Control

# Control with AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D + AMD Radeon RX 9070

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and AMD Radeon RX 9070 combination delivers a compelling Control experience, with measured frame rates ranging from 50.8 FPS at 4K Ultra to 181.4 FPS at 1080p Low. This pairing sits at rank 523 out of 1636 tested combos in Control, placing it in the upper third of all tested configurations. The data reveals a system that can handle the game's demanding physics and particle effects at high refresh rates, though the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor at higher resolutions and quality presets.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1440p as the sweet spot, with High settings producing 86 FPS and Low settings reaching 139.9 FPS. At 4K, even High settings only manage 59.7 FPS, while 1080p High delivers 114.3 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's cache configuration affect Control's performance?

A: The Ryzen 7 9800X3D features 96 MB of shared L3 cache alongside 1 MB L2 per core. This large cache helps maintain consistent frame pacing in physics-heavy scenes, though the measured data primarily shows GPU-bound behavior at higher resolutions.

Q: What settings preset provides the highest frame rate?

A: Low settings at 1080p produce the maximum measured average of 181.4 FPS. However, Medium at 1080p still delivers 128.2 FPS, representing a more balanced visual-to-performance trade-off.

Q: Is this combo more CPU-limited or GPU-limited in Control?

A: Benchmark results indicate GPU limitation dominates. At 4K, dropping from High to Low settings increases FPS by 58%, from 59.7 to 94.4. The CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads with 5.20 GHz boost clock provide ample headroom even at 1080p.

Q: How does the RX 9070's 16 GB VRAM influence 4K performance?

A: The 16 GB GDDR6 memory with 644.6 GB/s bandwidth supports 4K textures without memory capacity bottlenecks. The measured 50.8 FPS at 4K Ultra suggests compute limitations rather than VRAM constraints.

Q: What is this combo's ranking among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 523rd out of 1636 tested combinations in Control, placing it in the 68th percentile of all tested systems.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070's specifications directly explain its Control performance profile. With 3584 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 128 render output units, the GPU processes geometry and lighting efficiently. Its boost clock of 2520 MHz and game clock of 2070 MHz provide the raw throughput needed for Control's physics-driven environments.

The 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus delivers 644.6 GB/s bandwidth. This memory configuration proves sufficient for Control's texture-heavy environments at all tested resolutions. The GPU's 36.13 TFLOPS FP32 compute capability manifests in the measured frame rates, where the card shows a clear scaling pattern from 1080p to 4K.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it at the 79th percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 34780. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA A2, scores 34866, a negligible 0.2% difference. The RX 9070's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) ensures full feature compatibility with Control's rendering pipeline, including ray-traced reflections and global illumination.

The RDNA 4.0 architecture's 56 ray-tracing cores contribute to Control's visual fidelity, though the measured data suggests rasterization performance drives the average FPS figures. The GPU's texture rate of 564.5 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 322.6 GPixel/s provide theoretical ceilings that align with the 1080p and 1440p results.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D brings substantial processing power to this pairing. Its 8 cores and 16 threads operate at a base clock of 4.70 GHz, boosting to 5.20 GHz. The Zen 5 architecture on TSMC's 4 nm process packs 8,315 million transistors into a 70.6 mm² die with a 96 MB shared L3 cache.

This cache configuration proves valuable for Control's asynchronous physics and AI systems. The CPU's benchmark scores reflect strong multi-threaded performance: 34004 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 14281 in Cinebench R20 multi-core. Single-thread performance remains equally robust with 4800 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 1212 in 3DMark single-thread tests.

The CPU's 120 W TDP and DDR5 memory support with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth ensure data flows efficiently to the GPU. The PCIe Gen 5 interface with 24 lanes provides ample bandwidth for the RX 9070's PCIe 5.0 x16 connection. The Ryzen 7's 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37780, positions it as a high-end processor.

The nearest CPU rivals show interesting dynamics. The Intel Xeon 6353P scores 37811 (0.1% higher), while the Core Ultra 5 225 scores 37831 (0.1% higher). The Core i9-13900HK and i5-13600KF trail by 0.6% and 0.7% respectively with scores of 38020 and 38028. These margins indicate the 9800X3D competes closely with top-tier alternatives.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 523rd out of 1636 tested combinations in Control, placing it in the 68th percentile of all configurations. This ranking reflects the system's balanced capabilities across resolutions and settings. The upper-third placement suggests this pairing delivers above-average performance for the game.

