 to 48 FPS, showing more variability and a higher risk of noticeable stutter. Overall, the system is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K reserved for low-impact settings.