Control

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows for Control with the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER reveal a clear hierarchy across presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 130 FPS, which is the highest raw frame rate in the entire dataset. However, the jump from Low to Medium costs 38 FPS (from 130 down to 92), while the jump from Medium to High costs another 10 FPS (from 92 to 82). The Ultra preset at 1080p sits at 71 FPS average, which is still playable but represents a 45% reduction from Low.

The most balanced experience at 1080p appears to be the High preset. At 82 FPS average, it maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while offering significantly better visual fidelity than Medium or Low. The Medium preset's measured range of 78 to 106 FPS shows that dips below 80 FPS can occur, but the average of 92 FPS provides solid headroom. For users prioritizing smoothness above all else, the Low preset at 130 FPS is the obvious choice, but the visual compromise is substantial.

At 2560x1440, the pattern shifts. The Low preset still leads with 98 FPS average, but the High preset drops to 62 FPS. This is the first resolution where High falls below the 70 FPS threshold that many players consider ideal for action-adventure titles. The Medium preset at 70 FPS average, with a measured range of 59 to 80 FPS, becomes the most interesting option here. It offers a 13% improvement over High while staying above 60 FPS on average, though the minimum recorded FPS of 59 suggests occasional dips below that threshold. The Ultra preset at 54 FPS average is borderline for a game with fast-paced combat sequences.

At 3840x2160, the situation becomes more constrained. The Low preset delivers 66 FPS average, which is the only 4K setting that clears 60 FPS. Medium drops to 47 FPS average with a range of 40 to 54 FPS, while High sits at 42 FPS and Ultra at 36 FPS. The data suggests that 4K gaming with this combo requires the Low preset for a consistently smooth experience. The Medium preset's minimum of 40 FPS indicates significant frame-time variance that could impact gameplay during intense scenes.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset offers the most consistent relationship between visual quality and performance. At 1440p, it delivers 70 FPS average with a documented range, which is the sweet spot for this hardware combination. The measured data does not include ray tracing or DLSS settings, so the analysis is limited to the standard presets. For the best experience per the measured rows, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 provides the optimal balance of frame rate and visual fidelity, while 1080p High is the strongest choice for those prioritizing stability at higher settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture with a TU104 chip manufactured on a 12 nm process. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The base clock runs at 1605 MHz with a boost clock of 1770 MHz. The memory operates at 1750 MHz, or 14 Gbps effective. These specifications place the GPU in the 65th percentile of all GPUs according to benchmark data.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is a critical factor in Control's performance at higher resolutions. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 36, while at 4K Low it rises to 66. This 30 FPS gap between Low and Ultra at the same resolution indicates that the GPU is heavily taxed by the game's visual effects and texture workloads. The 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth appears sufficient for the 1080p and 1440p presets, as evidenced by the relatively smaller performance gaps between settings at those resolutions compared to 4K.

The GPU's compute capabilities, measured at 9.062 TFLOPS for FP32, contribute to the overall rendering performance. The pixel rate of 113.3 GPixel/s and texture rate of 283.2 GTexel/s provide context for how the GPU handles fill-rate-intensive scenes. Control's physics-based rendering and particle effects likely stress these subsystems. The benchmark scores for the GPU show a PassMark G3D score of 18169, which places it in the 65th percentile. The nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M with a delta of -1%, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile at -1.2%, the Intel Arc B570 at -1.3%, and the Intel Arc A750 at -1.5%. These close margins indicate that the RTX 2070 SUPER sits in a competitive performance tier.

The measured FPS data suggests that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at 4K resolution. At 1080p, the CPU can feed the GPU adequately, as shown by the 130 FPS at Low settings. At 4K, the GPU's rendering workload dominates, and even the Low preset at 66 FPS average indicates that the GPU is near its limits for this game. The 8 GB VRAM may also contribute to the performance drop at Ultra settings, as texture data may exceed the available memory, causing additional overhead.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU-GPU combo in Control?

A: The measured data shows that 1920x1080 with High settings delivers 82 FPS average, while 2560x1440 with Medium settings delivers 70 FPS average. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset achieves above 60 FPS at 66 FPS average. The 1440p Medium setting offers the best balance of resolution and frame rate, but 1080p High is the most stable option.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High across resolutions?

