Control

Control’s benchmark results for the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 combination reveal a system that is consistently capable across all tested presets, yet the data clearly indicates that the most balanced experience is found at the Medium settings tier. The measured rows show that this preset provides a substantial performance uplift over High while maintaining a frame rate that is more than sufficient for the game’s action-oriented sequences. The raw numbers demonstrate that the jump from Low to Medium is relatively modest in cost, whereas the leap from Medium to High or Ultra introduces significant performance penalties that are not justified by the visual returns in this particular title. For users prioritizing a smooth and responsive experience without delving into the lowest graphical fidelity, the Medium preset at any resolution is the data-supported choice.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data for this configuration strongly suggests that the Medium preset offers the best overall experience when balancing visual quality against performance. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers an average of 112 FPS, which is only 46 FPS lower than the Low preset’s 158 FPS, but a substantial 12 FPS higher than the High preset’s 100 FPS. The gap widens further when comparing to Ultra, which drops to 87 FPS. This pattern holds true at higher resolutions. At 2560x1440, Medium produces an average of 85 FPS, which is 9 FPS ahead of High’s 76 FPS and 19 FPS ahead of Ultra’s 66 FPS, while Low pushes to 120 FPS. Even at 3840x2160, Medium remains playable with 57 FPS, whereas High falls to 51 FPS and Ultra drops to a less comfortable 44 FPS. The data shows that Medium is the only preset that consistently maintains a playable frame rate at 4K while still offering a meaningful visual upgrade over Low.

The decision becomes clearer when examining the minimum FPS data available for the Medium preset. The measured minimums are 96 FPS at 1080p, 72 FPS at 1440p, and 49 FPS at 4K. These floor values are critical for a game like Control, where combat scenarios can cause sudden frame time spikes. The minimums for Medium indicate that even in the most demanding moments, the system does not dip into stutter territory at 1080p or 1440p. In contrast, the High and Ultra presets lack min FPS data in the pack, but their lower averages suggest that their minimums would be proportionally lower, potentially approaching the 40s at 4K. Therefore, the analysis concludes that Medium is the optimal preset for this hardware combination, providing the highest average FPS that still respects the visual integrity of the game world.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 plays the dominant role in determining the frame rates observed in these benchmark results. The GPU’s specifications from the data pack—8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth—are directly relevant to Control’s demands. The game’s environments are dense with particle effects and destructible geometry, which relies heavily on memory bandwidth and fill rate. The RTX 3070’s 96 ROPs and 317.4 GTexel/s texture rate are put to work at every resolution, and the benchmark results reflect this. The GPU’s boost clock of 1725 MHz and base clock of 1500 MHz provide the raw compute throughput needed to drive the game’s physics and rendering, but the data shows that the 8 GB VRAM capacity is the more significant factor at higher presets.

The transition from Low to Ultra settings at any resolution shows a consistent performance drop that aligns with increased VRAM usage and shader complexity. For instance, at 1920x1080, the RTX 3070 produces 158 FPS on Low but only 87 FPS on Ultra. This 45% reduction in performance is not a CPU bottleneck, as the Ryzen 7 9700F’s benchmark scores are exceptionally high. Instead, it indicates that the GPU is the limiting component, particularly when texture quality and volumetric effects are maxed out. The GPU’s percentile ranking of 61 against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17208, places it as a solid mid-range performer, but not one that can brute-force Ultra settings in a demanding title like Control. The nearest rival data for the GPU—such as the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT with a 0.7% higher average score—shows that the RTX 3070 is performing exactly as expected for its class.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data across the three tested resolutions reveals a classic scaling pattern that underscores the GPU-bound nature of this configuration. At the Medium preset, the average FPS drops from 112 at 1920x1080 to 85 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 24%. Moving further to 3840x2160, the average falls to 57, which represents a 49% drop from the 1080p figure. This scaling is consistent across all presets. The Low preset shows 158 FPS at 1080p, 120 FPS at 1440p, and 81 FPS at 4K. The High preset follows suit with 100, 76, and 51 FPS respectively. The Ultra preset yields 87, 66, and 44 FPS. The pattern is clear: each step up in resolution costs roughly a quarter to a third of the previous frame rate.

