Control

Control on the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and Intel Arc B570 combination shows a clear pattern of GPU-bound performance, with the playable envelope firmly anchored at 1080p and the higher resolutions demanding significant settings compromises. The data indicates a competent mid-range pairing that handles the game’s atmospheric action best when resolution and quality are balanced.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates demonstrate a steep performance penalty as resolution increases, which is typical for a game with heavy real-time rendering demands. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 101 FPS, providing a very fluid experience. Moving to 1440p at the same Low preset drops the average to 76 FPS, a reduction of 25 FPS (roughly 25%). At 4K, the Low preset yields only 51 FPS, which is less than half of the 1080p figure. This scaling curve indicates that pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth are becoming limiting factors as resolution climbs.

The gap between 1080p and 1440p is 25 FPS for Low, but for High settings the drop is from 63 FPS to 48 FPS, a 15 FPS difference. At Ultra, the 1080p average of 55 FPS falls to 42 FPS at 1440p, and then to 28 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1440p to 4K is more severe across all settings, suggesting that the GPU’s 380.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 10 GB frame buffer are saturated at the higher resolution. The 4K High result of 32 FPS is below the 30 FPS minimum for a smooth experience, while the 4K Medium average of 36 FPS is only marginally playable.

The data shows that the limiting component at 4K is definitively the GPU. The CPU, with 12 cores and 24 threads, has ample headroom, as evidenced by its high multi-threaded benchmark scores (e.g., 16262 in Cinebench R23 multi-core). The consistent frame rate deltas between resolutions point to a rendering pipeline constrained by the Arc B570’s 160-bit memory bus and 200.0 GPixel/s pixel rate. For players targeting 4K, the only option is the Low preset, which reaches 51 FPS, but the visual compromise is substantial. The sweet spot for this game on this hardware is clearly 1080p, where even Ultra settings exceed the 50 FPS threshold.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570’s specifications directly correlate with the measured results in Control. The GPU is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture, codenamed Battlemage, and features 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. Its base and boost clock are both locked at 2500 MHz, which is a relatively high frequency for this class of card, but the 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus provides 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This bandwidth figure is a critical factor, as Control’s detailed environments and particle effects place a high demand on memory throughput.

The GPU’s benchmark scores place it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20556. This puts it in close competition with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (avgScore 20534, deltaPct 0.1) and the Intel Arc A750 (avgScore 20582, deltaPct -0.1). The performance parity with the Arc A750 is notable, as it suggests the B570 is a well-positioned successor in the same performance tier, despite having a lower transistor count (19,600 million vs. the A750’s unspecified count). The near-identical deltaPct values (within 0.5%) against these rivals indicate that in pure compute terms, the B570 is a consistent performer.

In Control specifically, the GPU’s 11.52 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is sufficient for the game’s physics and lighting calculations, but the frame rates at 4K suggest a bottleneck in the ROP and memory system. The 200.0 GPixel/s pixel rate is the theoretical maximum, and the 4K Ultra average of 28 FPS (with no min/max data provided) suggests the card is hitting that ceiling. The 18 RT cores are present, but Control’s implementation of ray tracing is not the primary stressor in these benchmark runs, as the data does not differentiate between rasterized and ray-traced performance. The GPU’s DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) ensures full feature compatibility with the game, but the raw throughput is what dictates the measured numbers.

The memory clock of 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective) is a key differentiator. At 1080p, the 101 FPS Low result shows the card can feed the render pipeline quickly, but as the resolution increases, the 160-bit bus becomes a constraint. The 4K results never exceed 51 FPS, even on Low, which strongly implies that the bus width and resulting bandwidth are the primary limiting factors, not the shader array.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Control at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Yes, but only on the Low preset, which achieves an average of 51 FPS. Medium settings drop to 36 FPS, and High/Ultra fall to 32 and 28 FPS respectively, which are below the generally accepted 30 FPS minimum for smooth play.

Q: What is the best resolution to play this game on this hardware?

A: The 1920x1080 resolution is the clear choice. All settings presets at 1080p exceed 55 FPS, with Low reaching 101 FPS, Medium at 71 FPS, and High at 63 FPS. This resolution provides the most consistent experience without needing to compromise on visual quality.

Q: How does the GPU’s memory bandwidth impact high-resolution performance?

A: The Arc B570’s 380.0 GB/s bandwidth on a 160-bit bus appears to be the key constraint at 4K. The frame rate drop from 1440p to 4K is more pronounced than from 1080p to 1440p, indicating that the card cannot fetch textures and geometry fast enough to maintain performance at the highest pixel counts.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck in Control?

A: No. The Ryzen 9 5900X has 12 cores and 24 threads and scores in the 87th percentile of all CPUs. Its high multi-threaded performance (e.g., 39002 in PassMark multi-thread) far exceeds the demands of this game, which is primarily GPU-limited at all tested resolutions.

Q: What is the performance difference between the 1080p Medium and 1440p Medium presets?

A: The 1080p Medium average is 71 FPS, while the 1440p Medium average is 54 FPS, a reduction of 17 FPS (approximately 24%). The 4K Medium average is 36 FPS, showing a further 18 FPS drop.

