Control

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination delivers a commanding performance profile in Control, a title that clearly favors high refresh rate displays. The data shows a system that rarely struggles, even at 4K, and utterly dominates at 1080p and 1440p. The measured results indicate that this pairing is exceptionally well-balanced for this game, with neither component acting as a significant bottleneck across the tested settings.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The performance degradation from 1080p to 4K is substantial but expected for a title with Control's visual fidelity. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 156 FPS at 1920x1080 to 118 FPS at 2560x1440, a 24.4% decrease, and then further down to 79 FPS at 3840x2160, a 33.1% drop from the 1440p figure. This scaling pattern is textbook GPU-bound behavior; as the pixel count increases, the workload on the graphics card grows disproportionately, forcing the frame rate down.

The Low settings preset reveals an even more telling story. Here, the 1080p average is 234 FPS, which falls to 186 FPS at 1440p and then to 126 FPS at 4K. The fact that the 4K Low result (126 FPS) is still higher than the 1080p Ultra result (135 FPS) but lower than the 1080p High result (156 FPS) suggests that at lower settings, the frame rate is still primarily dictated by the GPU's rendering capabilities, though the gap between resolutions narrows as the settings become less demanding.

What is particularly interesting is the frame rate consistency at 4K. The Medium preset at 3840x2160 yields an average of 89 FPS with a minimum of 76 FPS and a maximum of 103 FPS. This 27 FPS spread between the minimum and maximum is relatively narrow, indicating a stable experience. The data implies that at this resolution, the system is not hitting a hard CPU wall, but rather riding the GPU's performance curve. If the processor were the limiting factor, we would likely see a smaller difference between the 1440p and 4K results, as the CPU workload does not scale with resolution in the same way. The significant drops observed point to the RTX 4080 being the primary constraint at 4K, a logical conclusion given its role in pixel processing.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 Raphael architecture, with a base clock of 4.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.50 GHz. Its defining feature is the large 96 MB of shared L3 cache. In a game like Control, which features complex physics and environmental interactions, this cache is crucial for keeping frequently accessed data close to the cores, reducing latency and improving frame pacing.

The processor's Passmark multi-thread score is 25047, and its single-thread score is 3494. The single-thread performance is particularly relevant for gaming, as many game engines, including the one powering Control, rely heavily on a few primary threads. The data suggests this CPU is more than capable of feeding the RTX 4080. At 1080p High, the system achieves 156 FPS, and at Low settings, it reaches 234 FPS. These high frame rates indicate that the CPU is not bottlenecking the GPU, even in less demanding settings where the CPU's role becomes more prominent.

The benchmark results show the 7500X3D outperforms its nearest rivals in aggregate average score (44573). It sits 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H and 0.5% ahead of the Intel Core i9-13950HX. This competitive positioning implies that the CPU's combination of cache and clock speed provides a solid foundation for high-refresh-rate gaming. The data implies that the processor's role in this particular setup is to ensure that the GPU is consistently fed with data, allowing it to operate at its full potential. The high frame rates at 1080p, where CPU overhead is most impactful, are a direct indicator of the 7500X3D's strength in this scenario.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is a powerhouse built on the Ada Lovelace architecture. With 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, it offers substantial bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. In Control, which features high-resolution textures and complex visual effects, this memory capacity is likely not a limiting factor, allowing the GPU to operate without worrying about data spillover. The core clocks are robust, with a base of 2205 MHz and a boost of 2505 MHz, which translate to a high pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 761.5 GTexel/s.

The GPU's raw compute power is evident in its 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. This is the engine that drives the frame rates seen in the data. At 4K Ultra, the GPU manages an average of 69 FPS, which is a playable result for a demanding title. However, the scaling from Ultra to High at 4K (69 to 79 FPS) shows that the GPU is sensitive to the increased shading and post-processing load. The most significant jump comes from dropping to Low settings, where the 4K average leaps to 126 FPS, indicating that the GPU has significant headroom when the visual load is reduced.

