Control

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT and Radeon RX 9070 form a capable pairing for Control, a 2019 Action Adventure title. The benchmark data shows this combo delivers smooth performance across a wide range of settings and resolutions, though it is not without its compromises at the highest fidelity levels. The combination of an 8-core Zen 3 processor and a modern RDNA 4.0 GPU provides a balanced platform for this game's demanding physics and rendering engine.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT is built on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer, and manufactured on TSMC's 7 nm process. This is an 8-core, 16-thread processor with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz. It has a 105 W TDP and supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. The processor features 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 512 KB of L2 cache per core, and a shared 32 MB L3 cache. This cache configuration is critical for gaming, as it reduces latency when accessing frequently used data, which is a significant factor in Control's physics-heavy environments.

In synthetic benchmarks, the 5800XT shows strong multi-threaded performance, scoring 23,794 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 9,993 in Cinebench R20 multi-core. Its single-core performance is also robust, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3,359. The processor's percentile versus all CPUs is 81, indicating it outperforms the vast majority of tested processors. Its average benchmark score of 29,879 places it in close competition with mobile processors like the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H (delta 0%) and desktop parts like the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X (delta 0.6% advantage for the 5800XT). It trails the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS and 7840HS by a negligible -0.3%.

For Control, the CPU's role is primarily to handle game logic, AI, and the physics simulation that is central to the game's destructible environments. With 8 cores and 16 threads, the 5800XT is well-equipped to manage these tasks without becoming a bottleneck. The high boost clock of 4.80 GHz ensures that single-threaded tasks, which are still common in game engines, are executed with minimal delay. The benchmark results for this combo suggest that the CPU is not the limiting factor in the measured frame rates, as the performance scales more significantly with GPU-bound settings like resolution and texture quality.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is based on the RDNA 4.0 architecture, featuring the Navi 48 chip manufactured on a 4 nm process. It has 3,584 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 128 ROPs. The GPU is equipped with 56 ray tracing cores, which are relevant for Control's optional ray-traced reflections and shadows. The card has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s. This generous memory allocation ensures that even at 4K resolution with high-quality textures, the GPU will not run out of memory.

The GPU's clock speeds are rated at a base of 1330 MHz, a game clock of 2070 MHz, and a boost clock of 2520 MHz. This results in a peak FP32 performance of 36.13 TFLOPS. The card has a TDP of 220 W and supports PCIe 5.0 x16. In synthetic benchmarks, the RX 9070 scores 6,290 in 3DMark Steel Nomad (DX12) and has a Passmark G3D score of 25,381. Its percentile versus all GPUs is 69, and its average benchmark score is 23,877. This places it in a similar performance tier to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER (delta -1.2% for the RX 9070) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile (delta 1.1% advantage for the RX 9070).

In Control, the GPU is the primary driver of frame rates at higher resolutions. The data shows that the RX 9070 is capable of producing very high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, with the CPU providing enough headroom for the GPU to operate at full capacity. At 4K, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck, particularly at Ultra settings, where the average frame rate drops to 51 FPS. The 16 GB VRAM is a significant asset here, preventing texture streaming issues that could cause stuttering in a game with as much environmental detail as Control.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal balance of visual quality and performance for this combo depends heavily on the target resolution.

At 1920x1080, the system is overwhelmingly GPU-bound, and even the most demanding preset is playable. The Ultra preset delivers an average of 100 FPS, while High and Medium presets yield 115 FPS and 129 FPS, respectively. The Low preset achieves a very high 182 FPS, which is useful for competitive play or high-refresh-rate displays. For the best experience at this resolution, the High preset offers a significant visual upgrade over Medium with a modest performance cost, while still maintaining a frame rate well above 100 FPS. The Ultra preset is also viable, but the performance gap between High and Ultra suggests diminishing returns.

