Control

Control is an Action Adventure title that stresses both the CPU and GPU in different ways depending on resolution and settings. The data for this combination of an AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D and an Intel Arc B580 shows a system that is clearly capable of smooth gameplay at 1080p, but one that becomes progressively more GPU-limited as resolution increases. The measured frames per second (FPS) reveal a predictable scaling pattern, with the gap between Low and Ultra settings widening significantly at higher resolutions, indicating where the performance bottleneck lies.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and consistent across all settings. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 111 FPS at 1920x1080 to 59.7 FPS at 3840x2160, a reduction of roughly 46%. This pattern is even more pronounced at Ultra settings, where the average drops from 64.6 FPS at 1080p to just 30.9 FPS at 4K, a decline of over 52%. The scaling between 1080p and 1440p is also notable, with High settings dropping from 69.5 FPS to 53.2 FPS, a 23% decrease. The data indicates that this is a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions; the frame rate is heavily dependent on the graphics card’s ability to fill pixels, not the processor's computational throughput.

The behavior between Medium and High settings at 4K is particularly telling. The average FPS is nearly identical, with Medium at 38.3 FPS and High at 38.1 FPS. This suggests that at this resolution, the game is hitting a hard limit imposed by the GPU's rendering capabilities, and the difference in visual complexity between those two presets does not translate into a measurable performance difference. The biggest single drop occurs when moving from 1440p to 4K at Ultra settings, from 45.6 FPS down to 30.9 FPS. This steep decline highlights that the 4K Ultra preset demands more from the graphics card than this particular combo can deliver for a consistently fluid experience.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is the primary limiting factor in this system for Control, especially at higher resolutions. Its memory configuration of 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus provides a memory bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s, which is sufficient for the game’s textures, but the raw compute power appears to be the constraining element. The GPU has a base and boost clock of 2670 MHz and features 2560 shading units, but the measured FPS at 4K Ultra (30.9 FPS) and 4K High (38.1 FPS) suggests that the rendering pipeline is saturated. The data points to a scenario where the card's 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is not enough to maintain higher frame rates when the pixel count increases dramatically.

The performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 4K is 28.8 FPS, which is a larger absolute gap than the 46.4 FPS difference seen at 1080p. This shows that while the GPU is the bottleneck, the settings still have a meaningful impact on the workload. The GPU’s percentile ranking versus all GPUs is 66, and its average benchmark score of 23021 places it in close competition with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, which has an average score of 23181, a delta of -0.7%. This suggests that the Arc B580 is a mid-range performer, and the Control results align with that positioning, offering decent performance at 1080p but struggling to maintain playable rates at 4K with higher presets.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D provides a robust foundation that does not appear to bottleneck the GPU in this game. With 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture, the processor has a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. Its substantial 96 MB of shared L3 cache is a key feature, likely helping to maintain consistent frame pacing in a game with complex physics and AI routines. The CPU’s benchmark results are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 22366 and a single-core score of 3157, indicating it has ample headroom for gaming workloads.

The evidence for a lack of CPU bottleneck is in the FPS scaling. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 111 FPS, which is a high frame rate that would require a capable processor to sustain. As the resolution increases, the FPS drops in a manner consistent with a GPU limitation rather than a CPU one. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see similar frame rates across different resolutions, but the data shows a clear decline. The processor’s percentile ranking versus all CPUs is 82, and its average benchmark score of 24673 is only 0.2% different from the Intel Core i7-1360P and 0.3% from the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X3D, placing it in a high-performance tier that is well-matched for a mid-range graphics card.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Control, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D and Intel Arc B580 ranks 1296 out of 1636 total combinations. This places it in the lower half of all tested systems, which is a direct reflection of the GPU's performance ceiling. While the CPU is a strong performer, the graphics card holds the combo back in this specific title, particularly at higher resolutions. The ranking suggests that many other tested configurations, likely those paired with more powerful graphics cards, achieve higher average frame rates.

The combo's position is not a condemnation of either component, but rather a measure of their combined output in this specific game. The CPU’s performance is in the top 18% of all processors, but the GPU’s performance is in the 66th percentile of all graphics cards. This imbalance means the system is well-suited for CPU-intensive tasks, but in Control, the graphics card determines the overall experience. The rank of 1296 indicates that for users seeking maximum frame rates in this game, a different GPU choice would be more effective, but for a balanced system, this pairing represents a specific performance profile.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the system's performance across three resolutions and four settings. At 1920x1080, the system is very capable, with Low settings delivering an average of 111 FPS. Medium settings produce 81.7 FPS, High settings yield 69.5 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 64.6 FPS. All of these are playable, with the jump from High to Ultra costing only 4.9 FPS, making Ultra a viable option for users with 1080p monitors.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain respectable but start to show the GPU's strain. Low settings average 84.2 FPS, Medium settings average 61.3 FPS, and High settings average 53.2 FPS. Ultra settings dip to 45.6 FPS, which is still playable but begins to approach the threshold where some users might prefer lower settings for a smoother experience. The differences between presets are more pronounced here, with a 20.5 FPS gap between Low and Medium, and a 38.6 FPS gap between Low and Ultra.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain high frame rates. Low settings are the only preset that provides a smooth experience, with an average of 59.7 FPS. Medium and High settings are nearly identical at 38.3 FPS and 38.1 FPS, respectively, which are playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. Ultra settings fall to 30.9 FPS, which is below the threshold for a consistently smooth experience. The data clearly shows that 4K gaming is only feasible at the lowest settings for this combination.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal experience depends heavily on the target resolution. For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the clear recommendation. With an average of 64.6 FPS, it provides a visual upgrade over High settings (69.5 FPS) for a minimal performance cost of less than 5 FPS. The system has enough headroom to handle the extra graphical load, and the frame rate remains well within a comfortable range for a smooth gaming experience.

For 2560x1440, the High preset offers the best balance. It provides an average of 53.2 FPS, which is a solid playable frame rate. While Ultra settings at 45.6 FPS are still playable, the drop of 7.6 FPS is more noticeable here, and High settings offer a better trade-off between visual fidelity and performance. The Low preset at 84.2 FPS is the best choice for competitive play, but for a standard playthrough, High is recommended.

For 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only option that delivers a consistently smooth experience, with an average of 59.7 FPS. Medium and High settings both hover around 38 FPS, which is playable but may feel less responsive. The Ultra preset at 30.9 FPS is not recommended for a fluid experience. Users with a 4K display should prioritize the Low preset to ensure the game remains playable, or consider reducing the resolution to 1440p to take advantage of higher quality settings.