Control

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 delivers a wide spread of performance in Control, ranging from a playable 42 FPS at 4K Ultra to a fluid 149 FPS at 1080p Low. This combination of a high-end 12-core processor and a mid-range Blackwell GPU produces a system where the graphics card is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s strength becomes evident only when the workload shifts toward lower settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable pattern: as resolution increases, frame rates drop substantially, confirming that the RTX 5060 is the limiting component in this configuration. At 1080p High, the combo produces 94 FPS. Moving to 1440p High reduces that to 71 FPS, a 24.5% decrease. At 4K High, the average falls to 48 FPS, which is 48.9% lower than the 1080p result. This scaling behavior is typical for a GPU with 8 GB of VRAM and a 128-bit memory bus; the pixel throughput demand at 4K simply outpaces what the card can deliver.

The Low preset tells a similar story but with higher absolute numbers. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 149 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 113 FPS, a 24.2% reduction. At 4K Low, the average is 76 FPS, which is 49.0% lower than the 1080p Low result. Notice that the percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is nearly identical for both Low and High presets—around 49%. This suggests that the game’s rendering load scales roughly linearly with pixel count, and the GPU’s shading and memory bandwidth are the constraining factors regardless of the quality settings.

The Medium preset offers the only rows with min and max FPS data, providing insight into frame pacing. At 1080p Medium, the average is 106 FPS with a minimum of 90 and maximum of 122. At 1440p Medium, the average is 80 FPS, with a minimum of 68 and maximum of 92. At 4K Medium, the average is 54 FPS, with a minimum of 46 and maximum of 62. The spread between min and max FPS is roughly 30% of the average at each resolution, indicating that frame times are relatively stable. The 4K Medium minimum of 46 FPS is close to the 4K High average of 48 FPS, showing that even a modest preset change at 4K can push the system near its limits.

Ultra settings are the most demanding. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 82 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it falls to 62 FPS. At 4K Ultra, the average is just 42 FPS. The difference between 1080p Ultra and 4K Ultra is 48.8%, again matching the roughly 49% drop seen across other presets. This consistency across all four quality levels reinforces that resolution scaling is the dominant factor, not the complexity of the scene or the specific settings toggled.

The data indicates that the RTX 5060’s 448.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K the card’s 8 GB VRAM capacity and 128-bit bus become limiting. The frame rate drops are not gradual; they are steep and consistent. A capable CPU like the Ryzen 9 9900X3D does not prevent these drops, because the GPU is saturated before the CPU can play a meaningful role. Benchmark results indicate that for a smooth 60 FPS experience, users should target 1440p with High or Medium settings, as 4K only reaches that threshold on Low settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, with 21,900 million transistors on a 181 mm² die. Its base clock is 2280 MHz and boost clock is 2497 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). The card features 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. With 3840 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, the RTX 5060 delivers 19.18 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and a pixel rate of 119.9 GPixel/s.

In Control, the GPU’s role is decisive. The measured FPS at 1080p High (94 FPS) and 1440p High (71 FPS) shows that the card has enough headroom for mainstream gaming, but the 4K High result of 48 FPS reveals its limits. The 8 GB VRAM is likely a factor at 4K, where higher-resolution textures and effects can exceed that capacity, leading to the steep drop from 76 FPS at 4K Low to 54 FPS at 4K Medium. The 128-bit bus and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K the memory subsystem becomes a bottleneck.

Comparing the RTX 5060 to its nearest rivals in the database, the GPU’s average benchmark score is 26331, which is 1.2% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT (26011) and 0.3% lower than both the AMD Radeon 860M (26401) and NVIDIA GeForce MX550 (26421). It also trails the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary (26553) by 0.8%. These small deltas indicate that the RTX 5060 sits in a tight performance band relative to these cards, though the Control results will vary based on driver optimizations and game-specific features.

The GPU’s percentile rank is 72, meaning it outperforms 72% of all GPUs in the database. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 3628, and its PassMark G3D score is 20891. These synthetic numbers align with the measured FPS: the card is a solid 1080p performer, a good 1440p option, but only marginal for 4K. In Control, the 4K Ultra average of 42 FPS is below the 60 FPS target that many gamers consider the baseline for smooth play, confirming that the RTX 5060 is not a 4K card for this title.

