Control

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT delivers a strong showing in Control, but the data reveals a clear hierarchy between resolution and settings. This combination sits in the 469th position out of 1636 tested combos for this game, placing it in the top 29% of all pairings. The benchmark results indicate that this setup is well-suited for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming and capable 4K play, provided you are willing to adjust quality presets.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 175.3 FPS, but at 4K Low, that figure falls to 97.7 FPS—a reduction of 77.6 FPS. This scaling pattern is typical of a system where the GPU becomes increasingly dominant at higher resolutions.

The data shows that the gap between 1080p and 1440p is moderate, while the jump from 1440p to 4K is the most punishing. At High settings, the combo achieves 121.6 FPS at 1080p, 92.6 FPS at 1440p, and 59.4 FPS at 4K. The 4K result represents a 51.2% drop from the 1080p figure. This indicates that the RX 9070 XT is the primary limiting factor at 4K, as the Ryzen 7 3700X has enough headroom at lower resolutions to feed the GPU efficiently.

At Medium settings, the scaling follows a similar trajectory: 138.6 FPS at 1080p, 103.9 FPS at 1440p, and 71.8 FPS at 4K. The consistency of these drops across presets suggests that resolution has a predictable impact on frame rates, regardless of the quality level chosen. The 3700X’s 8 cores and 16 threads are sufficient to avoid becoming the bottleneck at 1080p, but the GPU’s rendering load at 4K overshadows any CPU constraints.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 469 out of 1636 tested combinations places it in the upper-middle tier of systems tested in Control. This is a respectable position for a pairing that combines a 2019-era CPU with a 2025-era GPU. The Ryzen 7 3700X itself holds an 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 28631, while the RX 9070 XT sits at the 82nd percentile among GPUs with an average score of 39647.

The CPU’s nearest rivals highlight its competitive standing. The Intel Core i5-12600 is a mere 0.1% ahead with a score of 28654, while the AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT is 0.1% behind at 28591. This means the 3700X is essentially on par with these alternatives, and any performance differences in Control will largely stem from the GPU. The RX 9070 XT’s nearest rivals are less relevant here, as the closest competitor, the AMD Radeon Pro 575, is only 0.1% ahead at 39703, while the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile trails by 0.2%.

For Control specifically, the 469th rank out of 1636 combos suggests that the pairing outperforms roughly 71% of tested systems. This is a strong result, particularly considering the CPU’s age. The data indicates that the GPU is doing the heavy lifting, as the RX 9070 XT’s 16 GB of VRAM and RDNA 4.0 architecture are well-suited to the game’s demands.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide clear guidance on which preset to choose for different display targets. For 4K, the High preset yields 59.4 FPS, which is just shy of a smooth 60 FPS experience. Dropping to Medium brings a significant improvement to 71.8 FPS, while Ultra falls to 52 FPS—noticeably below the 60 FPS threshold. For 4K gaming, Medium is the sweet spot, offering a 21% improvement over High while maintaining visual fidelity.

At 1440p, the High preset delivers 92.6 FPS, which is excellent for most monitors. If you have a 144Hz display, the Low preset provides 146.5 FPS, but this comes at a visual cost. Medium at 103.9 FPS is a better balance, offering a 12% boost over High while keeping the game looking good. Ultra at 82.8 FPS is still playable, but the marginal visual gains over High may not justify the 11% performance hit.

For 1080p, the story is different. High delivers 121.6 FPS, Medium reaches 138.6 FPS, and Low hits 175.3 FPS. If you are chasing maximum refresh rates, Low is the way to go, but for most players, High at 121.6 FPS is the ideal balance of quality and speed. Ultra at 107 FPS is respectable but offers diminishing returns. The data suggests that Medium is the most versatile preset across all resolutions, providing a solid frame rate without sacrificing too much visual detail.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The full dataset reveals a consistent pattern across all resolutions. At 1080p, the combo produces 175.3 FPS on Low, 138.6 FPS on Medium, 121.6 FPS on High, and 107 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra is 68.3 FPS, representing a 39% performance difference. This wide spread indicates that the game is highly scalable and that the GPU has ample headroom at this resolution.

At 1440p, the figures are 146.5 FPS on Low, 103.9 FPS on Medium, 92.6 FPS on High, and 82.8 FPS on Ultra. The drop from Low to Ultra is 63.7 FPS, a 43% reduction. This shows that the GPU is starting to feel the load, but the 3700X is still keeping pace.

At 4K, the numbers compress significantly: 97.7 FPS on Low, 71.8 FPS on Medium, 59.4 FPS on High, and 52 FPS on Ultra. The difference between Low and Ultra is 45.7 FPS, a 47% reduction. The 4K results show that the GPU is now the clear bottleneck, as the CPU’s influence on frame rates diminishes. The 52 FPS at Ultra is below the 60 FPS target, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay, while the 97.7 FPS at Low shows the system’s potential when settings are relaxed.

GPU Role

The RX 9070 XT’s specifications align well with the measured performance in Control. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth. This is ample for the game’s textures and effects, even at 4K Ultra, where the 52 FPS result suggests the GPU is limited by raw compute rather than memory capacity.

The GPU’s boost clock of 2970 MHz and game clock of 2400 MHz are high for RDNA 4.0 architecture, and the 4096 shading units handle the game’s particle effects and physics calculations efficiently. The 64 RT cores are relevant for Control, which uses ray tracing for its reflections and lighting, though the measured FPS data does not specifically isolate ray-traced performance.

The GPU’s 82nd percentile ranking among all GPUs confirms its strong position, and its average benchmark score of 39647 is only 0.1% below the nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro 575. The 9070 XT’s 48.66 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is more than sufficient for this game, and the 380.2 GPixel/s pixel rate ensures efficient rasterization. The 16 GB VRAM is a key advantage, as it prevents any memory-related stuttering at high resolutions, allowing the 4K Medium result of 71.8 FPS to remain stable.

FAQ

*Q: Is this combo capable of 60 FPS at 4K in Control?*

A: Yes, but only with the right settings. The High preset yields 59.4 FPS, which is just under 60, while Medium provides 71.8 FPS. Ultra drops to 52 FPS, so Medium is the recommended choice for a smooth 4K experience.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming?

A: Medium at 103.9 FPS offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. High at 92.6 FPS is also excellent, but Medium provides a 12% improvement with minimal visual differences. Low at 146.5 FPS is only recommended for competitive play.

Q: How much performance is lost when going from 1080p to 4K?

A: At High settings, the combo drops from 121.6 FPS at 1080p to 59.4 FPS at 4K, a 51.2% reduction. This indicates that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at 4K, while the CPU has sufficient headroom at lower resolutions.

Q: Does the Ryzen 7 3700X bottleneck the RX 9070 XT?

A: The data suggests that the 3700X is not a bottleneck at 1080p or 1440p, as frame rates scale smoothly with resolution. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting component, with the CPU’s performance becoming less relevant to the final FPS.

Q: Is this combo better than the nearest CPU rivals?

A: The 3700X is essentially on par with the Intel Core i5-12600 and AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT, with deltaPct values of -0.1% and 0.1%, respectively. Any performance differences in Control are primarily driven by the GPU.

Q: What FPS can I expect at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The combo delivers 107 FPS at 1080p Ultra, which is well above the 60 FPS target. This makes the system suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors, though Low at 175.3 FPS is better for maximum frame rates.