Control

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured frame rates for this combo show a steep, consistent penalty as resolution climbs, which is the classic signature of a GPU-limited workload. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo averages 162 FPS; moving to 1440p Low drops that to 123 FPS (a 24% reduction), and at 4K Low it falls further to 83 FPS (a 49% reduction from 1080p). Under High settings, the pattern is similar: 102 FPS at 1080p, 77 FPS at 1440p, and 52 FPS at 4K. The scaling is nearly linear with pixel count, indicating that the Radeon RX 7700 XT’s rendering throughput, rather than the CPU’s ability to feed frames, is the dominant constraint across all tested resolutions.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens at higher resolutions, which reinforces the GPU-bound interpretation. At 1080p, the difference between Low (162 FPS) and Ultra (89 FPS) is 73 FPS, or roughly 45% slower. At 4K, that same Low-to-Ultra spread is 83 FPS down to 45 FPS — a 46% drop. The relative penalty stays almost constant, meaning the GPU’s compute and memory subsystems are being saturated proportionally as both resolution and quality settings increase. The CPU’s 8-core, 16-thread configuration is unlikely to bottleneck at any of these settings, given that even the lowest 4K Ultra result (45 FPS) is far below the frame rates where a Ryzen 7 5700 would typically struggle.

Notably, the 4K Medium result (59 FPS average, with a min of 50 and max of 68) sits just above the 4K High result (52 FPS), suggesting that the GPU’s 12 GB VRAM and 432.0 GB/s memory bandwidth are sufficient for these settings, but the additional shading work in High and Ultra exacts a measurable toll. The 1440p Medium result (87 FPS, min 74, max 100) is only 10 FPS below 1440p High (77 FPS), indicating that the quality preset has a moderate effect at this resolution, but the jump from Medium to Ultra at 1440p (67 FPS) costs another 20 FPS. At 1080p, the Medium setting (115 FPS, min 98, max 133) is 13 FPS above High, and Ultra (89 FPS) is another 26 FPS lower — a full 23% drop from Medium to Ultra.

The frame-time variance, where reported, also grows with resolution. At 1080p Medium, the min-to-max spread is 35 FPS (98 to 133). At 1440p Medium, that spread narrows to 26 FPS (74 to 100), and at 4K Medium it is 18 FPS (50 to 68). This tightening of the range at higher resolutions is typical of a GPU that is consistently near its utilization ceiling — there is less headroom for transient spikes. Overall, the data shows that this combo is best suited for 1440p gaming, where it delivers smooth frame rates across all quality presets, while 4K is playable but requires lowering settings to maintain 60 FPS.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700 is a Zen 3 part built on TSMC’s 7 nm process, with 8 cores and 16 threads. Its base clock is 3.70 GHz and boost clock is 4.60 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU’s architecture is Cezanne, and it uses the AMD Socket AM4 platform with dual-channel DDR4 memory support and a 51.2 GB/s memory bandwidth. For a game like Control, which is an action-adventure title with physics-heavy environments and destructible objects, the CPU’s multi-threaded performance is relevant, but the measured frame rates suggest that the Ryzen 7 5700 is not the limiting factor in this combo.

Benchmark data for the CPU shows strong multi-threaded results: Cinebench R23 multi-core scores 20,655, while the single-core score is 2,916. Geekbench multi-core is 9,959 and single-core is 1,907. The 3DMark 16-thread score is 6,628, and the max-thread score is 6,617, indicating that the CPU scales well with thread count, though the 8-thread score (5,585) is notably lower, suggesting diminishing returns beyond 8 threads for some workloads. PassMark multi-thread is 24,303, and single-thread is 3,296. The CPU’s percentile vs all CPUs is 78, meaning it outperforms the majority of tested processors.

Compared to its nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark database, the Ryzen 7 5700 is essentially tied: it is 0.1% slower than the Intel Xeon D-2752TER (average score 25,530 vs. 25,530 for the Xeon, with a delta of -0.1%), and 0.1% faster than the AMD Ryzen 5 7640U (delta +0.1%). It is also 0.1% slower than the AMD Ryzen 5 6600H and 0.3% faster than the AMD Ryzen 7 5825U. These tiny deltas mean that, in pure CPU throughput, the Ryzen 7 5700 is indistinguishable from several other mid-range parts, so any performance differences in Control are almost certainly attributable to the GPU or settings.

In the context of this game, the CPU’s 8 cores and 16 threads are more than adequate. Control’s engine is known to scale reasonably across multiple cores, but the measured FPS at 1080p Low (162 FPS) shows that the CPU can drive frame rates well above typical display refresh rates. Even at 1080p Ultra (89 FPS), the CPU is unlikely to be the bottleneck, as the GPU’s rendering load grows faster than the CPU’s game-logic overhead. The CPU’s 16 MB L3 cache and 512 KB L2 per core provide ample on-die storage for game assets, and the 7 nm process keeps power draw low, which is a secondary benefit for sustained gaming sessions.

