Control

Control pairs an unusually strong modern CPU—AMD's Ryzen 7 9800X3D—with a decidedly older GPU, the AMD Radeon RX 570, which launched in 2017. The benchmark data reveals a system defined by its bottleneck: the GPU is the clear limiting factor at every resolution, while the CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads sit largely underutilized. This combination ranks 3549th out of 3720 tested combos in Control, placing it in the bottom 5% of configurations, despite the CPU itself being a top-tier part. The measured frame rates confirm this lopsided pairing, with playable performance only appearing at 1080p on lower settings, while 4K remains a slideshow. The following analysis breaks down how this specific hardware pairing behaves across resolutions, settings, and workloads.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is stark and tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lives. At 1080p Low, the system averages 57 FPS, but stepping up to 1440p Low drops that to 43 FPS, and 4K Low falls to 29 FPS. That is a 49% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, which is a massive hit that points squarely at the GPU's rendering limits rather than any CPU constraint.

Looking at the High preset, the scaling follows the same pattern: 36 FPS at 1080p, 27 FPS at 1440p, and 18 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are consistent—25% from 1080p to 1440p, and another 33% from 1440p to 4K. This linear degradation indicates the RX 570's pixel throughput and memory bandwidth are being saturated, not that the CPU is failing to feed the GPU. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the frame rate to plateau or drop less severely at higher resolutions, but instead the curve is steady and unforgiving.

The 4K numbers are particularly telling. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 16, which is effectively unplayable for an action game. Even at 4K Low, the average is only 29 FPS, below the 30 FPS threshold many consider the minimum for smooth gameplay. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 13 FPS, showing that even dropping settings to their minimum cannot rescue this resolution on this GPU.

What does this imply about the limiting component? The RX 570's 4 GB of GDDR5 memory and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth are simply not enough for 4K, where texture loads and fill rate demands overwhelm the Polaris 20 chip. The GPU's 32 ROPs and 128 TMUs, while adequate for 1080p, become the ceiling at higher resolutions. The data suggests that 1440p is the practical maximum for this pairing, and even then, only at Low or Medium settings.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a monster of a processor, but in this pairing, it is largely idling. With 8 cores, 16 threads, a base clock of 4.70 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.20 GHz, this Zen 5 chip built on Granite Ridge architecture is overkill for a game that barely stresses more than a few threads. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1212 and the multi-thread score of 10067 for 16 threads show a CPU that excels in both lightly-threaded and heavily-threaded workloads, but Control's engine does not appear to leverage that power here.

The CPU's cache configuration is notable: 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and a massive 96 MB of shared L3 cache. That large L3 cache is designed to reduce memory latency in gaming scenarios, which should theoretically benefit Control's physics and AI calculations. However, because the GPU is so far behind, these CPU advantages never manifest in higher frame rates—the GPU simply cannot render fast enough to let the CPU's strengths show.

Looking at the benchmark scores, the 9800X3D achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23230 and a single-core score of 2080. Geekbench results are similarly strong: 18696 multi-core and 2964 single-core. These numbers place the CPU in the 87th percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 (0.8% slower) and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (0.7% faster). The 9800X3D's avg benchmark score of 39768 is within 1% of these competitors, confirming it is a top-tier part that would not bottleneck any GPU in this class.

The question the data raises: would a cheaper CPU deliver identical frame rates? Given that the GPU is the bottleneck, the answer is almost certainly yes. The CPU's 120W TDP and 4nm process node are wasted potential in this configuration. The data shows that Control at 1080p Low only reaches 57 FPS, which is far below what this CPU could feed if paired with a more capable GPU.

GPU Role

The Radeon RX 570 is the defining component in this pairing, and its specifications explain the performance ceiling. With 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, it offers 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, running at a base clock of 1168 MHz and a boost clock of 1244 MHz. Memory clock is 1750 MHz, translating to 7 Gbps effective. This configuration yields 5.095 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, which is modest by modern standards but was competitive in 2017.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 74th percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 28766. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 6800M (0.4% faster), the AMD Radeon RX 470 (0.8% faster), and the AMD Radeon R9 M295X (0.7% slower). This clustering around the 28,700-28,900 score range shows the RX 570 is not an outlier—it sits in a performance tier that was mid-range at launch and has since aged significantly.

The VRAM is a critical limitation. Control is known for its detailed environments and particle effects, and 4 GB is simply insufficient for high-resolution textures. At 4K, the GPU likely runs out of memory or resorts to swapping, which explains the catastrophic frame rates. Even at 1440p High, the average FPS of 27 suggests the GPU is already struggling with memory pressure and fill rate.

The GPU's dual-slot design, 150W TDP, and single 6-pin power connector indicate it was designed for mainstream systems, not high-end gaming. The 450W suggested PSU confirms this positioning. The data shows that this GPU can handle 1080p gaming at Low to Medium settings, but anything beyond that requires significant compromises.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows offer a clear guide to what settings are viable. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 57 FPS, which is smooth for an action game. Medium drops to 40 FPS, still playable, while High (36 FPS) and Ultra (31 FPS) become borderline. For a consistent 60 FPS experience, 1080p Low is the only option, and even that falls short of the 60 FPS target—57 FPS is close but not quite there.

