Control

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination delivers exceptional performance in Control, ranking in the top 6% of all tested system configurations. The benchmark data shows this pairing is heavily GPU-limited at higher resolutions, while the CPU's strong single-thread performance ensures high frame rates are maintained even at 1080p. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across resolutions and settings, the role of each component, and provides actionable settings recommendations based strictly on the data.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data reveals a predictable but pronounced drop as resolution increases, confirming that the RTX 4080 SUPER becomes the primary bottleneck at 4K. At High settings, the system produces 157 FPS at 1920x1080, which falls to 118.2 FPS at 2560x1440, and further to 81.8 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 48% reduction in FPS from 1080p to 4K, a scaling pattern typical of a powerful GPU being pushed to its limits by pixel count.

The drop is even steeper at Low settings, where 244.4 FPS at 1080p plummets to 186.5 FPS at 1440p and then to 125.8 FPS at 4K — a 49% decline from the lowest to highest resolution. This consistent ~50% drop across settings indicates that the RTX 4080 SUPER's rendering throughput, not the CPU, is the limiting factor. If the processor were the constraint, the 1080p-to-1440p delta would be much smaller, as the CPU workload per frame doesn't scale with resolution.

At Ultra settings, the 4K result of 71.6 FPS is notably close to the 60 FPS threshold, suggesting that the most demanding preset at 4K is where this combo starts to show its limits. The scaling from 1440p Ultra (102.4 FPS) to 4K Ultra (71.6 FPS) is a 30% drop, slightly less severe than the Low preset's drop, because the GPU is already saturated by the Ultra workload even at lower resolutions. The data indicates that 1080p and 1440p are where this system truly shines, with even Ultra presets maintaining well over 100 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing, and its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus with 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth provides ample headroom for Control's texture-heavy environments. The GPU's boost clock of 2550 MHz and base clock of 2295 MHz are high for the Ada Lovelace architecture, contributing to its raw compute power of 52.22 TFLOPS FP32. This translates directly to the measured FPS, where even at 4K Medium the system achieves 90.1 FPS, indicating the GPU is never starved for memory bandwidth.

The RTX 4080 SUPER's 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores are relevant for Control, a game known for its ray tracing features, though the measured data here does not isolate RT performance. The GPU's 88th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 53610, places it just ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (53489, 0.2% delta) and behind the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (53414, 0.4% delta). This near-tie in synthetic benchmarks contrasts with the real-world gaming results, where the 4080 SUPER's driver optimization and feature set likely contribute to the strong frame rates observed.

The 16 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for Control at any resolution, as evidenced by the 4K Ultra result of 71.6 FPS. A GPU with less memory would likely show stuttering or texture pop-in at 4K, but the data shows smooth frame delivery across all settings. The GPU's 320 W TDP and triple-slot design indicate a high-power part, but the measured FPS justifies this, as the system never drops below 71.6 FPS even at maximum settings.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 99th out of 1636 tested combinations in Control, putting it in the top 6% of all systems. This high ranking is driven by both components' strong individual performance, but the GPU's contribution is more significant given the game's graphics intensity. The CPU's 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs (average benchmark score 36029) is complemented by the GPU's 88th percentile, creating a balanced system that avoids significant bottlenecking.

The combo's rank of 99 out of 1636 means there are 98 configurations that perform better, likely featuring higher-end GPUs like the RTX 4090 or newer 50-series cards. However, the data shows this combo is competitive with systems using the RTX 5070 Ti, as the 4080 SUPER's average score of 53610 is 2.9% ahead of the RTX 5070 Ti's 52086. This ranking position suggests that for Control specifically, the 4080 SUPER is a sweet spot, delivering near-flagship performance without the diminishing returns of the absolute top-tier cards.

The CPU's nearest rivals, the Intel Core i5-14500HX (35940, 0.2% delta) and AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (35802, 0.6% delta), are extremely close in synthetic benchmarks, but the 9700X's Zen 5 architecture likely provides better real-world gaming performance. This is reflected in the combo's high rank, as the CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads at up to 5.50 GHz boost clock are more than adequate for Control's engine.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark data provides a complete picture across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system achieves 244.4 FPS on Low, 177 FPS on Medium, 157 FPS on High, and 133.2 FPS on Ultra. These numbers indicate that even at the highest settings, the 1080p experience is buttery smooth, with the Low preset nearly hitting 240 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Moving to 2560x1440, the results are 186.5 FPS (Low), 129.6 FPS (Medium), 118.2 FPS (High), and 102.4 FPS (Ultra). The drop from 1080p to 1440p is approximately 24% across all settings, which is less severe than the 1440p-to-4K drop. This suggests that 1440p is the resolution where this combo hits its efficiency sweet spot, offering high frame rates while benefiting from increased visual detail.

