Control

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

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D is an 8-core, 16-thread processor built on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) using a 4 nm process at TSMC. Its base clock sits at 4.70 GHz with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, and it carries a substantial 96 MB of shared L3 cache alongside 1 MB L2 and 80 KB L1 per core. This is a desktop-class chip on the AMD Socket AM5 platform, supporting DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration with 89.6 GB/s of bandwidth.

For Control, an Action Adventure title from 2019, the CPU's role is interesting because the game is not typically considered CPU-bound at high resolutions. However, the benchmark data reveals a pattern: at 1080p Low settings, the combo reaches 208 FPS, which is the highest measured value across all settings and resolutions. At 1440p Low, it drops to 157 FPS, and at 4K Low, it falls to 106 FPS. This scaling suggests that at lower settings and resolutions, the CPU is doing more of the heavy lifting, and the 9850X3D's strong single-thread performance (evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2228 and PassMark single-thread score of 4704) helps push those frame rates high.

The processor's multi-threaded capabilities are also notable: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22807 and a PassMark multithread score of 41318 place it in the 92nd percentile among all CPUs. In Control, though, the game's engine likely doesn't utilize all 16 threads equally; the data shows that even with the powerful 8-core/16-thread configuration, moving from Low to Ultra settings at any resolution produces a significant FPS drop, indicating the GPU becomes the primary limiter as graphical load increases. The CPU's 120 W TDP and unlocked multiplier suggest headroom for enthusiasts, but the measured results in this game indicate the processor is rarely the bottleneck—except perhaps at the extreme low-settings 1080p case where 208 FPS demands rapid frame generation.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture (Navi 31 chip, codename Plum Bonito) using a 5 nm process at TSMC with 57,700 million transistors on a 529 mm² die. It features 20 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 320-bit bus, delivering 800.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock is 1387 MHz, with a game clock of 2025 MHz and a boost clock of 2394 MHz. Memory runs at 2500 MHz (20 Gbps effective). The card has 5376 shading units, 336 TMUs, 192 ROPs, and 84 RT cores, with a pixel rate of 459.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 804.4 GTexel/s.

In Control, the GPU's role is clearly dominant across most measured scenarios. At 4K Ultra, the combo delivers 58 FPS average; at 4K High, it improves to 67 FPS; at 4K Medium, 75 FPS; and at 4K Low, 106 FPS. This progression—from 58 to 106 FPS—demonstrates how much the graphical settings impact performance, with the GPU's raw throughput (51.48 TFLOPS FP32) being taxed heavily at higher presets. The 20 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for Control's requirements at any resolution, so memory capacity is not a limiting factor; instead, the shading and texture throughput determine the frame rates.

The GPU's benchmark scores show a PassMark G3D score of 29009 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5623, placing it in the 55th percentile among all GPUs. Interestingly, its nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the AMD Radeon 660M (deltaPct -0.5%) and NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile (deltaPct -0.5%), which are far less powerful cards—this suggests the average benchmark score is skewed by diverse workloads. In Control specifically, the 7900 XT's performance at 1080p Ultra (114 FPS) versus 4K Ultra (58 FPS) shows a 49% reduction, indicating the GPU is scaling as expected with resolution.

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

Examining the measured FPS rows, the Medium preset consistently offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with the added benefit of having min/max FPS data available. At 1080p Medium, the combo averages 148 FPS with a minimum of 125 and maximum of 170. At 1440p Medium, it averages 112 FPS (min 95, max 128). At 4K Medium, it averages 75 FPS (min 64, max 87). These are the only settings where min/max values are recorded, which suggests they represent stable, playable ranges.

The Low preset delivers the highest frame rates—208 FPS at 1080p, 157 FPS at 1440p, and 106 FPS at 4K—but sacrifices visual fidelity. The High preset offers a middle ground: 131 FPS at 1080p, 99 FPS at 1440p, and 67 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset provides the most demanding experience: 114 FPS at 1080p, 86 FPS at 1440p, and 58 FPS at 4K.

For the best experience per the measured data, Medium at 1440p stands out: 112 FPS average with a 95 FPS minimum keeps the action smooth, while the visual upgrade over Low is substantial. At 4K, Medium's 75 FPS average (64 min) is the recommended choice for those prioritizing frame rate stability over maximum detail, since High drops to 67 FPS and Ultra to 58 FPS. The data implies that Medium settings leverage the GPU's capabilities without overwhelming it, while Low leaves performance on the table and Ultra strains the card unnecessarily at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT ranks 518th out of 2888 tested combos in Control, placing it in the top 18% of all configurations tested for this game. This rank reflects the overall performance across all measured resolutions and settings, weighted by the data collected.

