Control

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and Radeon RX 7900 XT pairing delivers a remarkably consistent experience in Control, with the data showing that the most demanding preset remains highly playable across all tested resolutions. The measured results indicate that the Ultra preset is not merely a benchmark showcase but a viable daily setting, as it maintains an average of 114 FPS at 1080p, 86 FPS at 1440p, and 58 FPS at 4K. Given the data, the best experience is achieved by selecting the Ultra preset, as it provides a significant visual uplift over High with only a moderate performance cost; the frame rate drop from High to Ultra is roughly 13% at 1080p (131 to 114 FPS), 13% at 1440p (99 to 86 FPS), and 13% at 4K (67 to 58 FPS). For users who prioritize frame rate above all else, the Low preset offers exceptional headroom, but the measured numbers suggest that the GPU has ample capacity to handle the full graphical feature set without falling below the 60 FPS threshold at 4K, making Ultra the recommended choice for this combination.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data for Control reveals a clear hierarchy in performance scaling across the four available presets: Low, Medium, High, and Ultra. At 1920x1080, the measured average frame rates are 196 FPS for Low, 148 FPS for Medium, 131 FPS for High, and 114 FPS for Ultra. The transition from Low to Medium incurs a substantial 24.5% performance penalty, while the step from High to Ultra is less severe at 13%. This pattern suggests that the graphical features enabled by the Ultra preset, such as advanced reflections and volumetric lighting, are less demanding than the core rendering changes that separate Low from Medium. The data indicates that the Ultra preset is the optimal choice for this hardware configuration, as it maintains a robust 114 FPS average at 1080p, which is well above the threshold for smooth gameplay on high-refresh-rate displays.

Moving to 2560x1440, the measured values show 157 FPS for Low, 112 FPS for Medium, 99 FPS for High, and 86 FPS for Ultra. The relative performance gaps are similar to 1080p, with the Low-to-Medium transition costing 28.7% of performance, while High-to-Ultra costs 13.1%. At this resolution, the Ultra preset still delivers an 86 FPS average, which is comfortably within the range for a smooth experience on standard 144Hz monitors. The data suggests that the GPU is the primary driver of performance at this resolution, as the CPU overhead is unlikely to be a limiting factor given the 6-core, 12-thread configuration. The 4K results reinforce this recommendation: 106 FPS for Low, 75 FPS for Medium, 67 FPS for High, and 58 FPS for Ultra. While the Ultra preset dips below 60 FPS at 4K, the measured 58 FPS average is only slightly under this threshold, and the visual fidelity gains likely outweigh the minor frame rate reduction for most users.

The conclusion from the measured rows is that the Ultra preset provides the best balance of visual quality and performance for this specific CPU-GPU combination. The data shows that the GPU can handle the full feature set at 1440p with ease, and even at 4K, the average frame rate remains in a playable range. The Medium preset could be considered for users who require absolute frame rate stability at 4K with VRR displays, but the Ultra preset's 58 FPS average is a strong argument for its adoption. The Low preset is clearly a competitive or high-refresh-rate option, but it sacrifices too much visual detail to be recommended for general play. Therefore, the benchmark results indicate that Ultra is the default choice, with High serving as a fallback for 4K users who prefer a larger frame rate buffer.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combination achieves in Control at 1080p?*

A: The highest measured average frame rate at 1920x1080 is 196 FPS, which occurs with the Low preset. This indicates that the hardware has significant headroom for high-refresh-rate gaming when visual settings are reduced.

Q: How does the Ultra preset perform at 4K compared to 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset achieves an average of 86 FPS, while at 3840x2160, the average drops to 58 FPS. This represents a 32.6% reduction in performance when moving from 1440p to 4K, highlighting the substantial pixel-count increase.

Q: Is the minimum frame rate data available for all settings?

A: No, the measured data includes minimum frame rates only for the Medium preset across all three resolutions: 125 FPS at 1080p, 95 FPS at 1440p, and 64 FPS at 4K. The other presets do not have recorded minimum frame rate values in the data set.

Q: What is the performance difference between the High and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: The High preset averages 99 FPS at 2560x1440, while the Ultra preset averages 86 FPS. This is a 13.1% performance cost for enabling the highest graphical settings, which is a relatively modest penalty for the visual upgrade.

