Control

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Control at 60 FPS at 1080p?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings. The recorded average FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings is 65, which clears the 60 FPS threshold. All other settings at 1080p fall below 60 FPS, with High at 41, Medium at 46, and Ultra at 36.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 1440p?

A: None. The verdict data shows no playable settings at 2560x1440. The closest is Low at 50 FPS average, which still misses the 60 FPS threshold. Medium averages 35 FPS, High 31, and Ultra 27.

Q: Is 4K playable with this combination?

A: No. At 3840x2160, even Low settings only reach 33 FPS average. Medium drops to 24 FPS, High to 21, and Ultra to 18. No preset at 4K approaches the 60 FPS target.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Arc B390 sits at the 9th percentile among all GPUs. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 is 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% ahead of the GeForce 800M, 2.5% ahead of the GT 625 OEM, and 2.7% ahead of the GT 710.

Q: How does the CPU compare to similar processors?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is at the 84th percentile among all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 34260 is within 0.5% of several rivals: it is 0.1% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 and AMD EPYC 4244P, 0.2% behind the Intel Core i5-13450HX, and 0.5% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H.

Q: Where does this combo rank among all tested systems?

A: This pairing ranks 3311 out of 3720 tested combinations in Control. That places it in the lower portion of the database, consistent with the GPU's low percentile ranking.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a system heavily constrained by graphics throughput. At every resolution, the Intel Arc B390's modest compute capacity (7.680 TFLOPS FP32, 1536 shading units) becomes the limiting factor. The CPU, an 8-core, 16-thread Ryzen 7 3700X with a 4.40 GHz boost clock, is comparatively strong, sitting at the 84th percentile among all processors. Yet the recorded FPS numbers show that CPU headroom does little to compensate for GPU limits.

Resolution scaling tells the story clearly. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at Low settings drops the average from 65 to 50 FPS, a 23% reduction. Going further to 3840x2160 at Low yields 33 FPS, another 34% drop. At High settings, the progression is 41 at 1080p, 31 at 1440p, and 21 at 4K. These large percentage declines with each resolution step indicate that the GPU is saturated well before the CPU becomes relevant.

Settings scaling reinforces this conclusion. At 1080p, raising from Low to Medium cuts FPS from 65 to 46, a 29% penalty. Low to High drops to 41, and Low to Ultra reaches 36. At 1440p, Low to Medium goes from 50 to 35, a 30% hit. The consistent pattern across resolutions and presets suggests that each graphics quality increase directly taxes the GPU's limited pixel rate (60.00 GPixel/s) and texture rate (120.0 GTexel/s). The CPU's role is minimal here; even at 1080p Low, where the system reaches 65 FPS, the Ryzen 7 3700X has ample capacity to feed the GPU.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 9 among all GPUs versus the CPU's 84 among all CPUs makes the bottleneck unambiguous. For Control, this combination behaves like a GPU-limited machine at every tested setting and resolution. The CPU would only become the limiting factor at far higher frame rates than this GPU can deliver.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best results. Low settings average 65 FPS, the only preset above the 60 FPS target. Medium averages 46 FPS, with a recorded minimum of 40 and maximum of 53. High averages 41 FPS, and Ultra averages 36 FPS. The gap between Low and every other preset is substantial, suggesting that the Low preset removes enough rendering load to push the GPU near its practical ceiling.

At 2560x1440, performance drops across the board. Low settings average 50 FPS, which is playable but short of 60. Medium averages 35 FPS, with a minimum of 30 and maximum of 40. High averages 31 FPS, and Ultra averages 27 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 30 FPS indicates that even momentary dips can approach stutter territory.

At 3840x2160, the system falls well below playable levels. Low settings average 33 FPS. Medium averages 24 FPS, with a minimum of 20 and maximum of 27. High averages 21 FPS, and Ultra averages 18 FPS. The 4K results are uniformly poor, with no preset reaching even half of the 60 FPS target.

