Control

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, none of the tested presets reach the 60 FPS playable threshold. The highest average frame rate recorded at this resolution is 33 FPS on Low settings, which remains far below the target. Medium settings produce 24 FPS, High settings drop to 21 FPS, and Ultra falls to 18 FPS. The data shows that 4K gaming is not viable for this combination in Control, regardless of quality level.

Moving to 2560x1440, the situation improves but still falls short of playability. The best result at this resolution is 50 FPS on Low settings, which is 10 FPS below the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings deliver 35 FPS, High settings produce 31 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 27 FPS. No preset at 1440p manages to cross the 60 FPS line, meaning users must drop to 1080p for a smooth experience.

At 1920x1080, Low settings finally achieve 65 FPS average, clearing the 60 FPS playable threshold with a small margin. This is the only preset across all tested resolutions that reaches playable frame rates. Medium settings at 1080p produce 46 FPS, High settings deliver 41 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 36 FPS. The most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS at 1080p is therefore Low, with an average of 65 FPS. Higher quality settings at this resolution remain locked below the threshold.

How This Combo Ranks

The database ranks this CPU and GPU pairing at 3311 out of 3720 tested combos for Control. This places the combination in the lower portion of the ranking table, within the bottom 11% of all recorded configurations. The ranking reflects the severe bottleneck imposed by the graphics solution, as the CPU itself holds a strong position in its own benchmarks.

The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D sits at the 83rd percentile among all CPUs in the database, indicating a high-performing processor relative to other chips. Its average benchmark score of 33079 places it in the upper tier of desktop processors. However, the Intel Arc B390 graphics component ranks at only the 9th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1482. This extreme disparity between CPU capability and GPU capability explains why the combo lands at 3311 out of 3720: the processor has far more headroom than the graphics solution can utilize.

The combination's rank in this game reflects a fundamental imbalance. The CPU is capable of feeding a much stronger graphics card, but the Arc B390 limits overall performance. Benchmark results indicate that this pairing behaves like a system where the GPU is the primary constraint in every scenario tested.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the recorded data shows a narrow range of frame rates across all four presets. Low settings average 33 FPS, Medium averages 24 FPS with minimum 20 FPS and maximum 27 FPS, High averages 21 FPS, and Ultra averages 18 FPS. The gap between the lowest and highest preset is only 15 FPS, suggesting that resolution is the dominant factor at 4K rather than quality level.

At 2560x1440, Low settings average 50 FPS, Medium averages 35 FPS with minimum 30 FPS and maximum 40 FPS, High averages 31 FPS, and Ultra averages 27 FPS. The spread between presets widens here, with a 23 FPS difference between Low and Ultra. The Medium preset shows the most consistent frame pacing among the recorded data, with its minimum and maximum values staying close to the average.

At 1920x1080, Low settings average 65 FPS, Medium averages 46 FPS with minimum 40 FPS and maximum 53 FPS, High averages 41 FPS, and Ultra averages 36 FPS. The Low preset at 1080p is the only measured configuration that exceeds 60 FPS, and it does so by a margin of 5 FPS. Medium at 1080p shows a 13 FPS gap between minimum and maximum, indicating some variability but not severe stuttering. The progression from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a consistent decline: 65, 46, 41, then 36 FPS.

Across all resolutions, the pattern is consistent: Low settings always deliver the highest frame rates, and Ultra always delivers the lowest. The difference between Low and Ultra grows as resolution decreases, from 15 FPS at 4K to 23 FPS at 1440p to 29 FPS at 1080p. This suggests that at lower resolutions, the GPU has more headroom to show the impact of quality settings, while at 4K the resolution itself saturates the graphics hardware.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Control at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: No. The highest average FPS at 3840x2160 is 33 FPS on Low settings, and all other presets fall between 18 and 24 FPS. None of them reach the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best setting for 1080p gaming?

A: Low settings at 1920x1080 produce an average of 65 FPS, making it the only preset in the entire measurement set that clears the 60 FPS threshold. Medium, High, and Ultra at 1080p all remain below 60 FPS.

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

A: The Intel Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482, placing it at the 9th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX at 1463 (1.3% slower), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M at 1460 (1.5% slower), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM at 1446 (2.5% slower), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 at 1443 (2.7% slower).

Q: Is the CPU or the GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D ranks at the 83rd percentile among CPUs with an average score of 33079, while the Arc B390 ranks at the 9th percentile among GPUs with a score of 1482. The frame rates scale heavily with resolution, which points to graphics-bound performance.

