Control

Control, the 2019 action-adventure title, is a demanding showcase for any hardware pairing. The measured data for the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination reveals a system with overwhelming performance headroom, placing it at the absolute top of the benchmark charts. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across resolutions and settings, interprets the role of each component, and explains what the results mean for the overall experience.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data indicates that the optimal experience is found at the High settings preset across all resolutions. At 1080p, the High preset delivers an average of 188 FPS, which is 25 FPS lower than the Low preset's 298 FPS but a substantial 25 FPS higher than the Ultra preset's 163 FPS. This positions High as a sweet spot, providing a significant visual upgrade over Low with a relatively modest performance cost. At 1440p, the High preset achieves 142 FPS, comfortably above the 124 FPS of Ultra and still far beyond the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Even at 4K, the High preset maintains a playable 96 FPS average, demonstrating that this combination does not require sacrificing visual fidelity for performance.

While the Ultra preset is technically playable, with averages of 163 FPS at 1080p, 124 FPS at 1440p, and 83 FPS at 4K, the incremental visual gains over High do not justify the FPS loss. For instance, moving from High to Ultra at 4K results in a 13 FPS drop (96 to 83), a 13.5% reduction. The data suggests that High offers the best balance of image quality and frame rate. The Medium preset, with its 211 FPS at 1080p, 160 FPS at 1440p, and 108 FPS at 4K, is a viable option for players prioritizing higher frame rates above all else, but it lacks the visual polish of High. The Low preset's 298 FPS at 1080p and 225 FPS at 1440p, while impressive for competitive play, is not necessary given the headroom available at higher settings. Therefore, the High preset is the recommended starting point for the best overall experience.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is a Zen 5 architecture processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, built on a 4 nm process. Its base clock is 3.80 GHz with a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, and it features a 32 MB shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 20,485 points in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,211 points in single-core, alongside a Geekbench multi-core score of 17,906 and a single-core score of 3,023. These figures place the CPU in the 86th percentile when compared to all other CPUs, indicating strong overall performance.

The game's performance at lower resolutions highlights the CPU's capability. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 298, which is a 73 FPS increase over the 4K Low result of 152 FPS. Since 1080p places a lower load on the GPU, this scaling suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with data at a very high rate. The single-thread performance, as evidenced by the 3dmark_single_thread score of 1,280, is critical for game logic and physics. The high boost clock of 5.50 GHz ensures that these single-threaded tasks are handled with minimal latency. The CPU's 16 threads also provide ample parallel processing power, as indicated by its 3dmark_16_threads score of 9,824, ensuring that background tasks and multi-threaded game components do not become a bottleneck.

The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i9-14901E, have an average benchmark score 0.1% higher, a negligible difference. This near-parity in raw compute power means that the CPU is unlikely to be the limiting factor in this pairing. The data confirms that the Ryzen 7 9700X provides a robust foundation, particularly for high-refresh-rate gaming, as evidenced by the 298 FPS average at 1080p Low. The 65W TDP is also notable, as it indicates the processor achieves this performance level without requiring extreme cooling solutions, evidence of the efficiency of the 4 nm process node.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a substantial 1.79 TB/s of memory bandwidth. Its core is the GB202 chip, which boasts 21,760 shading units and a boost clock of 2407 MHz. The GPU's raw compute power is immense, with an FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS. In synthetic tests, it achieves a 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 14,326 and a Passmark G3D score of 44,065, placing it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs.

The GPU's role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution increases. At 4K, the pixel workload is four times that of 1080p, and the FPS data reflects this. The 4K High average of 96 FPS is significantly lower than the 1080p High average of 188 FPS, a 92 FPS difference. This drop is primarily due to the GPU's rendering load. The RTX 5090 D's massive memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s and 32 GB of VRAM ensure that it is not constrained by memory capacity or bandwidth, even at 4K with high-resolution textures. The 28 Gbps effective memory clock allows for rapid data transfer, which is crucial for maintaining high frame rates at high resolutions.

The GPU's nearest rivals, including the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, have an average benchmark score that is 1.6% lower. This indicates that the RTX 5090 D is at the very pinnacle of GPU performance. The data shows that even at the most demanding setting (4K Ultra), the GPU maintains an average of 83 FPS, demonstrating that it is the primary driver of performance in this configuration. The 2,407 MHz boost clock ensures that the GPU's vast number of shading units are operating at a high frequency, maximizing the fill rate and compute throughput. This combination of high clocks, massive memory bandwidth, and a large shader count is what allows the system to achieve such high frame rates across all tested scenarios.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination ranks 1st out of 2,888 tested combos in Control. This top-tier ranking is a direct consequence of the individual strengths of both components. The CPU's strong single-thread and multi-thread performance ensures that it does not bottleneck the GPU, while the GPU's immense processing power delivers high frame rates at all resolutions.

