Control

Control, a 2019 Action Adventure title, stresses the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT combination in a predictable manner, with the data showing that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The benchmark results indicate a playable experience across all tested configurations, though the relationship between settings and resolution reveals distinct optimization opportunities. This analysis focuses on how this specific hardware pairing handles the game's demands, with the Radeon RX 6800 XT's 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and the Ryzen 7 9700X's 8-core, 16-thread design being the key factors in the measured performance.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and consistent scaling pattern as resolution increases, with the most significant performance drop occurring between 1440p and 4K. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 179 FPS, which drops to 136 FPS at 1440p (a 24% reduction) and further to 92 FPS at 4K (a 32% reduction from 1440p). This progression indicates that while the CPU is capable of driving high frame rates at lower resolutions, the GPU's workload becomes increasingly dominant as pixel count rises.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically at higher resolutions, which is a classic sign of GPU limitation. At 1080p, the difference between Low (179 FPS) and Ultra (98 FPS) is 81 FPS, a 45% penalty for maxing out the visual fidelity. At 1440p, this gap narrows slightly to 62 FPS (136 FPS vs 74 FPS), and at 4K, it shrinks to 42 FPS (92 FPS vs 50 FPS). This narrowing gap suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so heavily loaded that even reducing settings cannot fully compensate for the raw pixel throughput required, whereas at 1080p, the CPU has more headroom to push higher frame rates when the GPU load is lighter.

The data shows that the RX 6800 XT's pixel rate of 288.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 648.0 GTexel/s are the limiting factors at 4K. The jump from 1440p Medium (96 FPS) to 4K Medium (65 FPS) represents a 32% performance loss, while the jump from 1440p High (86 FPS) to 4K High (58 FPS) is a 33% loss. This consistency across settings reinforces that resolution scaling is primarily a GPU-bound operation, with the CPU's 3.80 GHz base clock and 5.50 GHz boost clock providing sufficient processing power to avoid becoming the bottleneck until frame rates exceed 136 FPS at 1440p Low.

Interestingly, the 1080p to 1440p scaling shows a more moderate drop, with Low settings going from 179 to 136 FPS (24% loss) and Medium from 127 to 96 FPS (24% loss). This suggests that at these resolutions, the system is more balanced, though still leaning toward GPU limitation. The 4K results, particularly the Ultra preset at 50 FPS, indicate that the RX 6800 XT is at the edge of its capability for this title, but the 58 FPS average at High settings confirms that a smooth experience is achievable with modest setting adjustments.

FAQ

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X + AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT combination capable of running Control at 4K?

A: Yes, but with caveats. The data shows 4K High settings yield 58 FPS average, while Ultra drops to 50 FPS. Medium settings at 4K achieve 65 FPS, so a playable experience is possible, but users should expect to compromise on settings to maintain smooth frame rates.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve 144 Hz or higher refresh rates?

A: At 1080p, the combo exceeds 144 Hz on Low (179 FPS) and Medium (127 FPS) settings, but High (113 FPS) and Ultra (98 FPS) fall short. At 1440p, only Low settings (136 FPS) approach 144 Hz, indicating that 1080p with lower presets is the target for high refresh rate displays.

Q: How does the CPU's core count affect performance in Control?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700X has 8 cores and 16 threads, which is more than sufficient for this title. The benchmark results indicate that at 1080p Low, the CPU can drive 179 FPS, showing that the 3DMark single-thread score of 1280 and multi-thread score of 9771 provide ample headroom for the game's physics and AI calculations.

Q: Does the RX 6800 XT's 16 GB VRAM provide any advantage in Control?

A: While specific VRAM usage is not measured in the data, the 16 GB GDDR6 memory with 512.0 GB/s bandwidth is more than enough for this 2019 title. The memory configuration is not a limiting factor at any tested resolution or setting, as evidenced by the consistent FPS scaling across the 4K presets.

Q: What is the expected frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: The data shows Low settings at 1440p achieve 136 FPS, while Ultra settings drop to 74 FPS. This 46% performance penalty for Ultra settings suggests that the visual improvements in Control come at a significant computational cost, primarily due to increased GPU workload.

Q: Is the combo ranked well among all tested hardware configurations for Control?

A: The comboRankInGame field shows this configuration ranks 1183 out of 3720 tested combos, placing it in the top 32% of all hardware pairings. This is a solid mid-to-upper tier ranking, consistent with the CPU's 86th percentile and GPU's 85th percentile against all respective components.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X's 8-core, 16-thread configuration with a 3.80 GHz base clock and 5.50 GHz boost clock provides substantial processing power for Control. The CPU's Zen 5 architecture, built on a 4 nm process at TSMC, delivers a 3DMark multi-thread score of 9771 and a single-thread score of 1280, which are the relevant metrics for understanding game performance. The benchmark results show that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 179 FPS, indicating that the CPU is not the limiting factor at this resolution and preset.

The CPU's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 1 MB per-core L2 cache contribute to its ability to handle Control's real-time physics and entity management. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 9824 demonstrates that the CPU scales well across all cores, which is beneficial for a game that uses multiple threads for various systems. However, the single-thread score of 1280 is more critical for frame pacing, and the data shows that even at 4K Ultra, where the GPU is heavily loaded, the CPU maintains enough headroom to avoid introducing stutter.

The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 20485 and single-core score of 2211 provide additional context for the CPU's gaming performance. When compared to its nearest rivals, the Ryzen 7 9700X averages 37943 points, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i9-14901E and 0.1% higher than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370. This near-identical performance to its closest competitors means that in Control, the CPU is not a differentiator — the GPU's capabilities dominate the measured FPS results.

