Control

Control, Remedy’s 2019 action-adventure, presents a demanding blend of physics-based combat and dense environmental detail. The pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F with the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT yields a configuration that sits in the lower-mid tier of tested systems, with a combo rank of 2,141 out of 2,888 combinations. The benchmark results indicate a system that is heavily constrained by its graphics processor at higher resolutions, yet reveals a more balanced profile at 1080p, making it a curious study in bottleneck dynamics.

FAQ

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations for Control?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F and Radeon RX 5700 XT combination ranks 2,141st out of 2,888 tested combos. This places it in the lower 26th percentile of all systems measured, indicating that while it is functional, it is far from the top-tier performance envelope.

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo achieves at 1080p?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 115 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only configuration in the data set that breaks the 100 FPS barrier.

Q: Does the RX 5700 XT's 8 GB of VRAM appear to be a limiting factor at 4K?

A: The data suggests that the GPU's overall compute capability, rather than just VRAM capacity, is the primary constraint. At 3840x2160, the average FPS drops to 37 on High and 32 on Ultra, with the card's 59th percentile ranking among all GPUs indicating it is a mid-range performer that struggles with the pixel throughput demands of 4K.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 7400F compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 5 7400F has an average benchmark score of 32,750. It is essentially tied with the Intel Core i5-14600T, which scores 32,707 (0.1% faster), and the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H at 32,697 (0.2% faster). It also outperforms the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H by a 0.2% margin.

Q: What is the performance delta between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the average FPS drops from 87 on Low to 48 on Ultra, a difference of 39 FPS. This represents a 44.8% reduction in average frame rate from the lowest to the highest preset.

Q: What is the launch MSRP for the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT?

A: The launch MSRP for the Radeon RX 5700 XT is 399 USD.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT is built on the RDNA 1.0 architecture with the Navi 10 chip, fabricated on a 7 nm process by TSMC. It houses 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, operating at a base clock of 1605 MHz with a boost clock of 1905 MHz. The memory subsystem is comprised of 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. These specifications culminate in a FP32 compute rating of 9.754 TFLOPS and a texture rate of 304.8 GTexel/s.

In the context of Control, the GPU's role is pivotal, but its performance is clearly tiered. The card's overall percentile ranking is 59th among all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 16,361 places it in a dead heat with the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M, which is only 0.1% faster. This positioning is reflected in the gaming metrics. The 8 GB VRAM buffer, while adequate for 1080p and 1440p, appears to be a factor in the steep performance cliff observed at 4K. The data shows that at 3840x2160, the average FPS falls below the 60 FPS threshold even on Low settings, hitting 59 FPS. The card's compute throughput is the more dominant limiting factor here, as the pixel rate of 121.9 GPixel/s is insufficient to maintain high frame rates at this resolution without significant reductions in graphical fidelity.

The relationship between the GPU's clock speeds and its in-game performance is evident when examining the scaling from High to Ultra at 1440p. The boost clock of 1905 MHz is the theoretical ceiling, but sustained loads in Control will likely keep the card near its game clock of 1755 MHz, which is still a substantial frequency. The 0.9% performance deficit to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D V2 in synthetic benchmarks is a stark reminder of the generational gap, but for this specific game, the RX 5700 XT's RDNA 1.0 architecture handles the core rendering tasks competently at mainstream resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the combo demonstrates strong playability, with an average of 73 FPS on High and 63 FPS on Ultra. Moving to 2560x1440, there is a predictable decline: High settings yield 55 FPS, while Ultra drops to 48 FPS. The leap to 3840x2160 is where the system begins to struggle significantly. At 4K High, the average FPS is 37, and Ultra falls to 32 FPS, numbers that would be considered marginal for a smooth experience in a fast-paced action title.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K on High settings shows a performance drop from 73 FPS to 37 FPS, a 49.3% reduction. This steep decline is a strong indicator that the system is GPU-limited. The CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is likely not the bottleneck at these higher resolutions, as the rendering load shifts almost entirely to the graphics card. The 4K Low setting result of 59 FPS is particularly telling; it shows that even with minimal graphical load, the GPU cannot push past the 60 FPS mark, underscoring that the RX 5700 XT's raw compute power is the ceiling for this configuration at that resolution.

The data implies that 1440p is the practical upper limit for this pairing if a consistent 60 FPS experience is desired, and only on Low settings (87 FPS) does it comfortably exceed that target. The 1080p results are the most favorable, where even Ultra settings maintain an average above 60 FPS. This scaling behavior confirms that the limiting component in this system is the Radeon RX 5700 XT, particularly as pixel count increases, while the Ryzen 5 7400F provides ample headroom for the CPU's role in game logic and physics.

