Control

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and Intel Arc B580 combination delivers a playable, though not exceptional, experience in Control, with performance scaling almost entirely tied to the graphics card. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D, with its 8 cores, 16 threads, and boost clock of 5.20 GHz, provides ample processing headroom for this 2019 title. Its benchmark profile reinforces this: the CPU scores 34,004 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 4,800 in single-core, placing it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. However, the measured frame rates reveal that this processing power is rarely the limiting factor. The Arc B580's 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus are the primary drivers of the final FPS figures. The data shows a system where the GPU dictates performance scaling, and the CPU's capabilities are largely held in reserve, even at lower resolutions where CPU load typically increases.

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

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D is built on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) and features 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.20 GHz. This configuration is exceptionally strong for gaming, evidenced by its 3DMark single-thread score of 1,212 and multi-thread score of 10,067. In Control, an Action Adventure game that benefits from strong single-core performance for game logic and physics, this CPU should not be a bottleneck. The benchmark results confirm this: at 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 110.7 FPS, but at 1080p Ultra, it drops to 64.5 FPS. This 46.2 FPS drop is attributable to the GPU's workload, not CPU limitations.

The CPU's performance percentile of 90 versus all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 37,780, indicate it is far more powerful than what Control requires. The nearest rivals, including the Intel Core i9-13900HK and Intel Core i5-13600KF, score within 0.7% of the 9800X3D's average, yet none of these are relevant to the gaming bottleneck here. The game's engine does not appear to present the 8-core, 16-thread configuration with a challenging workload, as the frame rates are more responsive to changes in resolution and graphics settings than to CPU-bound tasks. The data suggests that the Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a high-end component that provides consistent, stable frame delivery without hiccups, but its full potential is untapped in this specific combination. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 10,081 confirms the CPU can handle heavy multi-threaded loads, but Control does not leverage this capability to a degree that alters the performance trajectory set by the Arc B580.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo in Control?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 110.7 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How much does the average FPS drop when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 High settings, the average FPS is 70.6. At 3840x2160 High settings, it drops to 33.6 FPS, a decrease of 37.0 FPS.

Q: Is the Arc B580's performance closer to the RTX 4060 or the RTX 4060 Mobile?

A: The Arc B580 has an average benchmark score of 23,021. This is 0.7% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, which scores 23,181, and 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile, which scores 22,729. It is therefore slightly closer in score to the desktop RTX 4060.

Q: What is the performance ranking of this specific CPU+GPU combo among all tested combos in Control?

A: The combo ranks 1300th out of 1636 total tested combinations, placing it in the lower-mid portion of the performance distribution.

Q: Does the game run better on Medium or High settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium settings yield an average of 58.4 FPS, while High settings yield 52.8 FPS. Medium settings provide a higher average frame rate.

Q: What is the CPU's single-threaded performance score in Cinebench R23?

A: The Ryzen 7 9800X3D scores 4,800 points in the Cinebench R23 single-core benchmark, indicating strong single-thread capability.

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

The frame rate scaling across resolutions clearly identifies the Intel Arc B580 as the performance-limiting component. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 110.7 at 1080p to 86.2 at 1440p, a 22.1% reduction, and then to 59.3 at 4K, a 46.4% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline is a classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario, where the rendering resolution directly impacts the pixel fill rate and shading workload. The CPU's role remains static, and the bottleneck shifts entirely to the GPU's rasterization and compute capabilities.

The trend holds across all settings presets. At Ultra settings, the average FPS falls from 64.5 at 1080p to 47.5 at 1440p, and finally to 31.1 at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 31.1 FPS is below the 33.6 FPS seen at 4K High, showing that the GPU is saturated at this resolution. The data indicates that the Arc B580's 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 power is insufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K with higher visual fidelity. The scaling pattern suggests that the CPU is not the primary constraint; if it were, we would expect to see more consistent FPS across resolutions, as the CPU workload would remain similar. Instead, the FPS scales inversely with pixel count, confirming a GPU-centric performance profile. For a 1080p or 1440p gaming experience, the combo is viable, but 4K gaming requires significant compromises in settings.

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

The measured data provides a complete picture of the combo's performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system achieves 110.7 FPS on Low, 78.3 FPS on Medium, 70.6 FPS on High, and 64.5 FPS on Ultra. This represents a spread of 46.2 FPS between the lowest and highest settings, showing that the GPU has headroom at this resolution, but the gap between High and Ultra is only 6.1 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS figures are 86.2 on Low, 58.4 on Medium, 52.8 on High, and 47.5 on Ultra. The drop from Low to Ultra here is 38.7 FPS. Notably, the difference between Medium and High at this resolution is 5.6 FPS, and between High and Ultra is 5.3 FPS, indicating diminishing returns from additional graphical features.

