Control

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT delivers a robust 1080p experience in Control, but the data suggests that this combination begins to show its limitations as resolution climbs. The measured FPS values reveal a system that is clearly GPU-bound at higher settings, while the CPU’s older architecture becomes less of a factor at 4K. This analysis explores how the pairing behaves across a range of resolutions and presets, using only the provided benchmark data.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is significant and reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 107.6 FPS at 1920x1080 to 82.9 FPS at 2560x1440, and finally to 56.4 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 47.6% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K, which is a steep decline that points directly at the RX 7800 XT as the primary limiting component at higher resolutions. The data implies that while the GPU is capable at 1440p, it is stretched thin at 4K, especially when visual fidelity is prioritized.

Interestingly, the scaling pattern changes based on the preset. At Low settings, the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is from 173.9 to 85.7, a 50.7% decrease. This steeper drop at Low settings suggests that when the CPU is less burdened, the GPU’s raw rendering capabilities become the sole bottleneck, and the resolution scaling is more linear. At Ultra settings, the drop is from 93.5 to 49.4, a 47.2% decrease, which is slightly milder, indicating that the CPU may be providing some headroom even at the highest settings. The pattern across all presets confirms that resolution is the dominant factor, and the 7800 XT’s 16 GB of VRAM does not prevent the performance cliff, indicating that memory capacity is not the issue; rather, it is the GPU’s compute throughput.

The data also shows that moving from Medium to High at 4K costs 6.6 FPS (from 63 to 56.4), while moving from High to Ultra costs another 7 FPS (from 56.4 to 49.4). This gradual degradation suggests that the GPU is struggling to maintain playable frame rates as settings increase, and the 4K Ultra result of 49.4 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold often considered smooth. Benchmark results indicate that for a consistent 60 FPS experience at 4K, users would need to accept Medium settings or lower, as the High preset barely misses this mark.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 107.6, which is well above the 60 FPS standard and indicates a smooth experience for most gameplay scenarios.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: The average FPS drops to 49.4, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. This suggests that the RX 7800 XT is not fully capable of handling the highest preset at 4K resolution in Control.

Q: Is there a significant difference between Low and Medium settings at 1440p?

A: Yes, the data shows a jump from 130.1 FPS at Low to 91.9 FPS at Medium, a difference of 38.2 FPS. This indicates that Medium settings impose a substantial additional load on the GPU.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain over 100 FPS?

A: At 1080p, both Low (173.9 FPS) and High (107.6 FPS) presets achieve over 100 FPS. At 1440p, only the Low preset (130.1 FPS) manages to exceed 100 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU’s performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 7 3700X has an average benchmark score of 28631, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core i5-12600 (28654, deltaPct -0.1) and the Intel Core i5-12600H (28666, deltaPct -0.1). It is also 0.1% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT and 0.2% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7203P.

Q: Does the GPU’s benchmark score indicate it is a high-performing part?

A: The RX 7800 XT has a percentile ranking of 76 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 32619. This places it above the AMD FirePro S9300 X2 (32540, deltaPct 0.2) but below the NVIDIA P104-100 (32747, deltaPct -0.4).

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data suggests that the optimal experience balances visual quality with frame rate stability. At 1080p, the High preset at 107.6 FPS is the clear recommendation, as it provides a significant visual upgrade over Medium (123.3 FPS) while still maintaining a high frame rate. Pushing to Ultra at 93.5 FPS is a marginal gain in fidelity for a 13.1% performance hit, making it a less compelling choice unless the user has a high refresh rate monitor and prioritizes visuals over raw speed.

For 1440p, the High preset at 82.9 FPS offers a good middle ground, but the data shows that Medium (91.9 FPS) is a safer bet for maintaining a smoother experience, especially in action-heavy scenes. The Ultra preset at 75.2 FPS is playable but begins to show signs of strain, and the Low preset (130.1 FPS) is excessive for most users. At 4K, the choice is starkly limited. Medium (63 FPS) is the only preset that approaches a playable 60 FPS, while High (56.4 FPS) and Ultra (49.4 FPS) fall short. Low (85.7 FPS) is viable but sacrifices too much visual detail for a game like Control.

