Control

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT delivers a revealing set of performance data in Control, a game that scales dramatically with both resolution and graphical fidelity. The combination ranks in the 873rd position out of 1,636 tested combos, placing it in the upper-middle tier of the database. This pairing demonstrates a clear performance ceiling that shifts depending on whether the workload is pixel-bound or shader-bound, offering a fascinating case study in how a mid-range GPU handles a demanding action-adventure title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p, the combo achieves 144.2 FPS on Low settings, which drops to 104.7 FPS at 1440p and further to 73.6 FPS at 4K. This represents a 27.4% performance loss from 1080p to 1440p, and a 49.0% loss from 1080p to 4K at Low settings. The scaling is steep but consistent, indicating that the Radeon RX 6700 XT is the primary limiting factor rather than the Ryzen 7 7700X's processing power.

Looking at High settings, the pattern becomes even more pronounced. The combo delivers 92.1 FPS at 1080p, 69.9 FPS at 1440p, and 44.1 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is 24.1%, while the gap between 1080p and 4K widens to 52.1%. This suggests that at higher quality presets, the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute throughput become increasingly strained, particularly at 4K where the pixel count quadruples compared to 1080p. The fact that the 4K High result (44.1 FPS) sits just above the 30 FPS threshold but well below 60 FPS implies that this resolution is only viable with significant settings reductions.

Ultra settings amplify this trend further. The combo manages 79.2 FPS at 1080p, 59.0 FPS at 1440p, and 42.9 FPS at 4K. The 1080p-to-4K drop is 45.9%, which is slightly less severe than the Low preset's drop but still substantial. What is notable is the narrowing gap between Medium and High at 4K: 49.8 FPS versus 44.1 FPS, a difference of just 11.4%. This compression suggests that the GPU's compute units are saturated at 4K regardless of modest settings changes, making resolution the dominant factor in performance.

How This Combo Ranks

With a combo rank of 873 out of 1,636 tested combinations, this pairing sits just above the median in the database. This ranking reflects a balance where the Ryzen 7 7700X's strong single-thread performance is not fully utilized by Control's engine, while the RX 6700 XT's 12 GB VRAM and 13.21 TFLOPS FP32 throughput handle most rendering tasks competently but not spectacularly. The percentileVsAllGpus score of 77 for the GPU indicates it beats 77% of all GPUs in the database, yet the combo's overall rank of 873 suggests that higher-tier GPUs paired with similar CPUs dominate the upper echelons.

The nearestRivals data for the CPU shows a tight cluster of comparable processors. The Intel Core i5-13500 trails by just 0.4% in avgBenchmarkScore, while the Intel Core i7-12800HX is 0.5% ahead. This means the Ryzen 7 7700X's CPU performance is not a differentiator in this combo; the GPU likely determines the FPS outcomes. For the GPU, the nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 6800, which is 0.7% ahead in avgBenchmarkScore, and the NVIDIA RTX A5000 is 1.3% ahead. These small deltas indicate that the RX 6700 XT is positioned at a competitive performance point, though the measured FPS in Control will reflect its specific architectural strengths.

GPU Role

The Radeon RX 6700 XT's specifications provide context for the measured FPS. With 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, the memory bandwidth of 384.0 GB/s is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming but becomes a limiting factor at 4K. The GPU's boost clock of 2581 MHz and game clock of 2424 MHz are moderate for the RDNA 2.0 architecture, and the 2560 shading units deliver 13.21 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The 40 ray tracing cores are present but Control's implementation of ray tracing is not explicitly tested here, so the rasterization performance dominates the results.

The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (42.9 FPS) aligns with the GPU's 77th percentile ranking. The fact that the GPU's avgBenchmarkScore is 33721, with nearest rival RX 6800 at 33493, suggests the two are nearly interchangeable in synthetic tests. However, in Control, the measured data shows that the RX 6700 XT's performance scales predictably with resolution, indicating that the 64 ROPs and 160 TMUs are adequate for the game's rendering demands but not excessive. The pixel rate of 165.2 GPixel/s and texture rate of 413.0 GTexel/s are respectable, yet the 4K results reveal that fill-rate limitations begin to appear at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience depends heavily on the target resolution. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 144.2 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors, but the Medium preset at 103.4 FPS offers a much better visual quality while still exceeding 100 FPS. The High preset at 92.1 FPS is also viable, and even Ultra at 79.2 FPS maintains fluid gameplay. For 1080p users, the data suggests that High is the sweet spot, balancing visual fidelity with a comfortable margin above 60 FPS.

