Control

Control on the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 presents a fascinating case of component balance, where the data reveals a system that scales predictably with resolution and settings. The measured frame rates across the board indicate a configuration capable of delivering high refresh rate gameplay at 1080p and solid 4K experiences, though the scaling patterns suggest where the bottleneck shifts under different loads. The benchmark results show a clear hierarchy, with the RTX 5070's Blackwell architecture driving performance while the Ryzen 7 5800XT's Zen 3 cores provide ample headroom for the game's demanding physics and AI systems.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data reveals a classic resolution scaling curve that speaks volumes about the limiting component at each tier. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves 206 FPS, which drops to 156 FPS at 2560x1440 and further to 105 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 49% performance drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 49% drop again from 1440p to 4K, showing remarkably consistent scaling that points to the GPU as the primary constraint even at lower resolutions. The fact that the 1080p Low result exceeds 200 FPS suggests the CPU is not holding back the frame rate in this scenario, as the Ryzen 7 5800XT's 8 cores and 16 threads can feed the RTX 5070 sufficiently at these frame rates.

Moving to Medium settings, the pattern becomes more nuanced. The 1080p Medium result of 146 FPS drops to 111 FPS at 1440p (a 24% reduction) and then to 75 FPS at 4K (a 32% reduction from 1440p). The larger percentage drop at 4K compared to the 1080p-to-1440p step indicates that the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute resources are becoming more critical as resolution increases. The RTX 5070's 672.0 GB/s bandwidth and 12 GB GDDR7 memory are sufficient for these loads, but the data shows the card working harder at 4K Medium, with a minimum FPS of 63 and maximum of 86, suggesting some frame pacing variance.

High settings tell an even more interesting story. The 1080p High result of 130 FPS drops to 98 FPS at 1440p (a 25% reduction) and then to 66 FPS at 4K (a 33% reduction). This steeper decline at 4K compared to the Medium preset indicates that the additional visual effects in High settings place more stress on the GPU's shading units and texture units. The RTX 5070's 6144 shading units and 192 TMUs are clearly being exercised, and the data implies that at 4K High, the card is approaching its practical limit for maintaining 60+ FPS, though it does achieve 66 FPS on average.

Ultra settings present the most demanding scenario, with scores of 113 FPS at 1080p, 85 FPS at 1440p, and 58 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 25% from 1080p to 1440p and 32% from 1440p to 4K, mirroring the High preset's scaling pattern. However, the absolute numbers reveal that 4K Ultra just barely misses the 60 FPS mark, averaging 58 FPS. This suggests that the RTX 5070, while capable of high refresh rate gaming at lower resolutions, is pushed to its limits at 4K with maximum settings. The data implies that for 4K Ultra, users would need to consider enabling upscaling technologies, though the raw rasterization performance is close to playable.

The scaling behavior across all settings shows a consistent pattern: the 1080p-to-1440p transition costs roughly 24-25% performance, while the 1440p-to-4K transition costs 32-33%. This accelerating decline with resolution strongly indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor at all tested resolutions, with the RTX 5070's compute resources and memory bandwidth becoming increasingly strained as pixel count grows. The Ryzen 7 5800XT, with its 3.80 GHz base and 4.80 GHz boost clocks, appears to provide sufficient CPU throughput to avoid becoming the bottleneck, even at the highest frame rates observed.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070's specifications directly explain the performance patterns observed. With a base clock of 2325 MHz and boost clock of 2512 MHz, the card operates at relatively high frequencies that translate into strong compute throughput. The 30.87 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 482.3 GTexel/s texture rate provide the raw horsepower needed for Control's particle effects and physics-based destruction. The 80 ROPs handle pixel output at 201.0 GPixel/s, which becomes increasingly important at 4K resolution where more pixels need to be processed each frame.

The 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus delivers 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a critical specification for Control at higher resolutions. The game's environments are rich in textures and lighting effects that consume memory bandwidth, and the data suggests this 672.0 GB/s figure is sufficient for the tested settings, as the FPS scaling shows no sudden cliffs that would indicate memory capacity or bandwidth saturation. The 1750 MHz memory clock (28 Gbps effective) provides the bandwidth headroom needed for 4K textures and high-detail geometry.

The RTX 5070's 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores are present but not explicitly tested in these FPS measurements, as the data does not indicate whether ray tracing or DLSS was enabled. The raw rasterization performance, as measured, shows the card's traditional rendering capabilities. The passmark_g3d score of 29137 and 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 5077 place the card in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs, with nearest rivals including the AMD Radeon Pro 580 (0.1% faster) and NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile (2% slower). These comparisons suggest the RTX 5070 is positioned solidly in the upper-midrange tier, which aligns with its measured game performance.

