Control

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 delivers a decisive performance profile for Control, placing the combo in the 1071st position out of 3720 tested combinations. This ranking places it in the upper third of all tested systems, indicating a hardware pairing that is well above average for this title. The data confirms that this system is not merely capable but is positioned to handle the game’s demands with significant headroom at most settings, making it a robust choice for high-refresh-rate gameplay and high-resolution output.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 1071 out of 3720 combinations places it in the 71st percentile of all systems tested for Control. This is a strong showing, suggesting that the pairing of the 5800X3D and RTX 3080 outperforms the vast majority of other hardware configurations when running this specific game. The ranking reflects a balanced system where neither the CPU nor the GPU becomes a consistent bottleneck, allowing the hardware to express its full potential.

Breaking down the individual components, the CPU’s average benchmark score of 27896 places it in the 80th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U, which scores 27887 (a 0% delta), and the Intel Core i9-10900K, which scores 27872 (a 0.1% delta). This shows the 5800X3D is statistically tied with these alternatives in general compute performance, yet its 3D V-Cache technology provides specific advantages in gaming workloads that may not be fully reflected in these aggregate scores. The GPU, with an average benchmark score of 23172 and a 68th percentile ranking, faces closer competition from its nearest rivals, including the NVIDIA P106-100 (23249, -0.3% delta) and the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (23273, -0.4% delta). While these rivals are close in synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 3080’s architectural advantages in ray tracing and rasterization become evident in actual game performance.

The overall combo rank benefits from the CPU’s strong positioning. The 5800X3D’s 96 MB of shared L3 cache is a significant asset for Control, a game that benefits from large data sets being readily accessible to the cores. This cache advantage helps maintain consistent frame pacing, which is crucial for the game’s action sequences. The GPU’s 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth ensure that texture streaming and high-resolution rendering do not cause stutters. The result is a system that ranks highly not just on paper but in the practical metric of measured frame rates.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160 (4K), the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS is High, which achieves an average of 60 FPS exactly. This is the threshold for playability, and while it meets the 60 FPS target, it does so with no headroom. The Medium preset performs slightly better with an average of 67 FPS, but High offers superior visual fidelity while still hitting the playable target. The Ultra preset falls below the threshold at 52 FPS, making it unsuitable for 4K play. The Low preset is an outlier at 94 FPS, but the visual compromise is significant.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), the system can handle the Ultra preset at an average of 77 FPS. This is a substantial improvement over 4K, allowing for maximum visual settings with a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset runs at 88 FPS, providing even more headroom for users with high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset achieves 99 FPS, and Low runs at 140 FPS, showing that the system is never challenged at this resolution.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the Ultra preset is fully playable at an average of 101 FPS. This is the best possible settings configuration, and the system still delivers a frame rate well above the 60 FPS playability standard. The High preset runs at 117 FPS, Medium at 131 FPS, and Low at 185 FPS. At 1080p, the RTX 3080 is the primary driver, and the 5800X3D ensures that the CPU can feed the GPU with enough data to sustain these high frame rates without bottlenecking.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions reveals a clear division of labor between the CPU and GPU. At 1920x1080, the average frame rate for High settings is 117 FPS, which drops to 88 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of approximately 25%. Moving from 1440p to 4K, the High preset frame rate drops from 88 FPS to 60 FPS, a further reduction of about 32%. This steep decline as resolution increases is a classic sign of GPU-bound performance. The GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the number of pixels to render increases exponentially.

Conversely, the CPU’s role is more pronounced at lower resolutions and higher frame rates. The jump from Low to Ultra settings at 1080p shows a reduction from 185 FPS to 101 FPS, a 45% decrease. This scaling indicates that while the GPU is still the primary renderer, the CPU’s ability to process game logic and draw calls becomes more critical at lower resolutions where the GPU can produce frames faster. The 5800X3D’s 8 cores and 16 threads, along with its high single-thread performance (a Geekbench single-core score of 2017), ensure that the CPU does not become a bottleneck even at 185 FPS.

The data also shows that the GPU’s memory bandwidth is a key factor at 4K. The RTX 3080’s 760.3 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient to handle the data demands of 4K textures, as evidenced by the playable High preset. However, the Ultra preset at 4K drops to 52 FPS, indicating that the GPU’s compute units, rather than memory bandwidth, are the limiting factor. The 5800X3D’s performance is consistent across all resolutions, suggesting that it is never the primary constraint in this pairing. The CPU’s 96 MB L3 cache helps maintain stable frame times, which is especially important when the GPU is under heavy load.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Control at 4K with maximum settings?