Benchmark results indicate that the best overall experience is likely 1440p with High settings, offering a strong balance between resolution, detail, and performance. This combo ranks 602nd out of 1636 tested combos, placing it in the upper-middle tier of configurations, which aligns with the idea that it is a capable but not top-tier setup for this game.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 602 out of 1636 tested combinations places this pairing in the 63rd percentile of all tested systems for Control. This is a solid ranking, indicating that the Ryzen 7 3700X and RX 7800 XT combination performs better than the majority of other configurations. However, it is not near the top, suggesting that there are many systems with more powerful components that achieve higher frame rates.

This ranking is consistent with the measured FPS data, which shows strong 1080p performance but struggles at 4K. The rank suggests that while the RX 7800 XT is a modern GPU, its pairing with the older Ryzen 7 3700X prevents it from reaching the upper echelons of performance. The CPU’s percentile ranking of 85 among all CPUs is high, but its average benchmark score of 28631 is virtually identical to its nearest rivals, indicating that it is not a performance outlier. The GPU’s percentile of 76 is lower, and its nearest rivals show a mixed bag of deltaPct values, with the NVIDIA P104-100 being 0.4% faster and the AMD FirePro S9300 X2 being 0.2% slower. This suggests that the GPU is a mid-to-high performer, but not a class leader.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is a Zen 2 architecture processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, clocked at a base of 3.60 GHz and a boost of 4.40 GHz. Its benchmark scores show a strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 19087 and a single-core score of 2694. The data suggests that this CPU is capable of feeding the RX 7800 XT in most scenarios, but its older architecture may limit performance in CPU-intensive moments.

In Control, the game’s physics and AI systems can be demanding, but the measured FPS data shows that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 4K, the FPS is consistently lower across all settings, which points to the GPU as the limiting factor. However, at 1080p Low settings, the FPS of 173.9 indicates that the CPU is able to keep up with the GPU’s output, as the GPU is not fully saturated. The CPU’s 32 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support (51.2 GB/s bandwidth) are adequate for the game’s demands.

The CPU’s nearest rivals show that it is roughly on par with the Intel Core i5-12600 and i5-12600H, with deltaPct values of -0.1, meaning the Ryzen is marginally slower. This indicates that the 3700X is not a performance outlier but is competitive with newer mid-range parts. Its 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs suggests it is a solid, above-average processor, but it is not a top-tier part that would push the combo to higher rankings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results. The Low preset achieves an average of 173.9 FPS, which is a very high frame rate suitable for competitive play. Medium drops to 123.3 FPS, High to 107.6 FPS, and Ultra to 93.5 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 46.2% performance penalty, indicating that the GPU is the main bottleneck even at 1080p.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops noticeably. Low yields 130.1 FPS, Medium 91.9 FPS, High 82.9 FPS, and Ultra 75.2 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is steep (38.2 FPS), suggesting that the resolution increase combined with higher settings significantly taxes the GPU. At 1440p, the Ultra preset is still above 75 FPS, making it a viable option for users with high refresh rate monitors.

At 3840x2160, the performance is the weakest. Low produces 85.7 FPS, Medium 63 FPS, High 56.4 FPS, and Ultra 49.4 FPS. The data shows that only the Low preset maintains a frame rate above 60 FPS. The step from Low to Medium costs 22.7 FPS, and from Medium to High another 6.6 FPS. This resolution is clearly the GPU’s limit, and users must make significant sacrifices to achieve playable frame rates.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s. Its boost clock of 2430 MHz and game clock of 2124 MHz indicate a high-frequency design. The GPU has 3840 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, which translate to a pixel rate of 233.3 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 583.2 GTexel/s. These specs suggest a powerful mid-to-high-end card.

In Control, the GPU’s role is dominant, as evidenced by the resolution scaling data. The 16 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for the game at any resolution, so the performance drops are not due to memory constraints. Instead, the GPU’s compute power is the limiting factor at 4K, as the FP32 throughput of 37.32 TFLOPS is not enough to maintain high frame rates at the highest presets. The GPU’s benchmark scores, such as a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 4157 and a Passmark G3D score of 24176, confirm its strong overall performance, but its 76th percentile ranking shows that it is not a top-tier part.

The GPU’s nearest rivals show mixed results. The AMD FirePro S9300 X2 is 0.2% slower, while the NVIDIA P104-100 is 0.4% faster. This indicates that the 7800 XT is a competitive part, but not a clear winner in its class. The data implies that for Control, the GPU is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the 4K experience requires compromises.