Control

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER delivers a fascinating performance profile in Control, one that shifts character dramatically depending on the resolution and settings selected. The data reveals a system with immense headroom, but also highlights where the bottlenecks lie in this Action Adventure title. This analysis breaks down the measured frames, the combo's standing among 1,636 tested configurations, and what the numbers imply about the underlying hardware.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and tells a clear story about the limiting component. At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the combo produces 137.7 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at Ultra drops this to 104.0 FPS, a reduction of roughly 24%. Pushing further to 3840x2160 at Ultra yields only 69.3 FPS, which is another 33% decline from the 1440p figure. This scaling pattern—where each step up in resolution exacts a heavy toll—indicates that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the primary constraint at higher pixel counts. The GPU's raw throughput is being saturated as the pixel workload expands.

However, the picture changes when looking at lower settings. At Low settings, the frame rate at 1080p is 235.1 FPS, but at 1440p it only falls to 186.0 FPS (a 21% drop), and at 4K it hits 127.5 FPS (a 31% drop from 1440p). The fact that 4K Low (127.5 FPS) is still nearly as fast as 1080p Ultra (137.7 FPS) suggests that the CPU, the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, is not the limiting factor here. If it were, we would see a much flatter curve across resolutions when settings are lowered. Instead, the GPU remains the workhorse, and its performance scales predictably with resolution.

The data implies that at 1080p, the system is operating in a GPU-bound state for most settings, but the CPU's 16 cores and 32 threads have ample headroom. The steep drop from 235.1 FPS at 1080p Low to 127.5 FPS at 4K Low is a 46% reduction, which is significant. This suggests that even at Low settings, the RTX 4080 SUPER is doing substantial work, and the game's visual effects are not entirely removed by lowering the preset. The scaling is consistent with a GPU that is powerful but not limitless, and the CPU is never exposed as a weakness.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of 1,636 tested CPU and GPU combinations, this pairing holds the 114th position for Control. This places it in the top 7% of all tested combos, a strong showing that reflects the high-end nature of both components. The data indicates that this is a premium configuration, but not the absolute fastest, as there are 113 other combinations that deliver higher average frame rates in this specific title. The rank is a composite measure, likely accounting for performance across all tested resolutions and settings.

The position is particularly interesting given the component specifications. The GPU, the RTX 4080 SUPER, sits in the 88th percentile among all GPUs, and the CPU, the Ryzen 9 5950X, is in the 93rd percentile among all CPUs. Yet their combined rank is slightly lower than either individual percentile would suggest. This could be because Control is particularly demanding on the GPU, and the CPU's massive parallel processing power (16 cores, 32 threads) is not fully utilized by this game. The rank of 114 out of 1,636 reflects the raw power on hand, but it also hints that a stronger GPU would yield a higher rank more effectively than a stronger CPU in this title.

When compared to its nearest rivals in the GPU benchmark list, the RTX 4080 SUPER is only 0.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, and 2.9% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti. These are very tight margins, suggesting that the performance in Control is highly sensitive to the specific game's engine and optimization. The combo's rank is therefore not just about raw specs; it is about how well these specific parts handle this game's particular rendering demands.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the dominant factor in this pairing. With 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, it offers a bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s, which is ample for Control's textures and effects at 4K. The GPU's boost clock of 2550 MHz and its 10240 shading units provide the computational muscle needed for the game's physics and particle effects. The data shows that the GPU's performance scales almost linearly with resolution, which is a classic sign of a GPU-bound workload. The measured FPS at 4K High (79.8) versus 1440p High (117.3) shows a 32% drop, which is substantial but not catastrophic, indicating the GPU is handling the load without hitting a memory or bandwidth wall.

The GPU's role is further clarified by the difference between settings. At 4K, the gap between Low (127.5 FPS) and Ultra (69.3 FPS) is a massive 45% difference. This suggests that the Ultra preset introduces effects that heavily tax the GPU's shader units and memory. The RTX 4080 SUPER's 80 RT cores are likely engaged at higher settings, even if ray tracing is not explicitly listed, as the game's "Ultra" preset may enable advanced lighting and reflections. The GPU's 52.22 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is what allows it to maintain playable frame rates at 4K, but the drop from 127.5 FPS to 69.3 FPS when going from Low to Ultra shows that the most demanding settings can still push this card to its limits.

The fact that the GPU is in the 88th percentile but the combo is in the top 7% of all combos suggests that the CPU is not holding it back. The GPU's performance is the primary driver of the measured frame rates, and its 16 GB of VRAM appears sufficient, as there is no evidence of a performance cliff that would indicate memory swapping. The data points to a GPU that is powerful, well-supported by its memory subsystem, and clearly the star of this show.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a complete picture across three resolutions and four settings. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are exceptionally high. Low settings yield 235.1 FPS, Medium drops to 172.6 FPS, High produces 156.5 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 137.7 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system has enormous headroom, and the CPU is likely not breaking a sweat. The difference between High and Ultra is only 12%, which suggests that the Ultra preset adds some GPU load but not a significant amount at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain impressive. Low settings produce 186.0 FPS, Medium yields 132.5 FPS, High delivers 117.3 FPS, and Ultra falls to 104.0 FPS. The drop from 1080p is consistent, with most settings seeing a 20-25% reduction, which is expected as the pixel count increases by 78%. The 1440p results show that the combo is still capable of high refresh rate gaming on most settings, with only Ultra dipping below the 120 FPS threshold. At 3840x2160, the performance is more moderate. Low settings still manage 127.5 FPS, but Medium drops to 86.8 FPS, High to 79.8 FPS, and Ultra to 69.3 FPS. The 4K results show that the GPU is the clear bottleneck, with the gap between Low and Ultra widening to 45%, indicating that the higher presets are heavily taxing the RTX 4080 SUPER.