The data shows a consistent pattern: each resolution increase costs roughly 30-40% of the previous resolution's frame rate at the same settings. The only recorded min/max values come from Medium presets, where the spread is relatively tight. At 1080p Medium, the range is 40 to 53, a 13 FPS swing. At 1440p Medium, it is 30 to 40, a 10 FPS swing. At 4K Medium, it is 20 to 27, a 7 FPS swing. These ranges indicate moderate frame pacing variance, not extreme spikes.

The Verdict

Based on the recorded measurements, this PC can run Control at 1920x1080 with Low settings, where it achieves 65 FPS average. That is the single playable configuration in the entire dataset. Every other preset and resolution combination falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, no settings are playable. The best result is Low at 50 FPS, which misses the target by 10 FPS. Medium at 35 FPS, High at 31, and Ultra at 27 are all well short. At 3840x2160, the situation is worse. Low at 33 FPS, Medium at 24, High at 21, and Ultra at 18 are all far below playable.

For users who can tolerate frame rates below 60, the system offers options. At 1440p Low, 50 FPS is smooth enough for many action-adventure games. At 1080p Medium, 46 FPS with a 40 FPS minimum is workable. But for a strict 60 FPS standard, the verdict is clear: this combo is a 1080p Low machine for Control, and nothing more.

The playable threshold in the database is set at 60 FPS. The verdict data confirms that only 1920x1080 Low qualifies. All other combinations are recorded as unplayable by that standard.

How This Combo Ranks

This pairing of AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and Intel Arc B390 ranks 3311 out of 3720 tested combinations in Control. That places it in the 11th percentile of all tested systems, which aligns with the GPU's 9th percentile standing. The CPU's strong 84th percentile rank does not rescue the overall position because the GPU dominates the performance profile for this game.

The ranking reflects the GPU's limited capabilities. The Arc B390's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places it near the bottom of the database. In practical terms, this means the system competes with entry-level GPUs from previous generations, not with modern midrange or high-end parts. The CPU's benchmark scores, including a PassMark multithread score of 22458 and Geekbench multicore score of 8899, are respectable, but they matter little when the GPU cannot push enough frames.

The 3311 rank out of 3720 is a quantitative statement of this imbalance. Systems with similar CPUs but stronger GPUs would rank far higher. Systems with similar GPUs but weaker CPUs would rank similarly, because the GPU is the binding constraint in Control.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS. The best available average is Low at 33 FPS. Medium at 24, High at 21, and Ultra at 18 are all progressively worse. There is no recommended setting for 4K playability.

At 2560x1440, no preset reaches 60 FPS either. The best available average is Low at 50 FPS. Medium at 35, High at 31, and Ultra at 27 follow. The 50 FPS result at Low is the closest this system gets to playable at 1440p, but it still misses the target.

At 1920x1080, Low settings deliver 65 FPS average, which clears the 60 FPS threshold. This is the only recommended configuration. Medium at 46, High at 41, and Ultra at 36 all fall short. Users who prioritize visual quality over frame rate could consider Medium for its 40 FPS minimum, but the data shows Low as the sole preset that meets the playability standard.

The pattern is consistent: this system is a 1080p Low machine. Any increase in resolution or settings pushes it below 60 FPS.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals in the database are closely matched. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 scores 34222, just 0.1% lower than the Ryzen 7 3700X's 34260. The AMD EPYC 4244P scores 34220, also 0.1% lower. The Intel Core i5-13450HX scores 34333, 0.2% higher. The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H scores 34083, 0.5% lower. Any of these processors would produce nearly identical results in Control when paired with the same GPU, since the CPU is not the bottleneck.

The GPU's nearest rivals are far less capable in absolute terms. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463, 1.3% below the Arc B390's 1482. The GeForce 800M scores 1460, 1.5% lower. The GT 625 OEM scores 1446, 2.5% lower. The GT 710 scores 1443, 2.7% lower. These are all legacy or entry-level parts, and the data shows the Arc B390 slightly ahead of each.

For users considering alternatives, the practical takeaway is that swapping the CPU for any of its nearest rivals would change Control performance by less than 1%. Swapping the GPU for any of its nearest rivals would also produce nearly identical frame rates, since the deltas are all under 3%. The system's performance profile is defined by the GPU's low position in the database, not by the specific CPU or GPU model chosen from these adjacent options.