At 1440p, the picture changes. Low preset yields 43 FPS, Medium 30 FPS, High 27 FPS, and Ultra 24 FPS. The Medium setting at 1440p provides a playable 30 FPS, but the frame time variance (min 26, max 35) suggests occasional stutters. Low at 1440p is the safer choice for smoother gameplay, sacrificing visual fidelity for consistency.

4K is not viable for this pairing. Low preset averages 29 FPS, Medium 21 FPS, High 18 FPS, and Ultra 16 FPS. None of these are playable for a game that requires quick reactions. The data indicates that 4K should be avoided entirely unless the user accepts a cinematic slideshow.

The best experience per the measured rows is 1080p Low, which offers the highest average FPS (57) and presumably the most stable frame pacing. If visual quality is prioritized over frame rate, 1080p Medium at 40 FPS is a reasonable compromise, but the drop from 57 to 40 FPS is significant. For users with a 1440p monitor, 1440p Low at 43 FPS is the only playable option, and even that requires accepting reduced detail.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 3549th out of 3720 tested combinations in Control, placing it in the bottom 5.4% of all configurations. This ranking is a direct reflection of the GPU's age and the mismatch with the CPU. For context, the CPU alone sits in the 87th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU sits in the 74th percentile. The combination of a top-13% CPU with a bottom-26% GPU drags the overall ranking down dramatically.

The rank suggests that this pairing is among the least capable in the database for Control. The 171-combo gap from the bottom (3720 minus 3549) indicates there are only 171 worse pairings, likely involving even older or weaker GPUs. The data implies that the RX 570 is the primary reason for this low rank—a newer GPU paired with the 9800X3D would dramatically improve the ranking.

What does this rank mean for users? It signals that this system is not suitable for Control at any resolution above 1080p, and even at 1080p, only low settings approach playability. The rank is a composite measure of all tested settings and resolutions, so it reflects the overall poor performance across the board.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset breaks down as follows:

1080p:

• Low: 57 FPS average
• Medium: 40 FPS average (min 34, max 46)
• High: 36 FPS average
• Ultra: 31 FPS average

1440p:

• Low: 43 FPS average
• Medium: 30 FPS average (min 26, max 35)
• High: 27 FPS average
• Ultra: 24 FPS average

4K:

• Low: 29 FPS average
• Medium: 21 FPS average (min 17, max 24)
• High: 18 FPS average
• Ultra: 16 FPS average

These numbers reveal a consistent pattern: each resolution step costs approximately 25-30% of the frame rate, and each settings step (Low to Medium to High to Ultra) costs roughly 10-15% at the same resolution. The Medium preset at each resolution has min/max data, showing the frame time variance: at 1080p, the range is 34-46 FPS; at 1440p, it is 26-35; at 4K, it is 17-24. This variance increases proportionally with resolution, indicating less stable frame pacing at higher loads.

The data is measured, not estimated, which adds credibility. The fact that only Medium presets have min/max values suggests the testing methodology captured full frame time data for that setting, while others were averaged. The lack of min/max for other settings does not imply stability—it likely reflects a different measurement approach.

FAQ

Q: Is this combination capable of running Control at 60 FPS?

A: No. The highest measured average is 57 FPS at 1080p Low. No other resolution or setting combination reaches 60 FPS, and even 1080p Low falls 3 FPS short of the target.

Q: What is the best resolution for this pairing?

A: 1080p is the only resolution where any setting reaches playable frame rates. At 1440p, the maximum is 43 FPS on Low, which is borderline. 4K is not viable, with the best case being 29 FPS on Low.

Q: How does the GPU's performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The RX 570's average benchmark score of 28766 is within 1% of the AMD Radeon RX 6800M (28874, 0.4% faster), the AMD Radeon RX 470 (28996, 0.8% faster), and the AMD Radeon R9 M295X (28580, 0.7% slower). It sits in the 74th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: Does the CPU's power matter in this pairing?

A: The CPU's 8 cores, 16 threads, and 96 MB of L3 cache are far more capable than what Control demands in this configuration. The GPU is the bottleneck, so upgrading the CPU would not improve frame rates. The 9800X3D's 87th percentile ranking is irrelevant when paired with a GPU in the 74th percentile.

Q: What is the frame time stability like?

A: The Medium preset at each resolution shows the variance. At 1080p, the range is 34-46 FPS (12 FPS spread). At 1440p, it is 26-35 FPS (9 FPS spread). At 4K, it is 17-24 FPS (7 FPS spread). The variance narrows at higher resolutions, but the average FPS drops to unplayable levels.

Q: Is this system worth upgrading for Control?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the limiting factor. Replacing the RX 570 with a more modern GPU would likely improve frame rates significantly, while keeping the 9800X3D. However, the current combination ranks 3549th out of 3720, indicating it is near the bottom of tested configurations for this game.