Control

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 delivers a robust experience in Control, with benchmark data showing 60 FPS or higher achievable at every resolution tested, though the margin at 4K Ultra is thin. The measured results indicate a system that scales well from 1080p to 1440p, while 4K requires settings management to maintain smooth gameplay.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset for 1920x1080 resolution?

A: At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 101 FPS, which is the highest playable setting available. All four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) clear the 60 FPS threshold, with Low reaching 185 FPS and High hitting 117 FPS.

*Q: Can this PC handle 4K gaming in Control?*

A: Yes, but with caveats. The benchmark data shows that High settings at 3840x2160 yield exactly 60 FPS average, while Medium achieves 67 FPS and Low reaches 94 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 52 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: How does the RTX 3080 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 3080 has an average benchmark score of 23172, placing it 0.3% behind the NVIDIA P106-100 and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16, and 0.4% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6600M and AMD Radeon R9 M290X. These deltas are minimal, indicating near-identical synthetic performance.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking among all processors?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F sits in the 77th percentile of all CPUs tested. Its average benchmark score of 25005 is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F, 0.3% higher than the Intel Core i7-11850H, and 0.4% higher than the Intel Core i7-13620H, while being 0.4% lower than the AMD EPYC 9474F.

Q: Which resolution offers the widest gap between Low and Ultra settings?

A: At 1920x1080, the difference between Low (185 FPS) and Ultra (101 FPS) is 84 FPS, representing the largest absolute spread. At 2560x1440, the gap narrows to 63 FPS (140 vs 77), and at 3840x2160 it shrinks further to 42 FPS (94 vs 52).

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 8400F a recent processor?

A: The processor was released on 2024-03-31 and remains in active production. It is based on the Zen 4 (Phoenix) architecture built on a 4 nm process by TSMC, featuring 6 cores and 12 threads with a base clock of 4.20 GHz and boost clock of 4.70 GHz.

CPU and GPU Roles

The division of labor between the Ryzen 5 8400F and RTX 3080 becomes apparent when examining frame rates across resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080, the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as evidenced by the steep drop from 185 FPS on Low to 101 FPS on Ultra—a 45% reduction that reflects the increasing pixel shading and texture workload. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads provide sufficient headroom at this resolution, with the processor's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 20851 indicating strong thread scaling for a desktop chip.

Moving to 2560x1440, the GPU's role intensifies. The Low preset produces 140 FPS, which is 45 FPS lower than the same preset at 1080p. This 32% performance loss aligns with the 78% increase in pixel count, suggesting the RTX 3080's 10 GB GDDR6X memory and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth are being exercised more heavily. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 63 FPS, slightly narrower than at 1080p, indicating that CPU limitations begin to emerge at higher frame rates even if the GPU remains the dominant constraint.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes overwhelmingly critical. The Low preset manages 94 FPS, which is only 33% of the 1080p Low result. The Ultra preset falls to 52 FPS, below the 60 FPS playable threshold. This resolution quadruples the pixel count of 1080p, and the RTX 3080's 8704 shading units and 68 RT cores are pushed to their limits. The CPU's influence almost vanishes here, as the processor's 3DMark single-thread score of 951 and multi-thread score of 6165 are far above what is needed to feed the GPU at these frame rates.

The scaling patterns reveal that the Ryzen 5 8400F is never the limiting factor in this game. Even at 1080p Low with 185 FPS, the CPU's PassMark multi-thread score of 24389 and data compression score of 288158 suggest ample processing headroom. The RTX 3080 dictates performance at all settings, with the GPU's PassMark G3D score of 25086 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4407 providing the computational foundation for Control's physics-heavy combat and destructible environments.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the benchmark results show a clear progression across presets. Low settings produce an average of 185 FPS, while Medium achieves 131 FPS with a minimum of 111 FPS and maximum of 151 FPS. High settings average 117 FPS, and Ultra maintains 101 FPS. The absence of min/max data for Low, High, and Ultra presets means only the Medium preset shows frame variability, with a 40 FPS spread between its minimum and maximum.

The 2560x1440 results follow a similar pattern with reduced headroom. Low settings yield 140 FPS, Medium averages 99 FPS with a range of 84 to 114 FPS, High produces 88 FPS, and Ultra delivers 77 FPS. The Medium preset's 30 FPS spread is narrower than at 1080p, suggesting more consistent frame pacing at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the performance envelope tightens considerably. Low settings manage 94 FPS, Medium averages 67 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS and maximum of 77 FPS, High hits exactly 60 FPS, and Ultra drops to 52 FPS. The Medium preset's 20 FPS range indicates that 4K gaming creates more frame time variance, likely due to the RTX 3080's memory subsystem operating near capacity.

