Control

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D paired with the Intel Arc B370 presents a striking imbalance in Control, a 2019 Action Adventure title. The data shows a system where a top-tier processor is paired with an entry-level integrated GPU, resulting in a gameplay experience that is almost entirely dictated by the graphics solution. The benchmark results reveal a hard ceiling on performance that no amount of CPU headroom can overcome, making this combo a fascinating case study in system bottlenecks.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured frame rates show a precipitous and consistent decline as resolution increases, which is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 59 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 drops that average to 45 FPS, a reduction of 14 frames. The leap to 3840x2160 further crushes performance to just 30 FPS, halving the 1080p result. This scaling pattern is linear and dramatic, indicating that the Intel Arc B370 is working at its absolute limit to fill pixels, and the workload is scaling directly with the pixel count.

The data from the Medium settings runs provides even clearer insight into this dynamic. At 1080p Medium, the average is 42 FPS. At 1440p Medium, it falls to 32 FPS, and at 4K Medium, it bottoms out at 21 FPS. The frame rate drops roughly 25% with each step up in resolution, a pattern that strongly suggests the rendering pipeline is saturated. The CPU, with its massive 96 MB of L3 cache and high boost clocks, is not the constraint here; it is waiting on the GPU to finish its work. The fact that the 4K Medium run has a minimum FPS of 18 and a maximum of 25 shows a narrow band, further proving the GPU is consistently delivering all it can, with little variance from CPU hiccups or frame pacing issues.

What is most telling is the gap between Low and Ultra settings at 4K. The Low preset yields 30 FPS, while Ultra yields a barely playable 17 FPS. This 13 FPS difference is entirely attributable to the increased graphical load on the GPU. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see a much smaller delta between settings at the same resolution, as the processor's workload would remain relatively constant. The evidence strongly points to a single conclusion: the Arc B370's shading units, texture units, and ROPs are the definitive bottleneck, and the Ryzen 7 9800X3D is effectively idle, waiting for more work.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Arc B370 is detailed in the fact pack as an integrated graphics processor with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz. Its memory is listed as "System Shared," with bandwidth described as "System Dependent." This configuration is the primary reason for the low performance ceiling. The GPU has 1280 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 20 ROPs, and its pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s with a texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s. These are modest numbers, and the benchmark results in Control reflect this hardware reality.

The GPU's percentile ranking versus all other GPUs is 5, placing it in the bottom 5% of all tested graphics solutions. Its average benchmark score is 1184 on the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. Its nearest rivals in that benchmark are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, which scores 1186 and is 0.2% faster, and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M, which scores 1192 and is 0.7% faster. This puts the Arc B370 in the same performance class as integrated and entry-level discrete GPUs from over a decade ago, which fully explains its inability to push Control at higher resolutions.

The reliance on shared system memory is a critical factor. With no dedicated VRAM, the GPU must compete with the CPU for memory bandwidth, which is listed as 89.6 GB/s for the system. This shared bandwidth is a severe handicap in a game like Control, which has complex textures and effects. The "System Dependent" bandwidth means that the performance can vary based on the rest of the system, but in this case, the low FPS numbers suggest the memory subsystem is a major limiting factor. The 4K Ultra run's 17 FPS average is a direct consequence of the GPU's limited fill rate and its dependence on slower shared memory.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a powerhouse, but its role in this specific combo is to be underutilized. With 8 cores and 16 threads, a base clock of 4.70 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.20 GHz, it has more than enough processing power for Control. Its architecture is Zen 5 on a 4 nm process, and its benchmarks are stellar; for instance, it scores 23230 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2080 in single-core. The processor's percentile versus all CPUs is 87, placing it in the top 13% of all processors.

The CPU's nearest rivals in the synthetic benchmarks are all within a 1% margin. For example, the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 scores 40081, which is 0.8% higher, and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 scores 40048, which is 0.7% higher. This shows that the 9800X3D is part of a tightly packed group of high-performance processors. However, this raw power has no bearing on the game's frame rate in this configuration. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 59 FPS, which is likely close to the GPU's maximum output. If the CPU were a bottleneck, we would see lower FPS at lower resolutions where the CPU has more work to do relative to the GPU.