A: No. The Ultra preset at 3840x2160 produces an average of 52 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playability threshold. The highest playable setting at 4K is High, which averages exactly 60 FPS.

Q: What is the best setting for 1440p gaming with this combo?

A: The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 is fully playable, achieving an average of 77 FPS. This provides the best visual quality while maintaining a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS standard.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the GPU is the primary driver, but the CPU’s performance is critical for sustaining high frame rates. The system achieves 185 FPS on Low settings, indicating that the Ryzen 7 5800X3D can keep up with the RTX 3080’s output.

Q: How does the RTX 3080 compare to its nearest rivals in this game?

A: The RTX 3080 has an average benchmark score of 23172, which is 0.3% lower than the NVIDIA P106-100 and 0.4% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6600M. However, these rivals do not offer the same feature set, such as ray tracing cores.

Q: Are there any settings that cause frame drops below 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: No. All presets at 2560x1440, from Low to Ultra, maintain average frame rates above 60 FPS. The lowest recorded average is 77 FPS on Ultra, with the Medium preset showing a minimum of 84 FPS.

Q: What is the performance difference between the 5800X3D and its closest CPU rival?

A: The Ryzen 7 5800X3D scores 27896 on average, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i9-10900K (27872). This indicates nearly identical general performance, but the 5800X3D’s additional cache may provide an edge in gaming.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the measured frame rates show a clear hierarchy. The Low preset delivers an average of 94 FPS. Medium settings produce an average of 67 FPS, with a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 77 FPS. High settings average exactly 60 FPS. The Ultra preset is the only non-playable option at 4K, with an average of 52 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance improves significantly. Low settings achieve an average of 140 FPS. Medium settings produce an average of 99 FPS, with a minimum of 84 FPS and a maximum of 114 FPS. High settings average 88 FPS. The Ultra preset remains above the playable threshold at an average of 77 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the system shows its maximum potential. Low settings reach an average of 185 FPS. Medium settings produce an average of 131 FPS, with a minimum of 111 FPS and a maximum of 151 FPS. High settings average 117 FPS. The Ultra preset, while the most demanding, still delivers an average of 101 FPS. The data shows a consistent pattern: each step down in resolution yields a roughly 30-40% increase in frame rate for the same settings, confirming the GPU-bound nature of the workload.

The Verdict

The data unequivocally shows that this PC can run Control, and run it well. At 1920x1080, all four presets are playable, with the Ultra preset achieving 101 FPS. This provides a fully maxed-out experience with significant headroom for high-refresh-rate monitors. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset is again the best choice, running at 77 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS playability threshold. The system is capable of delivering a flawless 1440p experience with all settings maxed out.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more nuanced. The High preset is the most demanding that remains playable, hitting exactly 60 FPS on average. The Medium preset offers a slightly higher frame rate of 67 FPS, but the High preset provides better visual quality. The Ultra preset at 4K is not playable, averaging 52 FPS. For users with 4K displays, the recommendation is to play on High settings for the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. The system is more than capable of delivering a high-quality experience at 4K, though it requires a slight reduction from the absolute maximum settings.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark scores are the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U (27887, 0% delta), the Intel Core i9-10900K (27872, 0.1% delta), and the AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 340 (27932, -0.1% delta). These processors would offer similar general compute performance, though the 5800X3D’s gaming-specific advantages, such as its large L3 cache, may not be matched by these alternatives. The Intel Core i5-12600KF (27799, 0.3% delta) is also close, providing a similar level of multi-threaded performance.

For the GPU, the closest rivals are the NVIDIA P106-100 (23249, -0.3% delta), the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 (23250, -0.3% delta), and the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (23273, -0.4% delta). These cards have similar average benchmark scores, but they are not direct equivalents. The RTX 3080 offers a more robust feature set, including dedicated ray tracing cores and higher memory bandwidth, which are relevant for a game like Control that supports advanced rendering features. The AMD Radeon R9 M290X (23276, -0.4% delta) is also close in score, but its older architecture would likely result in lower real-world performance in modern titles. In practical terms, users with these rival GPUs would see similar average frame rates in synthetic tests, but the RTX 3080’s software optimizations and hardware features make it the stronger choice for Control specifically.