Control

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for Control with the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and Intel Arc B390 combination shows a steep performance curve across resolutions. At 3840x2160, the results are consistently below playable thresholds. High settings produce an average of 21 FPS, while Low settings reach 33 FPS. Medium settings land at 24 FPS average with a minimum of 20 FPS and a maximum of 27 FPS. Ultra settings drop further to 18 FPS average. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 15 FPS, which indicates the GPU is heavily constrained by pixel throughput rather than CPU limits.

Moving to 2560x1440, the picture improves but remains under 60 FPS across all presets. High settings yield 31 FPS average, Low settings reach 50 FPS, and Medium sits at 35 FPS with a range of 30 to 40 FPS. Ultra settings produce 27 FPS average. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 23 FPS, showing that the Arc B390 benefits substantially from reduced graphical load. The jump from 4K Low (33 FPS) to 1440p Low (50 FPS) represents a 17 FPS gain, which is a 51% improvement.

At 1920x1080, the data reveals the only playable configuration. Low settings achieve 65 FPS average, which clears the 60 FPS threshold. High settings produce 41 FPS, Medium reaches 46 FPS with a minimum of 40 FPS and maximum of 53 FPS, and Ultra drops to 36 FPS. The scaling from 1440p Low (50 FPS) to 1080p Low (65 FPS) is a 15 FPS gain. Notably, the Medium preset at 1080p (46 FPS) outperforms the Low preset at 1440p (50 FPS) by a smaller margin than expected, indicating that resolution has a stronger impact than preset level for this combination.

The minimum FPS data is only recorded for Medium settings at each resolution: 20 FPS at 4K, 30 FPS at 1440p, and 40 FPS at 1080p. This suggests that Medium presets experience frame drops that could cause stuttering, even when average FPS appears higher. The lack of min/max data for other presets means the database only provides average performance for those configurations, but the Medium preset values offer a glimpse into frame time consistency.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU and GPU each have distinct nearest rivals according to the database. For the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, the closest performance matches are the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX with an average score of 69875 and a delta of 0.2%, the Intel Core i7-14700KF at 70163 with a delta of -0.2%, the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X at 69515 with a delta of 0.7%, and the Intel Core i7-14700K at 69355 with a delta of 0.9%. These deltas are all within 1% of the 9700F's average score of 69996, meaning any of these CPUs would deliver nearly identical frame pacing in CPU-bound scenarios.

For the Intel Arc B390, the nearest rivals are dramatically weaker. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463 with a delta of 1.3%, the GeForce 800M scores 1460 with a delta of 1.5%, the GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446 with a delta of 2.5%, and the GeForce GT 710 scores 1443 with a delta of 2.7%. The Arc B390's average benchmark score is 1482, which places it just 1.3% ahead of the GT 520MX. This clustering suggests that the Arc B390 is positioned at the very bottom of the GPU performance hierarchy, comparable to integrated graphics from over a decade ago.

The implications for Control are clear: the CPU is vastly overqualified while the GPU is severely underpowered. In a game like Control, which relies on both physics simulation and rendering, the GPU becomes the limiting factor at every resolution above 1080p Low. The nearest CPU rivals would not change the outcome because the bottleneck is not computational but graphical. Conversely, swapping the GPU for any of its nearest rivals would likely drop performance below the already marginal 65 FPS at 1080p Low, since the delta between the Arc B390 and the GT 520MX is small but the absolute scores are all below 1500.

How This Combo Ranks

The database ranks this specific combination at 3311 out of 3720 tested combos for Control. This places the combo in the 11th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning roughly 89% of tested hardware pairs deliver better performance in this game. The rank reflects the severe GPU limitation: the Arc B390's percentile against all GPUs is 9, while the Ryzen 7 9700F's percentile against all CPUs is 94. The combo rank is pulled down almost entirely by the GPU.

The rank of 3311 out of 3720 indicates that this is not a viable configuration for Control at higher settings. The only playable result is 1080p Low at 65 FPS. The gap between this combo and more balanced configurations is substantial. The data implies that users with this CPU would see dramatic improvements by pairing it with a more capable GPU, as the CPU's 94th percentile ranking suggests it can feed frames much faster than the Arc B390 can render them.

The position in the ranking also suggests that the game's engine, which is known for heavy particle effects and destructible environments, does not favor low-end GPUs. Even at 1080p, the Ultra preset drops to 36 FPS, which is 24 FPS below the playable threshold. The combo rank would likely improve with a GPU that has even twice the benchmark score, but within the database's recorded data, this pairing sits near the bottom.

The Verdict

Can this PC run Control? The answer is yes, but only under strict conditions. The verdict by resolution shows that 3840x2160 has no playable settings, and 2560x1440 also has no playable settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset is the only playable option, with an average of 65 FPS. This means the game runs at 1080p Low with a 5 FPS margin above the 60 FPS threshold.