This ranking is not just about being in the top 1%; it is about being the absolute best. The data confirms that this pairing is the highest-performing combination in the database for this specific game. The 1st place rank is supported by the measured FPS data, which shows no scenario where the average frame rate dips below 83 FPS (4K Ultra). For context, the nearest rival CPU, the Intel Core i9-14901E, has a nearly identical average benchmark score, but when paired with this GPU, the overall combination still achieves the top spot, implying that other factors such as memory bandwidth and PCIe Gen 5 support contribute to the final result.

The GPU's percentile rank of 92 and the CPU's percentile rank of 86 are both high, but the combination's rank of 1 out of 2,888 is even more exceptional. This suggests a synergistic relationship where the CPU's high boost clock (5.50 GHz) and the GPU's high boost clock (2,407 MHz) work together to minimize latency and maximize throughput. The result is a system that is not just capable of running Control at high settings, but is the definitive best at doing so according to the benchmark data, making it the ultimate reference point for performance in this game.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K provides clear insight into which component is the limiting factor. At High settings, the average FPS scales from 188 at 1080p, to 142 at 1440p, and finally to 96 at 4K. This represents a 49% reduction in FPS from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 32% reduction from 1440p to 4K. This progressive decline is a classic sign of a GPU-bound workload, as the CPU has more than enough headroom to handle the game logic, while the GPU is tasked with rendering an increasing number of pixels.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets. At Low settings, the FPS drops from 298 at 1080p to 225 at 1440p (a 24% drop) and then to 152 at 4K (a 32% drop). The fact that the 4K Low FPS (152) is still higher than the 1080p Ultra FPS (163) is a strong indicator of the GPU's dominance. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a plateau in FPS at lower resolutions, where the GPU is less stressed. However, the FPS continues to rise as resolution decreases, reaching 298 at 1080p Low, which means the CPU is still able to push the GPU to its limits at that resolution.

The limiting component is clearly the GPU. The RTX 5090 D, while extremely powerful, is still subject to the laws of physics when rendering millions of pixels at 4K. The CPU's role is to keep up with the GPU's demands, and the Ryzen 7 9700X does so without issue, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p. The data suggests that for 4K gaming, the GPU is operating at near its full capacity, while the CPU is not. This is the ideal scenario for a high-end gaming PC, as it ensures that the GPU is the primary investment for higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data is presented across three resolutions and four settings presets. The following breakdown details the exact numbers for each configuration.

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. The Low preset achieves an average of 298 FPS. The Medium preset averages 211 FPS, with a minimum of 180 FPS and a maximum of 243 FPS. The High preset averages 188 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 163 FPS. This shows a clear hierarchy, with Low offering the highest performance and Ultra the lowest, but all presets are well above the refresh rate of most monitors.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains exceptionally high. The Low preset averages 225 FPS. The Medium preset averages 160 FPS, with a minimum of 136 FPS and a maximum of 184 FPS. The High preset averages 142 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 124 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p results in a predictable drop in FPS across all settings, but the system remains capable of high-refresh-rate gaming even at Ultra settings.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the system still delivers excellent performance. The Low preset averages 152 FPS. The Medium preset averages 108 FPS, with a minimum of 92 FPS and a maximum of 124 FPS. The High preset averages 96 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 83 FPS. This is the only resolution where the Ultra preset dips below 100 FPS, but it remains perfectly playable. The Medium preset at 4K, with a minimum of 92 FPS, provides a smooth experience for gamers who want a balance of quality and speed.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for this combo?

A: The High preset is recommended, as it provides the best balance of visual quality and performance, with averages of 188 FPS at 1080p, 142 FPS at 1440p, and 96 FPS at 4K.

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

A: The GPU is the limiting factor, especially at higher resolutions. The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K indicates a GPU-bound workload, as the CPU has sufficient headroom to support the high frame rates seen at 1080p.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other systems?

A: This combination ranks 1st out of 2,888 tested combos in Control, making it the highest-performing system in the benchmark database for this game.

Q: Can this system play Control at 4K with high settings?

A: Yes, the system achieves an average of 96 FPS at 4K High settings, which is well above the standard 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the Low preset achieves 298 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves 163 FPS. This represents a 135 FPS difference, showing a significant performance cost for the highest visual fidelity.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this system?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 92 FPS, which occurs at 4K resolution with Medium settings. All other tested configurations have an average FPS of 83 or higher, indicating consistent performance.