Control

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT combination delivers a playable yet demanding 1080p experience in Control, with performance scaling that clearly identifies the GPU as the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The data shows a 6-core, 12-thread Zen 4 processor with a 4.20 GHz base and 4.70 GHz boost clock, paired with an RDNA 1.0 GPU featuring 2560 shading units and an 8 GB GDDR6 memory pool.

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

The Ryzen 5 8400F provides 6 cores and 12 threads, a configuration that proves sufficient for Control's action-adventure demands. Its Zen 4 architecture, built on a 4 nm process, delivers strong single-thread performance, evidenced by a 3dmark_single_thread score of 951 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2943. This matters because Control relies heavily on consistent frame pacing rather than extreme multi-threaded scaling.

The processor’s 16 MB of shared L3 cache and 83.2 GB/s memory bandwidth support the game’s asset streaming without creating a visible constraint. Benchmark results indicate the CPU is rarely the limiting factor in this pairing. The 8400F’s passmark_multithread score of 24530 places it well above average, but Control’s engine does not push thread counts to the point where the 12 threads become a liability.

At 1080p with Low settings, the combo reaches 117 FPS, suggesting the CPU can feed the GPU adequately. However, as resolution increases, the frame rate drops proportionally more than CPU capability would dictate, pointing to the GPU taking over the workload. The CPU’s 82nd percentile ranking among all processors further confirms it holds its own, while the GPU sits at the 68th percentile, a gap that foreshadows the bottleneck direction.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific pairing ranks 1191 out of 1636 tested combinations in Control, placing it in the lower third of all systems benchmarked. That ranking reflects the GPU’s age more than the CPU’s capability. The Ryzen 5 8400F’s nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X with an average score of 25057 and a 0% delta, and the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F at 24993 with a 0.3% delta. These close margins show the 8400F is competitive within its CPU class.

The GPU tells a different story. The RX 5700 XT’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile at 24763 (-0.1% delta) and the Intel Arc A350M at 24647 (0.3% delta). The GPU’s passmark_g3d score of 16277 and 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 2134 indicate it lags behind modern counterparts, dragging the overall combo ranking down. The rank of 1191 out of 1636 suggests that while the CPU is mid-pack, the GPU pulls the system’s overall standing lower.

In practical terms, this combo sits in the company of older or lower-tier hardware, meaning users should expect 1080p performance to be acceptable but 4K to be a stretch. The data shows a clear split: the CPU ranks near peers like the EPYC 9474F (25103, -0.2% delta), but the GPU’s standing relative to its rivals explains why the combo does not break into the upper echelons of the database.

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

The measured FPS reveals a steep resolution penalty that isolates the GPU as the bottleneck. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 76.6 FPS at 1080p to 57.6 FPS at 1440p, a 24.8% drop. Moving to 4K, the same High preset yields only 37.4 FPS, a further 35.1% decline from 1440p. This scaling pattern is classic GPU-bound behavior; a CPU-limited system would show smaller percentage drops as resolution rises.

The Low preset demonstrates the same trend with more headroom. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 117 FPS, dropping to 87.6 FPS at 1440p and 61.8 FPS at 4K. The 4K Low figure still exceeds 60 FPS, indicating the GPU can handle lighter loads even at high pixel counts, but the 47.2% total drop from 1080p to 4K underscores the hardware’s limits.

Ultra settings exaggerate the bottleneck. The 1080p Ultra average of 64.7 FPS falls to 49.6 FPS at 1440p (a 23.3% drop) and then to 34.1 FPS at 4K (a 31.2% drop from 1440p). The consistent pattern across all presets confirms that the RX 5700 XT’s 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth cannot sustain frame rates as pixel count grows, regardless of how much CPU headroom remains.

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

At 1920x1080, the data shows a usable range across presets. Low settings deliver 117 FPS average, Medium drops to 82.3 FPS, High reaches 76.6 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 64.7 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 52.3 FPS, a significant spread that gives players flexibility. All 1080p presets exceed 60 FPS, making this resolution the sweet spot for this hardware.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance becomes more selective. Low settings still manage 87.6 FPS, but Medium falls to 65.2 FPS, High to 57.6 FPS, and Ultra to 49.6 FPS. The 1440p Ultra figure drops below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that only Low and Medium presets provide smooth gameplay at this resolution. The 38 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p mirrors the 1080p spread but at lower absolute values.

