Control

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X paired with the Intel Arc B580 delivers a split decision in Control, with the data showing it is fully capable at 1080p, only marginally playable at 1440p, and not suitable for 4K. This combination produces a wide performance spread across resolutions and presets, making it a practical choice for gamers targeting standard high-refresh 1080p displays.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, this combo clears the 60 FPS threshold at every preset. The lowest tested setting, Low, produces an average of 111.1 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded for this pairing across all resolutions and settings. Moving up to Medium drops the average to 81.9 FPS, while High yields 71.7 FPS. The most demanding preset, Ultra, still maintains an average of 63.4 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playability threshold but leaves less headroom for dips. The spread from Low to Ultra is approximately 47.7 FPS, indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor as settings increase, but the baseline performance is strong enough to absorb the hit.

At 2560x1440, the situation changes considerably. Low settings produce an average of 87.2 FPS, which is the only playable configuration at this resolution according to the verdict data. Medium settings drop to 58.7 FPS, just below the 60 FPS mark, while High falls to 52.4 FPS and Ultra bottoms out at 48.5 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra here is 38.7 FPS, showing that the Arc B580 struggles to maintain smooth frame rates as pixel count and graphical load rise. The data suggests that 1440p is viable only if the user is willing to accept reduced visual fidelity.

At 3840x2160, the combo fails to reach 60 FPS at any setting. Low settings produce 59.7 FPS, which is tantalizingly close but still below the threshold. Medium drops to 41.3 FPS, High to 36.3 FPS, and Ultra to 34.4 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 25.3 FPS, a smaller absolute gap than at lower resolutions, but the overall frame rates are too low for smooth gameplay. This resolution is effectively out of reach for this pairing unless the game is heavily optimized or settings are manually tweaked beyond the tested presets.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals that the GPU is the dominant factor in Control's performance, with the CPU's role diminishing as resolution increases. This is evident from the scaling between presets. At 1080p, the delta between Low and Ultra is 47.7 FPS, which is the largest absolute difference across all resolutions. This suggests that at lower resolutions, the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU faster, allowing the Arc B580 to work harder and produce higher frame rates. At 4K, the same preset gap is only 25.3 FPS, indicating that the GPU is saturated and the CPU's faster frame generation capability is less relevant.

The scaling between resolutions at the same preset further clarifies this. For example, at High settings, moving from 1080p (71.7 FPS) to 1440p (52.4 FPS) results in a 26.9% drop, while moving from 1440p to 4K (36.3 FPS) results in a 30.7% drop. This consistent decline points to the GPU being the bottleneck, as the Ryzen 7 9700X with 8 cores and 16 threads has ample compute headroom for a title like Control. The CPU's strong single-thread performance, evidenced by a 3dmark single-thread score of 1280 and a Passmark single-thread score of 4654, is more than sufficient to drive the B580 at 1080p, where the GPU is still the primary constraint.

At 4K, the CPU's role is nearly negligible. The 59.7 FPS on Low settings versus 34.4 FPS on Ultra shows that the Arc B580's raw throughput is the limiting factor, not the processor. The Ryzen 7 9700X's multi-threaded capabilities, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 20485, are likely underutilized in this game, as Control does not appear to be heavily threaded based on the performance scaling. For 1080p gaming, the CPU is more than enough; for 4K, it is overkill relative to the GPU's capabilities.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X + Intel Arc B580 combination ranks 2813 out of 3720 tested combos for Control. This places it in the lower portion of the database, specifically around the 24th percentile of all tested pairings. The rank reflects that while the combo is playable at 1080p, its performance at higher resolutions drags down its overall standing. Many other CPU-GPU pairings, particularly those with more powerful GPUs, achieve higher frame rates at 1440p and 4K, which skews the ranking.

The combo's percentile ranking is consistent with the individual components' benchmarks. The CPU has a percentile of 86 against all CPUs, indicating it is a high-end processor, while the GPU has a percentile of 68 against all GPUs, placing it in the mid-to-upper range. The gap between these percentiles suggests that the GPU is the weaker link in this pair, which is confirmed by the frame rate data. A stronger GPU would likely push this combo significantly higher in the rankings, while the CPU has headroom to support such an upgrade.

The Verdict

Based on the verdictByResolution data, this PC can run Control at 60 FPS, but only under specific conditions. At 1920x1080, all four tested presets—High, Low, Medium, and Ultra—clear the 60 FPS threshold. The best playable setting is Ultra, which averages 63.4 FPS, providing a comfortable margin above the playability line. This is the primary use case for this combo.

At 2560x1440, only the Low preset is playable, with an average of 87.2 FPS. The Medium, High, and Ultra presets all fall below 60 FPS, with averages of 58.7, 52.4, and 48.5 FPS respectively. Users with 1440p monitors can play the game, but they will need to sacrifice most visual quality settings to maintain smooth frame rates. This is a viable option for competitive play or for those who prioritize frame rate over graphics.

At 3840x2160, the verdict is clear: no settings are playable. Even Low settings only achieve 59.7 FPS, which is just under the 60 FPS threshold. The other presets are significantly lower, with Ultra at 34.4 FPS. This combo is not suitable for 4K gaming in Control without substantial compromises or external upscaling solutions not reflected in this data.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score are the Intel Core i9-14901E (0.1% higher score), the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (0.1% higher), the Intel Core 5 211E (0.3% higher), and the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 (0.4% higher). These processors deliver nearly identical synthetic performance, meaning a system with any of them paired with the Arc B580 would likely produce very similar FPS results in Control. The differences of less than 0.5% are within run-to-run variance, so gamers should not expect any meaningful distinction in gameplay.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (0.2% lower score), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (0.6% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (0.7% lower), and the NVIDIA P106-100 (1.0% lower). The RTX 2080 and RTX 3080 are particularly interesting alternatives, as they are older flagship cards that now perform similarly to the B580 in synthetic benchmarks. In Control, a system with the Ryzen 7 9700X and any of these GPUs would likely fall within a few FPS of the tested combo at each resolution and preset. The RTX 3080, despite having a lower average score, might exhibit different driver-level behavior in this specific title, but the data suggests near-parity.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Control at 60 FPS on a 1080p monitor?

A: Yes, at 1920x1080, the combo averages 63.4 FPS on Ultra settings, and higher on lower presets, with Low reaching 111.1 FPS.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming with this hardware?

A: Only the Low preset at 2560x1440 is playable, averaging 87.2 FPS. Medium drops to 58.7 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 9700X or the Arc B580 the bottleneck in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck, especially at higher resolutions. The CPU's strong single-thread and multi-thread scores suggest it has ample headroom, while frame rates drop significantly as resolution increases.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all other tested systems?

A: It ranks 2813 out of 3720 combos, placing it in the lower portion of the database. The GPU's mid-range percentile (68) relative to the CPU's high percentile (86) explains this ranking.

Q: Are there any GPUs that offer similar performance to the Arc B580 for this game?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (0.6% higher score) and RTX 3080 (0.7% lower score) are the closest rivals, meaning they should deliver nearly identical FPS in Control when paired with the same CPU.

Q: Can I play at 4K with this setup?

A: No, none of the tested 4K presets reach 60 FPS. The highest average is 59.7 FPS on Low settings, which is just below the playability threshold.