Control

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 delivers a playable, though not flawless, experience in Control, with performance that scales predictably across resolutions and settings. The data shows a system that is clearly capable of high-refresh-rate 1080p gaming but begins to show its limits as pixel count and graphical fidelity rise, with the 8 GB VRAM buffer and mid-range GPU architecture acting as the primary bottlenecks at higher resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Control reveals a steep and consistent performance penalty as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 79 FPS at 1080p to 59 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 20 FPS, and then falls further to 40 FPS at 4K, another 19 FPS loss. This pattern indicates that the rendering load is scaling heavily with pixel count, placing increasing strain on the GPU. The transition from 1080p to 1440p represents a 25.3% performance hit, while moving from 1440p to 4K incurs a larger 32.2% drop, showing that the RTX 4060's rendering capabilities are being progressively overwhelmed as the resolution approaches 4K.

This scaling behavior is characteristic of a system where the GPU is the primary limiting factor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the frame rate to remain relatively flat across resolutions, as the processor would be unable to feed frames faster regardless of the pixel workload. Instead, the data shows a clear inverse relationship between resolution and performance, with the 4K Ultra setting producing a low 35 FPS average, which is less than half of the 1440p Low result of 94 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra settings also widens with resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low (124 FPS) and Ultra (68 FPS) is 56 FPS, which expands to a 59 FPS difference at 1440p (94 vs. 52) and a 29 FPS difference at 4K (64 vs. 35). This suggests that while the GPU is the primary limiter, the performance ceiling at lower resolutions is also constrained by the CPU's ability to maintain high frame rates.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process, is the decisive component in determining Control's performance, particularly at higher resolutions and settings. The GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s is a critical specification. The data shows that the High preset at 4K achieves only 40 FPS, while dropping to Medium yields 45 FPS and Low yields 64 FPS. This significant swing from Low to High at 4K (a 37.5% decrease) indicates that the game is heavily reliant on GPU memory capacity and bandwidth. The 8 GB frame buffer appears to be a limiting factor, as the Ultra preset's 35 FPS average at 4K suggests that the game is exceeding the available VRAM, causing a performance collapse.

The GPU's clock speeds, with a base of 1830 MHz and a boost of 2460 MHz, provide the raw compute power, but the memory subsystem is the constraining element. The 128-bit memory bus and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for 1080p but are insufficient for the data demands of 4K textures and effects. The RTX 4060's 3,072 shading units and 24 RT cores are also relevant, as Control features significant visual effects, but the benchmark data suggests that the memory bandwidth is the primary bottleneck rather than raw shader throughput. In benchmark comparisons, the RTX 4060's average score of 17,639 places it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs, with its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon HD 7790, scoring 17,666, a delta of -0.2%. This indicates that the GPU is positioned in the mid-range tier, and its performance in Control aligns with that classification—capable of strong 1080p performance but struggling to maintain playable frame rates at 4K with high visual fidelity. The GPU's 115 W TDP and dual-slot design are consistent with a mobile-focused part, and the measured results reflect its intended use case as a high-performance 1080p and entry-level 1440p solution.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX, a 16-core, 32-thread processor from the 8000 series based on the Zen 4 architecture, provides the computational backbone for this combo. With a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, the CPU has ample single-thread performance to avoid bottlenecking the GPU in most scenarios. The data supports this: at 1080p Low, the system achieves 124 FPS, which is a high frame rate that indicates the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to maintain fluid performance. The CPU's 64 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 83.2 GB/s bandwidth further contribute to its ability to handle game logic and physics without stalling.

However, the CPU's role becomes more subtle at higher resolutions. While the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K, the CPU still plays a part in ensuring frame times remain consistent. The measured FPS data shows that at 1440p Medium, the average is 67 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS, a spread that suggests the CPU is managing to maintain a stable frame pipeline. The Ryzen 9 8945HX's benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42,713 and a single-core score of 6,030, indicate a processor with excellent multi-threaded capabilities that are largely untapped by Control. The game is not heavily multi-threaded, so the 16 cores are not fully utilized, but the high boost clock ensures that the 2-4 cores that are used can run at maximum frequency.