*Q: How does this combination rank among all tested combos in Control?*

A: The combo rank is 545 out of 2888 tested combinations, placing it in the top 18.9% of all configurations. This indicates that the Ryzen 5 5500X3D and RX 7900 XT pairing is well above the median performer for this game.

Q: What is the frame rate behavior when switching from Medium to Low at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the Medium preset averages 75 FPS, while the Low preset averages 106 FPS. This represents a 41.3% performance increase, which is the largest relative gain between any two presets at this resolution, suggesting that Low disables several GPU-intensive effects.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Control reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, which is typical for a GPU-bound title. At 1080p, the average frame rates across presets range from 114 FPS (Ultra) to 196 FPS (Low). When moving to 1440p, these values drop to 86 FPS (Ultra) and 157 FPS (Low), representing a 24.6% and 19.9% reduction, respectively. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is more severe: the Ultra preset falls from 86 FPS to 58 FPS (a 32.6% drop), while the Low preset falls from 157 FPS to 106 FPS (a 32.5% drop). This consistent ~32% reduction from 1440p to 4K across presets indicates that the GPU's pixel-pushing capabilities are the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions.

The data implies that the limiting component in this combination is the GPU, not the CPU. The Ryzen 5 5500X3D has 6 cores and 12 threads, which is generally sufficient for Control's single-threaded and lightly-threaded workloads, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p. However, the RX 7900 XT's 20 GB of VRAM and 800.0 GB/s memory bandwidth are heavily taxed as resolution increases. The 4K results show a 31.6% performance gap between Medium (75 FPS) and High (67 FPS), which narrows to 13.4% between High and Ultra (58 FPS). This suggests that the graphical features added in the Ultra preset are less bandwidth-intensive than the resolution scaling itself.

The scaling behavior also reveals that the Low preset at 4K (106 FPS) is still faster than the Ultra preset at 1440p (86 FPS), which underscores the GPU's headroom for high-resolution rendering. The data indicates that if a user were to prioritize resolution over visual fidelity, the Low preset at 4K would provide a smoother experience than Ultra at 1440p. However, the more balanced approach is to use Ultra at 1440p, where the 86 FPS average is sufficient for most display setups. The frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K are roughly 49% for Ultra (114 to 58 FPS) and 46% for Low (196 to 106 FPS), showing that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are the determining factors in this title's performance scaling.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average frame rates are 196 FPS for Low, 148 FPS for Medium, 131 FPS for High, and 114 FPS for Ultra. The Medium preset is the only one with reported minimum and maximum values, showing a range of 125 to 170 FPS. This 45 FPS spread indicates some variability in frame times, likely due to scene complexity. The High and Ultra presets do not have min/max data, but the averages suggest a consistent performance profile. The transition from Low to Medium results in a 24.5% performance reduction, while the step from High to Ultra costs 13% of performance.

At 2560x1440, the measured values are 157 FPS for Low, 112 FPS for Medium, 99 FPS for High, and 86 FPS for Ultra. The Medium preset again has min/max data, with a range of 95 to 128 FPS. This 33 FPS spread is slightly narrower than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is becoming more consistently utilized. The performance gaps between presets are 28.7% from Low to Medium and 13.1% from High to Ultra. The 1440p results show that the Ultra preset maintains a playable 86 FPS average, which is a strong indicator of the GPU's capability at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the measured averages are 106 FPS for Low, 75 FPS for Medium, 67 FPS for High, and 58 FPS for Ultra. The Medium preset provides min/max data of 64 to 87 FPS, a 23 FPS range. The 4K results are the most demanding, with the Ultra preset falling below the 60 FPS threshold. The performance reduction from 1440p to 4K is 32.5% for Low, 33% for Medium, 32.3% for High, and 32.6% for Ultra. This consistent scaling across presets strongly suggests that the GPU's rendering pipeline is the limiting factor at 4K, rather than CPU or memory constraints. The data shows that the Low preset at 4K is still faster than High at 1440p (106 vs. 99 FPS), indicating that resolution scaling has a more significant impact on performance than preset changes.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT achieves a rank of 545 out of 2888 tested combos in Control. This places the configuration in the top 18.9% of all tested hardware combinations, which is a strong result for a mid-range CPU paired with a high-end GPU. The rank percentile indicates that this combo outperforms the vast majority of alternatives, likely due to the GPU's substantial VRAM capacity and bandwidth, which are well-suited for this game's rendering requirements. The 545th position suggests that there are 544 combos that perform better, but these likely include higher-end CPUs or more recent GPU architectures.

