Control

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT paired with the Intel Arc B390 in Control produces a performance profile that is strictly limited by the graphics solution. The 8-core, 16-thread Zen 3 processor has ample headroom for this title, but the integrated Arc B390 GPU, based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, struggles to deliver playable frame rates at most settings. The data shows a clear pattern where resolution and quality presets have a dramatic impact on the average FPS, moving from a borderline playable 65 FPS at 1080p Low down to an unplayable 18 FPS at 4K Ultra.

Resolution Scaling

Resolution scaling in Control reveals the severe bottleneck imposed by the Intel Arc B390. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings drops the average frame rate from 41 FPS to 31 FPS, a reduction of 10 FPS. The jump to 3840x2160 at High settings further reduces the average to 21 FPS, which is a 20 FPS loss compared to the 1080p result. This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is the limiting component; the render resolution is directly taxing the Arc B390's capabilities with no sign of a CPU-side constraint.

The scaling at Low settings is even more telling for the GPU's limitations. At 1920x1080 Low, the combo achieves 65 FPS, but this falls to 50 FPS at 2560x1440 and 33 FPS at 3840x2160. The performance drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is 32 FPS, which is a significant 49% reduction in frame rate. This steep decline, even when the graphical load is minimized, underscores that the GPU's fillrate and shading capacity are the primary factors governing performance.

When examining Medium settings, the only preset with complete min and max FPS data, the scaling remains consistent. At 1920x1080, the average is 46 FPS with a min of 40 and a max of 53. At 2560x1440, the average drops to 35 FPS (min 30, max 40), and at 3840x2160, the average falls to 24 FPS (min 20, max 27). The frame time consistency appears to scale with resolution, as the delta between min and max FPS shrinks from 13 FPS at 1080p to 7 FPS at 4K, suggesting the GPU is more consistently saturated at higher resolutions.

The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, shows the most severe degradation. The average FPS at 1920x1080 Ultra is 36, dropping to 27 at 2560x1440, and finally to 18 at 3840x2160. The transition from 1080p to 4K at Ultra represents a 50% performance loss. The data across all presets shows that the Arc B390 is a hard limit; the Ryzen 7 5800XT is not a factor in these frame rate drops, as the scaling is purely a function of the GPU's rendering load.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390's role in this benchmark is the definitive performance ceiling. With a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, the GPU's dynamic range is wide, but its memory configuration is a critical weakness. The memory size, type, and bus width are all listed as "System Shared," with bandwidth being "System Dependent." This means the GPU relies on the host system's DDR4 memory, which is a significant handicap for a game like Control that requires substantial memory bandwidth for its physics and particle effects.

The GPU's compute specifications are modest, with 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. The pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is 7.680 TFLOPS. These numbers, while specific, translate into a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482, which places the GPU in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. This is a very low standing, and the nearest rivals are not modern gaming parts; they include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710.

The relationship between the GPU's clock speed and VRAM is direct in this game. At 1080p Low, the GPU can boost to its potential and deliver 65 FPS, suggesting the shared memory bandwidth is sufficient at that low load. However, at 4K Ultra, the demand for memory bandwidth and texture fillrate overwhelms the system, resulting in an 18 FPS average. The system-shared memory architecture means that the GPU is competing with the CPU for memory access, which exacerbates the performance collapse at higher resolutions where the data throughput requirements are much larger.

The Arc B390's transistor count and die size are listed as "unknown," but its 3 nm process node from Intel suggests it is not an inefficient design. The problem is not the architecture's efficiency but its absolute size and resource pool. With only 24 ROPs, the pixel throughput is inherently limited, which is why the Ultra preset at 4K yields such a low score. The benchmark results indicate that the GPU's role is to be the sole determinant of performance, with the CPU providing a stable platform that never becomes a bottleneck.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best average FPS this combo can achieve in Control?*

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 65, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Is the Intel Arc B390 a discrete GPU?

A: No, the data indicates it is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with a slot width of "IGP" and a bus interface of "IGP," meaning it shares system memory.

Q: How does the Arc B390 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the Arc B390 scores 1482, which is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and 2.7% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710.

Q: Does the Ryzen 7 5800XT bottleneck the Arc B390 at 1080p?

