Control

Control, the 2019 action-adventure from Remedy Entertainment, is a demanding title that stresses both the CPU and GPU. This analysis examines the measured performance of the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX across three resolutions and four quality presets. The data provides a clear picture of where the bottleneck lies in this system, how the components interact, and which settings offer the most balanced experience.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable pattern as resolution increases, but the rate of decline reveals important information about the limiting component in this system. Starting at 1920x1080 with the High preset, the combo delivers an average of 142 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, this drops to 107 FPS, a reduction of 35 FPS or roughly 24.6%. At 3840x2160, the average falls further to 72 FPS, another 35 FPS drop from 1440p, representing a 32.7% decrease. This scaling pattern, where the FPS loss between 1080p and 1440p is nearly identical in absolute terms to the loss between 1440p and 4K, indicates that the GPU is becoming the primary constraint as pixel count increases.

The trend is consistent across all settings. With the Low preset, the system achieves 225 FPS at 1080p, 170 FPS at 1440p, and 115 FPS at 4K. The deltas are 55 FPS and 55 FPS respectively. For the Medium preset, the numbers are 160 FPS at 1080p, 121 FPS at 1440p, and 82 FPS at 4K, with deltas of 39 FPS and 39 FPS. The Ultra preset shows 123 FPS at 1080p, 93 FPS at 1440p, and 63 FPS at 4K, with consistent 30 FPS drops between each step. This uniformity in the absolute FPS drop across resolution steps strongly suggests that the GPU's rendering throughput is the limiting factor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a smaller absolute difference between 1080p and 1440p, as the CPU load would remain relatively constant while the GPU work increases.

The data shows that at 1080p, the system is likely somewhat CPU-limited, as the jump from Low to Ultra only costs 102 FPS (225 to 123). At 4K, the same settings range only costs 52 FPS (115 to 63). This compression of the performance envelope at higher resolutions further confirms that the GPU is the dominant constraint. The 7900 XTX is a high-end card, but 4K rendering in Control requires significant pixel throughput, and the measured frame rates reflect that. Conversely, at 1080p, the Ryzen 5 7500X3D's 6 cores and 12 threads are kept busy, but the GPU still manages to push out very high frame rates, indicating a well-balanced system at that resolution, though still GPU-bound.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is the central figure in this performance analysis. Its specifications, including 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, provide a massive 960.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. This is crucial for a game like Control, which features complex textures and effects. The data shows that even at 4K with the Ultra preset, the card maintains an average of 63 FPS. This is a playable frame rate, but it is below the 72 FPS achieved on High, indicating that the card's compute and memory resources are fully engaged at that resolution and quality level.

The GPU's clock speeds, with a base of 1929 MHz and a boost of 2498 MHz, are high for a graphics card. The measured results indicate that the card's raw compute power, rated at 61.39 TFLOPS FP32, is more than sufficient for 1440p and even handles 1080p with ease, as evidenced by the 225 FPS average on Low settings. The 24 GB VRAM is a significant asset. Given that Control is a game with high-resolution textures, it is highly likely that the frame buffer requirements are easily met by this card, preventing any texture swapping or stuttering that could affect minimum FPS. The data provides minimum FPS only for the Medium preset, showing 136 FPS at 1080p, 103 FPS at 1440p, and 69 FPS at 4K. These minimums are respectable and suggest that the large VRAM pool helps maintain consistent frame pacing.

When assessing the GPU's role in the overall system performance, its nearest rivals in the benchmark database are not modern high-end cards. The data shows the 7900 XTX has an average benchmark score of 19410, with a percentile rank of 64 among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB, with a deltaPct of 0.4, and the NVIDIA TITAN Xp, with a deltaPct of 1.2. This demonstrates the fact that the 7900 XTX's raw performance is exceptional, but its benchmark score is pulled down by other factors. In the context of Control, the GPU is not the limiting factor until 4K, where its performance still remains respectable. The drop from 115 FPS at Low to 63 FPS at Ultra at 4K shows the card's scaling under load, and the consistent deltas across resolution steps point to a GPU that is working linearly, with no sudden performance cliffs.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D plays a supporting but critical role in this configuration. With 6 cores and 12 threads, it is a modern processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, built on a 5 nm process. Its performance in standard benchmarks is solid, with a Passmark single-thread score of 3494 and a multithread score of 25047. The data suggests that for a game like Control, which is known to be demanding on the CPU for physics and AI calculations, this processor is more than adequate. The measured FPS at 1080p, which is typically where CPU bottlenecks manifest, remains very high. The lowest average FPS at 1080p is 123 FPS on the Ultra preset, which is still a very high refresh rate. This indicates that the CPU is not holding the system back at this resolution.

The processor's cache configuration is noteworthy. While the L1 and L2 caches are standard at 64 KB and 1 MB per core, respectively, the L3 cache is a substantial 96 MB shared. This is a key feature of the X3D series. This large cache is beneficial for gaming, as it can hold more of the game's working set, reducing the need to access slower system memory. The data shows that the CPU's nearest rivals in the database include the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H, with a deltaPct of 0.2, and the AMD Ryzen AI Max 385, with a deltaPct of 0.6. This places the 7500X3D in a competitive position.

