Control

Control is a demanding action-adventure title, and the combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 delivers a strong, consistent experience across all common resolutions. Benchmark data shows this pairing clears the 60 FPS threshold at 4K with High settings, and reaches 101 FPS average at 1080p Ultra, making it a capable system for this game without requiring compromises at lower resolutions. The data indicates that the most demanding preset at 4K, Ultra, falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold, but the High preset at that resolution holds exactly at 60 FPS average, providing a viable path to full 4K gaming.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU and GPU in this system each have near neighbors in benchmark scores that would produce similar in-game behavior. For the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D, which posts an average benchmark score of 58386, the closest rival is the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M with an average score of 58323, a delta of 0.1 percent. This means the Xeon Platinum 8260M is essentially tied in synthetic performance and would behave nearly identically in CPU-bound scenarios. The Intel Xeon w5-2545 scores 58504, which is 0.2 percent higher, putting it marginally ahead but within the same performance class. The Intel Core i9-14900 sits at 58115, a 0.5 percent deficit, while the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 reaches 58826, 0.7 percent higher than the 9850X3D. All four of these processors fall within a one percent performance band, so any of them would deliver indistinguishable frame rates in Control when paired with the same GPU.

On the graphics side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 has an average benchmark score of 23172 and sits at the 68th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are strikingly close in synthetic scores: the NVIDIA P106-100 scores 23249, which is 0.3 percent higher, and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 also scores 23250, again 0.3 percent higher. The AMD Radeon RX 6600M scores 23273, 0.4 percent higher, and the AMD Radeon R9 M290X scores 23276, also 0.4 percent higher. Because these delta values are all under half a percent, any of these GPUs would produce nearly the same frame rates as the RTX 3080 in Control, assuming no other system bottlenecks. The practical takeaway is that if a user has any of these rival GPUs or CPUs, the measured FPS numbers for this combo would be a reliable estimate of expected performance, with deviations of less than one percent in aggregate benchmarks.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the best settings that maintain a 60 FPS average or higher are the High preset, which delivers exactly 60 FPS on average. The Medium preset also clears the threshold with 67 FPS average, but High is the more demanding option that still stays playable, so it is the recommended choice for 4K. The Low preset reaches 94 FPS average but is not the best balance of visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset falls to 52 FPS average, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold, so it is not recommended at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset achieves 77 FPS average, which is above 60 FPS and therefore the best settings for this resolution. Every preset tested at 1440p — Low, Medium, High, and Ultra — stays at or above 60 FPS, with Low at 140 FPS, Medium at 99 FPS, and High at 88 FPS. Since Ultra is the most demanding option and still clears the threshold comfortably, it is the optimal choice for 1440p gaming.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers 101 FPS average, which is well above 60 FPS. All four presets at 1080p exceed the playable threshold: Low reaches 185 FPS, Medium hits 131 FPS, and High achieves 117 FPS. The Ultra preset is both the most demanding and fully playable, making it the clear recommendation for 1080p. In summary, the system can run Control at Ultra settings for 1080p and 1440p, and at High settings for 4K, with all cases holding a 60 FPS average or better.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Control at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, at 4K the system achieves a 60 FPS average on High settings and 67 FPS average on Medium settings. The Ultra preset at 4K falls to 52 FPS average, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold, so High is the recommended maximum for 4K.

Q: What is the highest preset that stays above 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset delivers a 77 FPS average, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. All lower presets also exceed 60 FPS, with High at 88 FPS, Medium at 99 FPS, and Low at 140 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 3080 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 3080 has an average benchmark score of 23172. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA P106-100, scores 23249, which is 0.3 percent higher. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 scores 23250 (0.3 percent higher), the AMD Radeon RX 6600M scores 23273 (0.4 percent higher), and the AMD Radeon R9 M290X scores 23276 (0.4 percent higher). These differences are negligible for real-world gaming.

