Control

Control with the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti presents a compelling dataset for analyzing high-refresh-rate and 4K gaming performance. The measured results show a system capable of exceeding 60 FPS at 4K on High settings, but the scaling across presets reveals where the hardware’s strengths and bottlenecks lie. This analysis examines the measured FPS rows to determine optimal settings, the respective roles of the CPU and GPU, and how this specific combination ranks against the broader field of tested configurations.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data suggests that the High preset offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance for this combination, particularly at 4K. At 3840x2160, the High preset delivers an average of 62 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold often considered the baseline for smooth gameplay. Moving to Medium at the same resolution yields 70 FPS, a 12.9% improvement, but the jump from Medium to Ultra drops the average to 54 FPS. This indicates that Ultra settings impose a significant penalty that pushes the experience below the 60 FPS target, making High the highest preset that maintains a playable frame rate without compromise at 4K.

At 1440p, the argument for High becomes even stronger. The High preset averages 92 FPS, while Medium hits 103 FPS and Ultra falls to 80 FPS. While Medium offers a 12% boost over High, the visual difference between these presets is often subtle in action sequences, and the High preset’s 92 FPS average is already well-suited for high-refresh-rate monitors. For users with 144Hz displays, the Low preset’s 145 FPS average is the only measured setting that fully saturates that refresh rate, but it does so at a substantial cost to image quality. High represents the sweet spot where the game’s atmospheric details remain intact while the frame rate stays high enough to avoid noticeable stutter.

At 1080p, the data shows that even the Ultra preset achieves an average of 105 FPS, which is excellent for competitive play. However, the scaling from High (121 FPS) to Medium (136 FPS) and Low (192 FPS) suggests that the GPU is no longer the primary constraint at this resolution. The system is clearly capable of pushing well beyond 100 FPS on any preset, so the recommendation shifts to prioritizing visual quality. High remains the recommended starting point, as it delivers a 121 FPS average, but users with very high refresh rate displays (240Hz or more) might find the Low preset’s 192 FPS average more appealing, despite the reduction in graphical detail.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset to use with this hardware for a 4K display?

A: The High preset is the optimal choice for 4K, as it achieves a 62 FPS average. Medium offers a higher 70 FPS average, but Ultra drops to 54 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target. High provides the best combination of visual quality and smooth performance at 3840x2160.

Q: How much performance is gained by lowering settings from Ultra to Low at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the average frame rate increases from 80 FPS on Ultra to 145 FPS on Low. This represents an 81.25% improvement in average FPS, indicating that the GPU has significant headroom when graphical loads are reduced.

Q: Does the RTX 3080 Ti’s 12 GB VRAM cause any limitations in Control?

A: The measured data does not indicate any VRAM-related performance issues. The frame rates scale consistently across resolutions and settings, suggesting that the 12 GB of GDDR6X memory is sufficient for this game, even at 4K with High settings.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 9700F a bottleneck for the RTX 3080 Ti in this game?

A: The data does not show a severe CPU bottleneck. At 1080p, the frame rate scales from 121 FPS on High to 192 FPS on Low, which indicates the GPU is still the primary driver of performance. The CPU’s 8 cores and 16 threads appear adequate for this title.

Q: What is the average frame rate difference between 1080p and 4K on High settings?

A: The average frame rate drops from 121 FPS at 1920x1080 to 62 FPS at 3840x2160 on High settings. This is a 48.8% reduction, highlighting the significant load increase on the GPU at higher resolutions.

Q: How does this combo’s rank compare to other tested systems?

A: This combination ranks 700th out of 2888 tested combos, placing it in the top 24.2% of all configurations in the database for Control, indicating above-average performance for this specific game.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is the dominant component in this pairing for Control, as evidenced by the FPS scaling across resolutions. The GPU is built on the Ampere architecture with a GA102 chip, featuring 10,240 shading units and 80 RT cores. Its memory configuration includes 12 GB of GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 912.4 GB/s. These specifications are directly relevant to the game’s performance; the high bandwidth and large frame buffer allow for smooth 4K rendering, which is confirmed by the 62 FPS average at High settings.

The GPU’s clock speeds, with a base of 1365 MHz and a boost of 1665 MHz, contribute to its raw computational power, rated at 34.10 TFLOPS for FP32. This compute capability is reflected in the benchmark results, such as a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5077 and a Passmark G3D score of 26896. The data indicates that the RTX 3080 Ti is well-utilized in this game. At 4K, the frame rate drops from 98 FPS on Low to 54 FPS on Ultra, a 44.9% decrease, which demonstrates that the GPU is heavily taxed by higher graphical presets.