A: At 1080p, Ultra drops from High's 82 FPS to 71 FPS, a 13% reduction. At 1440p, Ultra drops from High's 62 FPS to 54 FPS, a 13% reduction. At 4K, Ultra drops from High's 42 FPS to 36 FPS, a 14% reduction. The consistent percentage drop suggests the Ultra preset adds a similar relative workload regardless of resolution.

Q: Is the RTX 2070 SUPER capable of 4K gaming in Control?

A: At 3840x2160, the Low preset achieves 66 FPS average, which is playable. The Medium preset drops to 47 FPS average with a minimum of 40 FPS, and High sits at 42 FPS. The data indicates that 4K is feasible only at Low settings for a consistently smooth experience, while higher presets will see frame rates below 50 FPS.

Q: What does the combo rank tell us about this hardware pairing?

A: The combo ranks 2152 out of 3720 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database. This ranking reflects the aging RTX 2070 SUPER, which sits in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, paired with the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, which sits in the 80th percentile of all CPUs. The CPU is relatively stronger than the GPU in this pairing.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 5800X3D compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The Ryzen 7 5800X3D has an average benchmark score of 27896. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U, scores 27887 with a delta of 0%. The Intel Core i9-10900K scores 27872 with a delta of 0.1%. The AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 340 scores 27932 with a delta of -0.1%. The Intel Core i5-12600KF scores 27799 with a delta of 0.3%. These deltas are all within 0.3%, indicating near-identical average performance.

Q: What is the measured FPS range for Medium settings?

A: The Medium preset is the only one with complete min-max data. At 1080p, the range is 78 to 106 FPS with an average of 92. At 1440p, the range is 59 to 80 FPS with an average of 70. At 4K, the range is 40 to 54 FPS with an average of 47. The narrowing range at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU becomes more consistently loaded.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Control provides a complete picture across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 130 FPS average, which is the highest score in the entire dataset. The Medium preset follows at 92 FPS average, with a documented range of 78 to 106 FPS. The High preset delivers 82 FPS average, and the Ultra preset drops to 71 FPS average. The progression from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a total reduction of 59 FPS, or approximately 45% of the Low preset's performance.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset leads with 98 FPS average. The Medium preset achieves 70 FPS average, with a range of 59 to 80 FPS. The High preset delivers 62 FPS average, and the Ultra preset sits at 54 FPS average. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 44 FPS, a smaller absolute reduction than at 1080p but a similar relative drop of approximately 45%. The Medium preset's minimum of 59 FPS is notable, as it indicates that even at this mid-range setting, the combo can dip below 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset achieves 66 FPS average, which is the only 4K setting above 60 FPS. The Medium preset delivers 47 FPS average, with a range of 40 to 54 FPS. The High preset drops to 42 FPS average, and the Ultra preset falls to 36 FPS average. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 30 FPS, which represents a 45% reduction from the Low preset, matching the relative drops at lower resolutions. The Medium preset's range of 40 to 54 FPS shows a 14 FPS spread, which is the largest absolute range in the dataset.

The data reveals a consistent pattern: each settings tier above Low costs approximately 15-20% performance at every resolution. At 1080p, Medium is 29% slower than Low, High is 37% slower, and Ultra is 45% slower. At 1440p, Medium is 29% slower, High is 37% slower, and Ultra is 45% slower. At 4K, Medium is 29% slower, High is 36% slower, and Ultra is 45% slower. This consistency suggests that the relative cost of each settings tier is resolution-independent, implying that the GPU workload scales uniformly across all settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 2152 out of 3720 tested combos in Control. This places the pairing in the 42nd percentile of all tested combinations, meaning roughly 58% of tested combos perform better in this game. The rank reflects the GPU's position in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, which is the weaker component in this pairing. The CPU sits in the 80th percentile of all CPUs, indicating that the processor is relatively more capable than the graphics card.

The ranking context becomes clearer when examining the nearest rivals for each component. The GPU's nearest rival, the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M, has a delta of -1%, meaning the RTX 2070 SUPER scores 1% higher on average. The RTX 3070 Mobile is 1.2% slower, the Intel Arc B570 is 1.3% slower, and the Intel Arc A750 is 1.5% slower. These margins are tight, suggesting that the RTX 2070 SUPER is performance-competitive with these cards, but the overall combo rank is dragged down by the fact that many modern GPUs outperform it.