Q: What is the average FPS for this combo at 1080p Ultra settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the system averages 101 FPS. The minimum recorded FPS is not listed for Ultra, but Medium shows a min of 111 FPS and a max of 151 FPS, indicating strong frame pacing.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck for this GPU in Control?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D scores at the 92nd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 58386. Its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M (0.1 percent delta) and the Intel Core i9-14900 (0.5 percent delta), are within one percent performance, so CPU limitations are unlikely to be the primary constraint in this game.

Q: Does the system maintain 60 FPS on the Medium preset at 4K?

A: Yes, at 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 67, with a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 77 FPS. The average clears the 60 FPS threshold, though the minimum dips slightly below it.

The Verdict

This PC can run Control with strong results. At 3840x2160, the verdict is playable with High settings, which produce an average of 60 FPS, exactly at the playable threshold. The Low and Medium presets also clear 60 FPS, with 94 and 67 FPS averages respectively, but Ultra at 4K drops to 52 FPS and is not playable. For 2560x1440, the system is fully playable at every preset tested, with the best settings being Ultra at 77 FPS average. This is a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold, allowing for maximum visual quality without frame rate concerns. At 1920x1080, the verdict is equally positive: Ultra settings deliver 101 FPS average, and even the most demanding preset stays well above the playable threshold. The data shows that the best experience is at 1080p and 1440p with Ultra settings, while 4K requires dropping to High to maintain 60 FPS. The system ranks 1071 out of 3720 tested combos for this game, placing it in the upper third of all configurations. Overall, the combination of the Ryzen 7 9850X3D and RTX 3080 is more than sufficient for Control at mainstream resolutions, and it remains viable at 4K with a modest settings adjustment.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers four settings presets across three resolutions. At 3840x2160, the High preset averages 60 FPS with no minimum or maximum values recorded. The Low preset averages 94 FPS, also without min/max data. The Medium preset averages 67 FPS, with a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 77 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 52 FPS, with no min/max values. This shows that at 4K, the system scales from 52 FPS at Ultra to 94 FPS at Low, with a 15 FPS gap between High and Ultra, and a 7 FPS gap between High and Medium.

At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 88 FPS, the Low preset averages 140 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 77 FPS, all without min/max data. The Medium preset averages 99 FPS, with a minimum of 84 FPS and a maximum of 114 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 63 FPS, indicating strong scaling across settings. The Medium preset's minimum of 84 FPS is well above the 60 FPS threshold, so even the lowest recorded frame rate is playable.

At 1920x1080, the High preset averages 117 FPS, the Low preset averages 185 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 101 FPS, all without min/max data. The Medium preset averages 131 FPS, with a minimum of 111 FPS and a maximum of 151 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 84 FPS, and even the Ultra average of 101 FPS leaves significant headroom above 60 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 111 FPS confirms that frame drops are rare and never approach the playable threshold. Across all resolutions, the Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data, and in every case the minimum stays above 57 FPS, with 1080p Medium having the highest minimum at 111 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 ranks 1071 out of 3720 tested combos for Control. This places it in the 71st percentile of all configurations tested, meaning roughly 29 percent of tested combos perform better and 71 percent perform worse. Given that the system achieves 60 FPS at 4K High and 101 FPS at 1080p Ultra, this rank is consistent with a high-end but not top-tier setup. The CPU's 92nd percentile ranking among all CPUs and the GPU's 68th percentile ranking among all GPUs indicate that the processor is relatively stronger than the graphics card within this combo. The gap between these percentiles suggests that the RTX 3080 is the limiting factor for maximum frame rates, while the Ryzen 7 9850X3D provides ample headroom. In practical terms, the rank of 1071 out of 3720 means that many systems with newer or more powerful GPUs will outperform this combo, but the measured FPS data shows that it still delivers a smooth experience at all tested resolutions, with the only sub-60 result being 4K Ultra at 52 FPS average. The nearest GPU rivals, which score within 0.4 percent of the RTX 3080, would likely land at a similar rank when paired with a comparable CPU. The overall ranking reflects a balanced system that is well-suited for Control at high settings, with the understanding that 4K Ultra is the single setting where it falls short of the 60 FPS target.