Control

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and Radeon RX 7900 XTX combination secures the 536th position out of 3,720 tested combos in Control, placing it in the top 15% of all paired configurations. This is a formidable standing for a game that heavily taxes both processor and graphics subsystems. The ranking demonstrates that this pairing is not merely functional but is positioned to deliver a premium experience, with the high-end GPU ensuring that visual fidelity does not come at the cost of playability. The data indicates that the combination is well-balanced for this title, as the 8400F’s six Zen 4 cores are sufficient to feed the massive RDNA 3.0 GPU, preventing the CPU from becoming a bottleneck at the resolutions where the GPU is most stressed.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 536 out of 3,720 tested configurations signals a top-tier result, placing it well within the top 15% of all possible pairings in this database. This is a strong indicator that the system is purpose-built for high-refresh-rate gaming in Control, as it outperforms the vast majority of other CPU/GPU combinations. The data suggests that the pairing is highly synergistic, with the Ryzen 5 8400F’s processing power being more than adequate to support the Radeon RX 7900 XTX, ensuring that the GPU can operate near its full potential without being starved of data.

Looking at the CPU’s standalone performance, the Ryzen 5 8400F holds a 77th percentile ranking among all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 25,005 places it in close competition with the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F, which scores 24,964, a mere 0.2% difference. This indicates that the 8400F is a capable modern processor, and its performance is nearly identical to its sibling, the 7500F. The GPU, while ranking in the 64th percentile among all GPUs, has an average benchmark score of 19,410, which is surprisingly close to that of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB, a much older and lower-tier card. This is a critical data point, as it suggests that the RX 7900 XTX’s raw compute benchmarks may not fully reflect its gaming capabilities in this specific title, or that the benchmark suite used here is not fully optimized for its architecture.

The in-game results, however, are what truly matter. The measured FPS data shows that this combo excels at delivering high frame rates, even at maximum settings. The CPU’s performance, particularly its multi-threaded capabilities as shown by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 20,851, ensures that the game's physics and AI calculations are handled with ease. Meanwhile, the GPU’s massive memory bandwidth and high clock speeds are the primary drivers of the excellent frame rates observed. The combination of a 77th percentile CPU and a 64th percentile GPU results in a system that ranks in the 86th percentile (536/3720) for this game, proving that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts in this specific workload.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is the undisputed powerhouse in this pairing, and its specifications make it exceptionally well-suited for Control. The GPU is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture and features a staggering 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s. This immense memory bandwidth is crucial for high-resolution textures and complex shaders, which Control is known for. The GPU’s clock speeds are equally impressive, with a base clock of 1929 MHz, a game clock of 2365 MHz, and a boost clock of 2498 MHz, allowing it to sustain high performance under sustained load.

The data shows that the GPU’s capabilities are the deciding factor in this game's performance. At 4K resolution, the average frame rate scales directly with the graphical preset, from 115 FPS at Low settings down to 63 FPS at Ultra. This pattern is a classic indicator of a GPU-bound scenario, where the processor is not the limiting factor. The GPU is equipped with 96 ray tracing cores, which are essential for the game's advanced lighting effects, and while the benchmark data does not explicitly test ray tracing, the sheer compute power of the 61.39 TFLOPS FP32 performance ensures that enabling these features won't cripple the system.

Interestingly, the GPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the NVIDIA Quadro K5200 and AMD FirePro D300, which are professional workstation cards, and the NVIDIA TITAN Xp. The RX 7900 XTX outperforms the TITAN Xp by 1.2% and the Quadro K5200 by 1%, while the FirePro D300 is 1.2% ahead. This grouping is unusual, as these are not direct gaming competitors, but it underscores the GPU's raw compute power. In the context of Control, this power translates to the ability to push high frame rates at 1440p and 4K with minimal compromise, as evidenced by the measured FPS data. The GPU's 192 ROPs and 384 TMUs ensure that pixel fill rate and texture filtering are never bottlenecks, even at the highest settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combination depend entirely on the target resolution and refresh rate. For a 1080p display, the High preset is the clear sweet spot, delivering an average of 142 FPS. This is a significant jump from the 123 FPS seen at Ultra, and it is likely that the visual difference between High and Ultra is minor compared to the ~15% performance gain. For players with 144Hz or 165Hz monitors, the High preset is the best choice to maximize smoothness without sacrificing much visual quality. The Medium preset offers 160 FPS, but the jump from Medium to High only costs 18 FPS, making High the better value for visual fidelity.

At 1440p, the High preset again provides the best balance, with an average of 107 FPS. This is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold and is perfectly suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at this resolution. The Ultra preset drops to 93 FPS, which is still playable, but the 14 FPS difference between High and Ultra suggests that High is the more sensible choice for maintaining a higher frame rate. The Low preset at 1440p yields 170 FPS, but the visual downgrade is likely too severe for a GPU of this caliber; the data shows that High is the point where performance and quality converge.

