Control

AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D paired with Intel Arc B390 produces a very particular set of results in Control. The CPU is a high-end desktop part with a 95th percentile ranking among all tested processors, while the GPU sits at the 9th percentile, which immediately signals a massive imbalance. The recorded data shows this combination struggles to maintain smooth frame rates at higher resolutions, but it does find a usable footing at 1080p with the lowest settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combination was recorded at three resolutions and four quality presets. At 3840x2160, the results are consistently low. The High preset averages 21 FPS, Low averages 33 FPS, Medium averages 24 FPS with a minimum of 20 and a maximum of 27, and Ultra averages 18 FPS. No preset at 4K comes close to the 60 FPS playable threshold. The spread from Low to Ultra is 15 FPS, which shows that while settings do matter, even the least demanding preset leaves the system far from smooth.

At 2560x1440, the situation improves but remains below playable. High averages 31 FPS, Low averages 50 FPS, Medium averages 35 FPS with a minimum of 30 and a maximum of 40, and Ultra averages 27 FPS. The jump from High to Low is 19 FPS, which is the largest single preset shift at this resolution. The Medium preset shows a narrow 10 FPS range between its minimum and maximum, indicating relatively stable frame times, but the overall level is still well under 60.

At 1920x1080, the data finally shows a playable result. Low averages 65 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold. High averages 41 FPS, Medium averages 46 FPS with a minimum of 40 and a maximum of 53, and Ultra averages 36 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 19 FPS, and between Low and Ultra it is 29 FPS. The Medium preset has a 13 FPS range between minimum and maximum, while Low has no recorded minimum or maximum, so only the average is available for comparison.

The overall pattern is clear. Each step down in resolution grants roughly 10 to 20 FPS at the same preset. Going from 4K Ultra at 18 FPS to 1080p Ultra at 36 FPS doubles the average. Going from 4K Low at 33 FPS to 1080p Low at 65 FPS nearly doubles it again. The GPU is the limiting factor in every scenario, but the CPU's strength does not translate into higher frame rates once the GPU is saturated.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D are all very close in average benchmark score. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755 scores 75,738, which is 0.1 percent lower. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755X3D scores 75,716, also 0.1 percent lower. The AMD EPYC 8224P scores 75,582, a 0.3 percent delta. The Intel Core Ultra 9 285 scores 75,488, a 0.4 percent delta. This means any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical CPU-bound behavior in Control, though the GPU would still dominate the frame rate outcome.

The nearest rivals for the Intel Arc B390 are dramatically different. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX has an average score of 1,463, which is 1.3 percent lower. The NVIDIA GeForce 800M scores 1,460, a 1.5 percent delta. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1,446, a 2.5 percent delta. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 scores 1,443, a 2.7 percent delta. These are all older, low-end graphics parts, and their performance levels are so close to the Arc B390 that swapping between them in this system would yield nearly identical FPS numbers in Control. The CPU would remain the same, but the GPU bottleneck would persist.

The recorded data suggests that if the GPU were replaced with any of these rivals, the measured FPS would stay within a few frames of the current results. The CPU's 95th percentile ranking is irrelevant when the GPU cannot push past its own limits. Conversely, if the CPU were swapped to one of its nearest rivals, the FPS would remain exactly the same as long as the GPU stayed the same, because the GPU is the binding constraint in every tested configuration.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Control, this pairing ranks 3,311 out of 3,720. That places it in the lower 11 percent of all tested systems. The rank reflects the actual measured FPS across all resolutions and presets, not the theoretical capability of either component. Despite having one of the strongest consumer CPUs available, the Arc B390's low average benchmark score and 9th percentile GPU ranking drag the entire combo down.

The data shows that the CPU contributes almost nothing to the final ranking in this specific game. The 3,720 total combos include many with far weaker CPUs but stronger GPUs, and those systems would rank higher because Control is heavily GPU dependent. The Ryzen 9 9950X3D's 16 cores, 32 threads, and 128 MB of L3 cache do not help when the GPU is delivering only 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's ceiling.

The percentile gap between the two components is stark. The CPU sits at the 95th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU sits at the 9th percentile of all GPUs. This is a 86 percentile point spread, which explains why the combo rank is so low. The system is effectively a high-end processor paired with an entry-level graphics solution, and the benchmark results reflect the weaker part.

