Control

ew Control: AMD Ryzen 9 7900X + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER

The pairing of AMD's Ryzen 9 7900X with NVIDIA's RTX 2070 SUPER represents a generational mismatch that plays out exactly as expected in Remedy's Control. This action-adventure title, released in August 2019, has become a standard benchmark for both GPU and CPU scaling due to its demanding real-time effects and physics. The measured frame rates across three resolutions and four quality presets provide a detailed picture of system behavior. At 1080p, the system averages between 71 FPS on Ultra and 130 FPS on Low, while 1440p shows a predictable step down, and 4K reveals the GPU's limitations with sub-60 FPS results in most presets. The data demonstrates a system where the RTX 2070 SUPER is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, with the Ryzen 9 7900X's substantial headroom going largely untapped.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a predictable pattern of GPU-limited performance that intensifies as resolution increases. At 1080p Ultra, the system produces 71 FPS; moving to 1440p Ultra drops performance to 54 FPS, a 24% reduction; and at 4K Ultra, the system delivers just 36 FPS, a further 33% drop. This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario where the RTX 2070 SUPER's compute resources become the limiting factor. The 4K results are telling: even at Low settings, the system manages only 66 FPS, indicating that the card's raw throughput, not settings overhead, is the ceiling at this resolution.

The gap between Low and Ultra presets also widens with resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 59 FPS (130 vs. 71), while at 4K, the spread narrows to 30 FPS (66 vs. 36). This convergence at higher resolutions is classic behavior for a GPU-constrained scenario. The 4K Medium preset shows a 47 FPS average with a range of 40 to 54 FPS, while the 4K High preset drops to 42 FPS. The 1440p results, meanwhile, show the settings scaling most clearly: 98 FPS on Low, 70 FPS on Medium, 62 FPS on High, and 54 FPS on Ultra. These results collectively indicate that the Ryzen 9 7900X is not a bottleneck at any resolution; even at 1080p Low, where the CPU could theoretically become a factor, the system still achieves 130 FPS, suggesting more headroom remains.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations, this pairing of the Ryzen 9 7900X with the RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 2,152 out of 3,720 combos in Control, placing it in the 42nd percentile of all tested systems. This mid-pack ranking is somewhat surprising given the CPU's performance pedigree, but it makes sense when considering the GPU's placement. The RTX 2070 SUPER sits at the 65th percentile among all GPUs, while the Ryzen 9 7900X is at the 91st percentile among CPUs. The combo's rank reflects the GPU's status as the performance ceiling. The CPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database, which include the AMD EPYC 7313P, Intel Xeon Phi 7290, Intel Xeon 634, and Intel Core i7-14700F, all score within 0.6% of the 7900X's average benchmark score of 53,288. This clustering suggests that the 7900X is well-positioned among high-end desktop and server parts, but the GPU pairing determines the real-world gaming performance.

The deltaPct values for the CPU's nearest rivals range from -0.6% for the Intel Core i7-14700F to 0.6% for the Intel Xeon 634, indicating the 7900X is in excellent company. However, for the GPU, the nearest rivals tell a different story. The RTX 2070 SUPER's average benchmark score of 20,282 is bracketed by the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M at -1% and the Intel Arc A750 at -1.5%, with the RTX 3070 Mobile at -1.2%. These are all lower-tier competitors, reinforcing that the GPU is the weaker link in this pairing.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on the optimal settings-to-performance trade-off at each resolution. At 4K, the choice is stark: only the Low preset (66 FPS) achieves anything approaching playable frame rates, while Medium (47 FPS), High (42 FPS), and Ultra (36 FPS) all fall below the 50 FPS mark. For a game like Control with its fast-paced combat and environmental destruction, the 4K Low preset is the only viable option for smooth gameplay, though the 66 FPS average does dip into lower territory during intense scenes. At 1440p, the Medium preset (70 FPS) offers the best balance, providing a 13% improvement over High (62 FPS) while delivering 2.3x the performance of Ultra (54 FPS). The Low preset (98 FPS) is available for those with high-refresh-rate displays, but the visual compromise is significant. At 1080p, the High preset (82 FPS) is the sweet spot, delivering a 15% improvement over Ultra (71 FPS) with only a modest visual penalty. The Medium preset (92 FPS) is also excellent, providing 12% more performance than High for those who prioritize frame rate above all else. The Low preset (130 FPS) is recommended only for competitive play, where the settings' visual downgrades are offset by the high refresh rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the system shows strong performance across all presets. The Low preset delivers 130 FPS average, while Medium produces 92 FPS with a range of 78 to 106 FPS. High settings yield 82 FPS, and Ultra produces 71 FPS. The 11 FPS difference between High and Ultra (82 vs. 71) is notable for the visual fidelity gained. Moving to 2560x1440, the scaling continues: Low produces 98 FPS, Medium 70 FPS (with a range of 59 to 80 FPS), High 62 FPS, and Ultra 54 FPS. The 8 FPS gap between High and Ultra at 1440p (62 vs. 54) is smaller than at 1080p, suggesting diminishing returns from the settings increase. At 4K, the results are more constrained: Low produces 66 FPS, Medium 47 FPS (40 to 54 FPS range), High 42 FPS, and Ultra 36 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 36 FPS represents a 49% reduction from the 1080p Ultra figure, highlighting the GPU's limitations at this resolution. The Medium preset's 4K minimum of 40 FPS is the only preset at this resolution to remain above the 30 FPS playability threshold.