The rank of 518 out of 2888 is respectable, but not top-tier, which is curious given the hardware's specifications. The CPU is in the 92nd percentile among all CPUs, and while the GPU's 55th percentile average benchmark score is more modest, its actual gaming performance in Control is strong. The discrepancy suggests that many higher-ranked combos likely pair the 7900 XT with even faster CPUs, or use different GPU configurations that excel in this particular title. The CPU's nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M (deltaPct 0.1%), Intel Core i9-14900 (deltaPct 0.5%), and AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 (deltaPct -0.7%), but these are general-purpose benchmarks, not game-specific. In Control, the combo's rank indicates it outperforms the majority of systems, though there is room for improvement—potentially by pairing this GPU with a higher-tier CPU, or by optimizing settings as discussed above.

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

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the bottleneck behavior of this combo. At Low settings, the progression is 208 FPS (1080p) → 157 FPS (1440p) → 106 FPS (4K), representing drops of 24.5% and 32.5% respectively. At Medium settings, the progression is 148 → 112 → 75, with drops of 24.3% and 33.0%. At High settings, it's 131 → 99 → 67, with drops of 24.4% and 32.3%. At Ultra settings, it's 114 → 86 → 58, with drops of 24.6% and 32.6%.

The consistent percentage drops across all settings—around 24% from 1080p to 1440p and around 32-33% from 1440p to 4K—indicate that the GPU is the primary limiting component. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we'd expect the FPS to plateau or drop less at higher resolutions when settings are low. Instead, the scaling is uniform, showing that the GPU's rendering load increases proportionally with pixel count. The 4K Ultra result of 58 FPS versus 1080p Ultra of 114 FPS (a 49% reduction) further confirms this: the GPU's throughput (51.48 TFLOPS) is being taxed by the 8.3 million pixels at 4K, whereas at 1080p (2.1 million pixels), there's more headroom.

The CPU's role becomes more apparent at 1080p Low, where 208 FPS requires the processor to feed frames rapidly. The 9850X3D's high single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2228) and large cache (96 MB L3) support this, but the data shows the GPU still dictates the overall scaling pattern. The implication is that upgrading the GPU would yield the most significant FPS improvements at all resolutions, while upgrading the CPU would only matter at the lowest settings and resolutions.

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

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers the following average FPS: Low 208, Medium 148 (min 125, max 170), High 131, Ultra 114. The gap between Low and Ultra is 94 FPS, representing a 45% reduction from the fastest to the slowest preset. The Medium setting's min/max range (125-170) shows a 45 FPS spread, indicating some scene-to-scene variability.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low 157, Medium 112 (min 95, max 128), High 99, Ultra 86. The Low-to-Ultra gap narrows to 71 FPS (a 45% reduction, consistent with 1080p). The Medium range (95-128) has a 33 FPS spread, suggesting smoother frame pacing than at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low 106, Medium 75 (min 64, max 87), High 67, Ultra 58. The Low-to-Ultra gap is 48 FPS, again a 45% reduction. The Medium range (64-87) shows a 23 FPS spread, indicating that at 4K, the GPU is working harder and frame times are more consistent.

Comparing across resolutions at the same settings: Low goes from 208 to 157 to 106 (a total 49% drop from 1080p to 4K). Medium goes from 148 to 112 to 75 (49% drop). High goes from 131 to 99 to 67 (49% drop). Ultra goes from 114 to 86 to 58 (49% drop). This uniformity across all settings reinforces that the GPU is the scaling factor, with the same relative performance loss regardless of graphical load.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Control?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 208, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: At 4K resolution, which preset provides the most stable frame rate?

A: At 3840x2160, the Medium preset provides the most stable frame rate with an average of 75 FPS, a minimum of 64 FPS, and a maximum of 87 FPS. This is the only 4K setting with min/max data recorded.

Q: How does the combo's performance at 1080p Ultra compare to 4K Ultra?

A: At 1080p Ultra, the combo averages 114 FPS, while at 4K Ultra it averages 58 FPS—a 49% reduction, consistent with the scaling pattern seen across all settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary limiting factor. The FPS drops from 1080p to 4K are nearly identical across all settings (around 49% total reduction), which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU's influence is only evident at 1080p Low where it reaches 208 FPS.

Q: What is this combo's rank among all tested configurations in Control?

A: This combo ranks 518th out of 2888 tested combos, placing it in the top 18% of all configurations tested for Control.

Q: Does the 20 GB VRAM on the RX 7900 XT cause any limitations in Control?

A: The measured data does not indicate any VRAM-related limitations. The GPU's memory bandwidth of 800.0 GB/s and 20 GB capacity are sufficient for all tested settings and resolutions, as performance scales consistently with resolution without unexpected drops.