Control

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER delivers a consistently strong experience in Control, with measured frame rates that comfortably exceed the 60 FPS playability threshold across every tested resolution and preset combination. The data set, which includes average FPS figures for Low, Medium, High, and Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K, shows a system that is well-balanced for this title, though the scaling patterns reveal where each component carries the load.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that maintains an average at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which records an average of 61.3 FPS. This is a marginal clearance over the 60 FPS threshold, but it is sufficient for a playable experience at maximum visual quality. The High preset at this resolution averages 67.8 FPS, offering a small performance buffer, while Medium reaches 78.2 FPS and Low climbs to 108.8 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Ultra preset achieves an average of 87.2 FPS, making it the clear choice for the best visual experience without any compromise on frame rate. High averages 103.4 FPS, Medium hits 117.8 FPS, and Low reaches 162 FPS. The jump in performance from 4K to 1440p is substantial, with Ultra improving by roughly 42% in average frame rate.

At 1920x1080, all presets deliver exceptionally high frame rates, with Ultra averaging 116.4 FPS. High averages 134.9 FPS, Medium reaches 155.7 FPS, and Low peaks at 212.6 FPS. The data indicates that at 1080p, the system has significant headroom, and even the most demanding settings leave performance far above the 60 FPS threshold, making this resolution the most flexible for users who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling between resolutions and presets shows that the GPU becomes the dominant factor as resolution increases, while the CPU's role is more pronounced at lower resolutions and higher frame rates. At 1920x1080, the gap between Low (212.6 FPS) and Ultra (116.4 FPS) is 96.2 FPS, a difference of roughly 83%. This wide spread suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to push frame rates to very high levels, but the GPU's workload at Ultra settings limits output.

At 2560x1440, the difference between Low (162 FPS) and Ultra (87.2 FPS) narrows to 74.8 FPS, indicating that the GPU is becoming the primary bottleneck as pixel count rises. The trend continues at 3840x2160, where the spread between Low (108.8 FPS) and Ultra (61.3 FPS) is 47.5 FPS. The reduction in absolute frame rates at 4K, combined with the smaller relative gap between presets, points to a system where the RTX 4070 SUPER's rendering throughput is the limiting factor.

The CPU's influence is most visible in the high frame rate scenarios at 1080p Low, where the Ryzen 7 9700X's multi-threaded capabilities allow the GPU to operate near its maximum output. The CPU's benchmark results, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 20485 and a single-core score of 2211, support its ability to handle the game's physics and logic without becoming a constraint. Conversely, at 4K Ultra, the GPU's raw pixel processing power, reflected in its 35.48 TFLOPS FP32 performance, is what determines the final frame rate.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Control at 4K resolution?

A: Yes. The measured data shows playable frame rates at 3840x2160 across all settings, with Ultra averaging 61.3 FPS, High at 67.8 FPS, Medium at 78.2 FPS, and Low at 108.8 FPS.

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

A: Ultra is the best choice at 2560x1440, as it delivers an average of 87.2 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold while providing maximum visual quality.

Q: How does the system perform at 1080p with Low settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average frame rate is 212.6 FPS, indicating that the CPU and GPU combination has substantial headroom for high-refresh-rate displays in less demanding scenarios.

Q: Is the 60 FPS threshold met at all resolutions?

A: Yes, the verdict by resolution confirms that all tested settings at 3840x2160, 2560x1440, and 1920x1080 achieve average frame rates above 60 FPS.

Q: Which component is more important for this game at 4K?

A: The GPU plays the more significant role at 3840x2160, as evidenced by the smaller performance gap between Low and Ultra presets (47.5 FPS) compared to lower resolutions, indicating that the RTX 4070 SUPER's pixel throughput is the primary determinant.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 1440p High settings?

A: The measured average at 2560x1440 with High settings is 103.4 FPS, which provides a smooth experience with a moderate performance buffer over the 60 FPS threshold.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals, the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X performs nearly identically to the Intel Core i9-14901E, with a delta of 0.1%, and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, also at 0.1% delta. The Intel Core 5 211E trails by 0.3%, and the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 is 0.4% behind. These processors would deliver similar frame rates in CPU-limited scenarios, though the 9700X's advantage in single-threaded workloads, such as its 3DMark single-thread score of 1280, helps maintain high minimum frame rates in less demanding scenes.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4070 SUPER's closest competitor is the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB, which scores within 0.1% of the 4070 SUPER's average benchmark score. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile also matches within 0.1%, and the Quadro M6000 is 0.2% behind. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile is 1% faster in aggregate benchmarks, but this difference is unlikely to translate into a meaningful frame rate advantage in Control at the tested settings, as the game's engine appears to be well-optimized for the 4070 SUPER's architecture.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 636 out of 3720 tested combos for Control, placing it in the top 17% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the balanced nature of the pairing, where neither component severely bottlenecks the other across the resolution range. The CPU's 86th percentile standing among all processors and the GPU's 83rd percentile among all graphics cards contribute to this strong overall position, though the ranking indicates that there are more powerful combinations available for users seeking higher frame rates at 4K Ultra settings.

The Verdict

Based on the measured data, this PC can run Control with playable frame rates at all tested resolutions. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages 61.3 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold, though it leaves little room for frame rate drops in demanding scenes. The High preset at this resolution provides a more comfortable margin with an average of 67.8 FPS. At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 87.2 FPS, offering a smooth and visually rich experience, while High reaches 103.4 FPS for those who prefer higher frame rates. At 1920x1080, all settings exceed 116 FPS, with Ultra at 116.4 FPS and Low at 212.6 FPS, making this resolution ideal for competitive or high-refresh-rate play. The verdict by resolution confirms that all settings at all resolutions are playable, with the best settings being Ultra at each resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the average frame rates are as follows: Low settings produce 108.8 FPS, Medium produces 78.2 FPS, High produces 67.8 FPS, and Ultra produces 61.3 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a consistent reduction in performance as visual quality increases, with the largest drop occurring between Low and Medium at 30.6 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the average frame rates are: Low at 162 FPS, Medium at 117.8 FPS, High at 103.4 FPS, and Ultra at 87.2 FPS. The difference between Medium and High is 14.4 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 16.2 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset imposes a notable but manageable performance cost.

At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are: Low at 212.6 FPS, Medium at 155.7 FPS, High at 134.9 FPS, and Ultra at 116.4 FPS. The system delivers over 200 FPS at Low settings, and even at Ultra, the frame rate remains above 115 FPS, demonstrating the headroom available at this resolution. The data set does not include minimum or maximum frame rate values, so the analysis relies on average performance, which consistently exceeds the 60 FPS playable threshold across all configurations.