Control

) Control Performance Analysis: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D + AMD Radeon RX 570

This analysis examines the measured performance of Control running on a system equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D processor and an AMD Radeon RX 570 graphics card. The data reveals a configuration that is heavily constrained by its graphics solution, resulting in playable performance only at the lowest settings and resolution tested. This combination yields an average frame rate in the mid-30s across all tested presets, placing it in the 3549th position out of 3720 combos for this game. The following sections break down the benchmark results, exploring the impact of settings, resolution, and component limitations.

Settings Recommendations

The choice of in-game preset is not about visual fidelity; it is about hitting a playable frame rate. The data shows that the "Low" preset at 1920x1080 is the only configuration that delivers an average frame rate above 55 FPS. Every other setting and resolution combination results in an average below 43 FPS, which is often considered the lower boundary for a smooth experience. The "Ultra" preset is entirely off the table, yielding just 16 FPS at 4K and only 31 FPS at 1080p.

For a more visually detailed experience, the "High" preset at 1920x1080 provides a 36 FPS average, which may be acceptable for players who prefer image quality over a higher frame rate. However, the jump from "Low" to "High" at 1080p costs 21 FPS, a 37% performance hit. The "Medium" preset offers a middle ground, but its 40 FPS average at 1080p is still significantly below the "Low" setting's performance. The "Low" preset at 1440p, with an average of 43 FPS, is the only other configuration that breaks the 40 FPS barrier.

The data strongly suggests that users should prioritize the "Low" preset to achieve a fluid experience. The performance scaling from "Low" to "Medium" and "High" is relatively linear, but the frame rate penalty is substantial. The "Ultra" preset should be avoided entirely, as it introduces a significant performance cost for what is likely a marginal visual improvement at this level of performance. The single data point for "Low" at 4K shows 29 FPS, which is a playable, if not ideal, frame rate for a slower-paced game like Control.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is the undisputed bottleneck in this configuration. With 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus providing 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth, the card is a solid entry-level product from its generation, but it is simply outclassed by the demands of Control. The GPU's architecture, GCN 4.0, is capable of DirectX 12 and Vulkan, but its raw processing power is limited. The card's 2,048 shading units and 32 ROPs are responsible for the rendering, and the data indicates they are overwhelmed at higher settings.

The frame rate deltas between presets are telling. At 1080p, dropping from "Ultra" to "Low" improves performance by 84%, from 31 to 57 FPS. This massive swing shows that the GPU is not just hitting a wall, but is being forced to process a significantly higher workload at higher presets. The GPU's pixel fillrate of 39.81 GPixel/s and texture fillrate of 159.2 GTexel/s are quickly saturated as the game's render scale and effects are turned up. The card's nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 470, is just 0.8% faster on average, showing this is a performance class near the bottom of what can run this game.

The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 880 is a better indicator of its capacity for modern titles. This is a score that is 0.4% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6800M, a mobile part, and 0.7% higher than the R9 M295X. These are all entry-level or older high-end parts, which clarifies that the RX 570 is being asked to do a job it was not designed for at higher settings. The 4 GB VRAM buffer may also be a limiting factor, although the data does not explicitly show a performance cliff, the frame time variance at 1080p Medium (34-46 FPS) suggests the memory subsystem is under stress.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of CPU and GPU ranks 3549th out of 3720 tested combos for Control. This places it in the bottom 5% of all tested configurations. This is a direct reflection of the GPU's age and performance tier, rather than any fault of the CPU. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D is a top-tier gaming processor, but it is being paired with a graphics card that is several generations old and was not a high-end part even when new.

The ranking is a stark illustration of the importance of balance in a PC build. A powerful CPU cannot compensate for a weak GPU when the graphical load is the limiting factor. The 3DMark average benchmark score for the RX 570 is 28,766, which places it in the 74th percentile of all GPUs, but this is a synthetic metric. In a real-world, CPU-light game engine like the one in Control, the GPU's raw rasterization power is the deciding factor, and it is found wanting. The result is a frame rate that is often below 30 FPS at 1440p, which is a poor experience for a game that relies on fast-paced action.

