Control

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 delivers a commanding performance profile in Control, with measured frame rates that consistently exceed the 60 FPS playability threshold across every resolution and preset combination tested. The data shows a system that is not merely capable of running the game but one that provides substantial headroom for high-refresh-rate displays, particularly at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination produces its highest raw throughput. The Low preset reaches an average of 260.1 FPS, which is a massive figure indicating that the system is nowhere near constrained at this resolution. Moving to Medium yields 185.1 FPS, while the High preset drops to 163.8 FPS. The most demanding setting, Ultra, still maintains an average of 146.4 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p represents a 43.7% reduction in frame rate, yet even the lowest figure here is more than double the 60 FPS target.

Stepping up to 2560x1440, the pattern continues but with a noticeable shift in performance ceilings. The Low preset delivers 198.2 FPS, which remains exceptionally high. Medium follows at 143.7 FPS, and High settles at 124.7 FPS. Ultra at 1440p produces an average of 108.5 FPS, which is still comfortably above the playability threshold. The drop from Low to Ultra at this resolution is 45.2%, slightly steeper than at 1080p, suggesting the GPU is beginning to feel the additional pixel load.

At 3840x2160, the system shows its first signs of significant strain, though the results remain strong. The Low preset averages 134.4 FPS, which is still very fluid. Medium drops to 95.1 FPS, and High falls to 86 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K produces 71.9 FPS on average, which clears the 60 FPS line by a margin of 19.8%. The relative decline from Low to Ultra at 4K is 46.5%, the steepest of all resolutions, indicating that the pixel count at 2160p is the dominant factor in performance scaling.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data shows a clear division of labor between the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are so high that the CPU's role becomes more prominent, as the system is likely hitting limits related to draw calls and physics processing rather than raw pixel throughput. The 260.1 FPS figure at Low settings is particularly telling, as it approaches the practical ceiling for many game engines.

As resolution increases, the GPU takes on a progressively larger share of the workload. The transition from 1080p to 1440p at High settings reduces the average from 163.8 FPS to 124.7 FPS, a 23.9% decline. Moving from 1440p to 4K at the same preset further reduces the average to 86 FPS, a 31.0% drop. These scaling patterns indicate that the RTX 5080 is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the 9800X3D's strong single-thread performance, evidenced by its 3DMark single-thread score of 1212, keeps the system fed at lower resolutions.

The preset scaling within each resolution reinforces this analysis. At 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra is 62.5 FPS (134.4 to 71.9), while at 1080p that same preset gap is 113.7 FPS (260.1 to 146.4). The larger absolute gap at 1080p suggests that CPU-side effects, such as increased object counts and physics calculations at higher presets, have a greater impact when the GPU is not fully saturated. Conversely, the smaller gap at 4K shows that the GPU's rendering load dominates the preset scaling.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 7 9800X3D and RTX 5080 achieves a combo rank of 177 out of 3720 tested configurations. This places the system in the top 4.8% of all combinations in the database for Control. The rank reflects the balanced strength of both components, as neither the CPU nor the GPU falls significantly behind its peers.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 87 against all processors aligns closely with its nearest rivals. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS scores 39603 in average benchmarks, just 0.4% below the 9800X3D's average of 39768. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 sits 0.7% higher at 40048, while the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450 trails by 0.7% at 39485. The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 leads the group slightly at 40081, 0.8% ahead. These margins are negligible in real-world gaming terms, indicating that the 9800X3D's performance tier is well-established.

On the GPU side, the RTX 5080's average benchmark score of 56083 places it 0.6% ahead of the AMD Radeon 8060S (55757) and 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (55698). The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X trails by 2.3% at 54828, while the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE leads by 2.2% at 57367. The RTX 5080's 87th percentile ranking among all GPUs is consistent with these tight margins, showing that the card sits in a highly competitive performance band.

FAQ

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: Yes. The measured average at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 71.9 FPS, which exceeds the 60 FPS threshold by 19.8%.

Q: What is the highest frame rate recorded in the data?

A: The maximum average FPS is 260.1, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in benchmark scores?

A: The Ryzen 7 9800X3D scores 39768 on average, which is 0.8% lower than the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 (40081) and 0.7% higher than the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450 (39485).

Q: Is the GPU significantly faster than the closest alternatives?

A: The RTX 5080's average score of 56083 is 2.2% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE (57367), but it leads the AMD Radeon 8060S by 0.6% and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB by 0.7%.

Q: What is the performance drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: The average FPS falls from 163.8 at 1920x1080 to 86 at 3840x2160, representing a 47.5% reduction.

Q: Are all presets playable at 1440p?

A: Yes, all four presets at 2560x1440 exceed 60 FPS, with the lowest being Ultra at 108.5 FPS and the highest being Low at 198.2 FPS.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which delivers an average of 146.4 FPS. This leaves substantial headroom for any additional in-game effects or background tasks.

At 2560x1440, Ultra remains the optimal choice with an average of 108.5 FPS. The margin above the 60 FPS threshold is 80.8%, ensuring a smooth experience even in visually chaotic scenes.

At 3840x2160, Ultra is again the best setting, producing 71.9 FPS on average. While this is the lowest figure across all resolution-preset combinations, it still clears the playability line by a comfortable 19.8% margin. For users who prefer maximum fidelity, this is the recommended configuration.

The Verdict

This system can absolutely run Control with authority. The verdict data shows that all resolutions and presets are classified as playable, with no exceptions. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset achieves 146.4 FPS, which is suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors. At 2560x1440, Ultra maintains 108.5 FPS, offering a strong balance of visual quality and speed. At 3840x2160, Ultra still holds 71.9 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS target and provides a fully playable 4K experience.

The weakest performance point in the entire dataset is 4K Ultra at 71.9 FPS, which still provides a 19.8% cushion above the minimum threshold. In no scenario does the system dip below 60 FPS, making this a universally capable configuration for Control. Users with 120Hz or 144Hz displays will find that 1440p and 1080p presets are particularly well-suited, with even the most demanding settings exceeding 100 FPS at these resolutions.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest performance equivalents are all AMD parts. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS scores 39603, which is 0.4% lower than the 9800X3D's 39768. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 scores 40048, 0.7% higher. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 450 scores 39485, 0.7% lower, and the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 scores 40081, 0.8% higher. These differences are within 1% of the 9800X3D, meaning users swapping between these chips would see virtually identical frame rates in Control.

On the GPU side, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE leads the RTX 5080 by 2.2% with a score of 57367. The AMD Radeon 8060S trails by 0.6% at 55757, and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB trails by 0.7% at 55698. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is 2.3% behind at 54828. For gaming purposes, all of these cards would produce similar results, with the RX 9070 GRE having a slight edge and the Pro W5700X being marginally slower. The overall performance band is tight, with the fastest and slowest of these rivals separated by only 4.5%.

The combination of these near-identical components means that any of the listed CPU-GPU pairings would deliver a comparable Control experience. The 9800X3D and RTX 5080 sit in a well-populated performance tier, and the benchmark results reflect a system that is well-balanced for this title.