Control

Control, the 2019 action-adventure title, is a demanding showcase for any hardware pairing. This analysis examines the measured performance of the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X combined with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D. The data reveals a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-limited at higher resolutions, yet demonstrates a significant bottleneck shift at 1080p where the processor's capabilities come to the forefront. The benchmark results, drawn from a measured dataset, provide a clear picture of how this combination scales across different settings and resolutions, placing it in the top percentile of tested configurations for this specific game.

Resolution Scaling

The most immediate observation from the measured frames per second (FPS) data is the pronounced impact of resolution on performance. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 279 FPS. This figure drops to 225 FPS at 2560x1440, and further to 152 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a steep decline of 54 FPS when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and another 73 FPS when stepping up to 4K. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a system where the CPU is the primary limiting factor at lower resolutions; the GPU has ample headroom to render frames quickly, but the processor cannot feed it data fast enough to maintain the same frame rate.

The trend continues across all settings presets. For instance, at High settings, the average FPS goes from 188 at 1080p, to 142 at 1440p, and finally to 96 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 46 FPS, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is also 46 FPS. At Ultra settings, the numbers are 163, 124, and 83 FPS respectively, showing a 39 FPS drop between each resolution step. This consistent reduction suggests that while the GPU is becoming more heavily utilized as resolution increases, the CPU constraint at 1080p is so significant that it prevents the system from fully realizing the GPU's potential, creating a relatively linear decline in performance.

The data indicates that at 4K, the workload shifts decisively to the GPU. The difference between Low and Ultra settings at 3840x2160 is 69 FPS (152 vs 83), which is substantial. This suggests that at this resolution, the render resolution and pixel count are the dominant factors, and the CPU has enough headroom to keep up with the GPU's demands. The scaling between settings is more pronounced at 4K, indicating that the graphics card is the definitive bottleneck. In contrast, at 1080p, the gap between Low and Ultra is 116 FPS (279 vs 163), but the absolute performance is so high that it points to the CPU's frame generation limit being reached, rather than the GPU's raw rendering power being exhausted.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested combinations for Control, this specific pairing of the Ryzen 7 7700X and RTX 5090 D holds a combo rank of 23 out of 2888 tested combos. This places it in the top 1% of all configurations tested for this game, underscoring its position as a high-end performer. The rank reflects the synergy between the two components in this specific title, where the powerful GPU is paired with a capable CPU to achieve exceptionally high frame rates, even at 4K resolution.

The GPU itself, the RTX 5090 D, has a percentile ranking of 92 against all other GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 77712. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, show a deltaPct of -1.6 and -2.4 respectively, indicating the RTX 5090 D is slightly ahead of these alternatives in synthetic benchmarks. This high standing in general GPU benchmarks is reflected in its strong performance in Control, where it consistently delivers high frame rates.

On the CPU side, the Ryzen 7 7700X has a percentile ranking of 85 against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35909. Its nearest rivals, including the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 and the Intel Core 7 250H, are extremely close in performance, with deltaPct values of 0.3 and 0.5 respectively. This indicates that the 7700X is a very solid processor, but its performance class is not as top-tier as the GPU's. The combination's high rank in Control is therefore more attributable to the GPU's dominance, with the CPU providing sufficient support to avoid being a major hindrance at most settings, except for the most extreme frame rates at 1080p.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. For a 4K display (3840x2160), the High preset delivers an average of 96 FPS, which is a solid, playable experience. The Ultra preset drops to 83 FPS, a more noticeable reduction for a marginal visual gain. The Medium preset offers 108 FPS, which is a better balance for high-refresh-rate 4K monitors. The Low preset, at 152 FPS, shows the game's engine can scale well, but the visual compromise is significant. For most users, the High preset at 4K represents the best compromise between visual fidelity and performance.

At 2560x1440, the High preset achieves an impressive 142 FPS, making it an excellent choice for 144Hz monitors. The Ultra preset still provides a very high 124 FPS, which is also viable for high refresh rates. The Medium preset, at 160 FPS, is the best option for those seeking maximum smoothness on a 165Hz or 240Hz display. The Low preset at 225 FPS is largely unnecessary for most displays and would only be beneficial for competitive play where every frame counts. The data suggests that at 1440p, users can comfortably select High or Ultra without sacrificing the high-refresh-rate experience.

For 1920x1080, the CPU becomes the limiting factor, which is evident from the high frame rates. The Ultra preset still achieves 163 FPS, which is excellent. The High preset at 188 FPS is a strong choice for 180Hz monitors. However, the Medium and Low presets, at 211 and 279 FPS respectively, push into territory where the CPU's frame generation limit is the primary constraint. Choosing Ultra or High at 1080p is recommended, as the visual quality is high and the performance is already so high that further lowering settings yields diminishing returns and may not be perceptible on most displays.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS for this combo at 2560x1440 with High settings is 142 FPS.