The CPU’s release date of April 2022 and its active production status indicate it is a current-generation part, though its architecture (Cezanne) is one generation older than the latest Ryzen 7000 series. Its passmark data compression score (316,699) and encryption score (20,096) suggest strong integer performance, which could help in games that use heavy scripting or AI. However, for Control specifically, the data points to the GPU as the primary driver of frame rate changes, with the CPU providing a stable foundation that does not introduce frame pacing issues.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 32 chip, manufactured on TSMC’s 5 nm process. It has 3,456 shading units, 216 texture mapping units, 96 ROPs, and 54 ray tracing cores. The GPU’s base clock is 1,435 MHz, boost clock is 2,544 MHz, and game clock is 2,171 MHz. Memory is 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, delivering 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU’s FP32 performance is 35.17 TFLOPS, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4, and OpenGL 4.6. Its TDP is 245 W, with a suggested PSU of 550 W and dual 8-pin power connectors.

For Control, which is a visually demanding title with real-time ray tracing options (though not measured here), the RX 7700 XT’s specifications align well with the measured results. The 12 GB VRAM is sufficient for 4K textures, and the 432 GB/s bandwidth helps maintain consistent frame times at high resolutions. The GPU’s percentile vs all GPUs is 67, and its average benchmark score is 22,549. Compared to its nearest rivals, the RX 7700 XT is 0.5% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile (average score 22,435), 0.8% slower than the RTX 4060 Mobile (22,729), 1.5% slower than the RTX 2080 (22,895), and 1.7% faster than the AMD Radeon RX 5700 (22,170). These deltas are small, placing the RX 7700 XT in a tight competitive band.

The GPU’s measured frame rates in Control show that it can handle 1440p High at 77 FPS, which is a comfortable experience for most players. At 1080p, it exceeds 100 FPS on High (102 FPS) and reaches 162 FPS on Low, indicating that the GPU is not leaving performance on the table at lower resolutions. At 4K, the GPU begins to show its limits: High settings yield 52 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target, but Medium (59 FPS) is close, and Low (83 FPS) is very playable. The Ultra preset at 4K (45 FPS) is the only configuration that falls below 50 FPS, suggesting that the GPU’s shading units are fully taxed at that combination.

The GPU’s 54 ray tracing cores are present but not exercised in these measurements, as the data does not specify RT settings. Given that Control is known for its RT reflections and shadows, enabling those features would likely reduce frame rates further, but the current data reflects standard rasterization. The GPU’s texture rate of 549.5 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 244.2 GPixel/s are high enough to feed the 4K resolution, but the 192-bit memory bus is a potential bottleneck at higher settings, as evidenced by the steep drop from Medium to High at 4K (59 to 52 FPS). Overall, the GPU is the primary determinant of frame rate in this combo, and its performance is consistent with its mid-range positioning.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the database of tested CPU-GPU combinations for Control, this combo (Ryzen 7 5700 + RX 7700 XT) ranks 1,422 out of 3,720 total combos. That places it in the 62nd percentile of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms roughly 62% of the field. This is a solid mid-to-upper tier position, consistent with the CPU’s 78th percentile and GPU’s 67th percentile individually. The combo’s rank is slightly lower than the GPU’s individual percentile, which suggests that the pairing is reasonable but not exceptional — the CPU is somewhat overqualified relative to the GPU for this title.

The rank of 1,422 out of 3,720 indicates that there are many faster combos, likely featuring higher-end GPUs or newer CPUs. However, the fact that the combo sits above the median suggests it is a capable pairing for 1440p gaming. The delta between the combo’s rank and the GPU’s individual rank (67th percentile vs. 62nd percentile) implies that the CPU is not holding the GPU back; rather, the GPU’s absolute performance is the limiting factor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the combo would likely rank lower relative to the GPU’s percentile.

Compared to the nearest rival GPUs, the RX 7700 XT’s performance is within 1.5% of the RTX 2080 and RTX 4060 Mobile, so a combo with those GPUs would likely rank similarly, all else being equal. The combo’s rank is also influenced by the game’s specific engine behavior — Control’s use of asynchronous compute and multi-threaded physics can favor certain architectures, but the measured data does not show any unusual spikes or dips that would suggest a mismatch. The 4K Medium result (59 FPS) is just shy of the 60 FPS target, which is a common threshold for playability; the 1440p High result (77 FPS) is comfortably above it.

