Control

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Control across all tested resolutions and settings. The data set, measured directly from this combination, shows that every preset at every resolution clears the 60 FPS playability threshold by a substantial margin, with the lowest recorded average being 77.9 FPS at 4K Ultra settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination produces frame rates that far exceed the needs of standard 60 Hz displays. The Low preset reaches an average of 274.7 FPS, while the Medium preset drops to 198.1 FPS. High settings yield 175.5 FPS, and the Ultra preset still manages an average of 152.7 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra represents a 44.4% reduction in average frame rate, yet even the most demanding preset remains well above 144 FPS, making this resolution suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains extremely strong. Low settings produce 208.8 FPS, which is a 24% decrease compared to the same preset at 1080p. Medium settings average 147.9 FPS, High settings average 131.7 FPS, and Ultra settings average 115.6 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 93.2 FPS, or roughly 45%, which is consistent with the scaling observed at 1080p. All presets comfortably exceed 100 FPS, indicating that this combination is not constrained by the CPU at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates begin to show the influence of the GPU's workload, but the results remain excellent. Low settings average 138 FPS, which is a 33.9% drop from the 1080p Low result. Medium settings average 99.7 FPS, High settings average 86.3 FPS, and Ultra settings average 77.9 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is 60.1 FPS, or 43.5%, which is nearly identical to the percentage drops seen at lower resolutions. This consistency suggests that the performance scaling is driven by the preset's graphical demands rather than any resolution-specific bottleneck.

The measured data does not include minimum or maximum FPS values, so the analysis relies solely on average frame rates. Even considering potential frame time variances, the averages are high enough that dips below 60 FPS are highly unlikely based on the headroom present in every configuration. The highest average across all tests is 274.7 FPS at 1080p Low, and the lowest is 77.9 FPS at 4K Ultra.

FAQ

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

A: Yes. At 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset, the measured average FPS is 77.9, which is above the 60 FPS playability threshold. The verdict data lists Ultra as the best playable setting at this resolution.

Q: What is the performance difference between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 High, the average FPS is 175.5. At 3840x2160 High, the average FPS is 86.3. This represents a 50.8% reduction in frame rate when moving from 1080p to 4K at the same preset.

Q: How much FPS is gained by lowering settings from Ultra to Low at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 115.6 FPS, while the Low preset averages 208.8 FPS. This is a gain of 93.2 FPS, or an 80.6% increase in average frame rate.

Q: Does the game run better at Medium or High settings at 4K?

A: Medium settings at 3840x2160 average 99.7 FPS, while High settings average 86.3 FPS. Medium is 13.4 FPS faster than High, which is a 15.5% improvement in average frame rate.

Q: Is the RTX 4090 the limiting factor at 1080p Low settings?

A: The data shows 274.7 FPS at 1080p Low, which is the highest score in the entire measured set. While CPU and GPU roles are analyzed separately, this extreme frame rate suggests that the combination is not heavily constrained by either component at this low workload.

Q: What is the best preset for a 120 Hz display at 4K?

A: No preset at 3840x2160 reaches 120 FPS. The highest 4K average is 138 FPS on Low settings, but that is the only preset above 120 FPS. For a 120 Hz display, Low settings at 4K would be required, while Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below that threshold.

CPU and GPU Roles

Examining the scaling between resolutions reveals how the workload shifts between the CPU and GPU. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are extraordinarily high, reaching 274.7 FPS on Low settings. This indicates that the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D, with its 16 cores and 32 threads, is capable of feeding the RTX 4090 with enough data to saturate even the most demanding rendering tasks at this resolution. The CPU's high single-thread performance, evidenced by a 3DMark single-thread score of 1292 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2259, ensures that the game's logic and draw call processing are not bottlenecks.

As the resolution increases to 2560x1440, the average frame rates drop by roughly 24% across all presets compared to 1080p. This drop is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario where the pixel fill rate and shading load increase. The RTX 4090's 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 1.01 TB/s of memory bandwidth become the primary drivers of performance. The CPU's role diminishes because the higher resolution gives it more time to prepare frames, reducing the risk of CPU-side stalls.

At 3840x2160, the GPU workload becomes even more dominant. The frame rates drop further, with Ultra averaging 77.9 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is approximately 33% across presets, which aligns with the increase in total pixel count from 3.7 million to 8.3 million. This confirms that the RTX 4090 is the limiting component at 4K, while the Ryzen 9 9950X3D has ample headroom. The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42018, are far beyond what Control requires, even at high frame rates.

