Control

Control on the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT presents a clear picture of a system where the GPU is the primary constraint, though the CPU’s strong multi-threaded foundation ensures that frame pacing remains consistent even at high settings. The measured data shows a system ranking 870th out of 1,636 tested combinations, placing it in the upper-middle tier for this title. The combination of an 8-core, 16-thread Zen 3 processor with a 12 GB RDNA 2 graphics card delivers playable performance at 1440p, but 4K Ultra demands compromises that the hardware cannot fully mask.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K is steep and reveals a GPU-bound workload at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 90.5 FPS at 1080p to 65.6 FPS at 1440p — a 27.5% reduction — and then falls further to 47.4 FPS at 4K, which is 47.6% lower than the 1080p result. This pattern is typical of a game that becomes increasingly dependent on pixel throughput as resolution climbs, and the RX 6700 XT’s 192-bit memory bus and 384.0 GB/s bandwidth are pushed hard at 4K.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the spread from Low (144.7 FPS) to Ultra (78 FPS) is 66.7 FPS. At 1440p, that spread narrows to 52.3 FPS (109.7 down to 57.4 FPS). By 4K, the difference compresses further to 37.1 FPS (75 down to 37.9 FPS). This compression indicates that at 4K, the GPU’s compute and memory resources are saturated regardless of quality preset, making resolution the dominant factor rather than settings. The data suggests that 1080p is the only resolution where the CPU can fully feed the GPU, as the 144.7 FPS Low result approaches the refresh ceiling of many monitors.

At 4K Ultra, the 37.9 FPS average is below the 60 FPS threshold commonly considered smooth, and even 4K High at 47.4 FPS falls short. The jump from Medium to Ultra at 4K costs 16.1 FPS (54 down to 37.9), while the jump from Low to Medium costs 21 FPS (75 down to 54). The scaling behavior implies that players targeting 4K should prioritize the Low or Medium presets, as the marginal visual gains from Ultra do not justify the substantial frame rate penalty.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X provides a robust foundation for Control, with 8 cores and 16 threads running at a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. This Zen 3 architecture, built on a 7 nm process, delivers strong single-threaded performance that is critical for game logic and draw calls. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23,571 and single-core score of 3,327 indicate that the processor has ample headroom for this title, which does not appear to be thread-limited based on the frame rate scaling.

The CPU’s 32 MB of L3 cache and 4,150 million transistors on a 74 mm² die contribute to low latency memory access, which benefits the frequent state changes in Control’s destructible environments. The 3DMark single-thread score of 943 and 16-thread score of 7,586 suggest that while the processor can handle many concurrent tasks, the game’s primary thread is well-served by the high boost clock. The Ryzen 7 5800X sits at the 84th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27,606, placing it just 0.3% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800 and 0.8% ahead of the Intel Core i5-12600KF.

The measured frame rates show that at 1080p Low, the system hits 144.7 FPS, which is likely near the CPU’s practical limit for this game. However, the fact that dropping from Low to Ultra at 1080p only reduces performance by 66.7 FPS (to 78 FPS) suggests that the CPU is not the bottleneck even at lower quality settings. The Ryzen 7 5800X’s 105 W TDP and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient to keep the GPU fed, as evidenced by the consistent scaling pattern across resolutions.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT is the defining component in this configuration, and its 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus with 384.0 GB/s bandwidth is the key specification for Control’s texture-heavy environments. The GPU’s 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs operate at a boost clock of 2,581 MHz and a game clock of 2,424 MHz, delivering 13.21 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The 40 ray tracing cores suggest the hardware can handle the game’s optional RT effects, though the measured data does not include RT-specific scenarios.

The GPU’s benchmark scores show a mixed picture. The PassMark G3D score of 19,786 and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2,435 indicate solid DirectX 12 performance, which Control uses effectively. However, the GPU’s 77th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 33,721, places it just 0.7% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6800 and 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX A5000. The RX 6700 XT’s 16 Gbps effective memory speed is adequate, but the 192-bit bus width limits bandwidth at 4K Ultra, where the 37.9 FPS result clearly shows the constraint.

The frame rate data confirms that the GPU is the limiting factor at all resolutions above 1080p. At 1440p High, the 65.6 FPS average is 27.5% lower than at 1080p, and at 4K High, the 47.4 FPS is another 27.7% drop. The GPU’s 17,200 million transistors on a 335 mm² die are tasked with rendering the game’s complex physics and particle effects, and the 413.0 GTexel/s texture rate and 165.2 GPixel/s pixel rate are the specs that determine how quickly these effects can be drawn. The RX 6700 XT is a capable 1440p card for this title, but 4K requires lowering quality settings to maintain acceptable frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combination in Control?

A: Based on the measured data, 1440p with High settings provides the best balance, delivering 65.6 FPS average. This is above the 60 FPS threshold and uses the GPU’s 12 GB memory effectively without the steep 4K penalty.

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

A: The average frame rate drops from 90.5 FPS at 1080p to 47.4 FPS at 4K High, representing a 47.6% reduction. This indicates that the RX 6700 XT’s memory bandwidth is the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 5800X bottlenecking the RX 6700 XT in this game?

A: No. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23,571 and the fact that 1080p Low reaches 144.7 FPS suggest the processor has sufficient headroom. The frame rate scaling is consistent with a GPU-bound workload.

Q: How does the RX 6700 XT compare to its closest rival, the RX 6800, in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RX 6700 XT has an average benchmark score of 33,721, which is 0.7% lower than the RX 6800’s score of 33,493. This negligible difference indicates near-parity in raw compute performance.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 4K?

A: The average frame rate at 4K Low is 75 FPS, while 4K Ultra drops to 37.9 FPS. This 37.1 FPS gap represents a 49.5% reduction in performance when using the highest quality preset.

Q: Can this system achieve 60 FPS at 4K with any settings?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where the average frame rate is 75 FPS. At Medium, the average drops to 54 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target, and High and Ultra fall further to 47.4 and 37.9 FPS respectively.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for the optimal experience across resolutions. At 1080p, the High preset at 90.5 FPS is the sweet spot, offering a substantial improvement over Medium’s 98.9 FPS? No — High is actually lower than Medium, so the recommendation is Medium at 98.9 FPS for those who prioritize smoothness, or Ultra at 78 FPS for maximum visual fidelity. The 1080p Low result of 144.7 FPS is excessive for most displays and does not justify the visual compromise.

For 1440p, the High preset at 65.6 FPS is the recommended choice, as it clears the 60 FPS threshold while providing better visuals than Medium’s 78.6 FPS? Actually, Medium is higher at 78.6 FPS. The data shows that 1440p Medium at 78.6 FPS offers the best combination of smoothness and quality, while High at 65.6 FPS is still playable. Ultra at 57.4 FPS is borderline and only advisable for players who cannot tolerate the visual differences of High.

At 4K, the Low preset at 75 FPS is the only setting that provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. Medium at 54 FPS is acceptable for slower-paced exploration, but High at 47.4 FPS and Ultra at 37.9 FPS are not recommended for action sequences. The RX 6700 XT’s 12 GB memory is sufficient for 4K textures, but the 192-bit bus width limits the data throughput needed for high-quality effects at this resolution. Players who insist on 4K should accept the Low preset as the default, with Medium as a compromise for less demanding scenes. The overall verdict from the data is that this system is best suited for 1440p gaming, where the CPU and GPU work in balance and the measured frame rates demonstrate a consistent, playable experience.