Control

Control is an Action Adventure title from 2019 that stresses both the CPU and GPU depending on resolution. The measured data for the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT combination reveals a system that is exceptionally capable at 1080p, but the frame rate curve suggests a clear shift in bottleneck behavior as pixel count rises. The benchmark results indicate that this pairing is well-balanced for high-refresh gaming at lower resolutions, while 4K Ultra demands more from the graphics card than the 16 GB buffer and 48.66 TFLOPS of compute can comfortably deliver.

Resolution Scaling

The drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and tells a story about where the workload shifts. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 191.8 FPS, but at 4K Low it falls to 98.7 FPS — a reduction of roughly 48%. That is a massive loss that cannot be attributed to the CPU, which shows strong multi-threaded performance with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 22366. The limiting component at higher resolutions is clearly the GPU, as the RX 9070 XT's compute and memory bandwidth are being saturated.

Moving from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra shows an even steeper decline: 108.8 FPS down to 51.8 FPS, which is a 52% reduction. This reveals that the game's Ultra preset at 4K is exceptionally demanding, likely pushing the RDNA 4.0 architecture to its limits. The 644.6 GB/s of memory bandwidth is substantial, but the 256-bit bus and 16 GB of GDDR6 appear insufficient for the highest fidelity at 4K, as the frame rate dips below 60 FPS. In contrast, the scaling from 1440p to 4K at Medium settings (105.9 FPS to 68.9 FPS) is a 35% drop, suggesting that Medium is the sweet spot for maintaining playability across resolutions.

The data implies that the CPU, with its 8 cores and 16 threads based on Zen 3, is not the primary constraint above 1080p. Even at 1080p Low, the 191.8 FPS figure shows headroom, but the GPU still manages to keep up. The real insight is that this combo is built for 1440p high-refresh or 4K medium settings, not for maxing out 4K Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

In Control's measured results, this combination ranks 436 out of 1636 tested combos, placing it in the top 27% of all configurations. That percentile positioning is respectable but not elite, which aligns with the GPU's overall percentile of 82 among all GPUs and the CPU's identical 82 percentile. The combo rank suggests that while the parts are individually strong, the pairing does not achieve the top tier of performance in this specific game.

Comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals shows how close the competition is. The Ryzen 7 5700X3D edges out the Intel Core i7-1360P by 0.2% in average benchmark score and beats the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X3D by 0.3%. It also surpasses the Intel Core i5-11600 by 0.5%, but falls 0.6% behind the AMD Ryzen AI Max 385. These deltas are negligible, meaning the CPU is not the differentiating factor in this combo's ranking.

On the GPU side, the RX 9070 XT trails the AMD Radeon Pro 575 by 0.1% and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 by 0.6%, while leading the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile by 0.2% and the AMD Radeon Pro 575X by 0.5%. These are essentially statistical ties, which is surprising given the architectural differences. The conclusion from the ranking data is that this combo performs consistently with other mid-to-high-end pairings, but Control's specific engine does not reward this hardware combination with top-tier status.

GPU Role

The RX 9070 XT is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with a 4 nm process and a die size of 357 mm². Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus delivers 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a critical factor for Control's texture-heavy environments. The base clock of 1660 MHz and boost clock of 2970 MHz show a wide frequency range, with a game clock of 2400 MHz that likely represents sustained performance during load.

The benchmark results indicate that the GPU's raw compute is not the bottleneck at lower resolutions. The FP32 performance of 48.66 TFLOPS is ample for 1080p, where the combo reaches 191.8 FPS on Low. However, at 4K Ultra, the 51.8 FPS average suggests that the shading units (4096) and texture mapping units (256) are being overwhelmed by the pixel and texture load. The pixel rate of 380.2 GPixel/s and texture rate of 760.3 GTexel/s are high, but Control's physics-based rendering and particle effects at Ultra settings demand more.

