Control

Control is an action-adventure title that leans heavily on atmospheric effects, physics-based destruction, and dense particle systems, making it a demanding showcase for both CPU and GPU. The benchmark data for the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination reveals a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, with the CPU proving more than capable of feeding the graphics card at 1080p. This analysis examines the measured frame rates, component roles, and overall ranking to provide practical guidance for builders and enthusiasts.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable drop as resolution increases, but the rate of that drop tells a significant story about system balance. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo produces 155 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 High, the average falls to 117 FPS, a 24.5% reduction. The jump to 3840x2160 High yields 79 FPS, which is another 32.5% drop from the 1440p figure. This steep decline from 1440p to 4K strongly indicates that the rendering load is scaling primarily with pixel count, which is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario. The RTX 4080 SUPER is the limiting factor at 4K, not the Ryzen 7 9700F.

Comparing the Low settings preset across resolutions further confirms this. At 1080p Low, the system hits 245 FPS, which is an exceptionally high ceiling. At 1440p Low, it drops to 185 FPS, and at 4K Low, it still manages 125 FPS. The 1080p Low result being nearly double the 4K Low result suggests that even when graphical load is minimized, the GPU's pixel throughput is what caps performance. The CPU is not holding the system back at 1080p, as evidenced by the massive 245 FPS figure, which leaves substantial headroom for future titles or more demanding scenes.

The Medium settings preset provides the only complete min/max data in the pack, offering insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the average is 174 FPS with a minimum of 148 and maximum of 200 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 132 FPS, with a minimum of 112 and maximum of 152 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 89 FPS, with a minimum of 76 and maximum of 102 FPS. The spread between minimum and maximum FPS remains relatively consistent at around 26-30 FPS across resolutions, which indicates that frame pacing is stable and not subject to sudden spikes or stutters. The 4K Medium minimum of 76 FPS is still comfortably above playable thresholds for most gamers.

The overall trend is that this combination is exceptionally well-suited for high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p gaming, while 4K is best approached with settings adjustments. The 79 FPS average at 4K High is playable, but the 69 FPS at 4K Ultra shows that the most demanding presets will push the GPU to its limits. The data suggests that the RTX 4080 SUPER is the primary performance arbiter at all resolutions, with the CPU's role diminishing as resolution increases.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the undisputed performance driver in this configuration. Its specifications include 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s. This substantial bandwidth is crucial for Control, which features high-resolution textures and complex shader work. The boost clock of 2550 MHz, combined with 10,240 shading units, gives the card a raw compute capability of 52.22 TFLOPS FP32, which directly translates to the high frame rates observed in the benchmark rows.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 86 against all GPUs in the database places it in the upper echelon, though its nearest rivals show how tight the competition is at this tier. The data shows the RTX 4080 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 54,209, which is within 0.1% of the base RTX 4080's score of 54,247. This indicates that the "SUPER" variant offers a marginal performance uplift in synthetic benchmarks, but the real-world gaming deltas are what matter here. The other nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X and RX 6750 GRE, have higher average scores by 1.1% and 2.7% respectively, but these are not direct gaming competitors and their relevance to Control is limited.

The 16 GB VRAM capacity is a forward-looking asset. While Control at 4K Ultra may not fully utilize it, the headroom ensures that texture streaming and future content updates will not cause memory-related stutters. The 736.3 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient to feed the GPU's cores efficiently at 4K, as evidenced by the 79 FPS average at High settings. The GPU's 80 RT cores and 320 Tensor cores are not directly benchmarked in the provided FPS data, but they are indicative of the card's capability to handle advanced effects that Control uses liberally, such as ray-traced reflections and DLSS, though the measured FPS rows do not specify whether ray tracing is enabled.

The performance delta between the Low and Ultra presets at each resolution highlights the GPU's scaling behavior. At 1080p, the jump from Low (245 FPS) to Ultra (134 FPS) represents a 45% reduction in performance. At 1440p, the same preset change goes from 185 FPS to 102 FPS, a 45% reduction. At 4K, it goes from 125 FPS to 69 FPS, a 45% reduction. This consistent 45% penalty for the Ultra preset across all resolutions shows that the GPU's workload scales linearly with the preset complexity, and the card handles the additional load uniformly without hitting a memory or bandwidth wall.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is a Zen 5 architecture processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, based on the Granite Ridge codename. Its base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 5.50 GHz provide substantial single-thread throughput, which is critical for game logic and draw call processing. The CPU's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth are sufficient to keep the RTX 4080 SUPER fed with data in most scenarios. The PassMark single-thread score of 4,691 and multithread score of 36,470 position this CPU as a top-tier performer, with a percentile ranking of 94 against all CPUs.

The benchmark results show that at 1080p, the CPU is not the bottleneck. The 245 FPS average at Low settings is a clear indicator that the processor can handle high frame rates without breaking a sweat. The nearest rivals in CPU benchmarks are all within 1% of the Ryzen 7 9700F's average score of 69,996. For instance, the Intel Core i7-14700KF scores 70,163, which is 0.2% higher, while the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X scores 69,515, which is 0.7% lower. These negligible differences mean that in real-world gaming, the choice between these CPUs would not manifest in meaningful FPS differences, especially at 1440p and 4K where the GPU takes over.

