Control

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination delivers a compelling 1080p and 1440p experience in Control, with frame rates that remain highly playable even at 4K Ultra settings. The data shows a system where the GPU is the primary scaling factor as resolution increases, while the CPU provides ample headroom to avoid bottlenecking at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 156 FPS at 1080p to 118 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 38 FPS, and then further to 79 FPS at 4K, another 39 FPS drop. This near-linear decline in performance is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the rendering workload at higher resolutions becomes the limiting factor.

At the Low settings preset, the scaling is more aggressive. The system achieves 246 FPS at 1080p, which falls to 186 FPS at 1440p and then to 126 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is approximately 49%, which is slightly larger than the 49% drop observed at High settings. This suggests that even when the graphical load is reduced, the GPU still carries the majority of the scaling burden.

The Medium settings preset provides a middle ground, with average frame rates of 175 FPS at 1080p, 132 FPS at 1440p, and 89 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset, the most demanding, yields 135 FPS at 1080p, 102 FPS at 1440p, and 69 FPS at 4K. The consistent pattern across all presets—where each resolution step costs roughly 30-40 FPS—indicates that the RTX 4080's rendering throughput is the key variable. The CPU's influence is minimal at these settings, as its 8-core, 16-thread configuration is more than sufficient to feed the GPU at all tested resolutions.

The data points strongly to the GPU being the limiting component. The frame rate deltas between resolutions are nearly identical across all four quality presets, which would not be the case if the CPU were a bottleneck. A CPU bottleneck would manifest as a smaller FPS drop between 1080p and 1440p, since the CPU would struggle to maintain frame rates regardless of resolution. Here, the FPS scales almost linearly with the pixel count, a classic sign of GPU saturation.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is built on the Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Granite Ridge, and features 8 cores and 16 threads. Its base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 5.50 GHz provide substantial single-thread and multi-thread performance for a game like Control, which is an action-adventure title that benefits from strong per-core performance.

In PassMark benchmarks, the CPU scores 4691 in single-thread tests and 36470 in multi-thread tests, with an average benchmark score of 69996. This places it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs tested, indicating it is a high-end processor. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, which scores 69875 (a 0.2% delta), and the Intel Core i7-14700KF, which scores 70163 (a -0.2% delta). These results demonstrate that the 9700F is competitive with other top-tier desktop processors, though its performance in Control is largely governed by the GPU.

The CPU's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 1 MB of L2 cache per core help reduce memory latency, which can be beneficial for game logic and physics calculations. The 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth from its dual-channel DDR5 support ensures that data can flow quickly to the cores. However, in the measured FPS data, there is no evidence of CPU limitation. At 1080p Low settings, the system produces 246 FPS, which is a very high frame rate that would stress most CPUs. The fact that it can maintain this level suggests the 9700F has ample headroom.

The Zen 5 architecture, manufactured on TSMC's 4 nm process with 8,315 million transistors on a 70.6 mm² die, contributes to the CPU's efficiency and performance. The 65 W TDP is notably low for a desktop processor with this level of performance, which indicates that thermal throttling is unlikely to be an issue in a properly cooled system. For Control, the CPU's role is to ensure that frame times remain consistent, and the data shows no signs of stutter or CPU-induced frame drops.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications heavily influence the game's performance. It is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD103 chip, manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC. The GPU features 9728 shading units, 304 TMUs, and 112 ROPs, along with 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores, making it a fully-featured modern graphics card.

Its clock speeds are listed as a base of 2205 MHz and a boost of 2505 MHz, with memory running at 1400 MHz (22.4 Gbps effective). The 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for Control's textures and effects at 4K resolution. The GPU's compute capabilities include 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and a pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s, which directly translate to the high frame rates observed.

In PassMark, the RTX 4080 scores 34457 in the G3D test and 20671 in the GPU Compute test, with an average benchmark score of 54247. This places it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals include the RTX 4080 SUPER (54209, a 0.1% delta) and the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (54828, a -1.1% delta). The performance gap to these rivals is minimal, confirming the RTX 4080's position as a high-end card.