Measured FPS Breakdown

Here is a detailed look at the average frame rates, with the minimum and maximum frames for the Medium preset, at each resolution and setting combination.

1920x1080:

• Low: 57 FPS
• Medium: 40 FPS (Min: 34, Max: 46)
• High: 36 FPS
• Ultra: 31 FPS

2560x1440:

• Low: 43 FPS
• Medium: 30 FPS (Min: 26, Max: 35)
• High: 27 FPS
• Ultra: 24 FPS

3840x2160:

• Low: 29 FPS
• Medium: 21 FPS (Min: 17, Max: 24)
• High: 18 FPS
• Ultra: 16 FPS

The data shows a clear pattern: increasing resolution and settings both have a near-linear negative impact on performance. The frame time variance, as shown by the min and max FPS for the Medium preset, also tightens as resolution increases, indicating a more consistent, but consistently low, frame rate. The 1080p Low setting provides the best balance of playability and fluidity, while the 4K Ultra setting is essentially a slideshow.

Resolution Scaling

Scaling from 1080p to 4K at the "Low" preset sees the average frame rate drop from 57 FPS to 29 FPS, a 49% reduction. This is a clear sign of a GPU-bound scenario. When the resolution is increased, the GPU has to render many more pixels, and the RX 570's core clock of 1244 MHz and memory bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s are simply not up to the task. The performance drop is not linear with the pixel count increase, which would be a 4x increase from 1080p to 4K, but it is still a significant 49% reduction.

This behavior reveals that the system is not CPU-bound at any resolution, but the GPU's limitations are masked at 1080p. At 1080p, the GPU can keep up with the CPU's requests, but as the resolution increases, the GPU falls further behind. This is a classic sign of a bottleneck. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D, with its 5.00 GHz boost clock and 96 MB of L3 cache, is not the limiting factor. Instead, the RX 570 is the sole reason for the performance degradation, and its 5.095 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is the ceiling for this system's gaming capability in Control.

FAQ

Q: Can I play Control at 4K with this setup?

A: Technically, yes, but it is not recommended. The game runs at an average of 29 FPS on the "Low" preset and 16 FPS on "Ultra" at 3840x2160. This makes the game unplayable for a smooth experience.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 60 FPS experience?

A: None of the tested presets achieve a stable 60 FPS average. The closest is the 1920x1080 "Low" preset, which delivers 57 FPS. The next closest is 43 FPS at 1440p "Low".

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck here?

A: The GPU is the definitive bottleneck. The AMD Radeon RX 570 is an entry-level card from 2017, and it is being tasked with running a demanding 2019 title. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D is a top-tier gaming CPU and is not being utilized to its full potential.

Q: Is this a good combination for a new build?

A: No. This is an extremely unbalanced combination. The CPU is one of the most powerful gaming processors available, while the GPU is many generations old. This is a poor pairing for any modern game.

Q: How much of a difference does the "Ultra" preset make over "Low"?

A: At 1080p, the "Ultra" preset is 45% slower than "Low," producing 26 fewer FPS. This is a significant performance cost for what is often a marginal visual improvement, especially at this level of performance.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is a Zen 4 architecture, 7000 series processor with 8 cores and 16 threads. It has a base clock of 4.20 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The CPU is equipped with 96 MB of shared L3 cache, which is a key feature for gaming. However, in this specific benchmark, its role is to feed the GPU with data and wait. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 7,980 and single-thread score of 959 show a very capable processor. Its 3DMark max-thread score of 7,967 shows consistent performance across all threads.

The CPU's performance relative to its rivals is telling. It is within 0.4% of the AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 6950H and the Intel Core i7-13650HX, and matches the AMD Ryzen 7 8700G's average score of 33,089. This shows that the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is a top-tier part. Yet, in this configuration, its performance is wasted. The game is not asking the CPU for more work; it is simply waiting for the GPU to finish its rendering. The CPU is effectively idle, waiting for the GPU, and this is why the game's performance is so poor. The CPU's 120W TDP reflects its efficiency, but it is a small part of the story for this game, which is entirely dependent on the GPU's output.