Control

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 delivers a robust Control experience, with benchmark data showing playable frame rates across most settings at 1440p and 1080p, while 4K requires a preset compromise. The measured results, taken directly from the game, break down clearly by resolution and preset, revealing a system that is consistently capable but not universally maxed-out.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination produces its highest frame rates. With Low settings, the average FPS reaches 184.9. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 129.6, while High settings yield 119.3 average FPS. The most demanding Ultra preset still maintains an average of 100.2 FPS. Every 1080p preset clears the 60 FPS playability threshold by a wide margin, with even the lowest result (Ultra) sitting 40.2 FPS above the cutoff.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but scales down predictably. Low settings average 141 FPS, Medium averages 99 FPS, and High averages 89.6 FPS. Ultra settings at this resolution produce an average of 77.5 FPS. All four presets remain comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold, with the gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p amounting to 63.5 FPS, showing the scaling cost of higher visual fidelity.

The 3840x2160 results tell a different story. At 4K, Low settings average 93.3 FPS, Medium averages 64.6 FPS, and High drops to 58.4 FPS. Ultra at 4K falls further to an average of 54.4 FPS. Only Low and Medium presets clear the 60 FPS playable threshold at this resolution, while High and Ultra fall short by 1.6 and 5.6 FPS respectively. Notably, the data set includes no min or max FPS figures, so all analysis relies solely on average frame rates.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions indicates a clear shift in workload distribution. At 1080p, the system produces an average of 184.9 FPS on Low settings, which suggests the CPU is feeding frames efficiently enough to avoid bottlenecking the GPU. The difference between 1080p Low and 1440p Low is 43.9 FPS (184.9 to 141), while the drop from 1440p Low to 4K Low is 47.7 FPS (141 to 93.3). This steady decline across resolutions points to the GPU becoming progressively more dominant as pixel count rises.

The preset scaling further clarifies this. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra costs 84.7 FPS (184.9 to 100.2), a 45.8% reduction. At 1440p, the same preset jump costs 63.5 FPS (141 to 77.5), a 45.0% reduction. At 4K, the Low-to-Ultra gap narrows to 38.9 FPS (93.3 to 54.4), a 41.7% reduction. The shrinking absolute and relative gaps at higher resolutions indicate that the GPU's rendering workload, rather than CPU throughput, is the limiting factor at 4K. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, provides ample headroom for the RTX 3080 to operate without CPU-induced constraints, particularly at lower resolutions where frame rates exceed 100 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this CPU-GPU pairing ranks 1068 out of 3720 total combos for Control. This places it in the upper third of all tested systems, specifically within the 71st percentile of the ranking distribution. The rank reflects the combined capability of the Ryzen 7 9800X3D and RTX 3080, with the CPU's strong single-thread performance (3dmark_single_thread score of 1212) complementing the GPU's 68 ray tracing cores and 10 GB of GDDR6X memory.

The ranking is consistent with the measured FPS data. A combo that sits near the top 28% of all tested systems should be expected to handle most games at high settings, and the Control results confirm this. The 4K High average of 58.4 FPS, while below the 60 FPS threshold, is close enough to suggest that minor settings tweaks could push it over the line, which is reflected in the verdict listing Low and Medium as playable at that resolution.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the CPU provide context for what other processors would behave similarly. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS has an average benchmark score of 39603, which is 0.4% lower than the Ryzen 7 9800X3D's average score of 39768. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 scores 40048, placing it 0.7% higher than the 9800X3D. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 450 scores 39485, 0.7% lower, and the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 scores 40081, 0.8% higher. These deltas are all within a single percentage point, meaning any of these processors would likely produce nearly identical frame rates in Control, assuming the same GPU and system configuration.

On the GPU side, the RTX 3080's nearest rivals show similarly tight clustering. The NVIDIA P106-100 has an average score of 23249, 0.3% lower than the RTX 3080's 23172. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 scores 23250, also 0.3% lower. The AMD Radeon RX 6600M scores 23273, 0.4% higher, and the AMD Radeon R9 M290X scores 23276, 0.4% higher. These delta percentages are negligible in real-world gaming terms, so a system with any of these GPUs paired with a comparable CPU would be expected to land within a few FPS of the results reported here.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which delivers an average of 100.2 FPS. This is the highest visual quality option available, and it clears the playability threshold by 40.2 FPS, leaving substantial headroom for demanding scenes.

At 2560x1440, Ultra is also the best playable preset, with an average of 77.5 FPS. This is 17.5 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold, providing a comfortable margin. The gap between 1440p Ultra and 1080p Ultra is 22.7 FPS, reflecting the increased pixel workload.

At 3840x2160, the best playable preset is Medium, which averages 64.6 FPS. This sits just 4.6 FPS above the threshold. High at 4K averages 58.4 FPS, which is 1.6 FPS below playable, and Ultra averages 54.4 FPS, 5.6 FPS below. The step from Medium to High at 4K costs 6.2 FPS, which is enough to cross below the threshold.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Control at 60 FPS on Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 100.2, well above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the highest playable setting at 4K resolution?

A: Medium settings at 3840x2160 produce an average of 64.6 FPS, which is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS. High settings average 58.4 FPS and Ultra average 54.4 FPS, both below the threshold.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 9800X3D compare to its closest CPU rivals?

A: The Ryzen 7 9800X3D has an average benchmark score of 39768. The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 scores 40081, which is 0.8% higher, while the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450 scores 39485, 0.7% lower. All nearest rivals are within a 1.5% range.

Q: Is the RTX 3080's performance significantly different from its nearest GPU rivals?

A: No. The RTX 3080's average benchmark score is 23172. The closest rival, the AMD Radeon R9 M290X, scores 23276, which is 0.4% higher. The NVIDIA P106-100 scores 23249, 0.3% higher. These differences are negligible.

Q: What frame rate does the system achieve at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings is 89.6, which is 29.6 FPS above the playable threshold.

Q: Does the system ever drop below 60 FPS at 1080p?

A: No. The lowest average FPS at 1920x1080 is 100.2 on Ultra settings. All presets at this resolution remain above 100 FPS on average.

The Verdict

This PC can run Control, with clear resolution-dependent outcomes. At 1920x1080, the system clears the 60 FPS threshold on every preset, with Ultra averaging 100.2 FPS, making it fully playable at maximum settings. At 2560x1440, the same holds true, with Ultra averaging 77.5 FPS and all presets staying above 60 FPS. At 3840x2160, the system is only playable on Low and Medium settings, with Medium averaging 64.6 FPS, while High and Ultra fall short at 58.4 and 54.4 FPS respectively. The data indicates that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming at maximum quality, with 4K requiring a reduction to Medium settings for a consistent 60 FPS experience. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D's strong single-thread performance and the RTX 3080's 10 GB of GDDR6X memory combine to deliver a solid, though not universally maxed-out, Control experience.