Control

Control is an action-adventure title from 2019 that stresses both the CPU and GPU in unique ways. The benchmark data for the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile reveals a system that is capable but clearly bound by its graphics solution at higher resolutions. This analysis breaks down how the combination scales across settings, where it stands among other tested hardware, and what each component contributes to the overall experience.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates show a predictable and steep drop as resolution increases, which points directly at the GPU as the primary limiter. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo delivers 103 FPS, but moving to 1440p drops that to 78 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 52 FPS. That is a 25% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 33% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is not linear; the gap between 1080p and 1440p is smaller in absolute terms than the gap between 1440p and 4K, indicating that the GPU is working progressively harder as pixel count grows.

At High settings, the same pattern holds. The system hits 65 FPS at 1080p, 49 FPS at 1440p, and 33 FPS at 4K. The percentage losses are similar to Low settings, which suggests that the GPU is consistently the bottleneck across all quality levels. If the CPU were the limiting factor, you would expect the frame rate to stay relatively flat when lowering resolution, but the data shows the opposite: the frame rate scales almost entirely with resolution. This is a clear sign that the RTX 5050 Mobile, with its 8 GB of GDDR7 memory and 128-bit bus, cannot keep up with the demands of Control at higher resolutions.

Ultra settings tell the same story, but with even lower absolute numbers. At 1080p Ultra, the system manages 56 FPS, which drops to 43 FPS at 1440p and 29 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is below the 30 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for playable, and the 1440p Ultra result is borderline. The gap between High and Ultra at each resolution is also telling: at 1080p, High gives 65 FPS while Ultra gives 56 FPS, a 14% penalty for the highest preset. At 4K, the penalty is similar, with High at 33 FPS and Ultra at 29 FPS.

The data indicates that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can achieve playable frame rates even on Ultra. At 1440p, it is playable on Medium or High, but 4K is only viable on Low settings if you want to stay above 50 FPS. The scaling pattern is consistent and predictable, which makes it easy to recommend specific settings for each resolution.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the best experience per the data is at 1080p with High settings. The system delivers 65 FPS on average, which is smooth for a game like Control that involves fast combat and physics-based interactions. Dropping to Medium gives 73 FPS, a modest 12% improvement, but the visual quality difference between High and Medium in this title is noticeable, especially in the game's signature particle effects and lighting. High is the sweet spot for visual fidelity and performance.

If you prioritize frame rate over visuals, 1080p Low is the clear choice, delivering 103 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS standard and leaves headroom for any background tasks or streaming. However, Low settings in Control remove many of the environmental details that make the game's atmosphere work, so it is only recommended for competitive play or if you have a high-refresh-rate monitor.

At 1440p, Medium is the best balance, offering 55 FPS. High at this resolution drops to 49 FPS, which is still playable but closer to the edge of smoothness. Ultra at 1440p is 43 FPS, which may be acceptable for some, but the data suggests Medium is the safer choice for consistent performance. The minimum frame rate on Medium at 1440p is 47 FPS, so you can expect no major dips below that.

For 4K, the only viable option is Low settings, which gives 52 FPS. Medium drops to 37 FPS, High to 33 FPS, and Ultra to 29 FPS, all of which are below the ideal threshold for a fast-paced action game. If you have a 4K display, the data clearly shows that you will need to sacrifice most visual quality to get a playable experience. There is no way around the GPU's limitations at this resolution.

Overall, the recommendation is to play at 1080p High for the best combination of visuals and performance. If you have a 1440p monitor, set the game to Medium. For 4K, accept Low settings or consider lowering the resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile combination ranks 2983 out of 3720 tested combos in Control. This places it in the bottom 20% of all systems tested, which is a poor showing for a modern CPU and GPU pairing. The percentile ranking reflects the GPU's modest performance more than the CPU's capabilities, as the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is a high-end mobile processor.

To put this in perspective, the GPU's average benchmark score is 43268, which places it at the 83rd percentile among all GPUs. However, its nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB, which scores 43262, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER, which scores 43223. The RTX 5050 Mobile is essentially tied with these cards on average, despite being a much newer architecture. This suggests that the GPU's raw performance is not exceptional for its class, and it is likely the reason the combo ranks so low in Control.

The CPU, on the other hand, is a powerhouse. It scores 77740 on average, placing it at the 95th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-14900K, which scores 79097, and the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX, which scores 76212. The Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is within a few percentage points of these top-tier desktop and mobile processors, which means the CPU is not the bottleneck in this combo.