The data also reveals an interesting pattern in the settings scaling. At every resolution, the jump from Low to Medium is larger than the jump from Medium to High, or High to Ultra. For example, at 1440p, Low to Medium is a 29% drop (186 to 132.5), while Medium to High is a 11% drop (132.5 to 117.3), and High to Ultra is an 11% drop (117.3 to 104.0). This suggests that the Medium preset is where the most significant visual and performance trade-offs occur, and that High and Ultra are relatively similar in cost.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p, the Ultra preset is the clear choice, as it delivers 137.7 FPS, which is well above the 120 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The drop from High to Ultra is only 12%, and the visual benefits of Ultra are likely worth the slight performance cost. For 1440p, the High preset at 117.3 FPS is the best balance, as it stays above 100 FPS and is only 10% slower than Medium. The Ultra preset at 104.0 FPS is also playable, but the marginal visual gain over High is not worth the 11% performance penalty. For 4K, the Medium preset at 86.8 FPS is the safest recommendation, as it provides a solid frame rate while still offering better visuals than Low. The High preset at 79.8 FPS is acceptable for those who prioritize image quality, but the Ultra preset at 69.3 FPS is likely too demanding for a consistent experience.

The data suggests that the Medium preset is a hidden gem in this game, as it offers the largest performance jump from Low without a correspondingly large visual hit. For players with a 144Hz monitor at 1440p, the High preset is the only one that gets close, while for 4K users, aiming for 60 FPS is more realistic, and the Medium preset is the only one that comfortably exceeds that target. The Low preset is only recommended for competitive play at 1080p, where the 235.1 FPS provides a significant advantage.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, with its 16 cores and 32 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture, plays a supporting role in Control. The CPU's boost clock of 4.90 GHz and its 64 MB of L3 cache are more than sufficient for this game's demands. The benchmark data shows that the CPU is not a bottleneck, as the frame rates scale consistently with GPU load. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 38607 and single-core score of 5450 indicate that it has massive parallel and single-threaded capabilities, which are more than enough for a game that typically uses fewer than 8 threads.

The fact that the combo ranks 114th out of 1,636 suggests that the CPU is not limiting the GPU. If the CPU were a constraint, we would expect to see lower frame rates at 1080p Low settings, where the GPU load is minimal. Instead, the 235.1 FPS at 1080p Low indicates that the CPU can feed the GPU at very high speeds. The CPU's 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs further confirms that it is a top-tier part, and its performance is not in question. The data implies that in Control, the Ryzen 9 5950X's primary job is to keep up with the RTX 4080 SUPER, and it does so without breaking a sweat.

The CPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database, such as the Intel Core i5-14600K, show a delta of -0.2%, meaning the Ryzen 9 5950X is essentially tied with them in average benchmark score. This suggests that while the CPU has more cores and threads, the game does not utilize them to a degree that would separate it from a newer, lower-core-count competitor. The CPU's role is to provide a stable platform, and it does, but the performance ceiling in Control is firmly set by the GPU.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain a 120+ FPS experience?

A: At 1080p, all settings deliver over 137 FPS, making it the only resolution where Ultra settings exceed 120 FPS. At 1440p, only the Low and Medium presets (186.0 and 132.5 FPS) hit that mark, while High and Ultra fall below it.

Q: How much of a performance drop is there from 1440p to 4K at Ultra settings?

A: The frame rate drops from 104.0 FPS at 2560x1440 to 69.3 FPS at 3840x2160, which is a 33% reduction. This is the largest percentage drop between consecutive resolutions at the same settings.

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

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The FPS scales significantly with resolution, and the CPU's massive core count is not a constraint, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p Low (235.1 FPS).

Q: Does the Ultra preset provide a meaningful benefit over High?

A: The performance cost is small, with High to Ultra dropping from 117.3 to 104.0 FPS at 1440p (an 11% reduction). The visual benefit is not quantified in the data, but the frame rate remains playable.

Q: How does this combo rank against all other tested configurations in this game?

A: It ranks 114th out of 1,636 tested combos, placing it in the top 7% of all configurations. This is a strong result, reflecting the high-end nature of both the CPU and GPU.

Q: What is the lowest frame rate recorded in the entire dataset?

A: The lowest average FPS is 69.3, which occurs at 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset. This is still above 60 FPS, indicating the combo can handle 4K gaming, though not at maximum settings.