Control

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 delivers a highly capable 1440p experience in Control, with the data showing that the Medium preset at 2560x1440 offers the best balance of visual fidelity and frame rate. This combo ranks in the 43rd percentile of all tested configurations for this title, indicating solid mid-pack performance that should satisfy most gamers looking for a smooth action-adventure experience.

Settings Recommendations

Benchmark results for this specific CPU-GPU combination reveal a clear sweet spot at the Medium preset. At 2560x1440, Medium settings produce an average of 85 FPS, which is a substantial improvement over the 76 FPS seen at High settings while still maintaining a visually rich experience. The jump from Medium to High costs 9 FPS, or roughly an 11% performance hit, which may not justify the marginal visual gains in a game as atmospheric as Control.

For those prioritizing maximum smoothness, the Low preset at 2560x1440 delivers 120 FPS, but this sacrifices too much of the game's signature lighting and particle effects. The Ultra preset, while visually impressive, drops the average to 66 FPS at 1440p, which introduces noticeable stutter in fast-paced combat sequences. The measured minimum of 72 FPS at Medium settings provides a comfortable buffer above the 60 FPS threshold, making this the recommended choice for consistent gameplay.

At 1920x1080, the Medium preset shines even brighter with an average of 112 FPS and a minimum of 96 FPS. This ensures that even during intense firefights with multiple enemies and destructible environments, the frame rate remains stable. The High preset at 1080p achieves 100 FPS, but the difference between Medium and High is only 12 FPS, suggesting that Medium offers the best performance-per-visual-quality ratio for this resolution.

The data indicates that 4K gaming is possible but requires compromises. At 3840x2160, Medium settings yield 57 FPS with a minimum of 49 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a game that demands quick reflexes. The Low preset at 4K reaches 81 FPS, but the visual downgrade is severe. For the optimal experience, sticking to 1440p Medium or 1080p Medium is the practical choice, as both provide well over 60 FPS with acceptable visual quality.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 serves as the primary driver of frame rates in Control, particularly at higher resolutions and settings. This GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The 5888 shading units and 184 texture mapping units provide substantial raw compute power, with a FP32 performance of 20.31 TFLOPS.

The GPU's clock speeds are notable: a base clock of 1500 MHz and a boost clock of 1725 MHz. These frequencies allow the RTX 3070 to maintain consistent performance across different scenes in Control, which features dynamic lighting and physics-based destruction that can tax the GPU unevenly. The 46 ray tracing cores are particularly relevant for this title, as Control was one of the early showcases for real-time ray tracing effects.

However, the 8 GB VRAM capacity becomes a limiting factor at 4K resolution with Ultra settings. The measured average of 44 FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra suggests that memory bandwidth and capacity constraints are impacting performance. The GPU's 96 raster operations pipelines (ROPs) handle pixel output at a rate of 165.6 GPixel/s, but the sheer number of pixels at 4K overwhelms the available resources.

The RTX 3070's performance percentile of 61 indicates it sits comfortably above the median GPU, but its nearest rivals show how tight the competition is. The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT scores 0.7% higher in average benchmarks, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 is 1% behind. This places the RTX 3070 in a competitive position, though it is not a standout performer. The GPU's passmark G3D score of 22214 reinforces its mid-to-upper tier standing.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a predictable scaling pattern across resolutions, but with some interesting nuances. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at Medium settings drops the average from 112 to 85 FPS, a 24% reduction. This is a relatively modest decrease, indicating that the GPU has sufficient headroom at 1080p to handle the increased pixel count at 1440p without significant strain.

The jump from 1440p to 4K is more dramatic. At Medium settings, the average falls from 85 to 57 FPS, a 33% reduction. This steeper drop suggests that the RTX 3070 is approaching its limits at 4K, with memory bandwidth becoming a bottleneck. The 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is substantial, but the 8 GB VRAM capacity may force texture streaming and asset loading to compete for resources at this resolution.

At High settings, the scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a 24% decrease (100 to 76 FPS), while the 1440p to 4K transition shows a 33% drop (76 to 51 FPS). This consistent pattern across settings indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, rather than the CPU. The Ryzen 5 8400F's 6 cores and 12 threads at boost clocks up to 4.70 GHz are sufficient to feed the GPU at all tested resolutions.