At 2560x1440, the balance shifts. The Ultra preset drops to an average of 75 FPS, which is still smooth but begins to approach the threshold where frame pacing becomes noticeable. The High preset provides a more comfortable 87 FPS, and the Medium preset reaches 98 FPS. The Low preset hits 137 FPS. For a 1440p monitor, the High preset is the sweet spot, offering a substantial improvement in visual fidelity over Medium while keeping the frame rate well within the territory of smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset is playable but may be better suited for players who prioritize image quality over a higher refresh rate.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is under significant load. The Ultra preset averages only 51 FPS, which is below the target for smooth gameplay on many displays. The High preset averages 59 FPS, and the Medium preset averages 66 FPS with a minimum of 56 FPS and a maximum of 76 FPS. The Low preset achieves 93 FPS. For a 4K display, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, as it provides a stable frame rate with a minimum above 60 FPS in the measured data, while still looking substantially better than Low. Players with VRR displays could consider High, but the data suggests that Medium is the more reliable option for maintaining a consistent experience.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for Control, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT and AMD Radeon RX 9070 ranks #1134 out of 3720 combos. This places it in the top 30% of all tested configurations, which is a strong result considering the breadth of hardware combinations that have been benchmarked. The ranking reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU, with neither component severely bottlenecking the other in this title.

The combo's rank is bolstered by the CPU's high percentile (81) and the GPU's respectable percentile (69). While the GPU is not a top-tier part in the overall database, its performance in Control is sufficient to achieve high frame rates at 1440p and playable frame rates at 4K. The ranking also suggests that this combo outperforms many other pairings that may have a more powerful GPU but a weaker CPU, or vice versa, given the specific demands of Control. The data indicates that this is a well-matched combo for a game that relies on a mix of CPU-intensive physics and GPU-intensive rendering.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Control at 4K with the Ultra preset?*

A: Yes, but just barely. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 51 FPS. This is playable but may not be ideal for all users, especially on displays with a 60 Hz refresh rate that do not support variable refresh rate.

Q: What is the best preset for a smooth 1440p experience?

A: The High preset at 2560x1440 delivers an average of 87 FPS, which is smooth. For an even higher frame rate, the Medium preset averages 98 FPS with a minimum of 83 FPS, making it a good choice for high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance compare to its direct rivals?

A: The Ryzen 7 5800XT scores 23,794 in Cinebench R23 multi-core. It is effectively tied with the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H (delta 0%), and it is 0.6% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X. It trails the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS and 7840HS by 0.3%.

*Q: Is the 16 GB VRAM on the RX 9070 sufficient for Control at high settings?*

A: Yes. The data shows no performance degradation due to memory limitations at any resolution tested, including 4K. The 16 GB GDDR6 memory with 644.6 GB/s bandwidth is more than adequate for this game's texture requirements.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p with the Ultra preset?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 100 FPS. This provides a very smooth experience on standard 60 Hz monitors and is also sufficient for 100 Hz displays.

Q: How does the GPU's benchmark score compare to older high-end cards?

A: The RX 9070 has an average benchmark score of 23,877. This is 1.2% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER and 0.6% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data is derived from the measured FPS rows for the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT and AMD Radeon RX 9070 combo in Control.

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. With Low settings, the average FPS is 182. The Medium preset averages 129 FPS, with a minimum of 110 FPS and a maximum of 148 FPS. The High preset averages 115 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 100 FPS. This resolution shows the greatest performance headroom, with all presets exceeding the 100 FPS mark.

At 2560x1440, performance scales down as expected. The Low preset averages 137 FPS. The Medium preset yields an average of 98 FPS, with a minimum of 83 FPS and a maximum of 112 FPS. The High preset averages 87 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 75 FPS. The frame rate drop from 1080p is significant but still leaves the system in a playable state across all settings.

At 3840x2160, the GPU load is at its highest. The Low preset averages 93 FPS. The Medium preset averages 66 FPS, with a minimum of 56 FPS and a maximum of 76 FPS. The High preset averages 59 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 51 FPS. This is the only resolution where the Ultra preset falls below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that 4K gaming with this combo requires settings adjustments for a consistently smooth experience.