The CPU's 65 W TDP is notably efficient for an 8-core part, and the 4 nm process node from TSMC contributes to this. While power consumption is not directly measured in the FPS data, the low TDP suggests that thermal management is easier, allowing the boost clock of 5.50 GHz to be sustained under load. This sustained boost is likely why the 1080p results remain high across all presets, as the CPU can consistently deliver the necessary instruction throughput for Control's physics and AI systems. The PassMark physics score of 2,122 and integer math score of 120,788 indicate strong computational performance for game-related tasks.

As resolution increases, the CPU's role diminishes. At 4K, the FPS is almost entirely determined by the GPU's pixel processing capabilities. The data shows that the Ryzen 7 9700F is never the limiting factor in this combination, even at 1080p with high frame rates. Its 16 threads ensure that background processes and game threads are handled without contention, and the 94th percentile ranking means it will remain relevant for several years. The CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are all within 1%, but in gaming, the RTX 4080 SUPER's dominance means the choice of CPU among these top-tier parts would result in sub-1% FPS differences in Control.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 7 9700F and RTX 4080 SUPER achieves a combo rank of 203 out of 2,888 tested combinations in Control. This places the system in the top 7% of all tested configurations, which is a strong result for a pairing that is not at the absolute bleeding edge of either component category. The rank reflects that the GPU's high percentile (86) and CPU's high percentile (94) combine to deliver excellent overall performance, but there are still 202 other combinations that outperform it, likely featuring faster flagship GPUs or more optimized CPU-GPU pairings.

The delta between this combo and the top performers is not directly quantified in the data, but the rank of 203 out of 2,888 suggests that the system is in the upper echelon without being the absolute best. The RTX 4080 SUPER's nearest GPU rival, the standard RTX 4080, has a nearly identical average score (within 0.1%), meaning that combinations with that card would rank similarly. The CPU's nearest rivals also show negligible performance differences, so the ranking is likely driven more by the GPU tier than the specific CPU model. In practical terms, the 203rd rank means that a user with this combo will experience excellent frame rates in Control, as evidenced by the 79 FPS at 4K High, but will not be at the very top of the performance charts.

The fact that this combo ranks 203rd out of 2,888 reflects the balance of the system. It is not a mismatched pairing where one component severely bottlenecks the other. The CPU is powerful enough to extract nearly all of the GPU's performance at 1080p, and the GPU is strong enough to deliver playable 4K results. The rank also implies that there is room for improvement, but that any upgrade would need to be substantial, such as moving to a higher-tier GPU like the RTX 4090, to see a significant jump in ranking. For the vast majority of users, this combo's performance in Control will be more than sufficient for a smooth and visually rich experience.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the user's resolution and refresh rate priorities. For 4K gaming, the Medium preset at 89 FPS offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. The minimum FPS of 76 at 4K Medium ensures that the experience remains fluid even in intense combat sequences with heavy particle effects. The High preset at 79 FPS is also viable, but the 10 FPS gain from moving to Medium is significant and likely provides a more consistent frame time experience. The Ultra preset at 69 FPS is playable but pushes the lower bounds of what is considered smooth for many gamers, especially on high-refresh-rate displays.

For 1440p gaming, the High preset at 117 FPS is the recommended starting point. This provides a high-quality visual experience while maintaining frame rates well above 100 FPS, which is ideal for smooth motion. The Ultra preset at 102 FPS is also excellent, and users with 144 Hz monitors may prefer the extra visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 132 FPS is the choice for competitive players who prioritize frame rate above all else, as it offers a significant boost over High. The Low preset at 185 FPS is likely unnecessary for most users, as the visual degradation is not worth the frame rate increase.

For 1080p gaming, the Ultra preset at 134 FPS is the best choice for most users, as it allows for maximum visual quality while still delivering frame rates that are compatible with high-refresh-rate monitors. The High preset at 155 FPS is also excellent, and the Medium preset at 174 FPS is the competitive choice. The Low preset at 245 FPS is only relevant for users with 240 Hz or higher refresh rate displays who want to maximize frame rates to the absolute limit. Given that the GPU has ample headroom at 1080p, there is no reason to compromise on visual settings unless chasing the absolute highest frame rates.

FAQ

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F a bottleneck for the RTX 4080 SUPER in Control?

A: No. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 245 FPS, indicating the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at extremely high frame rates. As resolution increases, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, with the CPU's role diminishing. The CPU's 94th percentile ranking and high single-thread score of 4,691 ensure it is not a bottleneck in this title.

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

A: The data suggests that 1440p with the High preset (117 FPS) or Ultra preset (102 FPS) offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. At 4K, the Medium preset (89 FPS) provides a solid experience, but the frame rate drops below 80 FPS on High and Ultra, which may not be ideal for all users.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 SUPER compare to the standard RTX 4080 in this game?

A: Based on average benchmark scores, the RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54,209, which is 0.1% lower than the standard RTX 4080's score of 54,247. This means the performance in Control would be nearly identical, with differences well within the margin of error.

Q: Is 16 GB of VRAM enough for Control at 4K?

A: Yes. The 16 GB of GDDR6X memory is more than sufficient for Control at 4K, as the game's texture and shader requirements are well within this capacity. The 736.3 GB/s bandwidth ensures that the GPU cores are fed efficiently, as evidenced by the stable frame times at 4K Medium.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured data shows an average of 134 FPS at 1080p Ultra. This is a high frame rate that will fully utilize most 144 Hz monitors and provides a smooth gaming experience with maximum visual quality.

Q: Does the combo rank in the top tier of tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 203rd out of 2,888 tested combinations, placing it in the top 7% of all systems. This is a strong result that indicates excellent overall performance, though there are 202 other combos that achieve higher frame rates in Control.