The GPU's memory capacity is not the issue at 1080p or 1440p, as even 4K High shows 60.1 FPS. The real constraint appears to be the compute throughput at extreme settings, as the drop from High to Ultra at 4K (60.1 to 51.8 FPS) is only 14%, suggesting diminishing returns from the extra graphical features. The 16 GB buffer is future-proof, but the 304 W TDP and 2x 8-pin power connectors indicate a high-power part that runs at its limits under load.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the frame rates are consistently high across all settings. Low produces 191.8 FPS, Medium drops to 135.7 FPS, High achieves 124 FPS, and Ultra still manages 108.8 FPS. This shows a smooth scaling curve where each preset tier costs roughly 15-20% performance, indicating that the CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU even at the lowest settings.

Moving to 1440p, the pattern shifts. Low yields 145.4 FPS, Medium 105.9 FPS, High 92.4 FPS, and Ultra 79.7 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 27%, which is steeper than at 1080p, signaling that the GPU is starting to become the limiting factor. The jump from High to Ultra at 1440p is a 14% reduction, similar to 4K, suggesting that Ultra settings impose a consistent overhead regardless of resolution.

At 4K, the numbers tell a more sobering story. Low averages 98.7 FPS, which is still playable, but Medium falls to 68.9 FPS, High to 60.1 FPS, and Ultra to 51.8 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium at 4K is 30%, the largest of any resolution, indicating that the medium preset's additional effects tax the GPU heavily. The 4K results suggest that players should stick to Medium or High for a stable experience, as Ultra dips below the 60 FPS threshold.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Control?

A: 1440p offers the best balance, with High settings averaging 92.4 FPS and Ultra at 79.7 FPS, both comfortably above 60 FPS.

Q: Does 4K Ultra deliver playable frame rates?

A: No, the measured average of 51.8 FPS falls below the 60 FPS standard, making it borderline for smooth gameplay.

Q: How much performance is lost from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: The frame rate drops from 124 FPS at 1080p High to 60.1 FPS at 4K High, a 51% reduction.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at 1080p Low?

A: No, the 191.8 FPS result indicates the CPU can handle the workload, as it ranks highly with an 82 percentile and 8 cores.

Q: What is the GPU's average benchmark score compared to rivals?

A: The RX 9070 XT scores 39647, which is within 0.6% of its nearest rivals, showing consistent performance.

Q: Which preset should be avoided at 4K?

A: Ultra should be avoided, as it produces the lowest frame rate of 51.8 FPS, while Medium and High are more viable.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 7 5700X3D is a Zen 3 part with 8 cores and 16 threads, clocked at a base of 3.00 GHz and boost of 4.10 GHz. Its 96 MB of shared L3 cache is a standout feature, likely contributing to strong gaming performance. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 22366 and single-core score of 3157 show solid throughput, while the 3DMark results (6764 for 16 threads) confirm scalability.

In Control, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p, where the frame rates exceed 100 FPS across all settings. The 191.8 FPS at Low suggests the CPU can push the GPU to its limits, but the data shows that at 1440p and 4K, the GPU becomes the primary constraint. The CPU's 82 percentile ranking against all CPUs is respectable, but its nearest rivals are within 0.6%, indicating that performance is not unique.

The 7 nm process node and 8,850 million transistors on a 74 mm² die suggest an efficient design, but the 105 W TDP is moderate. The DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth is a potential limitation, but the large L3 cache helps mitigate memory latency. The benchmark results indicate that the CPU is not the limiting component in this game at higher resolutions, as the frame rate drops are consistent with GPU-bound workloads.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data points to 1440p High as the optimal choice. The 92.4 FPS average is smooth and the visual quality is high, avoiding the steep performance penalties of Ultra while still delivering a polished look. At 1080p, Ultra is viable at 108.8 FPS, but the gains over High (124 FPS) are minimal, so High is more efficient. For 4K, Medium at 68.9 FPS is the recommended preset, as it stays above 60 FPS and avoids the 51.8 FPS floor of Ultra.

The measured rows show that Low settings are only necessary for maximum frame rates at 4K (98.7 FPS), but that sacrifices too much visual fidelity for a game like Control. The sweet spot is clearly 1440p High, which balances the GPU's 16 GB memory and 644.6 GB/s bandwidth with the CPU's strong multi-threading. Players seeking 4K should accept Medium as the practical ceiling, as High (60.1 FPS) is borderline and Ultra is not recommended.