Control

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

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700 is an 8-core, 16-thread processor from the 5000 series, built on the Zen 3 architecture (Codenamed Cezanne) using TSMC's 7 nm process. It carries 16 MB of L3 cache and operates with a base clock of 3.70 GHz, boosting up to 4.60 GHz. The CPU's benchmark profile shows strong multi-threaded capability: it scores 20,655 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 8,675 in Cinebench R20 multi-core, with a PassMark multithread score of 24,303. Single-thread performance is solid as well, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,916 and a 3DMark single-thread score of 901.

In the context of Control, this CPU's 8-core/16-thread configuration is more than sufficient to feed the GPU. The game's measured FPS data shows that even at 1080p with Low settings, the system hits 209.2 FPS average, which is well beyond what most displays can show. The CPU's percentile ranking of 84th among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27,220, places it in the upper tier of processors. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-9900K (0.7% higher score), Intel Core i7-12700H (0.8% higher), and Intel Core i7-1370P (0.8% higher). The Ryzen 7 5700 essentially trades blows with these chips, meaning it won't be the bottleneck in most gaming scenarios.

The CPU's 3DMark scores show a scaling pattern from 1,762 (2 threads) to 6,617 (max threads), indicating good multi-thread utilization. For Control, which is not particularly CPU-intensive at higher resolutions, this processor provides ample headroom. The 65W TDP and DDR4 dual-channel memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth are standard for this class, ensuring stable frame pacing without thermal throttling concerns. The data suggests the CPU is rarely the limiting factor in this game; the GPU takes over that role as resolution increases.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture (chip GB205) using TSMC's 5 nm process, packing 31,100 million transistors. It features 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's boost clock is 2512 MHz with a base clock of 2325 MHz. Its shading units number 6,144, with 192 texture mapping units and 80 raster output pipelines. The RTX 5070 also includes 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores, which are relevant for Control's ray tracing and DLSS features, though the measured FPS data here does not specifically isolate those workloads.

The GPU's benchmark profile is impressive: it scores 29,137 in PassMark G3D and 5,077 in 3DMark Steel Nomad (DX12). Its percentile ranking is 83rd among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 41,687. Interestingly, its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 (0.6% higher score), AMD Radeon Pro 5300 (0.2% higher), NVIDIA Tesla M40 (0.5% lower), and AMD Radeon Pro 580X (0.7% lower). This places the RTX 5070 in a performance class slightly above the RTX 3090 in synthetic benchmarks, which is notable for a modern mid-to-high-end card.

In Control, the GPU's 12 GB VRAM is more than adequate for the game's textures, even at 4K Ultra settings. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra is 59.4 FPS average, which suggests the GPU is working hard but not running out of memory. The GDDR7 memory bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s is a key factor in maintaining playable frame rates at high resolutions. The GPU's FP32 compute of 30.87 TFLOPS provides the raw shader power needed for the game's particle effects and physics-based destruction. The pixel rate of 201.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 482.3 GTexel/s also contribute to the game's visual fidelity without excessive frame drops.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling. At 1080p High settings, the system averages 132.9 FPS. Moving to 1440p High drops this to 98.6 FPS, a reduction of 25.8%. At 4K High, the average falls to 65.2 FPS, which is 50.9% lower than the 1080p figure. This scaling behavior is typical for a GPU-limited scenario — the CPU can maintain high frame rates at lower resolutions, but the GPU's workload increases substantially as pixel count rises.

The Low settings preset shows even more dramatic scaling: 209.2 FPS at 1080p, 157.2 FPS at 1440p (24.9% drop), and 104.9 FPS at 4K (49.9% drop from 1080p). This consistent ~50% reduction from 1080p to 4K across settings presets indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU has enough headroom to avoid limiting performance even at 1080p Low where the frame rate exceeds 200 FPS.

The Ultra preset tells a similar story: 115.1 FPS at 1080p, 84.9 FPS at 1440p (26.2% drop), and 59.4 FPS at 4K (48.4% drop). The fact that the proportional drops are similar across all presets suggests that the GPU's rendering workload scales predictably with resolution, and the CPU is not introducing variable bottlenecks. At 4K Ultra, the 59.4 FPS average is just below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that this combination is on the edge of smooth 4K gameplay at maximum settings.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Given the measured data, the Medium preset appears to offer the best balance of visual quality and frame rate across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the system achieves 151.2 FPS average, which is 13.8% higher than High (132.9 FPS) and only 27.5% lower than Low (209.2 FPS). The jump from Medium to High costs 18.3 FPS at 1080p, while the jump from Medium to Low gains 58 FPS — a significant trade-off for relatively minor visual differences.