The data shows that the combo's performance is heavily influenced by the GPU, as the RX 7900 XT's 20 GB of VRAM and 800.0 GB/s bandwidth provide ample resources for Control's textures and effects. The CPU's role is secondary, as the Ryzen 5 5500X3D's 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient to feed the GPU at the tested resolutions. The rank of 545/2888 implies that the combo is not at the very top of the performance hierarchy, but it is far from being a bottleneck. The nearest rivals for the CPU, such as the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and Intel Core Ultra 5 225, have similar average benchmark scores, within 0.2% of the 5500X3D, indicating that the CPU choice has minimal impact on overall ranking in this game.

The GPU's rank percentile of 55% among all GPUs is modest, but this is based on a broad set of benchmarks, not just Control. In this specific game, the combo's 545th rank out of 2888 suggests that the RX 7900 XT's performance is well above average, even if it is not in the top tier. The measured frame rates at 4K Ultra (58 FPS) and 1440p Ultra (86 FPS) demonstrate that this combo can handle the game's highest settings at mainstream resolutions, which is a key factor in its ranking. The data implies that the combo's position in the ranking is primarily determined by the GPU's ability to sustain high frame rates under load, with the CPU providing adequate support without becoming a limiting factor.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz. The CPU's L3 cache is 96 MB shared, which is a substantial amount for a 5000-series part, and this likely contributes to its strong single-threaded performance in gaming workloads. The PassMark single-thread score is 2941, which is competitive for its generation, and the multithread score is 20363. The CPU's percentile rank among all CPUs is 85%, indicating that it outperforms the vast majority of processors on the market.

In Control, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, physics, and draw call submissions. The data shows that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any tested resolution, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p Low (196 FPS), which is unlikely to be achievable if the CPU were limiting. The PassMark physics score of 2282 suggests that the CPU has adequate computational power for the game's physics engine. The nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and Intel Core Ultra 5 225, have average benchmark scores within 0.2% of the 5500X3D, indicating that the CPU's performance is well within the expected range for its class.

The 6-core, 12-thread configuration is sufficient for Control, which is not heavily multithreaded. The game's performance is more dependent on single-core performance and memory latency, both of which are strengths of the 5500X3D's Zen 3 architecture. The CPU's 96 MB L3 cache is particularly beneficial for gaming, as it reduces memory access latency and improves cache hit rates. The data suggests that the CPU's role in this combo is to provide a stable, high-frequency foundation that does not impede the GPU's performance, and the measured results confirm that it succeeds in this regard.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is a high-end graphics card based on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, with 5376 shading units, 336 texture mapping units, and 192 render output units. The GPU has a base clock of 1387 MHz and a boost clock of 2394 MHz, with a game clock of 2025 MHz. The memory configuration consists of 20 GB of GDDR6 on a 320-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 800.0 GB/s. This is a substantial amount of VRAM and bandwidth, which is well-suited for Control's high-resolution textures and effects.

In Control, the GPU is the dominant factor in determining frame rates, as indicated by the significant performance drop from 1080p to 4K. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU's performance scales predictably with resolution, with a ~32% reduction from 1440p to 4K across all presets. The GPU's 20 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for the game's requirements, as there is no evidence of texture streaming or memory-related stutters in the measured data. The PassMark G3D score of 29009 is strong, and the GPU's compute score of 16828 indicates solid compute performance for a gaming-focused card.

The GPU's role is to render the game's complex scenes, which include ray-traced reflections and advanced lighting. The measured frame rates at 4K Ultra (58 FPS) show that the GPU is being pushed to its limits, but the performance is still playable. The bandwidth of 800.0 GB/s is critical for maintaining high frame rates at 4K, as the game's textures and effects require substantial memory throughput. The GPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark data, such as the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, have a deltaPct of 1.5%, indicating that the 7900 XT is slightly ahead in average benchmark scores. The data confirms that the GPU is the primary driver of performance in this combo, and its characteristics are well-matched to Control's demands.