Control

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X paired with the Intel Arc B570 delivers a mixed bag of results in Control, a 2019 Action Adventure title. The data shows a system that is highly capable at 1080p, adequately playable at 1440p with reduced settings, and ultimately out of its depth at 4K. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across resolutions and presets, identifies the bottleneck dynamics, and contextualizes the combo within the broader hardware landscape.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo demonstrates its strongest performance. With Low settings, the average frame rate is 101 FPS, providing a very fluid experience. Moving to Medium settings, the average drops to 71 FPS, with a minimum of 61 FPS and a maximum of 82 FPS, indicating solid stability. High settings yield an average of 63 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS playability threshold. The most demanding preset, Ultra, falls short with an average of 55 FPS, showing a clear performance ceiling at this resolution.

Stepping up to 2560x1440, the frame rates decline predictably. Low settings produce an average of 76 FPS, keeping the experience smooth. Medium settings average 54 FPS, with a minimum of 46 FPS and a maximum of 62 FPS, dipping below the ideal target. High settings average 48 FPS, and Ultra drops further to 42 FPS. The data reveals a significant gap between the Low and Medium presets at this resolution, suggesting a steep cost for the extra graphical features.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings average 51 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings average 36 FPS, with a minimum of 31 FPS and a maximum of 42 FPS. High settings average 32 FPS, and Ultra averages 28 FPS. The performance here is consistently low, indicating that this resolution is not viable for a smooth experience with this hardware combination.

The data shows a consistent scaling pattern: each step up in resolution or settings incurs a substantial performance penalty. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 46 FPS, while at 4K it is 23 FPS, highlighting how the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS is High, with an average of 63 FPS. The Ultra preset fails to meet the threshold, so High is the optimal choice for visual fidelity while staying playable.

At 2560x1440, only the Low preset manages to stay above 60 FPS, with an average of 76 FPS. The Medium preset falls short at 54 FPS, meaning that players must accept significant graphical compromises to achieve smooth gameplay at this resolution.

For 3840x2160, the verdict is clear: no settings preset achieves an average of 60 FPS. The best result is Low at 51 FPS, which is still below the playability threshold. This resolution is not recommended for this combo in Control.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions indicates that the Intel Arc B570 is the primary bottleneck. At 1080p, the Ryzen 7 9700X has enough headroom to push the GPU to its limits, as evidenced by the 101 FPS average at Low settings. The drop to 63 FPS at High settings shows the GPU working harder, but the CPU is not the limiting factor.

When moving to 1440p, the GPU load increases, and the frame rates drop accordingly. The 22 FPS difference between Low at 1080p and Low at 1440p (101 to 76) is largely due to the increased pixel count. The gap between Medium at 1080p (71 FPS) and Medium at 1440p (54 FPS) is 17 FPS, showing a similar scaling pattern.

At 4K, the GPU is severely overburdened. The difference between Low at 1440p (76 FPS) and Low at 4K (51 FPS) is 25 FPS, while the gap between High at 1440p (48 FPS) and High at 4K (32 FPS) is 16 FPS. This suggests that the GPU's compute and memory resources are saturated, and the CPU's performance becomes less relevant. The Ryzen 7 9700X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, is not the limiting factor in any scenario; the data consistently points to the Arc B570 as the performance ceiling.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is closely matched by the Intel Core i9-14901E, which has a benchmark score 0.1% lower. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 is also within 0.1%, and the Intel Core 5 211E is 0.3% behind. These processors would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Control, as the CPU is not the bottleneck in this combo.

For the GPU, the Intel Arc B570 is nearly identical in performance to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, which is only 0.1% faster. The Intel Arc A750 is 0.1% slower, and the AMD Radeon R9 M390X is 0.5% faster. Any of these GPUs would produce similar results in Control, meaning the same resolution and settings limitations would apply. A user could expect nearly identical FPS numbers with these alternative components.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Control at 1920x1080 with High settings?

A: Yes, the measured average FPS is 63, which is above the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Q: What is the best playable settings preset at 2560x1440?

A: The only preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Low, with an average of 76 FPS.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this combo in Control?

A: No, the best average FPS at 3840x2160 is 51 with Low settings, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Which component limits performance at 4K?

A: The Intel Arc B570 GPU is the limiting factor, as the frame rates drop significantly across all presets at this resolution.

Q: How much faster is the GPU compared to the Intel Arc A750?

A: The Arc B570 has an average benchmark score that is 0.1% higher than the Arc A750, making them effectively equal in performance.

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The measured average is 71 FPS, with a minimum of 61 FPS and a maximum of 82 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and Intel Arc B570 combination ranks 2995 out of 3720 tested combos for Control. This places it in the lower half of all tested systems, indicating that while it can run the game, many other hardware pairings deliver better performance. The rank reflects the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions, as the CPU is a strong performer in its own right. The data suggests that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it ranks more favorably, but the overall ranking is dragged down by its poor 4K performance.

The Verdict

This PC can run Control, but the experience depends heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the system is fully capable, with High settings delivering 63 FPS and Medium settings providing 71 FPS. At 2560x1440, the only playable option is Low settings, which achieves 76 FPS. At 3840x2160, the system cannot maintain 60 FPS at any settings preset, with the best result being 51 FPS at Low. The verdict is clear: this combo is a solid 1080p machine for Control, a marginal 1440p option with significant compromises, and not suitable for 4K gaming.