Control

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT lands at rank 716 out of 1636 tested combos in Control, placing it in the upper-middle tier of the database. This position reflects a system that can handle the game’s demanding physics and particle effects without being a top-tier contender. The combo outperforms a significant portion of the field, but it does not crack the top 40% of tested configurations. This ranking is driven primarily by the GPU’s mid-range standing, as the CPU is a high-end part that rarely bottlenecks in this title. The data suggests that while the combo is not elite, it offers a balanced experience that comfortably exceeds playable thresholds at most settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 716 out of 1636 tested combos places it in the 56th percentile of all configurations tested in Control. This is a solid mid-field result, indicating that the system outperforms more than half of the tested hardware pairings. The CPU’s individual percentile is much higher — the Ryzen 9 5900X sits at the 90th percentile against all CPUs — which means the GPU is the limiting factor in this pairing. The GPU’s percentile is 73 against all GPUs, which aligns with the overall combo rank. The data shows a system that is well-balanced for this game, but the GPU’s mid-range positioning prevents the combo from climbing higher. Compared to the nearest CPU rivals, the Ryzen 9 5900X posts an average benchmark score of 39453, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD EPYC 4245P, 0.9% higher than the Intel Core i7-13700F, and 1% lower than the Intel Core i7-13700. These small deltas indicate that the CPU is not a differentiator in Control, as the game’s performance is heavily influenced by the GPU.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT is the primary driver of Control’s frame rates, and its specifications explain the observed performance. The GPU features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is sufficient for Control’s textures and effects at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K results show that the GPU’s compute capacity, not memory, becomes the bottleneck. The boost clock of 2544 MHz and game clock of 2171 MHz are relatively high for the RDNA 3.0 architecture, and the 35.17 TFLOPS of FP32 performance drives the rendering pipeline. The GPU’s 54 ray tracing cores are present, but Control’s implementation is not the primary test here. The measured data shows that the GPU scales predictably with settings: at 4K, the average FPS drops from 82.8 on Low to 42.4 on Ultra, a 49% reduction. This indicates that the GPU’s shading units and ROPs are the limiting factor at higher presets. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 30097 places it near the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 (delta 0%) and slightly above the AMD Radeon RX 570 (delta 0.2%), confirming its mid-range positioning.

Resolution Scaling

The data reveals a clear pattern of performance scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p, the combo achieves an average of 159.7 FPS on Low settings, which drops to 122.2 FPS at 1440p and 82.8 FPS at 4K. This represents a 23% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a further 32% drop from 1440p to 4K on Low settings. On High settings, the progression is 101.5 FPS at 1080p, 76.5 FPS at 1440p, and 50.1 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 25%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 35%. This larger relative drop at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is increasingly the limiting component. At 1080p, the CPU’s 12 cores and 24 threads can feed the GPU adequately, but at 4K, the GPU’s raw throughput is the constraint. The scaling from Medium to Ultra at 4K shows a similar trend: 60.9 FPS at Medium, 50.1 FPS at High, and 42.4 FPS at Ultra. The 4K Ultra result of 42.4 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold, making it marginal for smooth gameplay. The data suggests that 1440p is the sweet spot for this combo, as it maintains high frame rates across all presets without the steep performance penalty seen at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers strong results across all settings. Low settings average 159.7 FPS, Medium 113.4 FPS, High 101.5 FPS, and Ultra 89.3 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 44%, demonstrating that even the highest preset remains highly playable at this resolution. The 1080p Ultra result of 89.3 FPS is well above the 60 FPS target, making this resolution ideal for high-refresh-rate displays. Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains robust: Low averages 122.2 FPS, Medium 89.1 FPS, High 76.5 FPS, and Ultra 67.4 FPS. The 1440p Ultra result of 67.4 FPS is still above the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that this combo can handle maximum settings at this resolution with a comfortable margin. The 1440p High setting at 76.5 FPS is particularly notable, as it offers a balance of visual fidelity and frame rate. At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly. Low averages 82.8 FPS, Medium 60.9 FPS, High 50.1 FPS, and Ultra 42.4 FPS. The 4K results show that the GPU is stretched thin at this resolution. Only Low settings maintain a frame rate above 60 FPS, while Medium barely crosses the threshold at 60.9 FPS. High and Ultra settings fall below 60 FPS, with Ultra at 42.4 FPS being the only result that feels sluggish. The data shows a clear pattern: the combo is excellent at 1080p, very good at 1440p, and only adequate at 4K with reduced settings.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data points to 1440p with High settings as the optimal configuration. This preset delivers 76.5 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS target and provides a significant visual upgrade over Medium. The 1440p High result is 15% higher than the 4K Medium result of 60.9 FPS, making it a better choice for smooth gameplay. If the user prioritizes frame rate over visual fidelity, 1440p Medium at 89.1 FPS is a strong alternative, offering a 16% improvement over High. At 1080p, the Ultra preset at 89.3 FPS is the best choice, as it delivers maximum visual quality without compromising performance. The 1080p Ultra result is only 12% lower than the 1080p Low result, making it an easy recommendation for users with 1080p displays. For 4K users, the data suggests that Medium settings at 60.9 FPS are the maximum playable preset, while Low at 82.8 FPS is recommended for those who want a smoother experience. The 4K Ultra result of 42.4 FPS is not recommended for action-heavy scenes, as the frame rate drops below the 45 FPS comfort zone. Overall, the combo’s best balance of visual quality and performance is found at 1440p High, which the data confirms as the sweet spot.

FAQ

Q: What is the combo’s rank in Control?

A: The combo ranks 716 out of 1636 tested configurations, placing it in the upper-middle tier of the database.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 9 5900X scores 39453 on average, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD EPYC 4245P, 0.9% higher than the Intel Core i7-13700F, and 1% lower than the Intel Core i7-13700.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p High settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the combo averages 76.5 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay.

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

A: The GPU is the primary constraint. The CPU is at the 90th percentile, while the GPU is at the 73rd percentile, and the resolution scaling shows larger frame rate drops at higher resolutions.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K Ultra settings?

A: The 4K Ultra preset averages 42.4 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold and not recommended for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the best setting for a 1080p display?

A: At 1080p, the Ultra preset delivers 89.3 FPS, making it the best choice for maximum visual quality without performance concerns.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X provides a strong foundation for this combo, with 12 cores and 24 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture. The CPU’s base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 4.80 GHz are sufficient for Control’s single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads. The 64 MB of L3 cache helps with data-heavy scenes, while the 7 nm process node keeps power consumption reasonable at 105 W TDP. In benchmark tests, the CPU scores 33150 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 4680 in single-core, indicating strong overall performance. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 9075 and max-thread score of 10075 show that the CPU can handle parallel workloads, but Control is not heavily multi-threaded. The CPU’s percentile of 90 against all CPUs confirms its high-end status, and its nearest rivals are all within 1% of its average score. This means that the CPU is not a bottleneck in this pairing. The measured FPS data supports this: at 1080p Low, the combo hits 159.7 FPS, which is high enough to indicate that the CPU can feed the GPU effectively. The 4K results show a similar pattern, where the GPU’s limits are reached before the CPU’s. The Ryzen 9 5900X’s 24 threads provide headroom for background tasks and future games, but in Control, the CPU’s role is to avoid limiting the GPU. The data shows that this CPU does its job well, allowing the RX 7700 XT to perform to its full potential.