At 3840x2160, the performance is significantly constrained. The average FPS is 59.3 on Low, 39.5 on Medium, 33.6 on High, and 31.1 on Ultra. The Low setting is the only one that approaches a smooth 60 FPS, while High and Ultra both fall below 35 FPS. The scaling from Low to Medium is a 19.8 FPS drop, which is the largest single-setting jump at this resolution. These figures show that the Arc B580 is the definitive limiting factor at 4K, with even Medium settings failing to reach 40 FPS. The data is consistent across all rows: higher resolution and higher settings both proportionally reduce the average frame rate, with the GPU's 456.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 80 ROPs being the likely constraints.

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

The Intel Arc B580, based on the Xe2-HPG architecture (Battlemage), is the decisive component in this combo's Control performance. Its 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for the game at these settings. The GPU's base and boost clocks are both 2670 MHz, and it features 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU's raw compute power, rated at 13.67 TFLOPS FP32, is the primary bottleneck.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 66 versus all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23,021, places it solidly in the mid-range tier. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, scores 23,181, which is only 0.7% higher, yet the Arc B580's performance in Control suggests it is well-matched to this game's requirements at 1080p and 1440p. The 12 GB VRAM capacity is not a limiting factor, as the game's texture and geometry loads at these settings do not appear to exceed it. The GPU's architecture, with 20 RT cores, is technically capable of ray tracing, but this is not a relevant factor in the measured results.

The drop from 33.6 FPS at 4K High to 31.1 FPS at 4K Ultra demonstrates that the GPU's fill rate and shading units are saturated. The pixel rate of 213.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 427.2 GTexel/s are the theoretical limits, and the measured data shows the card approaching these limits at 4K. The GPU's performance is the dominant factor in every resolution and settings combination, as evidenced by the consistent FPS scaling with resolution changes. The Arc B580 is a capable mid-range graphics card, but it is not designed for high-refresh-rate 4K gaming, and this is clearly reflected in the data.

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

For a 60 FPS target, the data indicates that the Low preset is the only reliable choice across all resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 110.7 FPS, and at 1440p Low, it hits 86.2 FPS, both well above 60. At 4K Low, the average is 59.3 FPS, which is just shy of the 60 FPS mark but still playable. If a higher visual quality is desired, the Medium preset at 1080p provides 78.3 FPS, which is a good balance of performance and fidelity.

The High preset is only recommended for 1080p gaming, where it achieves 70.6 FPS. At 1440p High, the average drops to 52.8 FPS, and at 4K High, it falls to 33.6 FPS, neither of which is ideal for a smooth experience. The Ultra preset is not recommended for any resolution except 1080p, where it still only manages 64.5 FPS. The jump from High to Ultra at 1080p is just 6.1 FPS, so the visual gains may not justify the performance cost. The best overall experience, per the measured rows, is the Medium preset at 1080p, offering 78.3 FPS, which is a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while retaining better visual quality than Low. For 1440p, the Medium preset at 58.4 FPS is the most balanced option, trading a slight FPS deficit for a significant visual upgrade over Low.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the comprehensive database of tested configurations, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and Intel Arc B580 ranks 1300th out of 1,636 total combos in Control. This places it in the 21st percentile of all tested systems, meaning roughly 79% of the tested combinations deliver higher average frame rates. This ranking is primarily a consequence of the Arc B580's mid-range performance characteristics, as the CPU is a top-tier component. The data suggests that while the CPU is more than capable, the GPU holds the combo back from achieving a higher standing.

This rank of 1300 indicates that the combo is not competitive with high-end systems but is also not at the bottom of the list. The GPU's average benchmark score of 23,021 is near that of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, which is a popular mid-range card, and the ranking reflects this positioning. The CPU's 90th percentile performance does not improve the combo's rank because the game is GPU-bound. The result is a system that is suitable for 1080p and 1440p gaming at medium-to-high settings, but it will struggle to compete with combos that pair the same CPU with a more powerful GPU, or even those that pair a weaker CPU with a significantly stronger graphics card, in this specific game. The ranking is a direct reflection of the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions and settings, as the measured FPS data confirms.