Control

Control, Remedy’s 2019 action-adventure, presents a demanding environment for the tested configuration pairing the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060. The measured data reveals a system that scales predictably with resolution, where the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor at higher pixel counts, while the CPU’s substantial thread count ensures headroom even at lower resolutions. This analysis walks through the measured FPS across all three resolutions and four settings presets, interpreting what these numbers mean for the overall performance profile.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 with the RTX 4060 shows a steep performance curve that is typical for a GPU with an 8 GB memory buffer and a 128-bit bus. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 88 FPS at 1080p to 67 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 45 FPS at 4K. This represents a 49% reduction in average FPS when moving from the lowest to the highest resolution tested, confirming that the rendering load scales heavily with pixel count.

At Low settings, the scaling pattern is even more pronounced. The system delivers 140 FPS at 1080p, which falls to 106 FPS at 1440p, and then sharply to 71 FPS at 4K. The 4K Low result being just 51% of the 1080p Low result indicates that the RTX 4060’s raw throughput is being saturated by the 8.3 million pixels of 4K, regardless of the reduced visual complexity from Low settings. The gap between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings is 34 FPS, while the gap between 1440p and 4K at Low settings is 35 FPS, showing a nearly linear degradation per resolution step.

The Medium and Ultra presets follow the same trajectory but with different starting points. At Medium, the system averages 99 FPS at 1080p, 75 FPS at 1440p, and 51 FPS at 4K. At Ultra, the numbers are 77 FPS, 58 FPS, and 39 FPS respectively. The Ultra preset at 4K produces the lowest measured average of 39 FPS, which is below the 45 FPS threshold often considered playable, indicating that the combination is not suitable for maximum settings at this resolution.

This scaling behavior points directly to the GPU as the limiting component. The RTX 4060’s memory bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s and 8 GB VRAM capacity are the constraints, not the CPU. The Ryzen 9 5950X, with its 16 cores and 32 threads, is not the bottleneck even at 1080p where CPU load is typically highest. The data shows that the FPS drops are consistent with GPU-bound rendering, as the percentage loss from 1080p to 4K is similar across all settings presets, ranging from 49% at High to 50% at Ultra.

Settings Recommendations

For users targeting a 60 FPS experience, the measured data suggests that Medium settings at 1440p is the optimal balance for this configuration. At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the system achieves an average of 75 FPS with a minimum of 64 FPS and a maximum of 86 FPS. This provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, with the minimum frame rate still staying above the playable threshold. The jump to High settings at 1440p reduces the average to 67 FPS, which is closer to the 60 FPS target but with less headroom for demanding scenes.

At 1080p, High settings delivers 88 FPS on average, making it the recommended preset for users with 1080p displays who want visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness. The Ultra preset at 1080p yields 77 FPS, which is still fluid, but the 11 FPS gain from dropping from Ultra to High is minimal compared to the visual impact. Low settings at 1080p produces 140 FPS, which is excessive for most displays and only useful for competitive play where frame rate is prioritized over visual quality.

For 4K displays, the data clearly shows that Ultra settings are not viable, with an average of 39 FPS. Low settings at 4K averages 71 FPS, which is playable, but the visual compromise is significant. Medium settings at 4K averages 51 FPS, which is borderline playable but may experience stutters in action-heavy sequences. The minimum FPS for 4K Medium is 43 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target and could be noticeable in fast-paced combat.

The best experience per the measured rows is Medium at 1440p, as it offers the highest average FPS above 60 with a minimum that stays above 60. For 1080p users, High settings provides the best balance between visual quality and performance, as the 88 FPS average leaves room for dips without falling below 60 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is the primary determinant of frame rates in Control, as evidenced by the resolution scaling data. The GPU’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s, which is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming but becomes strained at 4K. The core clocks are rated at 1830 MHz base and 2460 MHz boost, with 3072 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units. The FP32 compute rating of 15.11 TFLOPS gives the card enough raw power for most modern titles, but Control’s physics-heavy environments and particle effects appear to tax the memory subsystem.

The GPU’s transistor count of 18,900 million on a 159 mm² die, manufactured on TSMC’s 5 nm process, gives it a high transistor density of 118.9M per mm². This architectural efficiency partially compensates for the narrow memory bus, but the measured FPS at 4K suggests that the 8 GB capacity is the bottleneck. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS of 39 indicates that the GPU is running out of memory bandwidth, not compute throughput, as the core clocks are sufficient for the workload.

The RTX 4060’s position in the benchmark hierarchy reflects its mid-range placement. With a percentile ranking of 61 among all GPUs, it sits ahead of integrated solutions but well behind high-end discrete cards. The nearest rivals in the benchmark database are the AMD Radeon HD 7790 with an average score of 17666 (0.2% higher), the AMD Radeon 780M with 17588 (0.3% lower), the AMD Radeon Pro 560 with 17551 (0.5% lower), and the AMD Radeon Pro 460 with 17509 (0.7% lower). These deltas are minuscule, indicating that the RTX 4060’s synthetic benchmark performance is nearly identical to these older or integrated parts, despite being a modern architecture.

In practical gaming terms, the measured FPS in Control shows that the RTX 4060 can handle 1080p and 1440p at medium-to-high settings comfortably, but 4K requires significant settings reductions. The GPU’s 115 W TDP and suggested 300 W PSU indicate an efficient design, but the performance envelope is clearly constrained by the memory configuration rather than the core architecture.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all presets. Low settings averages 140 FPS, Medium averages 99 FPS with a minimum of 84 and maximum of 114, High averages 88 FPS, and Ultra averages 77 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 63 FPS, showing that the GPU has ample headroom at this resolution. The Medium preset’s minimum of 84 FPS ensures smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes.

