Control

Control, the 2019 action-adventure title, presents a demanding environment that stresses both CPU and GPU, but the measured results for the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti combination reveal a system capable of delivering high frame rates across all tested configurations. The data shows a clear hierarchy of performance scaling with resolution and settings, where the GPU becomes the dominant factor as pixel count increases. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to provide a detailed look at how this hardware pairing handles the game, from the CPU's role in maintaining high frame rates at lower resolutions to the GPU's limitations at 4K with maximum settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall performance ranking of this CPU and GPU combination in Control?

A: The combo ranks 188th out of 1636 tested combinations, placing it in the top tier of systems for this game, with the CPU scoring in the 93rd percentile and the GPU in the 85th percentile relative to all other components.

Q: How does the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 9 7900X has an average benchmark score of 50556, which is 0.1% behind the Intel Core Ultra 5 235, 0.4% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 5900XT, 0.5% behind the Intel Core i7-13850HX, and 0.8% behind the Intel Core i9-13980HX. These are marginal differences, indicating performance parity with its nearest competitors.

Q: What is the performance gap between the RTX 4070 Ti and its closest rival, the RTX 5090 Mobile?

A: The RTX 4070 Ti has an average benchmark score of 44900, which is 0.6% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile's score of 45152. This shows the two GPUs are very closely matched in overall compute performance.

Q: What is the maximum measured average frame rate achieved with this hardware?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 228.4, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings, demonstrating the system's ability to deliver very high frame rates when the graphical load is minimized.

Q: Does the system achieve a playable frame rate at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 61.6, which is above the standard 60 FPS threshold and indicates a smooth experience, though it is the lowest average recorded in the dataset.

Q: How does the CPU's single-threaded performance compare to its multi-threaded performance?

A: The CPU's single-threaded Cinebench R23 score is 6168, while its multi-core score is 43695. This indicates strong single-thread performance that is well-suited for gaming, and the multi-core score is roughly seven times higher, showcasing its 12-core and 24-thread capability.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, running on the AMD Socket AM5 platform. Its base clock is 4.70 GHz with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, which are high frequencies that contribute to strong per-core performance. The CPU's 64 MB of shared L3 cache and 1 MB of L2 cache per core provide a substantial amount of fast memory for game data, which is beneficial for maintaining consistent frame times. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 6168 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 43695 in multi-core, indicating a balanced profile that can handle both the primary game thread and background tasks.

In Control, the CPU's role is most evident at lower resolutions and settings where the GPU is not the bottleneck. The data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 228.4 average FPS, which is a very high frame rate that demands significant CPU throughput to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations. The Ryzen 9 7900X's high boost clock and 24 threads allow it to handle this load effectively. Even at 1440p with Low settings, the system maintains 170.1 average FPS, further indicating that the CPU is not limiting performance at these settings. The CPU’s 3DMark scores, such as 1093 for single-thread and 12536 for max threads, reinforce its capability in both lightly and heavily threaded workloads. The processor's 170 W TDP is a measure of its power draw under load, but the benchmark results show that this power is translated into high performance.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture and features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2310 MHz and a boost clock of 2610 MHz, with memory running at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). It has 7680 shading units, 240 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units, which are the core components that process the visual data for Control. The GPU's compute capability is reflected in a Passmark G3D score of 31624 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 205028.

The GPU's influence on performance becomes clear when comparing frame rates across different settings at the same resolution. At 4K, the average FPS drops from 118 at Low settings to 61.6 at Ultra settings, a difference of 56.4 FPS. This substantial drop indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at this resolution, as it is tasked with rendering a significantly higher number of pixels and applying more complex effects. The RTX 4070 Ti's 12 GB of VRAM is sufficient for the textures used in Control, and the 504.2 GB/s memory bandwidth ensures that data can be fed to the processing cores quickly. The GPU's performance is also reflected in its ranking, as it sits in the 85th percentile of all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 44900 is close to that of its nearest rival, the RTX 5090 Mobile, which scores 45152.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system delivers 228.4 average FPS on Low, 162.9 on Medium, 143.4 on High, and 123.3 on Ultra. These numbers show that even at the highest settings, the system is capable of exceeding 120 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The gap between Low and Ultra is 105.1 FPS, demonstrating how much headroom there is at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS figures are 170.1 on Low, 122.9 on Medium, 110 on High, and 95.5 on Ultra. The system still maintains a very playable experience, with even the most demanding preset staying above 90 FPS. The performance drop from Low to Ultra is 74.6 FPS, which is less steep than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is starting to become more of a limiting factor. At 3840x2160, the results are 118 on Low, 80.2 on Medium, 73.3 on High, and 61.6 on Ultra. This is where the GPU is clearly the primary bottleneck, as the frame rates are significantly lower, but still playable across all settings. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 56.4 FPS, showing that the graphical load has a large impact on performance.

Resolution Scaling

The data reveals a clear pattern of performance scaling as resolution increases. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 228.4 at 1080p to 170.1 at 1440p, a decrease of 58.3 FPS, and then to 118 at 4K, a further decrease of 52.1 FPS. This consistent drop indicates that the GPU is being increasingly taxed as the pixel count grows. The scaling is similar for other settings. For example, at Ultra settings, the average FPS falls from 123.3 at 1080p to 95.5 at 1440p, and then to 61.6 at 4K.

The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is significant and varies by settings. At Low settings, the FPS drops by approximately 48% from 228.4 to 118. At Ultra settings, the drop is approximately 50% from 123.3 to 61.6. This relatively consistent percentage decrease suggests that the performance scaling is primarily driven by the GPU's rendering workload, which scales with the number of pixels. The CPU's influence is less pronounced at higher resolutions, as it can more easily keep up with the GPU's demands. The fact that the system can maintain a 61.6 average FPS at 4K Ultra, which is above the 60 FPS threshold, indicates a balanced configuration that is not severely bottlenecked by either component.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data allows for a clear recommendation based on the desired performance target. For players with a 1080p display, the Ultra preset is the best choice, as it delivers an average of 123.3 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS mark and provides a high level of visual fidelity. The High preset at 143.4 FPS offers a slightly higher frame rate with a minor reduction in visual quality, but Ultra is the better balance for this resolution.

For 1440p displays, the High preset provides an excellent experience with 110 average FPS, which is smooth and responsive. The Ultra preset at 95.5 FPS is also viable for those who prioritize visual quality over frame rate, as it remains above 90 FPS. The Medium preset at 122.9 FPS is a good option for players who want to maximize frame rates on a high-refresh-rate monitor while still maintaining decent visual quality. At 4K resolution, the High preset is the recommended choice, as it delivers 73.3 average FPS, which is comfortably above 60 FPS and offers a good balance of quality and performance. The Ultra preset at 61.6 FPS is playable, but it is closer to the 60 FPS threshold, and the High preset provides more headroom. The Low preset is not recommended at any resolution due to the significant reduction in visual quality, but it does show the system's potential for extremely high frame rates at 1080p.