CONTROL Resonant PC requirements: SSD first, then the GPU

If you already clear a healthy GTX 1070 / RX 5600 XT / Arc A580, 16 GB dual-channel, Windows 10/11, and an SSD with room for 120 GB, according to Steam you can start. Expect to drop shadows and effects when Manhattan densifies. The recommended jump (3060 Ti / 6700 XT / Arc B580) is what makes High feel less apologetic.

A GTX 1650 4 GB or a spinning HDD fails the sheet before the story does. Fix storage and RAM first if those are the weak links: an 8 GB box with Discord open will hitch in dense blocks long before a 1070 runs out of shader power.

According to the Steam page, the published GPUs stop at 3060 Ti class for recommended. Remedy still uses Northlight tone, but this reads like a mid-range action RPG, not a path-tracing showcase. Intel Arc A580 / B580 showing up on both rows is unusual for a big Steam launch: useful if you already bought into Arc.

City blocks, Aberration shapeshifts, and paranatural FX load the machine differently than Control’s Oldest House corridors. That is why the recommended CPU (3700X / i7-10700) is not fluff: melee plus powers plus a crowded street hits the cores while the SSD streams the next block.

According to Steam (checked October 12, 2026), minimum and recommended both lock 16 GB. There is no official jump to 32 GB. Both lock SSD Required and 120 GB. If your drive already holds Ultimate plus Alan Wake 2, free 140–160 GB before day-one patches pile on.

A SATA SSD meets the contract. NVMe helps if you stream or juggle big installs. Mechanical HDDs are out: texture pop-in on a warped Manhattan street is the usual tell, and players blame the GPU first.

Keep Control Ultimate Edition for the Oldest House and DLC. Resonant is Dylan’s Manhattan sequel: different page, different buy intent. We do not merge the two.

If Ultimate already ran fine, audit SSD free space and whether your GPU still sits above the 1070 / 5600 XT floor once the city loads. An Ultimate-okay box with 8 GB and an old HDD will choke here first, because the sequel streams open streets instead of interior corridors.

About $775–$1,025: honest floor. Prefer a newer Ryzen 5 5600 / i5-12400F over a sketchy used 8500/3500, 16 GB, an SSD, and a 3060 / 6600 or a healthy used 1070. Skip 8 GB plus 1650 CONTROL stickers on Amazon.com or Newegg.

$1,025–$1,425 is where Steam’s recommended tier stops being aspirational: 3060 Ti / 4060 Ti or 6700 XT / 7600, 1 TB NVMe. Filter that band in the comparator.

$1,425–$1,850 buys 1440p headroom or mild RT/stream comfort (4070 / 7800 XT, 32 GB). A 4090 for Resonant only is money left on the table: the published sheet never asks for that class.

Standard sits near $59.99. Digital Deluxe (about $69.99) adds artbook, OST, and cosmetics. CONTROL: The Siblings Collection bundles Ultimate Deluxe with Resonant Deluxe: smart if Ultimate is missing from your library, redundant if you already own it.

For the tower, open the PC4Games comparator and insist on a named GPU, 16 GB, and SSD before you trust an Amazon or Newegg blur.