The Verdict

Can this PC run Control? The verdict by resolution is clear. At 3840x2160, there are no playable settings. The best average FPS at 4K is 33 at Low, which is far below the 60 FPS threshold. The data shows no preset at this resolution clears the threshold, so the game is not playable at 4K.

At 2560x1440, the same verdict applies. No playable settings were recorded. The best average FPS is 50 at Low, which is 10 FPS short of the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset averages 35, High averages 31, and Ultra averages 27. None of these are close enough to consider playable.

At 1920x1080, the game is playable, but only on the Low preset. The Low preset averages 65 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold by 5 FPS. The Medium preset averages 46, High averages 41, and Ultra averages 36, all below the threshold. The playable settings list for 1080p contains only Low, and the best settings designation is Low with an average FPS of 65.

The practical conclusion is that this system can run Control only at 1080p with the lowest quality settings. Any attempt to raise the preset or increase the resolution results in frame rates that fall below the playable threshold.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest resolution at which this combo can maintain 60 FPS?

A: The only resolution with a playable setting is 1920x1080. At 2560x1440 and 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS.

Q: Which settings preset is playable at 1080p?

A: Only the Low preset is playable, with an average FPS of 65. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How much faster is the Low preset compared to Ultra at 1080p?

A: The Low preset averages 65 FPS, while Ultra averages 36 FPS. Low is 29 FPS higher than Ultra.

Q: Does the CPU or the GPU limit performance in Control?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The Intel Arc B390 has a 9th percentile GPU ranking, while the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D has a 95th percentile CPU ranking. The measured FPS scales with resolution and settings in a way that indicates GPU saturation.

Q: What is the best average FPS recorded at 2560x1440?

A: The best average at 1440p is 50 FPS, achieved on the Low preset. This is still 10 FPS below the playable threshold.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems in Control?

A: The combo ranks 3,311 out of 3,720 tested combinations, which places it in the lower portion of the database.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, no settings preset stays at or above 60 FPS. The highest average recorded is 33 FPS on Low, but that is still far below the threshold. The database shows no best settings for this resolution because none are playable.

At 2560x1440, the same situation applies. No preset reaches 60 FPS. The closest is Low at 50 FPS, but that is not enough. There is no best settings entry for this resolution.

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Low. The average FPS at Low is 65, which clears the threshold. Medium averages 46 FPS and is not playable. The database lists Low as the best settings with an average FPS of 65.

The pattern is consistent. Each resolution has a single usable preset at best, and only 1080p has any usable preset at all. The step from Low to Medium at 1080p costs 19 FPS, which pushes the system below the playable threshold.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear division of labor between the CPU and GPU in Control. At every resolution, the GPU is the bottleneck. Evidence for this comes from the scaling between resolutions. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 33 at 4K to 50 at 1440p to 65 at 1080p. This is a consistent 15 to 17 FPS improvement with each resolution step down, which is typical of a GPU-limited scenario. If the CPU were the limit, the frame rates would stay roughly flat across resolutions because the CPU workload does not change with resolution.

The preset scaling further supports this. At 1080p, going from Low to Medium drops the average from 65 to 46, a 19 FPS loss. Going from Low to High drops it to 41, a 24 FPS loss. Going from Low to Ultra drops it to 36, a 29 FPS loss. These are large swings that respond directly to GPU workload. The CPU's 16 cores and 32 threads are not stressed by Control's rendering path at these settings.

At 1440p and 4K, the same pattern holds. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 23 FPS (50 to 27), and at 4K it is 15 FPS (33 to 18). The absolute FPS values are lower at higher resolutions because the GPU has to fill more pixels, but the relative behavior is identical. The CPU's role is essentially constant, providing enough headroom for the GPU to do all the work, but never becoming the limiting factor.

The recorded data shows that swapping the CPU for a much weaker part would not change the FPS in any meaningful way, as long as the GPU remained the same. Conversely, swapping the GPU for a stronger part would immediately improve frame rates across all resolutions. The Ryzen 9 9950X3D is effectively idle in this pairing, waiting for a GPU that cannot deliver the frames. The Intel Arc B390, with its 1536 shading units and 48 TMUs, is the sole determinant of performance in Control.