The GPU’s role becomes less critical at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low (192 FPS) and Ultra (105 FPS) is 87 FPS, but the absolute values suggest that the processor can keep up. The data shows that the GPU’s performance is the limiting factor at 4K, but at 1080p, the system’s overall frame rate is high enough that the CPU’s role becomes more apparent. The RTX 3080 Ti’s 83rd percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 41187, places it in the upper echelon, and the measured FPS data confirms it delivers top-tier performance in Control.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed view of how the system performs across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves the highest average at 192 FPS, followed by Medium at 136 FPS, High at 121 FPS, and Ultra at 105 FPS. The Medium preset also has recorded minimum and maximum values of 116 and 157 FPS, respectively, showing a 41 FPS spread. This indicates that while the average is high, there is some variance in frame times, but the overall experience remains fluid.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 145 FPS on Low, 103 FPS on Medium, 92 FPS on High, and 80 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset’s minimum and maximum of 88 and 118 FPS show a 30 FPS spread, which is tighter than at 1080p, suggesting more consistent frame pacing. At 3840x2160, the averages drop significantly: Low is 98 FPS, Medium is 70 FPS, High is 62 FPS, and Ultra is 54 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K has a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 80 FPS, which means it can dip below the 60 FPS threshold, while the High preset’s average of 62 FPS suggests it is right on the edge.

The data shows a clear pattern: each step up in settings costs a measurable amount of performance. From Low to Medium, the average FPS drops by 56 FPS at 1080p, 42 FPS at 1440p, and 28 FPS at 4K. From High to Ultra, the drops are 16 FPS at 1080p, 12 FPS at 1440p, and 8 FPS at 4K. This indicates that the relative cost of Ultra settings decreases as resolution increases, but the absolute frame rates become lower, making High the more sensible choice at higher resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and reveals the GPU-centric nature of the workload. On High settings, the average FPS decreases from 121 at 1920x1080 to 92 at 2560x1440, a 24% reduction, and then to 62 at 3840x2160, a further 32.6% reduction from 1440p. Overall, this represents a 48.8% decrease in average FPS from 1080p to 4K. This scaling is expected for a game like Control, which relies heavily on pixel shaders and post-processing effects that increase with resolution.

The pattern is similar across all presets. On Ultra, the average FPS goes from 105 at 1080p to 80 at 1440p and 54 at 4K, a cumulative drop of 48.6%. On Low, the drop is from 192 FPS to 145 FPS to 98 FPS, a cumulative drop of 49%. This consistent percentage decrease across presets indicates that the resolution scaling is proportional, and the limiting component remains the GPU. If the CPU were a bottleneck, we would expect to see a smaller performance difference between 1080p and 1440p, as the CPU load would not increase proportionally.

The data strongly suggests that the RTX 3080 Ti is the limiting factor at all resolutions. The frame rate scales almost linearly with the number of pixels, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, with its high boost clock of 5.50 GHz, appears to be feeding the GPU adequately, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p. The resolution scaling analysis confirms that for this combo, the GPU is the primary determinant of performance, and users seeking higher frame rates at 4K would need to lower settings or reduce resolution.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F plays a supporting role in this configuration, providing the necessary processing power to keep the RTX 3080 Ti fed. The CPU features 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. Its 32 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR5 memory are crucial for maintaining high frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios. The Passmark multithread score of 36470 and single-thread score of 4691 indicate strong performance.

In Control, the CPU’s role is evident at 1080p, where the average FPS on Low is 192. This high frame rate suggests the GPU is being fully utilized, but the difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p (87 FPS) is smaller than the difference at 4K (44 FPS), indicating that at lower resolutions, the CPU can keep up with the GPU’s requests. The processor’s 94th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 69996, places it near the top of the performance charts.

The data does not indicate a CPU bottleneck. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent, and the system achieves high frame rates even at 1080p with Ultra settings (105 FPS). If the CPU were a limiting factor, we would see a plateau in FPS at lower resolutions, where the GPU is less stressed. The fact that the FPS increases from 105 to 192 when going from Ultra to Low at 1080p shows that the GPU is still the main constraint. The Ryzen 7 9700F’s high boost clock and efficient Zen 5 architecture provide ample headroom for this game.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested configurations, this combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti ranks 700th out of 2888 combos for Control. This places it in the top 24.2% of all tested systems, which is a strong showing given the game’s demanding nature. The rank reflects the measured FPS across all presets and resolutions, and it indicates that this combo delivers above-average performance for this title.

The ranking is influenced by the GPU’s high-end specifications and the CPU’s capable performance. While the RTX 3080 Ti is from the previous generation, its 12 GB of VRAM and 34.10 TFLOPS of compute power are still sufficient to handle Control at high settings, as shown by the 4K High average of 62 FPS. The Ryzen 7 9700F, being a newer CPU, provides the necessary single-thread performance to avoid holding the GPU back.

In the context of the nearest rivals, the RTX 3080 Ti’s average benchmark score is 41187, which is 2% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070’s score of 40377, but 1.2% lower than the NVIDIA Tesla M40 24 GB’s score of 41707. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 69996 is 0.7% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X’s score of 69515, but 0.2% lower than the Intel Core i7-14700KF’s score of 70163. These comparisons show that the components are competitive, and the 700th rank out of 2888 confirms the overall balance of the system. The data suggests that this combo is well-suited for playing Control at high settings, with the caveat that 4K Ultra may require a more powerful GPU to maintain 60 FPS.