Q: What resolution offers the best balance of quality and playability?

A: Only 1920x1080 with Low settings achieves playable frame rates at 65 FPS. No preset at 2560x1440 or 3840x2160 reaches 60 FPS, so users seeking smooth gameplay must use 1080p with the lowest quality settings.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested systems?

A: The combination ranks 3311 out of 3720 tested combos for Control, placing it in the bottom 11% of all recorded configurations.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results reveal a clear division of labor between the Ryzen 7 7800X3D and the Arc B390 in Control. The CPU's performance ceiling is far above what the GPU can deliver. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16817 and a single-core score of 1713, along with a Geekbench multi-core score of 15610. These numbers indicate a processor capable of handling demanding workloads without breaking a sweat. The GPU, by contrast, scores only 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which places it near the bottom of the GPU ranking table.

The scaling between resolutions confirms that the GPU is the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system produces 65 FPS. Dropping to 1440p Low reduces that to 50 FPS, a 23% decrease. At 4K Low, the frame rate falls to 33 FPS, another 34% decrease. This steep decline as resolution increases is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario. If the CPU were the constraint, resolution changes would have a much smaller impact on frame rates.

The scaling between presets tells a similar story. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium costs 19 FPS, from Medium to High costs 5 FPS, and from High to Ultra costs 5 FPS. The large drop from Low to Medium suggests that the GPU struggles with even modest increases in shading complexity. At 4K, the preset scaling compresses to a range of only 15 FPS, because the resolution itself already saturates the graphics hardware.

At every resolution, the CPU has significant headroom. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D's 96 MB of shared L3 cache and 8 cores with 16 threads provide ample processing power for Control's physics and AI systems. The recorded data shows no scenario where the CPU would be the limiting factor. Even at 1080p Low, where the GPU produces its highest frame rate of 65 FPS, the CPU is likely still waiting on the graphics pipeline.

The practical implication is that upgrading the GPU would yield substantial improvements, while upgrading the CPU would produce little to no benefit in this title. The current pairing wastes much of the CPU's potential, as the Arc B390 cannot translate the processor's capabilities into higher frame rates.

The Verdict

The verdict from the database is clear: this system can run Control at 1920x1080 with Low settings, achieving an average of 65 FPS. This is the only configuration in the entire measurement set that clears the 60 FPS playable threshold. At 2560x1440, no preset reaches playable frame rates; the best result is 50 FPS on Low. At 3840x2160, the situation is worse, with the highest average being 33 FPS on Low.

The verdict by resolution lists 3840x2160 as having no playable settings, 2560x1440 as having no playable settings, and 1920x1080 as having Low as the only playable setting. Users who want to play Control with this hardware must accept 1080p resolution and the lowest quality preset. Higher quality settings at 1080p, such as Medium at 46 FPS or High at 41 FPS, fall short of the 60 FPS target.

The data suggests that this is a marginal setup for Control. It technically runs the game, but only under the most restrictive visual conditions. Anyone hoping for higher quality settings or higher resolutions would need a more powerful graphics solution. The CPU is not the issue; the Arc B390 simply lacks the raw performance to push this title past 60 FPS at higher settings.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU side, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D's nearest rivals in the database are the AMD Ryzen 7 8700G with an average score of 33089 (0% difference), the Intel Core i7-13650HX at 33089 (0% difference), the AMD Ryzen 7 7745HX at 33091 (0% difference), and the AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 6950H at 33201 (0.4% faster). These processors would behave nearly identically in Control when paired with the same GPU, since the GPU is the limiting factor. Swapping the 7800X3D for any of these chips would produce essentially the same frame rates.

For the GPU side, the Intel Arc B390's nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX at 1463 (1.3% slower), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M at 1460 (1.5% slower), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM at 1446 (2.5% slower), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 at 1443 (2.7% slower). These graphics solutions would deliver frame rates within a few percent of the Arc B390 in Control. A system using any of these GPUs would likely produce very similar results: playable only at 1080p Low, with all other configurations falling below 60 FPS.

The delta percentages indicate that the Arc B390 sits at the top of its immediate peer group, but that group is clustered at the very bottom of GPU performance. The closest rival, the GT 520MX, is only 1.3% slower, while the GT 710 trails by 2.7%. In practical terms, all of these GPUs would deliver the same gaming experience in Control: limited to the lowest settings at 1080p for playable frame rates. The CPU alternatives, meanwhile, are all high-end processors whose performance differences would be invisible in this title due to the GPU bottleneck.