How This Combo Ranks

With a combo rank of 2,141 out of 2,888 tested combinations for Control, this system is positioned in the 26th percentile of all configurations. This ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's performance ceiling, as the CPU is a much stronger component. The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F performs in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 32,750. In contrast, the Radeon RX 5700 XT sits in the 59th percentile for GPUs, with a score of 16,361. This significant gap in relative performance between the two components explains the system's overall middling rank.

The data suggests that the Ryzen 5 7400F is not being fully utilized in many scenarios, especially at higher resolutions. This is a common pattern where a high-performing CPU is paired with a mid-range GPU, resulting in a system that is balanced for 1080p gaming but falls short at higher resolutions. The ranking is not an indictment of the CPU's capability; rather, it highlights the GPU as the primary limiter in this specific combination. If the goal is to improve this combo's rank, the data points clearly towards a GPU upgrade as the most impactful change, as the CPU's 83rd percentile ranking versus the GPU's 59th percentile indicates a substantial performance mismatch that favors the processor.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture (Raphael), manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It features a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 and 1 MB of L2 per core, along with a shared 32 MB L3 cache. It supports DDR5 memory on a dual-channel bus, offering a bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s.

In Control, the CPU's role is to manage the game's complex physics and AI systems. The benchmark data suggests that the Ryzen 5 7400F is more than capable of handling these tasks, as the FPS scaling with resolution is almost entirely dependent on the GPU. The CPU's strong synthetic performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21,765 and a single-core score of 3,072, provides ample processing power. Its nearest rivals in average score, such as the Intel Core i5-14600T (0.1% faster) and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H (0.2% slower), are all within a negligible margin, indicating that the 7400F is a solid, competitive mid-range processor.

The fact that the system achieves 115 FPS at 1080p Low settings suggests that the CPU is not holding back the GPU in less demanding scenes. Even at 1080p Ultra, which increases the draw calls and object counts, the system maintains 63 FPS, a figure that points to the GPU being the limiting factor rather than the CPU. The processor's 12 threads are likely sufficient for Control's engine, which is not known for being exceptionally CPU-heavy, but the data confirms that the 7400F provides a stable foundation for the GPU to perform at its full potential.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the system's performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are as follows: Low yields 115 FPS, Medium yields 82 FPS, High yields 73 FPS, and Ultra yields 63 FPS. The Medium preset shows a minimum FPS of 70 and a maximum of 94, indicating some variance but generally smooth gameplay.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops are more pronounced. Low settings deliver an average of 87 FPS, Medium drops to 62 FPS (with a min of 53 and max of 71), High averages 55 FPS, and Ultra falls to 48 FPS. This resolution presents a challenge for maintaining a locked 60 FPS, as only Low and Medium presets achieve it on average.

At 3840x2160, the system is clearly overburdened. Low settings average 59 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS target. Medium drops to 42 FPS (min 36, max 48), High averages 37 FPS, and Ultra falls to 32 FPS. These numbers indicate that 4K gaming is not a viable option for this combo unless the user is willing to accept significant compromises in visual quality and frame rate stability. The data across all resolutions shows a linear progression of performance loss as settings increase, with the gap between Low and Ultra widening at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo depends heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p gaming, the High preset offers an excellent balance, delivering 73 FPS on average, which is above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a visually rich experience. The Ultra preset is also playable at 63 FPS, but the 10 FPS drop from High may not justify the marginal visual gains. For players prioritizing high refresh rates, the Low preset at 115 FPS is the only option that approaches 120 Hz territory.

At 1440p, the recommendation shifts. The Medium preset, with an average of 62 FPS, is the highest setting that maintains a playable frame rate above 60 FPS. The High preset at 55 FPS is a viable compromise for those who prefer visual fidelity over a locked 60 FPS, but it may result in noticeable stutters in intense combat. The Low preset at 87 FPS is the best choice for smooth gameplay, though it sacrifices significant visual detail. The Ultra preset at 48 FPS is not recommended, as the frame rate dips are likely to be disruptive.

For 4K resolution, the data indicates that this combo is not well-suited for the task. The Low preset at 59 FPS is the only setting that approaches playability, and it does so with minimal graphical features. The Medium preset at 42 FPS and below is not recommended for a game as fast-paced as Control, as the low frame rates will severely impact the player's ability to react to enemy attacks and environmental hazards. The most sensible approach for this resolution would be to rely on upscaling techniques, though the data does not measure their impact. Given the measured results, the best overall experience is achieved at 1080p with High settings, which balances visual quality and performance without dipping below the 60 FPS average.