Control

# Control — AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination delivers an exceptional Control experience, ranking first out of 2,888 tested hardware combos in this title. The data shows a system that crushes 1080p and 1440p gaming while remaining comfortably playable at 4K, with the RTX 5090 D's 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and the CPU's 96 MB of L3 cache providing a formidable foundation for this 2019 action-adventure title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals how Control scales across the three primary resolutions. At 1080p High settings, the system produces 188 FPS average. Moving to 1440p High drops that to 142 FPS, a 24.5% reduction. At 4K High, the average falls to 96 FPS, representing a 32.4% further decline from 1440p. The total scaling from 1080p to 4K at High settings shows a 48.9% performance loss, which is relatively mild and indicates the RTX 5090 D has substantial headroom even at the highest pixel counts.

The Low settings row tells a similar story with steeper absolute drops. At 1080p Low, the system hits 298 FPS average. At 1440p Low, that falls to 225 FPS, a 24.5% decline. At 4K Low, the average is 152 FPS, a 32.4% drop from 1440p. The consistency of these percentage drops across settings levels suggests the scaling pattern is resolution-bound rather than settings-bound — the GPU is the primary limiter as pixel count rises, regardless of quality preset.

Medium settings show the only complete min/max data in the measured rows. At 1080p Medium, the average is 211 FPS with a minimum of 180 and maximum of 243. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 160 FPS with min/max of 136/184. At 4K Medium, the average is 108 FPS with min/max of 92/124. The delta between 1080p and 4K Medium is 48.8%, nearly identical to the High preset's scaling, reinforcing that resolution, not settings, drives the performance curve.

Ultra settings show the most demanding scenario. At 1080p Ultra, the system produces 163 FPS average. At 1440p Ultra, that drops to 124 FPS, a 23.9% reduction. At 4K Ultra, the average is 83 FPS, a 33.1% decline from 1440p. The 4K Ultra figure is the only measured result below 90 FPS, suggesting this is the point where the RTX 5090 D begins to feel the pressure of Control's rendering demands at maximum quality.

The scaling pattern indicates a GPU-bound scenario at 4K across all settings, while 1080p results — particularly at Low with 298 FPS — suggest the CPU is keeping pace without becoming a bottleneck. The 1440p results sit in a balanced zone where both components contribute meaningfully to overall performance.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the centerpiece of this system's Control performance. Built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a GB202 chip on a 5 nm process, this GPU packs 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 raster operation units. The 170 RT cores and 680 tensor cores provide ample acceleration for Control's visual effects, though the game's 2019 release date means it predates some of the more aggressive ray tracing implementations seen in later titles.

Memory configuration is a standout feature. The 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus delivers 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. In Control, this large memory pool ensures that even at 4K Ultra settings, texture streaming and asset loading never become a constraint. The measured 83 FPS at 4K Ultra is respectable for a game with Control's particle effects and physics simulation, and the memory bandwidth likely prevents any frame-time hitches that could occur with smaller VRAM pools.

Clock speeds see the GPU running at a 2017 MHz base and 2407 MHz boost. The boost clock is critical for sustaining high frame rates in Control's action sequences, where rapid camera movement and destructible environments demand consistent GPU throughput. The pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s provide the raw fill rates needed to maintain the measured performance at 1440p and 4K.

The GPU's benchmark scores contextualize its standing. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 14,326 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 376,915 indicate strong DirectX 12 and Vulkan performance, both APIs that Control can utilize. The Passmark G3D score of 44,065 places the RTX 5090 D in the 92nd percentile among all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 77,712 sits within 2.4% of the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB and 1.6% of the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, though those comparisons are synthetic — in gaming, the RTX 5090 D's architecture and drivers give it a distinct advantage.

The GPU's TDP of 575 W and suggested 950 W PSU indicate a power-hungry part, but the measured FPS results show that power translates directly into performance. The dual-slot cooler with a 16-pin connector handles the thermal load, and the PCIe 5.0 x16 interface provides ample bandwidth for the 32 GB frame buffer.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D provides the processing foundation for this system. With 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge codename) on a 4 nm TSMC process, this CPU delivers strong single-threaded and multi-threaded performance that complements the RTX 5090 D in Control.

Clock speeds are substantial: 4.70 GHz base and 5.60 GHz boost. Control's gameplay mechanics — physics simulation, AI pathfinding, and particle system calculations — benefit from high single-core clocks. The CPU's 96 MB of shared L3 cache is a defining feature of the X3D line, and in a game like Control where scene complexity can vary dramatically, the large cache helps maintain consistent frame delivery by reducing memory access latency.

The CPU's benchmark results confirm its capability. Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22,807 and single-core score of 2,228 show balanced performance. Passmark single-thread score of 4,704 and multithread score of 41,318 indicate the CPU can handle both the physics-heavy single-threaded workloads and the background processing that Control requires. The Passmark physics score of 4,171 is particularly relevant, as game physics directly impact frame rates in action-heavy scenes.

The 9850X3D's average benchmark score of 58,386 places it in the 92nd percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon w5-2545 at 58,504 (0.2% faster) and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 at 58,826 (0.7% faster), while it edges out the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M by 0.1% and the Intel Core i9-14900 by 0.5%. These margins are negligible in real-world gaming, but the X3D's cache advantage typically provides an edge in game-specific scenarios that synthetic benchmarks don't fully capture.

