Control

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D paired with the Intel Arc B390 presents a highly unusual configuration for playing Control, an Action Adventure title from 2019. This pairing combines a strong 8-core desktop processor with an integrated-class graphics solution, resulting in a system where the GPU is overwhelmingly the primary bottleneck. The measured frame rates across all resolutions and settings confirm that this is not a combination built for high-refresh-rate or high-fidelity gaming, but rather for understanding the floor of performance with a capable CPU. The data indicates a system that can produce playable, though not ideal, frame rates only at 1080p with the lowest settings, and which struggles significantly at higher resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and clearly illustrates that the Intel Arc B390 is the limiting component. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 41 FPS at 1920x1080 to 31 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 10 FPS. Scaling further to 3840x2160, the average drops to 21 FPS, meaning the 4K High result is roughly half the speed of the 1080p High result. This linear decline with pixel count is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario; the CPU is not the constraining factor because the workload is increasing on the graphics processor.

The pattern holds across other settings. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 65 at 1080p, to 50 at 1440p, and finally to 33 at 4K. This shows a consistent penalty of roughly 15 FPS for each step up in resolution from 1080p to 1440p, and then another 17 FPS drop moving to 4K. Even at Ultra settings, where the CPU might be expected to play a larger role due to more complex game logic, the trend continues: 36 FPS at 1080p, 27 FPS at 1440p, and 18 FPS at 4K. The fact that the frame rate nearly halves from 1080p to 4K at every preset is definitive proof that the integrated GPU's pixel throughput is the wall this system hits.

The data suggests that this pairing is not viable for 4K gaming in Control. The highest frame rate at 4K is only 33 FPS, achieved at Low settings, and even that is a marginal experience. The 4K Ultra result of 18 FPS is effectively a slideshow. For players targeting 4K, the Arc B390 is simply out of its depth, regardless of the Ryzen 7 5700X3D's capabilities. The CPU is waiting idle for the GPU to catch up at these higher resolutions, meaning the system's performance is entirely dictated by the graphics component.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured data, the only setting that provides a consistently playable experience is Low. At 1920x1080, Low settings produce an average of 65 FPS, which is a solid and smooth frame rate for an action game. This is the only configuration in the entire dataset that exceeds 60 FPS. Moving to Medium settings at the same resolution drops the average to 46 FPS, which is still playable but represents a significant 19 FPS penalty for what is likely a moderate visual upgrade. High settings at 1080p yield 41 FPS, and Ultra drops further to 36 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the situation becomes more dire. Even at Low settings, the average FPS is 50, which is playable but not ideal for a fast-paced game. Medium settings at 1440p average 35 FPS, which is on the lower edge of playability. High and Ultra settings at this resolution are not recommended, with averages of 31 and 27 FPS respectively. These frame rates will feel choppy and unresponsive.

For 4K, none of the settings are recommended. The maximum average of 33 FPS at Low settings is below the threshold for a comfortable experience, and all other settings fall into the 18-24 FPS range.

The practical recommendation is to use Low settings at 1080p for a smooth experience, or Medium at 1080p if visual fidelity is a priority and the player can tolerate the lower frame rate. The data shows that the jump from Low to Medium at 1080p costs a significant 19 FPS, while the jump from Medium to High costs only 5 FPS. This suggests that the Low to Medium transition is the most demanding relative to its visual return, and that the game is already heavily taxing the GPU at Low settings. There is no scenario in the data where High or Ultra settings provide an acceptable frame rate, making them effectively unusable for this hardware combination.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process. Its performance in Control is the defining factor for this entire system. The GPU has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 render output units, along with 12 ray tracing cores. Its boost clock is rated at 2500 MHz, with a base clock of 300 MHz. The memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it uses a portion of the system's DDR4 RAM rather than dedicated VRAM. This shared memory setup is a common cause of performance limitations, as bandwidth is dependent on the system's memory bus and can become a bottleneck.

The benchmark data for the B390 is sparse, with only a single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482. This score places the GPU in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, indicating it is at the very bottom of the performance spectrum. Its nearest rivals in the benchmark database are extremely old and low-end parts, including the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710. The B390's score is only 1.3% higher than the GT 520MX, which confirms its limited graphical horsepower. This context is crucial for understanding the Control results: the game is simply demanding more than this GPU can deliver at higher settings.

