Control

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and Radeon RX 5700 XT pairing in Control presents a study in contrasts: a high-end 2026 CPU paired with a 2019 GPU at the end of its production life. The measured results reveal a system where the graphics card is the primary arbiter of performance, though the CPU ensures the frame pacing stays consistent even at lower resolutions. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to understand how this specific combination behaves across resolutions and settings.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a steep performance cliff as resolution increases, which is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p High settings, the combo averages 73 FPS, but this drops to 55 FPS at 1440p and further to 37 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 4K represents a 49.3% reduction in average FPS, indicating that the rendering load is overwhelming the GPU's capabilities rather than exposing any CPU limitation.

The most telling comparison comes from the Low settings preset. At 1080p Low, the system produces 115 FPS, which drops to 87 FPS at 1440p and 59 FPS at 4K. The fact that even at Low settings, 4K cannot reach 60 FPS suggests the RX 5700 XT is simply outmatched by the pixel count at that resolution. The 4K Low result of 59 FPS is intriguing—it sits just one frame below the 60 FPS threshold, showing that the GPU is working at its absolute limit to maintain playable framerates.

Looking at the Medium preset, which is the only one with min/max data, the scaling pattern holds firm. At 1080p Medium, the average is 82 FPS with a minimum of 70 FPS and maximum of 94 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average falls to 62 FPS with a minimum of 53 FPS and maximum of 71 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average plummets to 42 FPS with a minimum of 36 FPS. The min-to-max spread at 4K Medium is 12 FPS, which is tighter than the 24 FPS spread at 1080p Medium—this indicates that at higher resolutions, the GPU is consistently saturated, reducing variance but also capping performance.

The Ultra preset reveals the most dramatic scaling. At 1080p Ultra, the system manages 63 FPS, but this drops to 48 FPS at 1440p and 32 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 32 FPS is particularly telling—it represents less than half the performance of the 1080p Low result of 115 FPS. The data strongly implies that the limiting component across all tested resolutions is the RX 5700 XT, as the Ryzen 7 9850X3D's 8 cores and 16 threads are more than sufficient to feed the GPU at these frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific CPU-GPU combination ranks 2141 out of 2888 tested combos in Control, placing it in the 74.1st percentile of all tested configurations. This ranking reflects the GPU's age and position in the market—the RX 5700 XT sits at the 59th percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU ranks at the 92nd percentile among all processors. The disparity between these two percentiles explains why the combo ranks where it does: a top-tier CPU is dragging along a mid-tier GPU.

The GPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database provide context for its performance tier. The AMD Radeon Pro 5600M is essentially a statistical tie with a 0.1% delta, while the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell is 0.3% behind. The AMD Radeon PRO W7500 is also 0.3% behind, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D V2 is 0.9% behind. These rivals all cluster within 1% of the RX 5700 XT's average score, which suggests that despite being end-of-life, this GPU still delivers competitive compute performance in synthetic benchmarks.

The CPU's nearest rivals show a similarly tight grouping. The Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M is 0.1% ahead, the Intel Xeon w5-2545 is 0.2% behind, and the Intel Core i9-14900 is 0.5% ahead. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 is 0.7% behind. This clustering indicates that the Ryzen 7 9850X3D's raw compute performance is well-matched with these high-end processors, though its 3D V-Cache advantage may not translate directly to Control's specific workload.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 7 9850X3D brings substantial processing power to this pairing. With 8 cores and 16 threads, it operates at a 4.70 GHz base clock and boosts up to 5.60 GHz, built on the Zen 5 architecture using a 4 nm process. Its 96 MB of shared L3 cache is the headline feature, designed to improve gaming performance by reducing memory latency. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 22,807 and a single-core score of 2,228, placing it at the 92nd percentile among all CPUs.

In Control, the CPU's role appears to be one of enabling rather than limiting. The measured FPS data shows no signs of CPU bottlenecking—at 1080p Low, the system reaches 115 FPS, which is a frame rate that would expose CPU limitations in many games. The fact that the CPU can sustain this while also feeding the GPU at 4K Low (59 FPS) suggests it has ample headroom. The PassMark multithread score of 41,318 and single-thread score of 4,704 further confirm the CPU's capability to handle game logic and draw calls.

The data implies that the CPU's 3D V-Cache technology may be providing consistent frame times even when the GPU is under heavy load. The Medium preset's min/max data shows that at 1080p, the spread from minimum to maximum is 24 FPS (70 to 94), but at 1440p this narrows to 18 FPS (53 to 71), and at 4K it tightens to 12 FPS (36 to 48). This pattern suggests that the CPU is maintaining stable frame delivery, and the increasing variance at lower resolutions is due to the GPU having more headroom to burst, not due to CPU stuttering.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset provides a full picture of performance across twelve different configurations. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers the highest average at 115 FPS, followed by Medium at 82 FPS, High at 73 FPS, and Ultra at 63 FPS. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 70 FPS and a maximum of 94 FPS, giving a 24 FPS range. This 1080p resolution is the only one where all presets exceed 60 FPS, making it the sweet spot for this combination.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset still delivers strong performance at 87 FPS, but Medium drops to 62 FPS with a minimum of 53 FPS and maximum of 71 FPS. High settings produce 55 FPS, and Ultra falls to 48 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 53 FPS indicates that even at 1440p, there can be dips below the 60 FPS threshold, which could be noticeable in fast-paced action sequences. The 1440p results show a clear step down from 1080p, with the Low preset losing 28 FPS (24.3%) and the Ultra preset losing 15 FPS (23.8%).