This behavior indicates that the limiting component is the GPU, not the CPU. The Ryzen 7 9700F, with its 8 cores and 16 threads based on Zen 5 architecture, has more than enough processing power to feed the RTX 3070 at all these resolutions. The CPU’s benchmark scores, such as a Passmark multitread score of 36470 and a single-thread score of 4691, place it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see the FPS remain relatively flat as resolution increases, since the CPU would be maxed out. Instead, the FPS declines proportionally with the pixel count, which is the definitive signature of a GPU-limited scenario. The data suggests that users with a high refresh rate 1080p monitor will see excellent performance, while those targeting 4K will need to accept the Medium preset to stay above 60 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Control, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 holds a combo rank of 1192 out of 2888 total combinations. This position places it in the upper half of all tested systems, specifically in the 58.7th percentile of performance. The ranking is a holistic measure that considers the entire benchmark suite for the game, not just the average FPS at a single preset. Given that the GPU is the limiting factor, the rank is primarily driven by the RTX 3070’s standing among its peers. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 17208 is slightly higher than its nearest rivals, including the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (17083) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (17037), but slightly lower than the NVIDIA Tesla K40c (17468).

The CPU’s contribution to this rank is more about ensuring the GPU is not starved of data. The Ryzen 7 9700F’s average benchmark score of 69996 places it in close competition with the Intel Core i7-14700KF (70163) and AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (69875). The CPU’s high single-thread and multithread scores ensure that Control’s physics and AI calculations are handled without introducing frame pacing issues. However, since the game’s frame rates are so dependent on resolution and settings, the CPU’s raw power does not translate into a higher combo rank beyond a certain point. The rank of 1192 indicates that this is a competent mid-range to upper-mid-range gaming setup, capable of delivering a good experience but not competing with top-tier combinations that pair high-end CPUs with flagship GPUs.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to use with this CPU and GPU combo for a 60 FPS target?

A: The data shows that at 2560x1440 with the Medium preset, the average FPS is 85, which is well above 60. At 3840x2160 with the Medium preset, the average FPS is 57, which is just below 60. Therefore, 2560x1440 is the highest resolution that comfortably exceeds the 60 FPS target, while 4K requires the Low preset to achieve 81 FPS.

Q: Does this system perform better at Low settings or High settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 158 FPS, while the High preset achieves 100 FPS. The Low preset is 58% faster, but the High preset still provides a very playable experience. The Medium preset sits between them at 112 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The benchmark results indicate that the GPU is the limiting component. The FPS scales consistently downward as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, which is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU’s high benchmark scores and 94th percentile ranking suggest it has ample headroom.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 compare to its nearest rivals in this benchmark database?

A: The RTX 3070 has an average benchmark score of 17208. It is 0.7% faster than the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT and 1% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690. It lags 1.5% behind the NVIDIA Tesla K40c.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded for this combo in the measured data?

A: The lowest average FPS is 44, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with the Ultra settings preset. This is the only measured configuration that drops below the 45 FPS mark.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 9700F a strong match for the RTX 3070 based on the numbers?

A: The data suggests it is a good match. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 69996 is within 0.2% of the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX and 0.7% of the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, indicating strong performance. The FPS results show that the CPU does not hold the GPU back at any resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is the complete set of measured average FPS data for this configuration, organized by resolution and settings preset.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers the highest average FPS at 158. The Medium preset follows at 112 FPS, with a minimum of 96 FPS and a maximum of 129 FPS. The High preset achieves 100 FPS on average. The Ultra preset produces 87 FPS. This shows a clear performance hierarchy, with Low being the fastest and Ultra being the slowest.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset maintains a high average of 120 FPS. The Medium preset averages 85 FPS, with a minimum of 72 FPS and a maximum of 98 FPS. The High preset drops to 76 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 66 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 20-25% of the frame rate at each preset.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only one that remains comfortably above 60 FPS, averaging 81 FPS. The Medium preset averages 57 FPS, with a minimum of 49 FPS and a maximum of 66 FPS. The High preset averages 51 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 44 FPS. This resolution is clearly demanding on the RTX 3070, and only the Low preset provides a consistently smooth experience.

In summary, the measured data provides a complete picture of the combo’s capabilities. The Medium preset is the sweet spot for 1080p and 1440p gaming, offering a balance of visual quality and frame rate. At 4K, users will need to dial down to Low settings to maintain high frame rates, or accept the Medium preset’s 57 FPS average. The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and consistent, confirming the GPU-bound nature of this setup.