Control

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and Intel Arc B580 combination delivers a split personality in Control, depending entirely on where you point it. At 1080p, this pairing is a decisive success, clearing the 60 FPS threshold at every preset tested. At 1440p, it remains playable but only with moderate settings. At 4K, the system falls short, with no tested preset reaching a smooth framerate. The data paints a clear picture of a capable 1080p machine that struggles under higher resolution demands.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates for this combo show a steep drop-off as resolution increases, with the gap between presets widening at higher pixel counts. At 1920x1080, the system is consistently fast. The Low preset averages 114 FPS, providing a massive headroom above the 60 FPS playable threshold. Medium pushes the average down to 81 FPS, with a minimum of 69 FPS and a maximum of 93 FPS, showing that even the lower bounds remain comfortably smooth. High settings still deliver a strong 72 FPS average, while Ultra, the most demanding preset, holds an average of 62 FPS, keeping the experience playable but with less margin for error.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance cost is significant. Low settings average 86 FPS, which is still excellent, but Medium drops to an average of 61 FPS, with a minimum of 52 FPS and a maximum of 70 FPS. This places the average right at the playable threshold, with dips below it during demanding scenes. High settings fall to a 54 FPS average, and Ultra drops further to 47 FPS, both of which fail to maintain a consistent 60 FPS experience.

At 3840x2160, the system is visibly overwhelmed. Low settings only manage a 58 FPS average, just two frames shy of the target. Medium averages 41 FPS (minimum 35, maximum 48), High averages 37 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 32 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 4K is harsh; the 114 FPS at 1080p Low collapses to 58 FPS at 4K Low, a reduction of nearly half. The data suggests the Arc B580's 12 GB of memory and 456.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the pixel throughput required at 4K, while the CPU's strong single-thread performance (3dmark_single_thread score of 1269) cannot compensate.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Benchmark data places the Ryzen 9 9900X3D in a specific performance tier. Its average benchmark score of 54762 sits extremely close to the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF, which scores 55093, a delta of -0.6%. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245K is also nearby with a score of 54053, a 1.3% difference, and the Intel Xeon 6505P trails by 2% with a score of 53701. The Intel Core i7-14700F rounds out the nearest rivals with a score of 53620, a 2.1% delta. This implies that for Control, swapping in any of these CPUs would yield nearly identical frame rates, as the game is unlikely to be CPU-bound at the tested resolutions.

On the GPU side, the Intel Arc B580's average score of 23021 is nearly indistinguishable from its closest rivals. The AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP scores 23061, a -0.2% delta, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 scores 22895, a 0.6% delta. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 scores 23172, a -0.7% delta, and the NVIDIA P106-100 scores 23249, a -1% delta. The data shows that the Arc B580 performs in the same class as these cards in synthetic benchmarks, suggesting that a system with an RTX 2080 or RTX 3080 would likely produce similar framerates in Control. The differences in the GPU's percentileVsAllGpus of 68 and the CPU's percentileVsAllCpus of 91 indicate that the processor is a much stronger component relative to its peers than the graphics card.

Best Settings per Resolution

The benchmark results define the maximum visual quality that maintains a 60 FPS average at each resolution. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the best choice, delivering an average of 62 FPS. This allows for the highest visual fidelity without sacrificing playability. The 114 FPS at Low and 81 FPS at Medium show there is substantial headroom for higher refresh rate displays, but for standard 60 FPS gaming, Ultra is the optimal setting.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the highest playable option, averaging 61 FPS. While the average clears 60 FPS, the recorded minimum of 52 FPS suggests occasional stutter. Low settings are also viable at 86 FPS, but Medium offers a better balance of visual quality and performance. High and Ultra settings are not viable, as they fall below the 60 FPS average threshold.

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves a 60 FPS average. The best possible setting, Low, averages 58 FPS, which is below the playable threshold. Medium, High, and Ultra all drop further to 41, 37, and 32 FPS respectively. The data indicates that this resolution is not suitable for this hardware combination in Control.