The data confirms the GPU is the sole limiting factor. The 1080p Low result of 65 FPS is the ceiling for this GPU, and any increase in settings or resolution causes a proportional drop in performance. The ray tracing cores present in the hardware are of no practical use in this scenario, as the base rendering performance is too low to handle the game's effects at a playable frame rate. The "System Shared" memory bandwidth is also a likely contributor to the steep performance cliffs seen when increasing settings from Low to Medium, as the GPU must compete with the CPU for memory access.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured results shows a consistent and predictable pattern of performance degradation as resolution and settings increase.

1920x1080:

• Low: Average 65 FPS. This is the only playable configuration, providing a smooth experience.
• Medium: Average 46 FPS, with a minimum of 40 FPS and a maximum of 53 FPS. This is playable but noticeably less fluid than Low.
• High: Average 41 FPS. This is a marginal experience, suitable for slower-paced moments but prone to feeling sluggish.
• Ultra: Average 36 FPS. This is below the threshold for comfortable play and is not recommended.

2560x1440:

• Low: Average 50 FPS. This is playable, though the frame rate is not high enough for competitive play.
• Medium: Average 35 FPS, with a minimum of 30 FPS and a maximum of 40 FPS. This is on the edge of playability.
• High: Average 31 FPS. This is not a smooth experience.
• Ultra: Average 27 FPS. This is not recommended for gameplay.

3840x2160:

• Low: Average 33 FPS. This is below the playable threshold.
• Medium: Average 24 FPS, with a minimum of 20 FPS and a maximum of 27 FPS. This is a slideshow.
• High: Average 21 FPS. Not playable.
• Ultra: Average 18 FPS. Not playable.

The data shows that the gap between Low and Medium settings is consistently large, particularly at 1080p where the difference is 19 FPS. The gap between Medium and High is smaller (5 FPS at 1080p and 4 FPS at 1440p), and the gap between High and Ultra is also modest (5 FPS at 1080p and 4 FPS at 1440p). This suggests that the most significant visual quality step comes at a high performance cost, while subsequent steps are relatively cheaper.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Control at 4K?

A: The data shows it cannot provide a playable experience at 3840x2160. The highest average frame rate at 4K is 33 FPS on Low settings, with Ultra settings averaging only 18 FPS.

Q: What is the best setting for a smooth 60 FPS experience?

A: Based on the measured data, only one configuration achieves an average of 60 FPS or higher: 1920x1080 with Low settings, which averages 65 FPS. No other resolution or settings combination reaches that threshold.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 1482, which is only 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M. It is also just 2.5% and 2.7% ahead of the GT 625 OEM and GT 710, respectively, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The benchmark results clearly indicate the GPU is the bottleneck. Frame rates drop by roughly half when moving from 1080p to 4K at all settings, which is a classic sign of a GPU-limited workload. The Ryzen 7 5700X3D is far more capable than the Arc B390.

Q: What is the performance of the CPU in this system?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D has an average benchmark score of 24709, placing it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs. It is very closely matched with the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X3D, which scores 24728, showing a performance difference of only -0.1%.

Q: Is there a significant difference between Medium and High settings?

A: Yes, but not as large as the jump from Low to Medium. At 1080p, Medium averages 46 FPS while High averages 41 FPS, a difference of 5 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 19 FPS, making that the largest performance cliff in the data.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D is a desktop processor from the 5000 series, based on the Zen 3 architecture and codenamed Vermeer. It features 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. A key feature is its large 96 MB shared L3 cache, which is designed to improve gaming performance. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU demonstrates strong multi-threaded capability, scoring 22366 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 11086 in Geekbench multicore. Its single-thread performance is respectable as well, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3157.

The CPU's overall average benchmark score is 24709, which places it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are all extremely close in performance: the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X3D scores 24728 (-0.1%), the AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX scores 24822 (-0.5%), the Intel Core i5-12450HX scores 24576 (+0.5%), and the Intel Core i5-11600 scores 24563 (+0.6%). This indicates that the 5700X3D is a solidly performing mid-range to upper-mid-range CPU, with performance essentially on par with these other modern chips.

However, in this specific system, the CPU's role is entirely secondary. The measured FPS data for Control shows that the Ryzen 7 5700X3D is never the limiting factor. The performance differences between resolutions are entirely attributable to the GPU's workload. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar frame rates at different resolutions, particularly at lower settings. Instead, we see a clear and consistent drop in FPS as resolution increases, which is the signature of a GPU bottleneck. The powerful 8-core/16-thread configuration and the large L3 cache are effectively idle, waiting for the Intel Arc B390 to render each frame. This pairing demonstrates that even a top-tier gaming CPU cannot compensate for a GPU that is fundamentally outclassed by the game's demands.