At 2560x1440, the performance decreases by approximately 24% across the board. Low settings averages 106 FPS, Medium averages 75 FPS with a minimum of 64 and maximum of 86, High averages 67 FPS, and Ultra averages 58 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p remains the sweet spot, as its minimum of 64 FPS stays above the 60 FPS threshold, while High’s 67 FPS average has less margin for drops.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates at higher presets. Low settings averages 71 FPS, Medium averages 51 FPS with a minimum of 43 and maximum of 58, High averages 45 FPS, and Ultra averages 39 FPS. Only the Low preset consistently exceeds 60 FPS, while Medium dips below 60 at its minimum. The High and Ultra presets are not suitable for smooth gameplay, as their averages fall below 60 FPS.

The data shows a consistent pattern: for every settings preset, the FPS drops by roughly 25-30% when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and then another 30-35% when moving to 4K. This consistent scaling confirms that the GPU is the bottleneck at all resolutions, and the CPU’s performance is sufficient to keep up with the GPU’s output.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 2008 out of 3720 tested combos in Control, placing it in the 54th percentile of all configurations. This mid-pack ranking is somewhat surprising given the CPU’s high performance, but the GPU’s mid-range position drags the overall score down. The CPU alone ranks in the 91st percentile among all processors, while the GPU ranks in the 61st percentile among all GPUs, so the combo’s ranking is heavily influenced by the weaker component.

The ranking suggests that this configuration is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but not exceptional for 4K. The CPU’s 16 cores and 32 threads provide excellent multitasking and streaming capabilities, but Control is not a CPU-intensive title, so the extra cores go largely unused. The GPU’s 8 GB VRAM is the limiting factor for 4K, as evidenced by the significant FPS drops at that resolution.

Compared to other tested combos, this pairing sits in the middle of the pack, with 1812 combos ranked higher and 1712 ranked lower. This indicates that while the CPU is a top-tier part, the GPU’s performance is average, and users seeking higher frame rates would need a more powerful GPU. The combo’s ranking is consistent with the GPU’s 61st percentile ranking, suggesting that in Control, the GPU is the primary determinant of overall performance.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 at High settings delivers 88 FPS, while 2560x1440 at Medium delivers 75 FPS. For 60 FPS gameplay, 1440p Medium is the highest resolution that maintains a minimum FPS above 60, with a measured minimum of 64 FPS.

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

A: At 4K, the system averages 71 FPS on Low, 51 FPS on Medium, 45 FPS on High, and 39 FPS on Ultra. Only the Low preset consistently exceeds 60 FPS, while Medium dips below 60 at its minimum of 43 FPS.

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

A: The RTX 4060’s average benchmark score is 17639, which is 0.2% lower than the AMD Radeon HD 7790’s 17666, 0.3% higher than the AMD Radeon 780M’s 17588, 0.5% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 560’s 17551, and 0.7% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 460’s 17509.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck in this game?

A: No. The Ryzen 9 5950X has 16 cores and 32 threads, and benchmark results show it ranks in the 91st percentile among all CPUs. The FPS scaling across resolutions indicates the GPU is the limiting component.

Q: What is the minimum FPS at 1440p Medium?

A: The measured minimum FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings is 64 FPS, with an average of 75 FPS and a maximum of 86 FPS.

Q: What is the combo’s ranking among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 2008 out of 3720 tested combos in Control, placing it in the 54th percentile, with 1812 combos ranked higher and 1712 ranked lower.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X plays a supporting role in Control, providing a solid foundation that never becomes the limiting factor. The CPU’s 16 cores and 32 threads, based on the Zen 3 architecture on a 7 nm process, offer substantial parallel processing power. The base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 4.90 GHz ensure strong single-threaded performance, which is important for game logic and physics calculations. The 64 MB of L3 cache provides fast access to frequently used data, reducing memory latency.

Benchmark results show the 5950X is a top-tier processor. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 26017 and single-core score of 1614 demonstrate its capability. The Geekbench multi-core score of 15233 and single-core score of 2083 further confirm its performance. The 3DMark tests show a scaling from 944 in single-thread to 11597 in max-thread tests, indicating excellent multi-threaded scaling. The CPU’s percentile ranking of 91 among all processors places it in the top 10%, with nearest rivals including the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX, which is 0.2% faster, and the AMD EPYC 8124P, which is 0.3% faster.

In Control, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with data and process game logic. The measured FPS at 1080p Low, which averages 140 FPS, suggests that the CPU is not limiting even at high frame rates. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 51947 is close to its rivals, with the Intel Core i9-13900F at 51730 (0.4% lower) and the Intel Core i7-14700 at 52301 (0.7% higher). This indicates that the 5950X is competitively positioned among modern processors.

The CPU’s 105 W TDP and support for DDR4 memory with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth provide adequate memory throughput for the GPU. The PCIe Gen 4 interface with 20 lanes ensures sufficient bandwidth for the RTX 4060’s PCIe 4.0 x8 connection. While the CPU is overkill for Control specifically, its performance headroom means that the GPU is always the primary constraint, allowing for consistent frame times and no CPU-related stutters in the measured data.