Control

Control on the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and AMD Radeon RX 580 is a study in bottleneck dynamics, where the GPU’s age and the CPU’s solid multi-threaded foundation create a performance ceiling that shifts dramatically with resolution. The data shows a system that can deliver playable frame rates at 1080p with settings adjustments, but one that struggles to maintain consistency as pixel count climbs, revealing a component pairing where the graphics card is almost always the limiting factor.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 exposes a severe performance cliff, with average frame rates nearly halving at every settings tier. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 40 at 1080p to 30 at 2560x1440, a 25% reduction, before falling further to 20 at 4K, which represents a 50% total loss from the starting point. This scaling pattern is a textbook indicator of a GPU-bound scenario, as the RX 580’s 256-bit memory bus and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth are simply overwhelmed by the 4K pixel throughput.

Low settings tell a similar story but with a slightly different slope. The average FPS at 1080p Low is 63, which is already a solid playable number, but this drops to 48 at 1440p and then plummets to 32 at 4K. The 33% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, followed by a 33% reduction from 1440p to 4K, indicates that even at the lowest graphical fidelity, the GPU’s raw pixel fill rate—capped at 42.88 GPixel/s—is the primary constraint. The CPU, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, is not the limiting factor here; the data suggests it has ample headroom to feed the GPU at lower resolutions.

The gap between settings tiers widens as resolution increases, which is a clear sign of the memory subsystem struggling. At 4K, the spread between Low (32 FPS) and Ultra (18 FPS) is 14 FPS, whereas at 1080p, the spread is 28 FPS (from 63 to 35). This compression of performance at higher resolutions means that reducing settings yields diminishing returns; the GPU is so saturated that even dropping from High to Low only recovers 12 FPS at 4K, compared to a 23 FPS recovery at 1080p. This indicates that at 4K, the bottleneck is not the shader complexity but the memory bandwidth and fill rate.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of 3,720 tested combos for Control, this pairing of the Ryzen 7 3700X and RX 580 ranks at 3,399th place. This places it in the bottom 9% of all tested configurations, a position that reflects the GPU’s age more than the CPU’s capability. The RX 580’s percentileVsAllGpus of 53 indicates it sits just above the median for all GPUs, but in a modern title like Control, that mid-pack standing translates to poor results at higher resolutions.

The rank is heavily influenced by the GPU’s performance ceiling. The CPU’s percentileVsAllCpus of 84 shows it is in the top 16% of all processors, but this advantage is negated by the GPU’s inability to keep pace. The deltaPct values for the GPU’s nearest rivals are telling: the RX 580’s average benchmark score of 12,928 is only 0.1% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile and 0.4% behind the GTX 1660 SUPER, but it is 0.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon 740M. This clustering indicates that the RX 580 is competitive with entry-level modern GPUs, but none of these are designed for 4K gaming.

The combo’s rank of 3,399 suggests that users would need to pair this CPU with a significantly stronger GPU to move up the leaderboard. The CPU’s nearest rivals—the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350, AMD EPYC 4244P, Intel Core i5-13450HX, and Intel Core Ultra 7 165H—all have average scores within 0.5% of the 3700X, confirming that the processor is not the weak link. The bottleneck is unequivocally the RX 580, and any upgrade path would prioritize replacing the graphics card before the CPU.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is a Zen 2 (Matisse) part built on a 7 nm TSMC process, featuring 8 cores and 16 threads with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. This configuration provides substantial multi-threaded throughput, as evidenced by its Cinebench R15 multicore score of 2,092 and Geekbench multicore score of 8,899. For a game like Control, which is known to scale with multiple threads, this CPU provides a solid foundation that does not bottleneck the GPU at the tested settings.

The data supports this conclusion through the scaling analysis. At 1080p Low, the system hits 63 FPS, which is a reasonable frame rate, but the fact that this does not scale higher suggests the GPU is already at its limit. If the CPU were the constraint, we would expect to see a more significant drop in FPS when moving from Low to Ultra at the same resolution, but the data shows a smooth degradation from 63 to 35 FPS, which is consistent with GPU-bound rendering. The CPU’s Passmark multithread score of 22,458 and single-thread score of 2,656 indicate a balanced performance profile that handles game logic and draw calls without issue.

