Control

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 580 produces a specific performance profile in Control that is heavily dictated by resolution. The data shows a clear progression from playable frame rates at 1080p to a slideshow at 4K, with the GPU acting as the primary constraint in almost every scenario. This analysis breaks down the measured results to explain where this combination stands and what settings offer the best experience.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates demonstrate a steep decline as resolution increases, confirming that the Radeon RX 580 is the limiting component in this pairing. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 65.6 FPS, but this drops to 45.7 FPS at 2560x1440 and further to 31.9 FPS at 3840x2160. That represents a 51% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, a scaling pattern typical of a GPU that is saturated by pixel count rather than a CPU bottleneck.

The High preset tells a similar story. The average frame rate falls from 41.3 FPS at 1080p to 30.1 FPS at 1440p, and then to 19.2 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1440p and 4K is particularly telling: a 36% drop, which indicates that the RX 580’s 256.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 6.175 TFLOPS of FP32 compute are simply overwhelmed when pushing over eight million pixels. The CPU, with its 16 cores and 32 threads, is not the bottleneck here; if it were, the frame rate would remain relatively flat across resolutions.

The Medium and Ultra presets follow the same downward trajectory. Medium goes from 42.9 FPS at 1080p to 35.6 FPS at 1440p, then 23.9 FPS at 4K. Ultra drops from 36.1 FPS at 1080p to 27.8 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 20.1 FPS at 4K. The consistent pattern across all four settings — where 1080p is the only resolution that approaches or exceeds 60 FPS, and only at Low — underscores that the GPU’s pixel throughput is the deciding factor. The Ryzen 9 5950X, which ranks in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, has ample headroom that goes unused in this title.

GPU Role

The Radeon RX 580’s specifications directly explain the measured results. With 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, the card offers a memory bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s, which is adequate for 1080p but strained at higher resolutions. The base clock of 1257 MHz and boost clock of 1340 MHz are modest by modern standards, and the 32 ROPs limit pixel fill rate to 42.88 GPixel/s. This is why the frame rate collapses at 4K: the GPU simply cannot rasterize enough pixels per second to maintain fluid motion.

The GPU’s benchmark scores reinforce this assessment. Its PassMark G3D score of 8813 places it in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 (0% delta) and the GTX 950 (0.1% delta). These are older, lower-tier cards, indicating that the RX 580 is positioned at the entry level of modern gaming performance. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1005 is low, reflecting its DirectX 12 capability (12_0) but not its execution speed.

In Control, the GPU’s role is dominant. At 1080p Low, the 65.6 FPS result shows the card can handle light loads, but as settings increase, the frame rate compresses. For instance, moving from Low to Ultra at 1080p cuts performance from 65.6 FPS to 36.1 FPS, a 45% penalty that highlights the cost of higher visual fidelity on this hardware. The card’s 185 W TDP and dual-slot design suggest it is a power-hungry part for its class, but that does not translate into headroom for this demanding title.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo achieves in Control?*

A: The highest measured average is 65.6 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 5950X or the RX 580 the bottleneck in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the bottleneck. Frame rates scale heavily with resolution (e.g., 65.6 FPS at 1080p Low versus 31.9 FPS at 4K Low), while the CPU’s 16-core, 32-thread configuration has far more capability than this workload requires.

Q: How does the RX 580 compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score of 13559 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 (13564, 0% delta) and the GTX 950 (13549, 0.1% delta). It is roughly 1.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 455 and 1.1% behind the NVIDIA P106-090.

*Q: Can this combo play Control at 1440p?*

A: Yes, but with compromises. At 1440p Low, the average FPS is 45.7, which is playable. However, at 1440p Ultra, the average drops to 27.8 FPS, which is not smooth.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, Low yields 31.9 FPS, while Ultra yields 20.1 FPS. This 11.8 FPS difference (a 37% drop) shows that even the lowest settings cannot make 4K viable.

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

A: It ranks 1509th out of 1636 combos, placing it in the bottom 8% of tested configurations.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 1509 out of 1636 tested configurations in Control places it firmly in the lower tier of performance. This ranking is consistent with the GPU’s 53rd percentile standing among all GPUs, but it is dragged down by the game’s demanding nature. The CPU, by contrast, ranks in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, yet its high score of 49062 in average benchmarks (with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 38607) does not translate into gaming dominance here because the workload is GPU-bound.

The nearest CPU rivals — the Intel Core i5-14600K (avg score 49166, -0.2% delta) and the Intel Core i5-14600KF (49367, -0.6% delta) — would not change the outcome in Control because the RX 580 is the limiting factor. Similarly, the GPU’s nearest rivals, such as the GTX 570 and GTX 950, would likely produce comparable frame rates, reinforcing that this combo is at the edge of playability. The rank of 1509 means that only 127 tested combos perform worse, which is a stark indicator of how far this hardware falls short of high-refresh or high-resolution gaming.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results. Low settings produce an average of 65.6 FPS, which is the only configuration to cross the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings drop to 42.9 FPS, High to 41.3 FPS, and Ultra to 36.1 FPS. The step from Low to Medium is a 35% reduction, while the step from Medium to Ultra is a 16% reduction, showing diminishing returns as settings increase.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates become marginal. Low averages 45.7 FPS, Medium 35.6 FPS, High 30.1 FPS, and Ultra 27.8 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra is only 2.3 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset’s extra effects are not worth the performance cost on this hardware. At 3840x2160, the results are largely unplayable. Low averages 31.9 FPS, Medium 23.9 FPS, High 19.2 FPS, and Ultra 20.1 FPS. Notably, High is slower than Ultra by 0.9 FPS, which is within measurement variance but still indicates that the GPU is saturated regardless of settings.

Across all resolutions, the scaling pattern is consistent: Low is always the fastest, and the gap between Low and Ultra widens from 29.5 FPS at 1080p to 11.8 FPS at 4K. This compression at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU’s resources are exhausted before settings can fully take effect.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the only viable configuration for a smooth experience is 1920x1080 with Low settings, which yields 65.6 FPS. This is the sole preset that exceeds 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for players who prioritize fluid motion over visual fidelity. The 1080p Medium preset (42.9 FPS) is acceptable for those who can tolerate lower frame rates, but it represents a 35% performance loss over Low.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset (45.7 FPS) is the best option, but even this falls short of the 60 FPS target. For 1440p gaming, the Medium preset (35.6 FPS) is not recommended due to the substantial drop, and Ultra (27.8 FPS) should be avoided. At 3840x2160, no preset is playable; the highest average (31.9 FPS at Low) is still below 32 FPS, and the game will feel stuttery.

In summary, the data supports a single clear recommendation: run Control at 1080p with Low settings to achieve the best balance of performance and playability. Higher resolutions or settings will push the RX 580 past its limits, and the powerful Ryzen 9 5950X cannot compensate for the GPU’s pixel throughput ceiling.