Control

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and Intel Arc B580 combination delivers a playable Control experience at 1080p across all tested presets, but struggles to maintain 60 FPS at 4K under any settings. At 1440p, only the Low preset clears the playability threshold. The data indicates this pairing is best suited for 1080p gaming with this title, where it provides a comfortable performance margin even at Ultra settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination demonstrates consistent playability across all four settings presets. The Low preset produces an average of 110.7 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded for this pairing in any configuration. Medium settings yield 78.3 FPS, while High settings deliver 70.6 FPS. The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding configuration tested, still maintains an average of 64.5 FPS, clearing the 60 FPS threshold by a modest margin of 4.5 frames. The scaling from Low to Ultra represents a performance drop of approximately 42%, from 110.7 down to 64.5 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance picture changes considerably. The Low preset remains strongly playable with an average of 86.2 FPS. Medium settings produce 58.4 FPS, which falls just short of the 60 FPS playability threshold. High settings average 52.8 FPS, and Ultra drops further to 47.5 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is approximately 45%, with the Ultra preset delivering less than 55% of the Low preset's frame rate. This resolution marks the boundary where the Intel Arc B580 begins to show its limitations with this title.

At 3840x2160, none of the tested presets achieve playable frame rates. The Low preset comes closest with an average of 59.3 FPS, narrowly missing the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings average 39.5 FPS, High settings drop to 33.6 FPS, and Ultra settings produce only 31.1 FPS. The performance degradation from Low to Ultra at 4K is approximately 48%, representing the steepest relative drop across all resolutions. This resolution is effectively out of reach for this combination in Control, even at the lowest quality settings.

The frame rate deltas between resolutions show a clear pattern. At High settings, the transition from 1080p to 1440p reduces average FPS by roughly 25% (70.6 to 52.8), and the further step to 4K reduces it by another 36% (52.8 to 33.6). At Low settings, the drops are 22% from 1080p to 1440p (110.7 to 86.2), and 31% from 1440p to 4K (86.2 to 59.3). These numbers indicate that the GPU becomes progressively more of a bottleneck as resolution increases.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and Intel Arc B580 combination ranks 2856 out of 3720 tested combos for Control, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database. This rank of 2856 means that roughly 77% of tested configurations outperform this pairing in this specific game, while about 23% perform worse. Given that the combo achieves playable frame rates at 1080p across all presets but fails at 4K entirely, this ranking appears consistent with the measured data.

The ranking reflects the Intel Arc B580's position as a mid-range GPU rather than a high-end solution. The CPU component, the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, is a top-tier processor with an 87th percentile ranking against all CPUs, but the GPU's 68th percentile ranking against all GPUs constrains the overall combo. The combination's rank in Control specifically suggests that this game is moderately demanding on the GPU, which limits the contribution of the strong CPU.

When compared to the 3720 total combos in the database, this pairing sits at approximately the 77th percentile from the bottom. This means a substantial majority of other CPU-GPU combinations deliver better performance in Control. The data shows that the combo's performance is adequate for 1080p gaming but insufficient for higher resolutions, which aligns with its middle-tier ranking.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Arc B580's nearest rivals, based on average benchmark scores, include the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP with a delta of -0.2%, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 with a delta of 0.6%, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 with a delta of -0.7%, and the NVIDIA P106-100 with a delta of -1%. These deltas indicate that the Arc B580 performs within 1% of these GPUs in synthetic benchmarks, meaning systems built with these alternatives would likely produce very similar frame rates in Control at the same settings and resolutions.

The AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP, despite being an older architecture, matches the Arc B580's average benchmark score almost exactly. A system with this GPU and the same Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor would be expected to deliver nearly identical performance in Control. Similarly, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 and RTX 3080, which are more powerful cards in real-world gaming, show benchmark scores within 0.7% of the Arc B580 in this database, suggesting that the measured frame rates for this combo would be closely replicated.

For the CPU side, the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS with a delta of 0.4%, the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 with a delta of -0.7%, the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450 with a delta of 0.7%, and the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 with a delta of -0.8%. These processors all show average benchmark scores within 0.8% of the 9800X3D, indicating that swapping the CPU for any of these alternatives would have a negligible impact on Control's frame rates, as the game is not heavily CPU-bound.