The CPU's clock speeds, with a base of 4.00 GHz and a boost of 4.50 GHz, are not the highest on the market, but the combination of decent single-thread performance and a massive cache proves effective. In the measured results, the scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a significant FPS drop, which is expected as the GPU takes on more work. However, the fact that the FPS does not plateau at 1080p suggests that the CPU is still capable of feeding the GPU enough data to keep it busy. If the CPU were a bottleneck, we would expect to see a smaller difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p, as the CPU work would be similar, but the GPU work would vary. The data shows a 102 FPS difference at 1080p between Low and Ultra, which is a clear sign of GPU scaling, confirming the CPU is not the primary constraint in this setup.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user's target resolution and refresh rate. At 1920x1080, the system is powerful enough to run the Ultra preset with an average of 123 FPS. For users with a 144Hz monitor, the High preset at 142 FPS is a better match, as it stays above the refresh rate more consistently. The Low preset at 225 FPS is overkill for most displays but demonstrates the headroom available. The Medium preset, with an average of 160 FPS and a minimum of 136 FPS, is a strong choice for competitive play, offering a smooth experience with minimal frame drops.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 93 FPS. This is playable, but for a smoother experience, the High preset at 107 FPS is a better choice, as it approaches the 100 FPS mark. The Medium preset at 121 FPS is ideal for high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors, offering a good balance between visual quality and frame rate. The Low preset at 170 FPS is for those who prioritize maximum frame rates over all else. The data suggests that High or Medium are the sweet spots for 1440p, providing a significant visual upgrade over Low while maintaining frame rates well above 100 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the situation becomes more constrained. The Ultra preset averages 63 FPS, which is on the edge of playability for a smooth experience. The High preset at 72 FPS is the recommended choice, as it provides a more stable 60+ FPS experience and likely looks nearly identical to Ultra without the most demanding effects. The Medium preset at 82 FPS, with a minimum of 69 FPS, is the best option for a consistently smooth 4K experience. The Low preset at 115 FPS is available but sacrifices too much visual fidelity for the resolution. Therefore, for 4K, the High preset offers the best balance, but users seeking the absolute smoothest experience should consider Medium.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand database of tested CPU and GPU combinations for Control, this pairing achieves a combo rank of 362 out of 2888 total combos. This places it in the top 12.5% of all tested systems. This is a strong result, indicating that the combination of the Ryzen 5 7500X3D and the RX 7900 XTX is well-matched for this game. The rank indicates the overall capability of the system, balancing the CPU's strong single-thread and cache performance with the GPU's high-end rasterization power.

While the rank is impressive, it also shows that there are many other combinations that outperform it. This is not surprising, as the 7900 XTX, while having a high launch MSRP of 999 USD, is not the absolute fastest card available. The data shows that the GPU's average benchmark score is 19410, and its percentile rank is 64, meaning it is better than 64% of GPUs. The fact that this combo ranks in the top 12.5% of systems in Control suggests that the game is more sensitive to the CPU's capabilities than some other titles. The 7500X3D's large L3 cache likely contributes to this, helping to keep the CPU from becoming a bottleneck even at lower resolutions. The combo rank of 362 is a clear indicator that this is a high-performance pairing, capable of delivering excellent frame rates in Control at all but the most demanding settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p with High settings for this combo?

A: The measured average FPS is 107 at 2560x1440 with the High preset.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K resolution?

A: The data shows a consistent FPS drop as resolution increases, indicating the GPU is the primary limiting factor at 3840x2160.

Q: What is the best preset for a 4K 60Hz monitor?

A: The High preset at 4K yields an average of 72 FPS, which is above 60 FPS, while the Medium preset offers 82 FPS for a more comfortable margin.

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

A: The Low preset achieves an average of 225 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 123 FPS, making Low approximately 102 FPS faster.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS recorded for the Medium preset at 2560x1440 is 103 FPS.

Q: Does this combo rank highly compared to other tested systems?

A: Yes, it ranks 362 out of 2888 tested combos, placing it in the top 12.5% of systems tested for Control.

Measured FPS Breakdown

This section provides the complete set of measured average FPS values for the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX combination in Control.

1920x1080

• Low: 225 FPS average
• Medium: 160 FPS average, 136 FPS min, 184 FPS max
• High: 142 FPS average
• Ultra: 123 FPS average

2560x1440

• Low: 170 FPS average
• Medium: 121 FPS average, 103 FPS min, 139 FPS max
• High: 107 FPS average
• Ultra: 93 FPS average

3840x2160

• Low: 115 FPS average
• Medium: 82 FPS average, 69 FPS min, 94 FPS max
• High: 72 FPS average
• Ultra: 63 FPS average

The data shows a consistent hierarchy, with the Low preset providing the highest frame rates and the Ultra preset the lowest. The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values, giving a more complete picture of frame pacing. All other presets only have average FPS data available.