Control

# Control, AMD Ryzen 7 3700X + Intel Arc B390

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X paired with the Intel Arc B390 produces a combination that ranks 2551st out of 2888 tested combos in Control, placing it in the bottom 12% of all configurations measured. This is a system that can run the game, but every resolution and settings tier reveals significant performance constraints. The measured frames per second across all three resolutions and four quality presets tell a consistent story: the Intel Arc B390, with its system-shared memory and integrated graphics design, is the dominant limiting factor in this pairing, while the eight-core Ryzen 7 3700X provides ample processing headroom that the GPU simply cannot utilize. The data set includes 12 measured FPS points, covering 1080p, 1440p, and 4K, each with Low, Medium, High, and Ultra settings, though min and max FPS values are only recorded for the Medium preset at each resolution.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, confirming that the Intel Arc B390 is the primary bottleneck. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 65 at 1080p to 50 at 1440p, a reduction of 15 FPS or roughly 23%. Pushing further to 4K Low drops the average to 33 FPS, which is about 49% lower than the 1080p Low result. This scaling pattern, where each step up in resolution costs approximately half of the remaining performance, indicates a GPU that is severely limited by its memory bandwidth and shading resources.

At Medium settings, the resolution scaling is even more pronounced. The 1080p Medium average of 46 FPS drops to 35 FPS at 1440p, a 24% decrease, and then falls to 24 FPS at 4K, which is 48% below the 1080p figure. The High preset follows a similar trajectory: 41 FPS at 1080p, 31 FPS at 1440p (down 24%), and 21 FPS at 4K (down 49%). Ultra settings show the same pattern, with 36 FPS at 1080p, 27 FPS at 1440p (25% lower), and 18 FPS at 4K (exactly 50% below 1080p Ultra).

The consistency of these percentage drops across all four presets is revealing. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the resolution scaling would flatten out at higher pixel counts, because the CPU workload would remain roughly constant while the GPU work increased. Instead, the FPS falls nearly proportionally with the pixel count increase, which is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario. The Ryzen 7 3700X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, is not the constraint here; the Arc B390’s 1536 shading units and 24 ROPs are simply overwhelmed as pixel throughput demands grow.

The 4K results are particularly telling. At 4K Ultra, the combo averages just 18 FPS, and even at 4K Low it only reaches 33 FPS. These numbers are below playable thresholds for most action games, and the data suggests that 4K is not a viable resolution for this pairing, regardless of settings. The 1440p results are marginal at best, with only Low settings exceeding 50 FPS; Medium, High, and Ultra all fall between 27 and 35 FPS. The 1080p results are the only tier where the system approaches acceptable performance, with Low hitting 65 FPS and Medium reaching 46 FPS, though High and Ultra still sit below 45 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which preset delivers the best experience for this specific combo. At 1080p, Low settings produce an average of 65 FPS, which is the highest score recorded in the entire data set. Medium settings drop to 46 FPS, a 29% reduction, while High falls to 41 FPS and Ultra to 36 FPS. For players targeting smooth, responsive gameplay, 1080p Low is the only tier that consistently stays above 60 FPS, and it does so with a comfortable margin.

At 1440p, no preset achieves 60 FPS. Low settings average 50 FPS, which is the best result at that resolution, but it still falls short of a 60 FPS target. Medium scores 35 FPS, High scores 31 FPS, and Ultra scores 27 FPS. Given these numbers, 1440p Low is the only reasonable choice if the user insists on that resolution, but the 50 FPS average leaves little headroom for demanding scenes.

The 4K data is uniformly poor, with the best result being 33 FPS at Low settings. Medium, High, and Ultra all average below 25 FPS. No settings recommendation can salvage 4K gameplay on this combo; even the lowest preset fails to reach 35 FPS, and the experience would be marred by frequent stutter and low frame pacing.

The Medium preset data includes min and max FPS values, which offer additional insight into frame consistency. At 1080p Medium, the min FPS is 40 and the max is 53, giving a spread of 13 FPS around the 46 average. At 1440p Medium, the range is 30 to 40 FPS, exactly a 10 FPS spread. At 4K Medium, the min is 20 and the max is 27, a 7 FPS spread. This narrowing range as resolution increases suggests that the GPU is becoming more uniformly saturated at higher pixel counts, with less variance between frames. The 1080p Medium spread indicates occasional dips that could be perceptible, but the 40 FPS minimum is still above the 30 FPS threshold often cited as the minimum for playable action games.

