Control

Control, Remedy’s 2019 action-adventure, remains a demanding showcase for both GPU and CPU scaling. The measured data for the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 combination provides a clear picture of where the bottlenecks lie across resolutions and presets. This analysis breaks down the performance characteristics of this specific mobile pairing, focusing on the interplay between the 16-core processor and the 8 GB graphics card.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is significant, clearly indicating a transition from a CPU-bound state to a GPU-bound one as pixel count increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 121 FPS. Moving to 1440p at Low drops the average to 91 FPS, a reduction of 30 FPS or roughly 25%. The jump to 4K at Low further reduces the average to 62 FPS, which is a 31% decline from the 1440p figure and a 49% decline from the 1080p baseline. This steep regression at 4K highlights the immense pixel-pushing demand that outpaces the GPU’s capabilities at this resolution.

The pattern is consistent across other presets. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 76 at 1080p to 58 at 1440p, and then to 39 at 4K. The scaling between 1080p and 1440p for High settings is a 24% drop, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 33%. This suggests that while the CPU has ample headroom to feed frames at lower resolutions, the RTX 5060’s rendering throughput becomes the primary constraint as resolution scales. The data indicates that 1080p is the sweet spot for high refresh rates, while 4K is only viable for playable, though not high-refresh, frame rates on the lower presets.

The difference between 1440p and 4K is particularly telling. At Medium settings, the average FPS goes from 65 at 1440p to 44 at 4K, a 32% decline. This consistent ~30% performance hit when moving up to 4K across all settings underscores that the limiting component is the GPU. The Ryzen 9 8945HX, with its 16 cores and high boost clock, is not the primary factor in these scaling losses; instead, it’s the RTX 5060’s memory bandwidth and shading throughput that are being saturated by the 4K workload.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is the decisive component in this game’s performance envelope, particularly at higher resolutions. Its 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a critical resource for a game like Control with its complex textures and physics effects. The benchmark results show that at 4K Ultra, the average FPS bottoms out at 34, which is a direct consequence of the GPU’s limits. The relatively low 72nd percentile ranking among all GPUs and the average benchmark score of 26331 place it in a mid-range tier, which aligns with the observed frame rates.

The GPU’s clock speeds, with a base of 2280 MHz and a boost of 2497 MHz, are respectable, but the architecture’s raw throughput is the limiting factor. The FP32 performance of 19.18 TFLOPS and the texture rate of 299.6 GTexel/s are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but they struggle to maintain high frame rates at 4K. For instance, the jump from Medium to Ultra at 1440p results in a 15 FPS drop (65 to 50), showing that the most demanding visual features heavily tax the GPU. The performance data shows that the RTX 5060 is best utilized at 1080p where it can deliver high frame rates, and it can manage 1440p with some compromises.

The nearest rivals for this GPU, such as the AMD Radeon 860M and the NVIDIA GeForce MX550, have average scores within 0.3% of the RTX 5060. This places it in a competitive segment, but for Control specifically, the 8 GB VRAM capacity could be a factor at 4K Ultra, where memory usage is likely at its peak. The data does not show a hard stutter or failure, but the low average FPS at 4K Ultra suggests the GPU is working at its absolute limit.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX is a high-end mobile processor with 16 cores and 32 threads, based on the Zen 4 architecture. Its benchmark scores are formidable, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42713 and a single-core score of 6030. The 95th percentile ranking among all CPUs and an average benchmark score of 76212 confirm its position as a top-tier performer. In the context of Control, this CPU provides an enormous amount of headroom, ensuring that it is not the bottleneck at any resolution tested.

At 1080p Low, the average FPS of 121 shows that the CPU can feed frames far faster than the GPU can render them. Even at 4K Low, where the GPU is heavily loaded, the CPU's role is to maintain consistent frame pacing without causing dips. The data shows no evidence of CPU limitations; the primary performance scaling is entirely tied to the GPU's workload. The processor’s high boost clock of 5.40 GHz is particularly beneficial for a game that relies on single-threaded performance for game logic and physics, ensuring that even the most complex scenes do not become CPU-bound.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the Ryzen 9 8945HX is nearly identical in average performance, with a 0.1% difference from the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX and a 0.4% difference from the AMD EPYC Embedded 8224P. This indicates that while the CPU is exceptionally powerful, its performance is not a differentiator in this game. The bottleneck is clearly the GPU, and the CPU’s role is to simply provide a stable and fast foundation. With 32 threads available, there is significant multi-threading capacity, but Control’s engine does not seem to require it to achieve the frame rates seen in the data.