For 4K gaming, the situation changes slightly. The High preset delivers 72 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS target for a smooth experience. The Medium preset offers 82 FPS, providing a better safety margin for demanding scenes, but the visual difference between Medium and High is often more pronounced at higher resolutions. The Ultra preset, at 63 FPS, is still playable, but it leaves no headroom for frame drops. The data strongly suggests that the High preset at 4K is the recommended choice, as it provides a balanced experience. The Medium preset is a viable alternative for those who prioritize frame rate stability over absolute visual fidelity, especially given the min FPS of 69 recorded at Medium, which is higher than the average at Ultra.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data reveals a clear performance hierarchy across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo is heavily GPU-bound, and the CPU is left with ample headroom. The Low preset averages 225 FPS, which is an exceptional result that showcases the raw power of the RX 7900 XTX. Moving up the settings, the Medium preset averages 160 FPS with a minimum of 136 FPS and a maximum of 184 FPS, indicating a stable performance profile. The High preset drops to 142 FPS, and the Ultra preset settles at 123 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 102 FPS difference, demonstrating that the game's settings have a massive impact on performance, but even at the most demanding settings, the frame rate remains well above 120 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains excellent, though the frame rates begin to show more variation between settings. The Low preset averages 170 FPS, which is a significant drop from the 225 FPS at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is working harder. The Medium preset averages 121 FPS, with a minimum of 103 FPS and a maximum of 139 FPS, providing a smooth and consistent experience. The High preset averages 107 FPS, which is a 14 FPS drop from Medium, and the Ultra preset averages 93 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra is a 77 FPS drop, showing that the higher resolution amplifies the cost of each setting tier. The min FPS of 103 at Medium is particularly notable, as it suggests that even in demanding scenes, the frame rate is unlikely to dip below the 100 FPS mark.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is pushed to its limits, and the frame rates are more moderate. The Low preset averages 115 FPS, which is still a very playable frame rate for 4K. The Medium preset averages 82 FPS, with a minimum of 69 FPS and a maximum of 94 FPS. This shows that while the average is solid, there is potential for frame drops in intense sequences. The High preset averages 72 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 63 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra is a 52 FPS drop, which is less steep than at lower resolutions, but the absolute values are closer to the 60 FPS baseline. The data at 4K shows that the combo is still capable of a high-refresh-rate experience at lower settings, but demands a compromise between visual fidelity and frame rate at the higher presets.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K provides critical insight into the system's bottleneck. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 142 at 1080p to 107 at 1440p, a 35 FPS decrease, and then to 72 at 4K, another 35 FPS decrease. This shows a roughly linear scaling with the number of pixels, which is typical for a GPU-bound workload. The data suggests that the Radeon RX 7900 XTX is the primary limiting factor, as the frame rate drops in proportion to the increased rendering load. The CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is able to keep up with the GPU's demands at all resolutions, as evidenced by the fact that the FPS does not plateau or drop disproportionately at lower resolutions.

At Low settings, the pattern is more revealing. The FPS drops from 225 at 1080p to 170 at 1440p, a 55 FPS decrease, and then to 115 at 4K, another 55 FPS decrease. This shows that even when the graphical load is minimized, the GPU is still the limiting factor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see the FPS at 1080p Low to be much higher, potentially capping out at a CPU-limited ceiling. However, the data shows no such ceiling, as the FPS continues to scale with resolution. This indicates that the Ryzen 5 8400F is not holding back the system, and the RX 7900 XTX is operating at its full potential.

The scaling for Medium and Ultra presets follows a similar trend. At Medium, the FPS drops from 160 at 1080p to 121 at 1440p, and then to 82 at 4K. At Ultra, the FPS drops from 123 at 1080p to 93 at 1440p, and then to 63 at 4K. In all cases, the FPS decreases by a consistent amount as the resolution increases, which is a hallmark of a GPU-bound system. The consistent scaling across all presets confirms that the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F, with its Zen 4 architecture and 16 MB of shared L3 cache, provides sufficient processing power to avoid becoming a bottleneck in Control. The system's performance is entirely dictated by the RX 7900 XTX's ability to render frames, which is exactly what a user would expect from this high-end pairing.

FAQ

Q: What is the combo's overall standing for this game?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX combination ranks 536th out of 3,720 tested combos, placing it in the top 15% of all configurations tested for Control.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival?

A: The Ryzen 5 8400F has an average benchmark score of 25,005, which is only 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F's score of 24,964. This indicates they have nearly identical processing power.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 1440p monitor?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers an average of 107 FPS, which is the best balance of visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset is 14 FPS slower at 93 FPS, making High the recommended choice.

Q: Is the system capable of 4K gaming?

A: Yes, at 3840x2160, the High preset averages 72 FPS, and the Medium preset averages 82 FPS. Both are above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, though the Ultra preset at 63 FPS leaves less headroom.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary limiting factor. The FPS scales consistently with resolution across all presets, and there is no sign of a CPU-imposed frame rate ceiling, even at 1080p Low where the average is 225 FPS.

Q: How much memory bandwidth does the GPU have?

A: The Radeon RX 7900 XTX features 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s, which is crucial for high-resolution textures in Control.