The Low preset shows the most efficient scaling, with 158 FPS at 1080p, 120 FPS at 1440p, and 81 FPS at 4K. This represents a 24% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 33% drop from 1440p to 4K, mirroring the other settings. The consistency of these percentages confirms that resolution scaling is primarily GPU-bound, with the CPU maintaining adequate frame delivery throughout.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 combination ranks 1607 out of 3720 tested configurations for Control, placing it in the 43rd percentile. This is a respectable position, indicating that this setup outperforms a majority of tested combos while remaining behind the top-tier configurations that typically feature flagship CPUs and GPUs.

This ranking suggests that the combo is well-balanced for this title, with neither component significantly bottlenecking the other. The CPU's average benchmark score of 25005 places it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU's average score of 17208 places it in the 61st percentile. The slight mismatch between CPU and GPU percentiles suggests that the CPU has more headroom than the GPU, which is typical for a mid-range GPU paired with a modern 6-core processor.

The rank of 1607 out of 3720 means that roughly 57% of tested combos perform better in Control. This is not a surprising result given the GPU's 61st percentile standing. The data shows that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can deliver high frame rates, rather than 4K gaming, where it struggles to maintain 60 FPS at higher settings.

In comparison to other combos, the CPU's nearest rivals provide context for its contribution. The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F scores 0.2% higher, while the Intel Core i7-11850H scores 0.3% higher. These marginal differences indicate that the 8400F is firmly in the mid-range CPU tier, with performance that is competitive but not class-leading.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F plays a supporting role in Control's performance, providing sufficient processing power to keep the GPU fed without becoming a bottleneck. This CPU features 6 cores and 12 threads, based on the Zen 4 architecture codenamed Phoenix, fabricated on a 4 nm process by TSMC. The base clock of 4.20 GHz and boost clock of 4.70 GHz ensure responsive performance in both single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads.

The CPU's benchmark results show strong multi-threaded capability, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 20851 and a single-core score of 2943. These scores indicate that the 8400F can handle the physics calculations and AI processing that Control demands. The game's destructible environments and telekinetic combat mechanics rely on CPU resources to calculate object interactions and enemy behavior.

However, the data suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor at any tested resolution or setting. The consistent FPS scaling across resolutions, with similar percentage drops from 1080p to 1440p to 4K, indicates that the GPU is the primary constraint. The CPU's 16 MB of shared L3 cache and 1 MB per core L2 cache provide fast access to frequently used data, reducing latency and improving frame pacing.

The Ryzen 5 8400F's 65 W TDP and socket AM5 compatibility make it an energy-efficient choice that pairs well with the RTX 3070's 220 W TDP. The CPU's 83.2 GB/s memory bandwidth on a dual-channel DDR5 interface ensures that data transfers between the CPU and memory do not create bottlenecks, even during intense gameplay sequences. The 4 nm manufacturing process contributes to the CPU's efficiency, allowing for high clock speeds without excessive power consumption.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers impressive frame rates across all settings. The Low preset averages 158 FPS, providing an exceptionally smooth experience for competitive play or high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium settings average 112 FPS with a minimum of 96 FPS and maximum of 129 FPS, offering a solid balance. High settings average 100 FPS, while Ultra settings average 87 FPS. These figures show that the RTX 3070 has ample headroom at 1080p, even with the most demanding settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance remains strong but shows the expected decline. Low settings average 120 FPS, which is still excellent for 1440p gaming. Medium settings average 85 FPS with a minimum of 72 FPS and maximum of 98 FPS, maintaining smooth gameplay. High settings average 76 FPS, while Ultra settings average 66 FPS. The minimum of 72 FPS at Medium settings provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold, ensuring consistent performance.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 3070 begins to show its limitations. Low settings average 81 FPS, which is playable but requires significant visual compromises. Medium settings average 57 FPS with a minimum of 49 FPS and maximum of 66 FPS, putting performance below the ideal 60 FPS target. High settings average 51 FPS, while Ultra settings average 44 FPS. These results indicate that 4K gaming is possible with this combo but requires lowering settings to Medium or below to achieve playable frame rates.

The frame time consistency, as indicated by the minimum FPS values at Medium settings, shows that the combo maintains stable performance without severe stuttering. At 1080p Medium, the minimum of 96 FPS ensures smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes. At 1440p Medium, the minimum of 72 FPS provides a good experience, while at 4K Medium, the minimum of 49 FPS may cause noticeable frame drops during intense action sequences. The data overall demonstrates that this combo is best suited for 1440p gaming at Medium to High settings, where it delivers a consistently smooth experience that takes full advantage of the RTX 3070's capabilities.