At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly. The Low preset manages 59 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS target. Medium produces 42 FPS with a minimum of 36 FPS and maximum of 48 FPS, High delivers 37 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 32 FPS. The 4K results show that the RX 5700 XT is simply not equipped for high-refresh 4K gaming in Control, as even the lowest settings cannot consistently maintain 60 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 27 FPS, representing a 45.8% performance penalty for the highest visual quality.

The settings scaling at each resolution follows a predictable pattern: Low to Medium provides a 16.3% drop at 1080p (115 to 82), a 28.7% drop at 1440p (87 to 62), and a 28.8% drop at 4K (59 to 42). Medium to High shows a 11.0% drop at 1080p (82 to 73), an 11.3% drop at 1440p (62 to 55), and an 11.9% drop at 4K (42 to 37). High to Ultra presents a 13.7% drop at 1080p (73 to 63), a 12.7% drop at 1440p (55 to 48), and a 13.5% drop at 4K (37 to 32). These consistent percentage drops across resolutions indicate that the settings presets have a uniform impact on the GPU workload.

GPU Role

The Radeon RX 5700 XT is the clear bottleneck in this combination. Built on the RDNA 1.0 architecture with a 7 nm process, this GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock reaches 1905 MHz with a game clock of 1755 MHz. The GPU's 2,560 shading units and 64 ROPs deliver a theoretical FP32 performance of 9.754 TFLOPS, which was competitive at its 2019 release but has since been surpassed by newer architectures.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it at the 59th percentile among all GPUs, with a PassMark G3D score of 16,277. Its DirectX 12 score of 64 and Vulkan score of 68,310 in Geekbench show that it handles modern APIs, though its 8 GB VRAM capacity could become a limitation in texture-heavy scenes at higher resolutions. The 4K Ultra result of 32 FPS suggests that both the VRAM capacity and the raw compute power are being taxed to their limits.

The GPU's memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s appears to be a critical factor in Control's performance. The game's physics-based destruction and particle effects likely require substantial memory throughput, and the RX 5700 XT's bandwidth is adequate for 1080p but insufficient for 4K at high settings. The 4K results show that even at Low settings, the GPU cannot reach 60 FPS, indicating that the pixel fill rate and compute capabilities are the primary constraints rather than memory bandwidth alone.

The GPU's nearest rivals in the synthetic benchmarks all fall within 0.9% of its average score, which suggests that in raw compute terms, the RX 5700 XT is still competitive with newer mid-range cards. However, in Control, the real-world performance tells a different story—the 4K Ultra average of 32 FPS places this combo in a position where it cannot deliver a smooth experience at maximum settings, regardless of the CPU's capability.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Control at 4K 60 FPS?*

A: No. The measured data shows that at 4K Low settings, the average FPS is 59, which is just below the 60 FPS threshold. At 4K High settings, the average drops to 37 FPS, and at 4K Ultra it falls to 32 FPS.

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

A: Based on the measured results, 1080p is the only resolution where all settings presets exceed 60 FPS. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 63 FPS, while at 1440p Ultra, the average drops to 48 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 115 FPS, showing the CPU can feed high frame rates. The consistent FPS drops as resolution increases suggest the RX 5700 XT is the bottleneck.

Q: How much performance is lost going from 1080p to 4K?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 73 at 1080p to 37 at 4K, representing a 49.3% reduction. At Low settings, the drop is from 115 FPS to 59 FPS, a 48.7% reduction.

Q: What is the frame time variance at 1440p Medium?

A: The measured data shows a minimum of 53 FPS and a maximum of 71 FPS, giving a range of 18 FPS around the 62 FPS average. This indicates some inconsistency in frame delivery at this setting.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 2141 out of 2888 tested combos in Control, placing it in the 74.1st percentile. This reflects the GPU's mid-tier position despite the CPU's high-end capabilities.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p gaming, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 63 FPS, which is the highest visual quality while still maintaining a playable frame rate. However, for users who prioritize smoothness over visual fidelity, the High preset at 1080p provides 73 FPS—a 15.9% improvement over Ultra while sacrificing some graphical effects. The Medium preset at 1080p offers 82 FPS, which is the best balance of quality and performance for competitive play, though the 70 FPS minimum suggests occasional dips.

At 1440p, the High preset produces 55 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target but still playable for slower-paced action. The Medium preset at 1440p averages 62 FPS, making it the only 1440p setting that consistently exceeds 60 FPS, though its 53 FPS minimum shows that demanding scenes can cause noticeable drops. For 1440p gaming, Medium settings are the recommended choice, as the jump to High costs 7 FPS (11.3% reduction) for marginal visual improvements.

At 4K, none of the settings achieve a consistent 60 FPS. The Low preset averages 59 FPS, which is tantalizingly close but not stable enough for a smooth experience. The Medium preset at 4K averages 42 FPS with a minimum of 36 FPS, which is playable for story-driven sections but may feel sluggish during combat. The Ultra preset at 4K produces 32 FPS, which is likely too low for most players. For 4K, the Low preset is the only viable option, and even then, users should expect frame rates to fluctuate around the 60 FPS mark.

The data suggests that the ideal experience for this combo is 1080p with High or Ultra settings, depending on whether the user values frame rate or visual fidelity. The 1440p Medium preset offers a good middle ground for users with 1440p monitors, but the 4K experience is compromised across all settings. The measured min/max data at Medium settings reveals that the system is most stable at 4K (12 FPS range) but has the most variance at 1080p (24 FPS range), which is counterintuitive but reflects the GPU being less saturated at lower resolutions.