Control

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F paired with the Intel Arc B390 represents a significant imbalance in the tested configuration for Control. The CPU is a modern 6-core desktop processor, while the GPU is an integrated-class part based on Intel's Xe3-LPG architecture. Benchmark data for this combination places it at rank 3311 out of 3720 tested combos, indicating that while the processor is capable, the graphics solution severely limits the overall experience in this title.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's position at 3311 out of 3720 tested combinations places it in the bottom 11% of all tested systems. This ranking reflects the GPU's performance ceiling rather than any deficiency in the CPU. The Intel Arc B390 sits at the 9th percentile among all GPUs in the database, with its average benchmark score of 1482 placing it in direct competition with legacy mobile and OEM parts.

The nearest GPU rivals illustrate the performance tier: the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463 (1.3% lower), the GeForce 800M scores 1460 (1.5% lower), the GT 625 OEM scores 1446 (2.5% lower), and the GT 710 scores 1443 (2.7% lower). These are all parts from a significantly older era, which contextualizes the Arc B390's standing in the current hardware landscape.

In contrast, the CPU's nearest rivals show a much healthier competitive position. The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F's average benchmark score of 24964 places it at the 77th percentile of all CPUs. Its closest competitors are remarkably tight: the Intel Core i7-11850H scores 24935 (0.1% lower), the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F scores 25005 (0.2% higher), the Intel Core i7-13620H scores 24911 (0.2% lower), and the Intel Core 5 210H scores 24872 (0.4% lower). This clustering demonstrates that the 7500F is well within the expected performance envelope for its class.

The disparity between the CPU's 77th percentile standing and the GPU's 9th percentile standing creates a configuration where the graphics component dictates the overall ranking. The measured FPS data confirms this bottleneck: even at the lowest settings and resolution, the system only achieves 65 FPS average, which is a modest result for a 2023-era desktop CPU.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo achieves in Control?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 65, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only configuration where the system approaches playable frame rates for fast-paced action.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-11850H?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F scores 24964 on average benchmarks, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i7-11850H's score of 24935. The difference is negligible in practical terms.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all tested GPUs?

A: The Intel Arc B390 ranks at the 9th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1482 from the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test.

Q: Does the combo maintain 60 FPS at any resolution in Control?

A: No. The only configuration exceeding 60 FPS is 1080p Low at 65 FPS average. All other tested settings fall below 60 FPS, with 1440p Low at 50 FPS being the next closest.

Q: How much faster is the CPU's single-thread performance compared to its multi-thread score?

A: The Cinebench R23 single-core score is 3218, while the multi-core score is 22799, representing a roughly 7x scaling across the 6 cores and 12 threads.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F brings 6 cores and 12 threads based on the Zen 4 architecture, codenamed Raphael. This is a 5 nm part fabricated by TSMC, running at a 3.70 GHz base clock with a 5.00 GHz boost. The 65 W TDP classifies it as a mainstream desktop processor on the AMD Socket AM5 platform.

The CPU's memory configuration supports DDR5 in dual-channel mode, providing 83.2 GB/s of bandwidth. It also supports ECC memory. PCIe Gen 5 connectivity with 24 lanes from the CPU ensures ample bandwidth for expansion devices. The processor was released on 2023-07-21 with a launch MSRP of $179.

In Control, the CPU's role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations. The game's action-adventure nature involves complex scenes with destructible environments and particle effects. The 7500F's benchmark results indicate it can handle these workloads comfortably. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22799 and single-core score of 3218 demonstrate strong performance for both threaded and single-threaded tasks.

The 3DMark thread scaling results show the CPU's multithreading efficiency: 2-thread score of 1902, 4-thread score of 3621, 8-thread score of 5372, 16-thread score of 6376, and max-thread score of 6379. The near-identical 16-thread and max-thread scores suggest the CPU is fully utilized by 12 threads, with diminishing returns beyond that point.

Geekbench scores of 2374 single-core and 12362 multi-core further confirm the processor's capability. PassMark results show strong integer math performance at 79108 and floating-point math at 47176, which are relevant for game physics and AI calculations.

The CPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals shows it is essentially tied with the Intel Core i7-11850H, AMD Ryzen 5 8400F, Intel Core i7-13620H, and Intel Core 5 210H, with all deltas within 0.4%. This indicates the 7500F is not the limiting factor in this combo.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Control reveals a consistent pattern across all resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system achieves 65 FPS average on Low settings, 46 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 40 and maximum of 53), 41 FPS on High, and 36 FPS on Ultra. The Medium setting provides the only recorded frame time variance, suggesting some stutter potential.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance drops noticeably. Low settings produce 50 FPS average, Medium delivers 35 FPS (minimum 30, maximum 40), High yields 31 FPS, and Ultra drops to 27 FPS. The 1440p results show a 15 FPS reduction from 1080p at Low settings, indicating the GPU's fill rate limitations.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings produce 33 FPS average, Medium yields 24 FPS (minimum 20, maximum 27), High drops to 21 FPS, and Ultra falls to 18 FPS. The 4K results are consistently below 35 FPS across all settings, making this resolution impractical for the game.

