Control

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS rows for Control with this AMD Ryzen 7 5800X and Radeon RX 7900 XTX combination show a clear, predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the average frame rate is 225 FPS. Moving to 1440p at Low settings drops that to 170 FPS, and at 4K at Low settings, the average is 115 FPS. That progression—225 to 170 to 115—represents a roughly 32% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and another 32% reduction from 1440p to 4K. Such a consistent drop suggests the GPU is becoming the primary limiter at higher pixel counts, which is expected for a raster-heavy title like Control.

The High settings row tells a similar story. At 1080p High, the average is 142 FPS; at 1440p High, it falls to 107 FPS; and at 4K High, it lands at 72 FPS. The percentage declines are comparable to the Low settings path, reinforcing that resolution scaling is largely uniform regardless of quality preset. However, the absolute margins shrink at higher resolutions—the gap between 1080p and 1440p High is 35 FPS, while the gap between 1440p and 4K High is also 35 FPS, which is a proportional scaling rather than a cliff.

The Ultra settings row shows the steepest relative drop. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 123 FPS; at 1440p Ultra, it is 93 FPS; and at 4K Ultra, it is 63 FPS. The 4K Ultra figure is the lowest measured in the entire dataset, which indicates that the most demanding preset combined with the highest pixel count pushes this combo to its limits, but it still maintains a playable average. The Medium settings row, which is the only preset with min and max FPS recorded, shows 160 FPS at 1080p, 121 FPS at 1440p, and 82 FPS at 4K, with min FPS values of 136, 103, and 69 respectively. The min FPS at 4K Medium (69) is still above the 60 FPS threshold, suggesting the combo avoids severe frame-time spikes even under load.

Interpreting these numbers: the scaling from 1080p to 4K is not linear in terms of pixel count (4K has four times the pixels of 1080p), yet the FPS drop is far less than a factor of four. At Low settings, the FPS drops from 225 to 115—roughly half—which indicates that the GPU has enough headroom to absorb the pixel increase without collapsing. The limiting component at 1080p is likely the CPU, since the frame rates are extremely high (over 200 FPS) and would strain even strong processors in a physics-heavy game like Control. At 4K, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, as evidenced by the narrowing FPS differences between settings presets at that resolution.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer, manufactured on a 7 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock is 3.80 GHz with a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 943 in 3DMark single-thread, 1846 in 3DMark 2-thread, 3543 in 3DMark 4-thread, 6035 in 3DMark 8-thread, and 7586 in 3DMark 16-thread, with a max-thread score of 7578. Cinebench R23 results show 1574.5 in single-core and 15476 in multi-core. Geekbench reports 2032 single-core and 11036 multi-core. These scores place the CPU in the 81st percentile among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 29123.

In Control, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p, where frame rates exceed 200 FPS on Low settings. At such high frame rates, the CPU must feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic updates; the 8-core/16-thread configuration provides ample parallel processing for Control's physics and AI systems. The 32 MB L3 cache is particularly relevant for a game that streams many assets, and the dual-channel DDR4 memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s helps avoid stutter in large open environments. The base and boost clocks are moderate by current standards, but the Zen 3 architecture's IPC improvements over earlier generations mean the 5800X can sustain high single-thread performance, which is critical for Control's main thread.

Comparing to its nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark database, the 5800X is nearly identical in average score to the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H (deltaPct of 0.1% higher), the Intel Xeon Phi 7210 (0.4% lower), the Intel Core i5-13500HX (0.5% lower), and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT (0.6% higher). These deltas are all within one percentage point, meaning the 5800X's computational throughput is statistically tied with those chips. However, in a gaming scenario like Control, the 5800X's single-thread performance (943 in 3DMark single-thread) and 8 physical cores provide a solid foundation for the game's engine, which is known to scale with core count up to a point.

The CPU's 105 W TDP and Socket AM4 compatibility are historical details, but the benchmark data suggests that the 5800X does not become a bottleneck until frame rates climb past the 200 FPS mark. At 4K, even the lowest settings (115 FPS) are still high enough that the CPU is not the limiting factor; the GPU is doing the heavy lifting. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 7586 and the max-thread score of 7578 indicate that the CPU's multi-threaded performance is consistent, which helps in Control's many simultaneous physics interactions.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX ranks 536th out of 3720 tested combos in Control, placing it in the top 14.4% of all configurations. That rank is based on the measured FPS data across the twelve resolution/settings combinations. Given that Control is a demanding title with heavy use of physics and particle effects, this position suggests the combo is well above average for this game.

The rank of 536 out of 3720 means that roughly 14% of tested combos perform better, which is a strong showing for a CPU that launched in 2020 and a GPU that is now marked end-of-life. The GPU's percentile among all GPUs is 64, and its average benchmark score is 19410, with nearest rivals including the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB (0.4% higher score), NVIDIA Quadro K5200 (1% lower), AMD FirePro D300 (1.2% lower), and NVIDIA TITAN Xp (1.2% higher). These rival deltas are small, but the RX 7900 XTX's actual gaming performance in Control is far above those older cards, as evidenced by the measured FPS.

The combo's rank is influenced by the CPU's strong single-thread performance and the GPU's raw rasterization power. In Control, the GPU's 24 GB of VRAM and 960 GB/s memory bandwidth ensure that even at 4K Ultra, the game never runs out of memory, which is a common issue with less endowed cards. The rank of 536 is not the top of the chart, but it indicates that this combo delivers a high-refresh-rate experience at 1080p and 1440p, with solid 4K performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings?

