Control

# Control with AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D + AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT

This combination delivers exceptional performance in Control, placing 298th out of 1,636 tested combos, which puts it in the top 18% of all configurations. The pairing of AMD's Zen 5 flagship with the RDNA 3.0 high-end GPU produces frame rates that comfortably exceed 60 FPS at 4K Ultra, making this a top-tier setup for this Action Adventure title. The data shows a system that is well-balanced at high resolutions, with the GPU becoming the primary performance driver as resolution increases, while the CPU's strong single-threaded capabilities ensure no bottleneck at lower settings.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D features 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.20 GHz. This Zen 5 architecture processor, built on Granite Ridge codename, uses a 4 nm process and includes 96 MB of shared L3 cache. Its benchmark results show strong multi-threaded performance with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 34,004, while single-core performance reaches 4,800 in the same test. The processor's 3DMark single-thread score of 1,212 and Geekbench single-core score of 3,341 indicate robust per-core performance, which matters for Control's game logic and physics calculations.

In this game, the CPU's role becomes most apparent at 1080p with Low settings, where the system achieves 208.6 FPS. At this resolution and settings level, the CPU has to feed frames as fast as possible, and the 9800X3D's performance allows it to do so effectively. The processor's 16 threads provide ample headroom for background tasks and game threading, though Control is not particularly demanding in this regard. The CPU sits at the 90th percentile versus all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37,780. Its nearest rival, the Intel Xeon 6353P, scores 37,811 (only 0.1% higher), while the Intel Core i9-13900HK trails by 0.6% with a score of 38,020. This places the 9800X3D in elite company, though the differences among these top processors are negligible in real-world gaming scenarios.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is built on the Navi 31 chip with RDNA 3.0 architecture, featuring 5,376 shading units, 336 TMUs, and 192 ROPs. It comes with 20 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 320-bit bus, delivering 800.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's boost clock reaches 2,394 MHz, with a game clock of 2,025 MHz. This memory configuration is particularly relevant for Control at 4K resolution, where the game can utilize substantial VRAM for high-resolution textures. The GPU's 84 ray tracing cores provide hardware acceleration for the game's ray-traced reflections and lighting effects, though the measured data does not isolate RT performance specifically.

The RX 7900 XT achieves an average benchmark score of 38,358, placing it at the 82nd percentile versus all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile, scores nearly identically at 38,349 (0% difference), while the RTX 4080 Mobile trails by 0.6% with a score of 38,135. In PassMark G3D testing, the card scores 29,009, and its DirectX 12 score of 110 reflects its modern API support. The GPU's 51.48 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 459.6 GPixel/s pixel rate provide the raw compute needed for Control's demanding visual effects, including particle systems and destructible environments.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p High settings, the system delivers 130.5 FPS. Moving to 1440p High reduces this to 100.8 FPS, a drop of 29.7 FPS. At 4K High, the frame rate falls to 67.7 FPS, representing a 48.2% reduction from the 1440p figure. This consistent decline across resolutions indicates that the RX 7900 XT is the limiting component at higher resolutions, while the CPU maintains sufficient headroom.

The scaling pattern becomes more pronounced when examining Low settings. At 1080p Low, the system hits 208.6 FPS, which drops to 159.8 FPS at 1440p (a 23.4% reduction) and then to 105.6 FPS at 4K (a 33.9% reduction from 1440p). The steeper decline at 4K Low compared to the 1440p-to-1080p transition suggests the GPU's memory bandwidth and pixel throughput become increasingly constrained at higher pixel counts, even with reduced graphical fidelity. The 20 GB VRAM capacity prevents any memory capacity-related stuttering, but the 800.0 GB/s bandwidth is the more relevant factor for 4K performance. Ultra settings show the same trend: 114.3 FPS at 1080p, 87.9 FPS at 1440p, and 59.2 FPS at 4K, with the 4K figure barely maintaining 60 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data supports Ultra settings as the best experience at 1080p, where the system achieves 114.3 FPS. This provides a smooth, high-refresh-rate experience while enabling all visual features. At 1440p, High settings at 100.8 FPS offer the optimal balance, as Ultra drops to 87.9 FPS and the visual difference between High and Ultra is typically marginal in Control. For 4K, High settings at 67.7 FPS are the recommended choice, as they maintain a playable frame rate while preserving most visual quality. Ultra at 4K drops to 59.2 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold that many players consider essential.