Q: How does the combo rank compared to other tested systems in Control?

A: This combination of AMD Ryzen 7 7700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 23rd out of 2888 tested combos for Control.

Q: At which resolution does the CPU become the main bottleneck?

A: The data shows a significant frame rate jump at 1920x1080, suggesting the CPU's frame generation limit is reached at lower resolutions, making it the primary limiting factor.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between Low and Ultra settings at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the average FPS is 152 on Low settings and 83 on Ultra settings, a difference of 69 FPS.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS recorded for this combo at 1920x1080 with Medium settings is 180 FPS.

Q: Is the GPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks much higher than its closest rival?

A: The RTX 5090 D has an average benchmark score of 77712, while its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, has a score of 78940, indicating the rival is actually 1.6% higher on average.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the clear driving force behind this combo's performance in Control, particularly at higher resolutions. Its 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus provides a massive 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. This is more than sufficient for Control's textures and assets at 4K, ensuring that data transfer is not a bottleneck. The GPU's architecture, Blackwell 2.0, built on a 5 nm process, features 21760 shading units and 176 ROPs, which are directly responsible for the high pixel and texture fill rates observed in the benchmark results.

The GPU's clock speeds are also a key factor. With a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz, it can sustain high performance under load. The memory clock runs at 1750 MHz, translating to an effective 28 Gbps. This high-frequency memory is crucial for feeding the GPU's many cores, especially at 4K where the demand for bandwidth is immense. The measured performance at 4K, with an average of 96 FPS on High settings, demonstrates that the GPU is the primary component handling the rendering workload, and it does so with significant headroom.

The GPU's percentile rank of 92 against all other GPUs, with an average score of 77712 in synthetic benchmarks, corroborates its high-end status. However, its nearest rivals show very small deltas, with the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT being 1.6% higher and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB being 2.4% higher in average score. This suggests that in a general sense, the RTX 5090 D is at the top of its class, but not by a wide margin. In Control specifically, its performance is what drives the combo to a top-23 rank, showing its strength in a real-world gaming scenario rather than just a synthetic one.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X plays a supporting but critical role in this pairing. With 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 4 architecture, it provides ample processing power for game logic and physics. Its base clock of 4.50 GHz and boost clock of 5.40 GHz are high, allowing for fast single-threaded performance, which is often more important for gaming. The 32 MB of shared L3 cache helps to reduce memory latency, which can be beneficial for frame pacing and maintaining consistent performance.

The CPU's role becomes most apparent at 1920x1080, where the frame rates are exceptionally high. At Low settings, the combo achieves 279 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's maximum frame generation limit. The data shows that while the GPU can render frames faster, the CPU cannot issue draw calls and process game state quickly enough to keep up. This is a classic CPU bottleneck scenario. The difference between 1440p and 1080p performance at Low settings is 73 FPS (225 vs 279), which is smaller than the difference between 4K and 1440p (73 FPS), indicating that the CPU is starting to cap the overall performance.

The 7700X has a percentile rank of 85 against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35909. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 and the Intel Core 7 250H, are within 0.5% of its score, showing that it sits in a competitive mid-to-high-end tier. In this game, its performance is sufficient to avoid being a major bottleneck at 4K and 1440p, where the GPU is the limiting factor. However, at 1080p, its limits are reached, which confirms the sheer power of the RTX 5090 D rather than a weakness of the CPU itself.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured average FPS data is as follows:

1920x1080:

• Low: 279 FPS
• Medium: 211 FPS (min 180, max 243)
• High: 188 FPS
• Ultra: 163 FPS

2560x1440:

• Low: 225 FPS
• Medium: 160 FPS (min 136, max 184)
• High: 142 FPS
• Ultra: 124 FPS

3840x2160:

• Low: 152 FPS
• Medium: 108 FPS (min 92, max 124)
• High: 96 FPS
• Ultra: 83 FPS

This data reveals a clear hierarchy. At 1080p, the system is capable of exceeding 160 FPS on all presets, with the Low preset reaching 279 FPS. At 1440p, the system still exceeds 120 FPS on all presets, with the Low preset at 225 FPS. At 4K, the system drops below 100 FPS on High and Ultra presets, but remains very playable at 96 and 83 FPS respectively. The Medium preset at 4K provides a balanced 108 FPS, which is a strong option. The minimum FPS values, only recorded for the Medium preset, show that even under load, the system maintains a high level of performance, with the lowest dip being 92 FPS at 4K.