The ranking becomes more meaningful when considering the CPU's 90th percentile status versus the GPU's 79th percentile. The gap between these percentile positions indicates the GPU constrains overall performance in Control. The CPU could theoretically support higher frame rates if paired with a more powerful GPU at lower resolutions.

At 1080p, the combo achieves 181.4 FPS on Low settings, which represents excellent performance for competitive or high-refresh-rate play. The 1440p results show strong 100+ FPS capabilities on Medium settings (100.7 FPS). The 4K Ultra result of 50.8 FPS demonstrates the system can handle demanding scenarios, though not at high refresh rates.

The combo's position relative to other tested systems suggests it outperforms approximately 68% of configurations in Control. This ranking accounts for all tested CPU-GPU combinations, including those with higher-tier components. The data indicates this pairing offers a strong balance for Control's requirements.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals how Control scales across resolutions. At High settings, the transition from 1080p (114.3 FPS) to 1440p (86 FPS) represents a 24.8% decrease, while moving to 4K (59.7 FPS) from 1440p shows a 30.6% further drop. This scaling pattern indicates growing GPU load as resolution increases.

Low settings show the most dramatic scaling: 181.4 FPS at 1080p drops to 139.9 FPS at 1440p (22.9% decrease) and then to 94.4 FPS at 4K (32.5% decrease). The total reduction from 1080p Low to 4K Low is 48%, suggesting the GPU's fill-rate and shader capabilities become increasingly taxed at higher resolutions.

Medium settings follow a similar trajectory: 128.2 FPS at 1080p, 100.7 FPS at 1440p (21.5% decrease), and 67.5 FPS at 4K (33% decrease from 1440p). Ultra settings demonstrate the steepest scaling curve: 102.2 FPS at 1080p, 75.2 FPS at 1440p (26.4% decrease), and 50.8 FPS at 4K (32.4% decrease from 1440p).

The consistent 30%+ drops from 1440p to 4K across all settings indicate the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at 4K. The CPU's strong performance at 1080p (181.4 FPS on Low) suggests it could push higher frame rates if the GPU allowed, but the measured data shows the GPU constrains performance increasingly as resolution climbs.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the combo delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce 181.4 FPS average, Medium achieves 128.2 FPS, High reaches 114.3 FPS, and Ultra manages 102.2 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra represents a 43.7% performance decrease, reflecting the increased rendering workload.

The 1440p results show a predictable performance step-down. Low settings average 139.9 FPS, Medium delivers 100.7 FPS, High achieves 86 FPS, and Ultra produces 75.2 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p (46.3%) is slightly larger than at 1080p, indicating the GPU's load increases disproportionately with quality settings at higher resolutions.

At 4K, the frame rates become more constrained. Low settings average 94.4 FPS, Medium drops to 67.5 FPS, High manages 59.7 FPS, and Ultra falls to 50.8 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra spread at 4K is 46.2%, nearly identical to 1440p, suggesting the GPU is consistently taxed across quality presets at these resolutions.

Across all resolutions, the Low-to-Medium transition shows the largest performance impact. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium costs 53.2 FPS (29.3%); at 1440p, the cost is 39.2 FPS (28%); at 4K, the drop is 26.9 FPS (28.5%). This consistent penalty suggests Medium settings introduce significant visual effects that heavily impact rendering performance.

Settings Recommendations

For 4K gaming, High settings provide the best balance with 59.7 FPS average. Ultra at 4K drops to 50.8 FPS, which may feel less smooth for action sequences. Medium at 4K (67.5 FPS) offers a 13% improvement over High while maintaining respectable visual quality, making it the recommended 4K preset for smoother gameplay.

At 1440p, High settings deliver 86 FPS, providing an excellent balance of visual quality and responsiveness. Players prioritizing frame rate can select Medium at 100.7 FPS, a 17.1% improvement over High. Ultra at 1440p (75.2 FPS) still maintains acceptable smoothness but offers diminishing returns over High.

For 1080p, the choice depends on display refresh rate and preference. Medium at 128.2 FPS suits 120Hz displays, while High at 114.3 FPS provides slightly better visuals. Ultra at 102.2 FPS remains viable for 100Hz displays. Low at 181.4 FPS serves players with 165Hz+ monitors or those seeking maximum responsiveness.

The measured data indicates High settings offer the most consistent experience across all resolutions. At 4K High (59.7 FPS), 1440p High (86 FPS), and 1080p High (114.3 FPS), the combo maintains playable frame rates with strong visual fidelity. Medium provides a worthwhile performance boost for users prioritizing smoothness, while Ultra should be reserved for 1080p where the 102.2 FPS result remains acceptable.