The GPU's 250 W TDP and dual-slot design indicate a power-hungry component that requires adequate cooling, though the FPS data does not reveal any thermal throttling issues. The 600 W suggested PSU provides ample headroom for the card's peak power draws during intensive scenes. The PCIe 5.0 x16 interface ensures the GPU can communicate with the CPU without bandwidth limitations, which is important given the Ryzen 7 5800XT's PCIe Gen 4 support — the backward compatibility ensures no bottleneck in data transfer.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS observed in the measured data?

A: The highest average FPS is 206, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This represents the maximum frame rate the system can produce in the tested configurations.

Q: Does the system maintain 60+ FPS at 4K with any settings preset?

A: Yes, the 4K results show 66 FPS on High, 75 FPS on Medium, and 105 FPS on Low settings. Only the Ultra preset falls below 60 FPS, averaging 58 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 5070 compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: In the average benchmark score, the RTX 5070 scores 40377, which is 0.1% behind the AMD Radeon Pro 580 (score of 40318) and 0.8% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 (score of 40063). The NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile scores 39568, putting it 2% behind the RTX 5070.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings produce 156 FPS while Ultra settings produce 85 FPS, representing a 71 FPS difference or approximately 45% reduction in performance when moving from Low to Ultra.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 5800XT's performance comparable to more modern processors?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score is 29879, which places it 0.6% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X (score of 29713) and 0.3% behind both the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS and Ryzen 7 7840HS (scores of 29955). This indicates the 5800XT remains competitive with newer parts.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded in the entire dataset?

A: The lowest minimum FPS is 63, observed at 3840x2160 with Medium settings. This is the only recorded minimum FPS value, as other configurations do not have minFps data available.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS dataset provides a comprehensive view of the system's performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance: Low settings achieve 206 FPS, Medium reaches 146 FPS (with a minimum of 124 and maximum of 168), High produces 130 FPS, and Ultra maintains 113 FPS. These results indicate that for 1080p gaming, the RTX 5070 and Ryzen 7 5800XT combination is more than adequate for high refresh rate monitors, with even the most demanding Ultra preset staying well above 100 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the expected decline. Low settings produce 156 FPS, Medium achieves 111 FPS (minimum 94, maximum 127), High delivers 98 FPS, and Ultra drops to 85 FPS. The 1440p results show that this combination is ideal for 144Hz displays, as even Ultra settings maintain over 80 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum FPS of 94 indicates that frame pacing is consistent, with no significant drops below the average.

At 3840x2160, the system transitions from high refresh rate to high fidelity gaming. Low settings produce 105 FPS, Medium achieves 75 FPS (minimum 63, maximum 86), High delivers 66 FPS, and Ultra drops to 58 FPS. The 4K results reveal that the RTX 5070 can handle 4K gaming comfortably at Medium and High settings, with the Ultra preset just barely missing the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset's minimum of 63 FPS and maximum of 86 FPS show a 23 FPS spread, indicating some scene-to-scene variation but overall playable performance.

The data shows a consistent pattern where each settings tier (Low to Medium, Medium to High, High to Ultra) costs approximately 10-20 FPS at 1080p, 8-13 FPS at 1440p, and 9-17 FPS at 4K. This suggests that the performance cost of increasing settings remains relatively consistent across resolutions, though the percentage impact is larger at 4K due to the lower baseline frame rates. The measured results demonstrate that this combination is versatile, capable of competitive esports frame rates at 1080p and cinematic 4K experiences at reduced settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1920x1080 displays with 144Hz or 165Hz refresh rates, the Ultra preset at 113 FPS is the clear choice, as it delivers the best visual quality while still maintaining frame rates well above 100 FPS. The High preset at 130 FPS offers a modest performance boost for users with 144Hz displays who want additional headroom, but the visual difference between High and Ultra in the data suggests the Ultra preset provides the best balance of quality and performance at 1080p.

For 2560x1440 users, the High preset at 98 FPS represents the sweet spot for 100Hz displays, while Ultra at 85 FPS is suitable for 85-90Hz monitors. The Medium preset at 111 FPS is the best option for 120Hz displays, though it comes with reduced visual fidelity. The data indicates that at 1440p, the system can maintain high refresh rates with any preset, making the choice primarily about visual preferences. For users with 144Hz 1440p displays, the Medium preset's 111 FPS average with 94 FPS minimum ensures smooth gameplay, though High at 98 FPS is also viable for 100Hz displays.

