Control

Control with the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER presents a clear case study in how a high-end GPU can dominate frame rates across resolutions, while the CPU provides a stable foundation that rarely becomes the primary constraint. The measured data for this 2019 Action Adventure title shows a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, with the scaling from 1080p to 4K revealing where each component's workload peaks. The combination of the 8-core, 16-thread Ryzen 7 3700X with the Ada Lovelace-based RTX 4070 SUPER yields a performance profile that is consistently strong, though the exact frame rates depend heavily on the resolution and preset selected.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, pointing directly at the GPU as the limiting component. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 178.1 FPS at 1920x1080 to 158.9 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 19.2 FPS, and then to 108.3 FPS at 3840x2160, a further drop of 50.6 FPS. This pattern is mirrored across all presets. At High settings, the system delivers 135.9 FPS at 1080p, 105.5 FPS at 1440p, and 66.6 FPS at 4K. The most demanding Ultra preset shows 118.8 FPS at 1080p, 90.1 FPS at 1440p, and 60.8 FPS at 4K. The relative gap between 1080p and 4K widens as settings increase, with the Ultra preset seeing a 48.8% reduction in average FPS, while Low settings only see a 39.2% reduction. This indicates that the RTX 4070 SUPER's workload scales non-linearly with pixel count and shader complexity.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the system is still partially CPU-limited, as the frame rates at Low settings (178.1 FPS) are high but do not reach the theoretical maximum of the GPU. The Ryzen 7 3700X, with its Zen 2 architecture and 3.60 GHz base clock, likely caps performance in less demanding scenes. However, as resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck, with the GPU's pixel rate of 198.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 554.4 GTexel/s being fully utilized. The 4K results, particularly at Ultra (60.8 FPS), show a system that is almost entirely GPU-bound, as the CPU has ample headroom to feed the GPU. Benchmark results indicate that this is a balanced pairing for 1440p gaming, where the system can maintain high frame rates without any single component becoming a severe constraint.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is the primary driver of frame rates in this configuration. With 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, the GPU has a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s, which is sufficient for the texture-heavy environments of Control. The GPU's boost clock of 2475 MHz and base clock of 1980 MHz, combined with 7168 shading units, deliver the raw compute power necessary for the game's physics and particle effects. The measured FPS data shows a clear hierarchy: Ultra settings at any resolution are the most demanding, while Low settings see the highest frame rates. At 4K, the difference between Low (108.3 FPS) and Ultra (60.8 FPS) is 47.5 FPS, highlighting the significant impact of the game's graphical presets on the GPU's workload.

The GPU's performance relative to its peers is solid, though not exceptional. The RTX 4070 SUPER's average benchmark score of 42576 places it at the 84th percentile of all GPUs, with a nearest rival deltaPct of -0.2% against the NVIDIA RTX A6000 and -0.3% against the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE. In this game, the GPU's 56 RT cores and 224 tensor cores suggest that ray tracing features, if enabled, would further tax the GPU, but the measured data does not include ray tracing settings. The 12 GB VRAM capacity is a key asset at higher resolutions, as the 4K Ultra preset requires substantial memory for textures, and the data shows the system maintains playable frame rates, indicating the VRAM is not a limiting factor in these tests. The GPU's FP32 performance of 35.48 TFLOPS is a strong indicator of its ability to handle the game's computational demands.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X plays a supporting role in this pairing, but its specifications ensure it never becomes a bottleneck at the tested settings. With 8 cores and 16 threads, the CPU has the multi-threading capability to handle game logic and physics simulation. Its base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz provide sufficient single-thread performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2694 and Geekbench single-core score of 1672. The 32 MB L3 cache is ample for caching game data, and the CPU's 65W TDP allows for consistent performance without thermal throttling in most systems.

The CPU's benchmark scores show it is competitive with recent mid-range offerings, though it trails in raw multi-threaded performance. Its average benchmark score of 28631 places it at the 85th percentile of all CPUs, with a deltaPct of -0.1% compared to the Intel Core i5-12600 and a +0.1% advantage over the AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT. In Control, the CPU's role is most apparent at 1080p Low settings, where the 178.1 FPS average suggests the GPU is waiting on the CPU to deliver frames. At 4K Ultra, the CPU has significant headroom, as the GPU is the clear limiting factor. The CPU's memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s on a dual-channel DDR4 interface is adequate, but it is not a performance differentiator in this game. The data shows that the Ryzen 7 3700X provides a stable platform, with no indication of CPU-related frame drops or stutters across any of the tested configurations.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 4K, the High preset is the best balance, delivering 66.6 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 60.8 FPS, which is borderline, while Medium (78.3 FPS) and Low (108.3 FPS) offer higher frame rates but with reduced visual fidelity. At 1440p, the High preset provides an excellent experience at 105.5 FPS, with Ultra at 90.1 FPS also being viable. The Medium preset at 118.7 FPS is a strong choice for high-refresh-rate monitors, while Low at 158.9 FPS is unnecessary unless chasing extreme frame rates. For 1080p, all presets are playable, with Ultra at 118.8 FPS and High at 135.9 FPS both being excellent. The Low preset at 178.1 FPS is overkill for most displays, but it shows the system's capability.

The data suggests that the High preset is the sweet spot for this game across all resolutions, as it offers a significant visual upgrade over Medium while maintaining frame rates that are at least 66.6 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset is only recommended for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where the frame rate remains above 90 FPS. For 4K, the difference between High and Ultra is only 5.8 FPS, making High the more sensible choice for consistent performance. The Medium preset is a good fallback for 4K if higher frame rates are preferred over visual quality, but the High preset is the recommended default.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p with Ultra settings?

A: The system achieves an average of 90.1 FPS at 2560x1440 with Ultra settings, which is smooth for most gaming scenarios.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 SUPER compare to its nearest rival in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 42576, which is 0.2% lower than the NVIDIA RTX A6000 and 0.3% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 3700X a bottleneck at 4K?

A: No, at 4K the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads provide ample headroom, as evidenced by the smooth frame rates across all settings.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 178.1 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 118.8 FPS, a difference of 59.3 FPS.

Q: Can the system handle 4K gaming?

A: Yes, at 4K with High settings, the system averages 66.6 FPS, which is playable. Ultra settings drop to 60.8 FPS, which is still playable but less stable.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking among all CPUs?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is at the 85th percentile of all CPUs, with a performance level within 0.1% of the Intel Core i5-12600.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the system's performance across all twelve tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates range from 178.1 FPS at Low settings to 118.8 FPS at Ultra settings, with Medium at 154.9 FPS and High at 135.9 FPS. At 2560x1440, the frame rates drop to 158.9 FPS at Low, 118.7 FPS at Medium, 105.5 FPS at High, and 90.1 FPS at Ultra. At 3840x2160, the system delivers 108.3 FPS at Low, 78.3 FPS at Medium, 66.6 FPS at High, and 60.8 FPS at Ultra. These numbers show a consistent degradation in performance as resolution and settings increase, with the largest single-step drop occurring between 1440p High (105.5 FPS) and 4K High (66.6 FPS), a reduction of 38.9 FPS. The data also reveals that the scaling from Medium to High at any resolution is roughly 10-12 FPS, while the jump from High to Ultra is slightly smaller, at 8-9 FPS. This indicates that the High preset offers the most efficient use of GPU resources, providing a significant visual boost over Medium without the steep performance cost of Ultra. The system's rank of 296 out of 1636 combinations in this game further contextualizes its performance, placing it in the top 18% of all tested hardware configurations for Control.