The boost clock of 2497 MHz is modest compared to higher-tier Blackwell cards, and the 145 W TDP suggests it is designed for efficiency rather than raw throughput. The 300 W suggested PSU and 1x 8-pin power connector indicate that this is a mainstream card, not a flagship. In practice, the GPU’s 19.18 TFLOPS are enough to drive Control at high frame rates at 1080p, but the 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus cap its 4K potential.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and frame rate. At 1080p, the Ultra preset delivers 82 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a smooth experience. The High preset at 1080p offers 94 FPS, a 14.6% improvement over Ultra, but the visual difference between High and Ultra in Control is often subtle. The Medium preset at 1080p reaches 106 FPS, and Low hits 149 FPS. For most players, 1080p High or Ultra is the sweet spot, as both exceed 60 FPS and the CPU-GPU combo has spare capacity.

At 1440p, the High preset yields 71 FPS, which is playable but not silky smooth. The Medium preset produces 80 FPS, providing a better balance between visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 62 FPS, which is right at the edge of the 60 FPS target; users who prefer maximum fidelity may find this acceptable, but the Medium or High presets offer more headroom for demanding scenes. The Low preset at 1440p reaches 113 FPS, but that sacrifices too much visual quality for most users.

At 4K, the situation is more constrained. The Ultra preset produces 42 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target and likely to feel stuttery in fast-paced action sequences. The High preset at 4K averages 48 FPS, still short of 60. The Medium preset reaches 54 FPS, close but not quite there. Only the Low preset at 4K achieves 76 FPS, which is smooth, but the Low preset removes many of the visual effects that make Control’s environments compelling. For 4K, the data suggests that Medium is the highest playable preset, and even then, the average of 54 FPS is borderline.

The Medium preset is the only one with min and max FPS data, and its consistency is worth noting. At 1080p Medium, the min is 90 FPS and max is 122 FPS, a 32 FPS spread. At 1440p Medium, the min is 68 FPS and max is 92 FPS, a 24 FPS spread. At 4K Medium, the min is 46 FPS and max is 62 FPS, a 16 FPS spread. The narrowing spread at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is more consistently saturated, reducing frame time variance. For the best experience per the measured rows, the recommendation is 1440p High for a balance of quality and performance, or 1080p Ultra for maximum fidelity without sacrificing frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 ranks 1237 out of 2888 tested combos in Control, placing it in the 57th percentile of all combinations. This rank reflects the fact that the RTX 5060 is a mid-range GPU, and while the Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a top-tier processor, the GPU limits the overall gaming performance. The rank of 1237 is not a poor showing, but it is not exceptional either; it indicates that many other GPU-CPU pairings deliver higher frame rates in this title.

The combo’s position relative to other tested combos is driven primarily by the GPU. The RTX 5060’s percentile rank of 72 among all GPUs is lower than the Ryzen 9 9900X3D’s percentile rank of 91 among all CPUs. This mismatch means that the CPU is not the bottleneck in most scenarios, and the combo’s rank is essentially a reflection of the GPU’s tier. In Control, which is a GPU-intensive game with heavy physics and particle effects, the GPU’s role is magnified.

Comparing to the CPU’s nearest rivals, the Ryzen 9 9900X3D has an average benchmark score of 54762, which is 0.6% lower than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF (55093), 1.3% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K (54053), 2.0% higher than the Intel Xeon 6505P (53701), and 2.1% higher than the Intel Core i7-14700F (53620). These small deltas suggest that the CPU is not the differentiator in this combo’s rank. If paired with a stronger GPU, the same CPU would likely rank much higher, as it has the headroom to feed faster graphics cards.

The combo rank of 1237 out of 2888 means that roughly 1651 other combos perform better, while 1236 perform worse. This places the combo in the upper-middle tier of all tested configurations. For a game like Control, which was released in 2019 and is not the most demanding title in the database, the RTX 5060’s 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K results drag the combo down. If the ranking were based solely on 1080p performance, the combo would likely be higher, as the 94 FPS at High is competitive with many other mid-range GPUs.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a 12-core, 24-thread processor from the 9000 series, based on the Zen 5 architecture with the Granite Ridge codename. It has a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, with a TDP of 120 W. The CPU features 128 MB of L3 cache, 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and 80 KB of L1 cache per core. It uses the AMD Socket AM5, supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus and 89.6 GB/s bandwidth, and includes integrated Radeon Graphics. The process node is 4 nm at TSMC, with 16,630 million transistors on a 2x 70.6 mm² die size.