A: The average FPS is 142 at 1920x1080 with High settings. This is one of the higher measured values, indicating smooth gameplay for most users.

Q: Does this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K on any preset?

A: Yes. At 4K Medium, the average is 82 FPS with a minimum of 69 FPS. At 4K High, the average is 72 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, the average is 63 FPS. All presets exceed the 60 FPS threshold on average.

Q: What is the highest FPS recorded in the dataset?

A: The highest average FPS is 225, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. No min or max FPS is recorded for that row, but the average is the peak across all tested configurations.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded score relate to Control's performance?

A: The Ryzen 7 5800X scores 15476 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 7586 in 3DMark 16-thread. These scores indicate strong parallel processing, which helps Control handle its physics and AI systems without becoming a bottleneck, especially at lower resolutions.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 536th out of 3720 tested combos in Control, which places it in the top 14.4% of all tested systems.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is based on the Navi 31 chip, built on a 5 nm process by TSMC, with 57,700 million transistors on a 529 mm² die. It features 6144 shading units, 384 texture mapping units, 192 ROPs, and 96 ray tracing cores. The GPU's base clock is 1929 MHz, boost clock is 2498 MHz, and game clock is 2365 MHz. Memory is 24 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus, providing 960 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has a TDP of 355 W, a dual-slot form factor, and requires a 750 W power supply.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RX 7900 XTX scores 6841 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 50465 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 85612 in Geekbench Vulkan. Passmark results include 31238 in G3D and 17689 in GPU Compute. These scores place the GPU in the 64th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19410. The nearest rivals in the benchmark database are the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB (0.4% higher), NVIDIA Quadro K5200 (1% lower), AMD FirePro D300 (1.2% lower), and NVIDIA TITAN Xp (1.2% higher).

In Control, the GPU's role is dominant at 4K, where the pixel count stresses the render pipeline. The 24 GB VRAM is far more than Control requires, so there is no texture thrashing even at Ultra settings. The 960 GB/s memory bandwidth ensures that high-resolution textures stream without latency. The boost clock of 2498 MHz and the 61.39 TFLOPS FP32 compute power provide ample rasterization throughput for a game that relies heavily on pixel shaders and post-processing effects like ray-traced reflections (though Control's ray tracing is a separate feature not measured here).

The measured FPS data shows that the GPU scales well with resolution. At 4K Low, the average is 115 FPS, which is a high frame rate for a 4K panel. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 63 FPS, which is still playable but shows the GPU's limits under maximum load. The difference between 4K Low and 4K Ultra is 52 FPS, indicating that the GPU has a wide performance envelope across quality presets. The GPU's 64th percentile ranking is modest, but in a real-world game like Control, the RX 7900 XTX outperforms its benchmark rivals by a significant margin, as the measured FPS demonstrates.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the best experience for most users will depend on their display's refresh rate and resolution. For 1080p displays, the Medium preset at 160 FPS average (min 136, max 184) is a balanced choice, offering a significant boost over High (142 FPS) while staying far above any refresh rate threshold. The Low preset at 225 FPS is only useful for competitive play or for those with 240 Hz monitors, but the visual compromise is substantial.

For 1440p, the High preset at 107 FPS is the sweet spot, providing a 60+ FPS experience with good visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 121 FPS (min 103, max 139) is also viable if the user prefers higher frame rates over visual quality. The Ultra preset at 93 FPS is still smooth but offers diminishing returns over High, given the 14 FPS difference.

For 4K, the Medium preset at 82 FPS (min 69, max 94) is the recommended choice, as it maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while delivering a good visual experience. The High preset at 72 FPS is also acceptable, but the drop to 63 FPS on Ultra makes that preset risky for users who prefer a strict 60 FPS lock, especially since the min FPS is not recorded for those rows. The data suggests that the Medium preset provides the best balance of frame rate and visual quality across all resolutions, as it is the only preset with min and max FPS recorded, indicating more consistent frame times.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The dataset includes 12 measured FPS rows, covering three resolutions and four settings presets each. At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 225 FPS, Medium averages 160 FPS (min 136, max 184), High averages 142 FPS, and Ultra averages 123 FPS. At 2560x1440, Low averages 170 FPS, Medium averages 121 FPS (min 103, max 139), High averages 107 FPS, and Ultra averages 93 FPS. At 3840x2160, Low averages 115 FPS, Medium averages 82 FPS (min 69, max 94), High averages 72 FPS, and Ultra averages 63 FPS.

The medium preset rows are the only ones with min and max FPS values, which are 136/184 at 1080p, 103/139 at 1440p, and 69/94 at 4K. These ranges indicate that the frame time variance is relatively tight, with the spread between min and max being 48 FPS at 1080p, 36 FPS at 1440p, and 25 FPS at 4K. The narrowing spread at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU's workload becomes more consistent as the pixel count increases, reducing the impact of CPU-driven frame spikes.

The FPS differences between settings presets are consistent across resolutions. At 1080p, the gap between Low and Medium is 65 FPS, between Medium and High is 18 FPS, and between High and Ultra is 19 FPS. At 1440p, the gaps are 49, 14, and 14 FPS respectively. At 4K, the gaps are 33, 10, and 9 FPS. This pattern shows that the performance cost of each quality tier diminishes as resolution increases, meaning that the GPU's rendering resources are more efficiently utilized at higher pixel counts, but the overall frame rates remain high enough for a smooth experience across all presets.