Control

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti pairing in Control represents a classic high-end CPU from 2020 meeting a flagship GPU from 2017. The Ryzen 7 5800X is built on the Zen 3 architecture, code-named Vermeer, using TSMC’s 7 nm process. It houses 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. Its 32 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support at 51.2 GB/s provide the memory bandwidth that games like Control can leverage. The GTX 1080 Ti, based on the Pascal architecture and the GP102 chip, is a 16 nm part with 11 GB of GDDR5X memory on a 352-bit bus, delivering 484.4 GB/s of bandwidth. This combination places the CPU in the 84th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU sits in the 61st percentile among all GPUs, indicating a pairing where the processor has more headroom than the graphics card relative to their respective peers.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Ryzen 7 5800X provides substantial multi-threaded capability, scoring 23,571 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 9,899 in Cinebench R20 multi-core. Its single-thread performance is equally strong, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3,327 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2,194. In 3DMark’s thread-scaling tests, the CPU shows a clear progression: 1,846 with 2 threads, 3,543 with 4 threads, 6,035 with 8 threads, and 7,586 with 16 threads. This demonstrates that the processor scales efficiently up to its full thread count, adding roughly 1,500 points when moving from 8 to 16 threads.

In Control, the measured frame rates at 1080p reveal that the CPU is not the limiting factor at lower resolutions. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves 132.7 FPS average. This high frame rate suggests the CPU can feed the GPU adequately, as the GPU is typically the bottleneck in this title. The 1080p Ultra setting drops to 73.4 FPS, which is a 44.7% reduction from Low, indicating that graphical settings, not CPU throughput, are driving the performance change. The CPU’s 84th percentile ranking among all CPUs further confirms that it is a robust performer, but in this specific game, the GTX 1080 Ti’s 61st percentile GPU ranking means the graphics card is more likely to be the constraint.

The 5800X’s 105 W TDP and unlocked multiplier suggest it is designed for sustained performance, which is beneficial for maintaining consistent frame times in action-adventure titles with complex physics and AI. However, the data shows that even at 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 40, which is more indicative of GPU limits than CPU limits. The CPU’s benchmark scores, such as 94,969 in PassMark integer math and 52,639 in floating-point math, show it can handle the game’s computational demands without being a bottleneck, but the frame rates across all resolutions and settings are ultimately capped by the GPU’s rasterization capabilities.

FAQ

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

A: At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 73.4. This is the lowest 1080p result, showing that Ultra settings impose a significant load on the GTX 1080 Ti, while still maintaining a playable frame rate.

Q: How does the CPU’s multi-threaded performance compare to its nearest rival?

A: The Ryzen 7 5800X has an average benchmark score of 27,606, which is 0.3% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 5800’s score of 27,535. It is also 0.4% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE and 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i7-13700H, but 0.8% behind the Intel Core i5-12600KF.

Q: Does the GTX 1080 Ti outperform its nearest rival in this benchmark set?

A: The GTX 1080 Ti has an average benchmark score of 19,402, which is effectively tied with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 at 19,405 (0% delta). It is 0.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 560X and 0.6% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla K40m, but 1.1% behind the NVIDIA TITAN Xp.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, moving from Low to High settings reduces the average FPS from 101.6 to 65.0, a drop of 36.6 FPS. This indicates that High settings at 1440p are still demanding on the GPU, but the system remains fluid.

*Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations in Control?*

A: This combination of the Ryzen 7 5800X and GTX 1080 Ti ranks 948th out of 1,636 tested combos in the game. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the overall ranking, reflecting the GPU’s age relative to newer configurations.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the CPU and GPU?

A: The CPU’s launch MSRP was $449, and the GPU’s launch MSRP was 699 USD. These figures represent their initial pricing at release, not current market values.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The resolution scaling data clearly shows a GPU-bound scenario. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 132.7 at 1080p to 101.6 at 1440p, then to 68.3 at 4K. This represents a 48.5% reduction from 1080p to 4K. At High settings, the frame rates are 86.5 at 1080p, 65.0 at 1440p, and 44.7 at 4K, a reduction of 48.3%. The consistency of this drop across settings suggests that the GPU’s pixel throughput is the primary constraint.

