Control

Control is a demanding action-adventure title that stresses both GPU rasterization and CPU physics, and the measured data for the Intel Core i5-13400F and AMD Radeon RX 9060 combination reveals a system that is well-balanced for high-refresh 1080p gaming but begins to strain at higher resolutions. The benchmark results indicate that this pairing offers a smooth experience at 1080p and 1440p on medium-to-high presets, while 4K requires significant compromises to maintain playable frame rates. The data shows a clear hierarchy: the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution scales, while the CPU provides ample headroom even in the most demanding scenes.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data across the three resolutions and four presets makes it clear that there is no single "best" setting; the optimal choice depends entirely on the target resolution and the user's preference for visual fidelity versus frame rate. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset achieves an average of 71 FPS, which is perfectly playable for most users, but the High preset delivers 82 FPS, and the Medium preset hits 92 FPS with a minimum of 78 FPS. Given that the High preset offers a substantial 11 FPS improvement over Ultra while likely providing a minor visual difference in a game like Control, High is the recommended sweet spot for 1080p if you prioritize frame rate stability. However, for users with high-refresh monitors, the Low preset's 130 FPS average is the only option that fully saturates a 144Hz display.

Moving to 2560x1440, the data indicates that the Ultra preset's 54 FPS average is borderline for smooth gameplay, and the High preset at 62 FPS is a better compromise. The Medium preset at 70 FPS with a 59 FPS minimum is the most consistent performer, making it the recommended choice for 1440p gaming if you want to avoid any noticeable stutter during intense action sequences. The High preset is viable if you can tolerate occasional dips, but the Medium preset provides the best balance of frame time consistency and visual quality. The Low preset at 98 FPS is surprisingly high and would be the go-to for competitive play, though it sacrifices the atmospheric lighting and particle effects that define Control's visual style.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes drastically. The Ultra preset collapses to an average of 36 FPS, which is not a pleasant experience for a fast-paced action game. The High preset at 42 FPS is still below the 60 FPS target, and the Medium preset at 47 FPS with a 40 FPS minimum is the only setting that approaches playability. The Low preset at 66 FPS is the only 4K option that breaks the 60 FPS barrier, but it requires a significant reduction in visual quality. For 4K, the recommendation is clear: use the Medium preset if you want a playable experience with some visual fidelity, or the Low preset if you demand 60 FPS and are willing to accept a noticeably less detailed image. The benchmark results suggest that 4K is not this combo's home turf, and users should primarily target 1440p or 1080p for the best experience.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is the primary driver of frame rate performance in Control, and its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth proves to be a limiting factor at higher resolutions. The GPU's boost clock of 2990 MHz and game clock of 2400 MHz are high, but the data suggests that the memory subsystem is the bottleneck when pixel count increases. The PassMark G3D score of 17631 places this GPU in the 59th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which scores 16129 (a 0.7% difference), and the AMD Radeon RX 7700, which scores 15852 (a 1% difference). This indicates that the RX 9060 is positioned as a solid mid-range performer, but it is not a high-end card designed for 4K gaming.

The measured FPS data directly reflects this positioning. At 1080p, the GPU has enough bandwidth and compute power to maintain high frame rates, with the Ultra preset at 71 FPS and the Low preset at 130 FPS. However, the drop from 1080p Ultra (71 FPS) to 1440p Ultra (54 FPS) is a 24% reduction, and the drop from 1440p Ultra to 4K Ultra (36 FPS) is a 33% reduction. These steep declines are characteristic of a GPU that is running out of memory bandwidth or raw shader throughput as resolution increases. The GPU's 1792 shading units and 64 ROPs are sufficient for 1080p, but the 128-bit memory interface and 8 GB capacity are not ideal for 4K, where the larger frame buffer demands and higher bandwidth requirements expose the card's limitations. The FP32 performance of 21.43 TFLOPS is respectable, but it is not enough to overcome the memory constraints at 4K.

The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) is relevant for Control, as the game uses DX12 features, and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3322 provides a synthetic benchmark that aligns with the game's rasterization-heavy workload. The data shows that the GPU's performance is consistent with its mid-range classification, and users should not expect 4K Ultra settings to be achievable with this card. Instead, the RX 9060 excels at 1080p and 1440p, where its 2990 MHz boost clock can be fully utilized without being hampered by memory bottlenecks.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. Its benchmark scores are strong for a mid-range chip: the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22604 and single-core score of 3191 indicate that it can handle both heavily threaded workloads and single-threaded tasks with ease. The PassMark multithread score of 25032 and single-thread score of 3634 place this CPU in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, with nearest rivals including the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS (avg score 25284, 0% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (avg score 25365, -0.3% delta). This suggests that the 13400F is a strong performer that is well-matched to a mid-range GPU.