The data shows that Medium settings provide diminishing returns at higher resolutions. At 4K Medium, the system achieves 77.4 FPS, which is only 9.7 FPS higher than High settings. This small gain does not justify the visual quality reduction. Low settings, while achieving 105.6 FPS at 4K, sacrifice significant graphical fidelity for a frame rate increase that may not be necessary given the strong High settings performance. For players with high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors, Medium at 111.8 FPS could be considered, but High at 100.8 FPS remains the better overall experience.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination ranks 298th out of 1,636 tested configurations in Control, placing it in the top 18.2% of all combos. This ranking reflects the strong synergy between the Ryzen 7 9800X3D and RX 7900 XT in this title. The CPU's position at the 90th percentile versus all CPUs and the GPU's 82nd percentile ranking combine to produce a system that outperforms the vast majority of tested setups. The near-identical average scores of the CPU's nearest rivals (all within 0.7% of the 9800X3D's 37,780 average) and the GPU's closest competitors (all within 0.6% of the 7900 XT's 38,358 average) suggest that this combo's rank is driven more by the GPU's strong 4K performance than by any CPU advantage.

The benchmark results indicate that this combo is particularly well-suited for high-resolution gaming, as evidenced by its ability to maintain 67.7 FPS at 4K High. Many combos in the database likely achieve similar 1080p performance but fall short at 4K due to weaker GPU configurations. The 20 GB VRAM capacity of the RX 7900 XT provides future-proofing for games with higher texture requirements, and its 800.0 GB/s bandwidth ensures that 4K resolutions do not become bandwidth-limited in this title. The rank of 298 suggests that while there are 297 better-performing combos, these likely involve higher-tier GPUs or more specialized configurations, making this pairing a strong choice for Control specifically.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra in Control?

A: No. The measured 4K Ultra average is 59.2 FPS, just below the 60 FPS threshold. High settings at 4K achieve 67.7 FPS, providing a comfortable margin above 60 FPS.

Q: How does this CPU compare to its closest rival in the database?

A: The Ryzen 7 9800X3D has an average benchmark score of 37,780, which is only 0.1% lower than the Intel Xeon 6353P's 37,811. The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 also scores 37,831, a 0.1% difference, while the Core i9-13900HK trails by 0.6% at 38,020.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: High settings at 1440p deliver 100.8 FPS, which is the recommended option. Ultra drops to 87.9 FPS, while Medium provides 111.8 FPS but with reduced visual quality for a modest 11 FPS gain.

Q: How much VRAM does this GPU have, and is it sufficient for 4K?

A: The RX 7900 XT has 20 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 320-bit bus with 800.0 GB/s bandwidth. This is more than sufficient for Control at 4K, as evidenced by the 67.7 FPS High settings result.

Q: What frame rate does the system achieve at 1080p Low settings?

A: At 1080p Low, the system reaches 208.6 FPS, which is the highest measured frame rate across all tested configurations in this dataset. This indicates strong CPU performance at lower resolutions.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: This combination ranks 298th out of 1,636 combos tested in Control, placing it in the top 18.2% of all systems. This reflects its strong 4K performance and balanced CPU-GPU pairing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data across all resolutions and settings is as follows:

1080p (1920x1080):

• Low: 208.6 FPS average
• Medium: 150.0 FPS average
• High: 130.5 FPS average
• Ultra: 114.3 FPS average

1440p (2560x1440):

• Low: 159.8 FPS average
• Medium: 111.8 FPS average
• High: 100.8 FPS average
• Ultra: 87.9 FPS average

4K (3840x2160):

• Low: 105.6 FPS average
• Medium: 77.4 FPS average
• High: 67.7 FPS average
• Ultra: 59.2 FPS average

The data shows a consistent pattern across all settings: 1080p provides the highest frame rates, with 1440p delivering roughly 70-77% of 1080p performance, and 4K providing approximately 50-60% of 1080p performance depending on settings. The smallest relative drop between 1080p and 4K occurs at Low settings (105.6 vs 208.6 FPS, a 49.4% reduction), while the largest drop occurs at High settings (67.7 vs 130.5 FPS, a 48.1% reduction). This indicates that the GPU's performance scaling is relatively consistent across settings levels, with the 20 GB VRAM preventing any capacity-related performance cliffs at higher resolutions.