The data indicates that 4K is completely out of reach. Even Low settings at 4K only manage 33 FPS, which is less than 60% of the required frame rate. At 1440p, Low settings reach 50 FPS, which is close but still 10 FPS short of playable. The 1080p Low result is the sole configuration that clears 60 FPS, and it does so with limited headroom. A demanding scene with heavy particle effects could push the frame rate below 60 FPS, though the database does not record minimum FPS for Low presets.

For users who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity, the game is technically playable at 1080p Low. However, the 65 FPS average leaves little room for fluctuation. If the game's action intensifies, the lack of recorded min FPS data for Low settings means there is no guarantee of sustained playability. The verdict is clear: this combo is a marginal 1080p Low machine for Control, nothing more.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a stark imbalance between the CPU and GPU in this pairing. The Ryzen 7 9700F ranks in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, while the Arc B390 ranks in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. This 85-percentile gap means the CPU is never the bottleneck in Control. The scaling between resolutions confirms this: at 4K, Low settings produce 33 FPS, while at 1080p, Low settings produce 65 FPS. That is a 32 FPS difference from resolution alone, which is a purely GPU-bound effect.

The CPU's role becomes more apparent when comparing presets at the same resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low (65 FPS) and Ultra (36 FPS) is 29 FPS. This preset scaling is also GPU-dominated, as higher presets increase shading, texture detail, and post-processing. The CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads, running at 3.80 GHz base and 5.50 GHz boost, are more than sufficient for Control's physics and AI systems. The database shows no evidence of CPU throttling, as the frame rate drops are consistent with GPU limitations.

At 4K, the GPU is completely overwhelmed. The jump from 1440p Low (50 FPS) to 4K Low (33 FPS) represents a 34% performance loss, which is typical for a GPU that lacks memory bandwidth. The Arc B390 uses system shared memory, which means its performance is dependent on system RAM speed and capacity. This architecture disadvantage is magnified at higher resolutions where memory throughput becomes critical. The CPU's role at 4K is essentially negligible; the GPU cannot render frames fast enough to utilize the CPU's capabilities.

The medium settings at each resolution provide the only min/max data. At 1080p Medium, the range is 40 to 53 FPS, which is a 13 FPS spread. At 1440p Medium, the range is 30 to 40 FPS, a 10 FPS spread. At 4K Medium, the range is 20 to 27 FPS, a 7 FPS spread. The narrowing range at higher resolutions suggests the GPU is consistently saturated, whereas at 1080p, there is more variance, potentially from CPU-driven physics spikes. This indicates that at 1080p, the CPU occasionally influences frame times, but at higher resolutions, the GPU is the sole constraint.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 3840x2160, there is no playable setting. The highest average FPS at 4K is 33 FPS on Low, which is 27 FPS below the 60 FPS threshold. The database records no playable settings for 4K, meaning even the lowest preset fails to reach playable performance. The best possible configuration at 4K would be Low, but it still cannot clear 60 FPS, so no recommendation can be made.

For 2560x1440, the situation is similar. Low settings produce 50 FPS, which is 10 FPS short of playable. Medium produces 35 FPS, High produces 31 FPS, and Ultra produces 27 FPS. None of these reach 60 FPS, so the database records no playable settings at 1440p. The closest option is Low at 50 FPS, but it remains below the threshold.

For 1920x1080, the Low preset is the only playable option, with an average of 65 FPS. This is the sole configuration that clears 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 46 FPS is 14 FPS short, High at 41 FPS is 19 FPS short, and Ultra at 36 FPS is 24 FPS short. The best settings for 1080p are therefore Low, which provides a 5 FPS buffer above the playable threshold. Users who want higher visual quality would need to accept frame rates below 60 FPS, but the database only marks Low as playable.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Control at 60 FPS on any setting?

A: Yes, but only at 1920x1080 with the Low preset, which achieves an average of 65 FPS. All other resolutions and presets fall below 60 FPS.

Q: What is the best performance at 1440p?

A: The Low preset at 1440p produces 50 FPS average, which is the highest recorded frame rate at that resolution, but it still does not meet the 60 FPS playable threshold.

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

A: The Ryzen 7 9700F has an average score of 69996, which is within 0.9% of the Intel Core i7-14700K (69355) and within 0.2% of the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (69875). Any of these CPUs would perform nearly identically in Control.

Q: Is the GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: Yes. The Arc B390 ranks in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU ranks in the 94th percentile. The 85-percentile gap indicates the GPU is the limiting factor at every resolution.

Q: What frame rate does the Medium preset achieve at 1080p?

A: The Medium preset at 1080p averages 46 FPS, with a minimum of 40 FPS and a maximum of 53 FPS. This is 14 FPS below the playable threshold.

Q: How does this combo rank overall for Control?

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