In the context of Control, the CPU's role is to handle the game's physics and AI calculations, which are not particularly demanding compared to modern titles, but the data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this system. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 130 FPS, which is a high frame rate that would likely stress the CPU's single-thread performance, but the boost clock of 4.60 GHz is sufficient to keep up. The 3DMark single-thread score of 960 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3191 are solid, indicating that the CPU can feed the GPU effectively at high frame rates. Even at 1080p Ultra, the 71 FPS average is likely GPU-limited, as the frame rate scales directly with resolution, which is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck.

The data shows that the CPU's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 per core are beneficial for gaming, as they reduce memory latency and improve frame time consistency. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 7314 and max-thread score of 7307 are nearly identical, suggesting that the CPU's performance is stable under load. For Control, the CPU is more than adequate, and the benchmark results indicate that users should not worry about CPU limitations at any resolution. The CPU's 65W TDP and 10nm process node are also relevant for system cooling and power draw, but the performance data is the primary takeaway: the 13400F provides ample headroom for the RX 9060, and the combination is well-balanced for gaming.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-13400F and AMD Radeon RX 9060 combination ranks 1632 out of 2888 tested combos in Control, placing it in the 56th percentile of all systems tested. This ranking is a reflection of the system's overall capability, which is held back by the GPU's mid-range performance. The combo rank is not a measure of raw FPS but rather how this specific pairing performs relative to other CPU/GPU combinations in the database. A rank of 1632 indicates that there are 1255 combos that perform better, which is expected given that the RX 9060 is not a high-end GPU, but it also means that this combo outperforms 56% of all tested systems.

The ranking makes sense when considering the GPU's percentile of 59 and the CPU's percentile of 77. The CPU is a strong performer, but the GPU is the limiting factor, and the combo rank is dragged down by the GPU's mid-range positioning. Compared to other combos with similar GPUs, this system should perform well, as the 13400F is a capable partner that won't bottleneck the RX 9060. The data shows that the combo's performance is consistent with its component parts: it is a solid mid-range system that excels at 1080p and 1440p but struggles at 4K. For users with a 1080p or 1440p monitor, this combo ranks highly in terms of value, but the raw ranking of 1632 reflects the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the best resolution, as it achieves 82 FPS on High and 130 FPS on Low, which are both highly playable. At 2560x1440, the High preset drops to 62 FPS, and at 3840x2160, the Ultra preset falls to 36 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 9060 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RX 9060 has an average benchmark score of 16014, which is 0.7% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (16129) and 1% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 7700 (15852). It is also 1% higher than the AMD Radeon R9 370X (15862).

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

A: The GPU is the bottleneck at higher resolutions, as frame rates drop significantly from 1080p to 4K. The CPU's performance is strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22604, and it provides ample headroom for the GPU.

Q: Can this combo play Control at 4K 60 FPS?

A: No, the data shows that even the Low preset at 4K only achieves 66 FPS, and the Medium preset drops to 47 FPS with a 40 FPS minimum. The Ultra preset is unplayable at 36 FPS.

Q: What settings should I use for a smooth 1440p experience?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 is the best choice, with an average of 70 FPS and a minimum of 59 FPS. The High preset at 62 FPS is also viable, but the Medium preset offers better frame time consistency.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to similar chips?

A: The Core i5-13400F has an average benchmark score of 25292, which is 0% different from the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS (25284) and 0.3% lower than the Intel Core 5 120 (25362). It is also 0.4% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 6800H (25201).

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of this combo's performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system delivers an average of 130 FPS on Low, 92 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 78 and maximum of 106), 82 FPS on High, and 71 FPS on Ultra. These numbers indicate that 1080p is the sweet spot for this combo, with even the Ultra preset maintaining a playable frame rate. The jump from Medium to High is a 10 FPS drop, and from High to Ultra is an 11 FPS drop, which is a reasonable trade-off for the visual improvements.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down as expected. The Low preset achieves 98 FPS, which is still very high, but the Medium preset drops to 70 FPS (with a minimum of 59 and maximum of 80), the High preset falls to 62 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 54 FPS. The data shows that the Medium preset is the most stable, as the minimum FPS of 59 is close to the average of 70, indicating fewer frame time spikes. The High preset at 62 FPS is playable but may experience occasional dips, while the Ultra preset at 54 FPS is borderline for a smooth experience.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. The Low preset achieves 66 FPS, which is the only 4K setting that breaks the 60 FPS barrier, but the Medium preset drops to 47 FPS (with a minimum of 40 and maximum of 54), the High preset falls to 42 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 36 FPS. The data clearly shows that 4K is not viable for this combo, as even the Low preset requires a significant visual compromise. The frame rate drops are consistent across all settings, with the Ultra preset being 40% slower than the Low preset at 4K, compared to a 45% difference at 1080p and a 45% difference at 1440p. This indicates that the GPU's performance scales linearly with resolution, and the 8 GB memory capacity becomes a limiting factor at 4K.