Control

Similar Performance Alternatives

The data places this combination in a distinctive position. The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D is a top-tier desktop processor, sitting at the 92nd percentile among all CPUs tested in the database. Its average benchmark score of 58386 places it within 0.7% of several high-end rivals. The Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M scores 58323, a delta of just 0.1% above the Ryzen, meaning these two processors deliver nearly identical overall compute performance in the database's aggregate tests. Similarly, the Intel Xeon w5-2545 scores 58504, which is 0.2% below the Ryzen, again a negligible difference. The Intel Core i9-14900 scores 58115, 0.5% below, and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 scores 58826, 0.7% above. For CPU-bound tasks, any of these four alternatives would behave almost identically to the 9850X3D, though the Ryzen's 8 cores and 16 threads with 96 MB of shared L3 cache and Zen 5 architecture contribute to its specific benchmark profile.

On the graphics side, the Intel Arc B370 is a markedly different story. This integrated graphics solution, built on the Xe3-LPG architecture and Panther Lake chip, scores just 1184 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. That places it at the 5th percentile among all GPUs in the database, a very low standing. The nearest rivals are all older or lower-end parts. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1186, just 0.2% above the Arc B370. The ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190, 0.5% above. The AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192, 0.7% above, and the AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1168, which is 1.4% below. What this means in practice: if a user were to swap the Arc B370 for any of these four GPUs, the gaming performance in Control would be essentially indistinguishable. The delta percentages are all under 1.5%, which is within typical run-to-run variance for benchmark measurements. The Arc B370 has 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster output units, along with 10 ray tracing cores. Its boost clock reaches 2400 MHz, and it offers 6.144 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. But the recorded data shows that these specifications translate into very modest real-world gaming capability, especially when compared against the CPU's strength.

FAQ

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D a fast processor relative to other CPUs in the database?

A: Yes. The Ryzen 7 9850X3D sits at the 92nd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 58386. It outperforms the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M by 0.1% (58323), the Intel Core i9-14900 by 0.5% (58115), and the Intel Xeon w5-2545 by 0.2% (58504). Only the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 scores higher among its nearest rivals, at 58826, which is 0.7% above.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to other GPUs in the database?

A: The Arc B370 ranks at the 5th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. Its nearest rivals, the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190), AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192), and AMD FirePro M2000 (1168), all score within 1.4% of it. This indicates the Arc B370 performs at a level comparable to these older or low-end parts.

Q: What is the best playable setting for Control at 1920x1080 with this hardware?

A: According to the measured FPS data, no settings preset at 1920x1080 reaches the 60 FPS playable threshold. The Low preset averages 59 FPS, which is the highest recorded average at this resolution. Medium averages 42 FPS, High averages 37 FPS, and Ultra averages 32 FPS. The verdict by resolution lists no playable settings at 1920x1080, meaning even the lowest preset falls just short of 60 FPS.

Q: Does the Ryzen 7 9850X3D help gaming performance in Control?

A: The CPU is very strong in synthetic benchmarks, but the measured FPS in Control is limited by the GPU. At 1920x1080 Low, the combo averages 59 FPS. At 2560x1440 Low, it drops to 45 FPS, and at 3840x2160 Low, it falls to 30 FPS. The CPU's high percentile ranking (92nd) does not translate into playable frame rates because the Intel Arc B370 is the bottleneck, ranking at the 5th GPU percentile.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 2560x1440?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 45 FPS. The Medium preset averages 32 FPS, with a minimum of 27 and maximum of 37. High averages 28 FPS. Ultra averages 25 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 20 FPS, and even the Low preset does not reach the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: How many total combinations does this PC rank among in Control?

A: This combo ranks 3436 out of 3720 tested combinations in Control. That places it in the bottom 8% of all tested hardware combinations for this game, which is consistent with the GPU's low percentile standing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Control with this AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and Intel Arc B370 combination reveals a clear pattern: performance degrades predictably as resolution and settings increase, but never reaches the 60 FPS playable threshold at any tested configuration. The database records average FPS for all presets, with minimum and maximum values only provided for the Medium preset at each resolution.

At 3840x2160, the highest resolution tested, the Low preset averages 30 FPS. The Medium preset averages 21 FPS, with a minimum of 18 and maximum of 25. High averages 19 FPS. Ultra averages 17 FPS. This represents a range from 17 to 30 FPS across all settings, with the Low preset providing the highest average. The gap between Low and Ultra is 13 FPS, indicating that the GPU's limited compute resources are heavily strained at 4K resolution regardless of settings.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 45 FPS. Medium averages 32 FPS, with a minimum of 27 and maximum of 37. High averages 28 FPS. Ultra averages 25 FPS. The spread here is 20 FPS between Low and Ultra. Even at the lowest settings, the average remains below 60 FPS, and the minimum recorded value at Medium is 27 FPS, which would produce noticeable stutter in fast-paced action sequences. The High preset's 28 FPS average is only 3 FPS above Ultra's 25 FPS, suggesting diminishing returns at the higher end of the settings range.

At 1920x1080, the most common gaming resolution, the Low preset averages 59 FPS. This is the closest any configuration comes to the 60 FPS playable threshold, but it still falls short. Medium averages 42 FPS, with a minimum of 36 and maximum of 48. High averages 37 FPS. Ultra averages 32 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 27 FPS, the largest spread across all resolutions. The Medium preset's maximum of 48 FPS indicates that even in the best-case scenes, the system cannot reach 60 FPS. The Low preset at 59 FPS is a single frame below the threshold, which in practice would likely produce occasional dips below 60 during intense combat or particle effects.