In terms of comparison, the Ryzen 9 8945HX's average benchmark score of 76,212 places it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, with its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX, scoring 76,155, a delta of 0.1%. This performance level means that the CPU is not a limiting factor in Control at any resolution. Instead, it provides a stable platform that allows the GPU's performance to be fully expressed. The data shows that as resolution increases, the frame rate drops consistently, which is a classic sign of GPU limitation, but the CPU's high single-thread performance prevents any unexpected hitches or frame time spikes, as evidenced by the 57 FPS minimum at 1440p Medium versus a 67 FPS average.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1920x1080, the High preset is the best choice, delivering an average of 79 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay and provides a significant visual upgrade over the Low preset's 124 FPS. The Medium preset at 88 FPS is also viable, but High offers a better balance of visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset's 68 FPS at 1080p is playable, but the marginal visual gain over High does not justify the 11 FPS loss, making High the sweet spot for this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the High preset drops to 59 FPS, which is just below the ideal 60 FPS target. The Medium preset at 67 FPS is the recommended choice, as it maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS and offers a solid visual experience. The Low preset at 94 FPS is an option for competitive play, but the Medium setting provides a superior balance of image quality and performance. The Ultra preset's 52 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold and should be avoided for a consistently smooth experience.

For 3840x2160, the situation is more constrained. The Low preset at 64 FPS is the only setting that achieves an average above 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for 4K gaming. The Medium preset at 45 FPS is playable but will have noticeable stutters, while the High preset at 40 FPS and Ultra at 35 FPS are not recommended for a fluid experience. The data clearly shows that the RTX 4060 is not well-suited for 4K gaming with high settings, and users should either lower the resolution or accept the Low preset to maintain playable frame rates. The recommendation is to prioritize the Medium preset at 1440p for the best overall experience, or the High preset at 1080p for maximum visual fidelity.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for Control, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 1,738 out of 2,888 tested combos. This places it in the 60th percentile of all tested systems, indicating that it performs better than the majority of configurations but is also outclassed by a significant number of higher-end setups. The rank suggests that while this combo is far from the top of the charts, it is a respectable mid-range performer. The CPU's 95th percentile ranking among all CPUs is not enough to compensate for the GPU's 61st percentile ranking, which ultimately drags the overall combo rank down.

The ranking of 1,738 out of 2,888 means that there are 1,150 tested combos that perform better in Control, likely featuring higher-tier GPUs such as the RTX 4070 or RTX 4080, which would have more VRAM and higher memory bandwidth. Conversely, this combo outperforms 1,150 other configurations, which likely include older or less powerful GPUs. The data suggests that the combo's performance is heavily weighted by the GPU's capabilities, and the CPU's strong benchmark scores do not boost the ranking as much as a more powerful GPU would. In practical terms, this rank indicates that the combo is suitable for 1080p and 1440p gaming but will not deliver a top-tier 4K experience. The delta between the GPU's percentile (61st) and the combo's rank (60th percentile) is minimal, confirming that the GPU is the determining factor in this game's performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Control provides a complete picture of the combo's performance across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 124 FPS, while Medium yields 88 FPS with a minimum of 75 FPS and a maximum of 102 FPS. The High preset delivers 79 FPS, and Ultra drops to 68 FPS. This shows a clear progression where each step up in settings costs approximately 10-15% performance, with Low to Medium being the largest jump at 36 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 94 FPS, with Medium at 67 FPS (min 57, max 77), High at 59 FPS, and Ultra at 52 FPS. The scaling from Low to Medium is a 27 FPS drop, while the transition from Medium to High is only 8 FPS, and High to Ultra is another 7 FPS. This indicates that the Medium to High transition is the most efficient in terms of visual quality per frame rate cost.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 64 FPS, with Medium at 45 FPS (min 38, max 52), High at 40 FPS, and Ultra at 35 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 19 FPS, which is the largest single-settings penalty at any resolution, suggesting a significant VRAM or bandwidth bottleneck. The High and Ultra presets show diminishing differences, with only 5 FPS separating them, indicating that the game is heavily constrained at this resolution. Overall, the data shows a system that can handle 1080p with ease, 1440p with moderate settings, and 4K only with significant graphical compromises.