At 1080p with Low settings, the 179 FPS result represents the upper limit of what this GPU can output, and the CPU's role becomes more apparent as the resolution drops. The data shows that the CPU's 65 TDP and support for DDR5 memory with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth do not create any measurable bottlenecks in this title. The 3DMark 8-thread score of 8184 confirms that the CPU's core layout is well-suited for gaming workloads, but the limiting factor in Control is clearly the GPU, as evidenced by the consistent FPS scaling across resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the High preset at 1440p (86 FPS) offers the best balance between visual fidelity and performance for this combo. For users targeting smooth 60 FPS gameplay at 4K, the Medium preset (65 FPS) is the recommended choice, as it provides a 12% performance improvement over High (58 FPS) while still maintaining a playable frame rate. The Low preset at 4K (92 FPS) is suitable for competitive play, but the visual downgrade may not be worth the additional 27 FPS over Medium.

At 1080p, the High preset (113 FPS) is the preferred option for most users, as it delivers a significant visual improvement over Medium (127 FPS) with only a 12% performance penalty. The Ultra preset (98 FPS) at 1080p is viable for those with high refresh rate monitors, but the 15 FPS drop from High suggests diminishing returns in visual quality. For 1440p users, the High preset (86 FPS) is the sweet spot, while the Medium preset (96 FPS) offers a 12% performance boost with only slight visual degradation.

The data indicates that the Ultra preset is consistently the most demanding, with a 45% performance penalty compared to Low at 1080p (98 vs 179 FPS) and a 46% penalty at 1440p (74 vs 136 FPS). At 4K, the Ultra preset (50 FPS) barely achieves playable frame rates, making it unsuitable for most users. The Medium preset provides the most consistent experience across all resolutions, with minimal FPS fluctuations (127, 96, and 65 FPS at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K respectively) while still offering reasonable visual quality.

For the best overall experience, the data suggests using High settings at 1440p for a balance of quality and performance, or High settings at 1080p if higher frame rates are prioritized. Users with 4K displays should stick to Medium settings to maintain a stable 65 FPS average, as the jump to High only saves 7 FPS (65 to 58 FPS) but may introduce visual artifacts during fast-paced action sequences.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 179 FPS on Low, 127 FPS on Medium, 113 FPS on High, and 98 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 108 FPS and maximum of 146 FPS, indicating a 38 FPS variance that suggests some scene-dependent performance fluctuations. The Low preset at 1080p represents the maximum frame rate achievable with this hardware, while Ultra at 98 FPS still provides a smooth experience for most displays.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down to 136 FPS on Low, 96 FPS on Medium, 86 FPS on High, and 74 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset at 1440p shows a minimum of 82 FPS and maximum of 111 FPS, a 29 FPS variance that is slightly more stable than the 1080p counterpart. The 1440p results demonstrate a 24% performance drop from 1080p across most settings, with the High preset losing 27 FPS (113 to 86 FPS) and the Ultra preset losing 24 FPS (98 to 74 FPS).

At 3840x2160, the 4K results show 92 FPS on Low, 65 FPS on Medium, 58 FPS on High, and 50 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset at 4K shows a minimum of 55 FPS and maximum of 75 FPS, a 20 FPS variance that is the most stable of all tested configurations. The 4K results indicate a 32% performance drop from 1440p, with the Low preset losing 44 FPS (136 to 92 FPS) and the Ultra preset losing 24 FPS (74 to 50 FPS).

The data reveals that the Medium preset is the only setting with measured minimum and maximum FPS values across all three resolutions, providing the most complete picture of performance stability. At 1080p Medium, the 108 FPS minimum ensures a smooth experience, while at 4K Medium, the 55 FPS minimum is still above the 50 FPS threshold typically considered the minimum for acceptable gameplay. The High and Ultra presets lack min/max data, but the average FPS values suggest they are less stable than Medium.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with the Navi 21 chip, is the dominant factor in Control's performance. With 4608 shading units, 288 TMUs, and 128 ROPs, the GPU's 20.74 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power drives the measured results. The 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for this title's texture and geometry requirements.

The GPU's clock speeds of 1825 MHz base and 2250 MHz boost, with a game clock of 2015 MHz, contribute to its ability to maintain high frame rates. The 72 ray tracing cores are present but not heavily utilized in Control's standard rendering path, as the game's 2019 release predates widespread RT adoption. The 128 ROPs deliver a pixel rate of 288.0 GPixel/s, which becomes the limiting factor at 4K resolutions where the 58 FPS average on High settings shows the GPU's fill rate is stretched.

The RX 6800 XT's percentile ranking of 85th among all GPUs and average benchmark score of 48477 places it in a competitive position. Its nearest rivals show a mixed picture: it is 1.5% faster than the NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile (47743 score) but 2.5% slower than the Intel Arc A550M (49737 score) and 3% slower than both the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (49957 score) and AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 (50001 score). This positioning suggests that in Control, the GPU's performance is mid-pack among its peers, with the measured FPS results reflecting this competitive standing.

The GPU's 300 W TDP and dual-slot design with 2x 8-pin power connectors indicate that it draws significant power, but the benchmark results show no thermal throttling issues. The 7 nm process at TSMC, with 26,800 million transistors on a 520 mm² die, provides a transistor density of 51.5M per mm², which contributes to the GPU's efficiency. The PCIe 4.0 x16 interface ensures adequate bandwidth for the CPU-GPU communication, and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3689 reflects the GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate capabilities, which are relevant for Control's modern rendering features.