A system pairing any of these rival CPUs with the Intel Arc B580 would behave essentially identically to the tested configuration in Control. Likewise, pairing the Ryzen 7 9800X3D with any of the rival GPUs would produce frame rates within the margin of error of the measured results. The practical takeaway is that this performance profile is representative of a broad cluster of mid-range GPU and high-end CPU combinations.

The Verdict

The verdict data clearly indicates that this PC can run Control at 1920x1080 with all four tested presets — Low, Medium, High, and Ultra — all of which clear the 60 FPS playability threshold. The Ultra preset achieves 64.5 FPS average, which is the recommended configuration for the best visual quality while maintaining playability. At this resolution, the combination provides a playable experience across the entire settings range.

At 2560x1440, only the Low preset is playable, with an average of 86.2 FPS. Medium settings at 58.4 FPS fall just short of the 60 FPS threshold, and High and Ultra are not viable. The best playable configuration at this resolution is Low, which offers a significant frame rate headroom but requires substantial visual compromises.

At 3840x2160, the data shows no playable settings. The Low preset produces 59.3 FPS, which is 0.7 FPS below the 60 FPS threshold, and all other presets fall well below. This resolution is not recommended for this combination in Control. The verdict is therefore resolution-dependent: the system is fully capable at 1080p, marginally capable at 1440p with Low settings, and incapable at 4K.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions reveals that the GPU is the primary limiting factor in this combination for Control. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is 46.2 FPS (110.7 to 64.5), which represents a 42% reduction. At 1440p, the same settings range shows a 38.7 FPS difference (86.2 to 47.5), a 45% reduction. At 4K, the difference narrows to 28.2 FPS (59.3 to 31.1), a 48% reduction. This pattern shows that as resolution increases, the absolute frame rate drops but the relative penalty from higher settings remains consistent, indicating that the GPU is saturated at all resolutions.

The CPU's role is less significant, as demonstrated by the strong performance at 1080p Low settings (110.7 FPS) and the fact that the Ryzen 7 9800X3D ranks in the 87th percentile among all CPUs. The game does not appear to be CPU-limited at any tested resolution, as the frame rates are consistently constrained by GPU capabilities. The fact that 4K Low produces 59.3 FPS while 1080p Low produces 110.7 FPS shows that the GPU is the bottleneck, not the processor.

Between resolutions, the scaling from 1080p to 1440p at identical settings shows a GPU-bound pattern. At Low settings, the drop from 110.7 to 86.2 FPS is a 22% reduction for a 78% increase in pixel count. At High settings, the drop from 70.6 to 52.8 FPS is a 25% reduction. These percentages are lower than the pixel count increase would suggest, indicating that the GPU is not purely pixel-bound but also affected by other rendering factors.

The settings-based scaling at each resolution further confirms the GPU's dominant role. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium reduces FPS by 32.4 (110.7 to 78.3), from Medium to High by 7.7 (78.3 to 70.6), and from High to Ultra by 6.1 (70.6 to 64.5). The largest drop occurs between Low and Medium, suggesting that the Medium preset introduces significant graphical effects that tax the GPU. This pattern is consistent across all resolutions, reinforcing that the Intel Arc B580 is the performance arbiter in this pairing.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Control at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 64.5 FPS, which exceeds the 60 FPS playability threshold. This is the best playable configuration at 1080p.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, only the Low preset is playable, achieving an average of 86.2 FPS. Medium settings at 58.4 FPS fall just below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with this combination?

A: No, the data shows no playable settings at 3840x2160. The Low preset averages 59.3 FPS, which is 0.7 FPS below the 60 FPS threshold, and all other presets produce lower frame rates.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B580 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Arc B580's average benchmark score is within 1% of the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, and NVIDIA P106-100, based on delta percentages of -0.2%, 0.6%, -0.7%, and -1% respectively.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU matter more for Control?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. Frame rates drop consistently with resolution and settings increases, while the Ryzen 7 9800X3D ranks in the 87th percentile for CPUs, indicating it is not the bottleneck in this game.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Medium settings is 78.3 FPS, which provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS playability threshold.