The data shows that the performance delta between Low and Ultra settings is nearly identical in percentage terms across all three resolutions, ranging from 43.5% to 45%. This uniformity suggests that the preset scaling affects the GPU's shading and texture work proportionally, regardless of resolution. The CPU's influence is most visible at 1080p Low, where the 274.7 FPS result demonstrates that the processor can handle extreme frame rates without becoming a bottleneck.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Based on the nearest rivals for the CPU, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755 has an average benchmark score of 75738, which is 0.1% lower than the Ryzen 9 9950X3D's 75779. This indicates that the Ryzen 7 PRO 9755 would deliver nearly identical performance in CPU-bound scenarios. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755X3D is also 0.1% behind, with a score of 75716. The AMD EPYC 8224P trails by 0.3%, and the Intel Core Ultra 9 285 is 0.4% behind. These small deltas mean that swapping the CPU to any of these alternatives would produce indistinguishable frame rates in Control, as the game is unlikely to stress the CPU beyond its capabilities at the tested settings.

For the GPU, the nearest rival is the Intel Arc Pro A60, which has an average benchmark score of 60326, essentially matching the RTX 4090's 60347 with a 0% delta. This is a surprising result given the architectural differences, but the data indicates that the Arc Pro A60 could theoretically match the RTX 4090's performance in certain workloads. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 is 0.3% behind, and the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M is 2.5% ahead. The AMD Radeon PRO V710 is 2.9% behind. However, these rivals are professional-grade GPUs, and their benchmark scores do not necessarily translate directly to gaming performance in Control. The measured FPS data is specific to the RTX 4090, so any alternative GPU would need to be evaluated separately to determine exact in-game results.

The combination rank of 96 out of 3720 tested combos places this system in the top 2.6% of all configurations. This high rank is primarily driven by the RTX 4090's strong gaming performance, as the CPU's rivals are all within 0.4% of its average score, indicating that the GPU choice has a larger impact on the overall ranking.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination ranks 96th out of 3720 tested combinations in Control. This places the system in the 97.4th percentile of all tested hardware pairs, meaning that only 95 other combinations deliver higher average frame rates in this game. The ranking reflects the RTX 4090's position as the top consumer GPU, with a percentile of 88 against all GPUs, combined with the Ryzen 9 9950X3D's 95th percentile ranking against all CPUs.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 75779 is nearly identical to its closest rivals, with deltas of only 0.1% to 0.4%. This suggests that the CPU choice has minimal impact on the combo's ranking in Control, as the game is not heavily CPU-bound at the tested settings. The GPU's average benchmark score of 60347 is also close to its rivals, but the RTX 4090's specific architecture and driver optimizations likely contribute to its strong measured FPS results. The rank of 96 indicates that this is an elite configuration, but there are still a small number of combinations that outperform it, likely involving even more specialized hardware or overclocked variants.

The Verdict

Yes, this PC can run Control at every resolution and preset tested. The data shows that all 12 measured configurations exceed the 60 FPS playability threshold. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages 77.9 FPS, which is 17.9 FPS above the threshold. The High preset averages 86.3 FPS, Medium averages 99.7 FPS, and Low averages 138 FPS. At 2560x1440, the lowest result is 115.6 FPS on Ultra, providing a 55.6 FPS buffer over the threshold. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 152.7 FPS, and the Low preset reaches 274.7 FPS.

The verdict data confirms that all four settings are playable at each resolution, with the best settings being Ultra at every resolution. This means the system has no difficulty maintaining smooth gameplay, even under the most demanding graphical loads. The measured data indicates that the RTX 4090 is the primary performance driver, and the Ryzen 9 9950X3D provides sufficient headroom to avoid CPU bottlenecks at any resolution.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the most demanding option that stays at or above 60 FPS, averaging 152.7 FPS. This provides a 92.7 FPS margin over the threshold, making it the recommended setting for maximum visual quality without sacrificing smoothness.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset also remains the best choice, averaging 115.6 FPS. This is 55.6 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold, ensuring that the highest graphical fidelity is achievable while maintaining a comfortable frame rate for most displays.

At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages 77.9 FPS, which is 17.9 FPS above the threshold. This is the recommended setting for 4K, as it delivers the best visual quality while still clearing the 60 FPS playability bar. Players seeking higher frame rates could drop to Low settings for 138 FPS, but the Ultra preset is the best balance of quality and performance according to the data.