For the best balance of visual quality and playability, the data supports 1080p Medium as the sweet spot. It delivers 46 FPS average with a 40 FPS minimum, which is significantly better than the 36 FPS Ultra average while still offering improved visuals over Low. The step from Medium to High only costs 5 FPS on average (46 to 41), so players who prefer higher fidelity might accept the drop, but the min FPS data is not available for High to verify consistency. The step from High to Ultra costs another 5 FPS, bringing the average down to 36 FPS, which is approaching the edge of comfortable playability for a fast-paced action game like Control.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Control with this CPU and GPU combo?

A: Based on the measured data, 1080p is the only resolution where any preset exceeds 60 FPS. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 65, and at 1080p Medium it is 46. The 1440p results peak at 50 FPS on Low, while 4K results never exceed 33 FPS across any preset.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations in Control?

A: The combo ranks 2551st out of 2888 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 11.7% of the field. This percentile position reflects the GPU’s low benchmark scores, as the Arc B390 sits at the 9th percentile among all GPUs based on its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482.

Q: Is the CPU or the GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The resolution scaling data strongly indicates the GPU is the bottleneck. FPS drops nearly proportionally with pixel count increases across all settings, which is the signature of a GPU-bound workload. The Ryzen 7 3700X has 8 cores and 16 threads with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, which is more than sufficient for a 2019 action adventure title.

Q: What FPS can I expect at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings is 31 FPS. This is below the 60 FPS target and even below the 40 FPS threshold that many players consider minimum for smooth gameplay. The 1440p Low preset performs better at 50 FPS, but still falls short of 60 FPS.

Q: Does the Medium preset have any FPS stability data?

A: Yes, the Medium preset is the only one with min and max FPS recorded at all three resolutions. At 1080p, the range is 40 to 53 FPS around a 46 average. At 1440p, it is 30 to 40 FPS around a 35 average. At 4K, it is 20 to 27 FPS around a 24 average.

Q: How does this GPU compare to its nearest rivals in terms of benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482, which is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX at 1463, 1.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce 800M at 1460, 2.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM at 1446, and 2.7% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 at 1443. These are all very low-end GPUs, confirming the Arc B390’s position at the 9th percentile.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data set for this combo covers three resolutions and four settings tiers, with 12 data points total. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 65 FPS, which is the highest score in the entire data set. Medium averages 46 FPS with a min of 40 and max of 53. High averages 41 FPS, and Ultra averages 36 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a 45% total reduction in average FPS, from 65 down to 36.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 50 FPS, which is 15 FPS lower than the 1080p Low result. Medium averages 35 FPS with a min of 30 and max of 40. High averages 31 FPS, and Ultra averages 27 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 46%, from 50 down to 27 FPS. The 1440p results are consistently about 76% of the corresponding 1080p results across all four settings, confirming the GPU-bound scaling pattern.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 33 FPS, which is 17 FPS lower than the 1080p Low result and 17 FPS lower than the 1440p Low result. Medium averages 24 FPS with a min of 20 and max of 27. High averages 21 FPS, and Ultra averages 18 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 18 FPS is the lowest score in the entire data set, representing a 72% reduction from the 1080p Low peak of 65 FPS.

The Medium preset is the only one with complete min and max data, and it shows that the FPS range tightens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the spread is 13 FPS (40 to 53). At 1440p, the spread is 10 FPS (30 to 40). At 4K, the spread is 7 FPS (20 to 27). This tightening suggests that at higher resolutions, the GPU is consistently saturated and has less headroom for frame-to-frame variation. The 1080p Medium spread indicates that while the average is 46 FPS, there are moments where performance dips to 40 FPS, which could be noticeable in intense combat sequences.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 2551st out of 2888 tested combos in Control, which places it in the bottom 11.7% of all configurations. This rank is consistent with the GPU’s overall standing: the Intel Arc B390 sits at the 9th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. The CPU, by contrast, is far more capable, with the Ryzen 7 3700X at the 84th percentile among all CPUs and an average benchmark score of 34260.

