Control

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti produces a distinctive performance profile in Control, one that shifts character dramatically depending on the resolution and quality preset selected. The measured data reveals a system where the GPU becomes the dominant constraint at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s strong single-threaded capability allows it to stretch its legs at 1080p. This analysis unpacks those results, placing them in context against the hardware's known benchmark standings and the broader pool of tested combinations.

Resolution Scaling

The most telling pattern in the measured FPS data is how performance degrades as resolution climbs from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 167.4 FPS at 1080p to 127.1 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 40.3 FPS. Moving further to 4K, the Low preset average falls to 86.9 FPS. That is a 48.1% drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, a substantial scaling penalty that points squarely at the GPU as the limiting factor. The RTX 3070 Ti, with its 8 GB of GDDR6X memory and 608.3 GB/s of bandwidth, is being pushed harder as pixel count increases, and the frame rate response reflects that workload.

At High settings, the scaling is even more pronounced. The 1080p average is 103.8 FPS, dropping to 80.8 FPS at 1440p and then to 51.9 FPS at 4K. The delta from 1080p to 4K here is 51.9 FPS, a 50% reduction. This suggests that at higher quality presets, the additional shading and texture work amplify the GPU’s load, making the resolution scaling steeper. The Ultra preset shows a similar trend: 91.3 FPS at 1080p, 67.6 FPS at 1440p, and 47.6 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1440p and 4K narrows at Ultra (20 FPS difference) compared to Low (40.2 FPS difference), which implies that at 4K Ultra, the system is approaching a performance floor where the GPU is saturated regardless of preset.

What does this say about the limiting component? The data strongly indicates the RTX 3070 Ti is the bottleneck across all resolutions. The CPU, a 6-core, 12-thread Zen 5 part with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, has ample headroom. At 1080p Low, the 167.4 FPS result is likely near the CPU’s practical limit for this game, but the fact that it can push that high while the GPU delivers 86.9 FPS at 4K Low shows the GPU is the one struggling to keep pace as resolution rises. The scaling pattern—where FPS drops disproportionately as pixel count increases—is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in Control?

A: The highest average is 167.4 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra compared to 1080p Ultra?

A: At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 47.6, while at 1080p Ultra it is 91.3. This represents a 43.7 FPS reduction, indicating a significant performance loss at higher resolution.

Q: Does lowering settings from Ultra to Low provide a larger FPS boost at 1440p or at 4K?

A: At 1440p, the jump from Ultra (67.6 FPS) to Low (127.1 FPS) adds 59.5 FPS. At 4K, the same settings change moves from 47.6 FPS to 86.9 FPS, an increase of 39.3 FPS. The absolute gain is larger at 1440p.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested combos in Control?

A: The combo ranks 638th out of 1636 tested combinations, placing it in the upper-middle portion of the field.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 Ti’s average benchmark score compare to its nearest rival?

A: The RTX 3070 Ti has an average benchmark score of 30849, which is 0.3% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 590 GME (score 30755) and 0.8% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6700 (score 31112).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to limit performance at 1080p Low?

A: At 1080p Low, the 167.4 FPS average suggests the CPU is doing substantial work, but the GPU still has to render every frame. Given the CPU’s single-thread score of 1253 in 3dmark, it is capable, but the frame rate is high enough that neither component is clearly saturated.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X brings six cores and twelve threads to the table, built on the Zen 5 architecture with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its cache layout includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 32 MB of shared L3. In Control, a game that is not heavily threaded, the CPU’s single-core performance is what matters most. The 3dmark single-thread score of 1253 and the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3603 both indicate strong per-core throughput. This is reflected in the measured FPS at lower resolutions, where the CPU has more influence.

At 1080p Low, the 167.4 FPS result is a clear sign that the CPU can feed frames quickly. The 3dmark 2-thread score of 2456 shows that even with just two threads active, the processor holds up well. Moving to 1080p Medium, the FPS drops to 118.2, and at High it falls to 103.8. These reductions are not due to the CPU suddenly becoming a bottleneck; rather, the GPU is taking on more work as settings increase. The CPU’s percentile rank of 85 among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 28246, places it slightly above the Intel Core i5-13490F (28173, deltaPct 0.3) and the AMD Ryzen 5 230 (28164, deltaPct 0.3). This means the 9600X is a competitive mid-range part, and in Control, its 12 threads provide enough parallel capacity for the game’s background tasks.

The L3 cache of 32 MB shared is relevant for a game like Control, which relies on streaming assets. The data shows that at 4K, the FPS differences between presets are narrower than at 1080p, which implies the CPU is not the limiting factor at high resolution. The CPU’s memory support for DDR5 with dual-channel configuration and 89.6 GB/s bandwidth ensures data can flow to the GPU without obvious stalls. In summary, the CPU role here is to provide a solid foundation, but the measured results show it rarely becomes the primary constraint.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Control, this pairing of the Ryzen 5 9600X and RTX 3070 Ti holds a rank of 638 out of 1636 combos. That places it in the top 39% of all tested systems, which is a respectable position given the hardware’s generation. The GPU percentile of 74 against all GPUs suggests the RTX 3070 Ti is a solid performer, while the CPU percentile of 85 is higher, indicating the processor is relatively stronger than the graphics card in this pairing.