The frame time data available for Medium settings across all three resolutions shows the system's consistency. At 1080p Medium, the 40-53 FPS range represents a 13 FPS spread. At 1440p Medium, the 30-40 FPS range narrows to a 10 FPS spread. At 4K Medium, the 20-27 FPS range tightens further to a 7 FPS spread. This pattern suggests the GPU becomes more consistently load-bound at higher resolutions.

The scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution is steep. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 29 FPS. At 1440p, the difference narrows to 23 FPS. At 4K, the difference compresses to 15 FPS. This diminishing delta at higher resolutions indicates the GPU reaches its architectural limits regardless of settings.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals the GPU's limitations clearly. At Low settings, the system delivers 65 FPS at 1080p, 50 FPS at 1440p, and 33 FPS at 4K. This represents a 23% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 49% reduction from 1080p to 4K.

At Medium settings, the progression is 46 FPS at 1080p, 35 FPS at 1440p, and 24 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 24% and 48% respectively. High settings show 41 FPS at 1080p, 31 FPS at 1440p, and 21 FPS at 4K, representing 24% and 49% reductions. Ultra settings follow the same pattern: 36 FPS at 1080p, 27 FPS at 1440p, and 18 FPS at 4K, with 25% and 50% reductions.

The consistent ~24-25% drop from 1080p to 1440p and ~48-50% drop from 1080p to 4K across all settings indicates the GPU is the primary constraint. The pixel count increase from 1080p to 4K is fourfold, but the FPS reduction is only about half, suggesting some efficiency in the GPU's scaling but an overall inability to maintain frame rates at higher resolutions.

This scaling behavior points to the Intel Arc B390's fill rate and memory bandwidth limitations. With a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s, the GPU's theoretical capabilities are modest. The system-shared memory with system-dependent bandwidth further constrains performance at higher resolutions where memory traffic increases substantially.

The CPU's role in resolution scaling is minimal. At 1080p Low, the 65 FPS result is likely near the CPU's frame delivery limit for this game, but the GPU becomes the bottleneck as resolution increases. The consistent percentage drops suggest the CPU maintains adequate frame pacing even at 4K, where the GPU's 18-33 FPS results are far below the CPU's capability.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data suggests that 1920x1080 with Low settings is the only configuration that provides a consistently smooth experience, with 65 FPS average. This setting combination prioritizes frame rate over visual fidelity, which is appropriate given the GPU's limitations.

For players who prefer visual quality over raw performance, 1080p Medium at 46 FPS average (minimum 40, maximum 53) offers a balanced compromise. The frame time data shows a 13 FPS spread, which may introduce occasional perceptible stutter but remains within a playable range for most users.

The 1440p Low setting at 50 FPS average is the only other configuration that approaches acceptable frame rates. However, the 15 FPS drop from 1080p Low suggests diminishing returns at this resolution. The 1440p Medium setting at 35 FPS average (minimum 30, maximum 40) represents the threshold of playability for many users, though the 10 FPS spread indicates some frame pacing inconsistency.

All 4K settings produce results below 35 FPS average, making this resolution unsuitable for Control with this hardware. Even at Low settings, the 33 FPS average fails to provide the smooth response required for the game's action sequences.

The Ultra settings at any resolution do not offer a compelling experience. The 36 FPS at 1080p Ultra represents a 45% reduction from Low settings, which is a significant visual performance trade-off for marginal graphical improvements.

The recommendation from the data is clear: 1080p Low for maximum responsiveness, or 1080p Medium for a balance of visual quality and playability. Players with lower sensitivity to frame rate fluctuations may find 1440p Low acceptable, but the 50 FPS average does not provide significant headroom for demanding scenes.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel's 3 nm process. It features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, 24 ROPs, and 12 ray tracing cores. The GPU operates at a 300 MHz base clock with a 2500 MHz boost clock.

The GPU's compute capabilities are specified at 7.680 TFLOPS for FP32 and 15.36 TFLOPS for FP16 (2:1 ratio). The pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s. This places the Arc B390 in a performance class comparable to entry-level discrete GPUs from several generations ago.

The GPU uses system-shared memory, which means its memory bandwidth is system-dependent rather than fixed. This architecture can cause performance variability depending on the system's RAM configuration and other memory consumers. The 80 W TDP and IGP slot width classify this as a power-efficient integrated solution rather than a high-performance discrete part.

The GPU's benchmark result of 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 places it at the 9th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463, 1.3% lower), GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% lower), GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5% lower), and GT 710 (1443, 2.7% lower). These comparisons highlight the Arc B390's positioning alongside legacy budget hardware.

In Control, the GPU's role is to render the game's physics-heavy environments and particle effects. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU struggles to maintain high frame rates even at reduced settings. The 65 FPS ceiling at 1080p Low represents the practical limit of this GPU in this title.

The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support and Vulkan 1.4 compatibility indicate modern API capabilities, but the hardware's raw performance limits its practical application. The 12 ray tracing cores are present but unlikely to provide playable ray-traced performance given the overall GPU throughput.

The GPU's release date of 2026-01-26 places it in the current generation, but its performance class aligns with much older hardware. The production status is Active, and the GPU is designed for portable devices based on its display outputs specification. The Arc B390's role in this combo is clearly the limiting factor, as the CPU's benchmark scores suggest it could support significantly higher frame rates with a more capable GPU.