At 3840x2160, the GPU struggles. Low settings average 61.8 FPS, barely hitting playable territory, while Medium drops to 41 FPS, High to 37.4 FPS, and Ultra to 34.1 FPS. The 4K Low result is the only preset above 60 FPS, and even that margin is thin. The data shows a clear tiered structure: 1080p for high-refresh play, 1440p for balanced quality, and 4K only viable at Low settings.

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

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Control?

A: 1920x1080 is the only resolution where all four presets exceed 60 FPS, with Low at 117 FPS, Medium at 82.3 FPS, High at 76.6 FPS, and Ultra at 64.7 FPS.

Q: Can the RX 5700 XT handle 4K in this game?

A: Only at Low settings, which average 61.8 FPS. Medium drops to 41 FPS, High to 37.4 FPS, and Ultra to 34.1 FPS, all below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 8400F compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The 8400F scores 25064 on average, matching the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X at 25057 (0% delta) and slightly edging the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F at 24993 (0.3% delta).

Q: What is the GPU’s standing relative to its peers?

A: The RX 5700 XT has an average benchmark score of 24731, sitting just below the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile at 24763 (-0.1% delta) and above the Intel Arc A350M at 24647 (0.3% delta).

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at 1080p?

A: No, the data shows 117 FPS at Low settings and 76.6 FPS at High, indicating the CPU can keep up; the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases.

Q: What is the combo’s overall rank among tested systems?

A: This pairing ranks 1191 out of 1636 tested combos in Control, placing it in the lower third of all configurations.

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

For 1080p, the High preset at 76.6 FPS offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, as it stays well above 60 FPS while providing better quality than Medium’s 82.3 FPS. Ultra at 64.7 FPS is viable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. Low at 117 FPS is overkill for standard 60 Hz monitors but suits high-refresh displays.

At 1440p, Medium at 65.2 FPS is the recommended choice, as it is the highest preset that maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. High at 57.6 FPS dips below the threshold, and Ultra at 49.6 FPS is not smooth enough for action sequences. Low at 87.6 FPS sacrifices too much visual quality for the gain.

For 4K, only Low at 61.8 FPS is playable. Medium at 41 FPS and above (High at 37.4 FPS, Ultra at 34.1 FPS) fall into unplayable territory for a game requiring quick reactions. The data suggests either accepting Low at 4K or dropping to 1440p for better quality.

The overall best experience is 1080p High, which offers a 76.6 FPS average that balances the GPU’s strengths with acceptable visual detail. Players prioritizing frame rate over looks can use Medium at 1440p, but the 1080p High preset remains the most consistent performer across the measured rows.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT’s 8 GB GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which proves adequate for Control at 1080p but becomes strained at higher resolutions. The GPU’s 1605 MHz base clock and 1905 MHz boost clock, along with a game clock of 1755 MHz, deliver a peak FP32 throughput of 9.754 TFLOPS. These specifications place it in the mid-range segment, confirmed by its 68th percentile ranking among all GPUs.

The 2560 shading units and 160 TMUs handle Control’s particle effects and physics-based combat, but the 64 ROPs limit pixel fill at 4K. The pixel rate of 121.9 GPixel/s and texture rate of 304.8 GTexel/s explain why 4K Ultra at 34.1 FPS is the lowest measured result. The GPU’s 225 W TDP and 550 W suggested PSU indicate it draws significant power for its class.

The GPU’s passmark_g3d score of 16277 and geekbench_opencl score of 77773 show it performs competently in synthetic benchmarks, but Control’s real-world demands expose its age. The 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 2134 is notably low, suggesting DirectX 12 workloads are not a strength. The 14 Gbps effective memory speed helps at 1080p, but the data confirms the RX 5700 XT is the limiting factor in this pairing, with the CPU offering headroom that the GPU cannot utilize at higher resolutions.