Control

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Control, with measured data showing the combination ranks 241st out of 3,720 tested combos for this title. At every resolution tested, from 1920x1080 up to 3840x2160, the system clears the 60 FPS playability threshold even at the Ultra preset, making this a top-tier configuration for the game. The data indicates that the RTX 4080, which sits in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, is the primary performance driver, while the Ryzen 9 9900X3D’s strong single-thread and multi-thread scores ensure the CPU never becomes a bottleneck.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall performance ranking of this CPU and GPU combo in Control?

A: The combo ranks 241st out of 3,720 tested combinations, placing it in the top 6.5% of all configurations tested for this game.

Q: Can this system run Control at 4K with maximum settings?

A: Yes. At 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings, the measured average frame rate is 69 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its closest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER?

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54,247, while the RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54,209, resulting in a delta of just 0.1% — effectively identical performance.

Q: What is the most demanding setting that maintains at least 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 102 FPS, so all settings including Ultra are playable at this resolution.

Q: What are the single-thread and multi-thread benchmark scores for the Ryzen 9 9900X3D?

A: In Cinebench R23, the CPU scores 6,739 in single-core and 47,737 in multi-core tests, indicating strong performance in both lightly-threaded and fully-threaded workloads.

Q: Does the game show a significant frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: Yes, the difference is substantial. At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 246 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 135 FPS, a difference of 111 FPS or roughly 82% higher frame rates on Low.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 achieves a rank of 241 out of 3,720 tested combos in Control, which places it in the upper echelon of configurations. This ranking reflects the synergy between a CPU that sits in the 91st percentile of all processors and a GPU in the 86th percentile of all graphics cards. The data shows this pairing is particularly well-suited for Control, as the game’s demanding visual effects and physics calculations benefit from both the CPU’s high multi-threaded throughput and the GPU’s raw rasterization power.

Breaking down the benchmark scores, the Ryzen 9 9900X3D delivers a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 47,737 and a single-core score of 6,739, with a PassMark multithread score of 56,154. These numbers indicate the CPU can handle the game’s physics and AI workloads without bottlenecking the GPU. Meanwhile, the RTX 4080 posts a PassMark G3D score of 34,457 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6,567, confirming its ability to push high frame rates at demanding resolutions. The 241st rank out of 3,720 combos means this system outperforms approximately 93.5% of all tested configurations for this specific game, making it a high-end solution by any measure.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a clear pattern in how the CPU and GPU divide responsibilities across resolutions in Control. At 1920x1080, the GPU is the limiting factor, but the CPU still matters. The frame rate drops from 246 FPS at Low settings to 135 FPS at Ultra settings, a 45% reduction that is primarily driven by the GPU’s workload increasing with higher preset complexity. The CPU’s role at 1080p is to feed the GPU enough data to sustain those high frame rates, and the Ryzen 9 9900X3D’s single-thread score of 6,739 in Cinebench R23 ensures it can keep up with the RTX 4080’s output.

Moving to 2560x1440, the scaling shows the GPU becoming more dominant. The average frame rate at Ultra settings drops to 102 FPS from 135 FPS at 1080p, a 24% decrease that is larger than the resolution pixel increase would suggest, indicating the GPU is now working harder relative to the CPU. At 3840x2160, the trend continues: Ultra settings yield 69 FPS, down from 102 FPS at 1440p, a 32% reduction. This scaling demonstrates that the RTX 4080 is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the Ryzen 9 9900X3D provides sufficient headroom even at 4K, as evidenced by the fact that the system still exceeds 60 FPS at Ultra settings. The CPU’s 12 cores and 24 threads, with a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, ensure that even at lower resolutions where frame rates exceed 200 FPS, the CPU can maintain consistent performance without stuttering.

The Verdict

Based on the measured frame rate data, this PC can absolutely run Control at playable frame rates across all tested resolutions and settings. The verdict by resolution is clear: at 3840x2160, all four settings (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable, with Ultra averaging 69 FPS. At 2560x1440, all settings are also playable, with Ultra averaging 102 FPS. At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance, with Ultra averaging 135 FPS and Low reaching 246 FPS.