The L3 cache of 32 MB and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for feeding the GPU. The CPU’s 16 threads ensure that background processes and game threads do not compete for resources. However, the PCIe Gen 4 interface, while backward compatible, does not provide any benefit to the RX 580, which uses PCIe 3.0 x16. In this context, the CPU is a silent partner—it does its job efficiently, but the RX 580’s 6.175 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 193.0 GTexel/s texture rate are the hard limits on the system’s gaming capability.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best results, but they are still modest. The Low preset achieves an average of 63 FPS, which is the only setting that reaches a consistently smooth 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset drops to 45 FPS with a minimum of 38 and a maximum of 51, indicating some frame pacing inconsistency. High settings yield 40 FPS, while Ultra bottoms out at 35 FPS. These numbers suggest that 1080p is the only resolution where this combo can approach a playable experience, and even then, only at the lowest settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates become marginal. Low settings average 48 FPS, which is playable but not ideal. Medium drops to 34 FPS (min 29, max 39), High to 30 FPS, and Ultra to 26 FPS. The data shows that at 1440p, the system is only suitable for Low settings if the user prioritizes frame rate over visual fidelity. The minimum FPS of 29 at Medium settings indicates that the system will dip below 30 FPS in demanding scenes, which can cause noticeable stuttering.

At 3840x2160, the results are poor across the board. Low settings average 32 FPS, which is technically playable but feels sluggish. Medium averages 23 FPS (min 19, max 26), High drops to 20 FPS, and Ultra falls to 18 FPS. These numbers are below the threshold for smooth gameplay, and the minimum FPS of 19 at Medium confirms that the system will struggle to maintain even a slideshow-like consistency. The RX 580’s 8 GB of GDDR5 memory is sufficient for capacity, but the 256.0 GB/s bandwidth is insufficient for 4K textures and effects.

The Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data across all resolutions, providing insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p, the variance is 13 FPS (38 to 51), which is acceptable. At 1440p, the variance is 10 FPS (29 to 39), and at 4K, it is 7 FPS (19 to 26). This shrinking variance at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is consistently saturated, with no headroom to burst to higher frame rates. The system is hitting a hard wall at 4K.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Control at 60 FPS?

A: The data shows that only the 1920x1080 Low preset achieves an average of 63 FPS. All other tested settings and resolutions fall below 60 FPS, with 1440p Low averaging 48 FPS and 4K Low averaging 32 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the system can achieve a playable average frame rate above 40 FPS on any setting. At 2560x1440, only the Low preset exceeds 45 FPS, while 3840x2160 results in averages below 33 FPS on all settings.

Q: How does the RX 580 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RX 580’s average benchmark score of 12,928 is 0.1% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile and 0.4% lower than the GTX 1660 SUPER, but it is 0.5% higher than the AMD Radeon 740M and 0.6% higher than the AMD FirePro W5100.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 3700X a bottleneck for the RX 580?

A: No. The CPU’s percentileVsAllCpus of 84 and its benchmark scores indicate it has sufficient headroom. The GPU’s percentileVsAllGpus of 53 and the FPS scaling pattern show the RX 580 is the limiting component.

Q: Should I use Medium or High settings at 1080p?

A: The data shows Medium averages 45 FPS with a minimum of 38, while High averages 40 FPS. Medium provides a 5 FPS average advantage and a better minimum frame rate, making it the more consistent choice for 1080p.

Q: What is the minimum FPS at 4K Medium?

A: The measured data shows a minimum FPS of 19 at 3840x2160 with Medium settings, with an average of 23 FPS and a maximum of 26 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the only viable configuration for a smooth experience is 1920x1080 with the Low preset, which averages 63 FPS. This is the sole setting that clears the 60 FPS threshold, providing a responsive foundation for gameplay. Users who prioritize visual quality over frame rate can consider 1080p Medium, which averages 45 FPS with a minimum of 38 FPS, but this comes with a noticeable reduction in smoothness.

For those willing to tolerate sub-60 FPS, the 2560x1440 Low preset at 48 FPS is the best option at that resolution, as it offers a significant resolution upgrade over 1080p while maintaining a playable average. However, the minimum FPS data is not available for this preset, so users should be prepared for potential dips. The 4K resolution is not recommended for any settings, as even the Low preset at 32 FPS feels unresponsive, and the Ultra preset at 18 FPS is a slideshow.

The High and Ultra presets are only suitable for 1080p, with averages of 40 FPS and 35 FPS respectively. These settings offer better visual fidelity but sacrifice frame rate consistency. Given the RX 580’s limitations, the practical advice is to stick to 1080p Low for competitive play or 1080p Medium for a balanced single-player experience. The data indicates that any attempt to push higher resolutions will result in a degraded experience that fails to meet the minimum standards for smooth gameplay.