At 3840x2160, the system produces 125.8 FPS (Low), 90.1 FPS (Medium), 81.8 FPS (High), and 71.6 FPS (Ultra). The 4K Low result is still very playable, but the Ultra preset drops below 75 FPS, which is a threshold many gamers consider the minimum for a premium experience. The data shows a clear pattern: each settings tier costs approximately 10-15 FPS at 4K, whereas at 1080p the cost is closer to 20-25 FPS per tier.

Settings Recommendations

Based strictly on the measured FPS, the High preset at 2560x1440 offers the best balance, delivering 118.2 FPS. This is well above the 100 FPS mark that ensures smooth gameplay, while High settings provide most of the visual fidelity without the performance hit of Ultra. At 4K, the High preset (81.8 FPS) is the recommended choice over Ultra (71.6 FPS), as the 10.2 FPS difference is less noticeable than the visual gains from High to Ultra are minimal.

For gamers prioritizing frame rate over visuals, the Low preset at 1080p (244.4 FPS) is the only option that truly maximizes the system's potential, but the Medium preset at 1080p (177 FPS) offers a better visual experience while still maintaining a very high refresh rate. The Ultra preset at 1440p (102.4 FPS) is a viable alternative to High at 4K, as both maintain triple-digit FPS, but 1440p Ultra will look sharper due to the higher pixel density.

The data suggests avoiding Ultra at 4K unless a 60-75 FPS target is acceptable, as the 71.6 FPS average leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. Similarly, Medium at 4K (90.1 FPS) is a strong option for those who want high resolution without sacrificing too much performance. For competitive play, the Low preset at 1440p (186.5 FPS) is recommended, as it maximizes frame rate while maintaining a higher resolution than 1080p.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture, plays a supporting role in this pairing. The CPU's boost clock of 5.50 GHz and base clock of 3.80 GHz are high, and its single-thread benchmark scores are impressive: Cinebench R23 single-core at 4459, Geekbench single-core at 3353, and PassMark single-thread at 4654. These scores indicate the CPU can feed the GPU efficiently, especially at 1080p where the 244.4 FPS Low result shows no CPU bottleneck.

The 9700X's 3DMark scores are also notable: 16-thread at 9824 and single-thread at 1280, which are nearly identical to the max-thread score of 9771. This indicates that the CPU scales well with additional threads, but Control's engine likely doesn't fully utilize all 16 threads. The 89th percentile ranking among CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 36029, places it in a tight cluster with rivals like the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H (36165, -0.4% delta) and Intel Core Ultra 5 225H (36328, -0.8% delta), showing that the 9700X is competitive but not class-leading in synthetic tests.

In real-world gaming, the CPU's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and DDR5 memory support (89.6 GB/s bandwidth) ensure fast data access, which is critical for maintaining high frame rates in action games. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system hits 244.4 FPS, which is close to what the GPU can produce, implying the CPU is not the limiting factor. However, as resolution increases, the CPU's role diminishes, and the GPU takes over as the primary performance driver.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 2560x1440 at High settings (118.2 FPS) offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. At 4K, the High preset (81.8 FPS) is still very playable, but Ultra at 4K (71.6 FPS) is the minimum recommended for a smooth experience.

*Q: How does this combo rank against all other tested systems in Control?*

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X + RTX 4080 SUPER combination ranks 99th out of 1636 tested configurations, placing it in the top 6% of all systems. This high rank reflects the strong individual performance of both components.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 4K Ultra?

A: At 4K Ultra, the GPU is the clear bottleneck. The RTX 4080 SUPER produces 71.6 FPS, which is a significant drop from the 1080p Ultra result of 133.2 FPS, indicating the GPU's rendering capacity is the limiting factor, not the CPU.

Q: What is the highest FPS achievable with this combo?

A: The highest measured FPS is 244.4 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only preset that approaches 240 FPS, making it suitable for high-refresh-rate 240Hz monitors.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 SUPER compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER's average benchmark score of 53610 is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (53489) and 2.9% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (52086). It trails the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M by 0.4%.

Q: Should I use the Ultra preset at 1440p or High at 4K?

A: The data shows 1440p Ultra (102.4 FPS) is preferable to 4K High (81.8 FPS) if you prioritize frame rate. However, if you prefer higher resolution, 4K High offers a 10.2 FPS advantage over 4K Ultra (71.6 FPS) and is the recommended 4K setting.