At 1440p, Medium delivers 110.7 FPS average, which comfortably exceeds 60 FPS and even 100 FPS thresholds for high-refresh-rate monitors. High settings at 1440p drop to 98.6 FPS, still playable but noticeably lower. The Ultra preset at 1440p yields 84.9 FPS, which is acceptable but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes.

For 4K gaming, Medium provides 76 FPS average, which is above the 60 FPS standard for smooth gameplay. High settings at 4K drop to 65.2 FPS, still playable but with less margin. Ultra at 4K falls to 59.4 FPS, which is borderline — it will dip below 60 FPS in intense combat sequences. The data suggests that Medium is the sweet spot for 4K, offering a 16.6 FPS improvement over High while maintaining visual quality that is only slightly reduced.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K Medium settings, the average FPS is 76, which is playable. At 4K High, it drops to 65.2 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 59.4 FPS. For consistent 60+ FPS, Medium is recommended at 4K.

Q: How does the RTX 5070 compare to the RTX 3090 in this context?

A: The RTX 5070's average benchmark score is 41,687, which is 0.6% lower than the RTX 3090's score of 41,441. In practical terms, they perform nearly identically, with the RTX 5070 being slightly behind by a margin that is within measurement noise.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 5700 a bottleneck for the RTX 5070 in this game?

A: The data indicates no. At 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 209.2 FPS, which is very high. The CPU's 84th percentile ranking and scores like 20,655 in Cinebench R23 multi-core suggest it has ample headroom to keep up with the GPU at all tested resolutions and settings.

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

A: Medium settings at 1440p provide 110.7 FPS average, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate displays. High settings at 98.6 FPS are also viable if you prioritize visual fidelity, but Medium offers a 12.1 FPS advantage.

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

A: At High settings, the drop is from 132.9 FPS at 1080p to 65.2 FPS at 4K, a 50.9% reduction. At Medium settings, the drop is from 151.2 FPS to 76 FPS, a 49.7% reduction. This consistent ~50% loss indicates GPU-bound scaling.

Q: Is the RTX 5070's 12 GB VRAM sufficient for Control at 4K?

A: Based on the measured FPS data, yes. The game runs at 59.4 FPS at 4K Ultra without any indications of VRAM-related stuttering or crashes. The 12 GB GDDR7 memory with 672.0 GB/s bandwidth provides sufficient capacity and throughput for this game's textures and effects.

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

1080p (1920x1080):

• Low: 209.2 FPS average
• Medium: 151.2 FPS average
• High: 132.9 FPS average
• Ultra: 115.1 FPS average

The spread from Low to Ultra is 94.1 FPS, with each step up in settings costing a meaningful chunk of performance. The jump from Low to Medium costs 58 FPS, which is the largest single-step drop. From Medium to High, the cost is 18.3 FPS, and from High to Ultra, it's 17.8 FPS.

1440p (2560x1440):

• Low: 157.2 FPS average
• Medium: 110.7 FPS average
• High: 98.6 FPS average
• Ultra: 84.9 FPS average

At 1440p, the spread narrows to 72.3 FPS. Low to Medium costs 46.5 FPS, Medium to High costs 12.1 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 13.7 FPS. The performance deltas between Medium, High, and Ultra are more compressed than at 1080p, suggesting the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor.

4K (3840x2160):

• Low: 104.9 FPS average
• Medium: 76 FPS average
• High: 65.2 FPS average
• Ultra: 59.4 FPS average

At 4K, the spread is 45.5 FPS. Low to Medium costs 28.9 FPS, Medium to High costs 10.8 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 5.8 FPS. The small delta between High and Ultra at 4K (5.8 FPS) suggests that the Ultra preset is not significantly more demanding than High at this resolution, but both are close to the 60 FPS threshold.

The overall combo rank for this CPU/GPU pairing in Control is 324 out of 1,636 tested combinations, placing it in the top 20% of all systems tested for this game. This ranking, combined with the measured FPS data, indicates that the AMD Ryzen 7 5700 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 combination is well-suited for Control at up to 1440p with high refresh rates, and capable of 4K gameplay with settings adjustments.