In Control, the CPU’s role is secondary to the GPU. The game is not heavily threaded, and the Ryzen 9 9900X3D’s 12 cores and 24 threads are more than sufficient. The benchmark data shows that the CPU only becomes a factor at 1080p Low, where the frame rate reaches 149 FPS. At that level, the GPU is less stressed, and the CPU’s single-thread performance comes into play. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1269 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6739 indicate strong single-thread performance, which is important for games like Control that rely heavily on a few cores for game logic and physics.

The CPU’s multi-threaded performance is also excellent, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 47737 and a Geekbench multicore score of 22884. However, these scores do not translate directly into higher frame rates in Control because the GPU is the bottleneck at most settings. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 12490 and max-thread score of 13795 show that the CPU can handle heavy workloads, but the game does not utilize all 24 threads effectively.

The CPU’s percentile rank of 91 among all CPUs confirms that it is a high-end processor. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF, which has a slightly higher average score (55093 vs. 54762, a -0.6% delta), and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K, which is 1.3% lower. The Intel Xeon 6505P is 2.0% lower, and the Intel Core i7-14700F is 2.1% lower. These differences are small, meaning that the Ryzen 9 9900X3D is competitively positioned among modern desktop CPUs.

In the context of Control, the CPU’s high L3 cache of 128 MB may help with loading textures and game assets, but the measured FPS data does not show any CPU-bound behavior except at the lowest settings. At 1080p Low, the 149 FPS result is likely near the CPU’s practical limit for this game, but that is far above the 60 FPS target. For users with high-refresh-rate monitors, the CPU can support frame rates above 100 FPS at 1080p with lower settings, but the RTX 5060 will still be the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results. With Ultra settings, the average FPS is 82. High settings improve that to 94 FPS, a 14.6% increase. Medium settings reach 106 FPS, with a minimum of 90 FPS and a maximum of 122 FPS. Low settings produce 149 FPS, which is 81.7% higher than Ultra. The progression from Ultra to Low is consistent, with each step down in quality yielding a substantial frame rate gain. The Medium preset’s min FPS of 90 is higher than the Ultra average of 82, indicating that even the lowest frame times at Medium are better than the average at Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the results scale down proportionally. Ultra settings average 62 FPS. High settings reach 71 FPS, a 14.5% improvement. Medium settings average 80 FPS, with a minimum of 68 FPS and a maximum of 92 FPS. Low settings hit 113 FPS. The 1440p Medium minimum of 68 FPS is close to the 1440p Ultra average of 62 FPS, suggesting that the Medium preset provides a more stable experience. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is roughly 24-26% across all settings, matching the pixel count difference.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly overextended. Ultra settings average 42 FPS. High settings reach 48 FPS, a 14.3% improvement. Medium settings average 54 FPS, with a minimum of 46 FPS and a maximum of 62 FPS. Low settings produce 76 FPS. The 4K Medium minimum of 46 FPS is below the 4K High average of 48 FPS, meaning that there is significant overlap in frame rates between presets. The 4K Ultra average of 42 FPS is the lowest measured result, and even the 4K High average of 48 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold. Only the 4K Low preset exceeds 60 FPS, but at a significant visual cost.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset is the only one with complete min and max data. At 1080p Medium, the average is 106 FPS with a 32 FPS spread. At 1440p Medium, the average is 80 FPS with a 24 FPS spread. At 4K Medium, the average is 54 FPS with a 16 FPS spread. The decreasing spread at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU becomes more consistently busy, reducing frame time spikes. The 4K Medium minimum of 46 FPS is the lowest recorded minimum, showing that even with capped frame rates, the system can dip below 50 FPS. The data suggests that for a consistent 60+ FPS experience, users should stay at 1440p or below, and for 4K, they should accept either Low settings or a variable frame rate between 42 and 76 FPS depending on the preset.