The delta between the CPU’s strong ranking and the GPU’s weak ranking explains the combo’s overall position. In a GPU-bound game like Control, the combo’s rank is determined almost entirely by the GPU’s performance. The data shows that the measured FPS figures are consistent with a GPU that has only 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, along with system-shared memory that has system-dependent bandwidth.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in benchmark scores include the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 at 34222 (0.1% higher), the AMD EPYC 4244P at 34220 (0.1% higher), the Intel Core i5-13450HX at 34333 (0.2% lower), and the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H at 34083 (0.5% lower). These rivals span mobile and server segments, indicating that the Ryzen 7 3700X’s 34260 average score is competitive with much newer parts. The GPU’s nearest rivals, by contrast, are all from the NVIDIA GeForce 600 and 700 series era, with the GT 520MX at 1463, the GeForce 800M at 1460, the GT 625 OEM at 1446, and the GT 710 at 1443. The Arc B390 leads these by only 1.3% to 2.7%, which is a marginal advantage.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is a Zen 2 architecture processor from the 3000 series, fabricated on TSMC’s 7 nm process with 3,800 million transistors on a 74 mm² die. It features 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. The L3 cache is 32 MB, with 512 KB of L2 cache per core and 64 KB of L1 cache per core. Memory support is dual-channel DDR4 with a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. The CPU has a 65 W TDP and uses the AMD Socket AM4 interface with PCIe Gen 4 support for 24 lanes.

In Control, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls, physics calculations, and game logic. With 8 cores and 16 threads, the Ryzen 7 3700X provides substantial parallel processing capability. The benchmark results show a PassMark multithread score of 22458 and a Cinebench R15 multicore score of 2092, which are strong numbers for a desktop processor. The single-thread scores are more modest: Geekbench single-core at 1593, Cinebench R15 single-core at 204, and PassMark single-thread at 2656.

Given that the FPS scales almost linearly with resolution, the CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution or settings tier. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar FPS at 1080p and 4K, since the CPU workload would remain constant while the GPU workload increased. Instead, the FPS drops by roughly half from 1080p to 4K at every settings tier, which indicates the GPU is saturated while the CPU has spare capacity. The 65 W TDP and 4.40 GHz boost clock suggest the CPU can sustain high clocks under gaming loads, but the Arc B390’s 80 W TDP and integrated graphics design limit the overall system throughput.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, part of the Arc Graphics-M generation for Panther Lake. It is fabricated on Intel’s 3 nm process and features 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, 24 ROPs, and 12 ray tracing cores. The base clock is 300 MHz, and the boost clock is 2500 MHz. The memory is system-shared, with system-dependent bandwidth, and there is no dedicated VRAM. The pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s, the texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, and FP32 performance is 7.680 TFLOPS. The TDP is 80 W, and it uses an IGP slot width with no power connectors.

The GPU’s benchmark score is 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it at the 9th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all low-end NVIDIA parts from the early 2010s, with the GT 520MX at 1463, GeForce 800M at 1460, GT 625 OEM at 1446, and GT 710 at 1443. The Arc B390’s 1.3% to 2.7% advantage over these parts is negligible in real-world gaming terms.

In Control, the GPU’s limitations are evident across all measured points. The 1536 shading units are tasked with rendering the game’s physics-heavy environments and particle effects, while the 24 ROPs handle pixel output. The system-shared memory means the GPU must compete with the CPU for memory bandwidth, which is system-dependent and cannot be quantified from the available data. The 2500 MHz boost clock helps, but the architecture’s integrated nature and lack of dedicated VRAM severely constrain performance.

The measured FPS data reflects this: at 1080p Low, the GPU manages 65 FPS, but at 1080p Ultra it drops to 36 FPS, a 45% reduction. The 4K results, where even Low settings only reach 33 FPS, show that the GPU simply does not have enough fill rate or memory bandwidth for high-resolution rendering. The RT capabilities of 12 ray tracing cores are present in the hardware, but the overall GPU performance is so low that ray tracing would likely be impractical at any resolution, though the data set does not include RT-specific measurements.