How This Combo Ranks

In the global database of tested hardware combinations for Control, this specific pairing of the Ryzen 9 8945HX and RTX 5060 holds a rank of 1894 out of 2888 tested combos. This places it in the lower-middle tier of all possible configurations, which is a logical result given the mid-range GPU paired with a high-end CPU. The combo’s ranking is heavily weighted by the GPU’s performance, as the CPU is unlikely to be a limiting factor in any game.

This rank of 1894 out of 2888 indicates that there are many faster combinations, primarily those with higher-tier GPUs. The data suggests that while the CPU is capable of supporting a much faster graphics card, the RTX 5060 prevents this setup from reaching the upper echelons of the performance charts. The 72nd percentile ranking of the GPU alone reinforces this, as the CPU’s 95th percentile ranking is effectively wasted in this pairing for gaming purposes.

The performance is sufficient for a smooth experience at 1080p and a playable one at 1440p, but it is not competitive with high-end desktop or even some other mobile offerings. The combo’s ranking is a reflection of the GPU’s mid-range position, and the data shows that to improve the rank, a more powerful GPU would be necessary. The CPU’s potential is untapped in this configuration, as evidenced by the fact that it is not the bottleneck at any resolution.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For a 60+ FPS experience, the 1080p High preset is the best choice, delivering an average of 76 FPS. For players with high refresh rate monitors, the 1080p Low preset is the only option that approaches 120+ FPS, with an average of 121 FPS. At 1440p, the Low preset is required to achieve a 60+ FPS average, hitting 91 FPS, while High dips to 58 FPS, which is still playable but not ideal for fast-paced action.

For 4K gaming, the data shows that only the Low preset provides a playable experience, with an average of 62 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K drops to 44 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The High and Ultra presets at 4K are not recommended, with averages of 39 FPS and 34 FPS, respectively. Therefore, the best experience per the measured rows is to use Low settings for 4K, Medium or High for 1440p (depending on preference for quality vs. frame rate), and High for 1080p to balance visual fidelity and performance.

The Medium preset at 1080p offers a good middle ground at 86 FPS, but the visual uplift from High is often worth the 10 FPS cost. At 1440p, the Low preset’s 91 FPS is significantly better than Medium’s 65 FPS, suggesting that the Medium preset’s additional effects are too demanding for the GPU at this resolution. Ultimately, the data supports using the Low preset for 4K, High for 1080p, and Low or Medium for 1440p, depending on whether the user prioritizes frame rate or visual quality.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average frame rates measured for each resolution and settings combination.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

| :--------- | :------- | :------ |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 62 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 44 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 39 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 34 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 91 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 65 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 58 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 50 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 121 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 86 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 76 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 66 |

At 1080p, the progression from Low to Ultra shows a steady decrease in performance, with a 55 FPS difference between the lowest and highest presets. The Medium preset at 1080p has a minimum FPS of 73 and a maximum of 99, indicating some variance but generally stable performance. At 1440p, the Medium preset shows a similar variance, with a minimum of 55 and a maximum of 75 FPS. At 4K, the Medium preset’s minimum FPS of 37 and maximum of 50 show that even the average of 44 FPS can have significant dips, making it less stable than lower resolutions.

The data shows that the RTX 5060 is most comfortable at 1080p, where even the Ultra preset maintains an average of 66 FPS. The largest single-step performance drop is from 1080p Low to 1440p Low, which is a 30 FPS reduction. This suggests that the transition from 1080p to 1440p is a significant workload increase for the GPU. The 4K Ultra preset’s 34 FPS average is the lowest measured, confirming that this combo is not suited for maximum quality at 4K.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve 60+ FPS?

A: The data shows that 1080p with High settings achieves an average of 76 FPS, and 1440p with Low settings achieves 91 FPS. These are the highest settings at each resolution that maintain an average above 60 FPS.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, which yields an average of 62 FPS. Higher presets at 4K drop below 45 FPS, making them less playable.

Q: How does the CPU performance compare to its rivals?

A: The Ryzen 9 8945HX has an average benchmark score 0.1% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX and 0.4% lower than the AMD EPYC Embedded 8224P, indicating near-identical performance.

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

A: The data indicates the GPU is the bottleneck, as frame rates drop significantly with resolution increases while the CPU has ample headroom, evidenced by its high benchmark scores.

Q: What is the performance difference between 1080p and 4K at Low settings?

A: The average FPS drops from 121 at 1080p to 62 at 4K, a 49% reduction, highlighting the GPU’s limitation at higher pixel counts.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank for this game?

A: It ranks 1894 out of 2888 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle tier due to the mid-range GPU.