Control

Control pairs an 8-core Zen 3 CPU with an Ampere GPU that has 8 GB of GDDR6X memory, and the measured frame rates across three resolutions show a system that is firmly GPU-bound at higher settings but has enough headroom at 1080p to push past 165 FPS on low presets. The RTX 3070 Ti’s 75th percentile ranking among all GPUs and the Ryzen 7 5700’s 78th percentile among CPUs place this combo in the upper-middle tier of tested hardware, with the data indicating that the graphics card will be the primary constraint in most Control scenarios.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings presets, which is the classic signature of a GPU-limited workload. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 166 at 1920x1080 to 126 at 2560x1440, then to 85 at 3840x2160 — that is a 24% reduction going to 1440p and another 33% reduction going to 4K. The pattern holds at High settings, where the average drops from 105 to 79 to 54 across the same resolution ladder, representing a 25% and then a 32% loss respectively. This uniform scaling behavior indicates that the CPU is not the bottleneck at any resolution; if it were, the 4K numbers would not degrade so predictably with pixel count.

The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling penalty, with average FPS falling from 91 at 1080p to 69 at 1440p (a 24% drop) and then to 47 at 4K (a 32% drop from 1440p). This suggests that the highest settings load the GPU with effects that scale super-linearly with resolution, likely due to the increased cost of ray tracing or volumetric effects at higher pixel counts. The Medium preset, which has the only complete min/max data in the pack, shows a similar trend: 118 average at 1080p, 89 at 1440p, and 60 at 4K, with the gap between min and max FPS widening from 35 frames at 1080p to 18 frames at 4K — indicating that frame pacing becomes more consistent at higher resolutions because the GPU is more uniformly saturated.

What is notable is that the gap between Low and Ultra settings narrows as resolution increases. At 1080p, Low delivers 166 FPS versus Ultra’s 91, a difference of 75 frames (82% faster). At 4K, Low delivers 85 versus Ultra’s 47, a difference of 38 frames (81% faster in relative terms, but the absolute gap shrinks). This is typical behavior for a GPU-bound scenario: at 4K, even the Low preset demands enough GPU throughput that the setting headroom compresses. The data suggests that players targeting 4K will need to accept the Medium preset for playable frame rates, while 1080p users can comfortably run Ultra and still exceed 90 FPS.

GPU Role

The RTX 3070 Ti’s 8 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides 608.3 GB/s of bandwidth, and this proves sufficient for Control’s texture streaming demands at all tested resolutions, as evidenced by the absence of any anomalous frame rate collapses at 4K. The GPU’s 6144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output pipelines are backed by a boost clock of 1770 MHz, which translates to 21.75 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. These specifications place the card at the 75th percentile among all tested GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29945 — sitting just 0.1% above the RTX 5070 Mobile and 0.5% below the RX 6800, while being 0.5% ahead of the RTX 2080 Ti.

The GPU’s memory bandwidth appears to be the limiting factor at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS of 47 is the lowest measured in the entire pack. At this settings level, the combination of high-resolution textures and intensive post-processing effects likely saturates the 8 GB frame buffer, causing the GPU to rely on memory compression techniques. The fact that the 4K Medium preset achieves 60 FPS average with a minimum of 51 FPS suggests that the card has headroom for 4K gaming, but only at reduced settings — the jump from Medium to Ultra at 4K costs 13 FPS on average, which is a 22% penalty for the highest visual fidelity.

The GPU’s performance relative to its nearest rivals is instructive. The 3070 Ti sits 1.6% below the RX 6700 in average benchmark score, yet it delivers playable 4K performance in Control where the 6700’s memory configuration might struggle. The card’s 75th percentile GPU ranking means it outperforms roughly three-quarters of tested graphics cards, but the 4K Ultra result of 47 FPS indicates that it is not a true 4K-high-refresh card for this title. Players with 1440p monitors will find the sweet spot: the High preset at 79 FPS average is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold, and even Ultra at 69 FPS is smooth.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 5700 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti ranks 1339 out of 3720 tested combos in Control, placing it in the 64th percentile of all system configurations. This is a solid mid-to-upper tier ranking, though it is not exceptional — the CPU’s 78th percentile and GPU’s 75th percentile individually suggest that the combo is well-matched, but the rank indicates that many other pairings achieve higher frame rates in this specific title. The Ryzen 7 5700’s nearest rivals in CPU benchmarks are the Intel Xeon D-2752TER (0.1% faster average score) and the AMD Ryzen 5 7640U (0.1% slower), which means the CPU is delivering performance squarely in the middle of its competitive set.

The GPU’s rank of 1339 out of 3720 means that roughly 64% of tested combos deliver better Control performance, which is a sobering statistic for a card that was once a high-end offering. The 3070 Ti’s nearest GPU rival, the RTX 2080 Ti, is only 0.5% slower on average, indicating that this card is effectively a generational sidegrade for Control rather than a significant leap forward. The combo’s rank relative to the CPU and GPU percentiles suggests that the pairing is balanced — neither component is severely holding back the other, and the bottleneck shifts cleanly from CPU at 1080p Low to GPU at 4K Ultra.