Q: How does this GPU compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20556, placing it 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534) and 0.1% behind the Intel Arc A750 (20582). These deltaPct values are negligible, indicating near-identical compute performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and Intel Arc B570 combination ranks 2307 out of 2888 tested combos for Control. This places it in the lower half of the database, which is a significant finding given the strength of the individual components. The CPU is a high-end desktop part, but the GPU is a mid-range card, and the game’s heavy reliance on the GPU means the overall ranking is dragged down by the graphics card’s performance ceiling.

The rank of 2307 suggests that while this combo is functional, it is not optimized for Control’s demanding engine. Comparatively, the CPU’s nearest rivals (e.g., Intel Core Ultra 7 366H with a 0.3% higher average score) would not meaningfully change the outcome, as the GPU is the bottleneck. The GPU’s nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA RTX 3070 Mobile (0.1% higher score), would likely produce nearly identical in-game results, confirming that the combo’s rank is a direct reflection of the Arc B570’s capability.

This ranking is not a verdict on the hardware’s quality, but rather a measure of its suitability for this specific title. For a game like Control, which is known for its high system requirements, this combo is positioned for 1080p gaming. The 2888 total combos tested means there is a wide spread of performance, and this pairing sits comfortably in the mid-range, offering a playable experience at lower resolutions but not competing with high-end GPU pairings that would rank significantly higher.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across all settings and resolutions.

At 1920x1080, the results are as follows:

• Low: 101 FPS average
• Medium: 71 FPS average, with a minimum of 61 FPS and a maximum of 82 FPS
• High: 63 FPS average
• Ultra: 55 FPS average

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down consistently:

• Low: 76 FPS average
• Medium: 54 FPS average, with a minimum of 46 FPS and a maximum of 62 FPS
• High: 48 FPS average
• Ultra: 42 FPS average

At 3840x2160, the frame rates drop significantly:

• Low: 51 FPS average
• Medium: 36 FPS average, with a minimum of 31 FPS and a maximum of 42 FPS
• High: 32 FPS average
• Ultra: 28 FPS average

The Medium preset is the only one that provides min/max data across all resolutions. At 1080p, the min of 61 FPS ensures a smooth experience, while at 1440p, the min of 46 FPS is still playable. At 4K, the min of 31 FPS is borderline, and the max of 42 FPS indicates occasional responsiveness. The absence of min/max data for Low, High, and Ultra presets suggests these runs were less variable, but the averages are the key metric for comparison.

The delta between 1080p Low (101 FPS) and 1440p Low (76 FPS) is 25 FPS, and the delta between 1440p Low and 4K Low (51 FPS) is another 25 FPS. This linear drop-off highlights the GPU’s scaling limits. For Ultra settings, the deltas are 13 FPS (1080p to 1440p) and 14 FPS (1440p to 4K), showing that the higher quality presets compress the performance range as the GPU becomes fully saturated.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal experience for this combo is at 1920x1080 with the High preset, which delivers a 63 FPS average. This setting balances visual fidelity with performance, providing a stable frame rate that is well above the 60 FPS target for most players. The Ultra preset at 1080p is also viable at 55 FPS, but the 8 FPS gain from dropping to High is not worth the minor visual upgrade for those seeking smoother gameplay.

For players prioritizing frame rate above all else, the Low preset at 1080p offers 101 FPS, which is excellent for competitive or high-refresh-rate displays. However, this comes at the cost of significant visual detail. The Medium preset at 1080p (71 FPS) is the best middle ground, offering a 10 FPS advantage over High while retaining most of the visual quality.

At 1440p, the Low preset (76 FPS) is the only setting that consistently exceeds 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for this resolution. The Medium preset (54 FPS) is acceptable for those who prefer higher quality, but the min FPS of 46 could cause noticeable stutters. The High and Ultra presets at 1440p (48 and 42 FPS) are not recommended for a smooth experience.

The 4K resolution is only playable on the Low preset (51 FPS), but the visual downgrade is severe. The Medium preset (36 FPS) is borderline, and the High/Ultra presets (32 and 28 FPS) are not recommended. For the best overall experience, 1080p High is the clear winner, offering a balance of quality and performance that leverages the GPU’s strengths without exposing its bandwidth limitations.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz, with a 64 MB L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores in the 87th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 41376. Its nearest rivals are all within a 0.5% deltaPct, such as the Intel Core Ultra 7 366H (0.3% higher) and the Intel Core i7-14650HX (0.5% lower), showing that the CPU is a top-tier performer.

In Control, the CPU’s role is secondary to the GPU. The game’s frame rates are consistently GPU-bound, as evidenced by the large drops when resolution increases. The CPU’s high single-thread performance (e.g., 3469 in PassMark single-thread) is more than sufficient to handle the game’s logic and physics. The multi-threaded scores (39002 in PassMark multi-thread) are also robust, but Control does not appear to scale with more than a few cores, so the 12-core configuration provides no tangible benefit over a lower-core-count CPU in this title.

The data suggests that the CPU is never the limiting factor in these benchmark runs. Even at 1080p Low, where the GPU is least stressed, the 101 FPS average is well within the CPU’s ability to feed frames. The CPU’s 51.2 GB/s memory bandwidth and dual-channel DDR4 support are also adequate for this game. Therefore, while the Ryzen 9 5900X is a powerful component, its contribution to Control’s performance is neutral—it neither helps nor hinders the results, which are dictated almost entirely by the Intel Arc B570’s capabilities.