Across all resolutions, the data shows that the Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum values. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 36 FPS and maximum is 48 FPS, a 12 FPS variance. At 1440p Medium, the range is 27 to 37 FPS, a 10 FPS variance. At 4K Medium, the range is 18 to 25 FPS, a 7 FPS variance. The narrowing range at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is consistently saturated, leaving less headroom for frame time variation.

The overall trend is clear: this combination is GPU-bound in Control. The Ryzen 7 9850X3D's strong CPU benchmarks (Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22807, single-core of 2228) do not compensate for the Arc B370's low graphics throughput. The CPU's PassMark multi-thread score of 41318 and single-thread score of 4704 suggest ample processing headroom, but the GPU's 6.144 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 48 GPixel/s pixel rate are insufficient for smooth gameplay at any tested resolution and settings combination.

The Verdict

This PC cannot run Control at a playable level according to the database's playable threshold of 60 FPS. The verdict by resolution is unambiguous: at 3840x2160, 2560x1440, and 1920x1080, there are no playable settings listed. The best settings field is null for every resolution, and no average FPS at best settings is recorded.

At 3840x2160, the highest average FPS across any preset is 30 FPS on Low settings. That is exactly half the playable threshold. Medium averages 21 FPS, High 19 FPS, and Ultra 17 FPS. None of these come close to 60 FPS, and even the minimum recorded value at Medium (18 FPS) is far below playable.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 45 FPS. This is the second-highest average across all resolutions and settings, but it remains 15 FPS below the threshold. Medium averages 32 FPS, High 28 FPS, and Ultra 25 FPS. The minimum at Medium is 27 FPS, which would result in frequent frame drops during gameplay.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 59 FPS. This is the highest recorded average for this combination, but it is still 1 FPS below the 60 FPS threshold. Medium averages 42 FPS, High 37 FPS, and Ultra 32 FPS. The minimum at Medium is 36 FPS, and the maximum is 48 FPS. Even the best-case maximum does not reach 60 FPS.

The conclusion is straightforward: the Intel Arc B370 is the limiting factor. The CPU ranks at the 92nd percentile, but the GPU ranks at the 5th percentile. This extreme imbalance means that no combination of resolution and settings in the measured data achieves the 60 FPS threshold. Users seeking playable performance in Control would need to either lower the resolution below 1920x1080 (not tested in this data) or replace the GPU with a more capable part.

Best Settings per Resolution

The database records no playable settings for any resolution, as the verdict by resolution lists empty playable settings arrays and null best settings for 3840x2160, 2560x1440, and 1920x1080. Since no preset at any resolution reaches the 60 FPS threshold, there is no "most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS" to recommend.

However, the measured FPS data does indicate which preset comes closest to the threshold at each resolution. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 30 FPS, which is the highest average at that resolution. At 2560x1440, Low averages 45 FPS. At 1920x1080, Low averages 59 FPS. These are the best-performing settings in terms of raw average FPS, but they all fall short of 60 FPS.

For users who must play with this hardware, the Low preset would provide the least stutter and highest average frame rate at each resolution. The Medium preset offers a modest visual improvement but at a significant FPS cost: at 1080p, Medium drops from 59 to 42 FPS (a 29% reduction); at 1440p, from 45 to 32 FPS (a 29% reduction); at 4K, from 30 to 21 FPS (a 30% reduction). The High and Ultra presets further reduce performance, with Ultra at 1080p averaging 32 FPS, which is 46% below the Low preset's 59 FPS.

The data suggests that even at the lowest settings, this combination cannot sustain 60 FPS. The 59 FPS average at 1080p Low is marginally below the threshold, and any demanding scene would likely push it lower. The minimum FPS values are only recorded for Medium presets, but those minima (36 FPS at 1080p, 27 FPS at 1440p, 18 FPS at 4K) are far below the threshold and indicate that frame pacing would be inconsistent.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database's ranking for Control, this combination of AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and Intel Arc B370 ranks 3436 out of 3720 tested combinations. This places it in the bottom 7.6% of all tested hardware configurations for this specific game. The rank of 3436 means that 3435 other combinations performed better in Control according to the recorded measurements, while only 284 combinations performed worse.

This ranking is consistent with the individual component standings. The CPU, at the 92nd percentile, is a high-performing part that would typically contribute to a strong gaming experience. The GPU, at the 5th percentile, is a very low-performing part that severely limits the system's overall capability. The combination of a top-tier CPU with a bottom-tier GPU creates a system where the CPU's potential is largely wasted in gaming scenarios, as the GPU becomes the bottleneck at every resolution and settings level.

The rank of 3436 out of 3720 also indicates that there are very few tested combinations that perform worse in Control. The 284 combinations ranked below this one would likely feature even weaker GPUs or CPUs that further constrain performance. Given that this system already fails to reach 60 FPS at any tested settings, the bottom 7.6% ranking is a clear indicator that this is not a viable gaming configuration for Control.

The data shows no playable settings at any resolution, and the measured FPS values at 1080p Low (59 FPS average) are the closest to the 60 FPS threshold. The gap between this system and a playable experience is small at 1080p Low, but the overall ranking reflects that most other tested combinations, even those with modest hardware, achieve at least 60 FPS in some configuration. The Intel Arc B370's 5th percentile GPU standing and 1184 average benchmark score are the primary reasons for this poor ranking, as the Ryzen 7 9850X3D's 92nd percentile CPU standing and 58386 average score cannot compensate for the graphics bottleneck.