The data indicates that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it ranks in the top half of configurations, but it falls behind at 4K where the GPU’s 8 GB memory and 21.75 TFLOPS are insufficient for Ultra settings. The 3720 total combos tested means that the 1339 rank is not a poor showing, but it does highlight that there are many faster configurations available for players who prioritize Control performance above all else.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results, with the Low preset achieving 166 FPS average, Medium at 118 FPS (minimum 101, maximum 136), High at 105 FPS, and Ultra at 91 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 75 FPS, meaning that Ultra is 45% slower than Low at this resolution. The Medium preset’s min/max range of 101-136 FPS shows a 35-frame spread, which is the widest of any measured configuration, suggesting that the game’s variable scene complexity is most pronounced at this settings level on 1080p.

At 2560x1440, the averages drop to 126 FPS on Low, 89 FPS on Medium (minimum 76, maximum 103), 79 FPS on High, and 69 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset’s min/max range narrows to 27 frames, indicating more consistent frame pacing as the GPU becomes more of a limiting factor. The jump from High to Ultra costs 10 FPS (from 79 to 69), which is a 13% penalty for the highest settings tier. At this resolution, all presets except Ultra exceed 75 FPS, making 1440p a very viable option for competitive play.

At 3840x2160, the numbers fall to 85 FPS on Low, 60 FPS on Medium (minimum 51, maximum 69), 54 FPS on High, and 47 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset’s min/max range of 18 frames is the tightest of all measured configurations, which is a sign that the GPU is fully saturated and frame times are stable under sustained load. The 4K Low result of 85 FPS is surprisingly high, indicating that Control’s Low preset is not particularly demanding on the GPU’s shading units, but the Ultra preset at 47 FPS is below the 50 FPS threshold that many players consider playable for a slow-paced action adventure.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Control at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Yes, but only at Low or Medium settings. The 4K Medium preset averages 60 FPS with a minimum of 51 FPS, while Low averages 85 FPS. High drops to 54 FPS and Ultra falls to 47 FPS, which may be too choppy for some players.

Q: What is the best resolution for high refresh rate gaming?

A: At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 166 FPS average, which is ideal for 144Hz or 165Hz monitors. Even the Ultra preset at 91 FPS is suitable for 90Hz+ displays. At 1440p, Low hits 126 FPS and Medium averages 89 FPS, making 1440p viable for 120Hz+ displays only on lower presets.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 Ti compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score of 29945 is 0.1% above the RTX 5070 Mobile and 0.5% above the RTX 2080 Ti, while being 0.5% below the RX 6800 and 1.6% below the RX 6700. In Control specifically, the 4K Ultra result of 47 FPS shows it is not a top-tier 4K card.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 5700 a bottleneck at any resolution?

A: No. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K follows a predictable GPU-bound pattern, with consistent 24-33% drops per resolution step. The CPU’s 16 threads and 3.70 GHz base clock / 4.60 GHz boost clock are sufficient to feed the GPU at all tested settings.

Q: What is the frame pacing like at Medium settings?

A: The Medium preset has the only complete min/max data. At 1080p, the range is 101-136 FPS (35 frame spread); at 1440p, it is 76-103 FPS (27 frame spread); at 4K, it is 51-69 FPS (18 frame spread). The tightening range at higher resolutions indicates more consistent frame delivery.

Q: How does this combo rank overall in Control?

A: It ranks 1339 out of 3720 tested combos, placing it in the 64th percentile. This is a mid-to-upper tier result, but the GPU’s 75th percentile and CPU’s 78th percentile suggest that other pairings may offer better Control-specific performance.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p gaming, the Ultra preset at 91 FPS average is the recommended choice, as it provides the highest visual fidelity while maintaining frame rates well above the 60 FPS threshold. Players with 144Hz monitors can step down to High at 105 FPS for a smoother experience, but the visual difference between High and Ultra in Control is often subtle in dimly lit environments. The Medium preset at 118 FPS is the best option for competitive play at 1080p, offering a 27 FPS improvement over High at a modest visual cost.

At 1440p, the High preset at 79 FPS average is the sweet spot, delivering near-60 FPS minimums and good visual quality. The Ultra preset at 69 FPS is playable but will dip below 60 FPS in demanding scenes, so it is only recommended for players who prioritize visuals over smoothness. The Medium preset at 89 FPS is the safer choice for 1440p high-refresh displays, and the Low preset at 126 FPS is suitable for esports-style play where frame rate is paramount.

At 4K, the Medium preset at 60 FPS average with a 51 FPS minimum is the only recommended configuration, as it balances visual quality with playability. The Low preset at 85 FPS is smoother but sacrifices too much visual detail for a game that relies heavily on atmosphere and lighting. The High preset at 54 FPS and Ultra at 47 FPS are not recommended for 4K, as the frame rates fall below the 60 FPS threshold that is standard for modern action-adventure titles. For the best overall experience, the data suggests that 1440p with High settings offers the optimal balance of visual fidelity and performance, with the 79 FPS average providing headroom for occasional dips while maintaining smooth gameplay.