Control

Control places the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT combination in the 2054th position out of 2888 tested hardware pairings, a mid-pack result that reflects a balance between a high-end 2025 processor and a 2021 mainstream graphics card. The data reveals a system where the CPU has ample headroom for this 2019 action-adventure title, while the GPU becomes the primary arbiter of frame rates as resolution climbs. Benchmark results indicate that the pairing delivers playable performance at 1080p and 1440p, but struggles to maintain smooth framerates at 4K Ultra settings.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is a Zen 5 architecture processor built on a 4 nm TSMC process, featuring 8 cores and 16 threads. It operates with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, drawing a 65 W TDP. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 32 MB L3 cache. This configuration places the chip in the 94th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 69,996.

In synthetic tests, the processor demonstrates exceptional single-thread performance, scoring 4,691 in Passmark's single-thread test. Its multi-threaded score of 36,470 indicates strong parallel processing capability, while specific workloads show scores of 120,788 in integer math and 77,955 in floating-point math. The CPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (0.2% ahead), Intel Core i7-14700KF (0.2% behind), AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (0.7% ahead), and Intel Core i7-14700K (0.9% ahead), showing that the 9700F sits in a highly competitive performance band.

For a game like Control, which was released in 2019 and features physics-heavy environments with destructible objects, the CPU's capability to handle numerous dynamic entities is critical. The measured frame rates show that even at 1080p Low settings, where the CPU's influence is most pronounced, the system achieves 118 FPS average. This high frame rate at the lowest GPU-load scenario indicates that the 9700F's 8 cores and 16 threads are more than sufficient to feed the RX 6600 XT. The processor's boost clock of 5.50 GHz provides the single-thread responsiveness needed for game logic, while the 32 MB L3 cache helps maintain data locality for frequently accessed game assets.

The Passmark physics score of 2,122 and data compression score of 421,988 further reinforce that the CPU excels in the types of calculations Control's game engine demands. However, the CPU's percentile ranking of 94 and its position relative to rivals suggests that while this is a top-tier processor, it is not the limiting factor in this gaming configuration. At 4K Ultra settings where the GPU is fully saturated, the CPU's role diminishes, and the frame rate drops to 33 FPS average, demonstrating that the processor's considerable power cannot compensate for the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with the Navi 23 chip, manufactured on a 7 nm TSMC process. The GPU features 2,048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation pipelines, along with 32 ray accelerators for hardware ray tracing support. Its clock speeds include a base of 1,968 MHz, boost up to 2,589 MHz, and a game clock of 2,359 MHz. The card is equipped with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 256.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth.

The GPU's compute capabilities include 10.60 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 21.21 TFLOPS of FP16 performance (2:1 ratio). Its pixel rate of 165.7 GPixel/s and texture rate of 331.4 GTexel/s define its fill-rate capabilities. The RX 6600 XT sits in the 70th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 24,442. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 (0.7% ahead), Intel Arc A350M (0.8% behind), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti (0.8% ahead), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER (1.1% ahead), illustrating that this card performs in a crowded mid-range segment.

In Control, the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming but become strained at 4K. The measured data shows that at 1080p Medium settings, the system achieves 84 FPS average with a minimum of 71 FPS and maximum of 96 FPS. This consistency suggests the GPU can maintain smooth performance when not pushed to its limits. However, at 4K Ultra settings, the average frame rate plummets to 33 FPS, indicating that the 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory interface are insufficient for the higher texture and shading demands at that resolution.

The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) is relevant because Control utilizes DirectX 12 features. The Passmark DirectX 12 score of 61, while difficult to interpret in isolation, combined with the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1,804, suggests moderate performance in modern API workloads. The GPU's RDNA 2.0 architecture includes dedicated ray tracing cores, but Control's implementation of ray tracing can be demanding; the measured data does not include ray tracing-specific settings, focusing instead on standard presets. The card's 160 W TDP and PCIe 4.0 x8 interface are sufficient for the game's requirements, though the x8 bus width could theoretically limit performance in some scenarios, the data shows no such bottleneck at the tested settings.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Control at 1080p with high settings?

A: Yes, benchmark results show an average of 74 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings, which is above the typical 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

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

A: The data indicates that 2560x1440 with Medium settings provides a balanced experience, achieving 63 FPS average with a minimum of 54 FPS, while 4K requires Low settings to reach 60 FPS average.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in terms of overall performance?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700F is within 0.2% of the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX and Intel Core i7-14700KF, and within 0.9% of the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X and Intel Core i7-14700K, showing essentially parity with these high-end processors.

Q: Is 8 GB of VRAM sufficient for Control at 4K?

A: The data shows that at 4K Ultra settings, the system averages only 33 FPS, and at 4K High settings, 38 FPS, indicating that 8 GB VRAM is insufficient for optimal 4K performance in this game.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 1440p Ultra settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Ultra settings, the system achieves 49 FPS average, which is playable but below the 60 FPS target for competitive or fast-paced action.

Q: How does the GPU's performance percentile translate to real-world results?

A: The RX 6600 XT ranks in the 70th percentile of all GPUs, and in Control, this translates to excellent 1080p performance (up to 118 FPS on Low) but diminishing returns at higher resolutions, with 4K Ultra dropping to 33 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates for the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT combination in Control reveal a clear performance hierarchy across resolutions and settings.