The CPU's nearest rivals all have deltas within 0.3% of the Ryzen 7 5800X3D's average score of 27896. The AMD Ryzen 7 6800U matches it exactly with a 0% delta, the Intel Core i9-10900K is 0.1% slower, the AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 340 is 0.1% faster, and the Intel Core i5-12600KF is 0.3% slower. This clustering indicates that the 5800X3D's processing power is not a differentiator in this game, as many CPUs offer similar average performance.

The combo rank of 2152 out of 3720 suggests that Control is not particularly friendly to this hardware pairing. The game's demands appear to favor GPUs with more recent architectures or higher memory bandwidth. The RTX 2070 SUPER's 448.0 GB/s bandwidth and 8 GB VRAM are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K performance metrics show clear limitations. The ranking data implies that users seeking higher Control performance would need to upgrade the GPU rather than the CPU, as the processor is already in the 80th percentile.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D is a Zen 3 architecture processor codenamed Vermeer, manufactured on a 7 nm process at TSMC. It features 8 cores and 16 threads with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 4.50 GHz. The cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 512 KB of L2 cache per core, and a substantial 96 MB of shared L3 cache. The 105 W TDP and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth round out the specifications.

The benchmark data for this CPU shows strong multi-threaded performance. The Cinebench R23 multicore score is 14317, while the single-core score is 1452. The Geekbench multicore score is 11765, and the single-core score is 2017. The 3DMark tests show a 16-thread score of 7299, an 8-thread score of 5906, a 4-thread score of 3392, a 2-thread score of 1746, and a single-thread score of 884. These scores indicate that the CPU scales well with thread count, with the 16-thread score being only slightly lower than the 8-thread score.

In Control, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 130 FPS, which suggests that the CPU can feed the GPU effectively at high frame rates. The 96 MB L3 cache is a notable feature of the 5800X3D, as it can improve game performance by reducing memory latency. The CPU's percentile ranking of 80 versus the GPU's 65 indicates that the processor is not the bottleneck in this pairing.

The measured FPS data shows that at 4K, the performance gap between Low and Ultra is 30 FPS, while at 1080p it is 59 FPS. This suggests that as resolution increases, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, and the CPU's performance headroom is not fully utilized. The 5800X3D's 8 cores and 16 threads are likely sufficient for Control's threading model, as the game was released in 2019 and does not heavily utilize many cores. The single-thread performance, measured at 884 in 3DMark, is adequate for the game's main thread workload.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling behavior of this combo in Control reveals important insights about the limiting component. From 1920x1080 to 2560x1440, the Low preset drops from 130 FPS to 98 FPS, a 25% reduction. From 1440p to 4K, the Low preset drops from 98 FPS to 66 FPS, a 33% reduction. The Medium preset shows a similar pattern: 92 FPS at 1080p, 70 FPS at 1440p (24% drop), and 47 FPS at 4K (33% drop). The High preset drops from 82 to 62 (24%) and then to 42 (32%). The Ultra preset drops from 71 to 54 (24%) and then to 36 (33%).

The consistent 24-25% drop from 1080p to 1440p across all settings suggests that the GPU is handling the increased pixel count in a predictable manner. The 32-33% drop from 1440p to 4K is larger in percentage terms, indicating that the GPU is becoming more stressed at higher resolutions. This nonlinear scaling is typical for a GPU that is approaching its memory bandwidth or compute limits. The 448.0 GB/s bandwidth and 8 GB VRAM of the RTX 2070 SUPER may be contributing factors at 4K.

The resolution scaling data implies that the GPU is the primary limiting component across all tested configurations. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see smaller FPS drops at higher resolutions, as the GPU workload would not be the constraining factor. Instead, the FPS drops consistently as resolution increases, and the relative performance gap between settings remains stable. This indicates that the GPU's rendering capabilities determine the frame rate at every resolution.

The fact that the Low preset at 4K achieves 66 FPS while the Ultra preset at 1080p achieves 71 FPS is telling. This shows that the GPU can deliver similar frame rates at vastly different resolutions and settings, but the visual quality trade-off is significant. The data suggests that for this combo, resolution has a greater impact on performance than settings presets, as the pixel count increase from 1080p to 4K represents a 4x workload increase, while settings presets appear to have a more moderate effect.