A: The benchmark data does not suggest a CPU bottleneck. The FPS scales consistently with resolution and settings, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor.

Q: What is the average FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the combo achieves an average of 35 FPS, with a minimum of 30 FPS and a maximum of 40 FPS.

Q: What is the performance percentile of the Arc B390 compared to all other GPUs?

A: The Arc B390 is in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, indicating it performs better than only a small fraction of the tested graphics cards.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combo's performance across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low settings produce an average of 65 FPS, which is the only configuration that approaches a high refresh rate experience. Medium settings yield an average of 46 FPS (min 40, max 53), High settings produce 41 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 36 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 29 FPS, showing the significant cost of quality presets.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance degrades across the board. Low settings average 50 FPS, which is still playable but a 15 FPS drop from 1080p. Medium settings average 35 FPS (min 30, max 40), High settings average 31 FPS, and Ultra settings average 27 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 23 FPS at this resolution, as the GPU becomes the limiting factor even on lower presets.

At 3840x2160, the results are mostly below playable thresholds. Low settings average 33 FPS, while Medium settings fall to 24 FPS (min 20, max 27). High settings average 21 FPS, and Ultra settings bottom out at 18 FPS. The range between the lowest and highest settings at 4K is only 15 FPS, demonstrating that the GPU is completely saturated regardless of the quality preset. The data clearly shows that 1080p Low is the only configuration that provides a smooth experience, while 4K Ultra is practically a slideshow.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT + Intel Arc B390 combination ranks 2551 out of 2888 tested combos in Control. This places it in the bottom 12% of all systems, which is consistent with the GPU's low benchmark scores. The CPU itself is not the issue; the Ryzen 7 5800XT has a high average benchmark score of 29879, placing it in the 81st percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H with an average score of 29868, and the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS at 29955. The CPU is a high-end part, but the GPU's 3DMark score of 1482 drags the entire combo down.

The rank of 2551 reflects the GPU's severe limitations. For context, the Arc B390's nearest rivals in GPU benchmarks are all legacy or entry-level parts. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 has a score of 1443, which is 2.7% lower than the Arc B390. These are not GPUs designed for modern action-adventure games like Control. The combo's rank is a direct consequence of the GPU's inability to handle the game's rendering demands, despite the CPU providing a strong foundation. The data suggests that this pairing is heavily imbalanced for gaming, with the CPU's capabilities far exceeding what the GPU can utilize in this title.

The disparity between the CPU's high percentile and the GPU's low percentile is stark. The Ryzen 7 5800XT is a capable desktop processor, but the Arc B390 is an integrated graphics solution. This means the system is effectively a high-end CPU with entry-level graphics, leading to a ranking that is much closer to the bottom of the list than the top. The benchmark results indicate that the GPU is the sole reason for the low rank, as the CPU would not be a limiting factor in any scenario tested.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the only configuration that provides a consistently smooth gameplay experience is 1920x1080 with Low settings, which yields an average of 65 FPS. This is the recommended setup for playable performance. The Medium preset at 1080p, with an average of 46 FPS (min 40), is also viable for players who can tolerate occasional frame dips, but it is 19 FPS slower than Low.

For users who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate, the High preset at 1080p offers an average of 41 FPS, but this is below the 60 FPS target that many consider ideal for action games. The Ultra preset at 1080p, at 36 FPS, is not recommended as it significantly compromises smoothness for marginal visual gains. At higher resolutions, the data shows that no preset is recommended. The best result at 2560x1440 is 50 FPS on Low, which is playable but not ideal, and every other setting at this resolution falls below 35 FPS.

At 3840x2160, even the Low preset only achieves 33 FPS, making the game effectively unplayable at this resolution. The Medium settings at 4K have a minimum FPS of 20, which indicates severe stuttering. Therefore, the only sensible recommendation for this hardware is to run the game at 1080p with Low settings. Users who wish to increase quality should be aware that the step from Low to Medium at 1080p costs 19 FPS, and the step from Medium to High costs another 5 FPS. The data suggests that the Arc B390 does not have enough headroom for high-quality presets, and the best experience is found by maximizing frame rate at the lowest resolution and settings.