The combo’s ranking is also notable because the CPU’s nearest rivals (Xeon D-2752TER, Ryzen 5 7640U, etc.) have similar average scores, so swapping the CPU for one of those would likely change the combo’s rank by only a few positions. The GPU’s nearest rivals, on the other hand, span a wider range (from RTX 5060 Mobile at +0.5% to RX 5700 at +1.7%), but the differences are still sub-2%. Overall, the combo’s rank reflects a balanced pairing that delivers good, not great, performance in Control — enough for high-refresh 1080p and smooth 1440p, but not for maxed-out 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

All frame rates below are measured averages from the benchmark data, with min and max values included where reported.

1080p (1920x1080):

• Low: 162 FPS (no min/max reported)
• Medium: 115 FPS (min 98, max 133)
• High: 102 FPS (no min/max reported)
• Ultra: 89 FPS (no min/max reported)

At 1080p, the combo is clearly GPU-bound at higher settings, but even Ultra stays above 85 FPS, which is smooth for most displays. The step from Medium to High is 13 FPS, and from High to Ultra is another 13 FPS, showing a consistent cost per quality tier. The Low setting at 162 FPS is well above 144 Hz, making it suitable for competitive play.

1440p (2560x1440):

• Low: 123 FPS (no min/max reported)
• Medium: 87 FPS (min 74, max 100)
• High: 77 FPS (no min/max reported)
• Ultra: 67 FPS (no min/max reported)

At 1440p, the combo maintains playable frame rates across all settings. Medium (87 FPS) is the sweet spot for 144 Hz displays, while High (77 FPS) is still smooth. Ultra (67 FPS) is close to the 60 FPS threshold but remains playable. The drop from Medium to High is 10 FPS, and from High to Ultra is another 10 FPS, indicating that each quality step costs roughly the same.

4K (3840x2160):

• Low: 83 FPS (no min/max reported)
• Medium: 59 FPS (min 50, max 68)
• High: 52 FPS (no min/max reported)
• Ultra: 45 FPS (no min/max reported)

At 4K, the combo struggles to maintain 60 FPS above Medium settings. Low (83 FPS) is playable, Medium (59 FPS) is just below the 60 FPS target, High (52 FPS) requires adaptive sync or a lower refresh rate, and Ultra (45 FPS) is only suitable for slower-paced gameplay. The min/max data for 4K Medium (50–68 FPS) shows occasional dips below 60 FPS, which could be noticeable without VRR.

Summary of scaling: The average FPS drops by roughly 25–30% from 1080p to 1440p, and another 25–30% from 1440p to 4K, across all settings. The largest absolute drop is from 1080p Low (162 FPS) to 4K Low (83 FPS), a 49% reduction, while the smallest is from 1080p Ultra (89 FPS) to 4K Ultra (45 FPS), a 49% reduction as well. The consistency of these percentages confirms a uniform GPU-bound scaling pattern.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution/settings combination for this CPU-GPU pair in Control?

A: The data shows that 1440p Medium (87 FPS) or High (77 FPS) provides the best balance of visual quality and frame rate. At 1080p, all settings exceed 85 FPS, so any preset is viable. For 4K, only Low (83 FPS) or Medium (59 FPS) are recommended; High (52 FPS) and Ultra (45 FPS) fall below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this combo?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The frame rate drops by ~25–30% with each resolution step, which is a classic GPU-bound pattern. The CPU’s multi-threaded scores (e.g., Cinebench R23 multi-core 20,655) are high enough to avoid bottlenecking at even the lowest measured FPS (45 FPS at 4K Ultra).

Q: How does this combo compare to similar GPU pairings?

A: The RX 7700 XT is 0.5% faster than the RTX 5060 Mobile and 1.7% faster than the RX 5700 in average benchmark scores, but 0.8% slower than the RTX 4060 Mobile and 1.5% slower than the RTX 2080. The combo’s in-game rank of 1,422 out of 3,720 is in the 62nd percentile, indicating it performs better than most tested systems.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Control?

A: Yes, but with compromises. At 4K Low, the average FPS is 83, which is playable. At 4K Medium, the average is 59 FPS with a min of 50 and max of 68, so expect occasional dips below 60 FPS. High and Ultra settings drop to 52 and 45 FPS respectively, which are less ideal for fast-paced action.

Q: What is the frame time variance like at different resolutions?

A: Only the Medium settings report min/max values. At 1080p Medium, the range is 98–133 FPS (35 FPS spread). At 1440p Medium, it is 74–100 FPS (26 FPS spread). At 4K Medium, it is 50–68 FPS (18 FPS spread). The narrowing range at higher resolutions suggests the GPU is consistently near its limit, reducing transient spikes.

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

A: The Ryzen 7 5700 is within 0.3% of all its nearest rivals in average benchmark score. It is 0.1% slower than the Xeon D-2752TER, 0.1% faster than the Ryzen 5 7640U, 0.1% slower than the Ryzen 5 6600H, and 0.3% faster than the Ryzen 7 5825U. These differences are negligible for gaming, so the CPU is not a differentiator in this combo.