The GPU's role in Control is to rasterize the game's complex scenes, which include heavy use of particle effects and dynamic lighting. The data shows that at 4K Ultra settings, the system averages 69 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. At 1080p Ultra, it achieves 135 FPS, indicating that the GPU is not being pushed to its limits at lower resolutions. The VRAM capacity of 16 GB is also a non-issue, as Control's texture sizes are unlikely to exceed this at any tested settings.

The 320 W TDP and triple-slot cooler design suggest that the RTX 4080 is a power-hungry card, but it delivers the performance needed for high-refresh-rate gaming. The data's consistency across resolutions confirms that the GPU is the primary driver of frame rates in this test, with the CPU providing a stable platform.

How This Combo Ranks

In the overall ranking for Control, this specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 achieves a rank of 241 out of 3720 tested combos. This places it in the top 6.5% of all systems tested, which is a strong result, though not the absolute top. The high rank is expected given the powerful GPU and capable CPU, but it is not the highest possible because there are faster processors and GPUs available.

The ranking percentile suggests that this combo outperforms the vast majority of other systems in Control. The 3720 combos tested include a wide range of hardware configurations, from entry-level to enthusiast-grade. Being at position 241 means that only 240 other combinations produce higher average frame rates in this game. This reflects the RTX 4080's strength, as the CPU is not the limiting factor.

The combo's performance is likely limited by the GPU's absolute ceiling. For instance, the CPU's PassMark average score of 69996 is only 0.2% below the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, but the GPU's score is similar to its direct rivals. In Control, the frame rates are high enough that other GPUs with higher memory bandwidth or more compute units could push slightly higher, but the difference is marginal. The data shows that this combo is well-balanced, with no single component drastically underperforming.

Given that the combo rank is 241 out of 3720, it is safe to say that this system is more than adequate for Control at any settings. The 4K Ultra average of 69 FPS is above the console-level 60 FPS target, and the 1080p results are ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The rank also indicates that users of this combo will have a smooth experience, as the frame rates are consistently high across all tested configurations.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS this combo achieves in Control?

A: The highest average FPS is 246, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. At Ultra settings, the maximum average is 135 FPS at 1080p.

Q: Can this system run Control at 4K Ultra settings smoothly?

A: Yes, the data shows an average of 69 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700F has an average PassMark score of 69996, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (69875) and 0.2% lower than the Intel Core i7-14700KF (70163).

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all tested GPUs?

A: The RTX 4080 is in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54247. Its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, scores 54209, a 0.1% difference.

Q: What is the FPS difference between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 156 at 1920x1080 to 79 at 3840x2160, a reduction of 77 FPS.

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

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The FPS drops consistently by 30-40 FPS per resolution step across all settings, which is characteristic of GPU-bound performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across resolutions and settings.

At 1920x1080, the system achieves:

• Low: 246 FPS average
• Medium: 175 FPS average, with a minimum of 149 FPS and a maximum of 201 FPS
• High: 156 FPS average
• Ultra: 135 FPS average

At 2560x1440, the frame rates are:

• Low: 186 FPS average
• Medium: 132 FPS average, with a minimum of 113 FPS and a maximum of 152 FPS
• High: 118 FPS average
• Ultra: 102 FPS average

At 3840x2160, the performance is:

• Low: 126 FPS average
• Medium: 89 FPS average, with a minimum of 76 FPS and a maximum of 103 FPS
• High: 79 FPS average
• Ultra: 69 FPS average

The data reveals that the Medium preset is the only one with recorded min and max FPS values, indicating more variance in frame times at this setting. The minimum FPS at 1080p Medium is 149, which is still playable, while at 4K Medium it drops to 76, which remains smooth. The Low preset at 1080p offers the highest frame rates, exceeding 240 FPS, which is suitable for high-refresh-rate displays. The Ultra preset at 4K is the most demanding, but still delivers a playable 69 FPS average. This breakdown shows that the combo is versatile, capable of prioritizing frame rate or visual fidelity depending on user preference.