Comparing settings across resolutions, the relative performance gaps remain consistent. Ultra settings are approximately 45% slower than Low at 1080p, 45% slower at 1440p, and 45% slower at 4K. This uniform scaling suggests that Control's graphics presets primarily affect GPU workload without introducing CPU-bound scenarios, even at the lowest settings.

The Verdict

The data confirms this combination can run Control at all three tested resolutions, but the experience varies significantly by settings. At 1920x1080, every preset clears the 60 FPS threshold, with Ultra achieving 101 FPS average. This makes 1080p Ultra the safest choice for high refresh rate displays, as the 101 FPS result provides a comfortable margin above the playable threshold.

At 2560x1440, the verdict is equally positive. All four presets remain above 60 FPS, with Ultra delivering 77 FPS average. The 17 FPS cushion over the threshold means even demanding scenes with multiple enemies and particle effects should maintain smooth gameplay. The Medium preset's minimum of 84 FPS further reinforces the stability at this resolution.

The 3840x2160 verdict is conditional. High settings produce exactly 60 FPS average, which meets the playable threshold but leaves no margin for frame drops. Medium settings offer a safer 67 FPS average with a minimum of 57 FPS, though this minimum does dip below 60 FPS. Low settings at 94 FPS provide the most comfortable 4K experience, while Ultra at 52 FPS fails to meet the playable standard. The verdictByResolution data lists High, Low, and Medium as playable at 4K, with High being the best settings choice at exactly 60 FPS.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals indicate that several processors would produce nearly identical results in Control. The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F, with an average score of 24964, is just 0.2% lower than the 8400F's 25005, making it a direct substitute for gaming workloads. The Intel Core i7-11850H (24935, 0.3% lower) and Intel Core i7-13620H (24911, 0.4% lower) would also deliver comparable CPU performance, though their mobile origins might impact sustained workloads differently. The AMD EPYC 9474F scores 25103, 0.4% higher, but its server-class design makes it irrelevant for desktop gaming.

On the GPU side, the RTX 3080's nearest rivals are all within 0.4% of its average score of 23172. The NVIDIA P106-100 (23249) and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 (23250) are 0.3% higher, while the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (23273) and AMD Radeon R9 M290X (23276) are 0.4% higher. These synthetic benchmark similarities suggest that swapping the RTX 3080 for any of these alternatives would yield nearly identical frame rates in Control, though real-world gaming performance may differ due to driver optimization and feature support. The RTX 3080's 10 GB GDDR6X memory and 68 RT cores provide capabilities that the older R9 M290X lacks, but the aggregate scores place them in the same performance tier.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the clear choice, delivering 101 FPS average. This exceeds the 60 FPS playable threshold by 68%, providing ample headroom for demanding combat sequences. The High preset at 117 FPS offers an alternative for users prioritizing higher refresh rates, but Ultra's 101 FPS is already sufficient for most displays.

At 2560x1440, Ultra remains the best option with 77 FPS average. This represents a 28% reduction from the 1080p Ultra result, but still maintains a 17 FPS cushion above the playable threshold. The High preset at 88 FPS is available for those seeking smoother motion, though Ultra's visual quality improvements justify the 11 FPS cost.

For 3840x2160, the High preset is the most demanding option that stays at or above 60 FPS, achieving exactly 60 FPS average. However, the Medium preset at 67 FPS provides a more stable experience, with its minimum of 57 FPS representing the only dip below threshold among playable settings. Low at 94 FPS offers the best performance for 4K, but sacrifices significant visual fidelity. The verdictByResolution data indicates High as the best settings choice, but users prioritizing frame consistency may prefer Medium's higher average and only slightly lower visual quality.

How This Combo Ranks

Among all tested CPU-GPU combinations in the database, this pairing ranks 1071 out of 3720, placing it in the 71st percentile of all systems tested for Control. This rank reflects the RTX 3080's 68th percentile standing among all GPUs and the Ryzen 5 8400F's 77th percentile among all CPUs. The combination outperforms 2649 other tested systems while trailing 1070, positioning it as a strong mid-to-high tier configuration.

The rank suggests that while this system handles Control admirably at 1080p and 1440p with Ultra settings, there are many faster combinations in the database. The 4K Ultra shortfall at 52 FPS is a primary factor in limiting the rank, as systems with higher-end GPUs would maintain 60 FPS at that preset. Conversely, the CPU's strong multi-threaded performance ensures that this combo does not suffer from processor bottlenecks, allowing the GPU to perform to its full potential. The 1071st position out of 3720 indicates a well-balanced system that delivers playable performance across all tested resolutions, with clear limitations only at 4K Ultra.