The playable threshold is defined as 60 FPS, and every single measured configuration exceeds this mark. The worst-case scenario is 4K Ultra at 69 FPS average, which still provides a comfortable margin above the threshold. For gamers who prefer higher refresh rates, the 1440p Ultra setting at 102 FPS or the 1080p Ultra setting at 135 FPS would be excellent choices. The data indicates that this combination is not just playable but overkill for Control, as even the most demanding preset at the highest resolution stays well above the 60 FPS target. The system’s 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on the GPU and 128 MB of L3 cache on the CPU contribute to this headroom, ensuring smooth performance in this action-adventure title.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF has an average benchmark score of 55,093, which is just 0.6% lower than the Ryzen 9 9900X3D’s average score of 54,762. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245K scores 54,053, a 1.3% delta, while the Intel Xeon 6505P scores 53,701, a 2% delta, and the Intel Core i7-14700F scores 53,620, a 2.1% delta. These four processors would deliver nearly identical performance in Control, as the game is not heavily CPU-bound at higher resolutions.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER has an average score of 54,209, a mere 0.1% delta from the RTX 4080’s 54,247, meaning they are effectively interchangeable in this game. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54,828, a 1.1% delta, while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55,698, a 2.6% delta, and the AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55,757, a 2.7% delta. These GPUs would produce frame rates within a few percent of the RTX 4080 in Control, so users with any of these alternatives would see similar gameplay experiences, though the exact FPS values would vary slightly. The data suggests that swapping the CPU or GPU for any of these rivals would result in a performance difference of less than 3%, which is unlikely to be noticeable in real-world gameplay.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which averages 69 FPS. This is the highest quality setting available, so users can run the game at maximum visual fidelity at 4K. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset also remains the best choice, averaging 102 FPS, which provides a smooth experience on high refresh rate monitors. At 1920x1080, Ultra settings deliver 135 FPS, making it the optimal choice for competitive or high-refresh-rate play.

The data shows that at every resolution, the Ultra preset is the best option, as it never drops below the 60 FPS threshold. This is unusual for high-end hardware, as many games require lowering settings at 4K, but the RTX 4080’s 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 716.8 GB/s memory bandwidth are more than sufficient for Control. The measured FPS at Ultra settings scales from 69 FPS at 4K to 102 FPS at 1440p to 135 FPS at 1080p, giving users flexibility to prioritize either visual quality or frame rate. For those who want the absolute highest frame rates, the Low preset at 1080p reaches 246 FPS, but the Ultra preset at the same resolution still offers 135 FPS, which is more than adequate for most displays.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers an average of 246 FPS on Low settings, 175 FPS on Medium settings, 156 FPS on High settings, and 135 FPS on Ultra settings. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 149 FPS and a maximum of 201 FPS, indicating consistent performance. At 2560x1440, the averages are 186 FPS on Low, 132 FPS on Medium, 118 FPS on High, and 102 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset at this resolution has a minimum of 113 FPS and a maximum of 152 FPS. At 3840x2160, the averages drop to 126 FPS on Low, 89 FPS on Medium, 79 FPS on High, and 69 FPS on Ultra. The 4K Medium preset shows a minimum of 76 FPS and a maximum of 103 FPS.

These numbers reveal a consistent pattern: the frame rate decreases by roughly 25-30% when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and another 30-35% when moving from 1440p to 4K. The gap between Low and Ultra settings is also consistent across resolutions, with Ultra averaging about 45-55% of the Low preset’s frame rate. The minimum and maximum FPS data for Medium settings at each resolution shows that frame times are stable, with the spread between min and max being roughly 30-35% of the average, indicating no major stuttering issues. Overall, the measured FPS breakdown confirms that this system is capable of running Control at maximum settings with high frame rates at any resolution up to 4K, making it an excellent choice for this game.