The Verdict

The verdict is clear from the data. This PC can run Control exceptionally well at 1920x1080, where every preset clears the 60 FPS playable threshold. The verdictByResolution data confirms that the best settings at 1080p is Ultra, with an average of 62 FPS. For users targeting 1080p, this combo is a strong performer.

At 2560x1440, the system is playable but limited. The verdictByResolution lists Low and Medium as playable settings, with Medium being the best at 61 FPS. Users who prioritize higher resolutions will need to accept reduced visual quality. The system's performance at 1440p is borderline, with the minimum FPS at Medium dropping to 52.

At 3840x2160, the system cannot sustain playable performance. The verdictByResolution shows no playable settings, and the best average FPS is 58 at Low, which is just short of the 60 FPS target. High and Ultra are not viable options. The data strongly suggests that 4K gaming in Control is beyond the capabilities of this specific CPU-GPU pairing.

FAQ

Q: Can the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and Intel Arc B580 run Control at 4K?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the highest average FPS is 58 on Low settings, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. Medium, High, and Ultra produce averages of 41, 37, and 32 FPS respectively.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: The Medium preset is the best playable option at 2560x1440, delivering an average of 61 FPS. Low settings are also playable at 86 FPS, but High and Ultra fall below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Does the combo achieve 60 FPS on Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: Yes, the Ultra preset at 1920x1080 averages 62 FPS, which is above the playable threshold. This is the most demanding preset that maintains a 60 FPS average at that resolution.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B580 compare to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080?

A: The Arc B580 has an average benchmark score of 23021, while the RTX 2080 scores 22895. This represents a 0.6% delta, indicating near-identical synthetic performance.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the bottleneck. The CPU's average benchmark score of 54762 places it in the 91st percentile, while the GPU sits in the 68th percentile. The drastic FPS drop from 1080p to 4K, despite the CPU's strong scores, points to the graphics card struggling with the higher pixel count.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS at 1080p Medium settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the minimum FPS is 69 and the maximum is 93, with an average of 81 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 9 9900X3D and Arc B580 ranks 2816 out of 3720 tested combos for Control. This places the system in the lower half of all tested configurations, which aligns with the performance data showing it is not a top-tier 4K machine. The rank suggests that while the CPU is a high-end part, the GPU holds the system back in this title. Many other combinations of hardware will outperform this pairing, particularly at higher resolutions. The percentile scores reinforce this: the CPU's 91st percentile ranking is much stronger than the GPU's 68th percentile. The benchmark results indicate that the overall rank is a reflection of the GPU's limitations in a game that is heavily dependent on rasterization throughput.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear division of labor between the CPU and GPU in Control. At 1920x1080, the CPU's strength is evident in the high frame rates across all presets. The Ryzen 9 9900X3D's 3dmark_max_threads score of 13795 and its 91st percentile ranking provide ample processing power to feed the GPU. The difference between the Low preset (114 FPS) and Ultra preset (62 FPS) at this resolution is a 52 FPS spread, which is entirely attributable to the GPU's workload increasing with visual fidelity. The CPU is not the bottleneck here, as the frame rate scales with GPU load.

At 2560x1440, the GPU's limitations become more apparent. The average FPS drops to 86 on Low and 61 on Medium. The CPU is still capable, but the GPU is starting to struggle with the increased pixel count. The minimum FPS of 52 at Medium highlights this strain. At 3840x2160, the GPU is the definitive bottleneck. The CPU's performance remains static, but the GPU cannot maintain playable frame rates even on Low settings (58 FPS). The scaling between resolutions shows that the GPU's performance degrades rapidly as resolution increases, while the CPU's role diminishes. The game becomes increasingly GPU-bound, and the Arc B580's 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is insufficient for 4K. The data shows that for this game and this hardware, the GPU dictates the playable resolution and settings, with the CPU providing ample headroom.