The rank implies that in Control, this combo outperforms a majority of tested systems, but it is not near the top. The gap to higher-ranked combos likely comes from the GPU, as the RTX 3070 Ti’s 8 GB VRAM and 290 W TDP are mid-range by today’s standards. The nearest GPU rivals in terms of average benchmark score include the AMD Radeon RX 590 GME (0.3% higher score) and the AMD Radeon RX 6700 (-0.8% lower score). These rivals would likely produce similar FPS numbers in Control, so the combo’s rank is consistent with its GPU’s standing. The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i5-13490F and AMD Ryzen 5 230, are within 0.3% of the 9600X’s average score, meaning the processor is not giving up any meaningful advantage in this game.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience depends on the resolution target. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 103.8 FPS, which is well above the threshold for smooth gameplay on most displays. The Ultra preset at 1080p still offers 91.3 FPS, so for users with high refresh rate monitors, Ultra is viable without dropping below 90 FPS. The Medium preset at 118.2 FPS and Low at 167.4 FPS are also options, but High provides the best balance of visual fidelity and frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the High preset yields 80.8 FPS, which is playable but not exceptional. Medium preset offers 88.4 FPS, a modest improvement, while Low jumps to 127.1 FPS. For a smoother experience at 1440p, the Low or Medium presets are preferable, as High dips close to the 60 FPS line. The Ultra preset at 67.6 FPS is still above 60 FPS, but the margin is thin, and any demanding scene could push it lower.

For 3840x2160, the data shows that only the Low preset (86.9 FPS) provides a comfortable frame rate. Medium at 62.2 FPS is near the 60 FPS threshold, while High (51.9 FPS) and Ultra (47.6 FPS) fall below it. The recommendation for 4K is to use Low settings to maintain fluidity, or accept Medium if a 60 FPS cap is not required. The scaling suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor here, so lowering settings yields immediate gains.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The full set of measured results displays a clear hierarchy. At 1920x1080, the averages are: Low 167.4 FPS, Medium 118.2 FPS, High 103.8 FPS, and Ultra 91.3 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 76.1 FPS, showing how much headroom exists at this resolution. At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low 127.1 FPS, Medium 88.4 FPS, High 80.8 FPS, and Ultra 67.6 FPS. The spread narrows to 59.5 FPS, indicating the GPU is starting to constrain performance. At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low 86.9 FPS, Medium 62.2 FPS, High 51.9 FPS, and Ultra 47.6 FPS. The spread here is just 39.3 FPS, which means that at 4K, even dropping from Ultra to Low only recovers 39.3 FPS, a sign that the GPU is heavily loaded across all presets.

The relative drop from Low to Medium is consistent across resolutions: 49.2 FPS at 1080p, 38.7 FPS at 1440p, and 24.7 FPS at 4K. This diminishing return suggests that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and compute capacity are being taxed more at higher resolutions, making preset changes less effective. The High preset at 4K (51.9 FPS) is only 4.3 FPS slower than Medium (62.2 FPS), which is a small gap, but Ultra (47.6 FPS) is 4.3 FPS below High. The pattern indicates that the RTX 3070 Ti’s 8 GB VRAM may be a factor at 4K Ultra, where texture demands could exceed capacity.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is built on the Ampere architecture with a GA104 chip, manufactured on an 8 nm process at Samsung. It has 6144 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, along with 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores. The base clock is 1575 MHz with a boost clock of 1770 MHz. Its memory configuration is 8 GB of GDDR6X on a 256-bit bus, providing 608.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU’s FP32 performance is 21.75 TFLOPS, and its texture rate is 339.8 GTexel/s. These specs place it as a capable 1440p card, but the measured data in Control shows it struggles at 4K.

The GPU’s average benchmark score of 30849 puts it in the 74th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in terms of score are the AMD Radeon RX 590 GME (0.3% higher) and the AMD Radeon RX 6700 (-0.8% lower). The RTX 3070 Ti’s 8 GB VRAM is a potential limitation in Control at 4K Ultra, where the game’s textures and effects can demand more memory. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (47.6) versus 4K High (51.9) suggests that the Ultra preset’s additional features are not worth the performance cost, as the gain from High to Ultra is minimal in absolute terms.

The GPU’s pixel rate of 169.9 GPixel/s and texture rate of 339.8 GTexel/s explain why it can handle 1080p and 1440p well, but the 4K results show it is out of its depth. The bandwidth of 608.3 GB/s is sufficient for 1440p, but at 4K, the higher pixel count strains the memory system. The data implies that the RTX 3070 Ti is best suited for 1440p gaming in Control, where it can deliver over 80 FPS on High settings, while 4K requires significant compromises in quality. The GPU’s end-of-life production status and predecessor/successor lineage (GeForce 20 and GeForce 40) further contextualize its position as a mid-generation card that is now being outpaced by newer hardware.