The combination of a top-tier CPU and a mid-range GPU results in a system that is unbalanced for a game like Control. The CPU has more than enough power to feed the GPU, but the GPU cannot keep up with the demands of higher resolutions. This is reflected in the rank, which is lower than what the CPU alone would suggest. If the GPU were stronger, the combo would rank much higher, as the CPU is clearly capable of supporting higher frame rates.

FAQ

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 a good match for the RTX 5050 Mobile in Control?

A: The data shows an unbalanced pairing. The CPU is at the 95th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU is at the 83rd percentile. In Control, the GPU becomes the limiting factor at 1440p and 4K, meaning the CPU's power is not fully utilized.

Q: What is the best resolution to play Control with this combo?

A: Based on the measured frame rates, 1080p is the best resolution. At High settings, it delivers 65 FPS, which is smooth. At 1440p, the best you can get is 55 FPS on Medium, and at 4K, only Low settings reach a playable 52 FPS.

Q: How does this combo compare to other tested systems?

A: It ranks 2983 out of 3720 combos, placing it in the bottom 20%. This is primarily due to the GPU's modest performance, which is similar to older cards like the Quadro M6000.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU bottleneck this system in Control?

A: The GPU is the bottleneck at all resolutions above 1080p. The frame rate scales almost entirely with resolution, which indicates the CPU is not holding the system back.

Q: Can this system run Control at 4K?

A: Yes, but only on Low settings, which gives 52 FPS. Higher settings at 4K result in frame rates below 40 FPS, which is not ideal for gameplay.

Q: What is the significance of the GPU's 8 GB memory in Control?

A: The 8 GB of GDDR7 memory is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p in Control, but at 4K, the game's textures and effects may exceed this capacity, contributing to the lower frame rates observed.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile is the defining component in this combo's performance in Control. Its 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 384.0 GB/s, which is adequate for 1080p and 1440p but becomes a limiting factor at 4K. The GPU's base clock is 1020 MHz, with a boost clock of 1500 MHz, and it has 2560 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output units.

The GPU's average benchmark score is 43268, which places it at the 83rd percentile among all GPUs. This is a mid-range result, and its nearest rivals include the Quadro M6000, which scores 43262, and the RTX 4070 SUPER, which scores 43223. The RTX 5050 Mobile is essentially tied with these cards, despite being a much newer design based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture. This indicates that its raw performance is not exceptional for its class.

In Control, the GPU's role is clear: it determines the frame rate at every resolution. At 1080p, it can deliver up to 103 FPS on Low, which shows it has enough headroom for lower settings. However, as resolution increases, the GPU's limitations become apparent. At 4K, even Low settings only produce 52 FPS, and Ultra drops to 29 FPS. The GPU's 8 GB of memory is likely a factor here, as Control's high-resolution textures and effects require significant video memory.

The GPU's 20 ray tracing cores are present, but the data does not show any ray tracing-specific benchmarks for Control. Given the modest frame rates at 4K, enabling ray tracing would likely push the system below playable thresholds. The GPU's 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is decent for a mobile part, but it is not enough to handle Control's demanding visuals at high resolutions.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is the opposite of the GPU: a high-end processor that is not the bottleneck in this system. It has 16 cores and 32 threads, based on the Zen 5 architecture, with a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. The CPU's 64 MB of shared L3 cache and 256.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth from its quad-channel LPDDR5X support are more than sufficient for gaming.

The CPU's average benchmark score is 77740, placing it at the 95th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-14900K, which scores 79097, and the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX, which scores 76212. The Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is within 1.7% of the i9-14900K, which is a top-tier desktop processor. This shows that the mobile CPU has exceptional multi-threaded performance.

In Control, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations. The game is known for its physics-based combat and destructible environments, which can stress the CPU. However, the measured frame rates show that the CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution. The frame rate drops consistently with resolution, which is a classic sign of GPU limitation. If the CPU were the bottleneck, lowering the resolution would not improve the frame rate as much as it does.

The CPU's 16 cores and 32 threads are more than enough for Control, which is a game from 2019 that likely does not utilize all of those threads. However, the high single-thread performance, as evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2044, ensures that the CPU can handle the game's main thread without issue. The CPU's performance is so strong that it could support a much more powerful GPU, meaning the RTX 5050 Mobile is the limiting factor in this combo.