At 1080p Low with 298 FPS average, the CPU demonstrates it can feed the GPU sufficiently at high frame rates. The 1440p and 4K results show the GPU becoming the primary limiter, which is the expected behavior for a high-end pairing. The CPU's 89.6 GB/s dual-channel DDR5 memory bandwidth ensures data flows efficiently to the GPU, while the 24 PCIe Gen 5 lanes provide a fast connection for the RTX 5090 D.

The 120 W TDP and AM5 socket compatibility make this CPU a practical choice for gaming systems, and the unlocked multiplier allows enthusiast tuning. The integrated Radeon Graphics provide a fallback display output, though dedicated GPU performance is obviously the focus here.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1440p as the sweet spot. At High settings, 1440p delivers 142 FPS average — well above the 60 FPS threshold — while 4K High drops to 96 FPS. At 1080p, the 188 FPS High average exceeds most display refresh rates, making 1440p the best balance of visual fidelity and performance headroom.

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

A: At High settings, the drop from 1080p to 4K is 48.9% — from 188 FPS to 96 FPS. At Low settings, the drop is 49.0% (298 to 152 FPS). At Medium, it's 48.8% (211 to 108 FPS), and at Ultra, it's 49.1% (163 to 83 FPS). The consistency across settings indicates resolution scaling dominates.

Q: Is the RTX 5090 D's 32 GB VRAM necessary for Control?

A: The 32 GB GDDR7 memory with 1.79 TB/s bandwidth ensures that memory capacity never limits performance in Control, even at 4K Ultra. While the game may not require all 32 GB, the headroom prevents texture pop-in and frame drops during complex scenes, contributing to the measured 83 FPS at 4K Ultra.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 9850X3D compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The 9850X3D's average benchmark score is 58,386, placing it 0.1% ahead of the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M (58,323), 0.5% ahead of the Intel Core i9-14900 (58,115), 0.2% behind the Intel Xeon w5-2545 (58,504), and 0.7% behind the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 (58,826). These differences are minor, but the 96 MB L3 cache provides a gaming-specific advantage.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The measured 4K Ultra average is 83 FPS. This is the lowest result across all tested configurations but remains comfortably above 60 FPS. For players prioritizing maximum visual quality, this is the playable ceiling for this hardware combination in Control.

Q: Does the GPU or CPU limit performance at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the system achieves 298 FPS average, suggesting the CPU is capable of driving very high frame rates. The consistent 24.5% drop from 1080p to 1440p across all settings indicates the GPU becomes the primary limiter as resolution increases, but at 1080p, the CPU's 5.60 GHz boost clock keeps pace without bottlenecking.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimizing the Control experience. At 1080p, all settings presets deliver playable frame rates, with even Ultra hitting 163 FPS average. The 1080p Medium preset offers a balanced experience at 211 FPS with a minimum of 180 FPS, ensuring smooth performance during intense action sequences. Players with high refresh rate 1080p displays can safely choose Ultra for maximum quality without sacrificing responsiveness.

At 1440p, the Medium preset at 160 FPS average (136 minimum) provides excellent smoothness, while High at 142 FPS is nearly as strong. Ultra at 124 FPS remains above 120 FPS, making it viable for high refresh rate monitors. The Low preset's 225 FPS is excessive for most displays, so Medium or High represents the best quality-to-performance tradeoff at this resolution.

At 4K, the Medium preset at 108 FPS average (92 minimum) is the strongest recommendation for smooth gameplay. High at 96 FPS is close behind and offers better visual fidelity. Ultra at 83 FPS is playable and suitable for slower-paced exploration, but the 92 FPS minimum at Medium provides a safer margin during combat sequences. For the best overall experience at 4K, High settings deliver the optimal combination of visual quality and frame rate stability.

The 4K Medium min/max data (92/124 FPS) shows the narrowest frame time variance, indicating consistent performance. The 1080p Medium min/max (180/243 FPS) and 1440p Medium min/max (136/184 FPS) similarly show tight ranges, suggesting the Medium preset offers the most predictable frame delivery across all resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce 298 FPS average, Medium 211 FPS (minimum 180, maximum 243), High 188 FPS, and Ultra 163 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 135 FPS, representing a 45.3% reduction at maximum quality. Even the Ultra preset maintains a frame rate that exceeds 144 Hz displays, making 1080p a resolution where settings choice is purely about visual preference rather than performance necessity.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong across all presets. Low settings hit 225 FPS average, Medium 160 FPS (minimum 136, maximum 184), High 142 FPS, and Ultra 124 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 101 FPS drop, a 44.9% reduction. The Medium preset's 136 FPS minimum ensures no noticeable stutter, while Ultra's 124 FPS average still clears 120 FPS for smooth high-refresh-rate gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 5090 D demonstrates its 4K capability. Low settings produce 152 FPS average, Medium 108 FPS (minimum 92, maximum 124), High 96 FPS, and Ultra 83 FPS. The 4K Low to Ultra scaling shows a 69 FPS drop, a 45.4% reduction. The Medium preset's 92 FPS minimum is the lowest measured frame rate in the entire dataset but remains above the critical 60 FPS threshold, ensuring a playable experience even during the most demanding scenes.

The rank of 1 out of 2,888 combos confirms this hardware pairing is the top performer for Control among tested configurations. The combination of the 9850X3D's high clock speeds and large cache with the RTX 5090 D's massive memory bandwidth and compute throughput creates a system that excels across all resolutions and settings, with no configuration dropping below 83 FPS average.