Looking at Ultra settings, the trend is similar but with lower absolute numbers: 73.4 FPS at 1080p, 58.0 at 1440p, and 40.0 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K is 45.5%, slightly less than the Low and High settings. This is because at Ultra, the GPU is already heavily loaded at 1080p, so the additional resolution increase has a marginally smaller proportional impact. The GTX 1080 Ti’s 484.4 GB/s memory bandwidth and 11.34 TFLOPS of FP32 performance are being fully utilized, and the data indicates that the CPU is not the bottleneck—otherwise, the 1080p to 4K scaling would show larger disparities across settings.

The 4K results are particularly telling. At 4K Low, the system achieves 68.3 FPS, which is playable, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to 40.0 FPS. This 41.4% reduction from Low to Ultra at 4K shows that the GPU’s shading units, texture mapping units, and render output units are overwhelmed by the combination of high resolution and high settings. The CPU’s role remains consistent: its 8 cores and 16 threads are sufficient to keep up with the game’s physics and logic at all resolutions, as evidenced by the stable scaling pattern.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific configuration of the Ryzen 7 5800X and GTX 1080 Ti ranks 948th out of 1,636 tested combos in Control. This rank places it in the 58th percentile of all tested combinations, meaning that roughly 42% of configurations perform worse and 58% perform better. Given that the CPU ranks in the 84th percentile among all CPUs and the GPU ranks in the 61st percentile among all GPUs, the combo’s ranking is dragged down by the GPU’s relative position.

The data suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor for this rank. If the combo were CPU-bound, we would expect the rank to be closer to the CPU’s 84th percentile. Instead, the rank sits between the CPU and GPU percentiles, closer to the GPU’s 61st percentile. This indicates that the GTX 1080 Ti is the primary determinant of the combo’s standing in Control. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 19,402 is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the GTX 780, which shows that the 1080 Ti is performing as expected for its class, but newer GPUs with higher scores are likely dominating the upper ranks.

In practical terms, the 948th rank means that for a 2017 flagship GPU paired with a 2020 high-end CPU, the performance is respectable but not competitive with modern hardware. The measured FPS at 1440p High (65.0) and 1080p Ultra (73.4) are solid for most gaming scenarios, but the 4K Ultra result of 40.0 FPS highlights the GPU’s limitations. The combo’s rank reflects a balanced yet dated pairing, where the CPU has headroom for future GPU upgrades, but the current GPU caps the experience.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured data provides four settings presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—across three resolutions. The goal is to identify which preset offers the best balance of visual quality and frame rate without sacrificing playability. At 1080p, the High preset delivers 86.5 FPS, which is only 6.7 FPS less than Medium (93.2) but 13.1 FPS more than Ultra (73.4). The jump from High to Ultra costs 13.1 FPS, a 15.1% reduction, for what is typically a marginal visual improvement in shadows and reflections. Therefore, at 1080p, High is the optimal choice, providing a smooth experience above 60 FPS while retaining most graphical features.

At 1440p, the High preset yields 65.0 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset offers 70.3 FPS, a 5.3 FPS improvement over High, while Ultra drops to 58.0 FPS, below the 60 FPS line. For a consistent 60+ FPS experience at 1440p, Medium is the safer option, as it provides a 19.5% improvement over High and a 21.2% improvement over Ultra. The Low preset at 101.6 FPS is excessively fast but sacrifices too much visual fidelity, making Medium the best compromise for 1440p.

At 4K, the situation changes dramatically. The Ultra preset produces 40.0 FPS, which is not ideal for a fast-paced action-adventure game. The High preset improves this to 44.7 FPS, a 11.75% increase, but still below 60 FPS. The Medium preset offers 49.1 FPS, and Low reaches 68.3 FPS. The data indicates that for 4K, the system cannot maintain 60 FPS at any preset above Low. However, Low at 68.3 FPS is the only preset that crosses the 60 FPS threshold, making it the only viable option for fluid gameplay at 4K. If visual quality is paramount, Medium at 49.1 FPS is the highest preset that remains above 45 FPS, but it introduces noticeable stutter in fast scenes. Overall, the best experience is achieved at 1080p High or 1440p Medium, depending on the user’s display resolution and preference for visual detail over frame rate.