Control

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 pairing delivers a fundamentally balanced experience for Control, but the game’s demands scale sharply with resolution. At 1080p, this combo crushes every preset, while 1440p requires a slight compromise, and 4K forces a significant one. The data shows a clear pattern: the RTX 5050 is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the 9800X3D provides ample headroom throughout.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU and GPU each sit near specific performance peers according to aggregate benchmark scores, which helps contextualize their behavior in Control.

For the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, the nearest rivals are all within a narrow band of average benchmark scores. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS scores 39603, a mere 0.4% below the 9800X3D’s 39768 average. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 scores 40048, which is 0.7% higher. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 450 trails by 0.7% with 39485, and the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 leads by 0.8% with 40081. In practical terms, these four processors would produce nearly identical frame rates in Control, meaning the 9800X3D’s performance is not uniquely superior in this title; it is part of a tight cluster of capable CPUs.

The GPU side tells a similar story, though with more varied rivals. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 has an average benchmark score of 21035. Its nearest competitor, the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL, scores 21153, just 0.6% higher. The AMD Radeon HD 8970M is 1% ahead with 21237, while the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT is 1.6% behind at 20713. The NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile leads by 1.6% with 21379. These deltas are small, so swapping the RTX 5050 for any of these would yield comparable performance in this game, assuming other system components remain constant. The RX 5600 XT, being a desktop part, is a particularly relevant analog for builders considering alternative GPU options.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results for Control show that the GPU dominates performance scaling across resolutions, while the CPU’s role is largely static. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 124 FPS. Dropping to Medium yields 88 FPS, High gives 78 FPS, and Ultra produces 68 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 56 FPS, indicating that graphical settings have a substantial impact on frame rate at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the same pattern holds but with lower absolute numbers. Low settings yield 94 FPS, Medium drops to 67 FPS, High gives 59 FPS, and Ultra falls to 52 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra here is 42 FPS. At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck: Low settings produce 63 FPS, Medium drops to 45 FPS, High gives 40 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 35 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 28 FPS, showing that the RTX 5050’s rendering capabilities are stretched thin.

The CPU’s influence is not directly measured in these FPS numbers, but the 9800X3D’s high single-thread and multi-thread scores (1212 and 10081 in 3DMark single and 16-thread tests, respectively) suggest it is not the limiting factor. Even at 1080p Low, where the GPU has less work, the CPU sustains 124 FPS, indicating it can feed the GPU adequately. The scaling pattern—where FPS drops consistently as resolution increases at each preset—confirms that the RTX 5050’s pixel throughput is the primary constraint. For this game, builders should prioritize GPU upgrades over CPU changes if they want higher frame rates at 1440p or 4K.

FAQ

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

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 68, which clears the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 2560x1440?

A: The best setting that stays at or above 60 FPS is Medium, which delivers an average of 67 FPS. High settings fall to 59 FPS, just below the threshold.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this hardware?

A: Only at Low settings. The 3840x2160 Low preset produces 63 FPS, while Medium drops to 45 FPS, making Low the only playable option at 4K.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 compare to the RX 5600 XT?

A: The RTX 5050 has an average benchmark score of 21035, which is 1.6% higher than the RX 5600 XT’s 20713. In Control, this translates to nearly identical performance, though specific FPS may vary slightly.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings achieve 94 FPS, while Ultra drops to 52 FPS. That is a 42 FPS difference, showing that the GPU is heavily taxed by higher presets.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in this game?

A: The data does not indicate a CPU bottleneck. The 9800X3D’s benchmark scores (e.g., 23230 in Cinebench R23 multicore) are far above what Control requires, and the FPS scaling with resolution points to the GPU as the limiting factor.

The Verdict

This PC can run Control, but the playable experience depends heavily on your target resolution. At 1920x1080, the system clears 60 FPS on every preset, including Ultra at 68 FPS, making it fully capable for high-refresh monitors. At 2560x1440, the story is slightly more nuanced: Low and Medium presets clear 60 FPS, with Medium hitting 67 FPS, but High and Ultra fall short at 59 and 52 FPS, respectively. At 3840x2160, only Low settings manage 63 FPS; Medium, High, and Ultra all dip below the 60 FPS threshold, with Ultra at 35 FPS.

The verdict is straightforward: this is a solid 1080p machine and a competent 1440p performer, but it is not a 4K gaming setup for Control. The RTX 5050’s 8 GB of memory and 320.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for lower resolutions but become a constraint at 4K, where the game’s visual fidelity demands more from the GPU. For players targeting 60 FPS, stick to 1080p Ultra or 1440p Medium. For 4K, you would need to accept Low settings or consider a more powerful GPU.

Best Settings per Resolution

The most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS is as follows:

• 3840x2160: Low settings, with an average FPS of 63. This is the only playable option at 4K, as Medium falls to 45 FPS.
• 2560x1440: Medium settings, with an average FPS of 67. This provides a solid balance between visual quality and performance, though Low achieves 94 FPS if you prefer higher frame rates.
• 1920x1080: Ultra settings, with an average FPS of 68. This is the highest preset available, and it still clears the 60 FPS threshold, making it the recommended choice for 1080p gaming.

These settings represent the maximum visual fidelity you can enable while keeping gameplay smooth. At 1080p, you have full freedom to max out the game. At 1440p, you must step down one tier from the top. At 4K, you are limited to the lowest preset, which may impact visual quality but ensures playability.

How This Combo Ranks

Among all tested CPU and GPU combinations in this database for Control, the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 ranks 2296 out of 3720 combos. This places it in the lower half of all configurations, which is consistent with the RTX 5050 being a mid-range GPU. The rank reflects that while the CPU is top-tier (87th percentile among all CPUs), the GPU is only in the 66th percentile, dragging the overall combo down.

In practical terms, this ranking means there are many other builds that will outperform this one in Control, primarily due to stronger GPUs. However, the combo still delivers playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, which is the key takeaway. The data does not include specific rival combos’ FPS, but the rank suggests that upgrading the GPU (e.g., to a model with higher average benchmark scores) would significantly improve standing. For builders, this serves as a reminder that the RTX 5050 is the bottleneck in this pairing; the 9800X3D has substantial headroom for future GPU upgrades without becoming a limiting factor.