The data suggests the CPU is never the limiting factor. Even at 1080p Low, where CPU load is typically highest, the system only reaches 59 FPS, a number that is far below what this processor could feed to a more capable GPU. The 96 MB of L3 cache and high clock speeds are irrelevant when the GPU is only capable of producing 19 FPS at 4K High. The processor is essentially waiting for the Arc B370 to finish each frame. This is a clear case where the CPU's performance is "good enough" to handle the game's logic and physics, but the GPU's rendering speed is the sole determinant of the final frame rate, and it is severely lacking.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the database of tested hardware combinations for Control, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and Intel Arc B370 ranks at position 2657 out of 2888 total combos. This places it in the bottom 8% of all systems tested, a surprisingly low rank given the top-tier CPU. The rank is a direct reflection of the GPU's poor performance. The combo's rank is dragged down entirely by the Arc B370, which sits in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU sits in the 87th percentile. The result is a system that is greater than the sum of its parts in terms of cost, but far less in terms of gaming performance.

This ranking reveals a significant mismatch. While the CPU is a champion, the GPU is a bottleneck of the highest order. The data implies that virtually any other tested GPU would result in a higher rank for this combo, as the CPU would not be the limiting factor. The 2657 rank confirms how crucial the GPU is for gaming performance, especially at higher resolutions. The fact that this combo ranks so low despite having one of the best CPUs on the market is a powerful indicator that the GPU is the sole component that matters for this game's performance. It is a cautionary example of how a system's overall capability is defined by its weakest link, and in this case, that link is extremely weak.

FAQ

Q: Why does the frame rate drop so much when going from 1080p to 4K?

A: The Intel Arc B370 is the limiting component. The data shows average FPS dropping from 59 at 1080p Low to 30 at 4K Low, a linear scaling with pixel count that indicates the GPU's rendering capacity is saturated.

Q: Can this system run Control at a smooth 60 FPS?

A: No. The highest average FPS recorded is 59 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. All other tested configurations, including 1080p Medium at 42 FPS and 1080p High at 37 FPS, fall short of 60 FPS.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 9800X3D holding back the performance?

A: No. The CPU's benchmark scores are very high (e.g., 23230 in Cinebench R23 multi-core), and the FPS scaling pattern suggests the GPU is the bottleneck. The CPU is waiting for the GPU to render frames.

Q: How does the Arc B370 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: Its average 3DMark Steel Nomad score is 1184. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 is 0.2% faster (1186), and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M is 0.7% faster (1192), placing it in very low-end performance territory.

Q: What is the best performance this combo can achieve in Control?

A: The best average FPS is 59, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low settings preset. The average FPS drops to 42 at Medium and 37 at High, showing a steep performance cost for higher visual quality.

Q: What does the combo's rank of 2657 out of 2888 indicate?

A: It indicates that this specific combination of CPU and GPU is in the bottom 8% of all tested combos for Control. This low rank is almost entirely due to the Intel Arc B370's position in the 5th percentile of all GPUs.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Given the measured data, the choice of settings is a trade-off between visual fidelity and playability. The only configuration that approaches a standard playable frame rate is 1920x1080 with the Low preset, which yields an average of 59 FPS. This is the only setting where the game feels fluid. The 1080p Medium preset drops the average to 42 FPS, which is still playable for some, but noticeably less smooth. The 1080p High preset at 37 FPS is on the edge of playability, and the Ultra preset at 32 FPS is a slideshow for a game that requires quick reactions.

At higher resolutions, the situation is dire. At 2560x1440, all presets yield average FPS below 45, with Low at 45, Medium at 32, High at 28, and Ultra at 25. None of these are ideal for a smooth experience. At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 30 on Low to 17 on Ultra, making the game essentially unplayable at any setting. The data strongly suggests that users should stick to 1080p. Within that resolution, the Low preset is the only one that provides a near-60 FPS experience. If the user insists on higher visual quality, the Medium preset at 42 FPS is the only other viable option, but it comes with a significant performance penalty. For this combo, the recommended path is clear: 1080p Low for the best playable experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The following is the complete set of measured average frame rates for the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and Intel Arc B370 combination in Control.

At 1920x1080:

• Low: The average FPS is 59. This is the highest average recorded for this combo.
• Medium: The average FPS is 42, with a minimum of 36 and a maximum of 48.
• High: The average FPS is 37.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 32.

At 2560x1440:

• Low: The average FPS is 45.
• Medium: The average FPS is 32, with a minimum of 27 and a maximum of 37.
• High: The average FPS is 28.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 25.

At 3840x2160:

• Low: The average FPS is 30.
• Medium: The average FPS is 21, with a minimum of 18 and a maximum of 25.
• High: The average FPS is 19.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 17.

These figures paint a clear picture. The performance is heavily reliant on resolution and settings, with the GPU being the primary constraint. The data shows a maximum achievable average of 59 FPS only at the lowest settings and resolution, with a steep decline to a 17 FPS average at the highest settings and resolution.