GPU Role

The RTX 2070 SUPER's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which proves sufficient for Control's texture-heavy environments. The card's 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs work together to deliver the measured frame rates. The GPU's boost clock of 1770 MHz (with a base of 1605 MHz) is the primary driver of performance at lower resolutions, while the 448 GB/s memory bandwidth becomes the bottleneck at 4K. The card's 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores are underutilized in this title at the tested settings, as Control's ray tracing features were not enabled in these measurements. The GPU's Passmark G3D score of 18,169 places it at the 65th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals in the benchmark database are all lower-tier parts: the Quadro M4000M, RTX 3070 Mobile, Arc B570, and Arc A750, with deltaPct values ranging from -1% to -1.5%. The card's 9.062 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is the theoretical ceiling that the game's engine can utilize, and the measured results show it being pushed to that limit at 4K.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 9 7900X, with its 12 cores and 24 threads, is vastly overqualified for gaming at the resolutions tested. Its 5.60 GHz boost clock and 4.70 GHz base clock provide single-threaded performance that is more than sufficient for Control's engine. The CPU's 3DMark scores illustrate its capability: 1,093 in single-thread, 2,137 in 2-thread, 4,151 in 4-thread, 7,798 in 8-thread, and 12,536 in max-thread tests. This scaling shows the CPU's ability to handle both lightly-threaded and heavily-threaded workloads. In Cinebench R23, the CPU scores 2,016.5 single-core and 29,300 multi-core, while Geekbench shows 2,617 single-core and 19,267 multi-core. These scores place the 7900X at the 91st percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 53,288. Its nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 7313P, is only 0.2% behind, while the Intel Core i7-14700F trails by 0.6%. The 64 MB of L3 cache and 1 MB L2 per core ensure that the CPU never becomes a bottleneck in Control; the game's frame pacing and physics calculations are easily handled by the Zen 4 architecture. The 13,140 million transistors on a 5nm TSMC process provide efficiency that keeps thermals in check.

FAQ

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

A: The system delivers an average of 62 FPS at 1440p High, with a range of 59 to 80 FPS available at Medium settings.

*Q: Is this combo capable of 4K gaming in Control?*

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, which produces 66 FPS average. Medium (47 FPS), High (42 FPS), and Ultra (36 FPS) all fall below 50 FPS at 4K.

Q: How much of a performance gain does the Low preset offer over Ultra at 1080p?

A: The Low preset produces 130 FPS, which is 83% higher than the Ultra preset's 71 FPS at 1920x1080.

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 7900X or RTX 2070 SUPER the bottleneck in this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor at all resolutions, as indicated by the GPU's 65th percentile ranking versus the CPU's 91st percentile.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 60 FPS target at 1080p?

A: The High preset at 82 FPS is the best choice, though Medium (92 FPS) offers a 12% improvement if you prefer higher refresh rates.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: It ranks 2,152nd out of 3,720 total combos, placing it in the 42nd percentile of all tested systems in Control.