At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates strong performance across all presets. Low settings yield an average of 118 FPS, providing a high-refresh-rate experience. Medium settings reduce the average to 84 FPS, with a minimum of 71 FPS and maximum of 96 FPS, ensuring consistent frame pacing. High settings produce 74 FPS average, still above the 60 FPS target. Ultra settings drop to 65 FPS average, which remains playable but shows the GPU beginning to strain under maximum graphical load.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales downward as expected. Low settings achieve 89 FPS average, maintaining excellent playability. Medium settings produce 63 FPS average with a minimum of 54 FPS and maximum of 73 FPS, offering a smooth experience with some minor dips in intense scenes. High settings yield 56 FPS average, which is playable but with noticeable compromises. Ultra settings drop to 49 FPS average, falling below the 60 FPS threshold and indicating that maximum quality at 1440p requires accepting lower frame rates.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become pronounced. Low settings produce exactly 60 FPS average, barely meeting the standard target. Medium settings yield 43 FPS average with a minimum of 36 FPS and maximum of 49 FPS, resulting in stutter during demanding sequences. High settings drop to 38 FPS average, and Ultra settings fall to 33 FPS average, both of which are below comfortable playability for an action game requiring quick reactions.

The data shows that the system's sweet spot is 1080p, where even Ultra settings maintain 65 FPS, and 1440p with Medium or High settings provides a good balance of visual quality and performance. At 4K, only Low settings achieve 60 FPS, and higher presets require significant compromises.

Resolution Scaling

Analyzing the frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals critical insights about which component limits performance in Control. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 74 FPS at 1080p to 56 FPS at 1440p, a 24.3% decrease, and further to 38 FPS at 4K, representing a 48.6% decrease from 1080p. This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as the CPU's performance does not degrade with resolution.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more dramatic. The system achieves 118 FPS at 1080p, 89 FPS at 1440p, and 60 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 24.6%, and from 1080p to 4K is 49.2%. This consistent percentage decrease across settings suggests that the RX 6600 XT's rendering throughput, not its VRAM capacity, is the limiting factor, as the relative performance degradation remains similar regardless of graphical complexity.

The Ultra preset shows a different pattern. Frame rates drop from 65 FPS at 1080p to 49 FPS at 1440p (24.6% decrease) and 33 FPS at 4K (49.2% decrease). This identical percentage scaling to Low settings indicates that the GPU's compute and memory bandwidth constraints scale linearly with pixel count, confirming that the RX 6600 XT is the sole bottleneck at all resolutions.

The CPU's role in this scaling is minimal. With an average benchmark score of 69,996 and a 94th percentile ranking, the Ryzen 7 9700F has far more processing power than Control requires at any resolution. The 118 FPS at 1080p Low settings demonstrates that the CPU can handle the game's physics and logic at high frame rates without becoming a limiting factor. As resolution increases, the GPU's workload grows while the CPU's remains constant, further cementing the GPU as the performance ceiling.

This scaling analysis suggests that users with lower-resolution monitors (1080p) can maximize settings without concern, while 1440p users should choose Medium or High presets for optimal performance. At 4K, the system cannot maintain playable frame rates at higher presets, indicating that this resolution is beyond the GPU's intended capability for Control.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate.

For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers 65 FPS average, which is the most visually rich experience while remaining above 60 FPS. However, users prioritizing smoothness should consider High settings, which provide 74 FPS average with minimal visual compromise. The Medium preset at 84 FPS offers excellent performance for high-refresh-rate displays, while Low at 118 FPS is suitable for competitive play or maximum responsiveness. Given that even Ultra maintains 65 FPS, the Ultra preset is recommended for 1080p users who value image quality.

At 2560x1440, the choice becomes more nuanced. The Medium preset achieves 63 FPS average with a minimum of 54 FPS, providing the best balance of visual fidelity and playable performance. High settings at 56 FPS are acceptable but risk dropping below 50 FPS in demanding scenes. Ultra at 49 FPS is playable but sacrifices the smoothness expected in an action game. Low at 89 FPS is the only preset that guarantees a consistently smooth experience, but it significantly reduces graphical quality. For most users, Medium is the recommended preset at 1440p, as it maintains an average above 60 FPS while preserving substantial visual detail.

At 3840x2160, the options are limited. Low settings produce exactly 60 FPS average, which is the minimum threshold for smooth gameplay. Medium settings at 43 FPS and High at 38 FPS introduce noticeable stutter, while Ultra at 33 FPS is not recommended for any gameplay scenario. The data indicates that 4K gaming with this hardware requires Low settings, and users who insist on higher visual quality should consider reducing the resolution to 1440p where Medium or High settings provide a superior overall experience.

The measured minimum frame rates, available for Medium presets, offer additional insight. At 1080p Medium, the minimum of 71 FPS ensures no drops below the 60 FPS threshold. At 1440p Medium, the minimum of 54 FPS means occasional dips below 60 FPS but remains generally smooth. At 4K Medium, the minimum of 36 FPS indicates frequent slowdowns, reinforcing that 4K Medium is not a viable option. These minimums validate the recommendation of Medium at 1440p and Ultra at 1080p as the best presets for their respective resolutions.