The RTX 4080's Passmark G3D score is 34457, and its average benchmark score is 54247, placing it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. It rivals the RTX 4080 SUPER, with a deltaPct of just 0.1% higher average score for the SUPER. This indicates that the 4080 is at the top of its class. The data suggests that the GPU is the primary driver of performance scaling in Control. The differences between resolutions and settings are all within the GPU's domain, and the CPU is powerful enough to avoid interfering with its output. The 16 GB of VRAM provides a comfortable buffer for the game's assets, ensuring that texture streaming does not cause stutters.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo achieves in Control?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 234 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low settings preset.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K with the Ultra preset?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the system produces an average frame rate of 69 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the limiting factor at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the frame rates range from 102 FPS on Ultra to 186 FPS on Low. The significant spread suggests the GPU is the primary factor, as CPU load is relatively constant across settings.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between High and Medium settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset yields 118 FPS, while the Medium preset yields 132 FPS, a difference of 14 FPS.

Q: How much faster is the RTX 4080 compared to the RTX 4080 SUPER in synthetic benchmarks?

A: According to the average benchmark scores, the RTX 4080 SUPER is 0.1% faster than the RTX 4080.

Q: What is the minimum frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest minimum frame rate recorded in the measured data is 76 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 with Medium settings.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Analyzing the measured data, the optimal balance between visual fidelity and performance appears to be the High preset. At 1440p, the High preset delivers 118 FPS, which is a significant upgrade from the Ultra preset's 102 FPS while still providing a visually rich experience compared to Medium's 132 FPS. The jump from Medium to High is only a 14 FPS drop, but the visual improvement in Control is typically substantial due to enhanced reflections and shadows. Therefore, High is the sweet spot for most users.

At 4K, the choice is more nuanced. The High preset gives 79 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. However, the Ultra preset drops to 69 FPS, which is still playable but may be less consistent. The Medium preset offers 89 FPS, which provides more headroom. For a 4K display, the data suggests that High is the best choice for a quality experience, as it provides a 10 FPS advantage over Ultra and is likely visually close to it. If a player prioritizes frame rate stability, dropping to Medium at 4K yields a comfortable 89 FPS average with a min of 76 FPS.

For competitive or high-refresh-rate gaming at 1080p, the Low preset achieves 234 FPS, which is ideal for a 240Hz monitor. The Ultra preset at 1080p still provides a high 135 FPS, making it a viable option for those with a 144Hz display who want the best visuals. The data indicates that the Low preset is for maximum frame rate, Ultra is for maximum quality, and High is the recommended middle ground for general play.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

1920x1080:

• Ultra: Average frame rate is 135 FPS.
• High: Average frame rate is 156 FPS.
• Medium: Average frame rate is 175 FPS, with a minimum of 149 FPS and a maximum of 201 FPS.
• Low: Average frame rate is 234 FPS.

2560x1440:

• Ultra: Average frame rate is 102 FPS.
• High: Average frame rate is 118 FPS.
• Medium: Average frame rate is 132 FPS, with a minimum of 113 FPS and a maximum of 152 FPS.
• Low: Average frame rate is 186 FPS.

3840x2160:

• Ultra: Average frame rate is 69 FPS.
• High: Average frame rate is 79 FPS.
• Medium: Average frame rate is 89 FPS, with a minimum of 76 FPS and a maximum of 103 FPS.
• Low: Average frame rate is 126 FPS.

The progression from 1080p to 4K shows a consistent reduction in frame rates across all settings. The data also reveals that the Medium preset at each resolution provides a stable frame time, as indicated by the minimum and maximum values being relatively close to the average. This suggests that the Medium preset is well-optimized for this hardware combination.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific configuration of the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 306th out of 3720 tested combos in Control. This places it in the top 8.2% of all tested systems. This is a strong ranking, indicating that this pairing is among the higher-performing configurations for this game. The data shows that the combination of a high-cache Zen 4 processor and a top-tier Ada Lovelace GPU is effective in Control.

The ranking of 306 out of 3720 suggests that while this is a very fast system, there are still 305 other combinations that perform better. Given the CPU's 89th percentile ranking and the GPU's 86th percentile ranking, the combo's position in the top 8.2% aligns with the individual component strengths. The data implies that the system is not an absolute top-tier contender, likely because other combos feature even more powerful CPUs or GPUs, or a more optimal pairing. However, the performance is clearly excellent, and the system is well above the median tested setup. The high ranking confirms that users of this combo can expect a high-quality experience in Control, with frame rates that are suitable for high refresh rate monitors at 1440p and solid 4K performance.