At 3840x2160, the recommendations become more constrained. The Medium preset at 75 FPS is the best choice for 60Hz displays, providing a comfortable margin above the refresh rate with a minimum of 63 FPS. The High preset at 66 FPS is also playable on 60Hz displays, but the smaller margin above 60 FPS means occasional drops could be noticeable. The Ultra preset at 58 FPS is borderline, and the data suggests users should opt for Medium or High at 4K to ensure a consistent experience. The Low preset at 105 FPS is excessive for 4K displays, and the visual quality loss makes it a poor trade-off.

The overall recommendation from the data is to match the preset to the display's refresh rate and resolution. For 1080p, Ultra is recommended. For 1440p, High or Medium depending on refresh rate. For 4K, Medium is the safest choice, with High as an option for users who prioritize visual quality over a smaller FPS margin. The measured minimum FPS of 63 at 4K Medium indicates that this setting provides the best balance of visual fidelity and performance consistency for 4K gaming.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT's specifications and benchmark scores provide context for its role in these results. With 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture, the CPU offers strong multi-threaded performance that is well-suited for Control's physics and AI systems. The base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 4.80 GHz represent a 1.0 GHz boost range, allowing the processor to scale performance based on workload demands. The 32 MB shared L3 cache provides ample capacity for game data, reducing the need to access slower system memory.

The CPU's benchmark results show strong performance across various workloads. In Cinebench R23, the 5800XT scores 23794 in multi-core and 3359 in single-core, indicating robust all-core performance and respectable single-thread capability. The 3DMark results show scores of 7683 for 16 threads and 959 for single-thread, with a max threads score of 7680 that closely matches the 16-thread result, suggesting good scaling across the 8 cores. The PassMark results demonstrate the CPU's versatility, with a multithread score of 28053 and single-thread score of 3535.

In the context of Control, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU, as evidenced by the FPS scaling patterns. The fact that 1080p Low achieves 206 FPS indicates the CPU is capable of feeding the RTX 5070 at very high frame rates. The Ryzen 7 5800XT's average benchmark score of 29879 places it in the 81st percentile of all CPUs, with nearest rivals including the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H (0% delta), AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (-0.3%), and AMD Ryzen 5 9600X (0.6% faster). This indicates the 5800XT is a solid mid-range performer that does not bottleneck the GPU in most scenarios.

The CPU's 105 W TDP and 7 nm process node from TSMC represent efficient power consumption for its performance level. The 4,150 million transistors on a 74 mm² die show a compact, efficient design. The DDR4 memory support with dual-channel configuration provides 51.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for gaming workloads. The PCIe Gen 4 support with 20 lanes ensures fast communication with the GPU and NVMe drives, though the RTX 5070's PCIe 5.0 interface runs at Gen 4 speeds in this configuration without significant performance loss.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 ranks 780th out of 3720 tested combos in Control, placing it in the top 21% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the system's strong performance relative to the entire tested database, though it is not among the absolute top-tier systems. The rank of 780 with 3720 total combos indicates that roughly 2940 other configurations perform worse, while 779 perform better, positioning this combo as a high-performing but not elite setup.

The ranking is likely influenced by the CPU's age and position in the market. The Ryzen 7 5800XT, released in 2024, is based on the older Zen 3 architecture, while many top-ranked combos would use newer processors with higher IPC and more cores. However, the GPU's strong performance helps offset the CPU's relative age, as the RTX 5070 is a current-generation card with excellent rasterization capabilities. The combo's 81st percentile CPU ranking and 82nd percentile GPU ranking suggest a balanced system where both components are above average.

The data shows that this combo performs best at 1080p and 1440p, where the GPU's power can be fully utilized. At 4K, the system still performs well but falls into a more crowded field, as many high-end GPUs can achieve similar frame rates. The rank of 780 suggests that users with this combo can expect high performance in Control, but should not expect top-tier results when compared to the absolute best systems in the database.

The combination's ranking also reflects the balance between CPU and GPU. The Ryzen 7 5800XT's 8-core/16-thread configuration provides enough parallelism for Control's multi-threaded workloads, while the RTX 5070's 6144 shading units handle the graphics rendering. The measured FPS data confirms that this is a well-matched pairing, with no obvious bottleneck at any resolution or settings level. The combo's rank of 780 out of 3720 is a strong result, indicating that users can expect a high-quality Control experience with this hardware configuration.