At 1440p, the situation becomes more nuanced. Low settings produce 104.7 FPS, which is smooth, but Medium at 73.8 FPS and High at 69.9 FPS both stay above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 59.0 FPS dips just below the 60 FPS threshold, so users seeking consistent 60+ FPS should stick with High. The measured data indicates that 1440p High is the recommended preset for this combo, as it delivers 69.9 FPS while providing substantial visual improvements over Low.

At 4K, the choices are more constrained. Low settings achieve 73.6 FPS, which is playable, but Medium drops to 49.8 FPS and High to 44.1 FPS. The Ultra preset at 42.9 FPS is the worst performer. For 4K, the data supports using Low settings to maintain a playable frame rate, though users prioritizing visual quality could accept the Medium preset's 49.8 FPS. The 4K results clearly show that this GPU is not designed for high-fidelity 4K gaming in Control, as even Low settings produce less than 75 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo demonstrates its strongest performance. Low settings yield 144.2 FPS, Medium produces 103.4 FPS, High delivers 92.1 FPS, and Ultra achieves 79.2 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 65.0 FPS, indicating that the GPU has headroom at this resolution. The 1080p results show that even Ultra settings provide a playable experience, making this resolution the most flexible for the combo.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops are noticeable. Low settings produce 104.7 FPS, Medium delivers 73.8 FPS, High achieves 69.9 FPS, and Ultra falls to 59.0 FPS. The gap between Medium and High is just 3.9 FPS, suggesting that the settings overhead is minimal at this resolution. The 1440p results indicate that High is the highest preset that consistently stays above 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain high frame rates. Low settings achieve 73.6 FPS, Medium produces 49.8 FPS, High delivers 44.1 FPS, and Ultra manages 42.9 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra is a mere 1.2 FPS, which is negligible. The 4K data reveals that Low is the only preset that approaches 60 FPS, and even that is 13.6% below the 60 FPS target.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Control?*

A: The measured data shows 1080p as the best resolution, with all presets from Low (144.2 FPS) to Ultra (79.2 FPS) exceeding 60 FPS. At 1440p, High settings (69.9 FPS) are viable, but 4K only offers playable performance on Low (73.6 FPS).

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 4K Ultra, the combo achieves 42.9 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold and only marginally above 30 FPS. This preset is not recommended for smooth gameplay.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 7700X or the Radeon RX 6700 XT the limiting factor?

A: The resolution scaling from 1080p to 4K indicates the GPU is the primary limiter. The CPU's nearest rivals show a 0.4% to 0.5% delta in avgBenchmarkScore, suggesting the CPU is not a bottleneck compared to the GPU's performance drops.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 873rd out of 1,636 tested combos, placing it in the upper-middle tier of the database.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Radeon RX 6700 XT's avgBenchmarkScore of 33721 is 0.7% behind the RX 6800 and 1.3% behind the NVIDIA RTX A5000, placing it in a competitive performance band.

Q: What settings should be used for 1440p gaming?

A: High settings at 1440p produce 69.9 FPS, which is the highest preset that stays above 60 FPS. Ultra at 59.0 FPS is just below the threshold and should be avoided for consistent smoothness.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X provides a strong foundation for this combo, with 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 4 architecture. Its base clock of 4.50 GHz and boost clock of 5.40 GHz are high for desktop processors, and the 32 MB of shared L3 cache helps with data locality. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 30325 and a single-core score of 4281, which places it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs.

The CPU's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-13500 with a deltaPct of 0.4% and the Intel Core i7-12800HX at 0.5%, indicating that the 7700X's performance is tightly clustered with these processors. The 5 nm process node and 6,570 million transistors contribute to its efficiency, though the 105 W TDP means cooling is a consideration. However, in Control, the CPU's role appears secondary, as the measured FPS scales predominantly with resolution and settings, not with CPU load.

The data suggests that the Ryzen 7 7700X is more than capable of feeding the RX 6700 XT at 1080p and 1440p, as evidenced by the 144.2 FPS Low result at 1080p. Even at 4K, where the GPU is heavily taxed, the CPU does not appear to introduce a bottleneck, since the FPS drops are consistent with GPU-bound scaling. The CPU's 3dmark_16_threads score of 8859 and passmark_multithread score of 35686 indicate robust multi-threaded performance, but Control likely utilizes fewer threads, making the single-core score of 4281 in Cinebench R23 more relevant. Overall, the CPU provides ample headroom, and the combo's performance is ultimately constrained by the GPU's capabilities.